Took me ages to get a class 1 but thankfully i got on a job with Moran in Derby yesterday. 15 hour shift.
Couldn’t to the last collection because i ran out of time. Is this okay? or is it bad to not do the job/s you were assigned for the day?
Good thing is, i didn’t hit anything or go over any kerbs even when i was driving through a tight village and city centre in that village. TomTom took me through that village as the normal route was flooded. Was a ball ache and got me fed up because it was killing hours. But as someone said on my previous post, it will take as long as it takes as i’m a new driver.
Bad thing is, my reverse was absolutely diabolical!!! general reversing i’m good at but bay reverse took me 10 shunts with a guide and sad thing is, there was only 1 trailer on one side. If it was trailers on each side… lord help me please! That’s some David Blaine sh*t man! but good thing is i wasn’t nervous or rushing. i was confident but need to learn the angle of approach, when and how much to steer.
Those DAFs man… was always getting an exhaust system malfunction warning and a front sensor warning followed by an engine malfunction. It’s a flippin 69 plate. Constant traction issues as well.
Anyways i feel happy apart from this knbhead shunting Cntinski who i wanted to slap up with his reaction to my reverse attempts. Moving shoulders and nodding his head and asking wth am i doing. Once i parked up i was observing what he was doing (while cursing him of course) and he thinks he’s Lewis Hamilton/Ken Block in the yard with how fast he shunts, talking to every driver like he owns them and bossing people around.
Give new drivers a chance man. Thankfully actual drivers had a bit more patience with me.
Got nothing against shunters of course… i’d like to try it anyway… but it’s just a new drivers report
The reversing will come, I been class 1 12 months now and my good side reversing is fine now, had a similar experience to you though the other day while attempting a blindside into a tight yard, the ‘‘banksman’’ who was useless, was getting irate and waving his arms around everytime i took a shunt or got out of the cab to have look where i was, and he was putting some pressure on me telling me i am causing chaos and if i dont hurry up i am gonna miss my slot,(i was trying to be careful because there were builders vans everywhere, you know the type of place where they all turn up at the same time to collect there stuff) i dont really let things like this bother me or affect my confidence, but i can see how it would put some people off.
ibby730d: Got nothing against shunters of course… i’d like to try it anyway… but it’s just a new drivers report
The best thing you could do as a new driver is a couple of months shunting, it’ll sort out your reversing for life. Place where I’m at they do a driver apprenticeship and once they’ve got their licence they’re put in the yard for a few weeks shunting so when they finally go out doing deliveries they’re not getting stuck.
ibby730d: Got nothing against shunters of course… i’d like to try it anyway… but it’s just a new drivers report
The best thing you could do as a new driver is a couple of months shunting, it’ll sort out your reversing for life. Place where I’m at they do a driver apprenticeship and once they’ve got their licence they’re put in the yard for a few weeks shunting so when they finally go out doing deliveries they’re not getting stuck.
I need an apprenticeship like that. 2 weeks ago I paid £165 for 3 hours of reverses only with my school but it’s not the same as reversing with trailers side by side.
Can you tell me HOW THE HELL!!! do you reverse from the left? you can’t see f*ck all. Is it a UK law thing or something to reverse from the right because all the depots i’ve seen and been to have a 1 way system where you reverse from the right which is the good side for most people.
ibby730d:
Can you tell me HOW THE HELL!!! do you reverse from the left?
You don’t, lol. If you try really hard you can see your trailer in the small mirror, up to a certain angle. Try to approach/shunt yourself into a smaller angle (trailer to parking lines) then it’s easy, that’s what I do anyway. Kinda like here but flip the picture horizontally in your mind:
ibby730d:
Can you tell me HOW THE HELL!!! do you reverse from the left?
It’s very tricky, but it helps to adjust your nearside electric mirror as you begin to lose sight of your trailers back end. It works up to a point, as long as it’s only a moderate blindside reverse. You also have to adjust it back again as you begin straightening up.
Stralisnumerouno:
Ibby730 if you want to progress and learn the correct way to Reverse/drive an artic rather than being dropped in from a great height PM me.
PM’ed but it’s gone in to Outbox. If you haven’t received it then PM me.
Stralisnumerouno:
Ibby730 if you want to progress and learn the correct way to Reverse/drive an artic rather than being dropped in from a great height PM me.
PM’ed but it’s gone in to Outbox. If you haven’t received it then PM me.
A PM will appear in the outbox until it is opened. Don’t worry, normal.
Stralisnumerouno:
Ibby730 if you want to progress and learn the correct way to Reverse/drive an artic rather than being dropped in from a great height PM me.
PM’ed but it’s gone in to Outbox. If you haven’t received it then PM me.
A PM will appear in the outbox until it is opened. Don’t worry, normal.
ibby730d:
Bad thing is, my reverse was absolutely diabolical!!! general reversing i’m good at but bay reverse took me 10 shunts with a guide and sad thing is, there was only 1 trailer on one side. If it was trailers on each side… lord help me please! That’s some David Blaine sh*t man! but good thing is i wasn’t nervous or rushing. i was confident but need to learn the angle of approach, when and how much to steer.
Don’t worry about it, it will come with time and practice. And believe it or not, sometimes the tighter spaces you will find easier to get in. You will have days when you get in to the tightest of spots first time and then others when you’ve got acres of space and end up having to shunt about all over the place. I had this exact thing the other day. My delivery point was one of the tightest spots I’ve ever had to get in. It took me a couple of shunts but I got in without hitting any walls, posts or the car that was making things really awkward. Then when I got back to the yard, I had loads of space but do you think I could get in on the bay - could I hell! Must have taken about half a dozen shunts and me shaking my head to myself at the pure disbelief of what I was doing until I finally got it done!
Sometimes it all just happens easily and other times its like you’ve never even sat behind the wheel of a truck. Just get out and have a look as many times as necessary, and long as you don’t hit anything then all is good!
ibby730d:
Bad thing is, my reverse was absolutely diabolical!!! general reversing i’m good at but bay reverse took me 10 shunts with a guide and sad thing is, there was only 1 trailer on one side. If it was trailers on each side… lord help me please! That’s some David Blaine sh*t man! but good thing is i wasn’t nervous or rushing. i was confident but need to learn the angle of approach, when and how much to steer.
Don’t worry about it, it will come with time and practice. And believe it or not, sometimes the tighter spaces you will find easier to get in. You will have days when you get in to the tightest of spots first time and then others when you’ve got acres of space and end up having to shunt about all over the place. I had this exact thing the other day. My delivery point was one of the tightest spots I’ve ever had to get in. It took me a couple of shunts but I got in without hitting any walls, posts or the car that was making things really awkward. Then when I got back to the yard, I had loads of space but do you think I could get in on the bay - could I hell! Must have taken about half a dozen shunts and me shaking my head to myself at the pure disbelief of what I was doing until I finally got it done!
Sometimes it all just happens easily and other times its like you’ve never even sat behind the wheel of a truck. Just get out and have a look as many times as necessary, and long as you don’t hit anything then all is good!
Watch out for people too. You can guarantee you’ll mess up in front of an audience. Do a tight blindside first time and there’s never anyone around to watch though
