Done first run on sunday night. double shifted as wanted home for new year! Left Dumfries for Sittingbourne ,Kemsley paper mill with waste paper at 5 pm on sunday, argued for 3 hours with a forklift driver about getting tipped, had to park up till half 6 sat morning to phone office for a reload. Then it was upto Wolverhampton to Bayliss distribution to pick up a stepframe loaded for scotland, back to Dumfries at 4pm on monday. good experience. Took a Merc 540 actros with auto box, great gearbox for a begginer as it was 1 thing less to think about! Wasnt sure about driving over Dartford Bridge for first time. Found reversing a bit awkward with no clutch. He says i’l get more runs now i have proved myself. Quite chuffed really. Roll on next time…
Here’s my weapon of choice…
Thats a fine truck for your first run lad ! Fair play to ya ! I cant tell ya the amount of scrap I had to drive before I got to drive something decent 
Sean
Glad it went well, always good to get the first run under your belt. But,
TONY530I:
…with auto box, great gearbox for a begginer as it was 1 thing less to think about…
there is just as much to think about with an auto box if you are going to get the best out of them, it’s a new skill you’ll need to learn if you are going to be driving them regularly.
Good report 
How did you land a job driving a truck like that?
It was 1 of my mates who i went with, he asked his boss if he could double shift to get home for new year. His boss knows my dad etc etc, couple of folk put in good words for me and pure luck.
Nothing wrong with a bit of luck no and then,
And double manning with a friend or relative is a good way of getting experience.
Here’s to a few more trips in the near future.
Sound like you had a good first run and has been said nothing wrong with asking the right people the right questions ect if you haven’t got experience it helps
Good luck for the future
well done on the first run, cracking set of wheels you got to drive,hope it dosent spoil you 
TONY530I:
Here’s my weapon of choice…
Nice one. I hope you remembered to reset the air box before setting off though! 
Talking to people even before your test will never do you any harm. I passed one afternoon and did a evening run to Halewood later that night for a first run. OK, I’d been before with the regular lad just as an ‘experience gathering exercise’, but it paid off.
Yes, it was quite a few years ago, but ask any small local haulier if you could do a few runs with a regular driver as you are doing your test and you want to gain a bit of real life knowledge (no offence intended Rog) and may find one who will appreciate someone with this attitude.
Experience can be achieved in either seat!
Rob K:
TONY530I:
Nice one. I hope you remembered to reset the air box before setting off though!
yes suspension was reset! that wasnt my leg of the journey. i drove from keele services home.
DoYouMeanMe?:
Talking to people even before your test will never do you any harm. I passed one afternoon and did a evening run to Halewood later that night for a first run. OK, I’d been before with the regular lad just as an ‘experience gathering exercise’, but it paid off.Yes, it was quite a few years ago, but ask any small local haulier if you could do a few runs with a regular driver as you are doing your test and you want to gain a bit of real life knowledge (no offence intended Rog) and may find one who will appreciate someone with this attitude.
Experience can be achieved in either seat!
NONE TAKEN and what a good idea 
I’m all for it as long as the newbie realises that the object of it is to gain general real life experience and not DSA type experience.
Personal note - I hate the way that the DSA do the LGV test - they are not first time on-the-road drivers that are taking it. The Aussie way is better - the ‘tester’ says “ok, you know the road rules and you can drive already, so show me that you can handle this lorry safely”