Finally starting my class 2 training tomorrow with Swift transport training in Belfast and to be honest I cant wait!
Got 4 days training on a 2 to 1 basis then up for test at 8.50am on friday. Doing my training in an Iveco Trakker which I got a quick assesment run in and it seems dead on! Just hope the ole girl is good enough to get me through my test!!! Ill try and keep a little update as the week goes on just don’t expect too much in-depth details lol.
Well thats about it for now, just going to blast into the tips before training for 1 last read-up before tomorrow, any other tips would be much appreciated!!
LOL, Dont worry enjoy myself is 1 thing ill definatly do, its been my dream since childhood to drive hgv’s so atleast 1 week of it for now is gonna be great!! Friday (test day) is also my 23rd birthday so im hoping the examiner will take that into account, ya gotta cut a bit of slack for somebodys birthday lol.
Im really hoping things go to plan with the test so i can get the money gathered up and get at the class 1 as I cant see me getting the oppertunity of class 2 work with the recession etc!
LOL, Thats what it was like when i was doing my motorcycle lessons, by the time i had my test done my neck was in agony with the majorly over the top mirror checks lol
Who ever thought driving a lorry around could be so tiring!!! Lol Must have been due to the lack of sleep last night because of excitement and the fact I learnt so ■■■■ much today!!
Slight change in regards the truck I was driving, I was told it would be the trakker that I did my assesment in but got there this morning to find a 52plate mercedes atego, its a 2nd truck they have brought in to work alongside the trakker. If anything I think I prefer the atego due to it being a basic 6speed gearbox (with splitter) plus the fact its a great going wee wagon!!
Anyhoo, Not a major amount of technical stuff being done today, basically just getting a walk round of the atego and a few hours of driving it around getting used to the size for cornering etc then a few hillstarts and gear changing exercises. Everything seemed to fall into place nicely for the first day, only problem I had was first thing this morning I cut a junction a ‘Wee tad’ and ended up putting the n/s wheels over a bit of grass lol. Lucky enough doing it once gave me a wake up call and I never did it again the rest of the day. It was a very enjoyable day as I got a fair bit of experience driving through built up areas, open countryside and even a few wing mirror alleys lol. Got a 8.30am start tomorrow and with a bit of luck we’ll get a blast at the reversing and emergency stop!
Oh 1 more thing, does anybody know where the dipstick is on an atego? Due to it only being new to the company the instructor doesn’t know where it is and it’ll be my luck that the examiner will ask me to show him where it is lol
Chris_NI:
Oh 1 more thing, does anybody know where the dipstick is on an atego?
A 52plate mercedes atego as I seem to recall, does not have a dipstick, (unless I’m drivng it ) but the oil check is done on the in-cab computer screen on the dash - trying to remember which switches to press…
Yeah Rog is right i passed my test last week in an atego, before starting the truck in the morning we had to scroll through the menu WS was for the water system five dashes means it was ok and it tells you if it needs any oil, pretty cool !!
What a day, I really cant believe how much of a good time im having!! To be honest I had a bit of a hard start to the day, the other guy drove for the first hour or so this morning and I felt sick as a dog, dunno was it due to no breakfast or late night/early start or what but I was seriously close to going home for the day.
Things changed after breakfast time, nice brekkie roll and a bottle of water then I was on cloud 9 lol, just in time too because it was me up to drive so had a pretty much uneventful day, did a few different routes and find myself feeling natural driving the wagon rather than having to concentrate hard on everything although the instructor has warned me not to get too cocky cos thats when things start going wrong! So anyway we both took our turns at doing a few country routes and inner city routes and we were both pleasing the instructor so we headed to the reversing area they have set up, by this stage im thinkin oh ■■■■ I dont like the look of whats going on here with all these cones but after a quick demo and a few attempts I was loving it. If anything I may have hogged the driving a bit too much at the practice pad lol. After a load of reverses the instructor was happy that we have both nailed it so we started into emergency stops! The other fella did his not a bother but I was gettin on like a bit of a ■■■■■, the instructor kept telling me brake harder so after a while I took heed of what he was saying and got the hang of it.
After 2 days of training we have pretty much covered everything so tomorrow is a 10.15am start due to the lorry being used for a test then its going to be a ‘tidy up day’ just to improve on general road driving, position etc then we are going to use Thursday for mock tests and another spell at the practice pad.
Oh and you’s are right about the dipstick, its a tilt the cab job so we just gotta check the dash, another issue was the air storage tanks not having a manual drain so looks like the air dryer stops them from gathering moisture or something along them lines??
Even though im shattered each night I cant sleep very well with the excitement of getting up to do it the next day again lol. Im really really enjoying myself so hopefully the test on Friday will go to plan so I get get saving for the c+e, only problem with that being the instructor is talking me more and more into wag and drag “because im used to the truck” lol typical sales pitch!!
Well thats it for now, hopefully ill have little to no faults to report tomorrow
Chris_NI:
only problem with that being the instructor is talking me more and more into wag and drag “because im used to the truck” lol typical sales pitch!!
Try and get a deal if he carries on, try and blag 2 days free Artic training once you pass if he insists on doing you on the Drag & Wag. The D&G’s are easier to to drive, and probably the easiest to do your test in, but if you get a Class 1 job in an artic, you’d come unstuck. It’s worth a try anyway, that way you get the experience of both.
A deal from swift?? Thats a good 1 lol, they were complaining at me today because they were loosing £12 from my £600 training fee due to using my credit card so I cant see them giving free days in a hurry lol.
I had a good case of instructor is always right today:-
Instructor - You should have checked that pedestrian as you passed him
Me - I watched him the whole way past in the mirror
Instructor - Are you sure, didn’t look like it to me
Me - Yeah I definatly did because he was standing on the kerb edge
Instructor - Ill just take your word on it (with smug look on his face) but on test make it obvious that your watching pedestrians
I was seriously close to bursting into laughter after C-Kay’s warning lol
Well not a great lot to say about today, we had a 10.15 start due to the lorry being used for a test first thing this morning which ended up being cancelled due to the splitter not working. Apparently it doesn’t have to be used during the test but DOES have to work!! So anyways we started around 10.30 and I did the first hr or so of driving, just basic stuff such as normal driving, gear changing exercise and a downhill start. After that we stopped for a cuppa then the other guy took over. We took a quick blast down the motorway to a mercedes workshop to see about getting the splitter fixed and ended up spending quite a while there. To be honest at this stage I was getting worried incase the splitter wasn’t fixed in time for my test on friday but it turned out its a switch that needs replaced so its en route now from England. After leaving the workshop the instructor kept the other guy at the controls as he still isn’t quite getting the hang of things so I was stuck in the passenger seat for the rest of the day. All in all I spent no more than an hour driving today and spent the rest of the time learning from the other guys mistakes lol.
Tomorrow is the last chance I have to iron out any problems so we are on a 8.30am start so we gotta go down the workshop to get the splitter swich and a ‘rolling pin’ (I think thats what its called) fitted then the rest of the day is going to be spent on the reverse pad and doing mock tests. Im feeling pretty confident at the moment so it’ll be interesting to see how the mock tests go tomorrow, the instructor has told me hes happy with my progress and can’t see me having any problems unless nerves kick in. He’s also told me that if I do come back to them for c+e ill only require a 3day course and if I speak to the manager nicely he might cut me a deal for doing both courses with them!!
Be sure to tune into tomorrows update to find out the mock test results lol
All the very best for tomorrow; it’s great you’re going in with a positive attitude - I think that’s half the battle.
the instructor kept the other guy at the controls as he still isn’t quite getting the hang of things so I was stuck in the passenger seat for the rest of the day. All in all I spent no more than an hour driving today and spent the rest of the time learning from the other guys mistakes lol.
The argument "which is best? 1:1 or 2:1 rages on!!
- I could not think of anything more than already in the ‘tips’ thread
