Hi Everyone
Passed my class 2 a month ago but am starting to get myself in a bit of a tizz about looking for work. I do get stressed out quite easily and am starting to have doubts about whether i’m cut out for the job. Was going to get some experience and then look at trying my hand at class 1 subject to an assessment to see if i can handle it.
What’s playing on my minds is what if i get lost, stuck, can’t turn around and not confident enough to reverse out, have an accident. Is it normal or am i showing worrying signs which might suggest i should do something else?
I’m also having difficulty getting to grips with the hours. Not so much the individual rules which are easy enough on there own it’s when your working week does not align to the fixed week. Don’t know what the logic was to have two different sorts of weeks. I’ve now found out that you can actually do 58 hours in a non-fixed week but only 56 in fixed week.
While practicing (pretending to be working) i feel the need to have stretched out in front of me the current fixed week and the last fixed week. When i have that grpahically in front of me i can just about manage to keep it legal. But god knows how that will work out in practice when you are out on the road having to make quick decisions.
If you don’t mind i have a few questions including a couple of silly ones but i’ve never worked as a driver before:
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do you have a holdall of some kind where you keep things like your wallet and house keys. I assume you don’t keep things like that in your pocket? I ask because i have had some jobs where no locker is provided and have had no choice but to carry stuff around with me.
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do you ALWAYS lock the cab, no matter where you are? To safeguard the keys in case they fell out of your pocket while doing OW do you use a chain attached to a belt. Or would a decent quality pair of trousers with some zip pockets be the way to go?
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do you plan your day from the outset or do you have to adapt on the move? How much role do the people in the office play in keeping you legal?
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i’m not a fan of steel toe capped boots. Is it okay to wear the trainer type shoes you can get in places like Millets which may have steel toe cap?
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if i were to start off doing some part-time shifts, assuming i was working full-time elsewhere doing mon-fri 7am to 5pm would i only be able to do one shift (maximum of 15 hours) every other week in order to satisfy taking a regular weekly rest and reduced weekly rest during the two fixed weeks?
Thanks for you advice.
It can be daunting taking those first steps to going out on your own in a big vehicle, it can still be a bit unnerving at first if you diversify into a new specialist field of the industry when you’ve been doing the job for decades, it’s entirely normal but you do seem to be worrying to excess about relatively simple things, such as its obvious you want decent pockets to keep things in so you don’t lose them, you wouldn’t stick your wallet in the waistband of a pair of tracky bottoms would you?
We all keep keys and wallets in different places, stating the obvious would make it easy for low life’s reading here, do what suits you.
Good overall trousers such as Dickies for example have either buttoned and/or zip pockets, as do most hi viz or industrial jackets.
Assuming you have come into this lorry lark virginal as it were it might be worthwhile getting some van driving work for a while and progress gradually up to larger vehicles, this is how i started out many years ago and i suspect many of the long term drivers did similar (the pull of the open road and all that when it could be fun), van driving at first cos i was too young for a HGV ticket, then progressed onto larger vans 7.5 tonners and the like, so when i took my HGV licence age 21 not only was i used to wider and longer vehicles i’d also covered probably 250k in vans and small lorries and learned me way about (especially that london) in more maneuverable vehicles.
Try not to worry so much, i know thats easier said than done, just take your time don’t rush, if you find yourself in a dead end well the bloody lorry got in so it must come out, don’t panic pull up somewhere you arn’t blocking the road get out, locking the cab behind you, and go have a poke nose on foot to see where you can turn around, if its a reverse out no option seek assistance to hold the traffic at the far end of the road before you start to move.
I had similar concerns but I looked at the class 1 drivers and decided that if they can do it then so can I. A lack of confidence when looking at a new venture is normal behaviour so dont let it get you down. We have all been there
The first few weeks and months can be a bit stressful pal while you’re gaining your confidence, but stick with it mate and it will improve/pass! 
You attitude should change from being nervous about entering a tricky situation, to finding it amusing as you’ve proved to yourself that you’ve got the skills to extricate yourself. So try to keep calm mate and believe in yourself!
Best of luck…
Some places want to see safety footwear that heads on up towards the shin - for ankle support, I guess. So the trainer type doesn’t cut it.
My lot are like that so I wear DM’s.
I’ve gone from passing car test to driving an class 1 truck within 2 years.
All I could really say to the driving part is it’s nerve wracking the first few times you go out on your own but the more you go out the more confidence you get.
Getting out of sticky situations is all part of the fun. I’ve had a few hair raisers in the class 2 and class 1 but if you stay calm and relaxed and think about what you’re doing and do it slow and safe you’ll be fine.
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Thanks for all the tips and encouragement. I’m sure you are right and i’ll get used to it. A lot of things to take in. Are there certain jobs that maybe I should avoid such as multi drop especially around London?
Pete777:
Hi Everyone
Passed my class 2 a month ago but am starting to get myself in a bit of a tizz about looking for work. I do get stressed out quite easily and am starting to have doubts about whether i’m cut out for the job. Was going to get some experience and then look at trying my hand at class 1 subject to an assessment to see if i can handle it.
What’s playing on my minds is what if i get lost, stuck, can’t turn around and not confident enough to reverse out, have an accident. Is it normal or am i showing worrying signs which might suggest i should do something else?
I’m also having difficulty getting to grips with the hours. Not so much the individual rules which are easy enough on there own it’s when your working week does not align to the fixed week. Don’t know what the logic was to have two different sorts of weeks. I’ve now found out that you can actually do 58 hours in a non-fixed week but only 56 in fixed week.
While practicing (pretending to be working) i feel the need to have stretched out in front of me the current fixed week and the last fixed week. When i have that grpahically in front of me i can just about manage to keep it legal. But god knows how that will work out in practice when you are out on the road having to make quick decisions.
If you don’t mind i have a few questions including a couple of silly ones but i’ve never worked as a driver before:
-
do you have a holdall of some kind where you keep things like your wallet and house keys. I assume you don’t keep things like that in your pocket? I ask because i have had some jobs where no locker is provided and have had no choice but to carry stuff around with me.
-
do you ALWAYS lock the cab, no matter where you are? To safeguard the keys in case they fell out of your pocket while doing OW do you use a chain attached to a belt. Or would a decent quality pair of trousers with some zip pockets be the way to go?
-
do you plan your day from the outset or do you have to adapt on the move? How much role do the people in the office play in keeping you legal?
-
i’m not a fan of steel toe capped boots. Is it okay to wear the trainer type shoes you can get in places like Millets which may have steel toe cap?
-
if i were to start off doing some part-time shifts, assuming i was working full-time elsewhere doing mon-fri 7am to 5pm would i only be able to do one shift (maximum of 15 hours) every other week in order to satisfy taking a regular weekly rest and reduced weekly rest during the two fixed weeks?
Thanks for you advice.
Sorry if I’m wrong here mate, and call me a hard old cynic but are you on a wind up here or what.
A lot of questions you ask here are a bit wet, and answerable to using a bit of common sense…lock cab, zip pockets, type of kecks, where do I keep my keys…come on mate ffs. 
If you are genuine, and if you are wanting to be a driver either take your Mam with you on trips out, or give yourself a shake.
You need a lot of common sense and adult responsibility when taking a truck out on the road, and you need to get your terminal nervousness sorted…big style. 
I will do, and have done, help any newbie on the road and on here, but you really need to sort your attitude out, or you will be eaten for breakfast and spat out in this industry.
If my answer is a taster for you, it is nothing to what you will get if you show this type of naive vulnrability in a haulage environment, not to mention laying yourself open to abuse by hard nosed unscrupulous bosses.
Pete777:
Thanks for all the tips and encouragement. I’m sure you are right and i’ll get used to it. A lot of things to take in. Are there certain jobs that maybe I should avoid such as multi drop especially around London?
A week in London will feel like 10 years out of London. You get a lot of real drivers who complain hey can’t drive in London.
We all had nerves at first, I assure you give it a week or two you will wonder what the fuss was about.
You proved you can drive the truck by passing the test, now put the training into practice and look forward… soon you will be champing at he bit for the class 1.
Always remember if in doubt get out and check, a few moments can save a lot of hassle.
I had exactly the same worries as you when I first started out - navigational errors, getting trapped, manoeuvring when I got to my destination, and having accidents.
So either we’re both freaks, or it is normal.
Nowadays I occasionally find myself ‘trapped’ because of a wrong turn, and it doesn’t phase me at all. I just take a deep breath, figure out my options, pick one, and go for it. I have never heard of a skeleton being found in an artic down a side street anywhere, so I figure that it must always be possible to get out somehow.
Going to new places (I’m an agency driver and do this all the time) I just remind myself that others have been there before me in the same size truck and they managed okay, so it must be possible. All I have to do is to figure out how…simples.
I’ve had a few little bumps and scrapes in my formative early months, but nothing for a while now.
It’s all about experience, and gaining some skills and knowledge along the way. As you get better, you realise how capable you actually are, and your confidence can grow alongside your competence. When you have a little confidence you’ll be less stressed - provided that your confidence is justified. Over-confidence along with a lack of competence is a recipe for problems.
Remember, nothing can go wrong if you stop moving. Hit the brakes, stop, get out and look if you are unsure about anything. Going somewhere new, stop a couple of hundred yards short and walk to have a look. It’s much easier turning round as a pedestrian if you’re not in the right place.
ORC:
I had exactly the same worries as you when I first started out - navigational errors, getting trapped, manoeuvring when I got to my destination, and having accidents.
So either we’re both freaks, or it is normal.
Nowadays I occasionally find myself ‘trapped’ because of a wrong turn, and it doesn’t phase me at all. I just take a deep breath, figure out my options, pick one, and go for it. I have never heard of a skeleton being found in an artic down a side street anywhere, so I figure that it must always be possible to get out somehow.
Going to new places (I’m an agency driver and do this all the time) I just remind myself that others have been there before me in the same size truck and they managed okay, so it must be possible. All I have to do is to figure out how…simples.
I’ve had a few little bumps and scrapes in my formative early months, but nothing for a while now.
It’s all about experience, and gaining some skills and knowledge along the way. As you get better, you realise how capable you actually are, and your confidence can grow alongside your competence. When you have a little confidence you’ll be less stressed - provided that your confidence is justified. Over-confidence along with a lack of competence is a recipe for problems.
Remember, nothing can go wrong if you stop moving. Hit the brakes, stop, get out and look if you are unsure about anything. Going somewhere new, stop a couple of hundred yards short and walk to have a look. It’s much easier turning round as a pedestrian if you’re not in the right place.
Some good advice there mate from a relatively new driver to a complete newbie.
It aint only you who takes wrong turns in tight places, and has to get out of it, I still do it after all the years I have been in the job
But let’s get to the important issues here.
So!
Do you put your truck keys in a zipped pocket ?
and
What brand of safety trainers do you recommend ■■
I still think the o/p is on a big wind up here, am I alone.
Evil8Beezle:
Nobby_Clarke:
Part of me thinks if you over-think things that much, perhaps you should have your rigger gloves on a string 
What’s your take on this then Evil?
Genuine or ■■■■ take?
This is the question.
It reminds me of someone asking about their first day at school, than someone embarking on a career in trucking.
Keep your dinner money under your hankey, in case it drops out of your pocket son, and make sure you get the right jacket, …the one that has your name tag in that was sewn in by your Mam.
Can’t remember worrying about any of the above ,I was more worried about the cost of being towed against my will if I broke down somewhere I couldn’t fix it
robroy:
What’s your take on this then Evil?
Genuine or ■■■■ take?
This is the question.
True and a bit wet pal! 
Have you not come into contact with the new Mertosexual man that’s prepared to speak openly about their emotions? 
You’re going to the wrong bars mate!
No! When I look at that, it tells me I go to the RIGHT bars.
