Hi Everyone
Well I start my class 1 tomorrow with test on Friday. Hope to god I pass. Has anyone any advice for me.
Stay calm, do what your told
most of all enjoy it!
Make sure the examiner can see youre using your mirrors frequently, even if you feel like your head is nearly falling off. Rest assured, theyll be checking for it all through the test. Good luck anyway, and let us know how you go on
Best Regards
Trev 
Good luck,Mike,fingers crossed for you.
From a fellow new class 1 driver(passed two weeks ago)
Dan.
Thanks evertyone. Today went quite well only clipped two kerbs. Eventually got the hang of the range change. 
Hiya mike…
Well done on your first day mate. But could you keep us up to date ina bit more detail??
If you can , give us a Diary of your weeks trainign, how your doing, what the instructor tells ya, thing like that. That way, newbies like me can read and take in some of the points that are being made to you…
Got my class one in January…
Good luck buddy!!!
Hi Again,
The day began at 07.00hrs, my instructor gave a demonstration drive then I took to the reins.
The biggest problem I encountered was the range change gear box had difficulty with 5th gear (could not find it). By mid morning got used to it (had found it).
Did a couple of reverses not too much of problem. need to remember that to turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction that I want to go
I have been told that the one thing that cant be stressed enough is the 3 m’s mirrors, mirrors, mirrors.
By the end of the day i had got used to the length of the trailer, and the range change. But not mastered.
Well rome was n’t built in a day
The only thing I would say is got to a training school that use full size vehicles and trailers
Hope not bored any of you.
I came to marry the bride not the bridesmiad
Thanx Mike… 
Look forward to reading about the rest of your week…
and as I said in an earlier post…
Good Luck, Buddy!!!.. Fingers crossed for ya…
Good luck.
Good luck with the test,regards Jamie
Good luck mate, don’t forget that blind spot. Baseball caps are a good idea, they animate you using the mirrors. 
hi mike
sounds like things are going good
keep us posted and good luck for the test 
where abouts are you taking the test?maybe some one could help out with test routes(things to look out for)
jon
Hi everyone
Well just got home from another hards days training.
Before breakfast things were going quite well. Managed to uncouple and couple without to much of a problem.
Had a few and I mean a few goes at the reversing excercise that eventually started to come.
Then onto the break excercise no real problem as the unit has a brake reterder/exhaust break.
Then after lunch did a test route well the only thing that went well was me pulling in to the kerb at the end and switching the engine off. You name it I did or did not do it, mounted kerbs, roundabouts selected 8th gear instead of 6th. tried to select 5th gear and nearly got 1st gear. I could go on but I am sure you all get the drift I was BLOODY awful.
My instructor then took over the reins he then drove round the same route that I had just driven round and gave a commentary while doing it. I found this useful as it pointed out what I was doing wrong. Rushing everything.
Once we had done that it was then my turn to drive the same route, a lot better this time managed to avoid hitiing any kerbs or roundabouts.This was simply due to the fact that I was slowing down a lot more on the approach to hazards and giving myself enough time to check (yes you guessed it mirriors) and select the right gear.
A much better and improved drive all because I slowed things down on approach to hazards.
I believe the test centre is at Gillingham, Kent the test is at 14.30hrs does anyone know whether this is a good or bad time for a test in my book no time is good for a test.
Thanks everyone for your messages of support
Mike wrote:
I believe the test centre is at Gillingham, Kent the test is at 14.30hrs does anyone know whether this is a good or bad time for a test in my book no time is good for a test.
It means you’ll be driving around at school chucking out time. Keep your speed down, and do extra observation for pedestrians, parked cars, etc. especially near schools, and make sure the examiner notices this.
IMHO, the best time to take a test is when you get stuck in a huge traffic jam so the instructor has to shorten the route to get you back in time for him/her to have his/her coffee break - you can’t fail whilst sitting calmly in a jam with the handbrake on and the truck in neutral…
mike
you have come up trumps with that time because you miss rush hour traiffic and most folk have gone back to work and the kids don’t come out of school till later 
keep us posted
jon
Mike, hows it going mate we havent heard from you. Wednesday and Thursday are the hardest days the instructor puts the pressure on and you start to doubt yourself, if you are feeling like this then please don’t worry its perfectly normal and a benefit because you don’t want to be over confident on Friday. We are all rooting for you, good luck.
Lindsey.
I totally agree with Ladytrucker here… just keep ay cool Mike, its all part of the training.
So how did wednesday go??, hope you had a better day than tuesday.
Keep it going mate, nearly there…
Hi Everyone Firstly like to say thanks to everyone for their support and words of encouragement.
Well after Tuesday it was with some intrepidation that I got into the cab on wednesday morning. but i was also determined to prove to myself and my instructor that I could do it.
On wednesday we stayed in the yard and did the reversing excercise a few times if you half a dozen times a few. No major problems with the reverse excercise if i get in trouble I know how to and what to do in order to get out of it and of course if i need to i can always take a shunt. After that we moved on to the uncoupling/coupling excercise quite straight forward that is if you rember to check the trailer brake whoops.
Handy hint for anyone out there about to take their test just rember BLEP for this part of the test (Brake, Legs, Electrics, Pin) and for re coupling do it this in reverse (sounds easy).
Then it was time to go out on the road well time to go and get breakfast. the drive to the cafe was one of my beter drives so far only real problem is the gear excercise. Cant quite master that one yet. Anyway enough of the negative stuff. Overall yesterday was 50% better than tuesday.
Hope no ones too bored yet.
Today well what I can i say about today drove out of the yard at about 07.00hrs. Started off a bit shakey then settled down instructor hardly said anything to me for first hour or so. stopped for a quick chat he said better than yesterdayonly pointers were mirrors. Still cant master the gear excercise.
After breakfast off on another little drive. Then off we went a sort of mock test. Instructor said I was on my way to passing until (you guessed it gear change excercise).
Everything was fine going up the box but coming down not so good went from fifth to third came to stop instead of keeping going and selecting fourth. Tried again hurray managed to doit at last (but on real test only one shot at it). Then near to the test centre changed down from sixth to fifth going uphill dont know why i did that.
Instructor reckons if I can drive the way I did for that bit today and I manage the gear excercise I could pass. He said that I could have retrieved the gear excercise by building the speed up in fouth then continued down the box.
After that off we went on another test route ten minutes in I had totally messed up the gear change wrong position onat a roundabout then tried go from fourth to third then into reverse then second. Stopped laughe otherwise would have cried. we decided to swap over thankgod he suggested it.
Well role on tomorrow lots of fingers and toes crossed. Once again thanks to everyone for the advice and words of encouragement.
hope I have not bored you all too much.
Will let you know how i got on.
good luck for tomorrow mike
jon
Mike, Ive been reading your progress with interest and sounds similar in many ways to my training and test on class 2. I had a horendous last drive last thing on the thursday before a friday test. Put it behind you, youve got it all out your system, say to yourself as you climb in that truck tomorrow “I can do this” because you know you can, all you have to do is persuade that examiner that you can!!!
All the best
Mart
Edited because I called myself Mary 