Well I have completed my first week on Class 2 since passing my test.
Bit of a shakey first week. Managed to catch a car with the back of the lorry when taking a tight turn, and also got lost and cost myself about an hour.
I am enjoying things so far, and just telling myself that everybody makes mistakes especially when they first start out.
Am I the only one to have a shakey beginning?
Why do you think a lot of jobs advertise the need for a minimum of 6 months to 2 years experience pal? 
A limp can also help! 
(thought I’d get that in first…)
Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. We all make mistakes and as long they weren’t life threatening or likely to end in your dismissal, learn from them and move on.
Hang in there.
danalex84:
Am I the only one to have a shakey beginning?
No, you’re not the only one.
There’s loads of new drivers who somehow managed to get a licence but can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage.
As said don’t get a downer on it, though can’t see company being too pleased about the car bit!
Hope you learnt from it, the outswing can be a ■■■■■ to keep an eye on when your concentrating on front end until you get more experience and your turning lines naturally allow for it. As for getting lost, it happens until you get to know new areas better. Must say an hour is a lot ■■ Do you use a satnav? Shouldn’t get you that far out as long as you double check address is right before setting off
OK, I’ll put this out there!
On my second day of driving my 26t MAN with rear steer (2nd week of Class C driving), I found myself (due to a road closure at the front of my drop) having to go around the back to make the drop, in an area signposted as “Unsuitable for HGV’s”. Luckily I had a rough idea of what I was going to face, and thought I should just about be able to get in and out without too much problem. So I made the drop and then attempted to turn the truck around, which wasn’t the easiest thing to do, as a car had blocked the easiest escape route out! 
And the alternative I was faced with, was to reverse into the entrance way of a tiny little Royal Mail depot. So I reversed in, while having a bit of an argument with some branches of a nearby tree, shunted once or twice, and thought right, one last hard turn as late as possible and I’ll be home free! 
But what I hadn’t accounted for, was how much tail swing my new truck had with it’s rear steer! And as I completed my turn thinking I was well clear of the gate, I heard a huge crash behind me! 
And while I didn’t want to look behind me, I knew I had no choice! 
So when I eventually manned up and took a look, I saw the huge heavy steel gate laying on the floor behind my truck!
It turns out that the face of the gate wasn’t completely flat, and I’d caught the latch part right at the end of the gate, in the rear channel of my truck. Resulting it pinging the gate, and making it jump off it’s pins/hinges!
As you can imagine, the thundering loud clanging sound of a 200+ kg steel gate hitting the deck alerted Royal Mail’s staff that something was afoot, and out they came shaking their heads and scowling at me in unison!
After a little conversation & my details being provided (although there was no damage), 3 of us attempted to pick the gate up. Believe me, that was a struggle, and the best we could do was to lean it against the wall, and had no chance whatsoever of lifting it back onto its pins.
Before I left, I was told that this wasn’t the first time this had happened, and probably wouldn’t be the last…
As for me, I learnt an important lesson about the rear steer and tail swing of my truck, and since that incident I’ve not touched anything with it. And long may that continue…
So yes mate, we all make mistakes, just don’t make the same one twice…
Contraflow:
danalex84:
Am I the only one to have a shakey beginning?No, you’re not the only one.
There’s loads of new drivers who somehow managed to get a licence but can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage.
Badge please!
Contraflow:
There’s loads of new drivers who somehow managed to get a licence but can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage.
There’s loads of drivers who’ve been doing it for years and can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage. The mere fact they still have jobs is living proof of a driver shortage.
I hit two posts in my 1st three weeks of passing my class1. One with the trailer trying to be clever. And one small post that I hit with the unit in my blind spot. 
Conor:
Contraflow:
There’s loads of new drivers who somehow managed to get a licence but can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage.There’s loads of drivers who’ve been doing it for years and can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage.
You’re absolutely right. Agency drivers are a menace.
Contraflow:
Conor:
Contraflow:
There’s loads of new drivers who somehow managed to get a licence but can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage.There’s loads of drivers who’ve been doing it for years and can’t go a week without causing some sort of damage.
You’re absolutely right. Agency drivers are a menace.
It ain’t just agency drivers Contraflow. Came back from a week’s holiday recently to find a hefty dent in the top of my cab, hole in the body roof and several marks on one of the side rails caused by using same instead of the brakes to stop the Moffett. And we don’t use agency.
danalex84:
Well I have completed my first week on Class 2 since passing my test.
Bit of a shakey first week. Managed to catch a car with the back of the lorry when taking a tight turn, and also got lost and cost myself about an hour.I am enjoying things so far, and just telling myself that everybody makes mistakes especially when they first start out.
Am I the only one to have a shakey beginning?
Dont beat yourself up about it,if you stick it out on being a Driver its pretty sure it wont be your only shaky week.
Its all part of the learning process,you can still be learning 20 odd years down the line
Take the "old boys"comments on the chin,they where newbies at one stage,but as they get older they have memory failure like most old fuddy duddies like me after 40 +years on the road
Sounds like you did fine, makes me laugh when you walk into a new job and there is a gang of drivers in the transport office/canteen and everywhere you say your going is really tight!!!
Keep up the good work pal and let us know how you get on.
Back in the olden days the first thing you did if you hit something was check no one saw you,the second thing you did was drive off saying to yourself in your best Manuel accent “I know a nothing”
It’s all change now though with CCTV around
Don’t feel too bad guy in my work, been driving 30 odd years, was shunting in the yard with a big six wheel rigid and hit a brand new g & a trailer with the tail swing. Left the trailer needing a new full length capping not cheap!
Just take your time and keep on the mirrors good luck
I have been driving 8 weeks and I have had a couple of bumps both whilst reversing, first one I damaged some guttering, second one a black wrought iron gate - which I just did not see in the dark, felt like a ■■■■ at the time but I figure sh*t happens and all I can do after the event is to try and learn from my mistakes.
I find that on a lot of occasions I have difficulty finding the drop - it doesn’t help when the company name on the paperwork does not match the place where I am supposed to be delivering to which also happens a lot, so getting lost and driving aimlessly around in circles is becoming second nature to me.
So yes I could also describe the first few weeks on the job as shakey and it isn’t just you, after eight weeks I am starting to feel a bit more at ease with the job and I am no longer ■■■■■■■■ my pants worrying about what I am driving into - well not as much as I used to.
I think you have the right attitude “telling myself that everybody makes mistakes especially when they first start out”, because they do, so just try to be careful and learn from any mistakes you make and the rest will come with experience (or so I am told ).
MickyB666:
I think you have the right attitude “telling myself that everybody makes mistakes especially when they first start out”…
I think it’s the wrong attitude.
It’s like giving yourself a get out of jail free card to smash things up as much as you like. An excuse to not be as careful as you should be.
First week is always a struggle with so much to think about, a lot of the old driving gods on here seem to have selective amnesia, either that or they’ve got senile dementia coupled with the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia.
Just get through it and learn very quickly from your mistakes. You won’t ‘fail’ by taking another shunt, you will by taking out a motor/pedestrian.
Best thing is to take your time and watch everything you can see, if in doubt about anything get off your bum and go out and look. Ideally get someone to keep an eye on bits you can’t see but you usually have to give them specific instructions on where they need to stand and what you want them to watch, even other drivers 
to me I cant see how so many seem to have the same accidents (not looking/rushing/trying to get done by x) accidents happen and yes I have screwed up a couple of times, but not by rushing or trying to do more drops than possible.
I know when you first start its hard but ask yourself will you be sacked as a newbie for taking an extra half hour over a days work than an experienced driver or be sacked for doing it in the same time but hitting stuff.
take your time don’t put yourselves under extra pressure as there is enough ■■■■ out there to deal with.
Actually war1974 there is a lot of pressure put on newbies by planners, TMs and customers to do things as quickly as experienced drivers, with the implied threat that they won’t be kept on after the trial period. It’s utterly wrong, downright stupid and incredibly short sighted but there it is. Is it any wonder that many newbies think ‘I can do without this carp’ and leave as soon as they can.