Hello you lot,
I have a question. I was told by a lorry driver that when you learn in a rigid you are only allowed to use 5 gears!! is this just a lay by truckers lie?
yup…
thought so and he declared that he has been driving trucks for over 35 years
i bet his fuel consumptions bloody high then if hes been using only 5 gears that long 
He may be thinking about the fact that you no longer have to go “through the gears” and you can happily block change on your test. I cannot imagine why the DSA would insist on you only using a portion of the gears 
Thought it was pants. I was thinking “why the hell would some one pay over a £1000 quid to be taught how to drive a lorry with 5 gears?”. So far i have learnt not to listen to the truck stop BS ( i was on patrol when asking making sure fuel isn’t nicked )
truck has to have a range change
I thought it was minimum of 8 and a box body, although there is no need to do a gear changing exercise.
4 over 4 is ok
mickyblue:
Hello you lot,I have a question. I was told by a lorry driver that when you learn in a rigid you are only allowed to use 5 gears!! is this just a lay by truckers lie?
Hi mickyblue,
A rigid vehicle to be used for an LGV Cat “C” driving test must be at least:
Category C
A rigid goods vehicle with a MAM of at least 12 tonnes, at least eight metres in length and least 2.4 metres in width. The vehicle must have at least eight forward ratios, a closed box cargo compartment at least as wide and as high as the cab.
Source: direct.gov
The manner in which the vehicle meets the criteria for “eight forward ratios” isn’t specified, so the requirement could be fulfilled by any method eg; splitter or range-change.
Block-changing (skipping) of gears is permitted in the right circumstances, so sometimes it would be OK to use just five gears.
Given that the vehicle is empty would it ever be al-right to use all eight ratios on test or would that go against you ?
Took C+E 4 yrs ago.
Move off in suitable gear, block change during drive if required. Had to do the gear change manoever,move off in 1st, 2nd etc up to 5th then change all the way down to 1st, accelerating in each gear
tachograph:
Given that the vehicle is empty would it ever be al-right to use all eight ratios on test or would that go against you ?
i suppose you could but why bother , ?
i knew a chap who took his test in an ERF with a twin splitter , thats bad enough , but when he got gobby about his driving prowess the instructor told him to use every gear 
served him right , needless to say he failed 3 times & now drives a fork lift, still gods gift but only on a FLT 
If you drive a wagon on test with a splitter you are expected to use it, however whilst completing the exercise of going up and down the box the examiner will only expect you to use a maximum of 5 gears or possibly just 4 if it has a splitter
When I took my test in a 1968 Foden with 12 speed box my instructor told me to just use the main four in direct range, his thinking was that the less gears that I used then there was less chance of me missing them!!! 
I did pass…and found the other eight cogs in my own time.
Pete.
You dont have to do the gear exercise, as its not part of the test now.
i passed my class 2 in a 7.5 tonne man uprated to a 12 tonne as it was able to pull a drag like this below,
it had an 4 over 4 box with a ‘slap box’ after i passed my class 2 we hitched up the drag which wasnt longer than 20ft an i took my class 1 in it 3 weeks later
one of the wee booklets i read in examiners office while i waiting on him getting ready said the examiner would expect you to use block changing when given the chance!
i was told when coming to a stop you dont need to go down the gears either as that would take an age!
windrush:
When I took my test in a 1968 Foden with 12 speed box my instructor told me to just use the main four in direct range, his thinking was that the less gears that I used then there was less chance of me missing them!!!Pete.
what test was that then in 1968
Dieseldogsix:
windrush:
When I took my test in a 1968 Foden with 12 speed box my instructor told me to just use the main four in direct range, his thinking was that the less gears that I used then there was less chance of me missing them!!!Pete.
what test was that then in 1968
In a Foden with a 12 speed box i reckon he’s talking about a HGV test. Not sure why you wouldn’t know this?
Dieseldogsix:
windrush:
When I took my test in a 1968 Foden with 12 speed box my instructor told me to just use the main four in direct range, his thinking was that the less gears that I used then there was less chance of me missing them!!!Pete.
what test was that then in 1968
Sorry guys, yes it was my HGV class 2 but the year was 1976! I took it at Slaters Transport near Pickering, they were part of the Thomas Tilling Group (I worked for TILCON) and they had a 1968 Foden eight legger and an artic of similar age at the training school there.
Pete.