Hi Guys. Not been on here much since passing my class 2 in November. New baby arrival has been hectic.
Anyway. Looking at taking my Class 1 in the early summer and just wondered what the general opinions are about…
W&D vs Artic for a training vehicle… and
Best training vehicle manufacturer… (or ones to avoid).
I passed my Class 2 in a DAF which was a nice easy 4over4 box and would probably be happy to go back to a DAF.
The training provider that I passed with is quite some distance away and I am looking at closer training schools who all seem to have differing configurations. Some have both W&D and Artic. Some have one or the other.
Even if you just point me to previous posts - that would be helpful.
I found the most important was to find a training school that does 1-1 training, not one where you spend half the time sat watching somebody else learn. Think you`ll find most training schools have trucks that are quite easy to drive with easy to use gearboxes. If you learnt your class 2 on a 4 over 4 why not look for a school using the same trucks. Good luck.
Artic is better as 95% of the time that’s what you’ll be driving after passing your test. Dragon and wags drive completely differently and reversing is also different. Companies that use W&Ds are cheapskates because then they only have one vehicle to maintain and pay for instead of two.
There is no manufacturer to avoid, they’re all much the same. Also it’s best to find a company that does 121 training so that you’re only paying for your time and not someone elses.
Be aware that the driving jobs market is on its arse at the moment so you will probably struggle to find any work.
I know the job market is rubbish for new drivers at the moment. Just trying to stack up my categories on my license so I can be employable when things improve.
You could go & visit the providers that are close to you & speak in person with them to see which 1 you like best
There is also do you do 1-2-1 or 1-2-2 depends which you feel best with as you have done your Cat C not that long ago did you go 1-2-1 or 1-2-2 & were you comfy with it
Went for an artic assessment today. A Daf with a 40ft trailer.
Started off with the instructor driving through Taunton down to the test centre then we swapped over.
Quite a lot different to the rigid I passed in back in October.
The first couple of junctions were fine. I created the correct amount of room for the trailer to follow through without mounting the kerbs. Then I came up to a fairly small roundabout which we were going right on. Apparently my spatial awareness had been left at the last junction. I mounted the roundabout and nearly took out the signpost in the middle. After making a complete hash of things on that one things settled down and I relaxed and enjoyed the remaining 40 minutes. Finished off with a reverse across the yard between two lorries.
Going for an assessment on W&D in a couple of weeks with a different school and hoping that I can judge the pro’s and cons of both setup’s.
It has been an experience never to be forgotten. Will let you know how I get on with the other school soon.
Went for another assessment today. Tri axle trailer on a daf.
Went back to SRTS where I passed my rigid test in Exeter.
We went for a 40 minute drive with a few roundabouts and tight turns to negotiate. It was great. A lot more relaxed than my last assessment and I really feel like I am getting the hang of driving these monsters.
Got another arctic assessment tomorrow around Bristol and then a wag and drag assessment next month in taunton. All good practice and experience before the course.
Below is the beast I was driving (not the bus lol)
Nice one passing your cat c I am doing my training in a cpl of weeks let me know how the wagon and drag is please as the trainer I am using has one of them
Iam unsure whether to do it in that or an artic
If I pass my cat c first time I am hoping I will be able to afford to do my c+e anyway good luck on your assessment tomorrow
dar1976:
Wish it was that easy. But thought I would get a headstart on it all.
Would definitely recommend looking around local training schools as I have seen some of the worst and some of the best in my few weeks of research.
Well done mike for your recent test pass. Hope I can get a good result too.
Dean
Well have been saying this for a long time as just because 1 suits you it may not me as I know all too well from my experience on CE although it was the same provider just a different instructor
Wanna-b-a-newbie:
Nice one passing your cat c I am doing my training in a cpl of weeks let me know how the wagon and drag is please as the trainer I am using has one of them
Iam unsure whether to do it in that or an artic
If I pass my cat c first time I am hoping I will be able to afford to do my c+e anyway good luck on your assessment tomorrow
John
I really wouldn’t worry about that aspect. The principles are exactly the same. It’s more important to choose the right training school.
Just had an hour in a Renault with slap over and tri axle trailer. Took me about ten mins to get comfortable with the gears. This really surprised me as I had only driven dafs with 4 over 4 boxes.
What a nice drive the Renault was.
And N-Gaged seem to be a very good outfit. Trainer was very thorough and very friendly. Always chatting to help calm my nerves. A great guy.
All in all a great drive. No curb mounting. No attempts to redesign the roundabouts. Kept it in lane 95% of the time with just the odd understeer. Too much worrying about curb mounting I think.
Just Wag and Drag on 10th March to compare handling but so far have been very pleased with my artic performance.
where are they based ?