Scannyfanny:
Scannyfanny wrote:
Part of the problem here is the UK system of training & testing LGV/HGV drivers - it’s simply not robust enough. No idea what other countries do but ours is too ‘slack’!I say that as I enrolled for an ‘all in’ course back in 2006 for £2400 guaranteed ‘Class 1 from car licence’. That deal was indeed ‘all in’ and included an initial medical, theory test, one week of rigid training, test, second theory test, one week of artic training & a test. In fact the course actually included 3 x tests per class if you failed the first two in each…in other words I could have done six tests in total for the price. As luck and serious determination would have it I passed both first time all within 5 weeks.
Within a day of receiving my class 1 licence in the post I was on an agency night shift with a fully loaded artic under my bum and drove many different outfits for many companies over the next six months, mostly at night…including double deckers which I remember at the time scared the life out of me. I definitely had a few close shaves in that period and most related to misjudging how a loaded trailer handles. I often felt I should not have been allowed to drive what I was driving with such non-existent experience. Until then I was never a can or truck driver of any type.
Bottom line - I survived and learnt a huge amount quickly, including how to safely handle a heavily-loaded trailer which was something very new to me having passed two tests in rapid succession in an empty vehicle as they were in those days.
The British testing system would benefit from some kind of logbook system which ensured new drivers learnt more about what they are really doing before progressing. New drivers should simply not be able to do ‘anything’ like I was.
I realise there are plenty of muppets out there driving artics whilst tired and whilst relying on satnav, twiddling with their phones, clueless, not paying attention, all of what everyone has previously said. Auto boxes may well have attracted more people into the industry than years back, who knows. However if we admit the job is ‘easier’ than it used to be and is attracting ‘different’ people than traditionally then we need to rethink the training process perhaps…to either weed out the clowns early/safely or to train them in the right way and save us all.
Scannyfanny.
When I started you could take your Class1 without even having a full car licence, which was a quicker process than what you done.
I didn’t do it personally, I started UK long distance on a Transit pick up for a few months, so I learned a lot about routes etc prior to getting my Class 1, I also done a few months on a rigid.
We need to get away from Car drivers with Class 1s, to proper Truck drivers once again instead.
I think a lot more theory should be put into the training, incorporate the dcpc in there also, with a test. (instead of getting guys with vast experience to endure the [zb] thing every so often)Take in stuff like overtaking correctlly (without cutting in ) lane discipline, non sat nav route planning theory courses, incorporating low bridge routes, and drum in empathy and courtesy on road towards other truck drivers…(never thought I’d hear myself say that as it was just ‘‘The done thing’’ once)
They could also make a rule whereby you progress to driving a artic after say 6 months to a year experience on a rigid.
Also automatic bans with re.tests for bridge bashing .
In other words make it harder to obtain a full licence, instead of learning how to pass a test and get it as a formality. .We have to get away from allowing bell ends to obtain full Class 1s to clean the job up, as it is those 2hats that give us a bad name.
+1
wondering why that lorry that looks a bit like the battered filthy shed they arrived in is slowly moving past them 
