driving round in this weather, AND learning all the necessaries, hehe.
driven tractor units unaccompanied on the roads before as rigids, on delivery - but never hauled a trailer - so should be fun.
fortunately its a 40-foot flatbed so shouldn’t be at all unstable really.
I’m glad I’ve experience of range change and splitter though as its one less thing to learn.
one question though - gear change exercise, 1st to 4th and down - does one have to use the split gears if they’re available?
Cannot help with questions el gordo 78 but I can
wish you good luck with your training course and
I hope you pass first time.
All the best 
I’ve no idea about the gear change exercise question mate. Your best bet would be to ask your instructor anyway. He will have all the up-to-date info, and know about the gearbox you will be using. 
All the best with your course n test mate.
Keep us posted on your progress.
el gordo 78:
one question though - gear change exercise, 1st to 4th and down - does one have to use the split gears if they’re available?
If my C+E test is anything to go by, no. I had to go Low 1st to Low 5th and back down, whole gears at a time. You have to go far enough up to do a range change, but not a split. However, you must engage low split first, as you are told to “start in your lowest gear”. If you do High 1st to High 5th, you fail.
Ask your instructor what to do, he/she’ll know.
The instruction will be to “Start off in the lowest available gear.” which means the ‘splitter’ HAS to be in low (and remains there).
What gear you go up to depends on the Examiner and will normally involved the use of any range change. Just practice for the eventuality, and if it doesn’t arise, it’s a bonus.
Best of luck.
I’ll check the exact wording at work tomorrow but I think you have to “change up through the gears until I tell you and then change back down through the gears.” As has already been stated, you have to start ‘in the lowest gear’.
I suppose the question is “Is a split counted as a ‘gear’ or not?” and to that you could say it is. Splits & range changes etc are just ways the manufactures get x gears into the box; a 4 over 4 with a spliter is still 16 gears total.
I’d be suprised if a training vehicle had anything but a straight gearbox fited. All of ours are straight six-gears.
By the way, being brand new vehicles, they are one step ahead of the game and both rigids and trailers are fitted with box bodies in anticipation of the new regs. Flat trailer?? Make the most of it while you can!!
They say lowest gear, but you don’t use crawler, so I presume if you hade a splitter like the new Scania, where the light only comes on in ‘LOW’ split, i reckon you’d have to do it in high…
Either way, Select 1st, mirrors, signal, mirrors, manuovre, indicators off…
2nd, 3rd, 4th… maybe 5th…
When he say come back down, mirrors, indicate, mirrors, down the box to 1st WITHOUT stopping, then when he says "Proceed as normal’, mirrors, indicate, mirrors, pull off from the kerb, and block up to 3rd, then 5th, etc, as normal…
HTH’s
Luv
Chrisie… 
Don’t fprget those blindspot checks Ragtop !
Ragtop:
They say lowest gear, but you don’t use crawler, so I presume if you hade a splitter like the new Scania, where the light only comes on in ‘LOW’ split, i reckon you’d have to do it in high…
Head. Brick wall. Bang
True. You don’t use a Crawler gear. BUT you use the lowest available ‘Diriving’ gear.
The Splitter stays in LOW.
.
I was told to go up to fith, which meant changing the range, but as others have said, I stayed in low split throughout the exercise…
Just one thing to remember, is make sure you read the road ahead and make sure you dont stop over a driveway, gate access, or anywhere you might cause a hazard…
And make sure you drive in all gears even when coming back down to first… once you change down, relax, drive for about 50yards so the examiner knows you are in the required gear, then off the gas to slow your speed, then change. I had a tendancy to coast and change down too soon.
marcustandy:
I’ll check the exact wording at work tomorrow …
Sorry I was late getting back with the answer but here it is. This is from the Examiner who took my last two C+E students out on test.
“The splitter is not used. The exercise can be carried out as if the splitter was not fitted.”
Consequently, that is the reason that we don’t teach the use of the splitter (on the gear changing exercise) and the split is actually left in HIGH for all the driver training.
good luck for your test! Get it done first time it saves a lot of hassle…still waiting on my re-test date for C&E. 
You wont have to use the splitter i shouldnt think just the range changer…
select 1st gear, indicate pull off 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, drive on for short amount of time…check mirrors, signal as if your pulling up, start to slow, 4th drive on for 5 seconds or so…3rd drive on for 5 seconds or so, 2nd drive on for 5 seconds or so, brake slow right down, 1st drive on for a while…the examiner will then say…resume normal driving…cancel signal…go 1st, 3rd, 5th etc etc…! easy as that!