Hi everyone,
Just a quick question is there a lot of work there driving automatic class 2?
Cheers.
Is the reason that you ask because you only feel confident driving automatic trucks, or because your licence is limited to automatic trucks?
If it’s a licence limitation (a code 78 for automatic transmission only against your category C) but you have passed in one of the B, C or D categories in a manual transmission vehicle at some time, the code 78 should be removed under the latest rules if you exchange your licence. The manual test could be your original car test. I am not sure whether the new View Driving Licence service will show the position of the licence document you hold or the position you are entitled to be in if you exchange your licence.
If you do not hold any manual B, C or D categories, you can remove the code 78 limitations from all your B, C and D categories by passing a manual car practical test.
The Fire Service in some areas used to put people through auto-only class 2’s. Luckily this isn’t a problem so much now for reasons given above.
djw:
If you do not hold any manual B, C or D categories, you can remove the code 78 limitations from all your B, C and D categories by passing a manual car practical test.
Or any manual test in B C or D categories - CE manual would upgrade the lot to manual and give then all +E as well
truckerfraz:
… I currently on have an auto car license so will only ever be able to drive auto trucks when I pass that too.
ROG:
djw:
If you do not hold any manual B, C or D categories, you can remove the code 78 limitations from all your B, C and D categories by passing a manual car practical test.Or any manual test in B C or D categories - CE manual would upgrade the lot to manual and give then all +E as well
That would be the other way to deal with the situation.
I thought, mistakenly, that the original poster already had automatic C entitlement and possibly manual B entitlement. The old thread you’ve dug up, ROG, suggests that the original poster has automatic B entitlement and has yet to acquire any vocational entitlement though wishes to take C and CE.
One way to handle this would be for the original poster to take either their C or CE test on a manual truck, which will remove the automatic transmission only restriction from their car licence and any vocational entitlement held. The problem with this approach is that any additional training time needed to learn to drive manual transmission will be more expensive with an LGV trainer than with a car instructor, also LGV training providers are switching to mostly or entirely automatic fleets because of the new rules.
On balance, it might be easier for the original poster to take a manual car test. The training for the manual car test will not only deal with manual transmission but will hopefully address any bad habits that have crept in since taking their automatic car test before taking their category C test. This will mean the C and CE tests can be taken on an automatic truck.
I reckon its easier to learn clutch control in a lorry than a car
Maybe the best answer of all is to get category C provisional and take at least one category C assessment drive with a training provider in a manual truck. The original poster can then decide whether it’s better for them to remove their ‘automatic transmission only’ restriction as part of their category C training or take some manual car lessons followed by a manual car test.
It’ll be a stumbling block with prospective employers I’d imagine,even if they run autos there may come a time when the have manuals on hire ect.
Personally I’d get the manual licence by doing whatever is necessary,I like autos in the good weather but in snow/ice i would rather a manual,nowt worse than running up a snow or ice covered slope and your lovely auto box decides to drop 3 gears and leave you spinning like a loon in no mans land.
ckm1981:
It’ll be a stumbling block with prospective employers I’d imagine,even if they run autos there may come a time when the have manuals on hire ect.
Personally I’d get the manual licence by doing whatever is necessary,I like autos in the good weather but in snow/ice i would rather a manual,nowt worse than running up a snow or ice covered slope and your lovely auto box decides to drop 3 gears and leave you spinning like a loon in no mans land.
That’s when you leave it in manual mode.
Radar19:
ckm1981:
It’ll be a stumbling block with prospective employers I’d imagine,even if they run autos there may come a time when the have manuals on hire ect.
Personally I’d get the manual licence by doing whatever is necessary,I like autos in the good weather but in snow/ice i would rather a manual,nowt worse than running up a snow or ice covered slope and your lovely auto box decides to drop 3 gears and leave you spinning like a loon in no mans land.That’s when you leave it in manual mode.
True but they still ain’t fully manual as in you can not control the vehicle off the clutch for pulling off ect,maybe it’s just personal preference.
truckerfraz:
Hi everyone,Just a quick question is there a lot of work there driving automatic class 2?
Cheers.
Quite a bit, but there are a lot more manual trucks at class 2 than at class 1 (which are nearly all auto now), and they’re not all just six-speed but four-over-four and sometimes with a splitter (making them eight or 16-speed). If you’re going into permanent work then you can make it clear that you can only drive automatic then; with agencies it might be more tricky as they need to ask the client whether the vehicle is an auto, and they might not even know. It would help if we knew why you can only drive automatics.
The original poster’s previous posts suggests he has a B(78) licence - an automatic transmission only car licence - and that he’s yet to take category C.
If he takes his category C test in a manual truck, he will get manual B and manual C entitlement.
If he takes his category C test in an automatic truck, he will only get C(78) entitlement, so would be limited to driving automatic trucks. He could subsequently remove the automatic only restriction by taking a manual CE test, which would give him manual B, manual BE, manual C and manual CE.
I took the question as gauging his employment prospects should he take an automatic C test. Many training vehicles are now automatic, as the majority of drivers have a manual B licence, meaning they get manual vocational categories even if they take their test in an automatic under the latest rules.
I dont understand why there seams to be more and more people not confident enough with driving to use a basic thing such as a gearstick are choosing a job that involves driving a huge vehicle out on a public road.
Pain’s me to say this, but I agree with m_att. I am a firm believer in the ability to manually gear shift, whilst carrying out all the other mirror check’s and other action’s/observation’s required at the same time.
Pains me to think that there are lorry drivers who have not learnt the art of double-de-clutching as well as doing all the other things
That statement is about as daft as those above and I am sure there are more similar
Things change over time to fit in with what is going on in the real world
From what I gather it now costs a premium and you need to specify to have a manual box and a day cab
I think the broader point being made Rog, is that surely the test’s should not become easier whilst the roads become busier?
eagerbeaver:
I think the broader point being made Rog, is that surely the test’s should not become easier whilst the roads become busier?
Observation and forward planning are needed more now than they ever were - whatever is being driven