ROG:
Surprised you never took up the flair free? offer …
I think all members on here should respect his decision and offer him encouragement not question him about his choice of trainer.
All the best Jonny
Paul 
elmet training:
ROG:
Surprised you never took up the flair free? offer …I think all members on here should respect his decision and offer him encouragement not question him about his choice of trainer.
All the best Jonny
Paul
I agree - just surprised
When someone wins free training then turns it down it’s bound to raise peoples curiosity.
Apart from anything else that training could have been won by someone who would have made good use of it.
Perhaps he wasn’t comfortable with being away from home whilst training.
Before someone says “but he wants to be a truck driver” driving a truck is not just about tramping.
Paul
Why would anyone turn down free training■■? Confused.com
Well after a couple of nights on the well earned barley water I thought id tell how my second days training went.
We started out heading towards tadcaster to get me back into the swing of things, but like riding a bike you never forget and the time i had to think about the lesson prior to improve positioning on roundabouts, speed whilst approaching roundabouts etc. We pulled up behind a car where i got a little too close to the kerb, but got it out enough, doing an angled start and on a bit of a incline also, checking both mirrors checking the offside mirror as I pull out make sure the tail end isn’t going to hit anything.
Heading out towards whetherby town centre, we pull up on the side of the road for a 15 minute break, to talk about the lesson so far, on my road positioning when pulling out on parked cars to merge out to give me enough space to get round not at the last minute as you could get away with in a car, so with that in mind we set off towards the town centre where the roundabout i messed up on the previous lesson i approached much better when we turned off I thought i had turned off at the wrong exit but I hadn’t just me having a bit of a lapse of a functioning brain 
When we got into the town centre it was a bit of an experience, but some.good experience checking the offside mirror like a hawk making sure you don’t give someone a belt round the ear with it, making sure your going at a steady pace to stop for any numpty who might think walking out in front of you would be a good option!
Eventually we got out the town centre heading towards Leeds, where I thought would be interesting as Id never been to Leeds in a car let alone a lorry but all in good fun 
Thankfully it was just the outskirts of Leeds around the industrial areas where our lot at work load from so was thankful to see nobody. Still having a little problems with approaching speed but i think its more down to me not pressing on the brakes hard enough, where the exhaust brake kicks in and you feel it slowing a little but not that much also making use of the gears to slow it down too.
As we head back towards whetherby we turned down a very narrow road, where we was flagged down by a dpd driver telling us there’s a car broken down, where not sure what we could do not like you can do a 3 point turn in a rigid 
so we carry on with caution going about 30-35 to where we get flashed at by a few more drivers passing warning of the broken down car, and by chance we come across it where it wasn’t as bad as they made it sound, so indicator on pull out leaving a big enough gap to get round and not hit the lad changing the tyre on the offside, once passed we got on our way where i said it wasn’t as bad as i thought it would have been. So back on the road we go,
Making our way past the test centre we end up.going round a blind bend where instead of approaching with caution i sped up which was a lapse of concentration moment and know where i went wrong. So we go to a bit of an.industrial estate for a break to talk of things to improve and things I’ve done well with, speed going around roundabouts sometimes a little too quick, and to not rush through the gears sometimes I tend to crank the gears from 5th to 6th but i know sometimes i do rush which i shouldn’t do! I did ask when we would get onto the reversing side of things as we’d not done much reversing, but it does help that I do get practice at work sometimes and the next lesson will be focused on reversing and going on one of the test routes through Harrogate and Knaresborough. So very much looking forward to that!
Time to head back to base to end a very hard worked week, we come back on the A1 which i like to do as you get to put the foot down flat out at 53 Talking with my instructor what the plans for the weekend was and when i was going back to work etc. Coming off of the a1 onto the 64 i get onto the dual carriageway no bother although I did go on a little fast hitting the limiter where i was asked if i knew the speed limit…where i replied the correct answer where i was asked why we were doing 53!
We eventually get back to base, where i was asked to park up the truck backing it into the slot i took it out of, got the position spot on and straight back keeping well observations all round. Parked up, ignition off and to sum up the lesson.
Pros,
Gears no problem apart from the occasional blip, somewhat almost natural now although needs work on roundabouts getting in the right gear,
road positioning on roundabouts a lot better
Reading the road a lot better and making better progress
More confident in my own ability now of driving the truck.
also having a lot of fun with the whole experience driving the truck which helps for my learning process
Cons
Still approach things a little too quick now and then not pressing hard enough on the brake to slow down
Pulling up to kerbs etc making sure im not rubbing the tyres against the kerb
Sometimes need to think when turning into junctions whether its better to let the car out etc so im not making more work for myself
Also although im reading the road better it still needs to improve but hope that comes with time etc.
As for the above comments, i don’t need to justify anything to anybody. People will make their own minds up anyway regardless so ill let them do just that. But if your that concerned send me a PM ill put you in the picture
Cheers
Jonny 
Jonny are you training with Elmet or Tockwith?
Elmet mate, my uncle recommended him before he passed away when i was doing my car license.
Cheers
Jonny
ROG:
Jonny are you training with Elmet or Tockwith?
jonnytruckfest:
Elmet mate,
That makes sense
Another good read Jonny, keep it up mate and good luck with your test
Cheers mate, trying to put it all in orders a struggle all just seems to go way too quick Was discussing with dad last night what plan of actions were once passed still not sure if to go straight for my artic license or get a bit of experience on the rigids first as there’s plenty of work round here to be had if you look hard enough
We’ll see though!
Cheers
Jonny
All going to plan so far which is brill. You know the answer to artic training: if you can afford it go for it. Don’t go into debt for it. If you can work with CAT C and save up that’s a good way. You have a sound trainer; listen to his advice as well.
All the best for the remainder of the training.
Pete
Indeed, i somewhat knew the answer its just getting the kick up the arse to do it. I still have the voucher from Christmas so i may use that to do my artic license. we’ll see how i get on, as in sure i read somewhere that it can count towards your cpc doing the artic license! Whether that’s true or not I’m unsure
Cheers
Jonny
jonnytruckfest:
Indeed, i somewhat knew the answer its just getting the kick up the arse to do it. I still have the voucher from Christmas so i may use that to do my artic license.Cheers
Jonny
Yes it can if the trainer has the practical training approved for DCPC
Doing that on a 2 to 1 basis gets more dcpc hours because the hours also count when the other trainee is taking their turns at the wheel
If you go for the CE, the clever move is to get that training credited to your 35 hours. Then complete the remaining time at your leisure and you’ll end up with a further 5 years on your dcpc card. EG if you passed Mods 2 and 4 this year you would have a card valid to 2019 having passed your CAT C. Because any further dcpc training you do (incl CE) is within 5 years of the expiry of that card, that training goes to the next five year period - expiring 2024.
Whilst this isn’t the spirit of dcpc, I encourage young drivers to do this as it makes them a more attractive proposition to potential employers. It also demonstrates a level of interest from the candidate.
I’ve sent you a pm to answer your voucher question.
Pete
Thank you for the above replies, itll come handy when i come to do my C&E either this or next year.
So yesterday was my third and final lesson before T day, and as I’m on my final shift tonight on a dead Saturday night what better way to spend it then writing up my diary! So you’ll have to excuse me as my memory is up its arse so I cant remember fully what order the route was yesterday but I’m more trying to focus on the things i need to work on
So we set off from Sherburn on our way towards Tockwith air strip to practice the reverse as id not done much reversing upto this point. We go up through Tadcaster where we pull up behind a parked car where I look in my mirrors make sure i leave enough room not scuffing the wheel against the kerb like last time but like textbook pulled up perfect although my stopping procedure left a little to be desired, indicator off, out of gear then handbrake on so a bit arse to ■■■ with that one!!
With that we set off, checking mirrors and over shoulder, indicator on checking mirrors over shoulder again then check the offside as i set off make sure the tail end doesn’t hit anything or anyone, as we set off i crawl up to speed as were passing parked cars being a bit over cautious so I get told, to pick up pace as its a bad habit i need to get out of! So 10 minutes up the road we pull up again, again enough room from the kerb and this time i take the truck out of gear handbrake on then indicator off. Not perfect but getting there! So we pull off again this time getting up to speed a bit quicker, not so much the rev counters doing a 2 second lap around but enough to get to speed safely.
We come to a roundabout taking the third exit heading towards Harrogate, i approach braking changing down to fourth so I’ve enough power to keep going but slow enough to stop if needed, we go round coming off i go to block change into sixth but i notice were going uphill which i didn’t see as i was going round so as i get told not to block change i knew to correct the error to make sure i had the power to get up the hill. Further down the road we come to a mini roundabout turning left which is a bit of a pain as you need to look out for those coming across from.your right but if there’s something on the left to come round etc you have to wait until they go as you can’t go round as you can’t get it round unless you kerb it, thankfully traffic was clear there was a gap so off we went.
We get up to the road leading towards the air strip, where we get stuck behind some learners on there lawnmower powered mopeds… Where there was no point passing so just better to sit behind and wait til either i had to turn off or i did but low and behold they were going to the air strip too. So we get into the bit where you practice the reverse, Paul set up the cones as the line and explains to go upto the first cone, then into the ‘bay’ to set up for the reverse. Where i cocked the first reverse right up driving over a couple of the cones so I get out and Paul goes through it with me, go to first cone with the pole in it then pull upto the ‘bay’ then put full lock on to the left at a walking pace out taking the lock off a little so you keep off the line and go back going the other side of the cone with the pole then into the space no bother. So i get in and by magic I did it first time, i practiced for a good half hour getting it perfected.
So with that time to keep on driving, on the way back we turn left into quite a tight road which i thought id be able to get in but a car was waiting to come out, i was told to wait as it would be difficult to get round plus in a sense making more work for myself so no bother with that. So now time to head towards the test centre to give me a clue where it is and give me an idea what to expect. We stop by the reversing area where i get a little puzzled with the yellow lines as one is marked with numbers the other a.plain yellow line so silly question of the day which one do i look out for when on test, the one without the numbers is the one i look for the others for measuring or what have you so that’s good enough for me
So with that time to head back, and just keep the knowledge flowing through my head, we come back we pull up on a bit of a down hill slope to practise a downhill start so stop. Put the truck in third, foot on brake, let handbrake off, indicator on do mirror checks, over shoulder check offside check off we go no bother ! So a bit down the road time to pull up on a bit of a uphill slope to do a hill start. So this time, put truck in first do mirror and over shoulder check etc. Get the clutch to the bite point handbrake off and off we go block change into third, into fourth up the hill we go!
So back we come coming back into Tadcaster, where we get to a set of lights where were turning right, where i forget to check the offside mirror when setting off turning right etc. which is something i need to address as its becoming an issue in my mind so I’m hoping by the time test day comes itll be drilled in my mind .
We get back without problem, backed into the spot where the truck goes and me thinking I’ve not done as well as I thought i should have. But Paul tells me he thinks im at test standard and that there’s no reason i shouldn’t pass, its just a case of fine tuning the little bits which could go against me. So that reassured me as i didn’t think i did as well as that but maybe im being a bit harsh on myself.
So to recap.
Pros
Pulling up to kerbs and the like much better, making more use of the mirrors to make sure I’m not damaging nothing.
Gears are pretty much bang on, although sometimes I’ve tended to rush through the gears which makes me either get the wrong gear or just making more work for myself which needs to be worked on but very minor.
Approaching roundabouts and traffic lights etc so much better, being in the right gear using the gears to help slow me down and making it so that if I can keep rolling I am im not coming to a complete stop.
Use of mirrors are pretty much spot on, although again I need to just check them a little more than i am doing so although a big improvement still needs work.
Reversing, ive pretty much sussed and am.confident that it wont be a problem on test day although I am hoping my nerves don’t get the better of me.
I’m getting better on reading the road ahead, although i need to work on it i think as sometimes i do make more work for myself than need be.
Cons
Gears as above i sometimes rush which i think although not major it could be a downfall for me.
Although much improved my approach to things i think needs to still be worked on. But maybe that comes with experience?
When approaching cyclists, I’m sometimes unsure whether its safe to pass when I see on coming traffic like when a car is coming the other way whether there’s room to pass etc if the car comes whether there would be room for both me and the car to pass whether it would go against me.should i hold back waiting for the car to pass etc.
Mirrors as i said above need to remember to just take that extra second or two to check as if not it will be a factor on the result of the test.
When setting I need to pick up the pace a bit as it can be seen as I’m not making progress and could cause cars etc around me to slow down so to keep that in mind.
When approaching turns in the road I need to make sure if there is cars coming out if it will make work for me to wait and let them out.
So to evaluate my time, its been very awesome! Just being behind the wheel, has been very enjoyable I feel i am ready to take my test and I do feel i will pass first time but not to get ahead of myself first. So next post in a few weeks hopefully will be to say I’ve passed! But until then, back to the old grindstone
Have a good one folks.
Cheers
Jonny
I’m sometimes unsure whether its safe to pass when I see on coming traffic like when a car is coming the other way whether there’s room to pass etc if the car comes whether there would be room for both me and the car to pass whether it would go against me.should i hold back waiting for the car to pass etc.
All sounds like it’s on target. You have a sound trainer so I’m sure he’s explained the above. But I’ll try and, maybe, a penny will drop. In a situation like the above it’s vital not to compromise the safety of the cyclist - so make sure he has plenty of room. If, to achieve this, you would be too close to the oncoming vehicle as you meet, or if the car would have to slow down or climb up the kerb, you are absolutely wrong. If you can give the cyclist the correct “safety bubble” as you pass him and the distance between you and the oncoming car is safe, then go for it. Loads of mirror both sides but with a bias to the cyclist. (He is more fragile than the oncoming car).
I hope this helps and I’m sure Paul wont mind me sticking my oar in.
Pete
Managed to repeat post so have deleted the copy!
I forgot to ask when i left yesterday when asked if i had questions as i needed to get off for work which shouldn’t be no reason but i was in a bit of a rush to get going so to speak. But i thought that was the case, sounds a silly and simple question but i know people fail with not handling cyclists correctly etc, and with this tour de France nonsense in Yorkshire everyone seems to be on their bikes 
Cheers
Jonny
jonnytruckfest:
indicator on do mirror checks
Was that a typo?
Mirror then signal
Nice write up - well presented and easy to read