Training with Powerdriver UK

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Well here we go another Newbie on the road!!

Monday 6th July - first day of training.

I dont want to be late so lets leave early, famous last words as i pushed my wife and child into the car, drop off child at grandparents, run to car, drive quickly but oh so sensibly to Brackmills, Northampton for an 8 oclock start. Phew made it, bugger its only 0720.

At 8 the trainer arrived, Brian, thoroughly nice chap, very confident that i had made the right decision to train with Powerdriver. Trainer is very knowledgable and the 1 to 1 suits me.
The truck is a bright yellow colour Scania P310, very comfortable with a 4 over 4 gearbox.
The truck is fine but i would like to meet Scania’s head of gearbox design and shout at him for an hour or so, WHY PUT THE BLOODY REVERSE NEXT TO THE FIFTH GEAR. Feel better now…

Demo drive over with and i was let loose, 38 years of pent up trucker living his dream, a dangerous proposition if i wasn’t so sensible.
Straight into a hill start, yeah no problem, rolling, rolling, rolling, Bugger, i will start that again.

Right now into Daventry, everything fine, well when i say fine i mean crunch crunch, that’ll be reverse again then…
I don’t think i have ever done anything to upset Daventry but it appeared as thought the streets were ganging up on me and getting narrower and narrower…

Daventry over with, back to Northampton, weather still good and drive going well, starting to grin and enjoy the drive. Bugger, thats reverse…
Stupid roundabout , into St Leonards Road, held at the lights, no worries, lights to green, here we go en route back to the depot, whats that hoody wearing neanderthal teenager doing putting the wheel of his bike in front of my bright yellow truck, IS IT NOT BIG ENOUGH!!!

Cool, Cool, Cool, think calm, calm. Back to depot, reverse park, alls well.

Speed good, positioning good, Hazard perception good, gearbox, well thats for another day. Its only day one after all…

2

Sounds like a typical 1st day :slight_smile:

This is to remind you of the gearbox…

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

3

Day 2…

1200 At depot, walk round check in the rain, all good.

Awaiting trainer who is just finishing with an student training in the artic.
Got talking to said student and it turns out he originally paid 1200 pounds to Qualitas / Sterling for his C+E. The deal he signed up for stated that they would guarantee his pass if he first studied for and passed the CPC. Albeit the CPC they wanted him to pass was the managers exam. They sent him reading material through the post etc, when he complained and stated he just wanted to learn to drive an artic Qualitas explained that they only guarantee the pass if the CPC is passed!!!
This has to be wrong…

Anyway back to today.
Away we go, driving around Northampton and out to Weedon test centre, all going reasonably well , hill start - no rolling, good.
Down hill start - Why cant i pull away in 8th gear. Try that one again - ah 4th is much better.

Here comes the rain, wipers on and into Duston, must remember not to use the trucks size to push through when parked cars are on my side of the road!!

To Swan Valley, controlled stop…bloody hell they stop quickly from 20 mph…

I have to agree with Jeremy Clarkson Northampton does have an awful lot of lights and roundabouts.

Debrief, not bad, points to improve = no gear crunching, range changer etc…
All in all a good day, still impressed with Powerdriver… till tomorrow. Sleep…Sleep

4

philscoot:
Got talking to said student and it turns out he originally paid 1200 pounds to Qualitas / Sterling for his C+E. The deal he signed up for stated that they would guarantee his pass if he first studied for and passed the CPC. Albeit the CPC they wanted him to pass was the managers exam. They sent him reading material through the post etc, when he complained and stated he just wanted to learn to drive an artic Qualitas explained that they only guarantee the pass if the CPC is passed!!!
This has to be wrong…

I bet he wished he had found this site before paying any money to anyone…

Bit less of this today then ? …

… good for you :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

5

Controlled stops are fun, aren’t they? All 3 I did in cat C I thought the vehicle was going to end up either stood on it’s nose or on it’s roof, but I later figured that was just down to the “cab-wobble” that you just don’t get from anything smaller…

6

Day 3…

0730 start from the depot, out and about in Northampton in the rush hour, oh joy!!

All going well. Trainer " Lets make it a bit more tricky and go down some country lanes"…

Yeah, no worries. Whoever invented canal bridges just wide enough for air to pass over needs sorting!!!
Hang back, hang back wait for the enemy to pass, don’t use the size of the truck to intimidate…( “LIKE I WOULD” say i").

Back to depot for reversing exercise. Cones out, rear marker in place. 3 practice runs , all good. Well chuffed…

Good day.
One more training day to go. Thursday is gonna be a good day ( fingers crossed, lucky charm in pocket…).

Till tomorrow…

7

None of this to day then…

Well done :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

8

ROG:
None of this to day then…

Well done :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

You on commission from cadbury for posting their product so many times per week ROG?? :laughing:

9

garnerlives:

ROG:
None of this to day then…

Well done :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

You on commission from cadbury for posting their product so many times per week ROG?? :laughing:

you wait mate he will be posting a yorkie bar to the ones that pass there test soon :stuck_out_tongue: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

10

Day 4…

0800 start…

From the depot out to Weedon test centre, Trainer, right lets do a mock test… GULP…
OK said i, out of test centre and down into Weedon traffic, across lights towards Flore, bit tight on the bend during a follow through check but going well.
Into Northampton through town, no crunching yet. Back out to test centre.

Park up… Ok if you drive like that on your test you would pass. Relief, relief, relief…

Grabbed a cuppa near to the test centre and then walked up to watch from a distance a guy start his test ie reverse and stop. Gave me a flavour of what i’ve got to do on Friday.

Its come round quick and i have got to say i think ( although i have no other experience) that the training has been excellent. A lot of information to begin with, then get on with it learning from my mistakes. I have met both trainers at Powerdriver and both are realistic and honest.
Brian who has been training me has been in the industry for some 30 years he has driven in Saudi and Europe and spent 20 odd years with John Lewis which was where he got his DSA training certification. Decent bloke with lots of experience that he uses to train you (me) to the best of his ability.
Richard is an ex police officer with 30 years experience of Advanced driving, although i have only met him briefly, speaking to others he is of equal trainer ability as Brian and spoke of highly.

Friday is test day, till then…

11

Good Luck with the test tomorrow Weedons not a bad test centre.

Rick

12

Data Academy:
Weedons not a bad test centre

All of the examiners are great- Terry, Dave or Clive :smiley:

Terry has this thing about telling you that although you passed the DSA LGV test HE would not have done so !! - just ignore him - he wants an experienced perfect driver :wink: :laughing:

If things have not changed there then they look for an ‘overall’ good safe drive and tend to ‘let go’ the odd ‘serious’ as a minor with a [ZB]ing if it was just the one iffy moment so don’t dwell on an iffy moment

13

Terry came to Peterborough when I did my Class 2 he is a nice bloke that seems chatty and helpful (explaining more about you lorry and load after you give him the safety questions).
What time is your test?

Mine is 10am Friday :smiley:

14

ROG:

Data Academy:
Terry has this thing about telling you that although you passed the DSA LGV test HE would not have done so !! - just ignore him - he wants an experienced perfect driver :wink: :laughing:

I can vouch for that, he tried to 'rain on my parade when passed my C&E took his info on board but didn’t let his comments dent my achievement saw them as more of an advice type thing to take into the real world

still thought the guy was a ■■■■ though :laughing:

15

Test Day…

Well, i failed.
The warm up drive went really well. Stopped at a truck stop near j16 M1 then off to test centre.
Test centre running slightly late so we hung around in the waiting room for what seemed a long time.
In comes the examiner and out we go.
First the controlled stop, all good, questions - no worries, reverse - no problems.
Off into Weedon, to Fosters Booth then rural towards sixfields. No probs, taking it easy lots of mirros etc.
Into town centre and turned off St Peters Way towards Far Cotton. Coming down a hill, slowed right down towards a tight round about, as i pulled away the rear nearside tyre rubbed the kerb, didn’t go up onto it just rubbed…Bugger.
Off up towards Mereway and hillstart - no probs. Thinking now i may have failed.
Back to test centre.

Examiner, You have failed due to the kerb incident…otherwise your drive was very good and smooth.
Oh bugger.
Now waiting for another test date…

16

sorry to here that mate but as there say there always next time good luck for that day mate

17

philscoot:
as i pulled away the rear nearside tyre rubbed the kerb, didn’t go up onto it just rubbed

Seems a little harsh but I was not there…

philscoot:
Now waiting for another test date

You’ll do it next time - no more training required according to the next quote -

philscoot:
otherwise your drive was very good and smooth.