HAVE A SMALL PROBLEM AND NEED ADVICE.
NEED TO LEARN TO DRIVE LEFT HAND RECOVERY VEHICLE
DAF 95 TO BE EXACT. I HAVE LGV 1 JUST NEED SOME TRAINING/
CONFIDENCE AND KNOWHOW CAN ANYONE HELP ANNETTE
Hiya Annette… Welcome to TruckNetUK 
There are lots of guys and gurls on here that have do doubt driven left hand drive lorrys. Unfortunatly, I havent, but it shouldnt be too long before you get some replies…
Hope you enjoy TruckNetUK… 
Hi Annette and welcome.
I used to drive a left ■■■■■■ Volvo FH with no probs. Keep the exact top centre of the steering wheel in the middle of the white line and the kerb and you wont go far wrong for your road position. Changing gear with your right hand comes easily with very little practice and then your away. Reversing was never a great problem for me.If your like me at all, I find it more natural to be on that side of the cab but I was doing alot of continental at the time. It’s just a matter of confidence in your own abilities and practice, practice and pracice some more but all truck drivings like that.
Have fun 
regards
John
I drive one day in day out. I advise the following:
Keep the truck on the left of your half of the road - its easier on the motorway cos you can hug the solid white line seperating you from the hard shoulder.
On an A-road keep checking your position in the nearside mirror. You’d be surprised how far you can drift over.
Continually check your right hand side mirror as cars and bikes have a habit of suddenly appearing without notice. Especially if you plan to do anything that involves going right.
At roundabouts don’t angle in with the turning or slip road, because the view out of the passenger window across the roundabout (and some T-junctions) will disappear.
Where possible straighten up so you’re right angles to where you want to look.
Hope this helps in some way - it took me a while to get the hang of the different angles meself but now I am more than happy with it.
I assume you will be driving the left ■■■■■■ in the UK… so
2 tips…
one sounds obvious but does help!!!
- Keep saying to yourself “Left Shoulder to kerb” especially when turning at junctions and keep left!!!
- When you first get the truck… park against a kerb roughly as far out from the kerb where you’d want to be if you were driving, get in drivers seat and sit as you do when driving… Now get a small piece of tape and place on the windscreen in your line of vision where the kerb is…(so the top of the tape is in line with the kerb)… doing this as you drive down the road keep the top of the tape in line with the kerb … and you will be in the correct position on the road… (Does that make sense■■? it does to me anyway!!!
)
The idea used to really worry me, but when I had to do it it wasn’t to bad.
The main problem is drifting across the road as the correct road position make you feel you are driving on the kerb. Once you get used to the road position its not to bad.
The other point have been covered about visibility on right turns, junctions and roundabouts.
I found reversing and gear changing not to be a problem, except for the knackered Eaton/Fuller in an old Sisu I had the displeasure to have to take from Tilbury to Brands Hatch.
Its not half as bad as you think, My tip is when you are comfortable in the seat on a straight road, look at your left knee and see where it lies in relationship to the nearside kerb. When you have seen that it is simple to sit on a perfect position anywhere!
That sounds confusing but it is easy to do, is simple and works. I was taught that by a road sweeper driver who drove the same truck from both seats
At junctions you just have to think a little bit so that your cab is square on to the line. If you are positioned correctly it is easy. Get into the habit of using your mirrors more. and dont worry.
Oh I almost forgot!
Always leave the off side door open with a pair of gloves on the floor, so that when you walk to the truck and try to get in the wrong side, its not so embarassing!
Just pick your gloves up and look as though you meant to do that.
No kidding, it will happen 
I’m glad somebody else has made the mistake of going round the wrong side. You don’t half feel a twit when you do it
muckles:
:lol: I’m glad somebody else has made the mistake of going round the wrong side. You don’t half feel a twit when you do it
I never though of that 
That’d be funny to see
I’ve never driven a left-■■■■■■ but whenever I’m travelling in the passenger seat of an artic of a right-■■■■■■ I do tend to think that the guy is driving far too close to the kerb but in actual fact when I lean forward and look in the nearside mirror from the angle the driver would, the wagon is being driven normally and not unduly close to the kerb/verge at all. I do have a habit of flinching when we go past close-sitting traffic lights, signs, high hedges and such though Quite unnerving so you have my sympathy Annette but like others say, you’ll soon get used to it I imagine.
Rob K:
muckles:
:lol: I’m glad somebody else has made the mistake of going round the wrong side. You don’t half feel a twit when you do it
It happened today when I had a left hand drive car, I’d picked up a parcel and was talking to this American Serviceman and then went to get in the car opened the door and realised somebody had moved the steering wheel. I did defect a left hand drive truck with “steering wheel missing, but spare on otherside seems ok”.
muckles:
Rob K:
muckles:
:lol: I’m glad somebody else has made the mistake of going round the wrong side. You don’t half feel a twit when you do it
It happened today when I had a left hand drive car, I’d picked up a parcel and was talking to this American Serviceman and then went to get in the car opened the door and realised somebody had moved the steering wheel.
Ha-ha Good one 
I like that
Oooh, I popped into a left ■■■■■■ to shift it in the yard yesterday 
Err, ok, so haven’t driven one of them before… Had to ask a driver if the pedals were swapped as well!!! lol! Well, at least I checked first!
Found it a bit difficult to use my right arm with the gearstick, as muscles still not better on that side, but it was interesting manouvering it. Afterwards went to boss and asked not to be assigned one, despite them being the best in the fleet (tidy, clean, quiet, with radios)… Couple of the permie drivers think they’re great, but I’m happy in the old iveco’s RHDs
smeserver:
Oooh, I popped into a left ■■■■■■ to shift it in the yard yesterdayFound it a bit difficult to use my right arm with the gearstick, as muscles still not better on that side, but it was interesting manouvering it. Afterwards went to boss and asked not to be assigned one, despite them being the best in the fleet (tidy, clean, quiet, with radios)… Couple of the permie drivers think they’re great, but I’m happy in the old iveco’s RHDs
You’re not on with Cavewood are you 
Huh? Cavewood? Are they a company then?
Nope, never heard of them. Sorry… I’ve only got 7.5t and quite happy with it, but my right arm is not as strong as it used to be. I’m not on multidrop or manual unloading in the heavy sense but I am driving a lot and 7.5s mostly, in time my arm will be fine…
One last thing to be aware of, in a left ■■■■■■ on UK work, is the blind-spot by the right door below the mirrors. You don’t realise how bad it is till you are in a que of traffic and the cars disappear into it
I’ve written 2 cars off because of it (1 in Italy in a right ■■■■■■, 1 in UK in a left ■■■■■■ , both times in a Daf 95 ).
My next trip I’m buying a blind-spot mirror that I’ve seen at the TZZ in Zeeby. This one looks like an ordinary mirror, but is screwed to the front pillar on the inside and angled to look down into the blind-spot.
Annette.
You will probably find ti just comes natural, as it di for me the first time.
Good luck.
i laugh to myself when i think of the first time in a left ■■■■■■…it was on a boxing day morning and i was going to germany…i had a fridge trailer loaded with fresh killed lambs…hanging…i left the depot pleased as punch…thought i was the dogs [*zb]…*arm out the window etc…but i had to turn left at a road junction which veered to the left…i followed my normal route in the road as i would with a right ■■■■■■…BIG MISTAKE…i pulled out thinking it was clear…all i heard was the sound of a horn blaring…looked in the mirror…and saw this idiot flashing his lights like mad.i pulled over…after we exchanged words that cannot be repeated on this site…i apologised and explained that it was my first time…explanation accepted…dont know why.i could have killed him…but he left and i followed…i thought every lamp post was gonna hit me and the cab…and steered to compensate…bang !! my first bollard…stopped to look at the damage…luckily only the o/s front step bent…it was a volvo f88 so could be fixed easily…later…carried on…bang !! again…i was ever so careful after that…but nearly ended up a nervous wreck by the time i got to dover…i found it was even worse on the other side…but i persevered…and eventually mastered it…but believe me.it aint easy the first time…but like a bicycle…you never forget…
have a nice day
(edited by AndyM - Little Stars arnt allowed)
Nice one truckyboy
I 've got a mate who drives for Ralph Davies on a left hook FH12. He says it’s a piece of cake driving a L.H.D. unit.
He took his test in a right ■■■■■■, and says that because you are used to reversing on your ‘good’ side in a R.H.D. truck,it is easy to look through the blidspot mirror and get it in in one.
The only downside to driving a left ■■■■■■ is that you will be driving a roadsweeper in later life …
Niall.