I have been reading the forums now for a while but haven’t started posting until now!
I start my practical training next week, after passing both theories in recent months, bit nervous about it but having read ROGS thread really helped lay everything out. I have started driving as I did when I was learning my car license , apart from dipping the rear view mirror part!!
Unfortunately I went with a broker for my package not knowing any better at the time, I can’t complain about the service I just feel its probably cost me more than it should of. I’ll be training with Hughes based in alfreton industrial estate anyone got any reports or feedback on these guys ? I live in Ashbourne by the way.
Lastly I no there’s a lot of doom and gloom on the jobs topic but I was just wondering what work situation is like in the derby area. I’m on a pretty much minimum wage full time hours at the moment and its going no where I’d appreciate any info/advise on this.
Just make sure Hughes have a real booking for you and they aren’t making it up. I don’t need to tell you that a broker was definitely not the best decision. But what’s done is done.
Good luck and let us know how your training / test goes.
Thanks guys will call them and confirm. I have booked with thelgvtrainingcompany who apparently the job centre use but will confirm none the less.
For the theory I just revised actual topics not questions on a disc as I found learning the topic as a new skill added not just a bunch of answers remembered. And hazard perception. I personally just treated as I was driving my grandmother around very cautious of anything that moved! Common sense is always something to remember too
thats the only thing thats doing my head in, i have the theory in my head-found that fine, i drive a recovery truck for my job athe moment so i have adjusted to driving/manouvering with mirrors, i use advanced driving techniques like “covering the gear” plan ahead & dont rush as my van based recovery truck is OLD!
hazard perception test is the only thing i’m struggling with, i have the latest cd/dvd thing for my laptop but keep failing it, i’m just clicking at potential hazards■■? but my score is’nt improving…
Remember that this test only deals with developing hazards. The fact there is a junction, for instance, is not of itself a hazard for these purposes. But the boy skateboarding towards it is.
You will know there is a “window of opportunity” with scores starting at 5 reducing to zero depending on the timing of your click. Experienced drivers will often see a harzard before the “window of opportunity” opens resulting in zero scores. The secret is to click when you see the hazard, count 2 seconds, and click again. If the first one was too early, you’ll pick up a 3 or 4 for the second one.
The hazards they want you to identify are reasonably obvious. There is one where you’re travelling through a shopping area with parked cars both sides and a bus waiting to pull out from the opposite side. When he moves it’s pretty obvious he’s going to come into your path. And there’s the hazard.
You need to click on the developing hazard, so if you see a potential hazard like perhaps a car approaching a side road you might click as a reaction to the potential hazard it represents, but click again if it pulls out and therefore becomes a developing hazard.
You’re not expected to get 100% and would say that is all but impossible to do so.
cheers for the advicat me guys, i think that may help me a great deal
both pete & 1968kg have described what “i think” i am doing, i see the potential hazard well in advance! so using natural reaction CLICK
as you guys have stated, i should only be CLICKING at a hazard/developing hazard, right i’ll give this a go later today on my practice cd! thankyou relly appreciated!!!
hopefully i improve, my theory/hazard is booked for 4 weeks time, apart from the hazard test i feel pretty confidant on the theory, i have experiance of some lorry/truck related work (i dont know it inside out-so not bragging)
i’m just reading the heavy goods dsa book for the theory 1st as the OP suggested, then the week before test i’ll go through the theory questions book-hopefully this will work for a decent pass!
my apolagys for hijacking the OP’s thread, i’ll start my own one
I am have just completed training with hughes’s but in Loughborough , I found them to be really good and professional, I failed first test but that was fully down to myself and not a reflection on hughes’s, I would recommend them.
haha no problem Nervoustimes, we are all in the same boat here trying to get to the same place. And thanks Fredandginger for your comment and sorry to hear about the failure, what was it on may I ask ?
Also I have Hughes a call and they said they do a lot of buisness with my broker so I have nothing to worry about (Luckily)
It’s all on the above thread , it was just nerves that made almost everything that I learnt go out of the window because I was to busy thinking about what he was putting on his sheet, one bit of advice I will give you or anyone is when your checking your near side mirror try to ignore or blank what the examiner is doing with his pen and paper otherwise it will make your nerves twice as bad.
That’s what I found I was doing and it didn’t help , where are you doing your test?
Ill be doing my test at watnall in the Nottingham area?
First day today felt it went really well learning in a 11t Man, we did some country roads, a lot of town driving and 3or4 junctions on the m1. Instructor has said if I keep it up shouldn’t have much to worry about (touch wood)!!!
samc1992:
Thanks guys will call them and confirm. I have booked with thelgvtrainingcompany who apparently the job centre use but will confirm none the less.
For the theory I just revised actual topics not questions on a disc as I found learning the topic as a new skill added not just a bunch of answers remembered. And hazard perception. I personally just treated as I was driving my grandmother around very cautious of anything that moved! Common sense is always something to remember too
Sam
Fingers crossed the training company do right by you, and don’t worry about the theory, the question part is easily done and if you don’t fare too well with the hazard perception, its only £15 for a retest. You don’t have to do the whole theory again, just the hazard perception. It took me 3 attempts to pass it which was really frustrating!
