Got kicked off Course

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hi,as the Title explains.

I started a Cat C course on Monday,Never driven one before and had done all the docs up to the course date.Also took a while to get a date and the time off.

Any way Monday started and went down to the Training Centre and when arrived said Hello to the 2 guys (The Trainers) that were there.The other guy had arrived so went over to the truck and got in.The Truck in Question is a M A N 18t Rigid with 4 over 4.

The trainer got in and went for a circuit around town.Fine up to now,

I took a shot and started to drive,made a lot of mistakes,i.e.mirrors,kept hitting the kerbs but also struggled to work the 4 over 4 box.I struggled to get this thing to work properly.Glad to say when I was finished I was relieved.This was of course only the first day.I would also at the end of every run the trainer did say how was it.I replied ok but needed a lot of work done.

The other guy took over and was ok, didn’t make as serious mistakes but it stall it a couple of times(As did i).

Went to tea and the trainer and my other trainee seemed to have a lot in common.Wasn’t bothered but he seemed more relaxed than I was.
At the end of the Day,he did ask that the boss would have to be told about me hitting kerbs etc.I said fine no problems.He also said that he would have to know if I was ready to take the test on Friday.I must admit I was struggling with the lorry and felt at this time,I would have got a whole lot better if I was allowed to drive it on my own.

Anyway,Tuesday arrives and we go out again.I let the other boy go first.The trainer is praising him the whole way,still makes mistakes but is praised along the way.

Anyway,I start this truck and after the incidents of the kerbs yesterday,I decide to drive a lot better by taking wider angles on the corners and making sure that not hitting the kerbs.I also want to start to work on the mirrors as well.

We arrived back at base and he asked me how it was.I said that I was still struggling with the box,mirrors and generally needed at lot of more driving under my belt.I should also say that I could try and relax more would help.

Anyway it was tea time and the pick up arrived,they all got in and I was going to join them but got told by the trainer ‘Not enough space for 5’ so I was left behind.Fine so had something and they all came back.

The other lad had his turn,didn’t make as many mistakes as me.I was still struggling to work the box correctly.I will be honest,I couldn’t relax with the trainer and also when I was sat in that seat,I was going here we go again.!!!

So,off I took made a couple of mistakes,the trainer by this time starts saying under his breath louder ‘for FOOOOOOOOOOK SAKE’.I will be honest that I wanted to abandon the vehicle but carried on.Had to do a downhill start.Start criticizing me for taking the wrong piece of verge.

I got back to base and says to me ‘How was that’.I basically said that I had no chance of making it to Friday.Asked to go for tea and went.

Came back and the boss man said,Do the CPC on Friday and he will take you out on Sat for the next 3 weeks.If I need more then will i get it.He did ask me to phone which I did,but he only said the next 3 weeks which is a bit suss…

The question is should I go tomorrow for the CPC(Which is of no use to me until I pass my C licence which for me I feel is a long way off )or should I go elsewhere and start again!!!

2

Do you mean just got out on a sat for 3 consecutive weeks?
Is so that is completely useless to you as having a day’s drive then waiting another 6 days for your next drive is no way to prepare for a test.
Who is paying for this course and who is it with?
Also if the “instructor” lost his rag with you because you couldn’t yet master what you are there for HIM to teach you then it says more about the instructor than you,I’d have words with him then probably leave and find someone who can do their job properly if you want to pass your test.

3

Every sensible bone in my body is telling me not to get involved in this – so here goes!!
It’s clear there’s a personality issue between yourself and the trainer. You’re also on the wrong end of 2:1 training where you’ve been placed with a quicker candidate. Rather than this working to encourage you, it’s working against you. This is one of my arguments against 2:1 but that’s another issue.
Your trainer is wrong to mutter obscenities under his breath. Although the job can be extremely frustrating, there’s no need for that and a well trained instructor will be able to cope without resorting to it.
You have an offer of 3 days 1:1 over a series of Saturdays. Grab it with both hands! The school is loosing money on this in an effort to try and help. I’m not surprised it’s limited to 3 days. Perfectly reasonable to ask you to pay for any extra training beyond that if it’s necessary.
What you have described is the scenario that no trainer wants to get involved in. Neither, of course, does any candidate. It happens to all trainers. Our average is 999 out of 1,000 present no undue difficulties and will pass their test. Would be great to say first time but welcome to my world where some have 2 and 3 tests. Not a great sales pitch from me but honest. Where we get the 1 in 1,000 we will offer everything we reasonably can to help them pass the test.
Extremely rarely, about 1 in 3,000 we have to accept defeat. Truck driving isn’t for everyone and not everyone is blessed with an ounce of aptitude towards it.
Assessment drives will rarely pick up on this as many allowances have to be made for lack of experience.
Conversely, I’ve been able to help folks who have been “kicked off” courses simply by offering a more simple, well behaved vehicle. There’s no indication that there’s anything amiss with the vehicle you have been using but maybe an auto would help.
Maybe some of these comments are a little controversial but, as always, they are my honest and truthful comments. Some will argue but I speak as I have found over 40+ years of LGV training.
If I have offended anyone it’s not intentional.
Pete :laughing: :laughing:

4

ckm1981:
Do you mean just got out on a sat for 3 consecutive weeks?
Is so that is completely useless to you as having a day’s drive then waiting another 6 days for your next drive is no way to prepare for a test.
Who is paying for this course and who is it with?
Also if the “instructor” lost his rag with you because you couldn’t yet master what you are there for HIM to teach you then it says more about the instructor than you,I’d have words with him then probably leave and find someone who can do their job properly if you want to pass your test.

Dear CKM 1981.Thanks for you reply.I did ask that when I came off the lorry,I did say to him that I wanted to do it part-time which is what I wanted.The trainer did say that you won’t pick up as much as a 5 day course but I passed my car licence doing it p/t and learned a lot more.

I paid just shy of £1200 for the week which is a lot of money.

I have decided to go tomorrow and see what will happen.

Thanks for the reply though

5

VERY BAD TRAINER it seems from what you have written as it seems he cannot adapt to each of the trainees

Taking what you have said at face value then this trainer should not be doing 2 to 1 and probably not 1 to 1 either

A GOOD trainer can do 2 to 1 with trainees who are at totally opposite ends of the spectrum and adapt to each as well as get them to help each other to a certain degree - even if its just letting them blow off steam or have a laugh together

Getting one of the trainees who finds it difficult to do something on 2 to 1 to have a laugh at the instructor when the instructor (sort of) messes it up on a demo is also fun especially when the other trainee also finds it funny :smiley:

6

I had a trailer like that, had a retest prebooked with them but never went back. Paid more money and passed with a much better trainer.

7

And this is the standard of some training companies… firstly I don’t like the idea of 2 on 1 training, it puts you on edge even more because you don’t want to make silly little mistakes ,so that the other guy can take the micky…
The behaviour of the examiner is bang out of order and he should be ashamed of himself… personally you should be raising these issues with whoever owns this training company…

I doubt that you’ve been kicked off the course, Its more a case of in the trainers eyes, your not coming up to the standard that is required to pass the HGV test… and its probably another way of earning more £££££

So the big question is are these three consecutive Saturdays training costing you more money, as if they are I personally would take your business else where… because its not a good way forward to get a class 2 licence…
If its the issue of the gearbox, then find a provider that has autos…so its one less thing to worry about…

8

Hi ,Rog he did tell me that he was ex Fire Service and you can tell.I don’t think that he could handle questions from me though.

Also,no I ain’t paying for any extras £1200 is more than enough.If he does it will be goooooooood byeeeeee.

9

I was in the opposite scenario for my C+E training. Other chap training was a perfect gentleman who had been driving a taxi for 40 years and to be honest tried to drive an artic like it was one!
The instructor in my case used structured training, and explained it to us. You start on big roads, then graduate onto smaller roads, then the awkward stuff, then the couple of almost impossible turns you hope you don’t get on your test. He simply advanced me onto the tougher territory and kept the other guy nearer his comfort zone.
It got to Thursday and it was pretty obvious he wasn’t about to pass on the Friday morning, and they had a diplomatic chat, and basically advised him not to take the test as it would knock his confidence and he wasn’t really test standard, and said after my test he could offer him 1-1 for the remainder of the day.
Like ROG says, good instructors can handle this. At no point was there any shouting or swearing.

What to do now depends on what you have paid for and what the deal was. If you originally paid for 5 days training including test, and you have done two days 2-1, and go on to do 3 Saturdays 1-1, then to be fair to the trainers you have then used up your hours and personally I’d think it reasonably that any further training and test after that would incur extra fees.

You will need the CPC, so why not get it? It sounds like you will do better on your own, at your pace, and I’d be inclined to accept the 3 Saturdays. If you walk away now I’m guessing you won’t get a partial refund of your fee, so I’d at least get the experience that is being offered. After the 3 SAturdays, I would then have a good think about whether to go back to them or go elsewhere, but that is a later decision.
Hope it works out for you.

10

Sounds like you’ve had a terrible experience mate! :cry:
Take what’s on the table for free and move on…
Don’t let a bad trainer ruin your life choices!

11

Maybe I’m misreading something here - But it seems that you haven’t been kicked off the course at all?

12

Maybe an automatic would make it a lot easier?

Can you tell Peter on first day if someone will never pass?

13

My instructor was very similar to what your describing, should have known as they had an open slot 2 weeks later when I phoned them. I did OK, but the other chap really struggled and the instructor had some colourful language. To be fair he did nearly go into the back of a bus on the 3ed day I think it was. In the end we both passed and he only got 2 more minors than me with plenty left.

His big problem was it took him 3 days to get used to the box, even then he was struggling.

So I would agree with the others. If your still finding it hard get some training in an auto and then you can just concentrat on steering the best and not making it move as well.

Speaking personally though, having trained in a manual and now earning money in autos I really don’t like the autos :stuck_out_tongue:

14

Maybe an automatic would make it a lot easier?

Can you tell Peter on first day if someone will never pass?

Without a doubt, learning on auto leaves more concentration for other issues.

On the first day I can certainly be sure that someone is going to make me earn my money! As for whether they will never pass - on the first day that’s a bit defeatist IMO. I would pride myself on doing everything possible to get the pass. But, as I said earlier in the thread, it isn’t always going to happen.

Hope this helps, Pete :laughing: :laughing:

15

Wow sounds like you have had a terrible experience with this company! did you have an assessment drive with them before you chucked money at them? Because this guy seems like a right ■■■■■■■■, you don’t pay money to be spoken to like that at the end of the day.

16

‘Not enough space for 5’

Three I can get if 2:1

But 4 :question:

17

TheTrogFather:
My instructor was very similar to what your describing, should have known as they had an open slot 2 weeks later when I phoned them. I did OK, but the other chap really struggled and the instructor had some colourful language. To be fair he did nearly go into the back of a bus on the 3ed day I think it was. In the end we both passed and he only got 2 more minors than me with plenty left.

His big problem was it took him 3 days to get used to the box, even then he was struggling.

So I would agree with the others. If your still finding it hard get some training in an auto and then you can just concentrat on steering the best and not making it move as well.

Speaking personally though, having trained in a manual and now earning money in autos I really don’t like the autos :stuck_out_tongue:

I did my first lesson in 4 over 4 manual, and my experience of that is detailed here: Newbie learning in 8 speed Manual Four-over-Four - NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE) - Trucknet UK

And as Pete says, an Auto leaves you free to concentrate on other aspects of driving.
Which I probably why Pete changed me to a manual after reading my post! :laughing:
The auto was almost too easy after struggling with a manual the previous day, and thanks to Pete’s instructor (David) I passed first time!

So change to an Auto mate! :grimacing:

18

Which I probably why Pete changed me to a manual after reading my post! :lol

Please re-read this, someones tired :wink:

19

Personally I was pleased to do my training with another trainee, but I can laugh at myself and also take criticism and our instructor wasn’t adverse to tearing a strip of us if we slipped back into mistakes and bad habits.

Whilst I was driving I was concentrating on the moment, but when watching the other trainee I had time to watch and think about what he was doing right or wrong.

Personally I think you had a personality clash with the instructor and he found the other trainee easier to deal with, it might not be very professional but I’m sure it happens as we’re all human, I’d try a different school. As for learning part time or a full time course, I think the main problem will be going over stuff each week that would be fresh if you’d done them the day before.

I’d try another instructor or training school, might make a great deal of difference, and the right instructor might help you gain confidence which will help you learn and get ready for the test and more importantly driving one on your own.

20

ash 001:

Which I probably why Pete changed me to a manual after reading my post! :lol

Please re-read this, someones tired :wink:

Which is probably why Pete changed me to a manual after reading my post!

Better! :grimacing:

And yes I am mate, as I’ve worked 7 out of the last 8 days.
Thankfully I have tomorrow off! :smiley:

P.S. I’ll let you have that one pal! :wink: