My name is Ryan, 21 and i will hopefully be doing a HGV Class II course in the next six months.
I am looking at doing my course at Road Runner Training in Coventry. Has anybody used this company before? If so, what are they like?
I’ve read their website and they offere a 3 day course 1:1 or a 5 day course 2:1. Personally, i’m not sure weather it will be best to do the 3 day course or the 5 day course and learn from other people’s mistakes? Advice?
Also, when successfully completed my Class II i will be 22. What is it like getting work either C1/C work at the age of 22 and as a “new” driver? Do most companies require their drivers to be 25+ for insurance purposes?
Hopefully, i don’t really know how to “prep” for it though. This might sound stupid… but i tried driving my car “properly” and i couldnt do it lol! Didnt feel natural at all steering! Im sure i can train myself to do it, with time lol! Well, ive got 6months left in the RAF before i leave and another ■■■■■■ tour of afghanistan to do yet (6 weeks)! Soon as im back, ill get the medical done and send for my provisional and get the theory cracked! Ive got the CDROM and Haz Dvd seems okay!
ryan86uk:
Hopefully, i don’t really know how to “prep” for it though. This might sound stupid… but i tried driving my car “properly” and i couldnt do it lol! Didnt feel natural at all steering! Im sure i can train myself to do it, with time !
Pull/push steering is PREFERABLE when in high range (over 20mph) in the lorry but as long as you have control then the DSA are not that fussy.
The biggest problem I find with most is the lack of FORWARD PLANNING - looking ahead as far as possible and then doing something about what they see - the reason is that MOST car drivers just look late and then REACT to a situation instead of being PROACTIVE
My name is Ryan,
I’ve read their website and they offere a 3 day course 1:1 or a 5 day course 2:1. Personally, i’m not sure weather it will be best to do the 3 day course or the 5 day course and learn from other people’s mistakes? Advice?
Hi Ryan, when i did my class 2 i was 2:1 training. I was alright with it, but when i did my class1 1:1 training i found it miles better, as i felt more at ease with just the instructor watching me, and talking through everything with me just made it 100 times better.
All depends on how you learn to be honest, when i was at college i found small study groups better then a normal class.
My name is Ryan,
I’ve read their website and they offere a 3 day course 1:1 or a 5 day course 2:1. Personally, i’m not sure weather it will be best to do the 3 day course or the 5 day course and learn from other people’s mistakes? Advice?
Hi Ryan, when i did my class 2 i was 2:1 training. I was alright with it, but when i did my class1 1:1 training i found it miles better, as i felt more at ease with just the instructor watching me, and talking through everything with me just made it 100 times better.
All depends on how you learn to be honest, when i was at college i found small study groups better then a normal class.
When you do your C training you are a car driver moving up to a lorry but when you do your CE training you are a lorry driver moving up to a bigger lorry - there is a lot of difference
ROG:
When you do your C training you are a car driver moving up to a lorry but when you do your CE training you are a lorry driver moving up to a bigger lorry - there is a lot of difference
Very good point ! I was going to say that 2:1 trg is probably best. Certainly during my C training there were huge benefits to listening to the advice/instruction given to the other trainee, so in that respect 2:1 was excellent. However as Rog indicates, once you have your Class C you now KNOW (hopefully ) how to drive a wagon; you’re now compensating for extra length and reversing so 1:1 really does sound like a good idea for the C+E.
I’m already booked for 2:1 C+E trg (and paid for) so we shall see.
I know in theory that sitting in the passenger seat and learning from the second driver is a good idea - which can work - but there are lots of cases where the second drivers is either
A/ a better driver than you and so you find your own shortcomings embarrasing and you begin to question your abilities
or
B/ The second driver is really bad and the instructor is having trouble getting him up to standard and this makes you feel so much better - and can lull you into a false sense of security of your own driving skills.
On a 1 to 1 course, if you want to see how it should be done you can always ask the intructor for a demo drive - which should be spot on.
Just to add…
There are some companies that cannot offer the choice of 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 as they only have training vehicles with 2 seats so the only thing they can offer is 1 to 1 training.
Personally I train either 1 to 1 or 2 to 1, depending on what trainees want, but on balance I find 2 to 1 probably the best option for trainees.
There has been a great deal of debate as to how long a trainee can concentrate on driving. If 2 to 1 training then we change over drivers every 2 hours, rather than having them drive all day. Of course the charges are the same as they are based on driving time, so the argument is that trainees get twice the time for the same cost, even though they are not driving all the time.
I take the point that sometimes 2 drivers will not be of the same standard, but in my experience within a very short time they equal out - with the possible exception of reversing an artic, and if reversing is a problem then it is easy to give one guy more tuition after the other has gone home.
ryan86uk:
I have read everyone’s comments and see the positives and negatives of both the 2:1 and 1:1 training. Ill have a think and take it from there!
Smart Mart:
I take the point that sometimes 2 drivers will not be of the same standard, but in my experience within a very short time they equal out - with the possible exception of reversing an artic, and if reversing is a problem then it is easy to give one guy more tuition after the other has gone home.
Agreed. I have to thank my co-trainee for giving me plenty of laughs with his dire reversing. He just couldn’t run the unit parallel to the line when he needed to. He got more reversing training in the yard with another, whilst I got some 1-1 time on the road. He was just as good forward as I was. I don’t know if he passed, but he fluked the reverse on test!
2-1 was less stress, although I did some 1-1 on 1 of the days as we had some hours owed due to a Saturday morning spent fuel protesting (RHA convoy) instead of learning.
I believe that one of Roadrunner’s LGV instructors is on this forum, but it might be a rumour. 
) how to drive a wagon; you’re now compensating for extra length and reversing so 1:1 really does sound like a good idea for the C+E.