Over the past 30 years I would like to think I have seen most things that can happen on a test. Vehicle breakdowns, trees blown over, examiners quitting prematurely, students quitting prematurely, lots of fails, lots of passes, even examiners going sick during the test……
But today I witnessed something new.
This was during a C+E test, 1st time for poor Mike who had previously passed 1st time on the rigid. It all happened on the uncoupling at the end.
Now last year 2011 was a strange one with C+E. We had more failures (3) with the uncoupling than any other part of the test. All 3 had passed the reverse, passed the roadwork then blew it at the end. A freak year I thought…I was wrong.
Today young Mike got through the reverse albeit with 2 shunts then arrived back at Chelmsford 50 minutes later. The uncoupling seemed to be going fairly well. The re-coupling on the drawbar also seemed good. Stop about 6 feet away to check the height and pin position, engage the coupling pin and ensure it is engaged properly. Connect air lines and electrics and ABS.
Now I was watching all this and thought “Home and Dry”……hmmmmm. The next thing I saw was the examiner checking the lights and entering the cab. As always I walked over to the vehicle to witness the result.
20 seconds later they both emerged together and walked to the side of the trailer. He had totally forgotten to raise the landing legs and release the parking brake. “Not worried about the brake but not happy the legs are still down” were the words from Andy, the examiner.
7 minors and the legs not raised. I was in disbelief.
Good luck everyone else taking a test this week. Please restore some faith in the human race for me.
Yep hands up here guilty as charged m’lud, i did exactly the same thing on my test , the only difference being as i walked around the vehicle i was looking under the trailer to double check i had wound the legs up, i hadn’t !! and if i had forgotten that i thought ,i will have forgotten the trailer brake aswell so i smartly walked around the other side and corrected them in the right order, legs up and brake off, no minors for that mistake and i passed anyway.
worse one than that the lad before me on my CE 2nd test did a good drive good reverse then on the coupling didnt physicly check the break was on before re couple he just looked at it instead of touching it … A FAIL One silly mistake even though he knew it was on as he just done the uncouple .
I did that on my first c+e test, the examiner gave me chances to check and I failed to see it. We had a good chuckle about it when he took me for my next test though.
It may be stupid, but why is it a fail? It isn’t dangerous, it can just be nerves. It seems they have dumbed down the “Driving” test to add monkey tricks to it.
They used to have a proper driving test where you had to demonstrate proper use of the gearbox using every ratio, both up and down, they used to give you a hill start and an angled start, does that still happen?
Wheel Nut:
It may be stupid, but why is it a fail? It isn’t dangerous, it can just be nerves. It seems they have dumbed down the “Driving” test to add monkey tricks to it.
They used to have a proper driving test where you had to demonstrate proper use of the gearbox using every ratio, both up and down, they used to give you a hill start and an angled start, does that still happen?
well if you pull forward your gonna rip the legs off. ok if you still have the brake on but if you dont then rip.
i was told the same thing that he would have passed me if i had put the legs up even though the brake was still on. 1 minor aswell and he had to fail me.
Wheel Nut:
It may be stupid, but why is it a fail? It isn’t dangerous, it can just be nerves. It seems they have dumbed down the “Driving” test to add monkey tricks to it.
They used to have a proper driving test where you had to demonstrate proper use of the gearbox using every ratio, both up and down, they used to give you a hill start and an angled start, does that still happen?
well if you pull forward your gonna rip the legs off. ok if you still have the brake on but if you dont then rip.
i was told the same thing that he would have passed me if i had put the legs up even though the brake was still on. 1 minor aswell and he had to fail me.
Yeah, but in the OP he had left the brake on! So, why is it a fail?
Seems a bit ■■■■ to me, to fail someone based on “what if’s”?
Wheel Nut:
It may be stupid, but why is it a fail? It isn’t dangerous, it can just be nerves. It seems they have dumbed down the “Driving” test to add monkey tricks to it.
They used to have a proper driving test where you had to demonstrate proper use of the gearbox using every ratio, both up and down, they used to give you a hill start and an angled start, does that still happen?
well if you pull forward your gonna rip the legs off. ok if you still have the brake on but if you dont then rip.
i was told the same thing that he would have passed me if i had put the legs up even though the brake was still on. 1 minor aswell and he had to fail me.
Yeah, but in the OP he had left the brake on! So, why is it a fail?
Seems a bit ■■■■ to me, to fail someone based on “what if’s”?
That is what my point was, he is hardly going to forget to do it next time is he, just a start to the ■■■■■■■■■■ life of a lorry driver, like opening the wrong door when you get a left ■■■■■■
because if you realise youve left the brake on but not wound the legs up you will just go release the brake and drive off still not realising the legs were down, The brake being left on isnt a fail its the legs being down that fails you.
I left the brake on when I did mine, my instructor was over sharpish and soon flipped it off whilst the examiner was givng me the verdict. He said it would have been a fail if it had been spotted as anything on the uncouple / recouple was a serious. Even though with the brake on you’re going nowhere.
Whatever I was glad of a pass, never had to do a retest and didn’t want to buck the trend.
Sounds very familiar to me. Had someone leave the legs down a few months ago. I always take the side of the examiner, would you pass someone who can’t even remember to raise the legs, pretty daft thing to do.
Examiners we use do try to help the trainees by asking them if they are finished/happy if they have forgotten something.
I did one see a trailer tip over on test, wasn’t one of mine tho! So it shows it’s a potentially dangerous procedure.
Tockwith Training, providing quality driver instruction since 1971
Tockwith Training:
Sounds very familiar to me. Had someone leave the legs down a few months ago. I always take the side of the examiner, would you pass someone who can’t even remember to raise the legs, pretty daft thing to do.
Examiners we use do try to help the trainees by asking them if they are finished/happy if they have forgotten something.
I did one see a trailer tip over on test, wasn’t one of mine tho! So it shows it’s a potentially dangerous procedure.
Tockwith Training, providing quality driver instruction since 1971
I agree it is a pretty daft thing to do and I bet you never have a repeat customer do it, as I mentioned, it may be simply nerves, he will be trying to think about the rest of the test and about the final thing the examiner says.
If his drive is safe then that could be classed as an error rather than a minor. It certainly isn’t going to tip over with the handbrake on and the legs on the floor
Just seems a bit harsh, like forgetting to put your false teeth in to answer the door, make it a failure if you are on a first date or interview though
Wheel Nut:
That is what my point was, he is hardly going to forget to do it next time is he
Retest on Thursday at 8.45. I guarantee he will not forget it. Very few people fail on the same thing twice.
I have spoken to Mike about this and why he forgot. His opinion is that the candidate feels the driving part is the key. When he returned to the test centre he felt such relief and thought “thank god its over”. Of course its not. You then have to re-focus and move to the next part.
Nearly a decade ago when I was doing my Cat C for the first time, there was a problem with the brakes on the ‘emergency/controlled stop’ on one of my test. Rear brakes fell off.
Needless to say I didn’t pass and both the agency and the company were not interested in letting me get that one for free so had to pay another £250 for another test.
I have spoken to Mike about this and why he forgot. His opinion is that the candidate feels the driving part is the key. When he returned to the test centre he felt such relief and thought “thank god its over”. Of course its not. You then have to re-focus and move to the next part.
Interesting point John. But our candidates sometimes do the uncouple/recouple before the reverse. And that doesn’t stop the brain going into neutral from time to time!!
When i did my test my trainer said easy to couple up remember to count to 5 ,1 5th wheel 2, airlines 3, legs 4,trailer brake and lastly which i would have forgotten ,numberplate works every time .
Peter Smythe:
It’s called NERVES! Wish I had the cure. Pete
My doctor suggested beta blockers but one of my previous trainers suggested finding an inner calm. On one of my previous tests I thought I stuffed it up quite badly on the drive and relaxed thinking I’d failed as I had clipped a kerb. Well, it was big curving kerb to keep you off the corner and the wheel touched the edge but it was still on the road. It wasn’t as if I got the back end of the coach up on the kerb, I did that later in service. A castle/cassel kerb is actually quite high off the ground when you’ve got a 15t coach perched on it… Still drove as counted it as practice so was quite surprised when I passed!
Went around the ring road for 2 full circuits as the instructor and examiner were telling rude jokes, it was a struggle to concentrate on the road, but I remembered all the MSM stuff and keeping in the correct lane until they wanted me to come off. I later found out that most people on the ring road tried to keep left and not follow the signs to keep right to stay on the ring road so that was a bit odd.
Still, confidence is clearly the key. Oh, and go for a pee before your test, if only to fully ‘relax’
Mike done it this time, got his C+E today at the 2nd attempt with 7 faults. See his happy face here.
Examiner made him worry a bit with the uncoupling again as when he had finished he was asked “what else would you do after uncoupling before going onto the road ?” After babbling on about all sorts of strange things he gave up before the examiner reminded him that he must drop the underrun bar for the public road if no trailer attached.
To add to his stress today an indicator bulb blew on test and the examiner instead of allowing him to change it told him to continue without the left indicator.
By the end poor Mike looked like he had been subjected to physical torture but a very happy man
LGVTrainer:
Mike done it this time, got his C+E today at the 2nd attempt with 7 faults. See his happy face here.
Examiner made him worry a bit with the uncoupling again as when he had finished he was asked “what else would you do after uncoupling before going onto the road ?” After babbling on about all sorts of strange things he gave up before the examiner reminded him that he must drop the underrun bar for the public road if no trailer attached.
To add to his stress today an indicator bulb blew on test and the examiner instead of allowing him to change it told him to continue without the left indicator.
By the end poor Mike looked like he had been subjected to physical torture but a very happy man
One silly mistake even though he knew it was on as he just done the uncouple .
but it was still on the road. It wasn’t as if I got the back end of the coach up on the kerb, I did that later in service. A castle/cassel kerb is actually quite high off the ground when you’ve got a 15t coach perched on it… 