Hi All
Question for all of you Class 1 drivers out there. When you stepped up from Class 2 to Class 1 what did you find most difficult to get to grips with? The obvious answer is reversing, but i’m interested in what else was challenging to you all! I’m moving up to Class 1 in January so any tips would be appreciated.
Regards
Neil
I think upon wheter viable or not. Nt hijacking tread, but nowadays both 1 & 2 pay rate is the same + class 1 if on multidrop …an individual tends to work more since more space in truck…but for sure i will b following replies here since this is a question that has been in my head for some time now.
Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk
akariz:
I think upon wheter viable or not. Nt hijacking tread, but nowadays both 1 & 2 pay rate is the same + class 1 if on multidrop …an individual tends to work more since more space in truck…but for sure i will b following replies here since this is a question that has been in my head for some time now.Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk
Uh 
neil2402:
Hi AllQuestion for all of you Class 1 drivers out there. When you stepped up from Class 2 to Class 1 what did you find most difficult to get to grips with? The obvious answer is reversing, but i’m interested in what else was challenging to you all! I’m moving up to Class 1 in January so any tips would be appreciated.
Regards
Neil
I’m probably going to be a bit different to most as I took the old HGV II a million years ago and had plenty of W&D experience before deciding to take class 1 to give me more work options. Took the test in a W&D so was nice and relaxed and the examiner noted early on that I was clearly experienced, nice drive around and chat. As a result though my first experience of driving an artic came with no training whatsoever of driving something that bent at the front rather than in the middle.
I’d say without question that most of my concentration went to working out what the back end was doing, especially on bendy country roads and when making left hand turns, not sure just when it clicked into place but it didn’t take long to not be gripping the wheel with both hands and have my head switching from mirror to mirror like a metronome on drugs. Now quite confident as to where the trailer is so back to juggling coffee, nicotine inhaler, sandwiches, nose picking, etc. whilst cracking on.
The women in the bar, throwing themselves at me. That took a while to get used too.
I found the most challenging thing was having to look at rigid drivers without ■■■■■■■ myself.
for me it was trying to behave normally with all the bowing and scraping of admiration from all the rigid drivers without getting above my station and being big headed…these said drivers will know the feeling if they have real jobs and get the same treatment from agency workers.plus there was also the sense of relief of not having to look up in admiration to the class 1 driving gods in an artic.( i mean the real ones,not the agency ones as they dont exactly count in the 1st place).it was a while ago for me,and there wasnt the same influx of such persons same as you could come back through calais without having to do a bombing run with your pish bottles on the last lap to the boat 
the nodding donkey:
The women in the bar, throwing themselves at me. That took a while to get used too.
(Click to enlarge)
neil2402:
Hi AllQuestion for all of you Class 1 drivers out there. When you stepped up from Class 2 to Class 1 what did you find most difficult to get to grips with? The obvious answer is reversing, but i’m interested in what else was challenging to you all! I’m moving up to Class 1 in January so any tips would be appreciated.
Regards
Neil
The obvious, reversing. As I found out, you can’t reverse an artic in the same fashion as you can in a rigid.
for the first few weeks I still found myself wandering up to other drivers at RDCs and saying
“Just look at that overhang. Take a look, artic man. Take a good look. Driving that’s more dangerous than hand milking a tiger or bomb disposal with poor quality gloves or smoking uranium cigarettes, or something. Right skills needed for that. It’s bigger than an artic anyway. Stand over there and squint a bit, no over there, squint a bit more…”
neil2402:
Hi AllQuestion for all of you Class 1 drivers out there. When you stepped up from Class 2 to Class 1 what did you find most difficult to get to grips with? The obvious answer is reversing, but i’m interested in what else was challenging to you all! I’m moving up to Class 1 in January so any tips would be appreciated.
Regards
Neil[/quoteHow easy the job is and how much more time you have to yourself less drops and no handball and much easier to maneuver
eagerbeaver:
I found the most challenging thing was having to look at rigid drivers without ■■■■■■■ myself.
That’s all that coffee you drink 
PMSL Chester services profits down by 28% over the last two months…
eagerbeaver:
PMSL
Is that the cleaning bill for the truck park, not as many relieving themselfs there anymore
neil2402:
Hi AllQuestion for all of you Class 1 drivers out there. When you stepped up from Class 2 to Class 1 what did you find most difficult to get to grips with? The obvious answer is reversing, but i’m interested in what else was challenging to you all! I’m moving up to Class 1 in January so any tips would be appreciated.
Regards
Neil
Remembering to take the number plate off the trailer 
Big Roy:
neil2402:
Hi AllQuestion for all of you Class 1 drivers out there. When you stepped up from Class 2 to Class 1 what did you find most difficult to get to grips with? The obvious answer is reversing, but i’m interested in what else was challenging to you all! I’m moving up to Class 1 in January so any tips would be appreciated.
Regards
NeilRemembering to take the number plate off the trailer
I get my butler to do that for me.
Going from Class 3 to Class 1 at 22 years old but still looking about 16.
The look of disbelief (and look again 
) from the older drivers still driving rigids…used to love it as I swaggered past them 
the nodding donkey:
The women in the bar, throwing themselves at me. That took a while to get used too.
Trucknet paparazzi was there to witness the event…
el_presidente:
the nodding donkey:
The women in the bar, throwing themselves at me. That took a while to get used too.Trucknet paparazzi was there to witness the event…
Ahh, Christmas 1994. Junction 29 truckstop. Such memories…
There is really nothing difficult to get to grips with apart from the reversing, the only minor thing is maybe the blind spots are a little bigger.
