I went to the reversing pad in a good mood, and with an alternative plan should i need it, my instructors direction was not working for me, and i found stood outside the truck watching him doing it only valuable to the fact that now i know my instructor CAN do it and I CANT, appart from that it taught me nothing.
He slightly altered the way i started off which i had not problem with, and now im so confused that i cant even do that now, when it was perfect.
He refused to allow me to try the alternative plan, by the end i told him to â â â â off and i would try and find my own way, well i got it in twice on my own, and so i have learnt that if i do it myself i have a better chance, if he is instructing me i screw it up every time!
He did say it was not looking good for the test and when i agreed, was told i would fail if i went in with a negative outlook! Umm contradictory, but hey i got wrong direction if no instruction given i assume going straight ahead to then be told im in the wrong lane for going right, cos instructor is not looking to give me instructor cos he is busy on the phone or texting
Never mind stil the eleventh hour to try and sort it out tom, still only done the coupling once, spend 1 hour on the route and test sat morning
Firebird:
⌠somewhat betterâŚMotorway driving was easy, and i did improve on my road driving todayâŚi am getting used to the size of the trailer and where the end of it is, (which is helpful) âŚSo all in all not a bad day! fingers xâd i will be able to break the back of it
Said in the best possible way: I knew it all along. Softly, softly etc
FB if you are not happy with your instructors methodology or his inattention I suggest you make your point to the training school. Itâs your money and time you are spending with them after all. Perhaps tell them that there performance is being shown on the internet !!!
As far as the reversing goes, if you are OK doing it YOUR way and that is acceptable on the test I suggest you do it YOUR way and the instructor if he was worth his salt should agree
Sounds to me like yet another âhas beenâ trucker who shouldnât be teaching
Your going in the right direction though and you seem to have the right attitude so just do your thing, relax and let it flow.
Even the chaps and chappessâs on here have days when we couldnât âget in the boxâ
Well i did only have a 4 hour lesson tomorrow and that would have been it, but i have booked to have a double lesson, so i will be going out with my usual instructor in the first half and the boss in the second, so we shall see!
Hopefully the extra training time, less pressure and rushing, and another perspective may help
Hope âthe bossâ has got a better approach and attitude to teaching than the other guy. Training is not cheap and the least you can expect is a professional and positive attitude from the instructor. If you donât get something right he should be questioning his teaching technique and taking the responsibility for not showing you how to do it correctly.
Chin up and donât let them get you down
My training so far for my C+E has cost me ÂŁ1387.37 therefore it is not cheap, and i know im proving a challenge to teach but to my point of view if i was an instructor i would try and train the way i feel to be the best, should that method not work i would like to think i would re evaluate and try and alter or come up with an alternative way and tailor the training to the needs of the student rather than being rigid and saying well if you cant do it my way you wont be able to do it!
But that is my opinion, it is very difficult being a student at 33 years old, and it does get confusing when told to treat 1st part like an artic, then as if you parking a car and forget about the trailer, so many different driving methods to think of at the same time, shame it could not be simpler, there must be a method which involves static focal points which assists the student
But hey i suppose its all in the line of learning a new skill, i look at drivers in a totally different light now
"cos instructor is not looking to give me instructor cos he is busy on the phone or texting "
I was under the impression that a driving instructor is breaking the law if he uses his mobile phone whilst he has a pupil under instruction as legally even if he is a passenger he is responsible for that vehicle.
Yep your right he is technically using a mobile phone or device whilst driving, as he is in the overall control of the vehicle!
100% correct. He is legally in charge of the vehicle not you. e.g. if there was an accident while training then it would be he who would have to produce his docs down the cop shop not you.
Next time he does it, try practising your pulling in procedure and park up then tell him you are waiting to be under instruction once more - and make sure he deducts the âwaitingâ time from your hours. That should do it
FB. Next time he pulls out his phone to txt or call, just indicate, pull in and tell him you are ready to proceed when he is ready. Alternativly check your mirrors for no traffic behind and if clear do an emergency stop, it should put his focus back in the right place and then your hard earned money wont be going to waste.
Good luck on Saturday, at least the rains out so the cyclist are in
Well 8 hours of hell, we went up the reversing pad again after finding out that i was not going to have 4 hours with my instructor and 4 hours with the boss, now just 8 hours with the instructor, i was in a wonderful mood, practiced the reverse in the first hour an i got it in the box in one go twice, then that was it! mojo went and could not do it, i spoke with my instructor who complained that i was trying to teach myself and not listening to him, i explained to him that yes i was trying to teach myself as i have been telling him for over 3 days that i cannot do it the way he is showing me and that he needs to adapt his training to my needs!
Well he found another way to start off which had been lost yesterday, so at least i can start off, the instructor was still insistant that his way is the best and easiest and we came to logger heads and he walked off and i drove off to practice, by this point i could have caused serious physical injury and chose to refrain and concentrate on my driving rather than 1 mans obsession with doing it his way or no way!
I could not get it without flexible instruction and was struggling so i practiced the Uncoupling which i have sorted and went for food.
Came back and tried to put a brave face on, and tried again after being told i will not be able to do it without a shunt so only then did he teach me how to line up for my shunt and i had an hour tops in which to practice. While he and other instructors looked on laughing finding it amusing, i did get out and challenge this moral boosting exercise!
Well i did get in in eventually with shunts, we headed back and i had switched off from everything he had said just trying to get back to the unit quickly enough so i could get out of his company.
At the end of this days training i have learnt that i hate my instructor with such a passion i could hurt him.
I cannot reverse the trailer with his sytem and he is not flexible enough to be open minded and find alternatives.
My instructor hates his job and wants to go back to trucking.
I can do the Uncoupling, and that is the only thing my instructor was kind enough to tell me i had got right!
I have hated my training and it has been the worst experience of my life!
My test is tom and i will try my best but it is not hopeful
Firebird:
While he and other instructors looked on laughing finding it amusing, âŚMy instructor hates his job and wants to go back to truckingâŚI have hated my training and it has been the worst experience of my life!
My test is tom and i will try my best but it is not hopeful
Iâd say, just do your best and see how it goes.
IF you fail, Iâd suggest you politely make your points (above) known to the boss of the training school, then ask him what heâs prepared to do to help you. I think itâs important to give him that opportunity, because you donât know how heâll react at this stage. IMHO, the boss should at least have a word with the instructor to get his comments on your points above.
I have to say that Iâm disappointed by the way you appear to have been treated.
Ok test day, went to unit and drove up to Gloucester, started test and lined up on my reverse, nervous but happy that i can get past the B cone! followed what i had been taught and hey presto it would appear that the reversing pad i have been taught at must not have been lined up to the correct measurements as i ended up to far away from the line and kissed the B cone! INSTANT FAIL!
Knowing that i had followed my instruction to the letter and was incredibly upset at this point i was devestated to the point of tears, and struggled to carry on with the reverse but i did and with 2 shunts got it in the box! which the examiner was more than happy with. We had a chat about my reversing teaching and he agreed there was no way that the method could be carried out wrong and that it must have been the marking of the bay i have been taught on, and that it happens all the time with instructors walking out the measurements and varying degrees of leg length means no correct bays!
He asked me if i wanted to carry on i ummâd and ahhâd and said yes, i went out on the drive with the instructor telling about the failings of instructors and having a chat he was lovely!
Got back he asked me if i wanted to do the coupling exercise and i said yes and done that.
Finally he told me i had Failed which i knew with only 3 minors and he wished he didnt have to fail me, that my driving was nigh on perfect, that my coupling was perfect and that he wanted me to re test and that i had to come back.
My instructor said he was â â â â â â off and that i had made a mistake, i corrected him that i carried out HIS techniques which had failed me!
So there we go 1 Fail 3 minors, 1 lovely examiner and 1 â â â â instructor
Sorry to hear that you failed.
Donât let it get you down.
Like dieseldave said, have a word with the gaffer of the school and tell him how you feel about your training etc.
Get yourself in for a retest as soon as possible.
BLOODY WELL DONE - 3 minors
As a âself taughtâ C+E that is brilliant.
Now get a decent instructor who can teach you the reverse and will adapt to YOUR needs.
ROG:
BLOODY WELL DONE - 3 minors
As a âself taughtâ C+E that is brilliant.
Now get a decent instructor who can teach you the reverse and will adapt to YOUR needs.
Sounds like it went really well considering the hassle youâve had. Wouldnât be surprised if you look for a new driving school to do the re-test with. Good luck with it.
Firebird:
He asked me if i wanted to carry on i ummâd and ahhâd and said yes, i went out on the drive with the instructor telling about the failings of instructors and having a chat he was lovely!
Got back he asked me if i wanted to do the coupling exercise and i said yes and done that.
Finally he told me i had Failed which i knew with only 3 minors and he wished he didnt have to fail me, that my driving was nigh on perfect, that my coupling was perfect and that he wanted me to re test and that i had to come back.
Sorry to hear you didnât make it. Iâm glad to see you carried on with the test though, knowing that you did everything else right should give you a boost and you know youâve only one area to address. Good luck for next time
âŚSo all in all not a bad day! fingers xâd i will be able to break the back of it 
