Hi everyone!
I started a diary under a different thread but after day 1 let it drift a little - I needed the full power of my brain cell to process each day’s driving and didn’t update the diary. Make friends with the mouse wheel folks, plenty of scrolling to get to the punchline!!
To recap:
Day 1 Friday Aug 12: Started with Phil Brown LGV training in Droitwich. First things first and began with an explanation of the slap over 8 speed gearbox and in the yard did a couple of stops just to get the feel of the brakes. Out on the road then for a mixture of A-road, B-road and motorway driving to begin with. The 14 ton Iveco rigid had a secondary exhaust brake the activated at the top of the brake pedal and a button on the floor which took a little while to get used to. Each phase of the drive fulfilled a purpose: the motorway introduced me to the limiter set at 85kph and how to stay at a speed just below where it kicked in. The A and B roads let me get the feel of the size of the vehicle, to remember the single track/dual track speed limits and to be reminded of the need to have plenty of depth in braking. We then spent the last half of the drive maneuvering around an estate that had plenty of roundabouts, hill starts and pulling up at the kerb and driving off again.
Day 1 lessons learned
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the vehicle is wide and needs accurate positioning in the carriageway including ‘borrowing’ road space from the lane next door: you don’t need to bully other drivers, just maneuver gently but decisively to position the truck where you need to
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plenty of depth in braking: approaching junctions needs planning and the only way to have time to plan is to SLOW DOWN and give yourself time to gear down, using the exhaust braking, get road position and plan your line around corners
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over the should checks when pulling away and on slip roads: it’s gotta be done and not just a furtive glance, actually look over your right shoulder with a turn of the head which, at my time of life, also involves a slight turn of the shoulders!!
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still dropped into ‘car mode’ from time to time and had to concentrate NOT to!
Scoresheet for the day: Kerbs hit = 0; Rollbacks on hill starts = 1 1/2 (the 1/2 was just a teensy one as I misjudged the bite point of the clutch 
); Trees/parked cars hit = 0
Overall a good session!!
Day 2 Monday Aug 15th: Today was all about positioning and serious kerb and overhanging tree avoidance which involved driving around Worcester City centre. If I’m honest urban driving is NOT something that I enjoy in a car let alone a big truck! But it’s got to be done so you gotta learn how to do it. Again the experience reinforced the need to get into position on the approach to junctions, borrowing roadspace as you need it and taking your time!! It’s tempting to make like you would in your Suzuki Cappucino and dart around a parked car or lorry on deliveries and nip back in. Don’t even THINK of it. Don’t be afraid to stop and wait for road space you need - it takes whatever time it takes to do it safely. Some more work in the housing estate from day 1 practicing pulling up, hill starts and roundabouts. The rigid I’m driving has a knackered synchro in 5th gear and I spent time avoiding using that gear. In practice, and you can do this in an unladen truck, I could get away with starting in 4th and after slapping across into high range block shifting to 6th, then onto 7th and then 8th. For this truck you wanted to be in 8th by about 35mph or so. Finally back to the yard to practice reversing. The rigid is easy peasy to reverse - find your mark in the mirror over the nearside door window to position the A cone into to make sure your are in line with the A and A1 cones, making sure you’re hard by the A cone. Then looking out the drivers side window at the yellow line simply turn full left lock as you begin reversing, remembering that dry steering is deeply uncool, and as you approach about 6-12 inches from the line begin to straighten out and look in the offside rear mirror for the B cone and broomstick. When you know you’re good and clear of it then look further back for the cones marking the entry to the bay. For me, it worked if I was able to pick up both of the bay entry cones and then begin curving around, losing sight of the nearside bay entry cone but being careful not to hit it with the bumper by leaving it too late before straightening out into the bay. I found that I was able to aim to see the nearside cone before the bumper got too close, leaving me time after seeing both cones to adjust my angle in order to center the truck between them. The final trick of spotting the bottom of the offside rear fender and stopping when it lined up with the black line marking the edge of the hatched stopping area put me about 8 inches away from the barrier and well within the stopping area. Listen to your instructor and you will NOT go wrong!!
Day 2 lessons learned
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when stopping/pulling up it’s parking brake on THEN neutral; when pulling away its in gear first THEN parking brake off
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using the engine brake when gearing down on approach to a roundabout or junction; I had been dipping the clutch and coasting with is frowned upon!!
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reversing to the barrier it pretty easy if you follow the instructor’s advice and feels rather like you might just be getting the hang of maneuvering a big vehicle around!
Scoresheet for the day: Kerbs hit = 0; Rollbacks on hill starts = 0; Trees/parked cars hit = 0
Day 3 Tuesday Aug 16th: To finally cure me of sometimes getting too close to roadside trees and parked cars, the instructor had me drive from Droitwich to Kidderminster on the A442 which requires ACCURATE lane positioning as it is a little narrow in places and the bends sometimes make you want to drift left towards the foliage. I learned the valuable lesson of taking it a little easy on the dodgy bits, expecting for an artic to be coming the other way just when you don’t want to. Far from being too timid, just slowing down a little will help with making sure you’re steering accurately and let’s judge width of your mirrors easier. I think with truck driving in general, and passing through narrow roads in particular, you gotta get good first and then you can get a little faster. The other way 'round just ain’t gonna work!!
Day 3 lessons learned
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anticipate the worst around narrow roads and blind bends and when it doesn’t happen you can feel happy!!
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more urban driving reinforces lane positioning and negotiating all the hazards that people moving on pavements close to the road can bring; don’t rush and live in your mirrors!
Score sheet: 0 on all counts!!
Day 4 Tuesday Aug 17th: The last three days were all 1:1 with the trainer but today we doubled up with another lad and went down to Gloucester to drive some of the test routes. A mixture of city, suburban, A and B roads and motorway driving. We were pointed out some of the more notorious junctions and roads where people on test become undone with each of us spending a good hour driving around. By day 3 and day 4 I really began to feel comfortable with the truck and maneuvering it around the different types of road. Finally, I’m 99.9% driving in truck mode. Mind you, getting into our Nissan X-Trail after each day in the rigid makes it feel like a sports car!
Day 4 lessons learned
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a good feel for the test route and what to expect
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improved confidence in my judgement and improved TRUCK driving skills
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I’m now comfortable ‘living’ in my mirrors whilst not losing sight of what’s up ahead; it is starting to become ‘second nature’, as is the order in which to apply and then take off the parking brake when at junctions and hill starts!!
Score sheet remains healthy at all zeros!
Day 5 Thursday Aug 18th - TEST DAY: I had to wait around while the other lad from yesterday did his test. After he got back it was showtime!!
Did the reversing okay (left lock, miss the yellow line, straighten up, find the cones, miss them (!), mudguard, line, job done!!). Then the safety questions (read the DSA guide to LGVs and watch the VOSA daily checks video). All okay.
Then out on the road for a drive in the rainy mid to late morning weather that his Gloucester. I just took my time, listened to the instructions remembered all I’d been taught and it more or less flew by. Pulled back into the VOSA/test centre yard, parked up (parking brake THEN neutral!), engine off. Then the examiner said the magic words, “It’s good news. I’m pleased to say you have passed. A nice drive”. A signature then a handshake and off back to Droitwich on cloud nine!
Final score sheet: Total faults = 0
Happy days!! 
I actually have two women to thank for getting me through the Class 2 test: The first is Caz at Phil Brown LGV Training did a good job monitoring my driving, providing important hints and letting me get on with it. To be honest I didn’t feel like I was being instructed at first but constant reinforcement of what I was doing right and putting me right where I was going wrong did the trick.
The second is Mrs Lazlo who’s a driving instructor teaching new car drivers and B+E. She knocked the corners off my driving and put me back in touch with how it is supposed to be done.
Now for C+E!! Watch this space!!
Cheers,
Laz
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