Had my first day today on a drawbar at PSTT with Chris and I think it went quite well. Mansfield is still standing… mostly.
First things first, Chris got me to do some reversing and coupling. Lining the unit up to the trailer I found was slightly harder compared to the artic because of the way the mirrors work in conjunction with the narrower cab but once I lined it up correctly after a few shunts I was ready to start the coupling process. Actually connecting the drag to the unit was easier than I thought as there was no violent shake and loud clunk you get with the artic, in fact first time I did it I had to get out and check it just to make sure. Once the unit and drag were hooked together it was time to hook up the airlines but first I made sure the trailer brake was on (safety first folks!) Then came the airlines which was a lot easier to do as I had more space to move around compared to the catwalk on the artic. Airlines all connected, it was time to left the landing leg? Yes, just one leg for this little box and its a lot easier to wind up (bit like EB!) but it is also easier to remove the handle from the winding mechanism much to Chris’s amusement when I pulled the handle off mid crank (I said ■■■■■■■■).
After making sure all the lights were present and accounted for and some old fashioned bodging to sort out an annoying electric lead I was ready to tackle the reversing area. I found that this combination moves a lot faster than the artic and responds more to even tiny movements of the wheel. Plus it didn’t help I couldn’t get myself straight for toffee. But never the less I cracked on with Chris helping me on the first few then I was doing it by myself. People who’ve done training with the artic at PSTT will remember that once you see the orange tape in your left mirror you have to start steering back to straighten the combination, I found that I needed more lock and more time with the ministry plate (thats your marker point) in the mirrors before I had to straighten the combination otherwise I’d hit the B cone but as I said earlier this combination responds more to even the tiniest of movements so you have to be lightening quick otherwise you’d end up with it going too far over and you’d be up a certain creak without a certain paddle. Those problems with the mirrors and lining up the unit to the trailer earlier showed up again but in a bigger way. I do struggle sometimes with getting my work truck straight because of the way the mirrors are setup but on this combination the effects are increased 10 fold. Every time I reversed into the box, I could not get it straight. I was always at an angle, some attempts were worse than others. We’re talking cheese wedge angle here but I always got it in the black hatched area so no fail there.
After having a few more attempts at the reverse and still failing to get it straight we cracked on and set out to terrorise Mansfield and its inhabitants. Going forwards, the drawbar is easier to drive compared to the artic but you can’t just fire and forget about your trailer that you’re dragging around. You still have to be aware of where you’re going. So as we made our way to the centre of Mansfield, I started to recognise the surrounding scenery. I was heading towards my nemesis! The turn that did me in on my test in the artic, the Burger King turn! But with some words of wisdom from Chris about where to place myself on the road and what to aim for I got round no problem. Driving around town was going well, I was anticipating the hazards well in advance, not rushing the lights etc. Going out to the countryside I found the engine in those little Iveco’s is a bit weak as I struggling up hills but I was using that to my advantage so I had more time to react and plan based on what was coming in my direction. After negotiating the bridge that also did me in on my artic test Chris asked me to pull over to the side of the road when it was safe to do so. At this point though, a women in the passenger seat of an Audi (typical) shouted d***head at us as they drove past. Nice to see the local’s are still as charming as ever.
This next part is where my brain took an unauthorised leave of absence. Coming up to a large two lane roundabout, Chris asked me to turn left for the first exit. No problem I said, pulling up to the give way line there was a few cars coming my way so I stopped. At this point my brain went “See ya, back in 5”. There were more cars on the roundabout but they were in the second lane or the one closet to the centre so giving me time to move off but for some reason I was thinking I couldn’t go because we’ve all had that one BMW driver either not using his indictor or using the wrong one only to flick it down and dart across the lanes just as you set off meaning you’ve either got to stop or he has, both resulting in a serious fault. These cars were doing just that, inside lane with the right indicator on, there just is no way of knowing if they intend to suddenly stop indicating right, flick left and move lanes at the last second. Chris told me that I missed a few gaps but I was right not to go. He’d rather I get a minor for being hesitant than get a serious or dangerous fault because I made someone stop.
Upon getting back to the yard it was back to the reversing area for more reversing, coupling and uncoupling. Still struggling to get it straight in the box but we’ll crack that. In tomorrow at 14:30 for more.
