This page contains advice on THINKING/PLANNING AHEAD, BRAKING, COVERING GEAR, PAINT, LANE MARKINGS, POSITIONING & ROUNDABOUTS.
Please scroll down to see them.
GENERAL DRIVING TIPS BEFORE STARTING LGV C TRAINING
I personally recommend the book MIND DRIVING (Link) as a way to improve the thinking aspects of driving.
A number of LGV instructors are finding that the general driving standard of many trainees coming to do their LGV ‘C’ course is not at a very high standard.
There have been a number who ‘THINK’ they are good but instructors find themselves having to go ‘BACK TO BASICS’ before they can really start learning how to handle a truck.
For the trainee this means wasted time on the course and that means that the trainee is paying good money to be taught how to drive again 
gnclogan:
My trainer said, “I’m not teaching you HOW to drive, I’m just upgrading your license!” and he’s right, if you know how to drive, know your highway code, it’s just a bigger vehicle and slightly different gearbox.:
There are a number of things that a driver can do before starting their first LGV training course to improve their general driving.
The obvious ones are to practise the DSA procedures, which could mean losing the rear view mirror, and then, every time to set off, doing the mirror, mirror, blind spot routine. Checking BOTH side mirrors before moving within the lane you are in, signalling or before the increasing & decreasing of your speed.
Krankee:
INDICATORS
Use them.
Remember that indicators are there for the purposes of communicating to other road users what you intend to do, and not what you’ve already started doing.
The less obvious is to practise forward planning — the THINKING bit.
A good way of doing this is to use your brakes a lot less than what you do at present — sounds daft but think about it — to use the brakes less then you will have to ease off earlier — to ease off earlier you will have to plan ahead more.
I don’t mean by changing down through the gearbox either as that will waste fuel. 
A good example would be when approaching a queue of standing traffic, which is waiting for traffic lights to change or waiting to enter a roundabout.
The moment you see the queue, check mirrors and ease off in the gear you are in. let the vehicle slow down on it’s own, dipping the clutch as necessary to control any possible stalling. If the vehicle gets to the lowest gear speed (usually first gear) then engage that gear.
If, whilst easing off, you anticipate that the traffic is going to proceed, then engage the gear that will take you with them without rushing up to the rear of the queue.
You will be leaving a large area of tarmac in front of your vehicle when you ease off early. If another vehicle goes into the gap then re-adjust to accommodate it. If you curse at the vehicle that went into your forward space then decide if a few feet of tarmac is worth getting stressed over!!
When following other traffic, do you touch your brakes when they touch theirs? — If yes, then you are too close. Back off so that you can ease off without the use of brakes. Again, this requires a good deal of forward planning, which will be very useful when you drive a truck.
The general idea is to never stop but to keep moving forward even if at a very slow pace.
If you have to use the brakes then plan to use them gradually. Start by taking up the play of the pedal then resting the weight of your foot & leg on the pedal. That is then followed by squeezing down onto the pedal and squeeze down to a depth that will do the job during the middle of your braking so that you can ease off the pedal well before you actually need to come to a stop.
Loose the rear view mirror in your car now - pull push on the wheel where possible - MSM (Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre/Brake) — it is very easy for the examiner to watch you brake or signal before checking BOTH mirrors and mark you down for it! Blind spot to your right when moving off - try to slow down before roundabouts and get 2nd in your car with the clutch lifted so that you drive up to each one in second (good practise for getting the covering gear)
Link to the 8 gear ‘Slapbox’ & Range Change 4 over 4 GEARBOX OPERATION - A simple intro (With Pics)
COVERING GEAR
A “covering gear” is a flexible gear that you are likely to be asked to engage on the approach to certain hazards such as roundabouts.
Example; You are in a 40 limit with gear 7 engaged (8 speed gearbox) and there is a roundabout ahead and there are no other vehicles between you and the roundabout . The roundabout has the triangle bit of ground just before it with the “keep left” sign on the apex (I am crap at words so please excuse - drawing would be better!). By the time you reach the sign you will have slowed down to a speed (usually around 20 mph) that will engage your covering gear (usually 5th) by changing to it directly from the gear you are currently in (it is called BLOCK CHANGING) with the clutch fully engaged. This will allow you to approach the RBT in a FLEXIBLE gear, giving you TIME & SPACE to assess the situation. If clear you will proceed in the covering gear or if not clear and you have to slow down, you will brake and engage one of the “LIFTING” gears in preparation for a very slow start or a “stop & start”. A lifting gear is one of the low range gears - usually 1 to 4 - and with an empty lorry you can usually use any of them from a standing start - I say usually because your lorry might not like a 4th gear start on anything except downhill and may require 2nd on an uphill start.
Hope this helps and excuse if not written well.
PS I usually find that drivers do not use enough DEPTH in their braking once they have started to press down the pedal which means they are going too fast to complete the gear change in time. Once your foot is on the pedal and starting to squeeze then SQUEEZE, SQUEEZE & MORE SQUEEZE - get the speed down to what you need by when you want it. If you find you are braking too early in your early training - SO WHAT - better than braking late - you can always engage the covering gear and increase the pressure on the accelerator!
Please don’t say what one trainee said:
“but I am holding up the drivers behind me!”
PAINT
Why do they put paint on the roads — why not raised barriers between lanes etc? BECAUSE IT IS THERE FOR YOU, AS LORRY DRIVERS, TO GO ON!
If you need to go on the paint to carry out your drive then use it when safe to do so and if someone else is on it — WAIT for it to become clear for your use.
Do not steer into an area you do not plan to go into, as this will cause you to put your rear wheels in a place you do not want them to be such as over a kerb or knocking down the lamp post etc! This type of action is marked as a serious or dangerous steering fault on test and is therefore a fail.
LANE MARKINGS
As a car driver, it does not matter if you are going to turn right or go straight on and you get into the right hand lane when there are 2 or 3 lanes that go in that direction but it does matter when you are a lorry driver. You need to be on the inner lane that goes in the direction you are taking so look carefully on the approach for the arrows or place names that signify where each lane is intended for. You may find these marked on the road or on sign boards so look for them. Practise in your car as the examiner can mark you for not choosing the correct lane. (On test, if vehicles are stationary over the markings, the examiner should tell you which lane is which).
POSITIONING
You can also practice positioning by putting your car where you would put the lorry. For example, positioning against the white line on left bends and tucking well in on right bends - you can also do this on laned roundabouts by using the maximum available space in your lane.
Ever noticed how those clever road designers put the drains on a left bend on your nearside to keep you towards the white line and on a right bend you do not have any so you can keep well to the left
ROUNDABOUTS
whilst waiting to enter a roundabout do not look at the traffic that is blocking you from going - look everywhere else - what position are approaching vehicles taking.
If they intend to go ‘road ahead’ they usually position on the left but if turning right across your path they usually position to the right on the opposite approach. I have seen so many wait for vehicles on the inside of a roundabout because they thought they might come around it but were, in fact, just straightening out the roundabout to go straight on into the road you are coming out of - why 
- because the driver did not look across the roundabout to see their position on the approach.
Getting marked for UNDUE HESITATION. If you miss a small safe opportunity to proceed then this will incur a MINOR on the examiner test sheet but if you miss a blatently easy opportunity to proceed then this will be viewed as a SERIOUS and therefore a fail. THE TIME YOU ARE WAITING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
TIP - The handbrake on most lorries can be fully on (locked) or held in a position that is on but not fully on. This can be useful when stopped at a roundabout or junction.
No chance of an opportunity to emerge - keep handbrake fully on (locked).
An opportunity MAY be coming - handbrake released from fully on but held on.
This method also give a slightly quicker ‘GET AWAY’ when the decision has been made to GO.
Click the link to view THE DSA EXAMINERS TEST REPORT SHEET
A 4 minute video insight into LGV driving - Click to watch the Video
