Get that box of fireworks ready Rog. Just this once 
we have the media watching 
Thinking back I did actually see this outfit today in Chelmsford at lunchtime, stopped at the side of the road along the A1060. Could have been the un / lucky trainee. Both instructor / examiner and pupil in high vis.
The suspense is killing meā¦
Day 4,
Early start today, we met up at 7am by the truck as Pete the other student had his test at 8.45 so heās in the driving seat and putting a nice drive together. We get to the test centre and im starting to feel the nerves. Any way pete gets back and he has passed, I was well chuffed for him but my nerves are getting worse.
So petes gone of to celebrate and its now down to me, we start to work on my road bullying problem as it could mean instant fail if I cause someone to slow down or change direction. John has been great at finding my faults quickly and fixing them with really simple advice, he told me its better to get pick up a few minors than fail so every parked car I came up to I either crept through really slow or stopped well back and look out for vehicles that would slow down like a car learner or bigger vehicles etc. We do lots of the that then time is up we are off to the test centre.
We get to the test centre and im a complete wreck now, most of you noticed I wasnāt checking my nearside mirror enough in that video, that was because I lost the trailer slightly and I was waiting for it to come back into view in my offside mirror, I did say it wasnāt perfect, in fact out of the 8 attempts during practice the video was my worst effort, this did stick in my mind so I told myself to make a conscious effort to be seen checking the nearside mirror on my test. It worked too the examiner was watching me like a hawk! I got the trailer round the cone nicely and in a nice straight line with out making any major corrections, I angled the trailer perfectly in the middle and parallel and I couldnāt have lined it up any better, I see my marker and stop bang on the money, im looking at the examiner for a thumbs up but it never came so I get out to investigate fearing the worst that ive hit the barrier, I get to the back and its spot on, he said have you finished this exercise I said yes he said great jump in and lets go, he had me worried for a moment as failing the reverse would have been a complete disaster for me. He explains the procedure of the test to me and off we go, I am a complete mess by now, my hearts pounding my brain is all over the place and I thought I was about to have a heart attack it was that bad and we havenāt even left the test centre. Ive started to mess things up already hes asked me to to turn right and I wanted to go straight on lol, I couldnāt believe it so ive got across the lane safely at least and shuffled the trailer over to not block the other lane while im waiting at some filter traffic light, ive given myself a telling off thought these nerves are getting to much, at this point my mind is just shut down so I went into auto pilot and thought about nothing, I know I can drive these trucks so thatās all I need to do I thought. And thatās how the test went itās a complete blurr apart from when I see pencil on the test sheet I remember them moments as you just donāt know if you have just picked up a serious or something he been doing loads of scribbling and im fearing the worst again but just kept driving how I normally would or close to how a can I drive it. Even tho my mind is just in the zone driving I was aware that my mouth was as dry as a biscuit, my hands are sweating and my hearts just pound away, im not shaking anymore and I check the time and theres about 10 ish minutes left to go, at this point I wasnt even thinking about the result I just wanted it to be over.
We pull back into the test centre now and he asks me to pull into position to do the uncouple procedure, im thinking maybe im still in it as I thought it was optional if you had already failed your test so im thinking positive now, still nervous but still in the zone concentrating on the task at hand, I didnāt even square the trailer up 100% perfect so I made it difficult for myself already, anyhooo I jump out, parking brake on, legs down, diconnect airlines and electrics, check park brake and pin up, I tell him i would drop the under run bar and grab my number plate. I Pull off, reverse next to the trailer, everything is spot on. He asks me then hook up to the trailer as if I have never seen it before. Ok im giving this trailer a proper examination now, im check everything and really going over the top as im checking reflectors, tyres, wheel nuts, general condition of the trailer, I check the parking brake and mot badge. My heart is still pounding as I know I can mess this up, I reverse back up to the trailer already knowing ive made it harder by not using the yellow lines as a guide so im coming in slightly of straight, i stop about 6 foot away its lined up great, I check itās the right level and back it up, I made contact, I gave it a jerk backwards a couple of times and a couple of times forward to make sure the pin has dropped, I get out check the pin and yes it has dropped, nearly done I thought, I connect the air and electrics, lift the legs, and release the parking braking then I tell him I would check the lights, indicators and side lights, and check the brakes before driving off anywhere.
Ok we are done get into your cab for me, would you like you instructor here with you whilst we chat. At this point I know I have failed as they only want your instructor present as you need more training and they explain what in. John comes over to me, the examiner asks me the question if you are turning right out of a one way street where should you be positioned in the road, im just looking at the examiner at this point as I heard some words but none of the words actually registered with me there was about 2 mins silence before I said im sorry I donāt understand the question could you repeat it for me, he said it again, this time it sounded more like swaaheely than anything I just couldnāt answer his question, then the answer just came to me as I landed back into reality and thought there is no right or wrong so explain yourself to him, I said before I get to the road I would position myself in a way that would get me round the corner without causing any problems to other road users, with out touching any kerbs and position the vehicle in a way to prevent anyone coming up along side me and causing any issues and as it is a one way street im entitled to take a position I feel is the safest for everyone.
Then the words came out from him, congratulations you have passed, I couldnāt believe it, most of the test felt like a total blurr, my brains are frazzled, and my hearts pounding like I have just run a marathon. He counted up the minors and I got 7, what a result, I left him my license to send off and went for a smoke feeling well chuffed with myself.
This is me on the student role of honour
flairtraining.co.uk/studentgallery.htm
John I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to you, my career now has a chance to get of the ground, this has meant so much to me and my family and we are really gratefull.
I would also like to recommend Flair training to anyone who is thinking about starting training. flairtraining.co.uk/index.html John is a great instructor and really knows his stuff.
One last thing, thanks everyone for wishing me good luck and following my progress.
Im off to the shop now to get a celebratory yorkie bar.
The fact is that it is more expensive for a trainer to have a rigid and an arctic compared to having just one wagon a drag.
I canāt believe how much this is dragging on just because Iāve been misquoted.
I said that the W&D shown in the video is more expensive than an artic. For pityās sake, whatās hard to understand about that. Itās a simple statement of fact and I was merely defending against the ācheapskateā quip.
Iām not stupid and I aint daft. Clearly the statement above is true. But that was not the issue until Rob K decided it was.
The vast majority of c+e vehicles on the uk roads are semi trailers and units so this is what the trainees should be trained on. I think if you ask most employers they would want this.
I thought Peter was all for getting drivers ready for the industry and not just training to pass the test but this seems not to be the case.
I am going to take the side of rob k on this one.The fact is that it is more expensive for a trainer to have a rigid and an arctic compared to having just one wagon a drag.
The vast majority of c+e vehicles on the uk roads are semi trailers and units so this is what the trainees should be trained on. I think if you ask most employers they would want this.
I thought Peter was all for getting drivers ready for the industry and not just training to pass the test but this seems not to be the case.
I am going to take the side of rob k on this one.The fact is that it is more expensive for a trainer to have a rigid and an arctic compared to having just one wagon a drag.
The vast majority of c+e vehicles on the uk roads are semi trailers and units so this is what the trainees should be trained on. I think if you ask most employers they would want this.
I thought Peter was all for getting drivers ready for the industry and not just training to pass the test but this seems not to be the case.
First part of the quote is indisputable and there is an argument to state that trainees should be trained on them. But the fact is that it easier on drawbar than artic and, in fairness to the candidate, it should be made as easy as possible for the candidate to gain the licence. Rob K has stated that itās not rocket science to learn new skills as you go along. In 1997 when I sold the artics in favour of W&D I was sceptical to say the least. I kept one of the artics - a DAF 2500 with 40ā tandem axle box - with the idea of taking out drivers who passed on W&D to teach them how to drive a āreal lorryā. The hard fact is that I took 30 drivers on the artic and 1 of them managed to clip 1 curb. The other 29 had no problem. People can argue to their heartās content. I know because Iāve been on that side and learnt the lesson. The other thing that people wonāt remember, perhaps, is that I ran a fully loaded artic - DAF 85 with 45ā tri axle box - in order to take people out who had passed on W&D. The majority didnāt bother coming to do it. And, BTW, this was free of charge!! So I am yet to be convinced that people really want to do this. I also ran an empty 36ā tandem box behind the DAF and it did six courses in 12 months. In the meantime, the W&D outfits were working non-stop.
So I would rather that people knew the facts rather than base their statements on sheer speculation and conjecture. I am now in my 40th year of training and I believe, without being arrogant, that perhaps I know what Iām talking about.
So, to the person who reckons Iām not interested in getting people ready to join the industry: think again!!
Congratulations to Rubberduck 
Absolutely made up for you Rubberduck.
As i was reading down through your story i was fearing the worstā¦
WELL DONE
Well done Ian. The lessons starts tomorrow!!!
Thanks for everyone that has supported this adventure. I know that Ian appeciates your well wishes.
Iām not sure if it was the correct thing to do and I have taken much critisism for the way I handled it.
The good news is that it is over now. It was a 1st and who knows maybe a last. Lets hope not.
Anythnng is possible if you want it enough. Keep the faith
Regards
John
Flair Training
Well Done Ian. A good result. I donāt know how much scepticism about Flair Training has been alleviated by your experience but glad you got the result you were looking for.
Dean
Well done, out of interest which examiner did you have? Was it the dreaded Orange?
Congrats Rubberducky!!! Well done to you and well done to Flair Training!
8wheels:
Well done, out of interest which examiner did you have? Was it the dreaded Orange?
Not sure what his name was, all i know is that he is the less leanient of the 2 and if i had a choice i would have chosen the other examiner
Still no fireworks 
Im still buzzing and it hasnt really sunk in yet as i felt for sure it didnt go well.
Well done to both Rubberduck and John at Flair Training .
Re whether a candidate should train in an artic or wagon and drag , most candidates just want to obtain their licence as easily as possible - if you pass in a wagon and drag you can always book a days training in an artic ( also has the addded advantage that you are not under pressure so pass a test on this additional days training so can concentrate soley on your driving .
Well done mate, thatās the easy part over and done with now, goodluck with your career and have a few beers you deserve it.
rubberduckY1234:
8wheels:
Well done, out of interest which examiner did you have? Was it the dreaded Orange?Not sure what his name was, all i know is that he is the less leanient of the 2 and if i had a choice i would have chosen the other examiner
Still no fireworks
Im still buzzing and it hasnt really sunk in yet as i felt for sure it didnt go well.
Well if it was that miserable little sod you did very well, some people reckon he doesnāt knowwhat a pass form is whilst others say that if there is the slightest wavering over a point here or there heāll mark you down for it.
driverjohn:
As i was reading down through your story i was fearing the worstā¦
Same here mate, it read like a thriller, and Iāll admit that I was getting ready to post commiserations, but then I saw this little nugget buried deep in the post:
rubberduckY1234:
Then the words came out from him, congratulations you have passed, I couldnāt believe it, ā¦
So, without further adoā¦
CONGRATULATIONS on passing your āC+Eā test
Well rubberduckY1234, youād best believe it cos it aināt gonna go away.
Great feeling eh?
rubberduckY1234:
Still no fireworks
Iāve fixed that.
The reason Ian passed this test was nothing to do with me. It was because he drove well
To anyone thinking of getting this licence beware.
This game is full of people just waiting to take your money. People who dont care about your test result, Dont waste your money.
A few people like Peter Smythe and Sean and perhaps others are the sort of guys you should listen to. Never buy from a broker I repeat NEVER BUY FROM A BROKER.
Not always been good but always a friend to this site
Regards
John
Flair Training
LGVTrainer:
Never buy from a broker I repeat NEVER BUY FROM A BROKER
Or someone who makes false claims in advertising such as āBranches Nationwideā when they have only one vehicle and presumably one office 
What is it they say about the kettle calling the pot black
tachograph:
LGVTrainer:
Never buy from a broker I repeat NEVER BUY FROM A BROKEROr someone who makes false claims in advertising such as āBranches Nationwideā when they have only one vehicle and presumably one office
What is it they say about the kettle calling the pot black
I canāt believe John wrote that previous post. Even he must be laughing at the irony of it especially the second and third paragraphs.
Oh and congrats to āIanā.