As you all know, the reversing test involves reversing round cones into a straight forward bay / box.
As i have just found out while doing an assesment for NFT this does not really give you much heads up for reversing on to a very tight bay from a right angle.
I know that a lot of it will come from practice, but i was given 2 attempts to carry out the above manouvre and needless to say, as a new driver, I jeffed the assesment
So, do you think that a slightly different reversing drill should be taught on lessons and then on the test ā ā ? as personally i think it would be benificial to all new drivers.
No, I donāt think it should be altered. Whatever reverse is taught and undertaken for the test there will always be a case for changing it as it doesnāt cover one particular real world reverse or another. However the current one covers a bit of reverse to the blind side, a bit to the good side, getting the trailer into a certain area and stopping with the rear of it within a prescribed area, without hitting things along the way and they are all situations you will encounter in the real world. I must admit though that in the 20 years since I passed my class one I have never done a reverse that comes even close to the manoeuvre you carry out on the test.
It must be the luck of the draw with the assessment with NFT. When I did mine a few months ago I was just told to stick it on a certain bay and I could choose my start point and how I lined it up. I did it once and was then asked to pull off and stick it on a different bay, again choosing how I lined up to start it myself. Unfortunately I passed the assessment.
Perhaps had they given you a blind side 90 degree from a side road onto a main road in rush hour, with cars and pedestrians whizzing carelessly around you in and out of the blind spots. Adriving test like that would have had you fully road readyā¦
Oh yes and throw in some badly parked cars for good measure. Maybe a poorly loaded tail and top heavy trailer and oh I donāt know an snatchy autoboxed well hammered fleet twin steer.
What else oh yes of course being a fleet motor the windows and mirrors would be filthy and the test should be idealy done therefore when the sun is low in the sky.
I only kid of course but I agree the test reverse teaches you nothing of what you will find in the world of road transport. The rest comes with experience and practice. I know guys who having driven flat beds all there life could not hit a bay in 5 goes.
My advice keep at it and when you are out in some one elses kit find a quiet industrial estate or carpark and use there diesel for a 10 minute practice whenever you can.
As montana says you will encounter much harder reverses than thet, the test is there to show that you can handle a C+E in reverse nothing more. Try a London Docklands Blind Side 90 off a main road up a car park ramp with less then a foot either side. Now thats a reverse and you will see many more worse than that as you continue to drive.
However Grundril,
I agree that the test does not equip you for everything, but then again if it did no-one would pass it. Do you work for a firm with a large yard, if you do ask your boss for an unused unit and a trailer and reverse your heart out one sunday. I will tell you though(maybe Iām a fool ) but after 14 years on off of driving I still get left hand and right hand wrong on occaision so practice practice practice itāll come fella
montana man:
Perhaps had they given you a blind side 90 degree from a side road onto a main road in rush hour, with cars and pedestrians whizzing carelessly around you in and out of the blind spots. Adriving test like that would have had you fully road readyā¦
Oh yes and throw in some badly parked cars for good measure. Maybe a poorly loaded tail and top heavy trailer and oh I donāt know an snatchy autoboxed well hammered fleet twin steer.
What else oh yes of course being a fleet motor the windows and mirrors would be filthy and the test should be idealy done therefore when the sun is low in the sky.
I only kid of course but I agree the test reverse teaches you nothing of what you will find in the world of road transport. The rest comes with experience and practice. I know guys who having driven flat beds all there life could not hit a bay in 5 goes.
My advice keep at it and when you are out in some one elses kit find a quiet industrial estate or carpark and use there diesel for a 10 minute practice whenever you can.
And rememberā¦Weāve all been there onceā¦
It always helps too if you have 2 people to guiide you, preferably foreigners! The one stands at the wrong side of the truck waving his arms about and his mate does the exact opposite at the other end of the truck. Both these people will eventually have an argument Normally found on ferries to France.
Seriously practice is the only thing. no one can teach you to reverse, everyone does it differently.
Wheel Nut:
It always helps too if you have 2 people to guiide you, preferably foreigners! The one stands at the wrong side of the truck waving his arms about and his mate does the exact opposite at the other end of the truck. Both these people will eventually have an argument Normally found on ferries to France.
Seriously practice is the only thing. no one can teach you to reverse, everyone does it differently.
Oh youāve been on the āCoutancesā as well then ā¦
do what i did last night and fueled it up and as some daft bugger did not put yard lights on i left it in the middle of the yard . rung them this morning and told them why. no problem he said better you do that than smack it up
Hi who did u do your assesment with at nft , i work there myself and no its not the best place to do asseesments but i was lucky i went in there after passing a year ago and the asser was diffrent much more friendly too new drivers.
Was u going through agency or after full time there ?.
) but after 14 years on off of driving I still get left hand and right hand wrong on occaision so practice practice practice itāll come fella 
Normally found on ferries to France.