Mothertrucker:
On your test they get you to do the gear change excercise,
No they wont. the gear change exersise has how been abolished.
Because the new rulling is eight gears minimum then they saya that normal gear changing and demonstration of the range change is enough.
So NO you will NOT have to do the gear change any more.
Well i was unaware of this 
NewBlood:
Another quick question. With the handbrake, it it progressive (like on a car, i.e the more you have it on the more the brakes are on), or is it just either on or off? I was told on hill starts in a car to find the bite with the clutch and slowly release the handbrake, however, if the handbrake on a truck is either on or off (no progression) how is this possible?
Despite the earlier answer, Yes, it is, to a certain extent. It is, after all, your secondary braking system. Finding yourself in a gradually moving downhill queue, it is perfectly possible to put your feet up and just use the parking brake. Albeit not quite as smooth. However, once it is âover the notchâ then it is well and truly ON.
Trucks, along with diesel cars and, as I recently discovered, some petrol cars, have what is referred to as âidle awayâ which means that assuming an appropriate gear has been selected, the engine management system will raise the revs to prevent stalling.
On the other hand, but not in recent years, I have encountered trucks where, trying to move away from stationary in anything higher than 2nd (on a 16 speed) will result in the fuel being cut off and the engine âhuntingâ.
On a typical six speed box with splitter, I would normally start off in 2nd Low, then go to 3rd High, then 5th Low, and then use the other gears according to the loading and gradient. What this means in a Scania, where the 1st/4th syncromesh appears to be somewhat weak, is that you only ever use the right hand side of the Gate.
newmercman:
1st gear to pull away ALWAYS, you wonât abuse the clutch then, get it rolling in 1st then skip to 3rd then into 5th, 6th etc. It will pull away in higher gears but ALL lorries are designed to pull away in 1st gear loaded.You can all disagree all you want but I used to be a road tester for TRUCK magazine & was told by EVERY manufacturer that this is the correct procedure & they are the ones who should know
I always used to pull away in whatever gear the lorry could take, in a 13spd Fuller for example you could get crawler in high range & it used to fly off the line but it does damage the clutch, I now do it properly & it makes no difference in time, with the current electronically controlled fuel pumps you just release the clutch at tick over, get rolling & then go up the box normally.
I know that our fleet has had a lot of problems now that single plate clutches are common fitment. Many drivers still select too high a gear to move off with, particularly when laden. Itâs almost gone full circle as the really old-timers always used to use 1st to move off.
any atego ive driven 2001 and a 2003, have had a straight 6 speed gearbox with a splitter buttion
Thanks all for the replys.
Beattun, you are right, It did have a straight 6 + Splitter. Very easy to drive too.
Cheers
New Blood
i was taught pull of in 2nd then block change to 4th then 5,6,7,8
if down hill start pull off in 3rd then block to 5th then 6,7,8