Heres the skinny. Right now I drive rigids but I want to move up to artics but I’m kinda scared about driving them. My only experience ever driving one was round an airfield but that really didn’t do it for me. Are they really that big and scary to drive?
Radar19:
Heres the skinny. Right now I drive rigids but I want to move up to artics but I’m kinda scared about driving them. My only experience ever driving one was round an airfield but that really didn’t do it for me. Are they really that big and scary to drive?
Were you scared when you started car driving lessons?
ROG:
Were you scared when you started car driving lessons?
Did anyone else get the “leg shake” when your foot depressed the clutch? I had it for a couple of car lessons and for the first part of my first C lesson, wasn’t an issue rather more an annoyance.
To the OP, if you drive Class 2’s you’ve already won half the battle, once you settle in to it you’ll wonder what you were fussing about.
When I started on class 2 I was in a customers yard talkin to a couple of our drivers when one of the proper drivers 
pulled in and parked at the side of my rigid and the size difference was horrific, I can remember thinking that I would cancel my further training 
but now I would choose the bendy one any day of the week 
You wanna try reversing a Rigid after being on the bendy’s for a while, then you look like a right noob 
I find them about as scary as Bambi, but I’ve been driving them for 25 years. On the other hand, I was petrified when I first climbed into one (straight to class one in those days). It’s simply a matter of familiarity, and the only way you’ll overcome your trepidation is to bite the bullet and get on with it. Perhaps your first foray should be night trunks, lots of straight lines, very little manoeuvring and less traffic. Most will be autos, so no need to worry about 16 speed boxes or twin splitters. You work for an agency, so ask them for that work…because come the new year, you may need to be more flexible. Carpe diem, young Radar!
The money mafia on here will probably hurl all sorts of abuse at me for saying this…but why not see if you can get an unpaid ride in the passenger seat somewhere? See how the vehicle behaves, how the trailer tracks and how the driver deals with things. If your lucky, it’ll be raining and you’ll feel it twitch on roundabouts!
Reef:
You wanna try reversing a Rigid after being on the bendy’s for a while, then you look like a right noob
Been there, done that, hit another rigid !
Radar19:
Heres the skinny. Right now I drive rigids but I want to move up to artics but I’m kinda scared about driving them. My only experience ever driving one was round an airfield but that really didn’t do it for me. Are they really that big and scary to drive?
im in a similar situation! I’ve driven bendys going forwards, but reversing them fills me with the sort of fear that keeps people up at night! 
B…
sayersy:
I find them about as scary as Bambi, but I’ve been driving them for 25 years. On the other hand, I was petrified when I first climbed into one (straight to class one in those days). It’s simply a matter of familiarity, and the only way you’ll overcome your trepidation is to bite the bullet and get on with it. Perhaps your first foray should be night trunks, lots of straight lines, very little manoeuvring and less traffic. Most will be autos, so no need to worry about 16 speed boxes or twin splitters. You work for an agency, so ask them for that work…because come the new year, you may need to be more flexible. Carpe diem, young Radar!The money mafia on here will probably hurl all sorts of abuse at me for saying this…but why not see if you can get an unpaid ride in the passenger seat somewhere? See how the vehicle behaves, how the trailer tracks and how the driver deals with things. If your lucky, it’ll be raining and you’ll feel it twitch on roundabouts!
Excellent advice, no one can be any worse than me at reversing,when I started I was unbelievably bad. After time and practice you’ll get there, just think everyone had the same fears. Good luck & go for it !
I’ve only had an hour assessment so far and I felt ‘at one’ with it as soon as I sat in the seat.
sayersy:
I find them about as scary as Bambi, but I’ve been driving them for 25 years. On the other hand, I was petrified when I first climbed into one (straight to class one in those days). It’s simply a matter of familiarity, and the only way you’ll overcome your trepidation is to bite the bullet and get on with it. Perhaps your first foray should be night trunks, lots of straight lines, very little manoeuvring and less traffic. Most will be autos, so no need to worry about 16 speed boxes or twin splitters. You work for an agency, so ask them for that work…because come the new year, you may need to be more flexible. Carpe diem, young Radar!The money mafia on here will probably hurl all sorts of abuse at me for saying this…but why not see if you can get an unpaid ride in the passenger seat somewhere? See how the vehicle behaves, how the trailer tracks and how the driver deals with things. If your lucky, it’ll be raining and you’ll feel it twitch on roundabouts!
I did wonder if someone would take me out in one but with all this “not insured for passengers” nonsense, not many will come forward 
Find a school that does free assessment drives
Not scary at all mate. In my opinion they are actually a bit easier to drive than rigids. Class 1 is the one I wanted so I couldn’t wait to get started. After the first couple of turns etc you will be fine behind the wheel. I still remember the first corner I turned,looked in the mirror and the shock feeling of seeing it filled with trailer,the other half full of trailer headboard. Fun times! After a few minutes you will be fine. The rigids will have given you the spacial awareness for size etc. You’ll be fine
I was “moving” artics at about 15/16 and when I first started to drive legally, rigids scared the brown stuff out of me, yet I was Ok with the bendy’s.
I had the same concerns but I thought ‘if that guy there can do it then there is no reason that i cant’ and that got me through my worries. I did 3 shifts with drivers keeping me right though then I was confident enough to go on my own. Facing my fears was the best thing I did
Fear is a head thing soon sorted with can do will do attitude.
Every one had to go through the truck me which way is it going now when mastering reversing!
Stay calm, think but don’t over think and practise, practise and more prictise and it will come good.
Reef:
Did anyone else get the “leg shake” when your foot depressed the clutch?
I did my Cat C test reverse with a serious clutch leg shake going. Disconcerting, but I passed okay. 
If you’re used to driving Cat C then the size will not intimidate you, and you’ll be used to the cutting in on corners, going deep into bends and so on. The main scary difference I found with C+E was the loss of mirror vision when turning, and this takes some getting used to. It can be a bit traumatic at times when you can’t see what’s going on behind you because you’ve got a bend on. Just stop, get out and look if you’re in doubt, and never continue a reverse if you can’t see enough to know where you’re going. Yes, reversing is a bit troublesome at first but it does get easier over time.
Give it a go, what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger…live a little.
It might sound strange but they are easier to drive than rigids and lot more comfortable, I hate driving rigids and doing a U turn in them after being used to an artic is a nightmare
Ive got a my training and test a week on tues for class 1 and i cant wait, i always think that its the approach that makes them easier to drive, if u get road position right then im sure ul be fine. With regards to reversing i feel as confident going backwards in a rigid as i do forwards but everyones different, il probably cack my pants when i get in a artic lol
Big Roy:
It might sound strange but they are easier to drive than rigids and lot more comfortable, I hate driving rigids and doing a U turn in them after being used to an artic is a nightmare
Same, artics are lot better to drive. Radar19 - go for it, you’ll be absolutely fine after a couple of turns. Reversing takes time, everyones ■■■■■ at first, I went through some insecurities at one point thinking “am I ever going to get this?” but it clicked in the end.
There is a store we serve with an awkward small yard that I have always delivered to in an artic, until one day I had to do it in a rigid and I was honestly flummoxed as to what to do… went to turn it round and it got no where near. Think it took me about 10 shunts to get it turned round and then straight on the bay. Embarrassed