wagon and drag or artic?

[tockwith_training]

I think this difference of opinion will always roll along with all the annoyance of a stone trapped in the tread of a tyre going click, click, click down the road. I would take any advice on here from owners of companies with a pinch of salt.

It’s really matter of choice for those looking for c+e training. If you want to get your licence for the least cost then drawbar is the way to go. If you want to spend a little more and learn on a proper truck and be better prepared for employment then choose the articulated.

No one here seems to pointing out the differences between the two, the sort of things you will have to learn on your own if you learn with a drawbar. So I’ll give it a go, having owned both drawbar and artic training vehicles for even longer than anyone on here.

1. First task on your new job at Joe bloggs transport, here is the keys for your truck mate, you want to couple up to trailer 145, notes in the back. 1st difference - coupling, driver will not familiar with fifth wheel, may miss the pin, damage the unit, or not couple correctly and risk loosing the trailer while driving. The air lines work the same and should not be a problem but what about remembering to put the dog clip on the fifth wheel to stop the jaws of the fifth wheel releasing the trailer while driving. Now this trailer could also be loaded so how about using the low ratio on the support legs or using the units air suspension to transfer the weight so that the legs can be wound up for travel. Sounds like a steep learning curve so far, and I doubt I’ve thought of all the differences.

2. General driving differences, well driving a drawbar is like towing a caravan, you know it’s there and make small compromises but it’s quite easy. Oh s*#!t what the ■■■■■ just took down a lamp post on exiting the yard, you see an artic cuts in much more on tight turns especially with a loaded triple axle trailer.

3. Now to reverse onto a loading bay, sure it works the same. Turn the wrong way to start with and then follow the trailer, here we go… After about 20 shunts finally got it on the bay, these artics don’t really reverse very well, had to swing my unit all over the place and it takes ages to straighten up the unit with the trailer. Feeling rather sweaty now but at least all the other drivers waiting to be loaded had some light relief for a few moments and I might even have made it on to YouTube for worse every reverse.

4. Back to the yard, driving around the engineers fixing the lamp post on my way in - getting used to it now! Need to uncouple from my loaded trailer. Feeling confident, pretty much know what I’m doing, legs down, lines off, figure out fifth wheel release handle after 10 mins of head scratching, drive out from under heavy trailer and bang, crack, sound of breaking lights and wheel arches as the suspension on the unit had not been adjusted on the unit before driving out from under a trailer causing damage to the truck.

Sounds like an expensive first day, and you wonder why companies don’t take on new drivers, its because they rightly so, don’t trust that you been to a driving school and learnt the job properly and I can easily see why they think that.

Choice is yours, we have owned many artics since the company was founded in 1971 and only one drawbar. It certainly was easier to pass the driving test, but that’s not why any company buys a drawbar for training purposes, it’s because it’s cheaper to run/buy/more productive - the accountant will prefer it. We want to offer proper training in a proper truck and well if you don’t find driving the vehicle below exciting (if this upload thing off iPhone works!) but perhaps scary then I don’t really think driving a truck is for you!!

[lgvtrainer]

Very good post Tockwith. I was reliving my 1st day driving reading it. However…

baby seal:
I learnt in a drawbar and passed first time then paid for a day’s training in the training company’s artic

LGVTrainer:
The advantage of passing the test in a semi trailer artic is that it is most likely what you will be driving afterwards.The earlier advice about passing in a drawbar then booking a half day training in a conventional artic does make a lot of sense and seems to cover all angles.

Peter Smythe:
There is only one sensible, easy way of passing a CE. It is, without any shadow of doubt, W+D. FACT.

Tockwith Training:
If you want to get your licence for the least cost then drawbar is the way to go.

It seems that most trainers on this thread agree that W&D is the easiest and least expensive way to get the licence. It is also generally agreed that most C+E jobs involve driving articulated semi trailers

It seems fairly plain therefore how to get the best of both worlds

The advantage of a day’s training on an artic after you have passed the test is that the day can be spent learning REAL WORLD reversing, not arond a few cones in a hugh open space and real world driving turning into tight openings etc. You will also learn the art of uncoupling a semi trailer

1. It will cost you less.
2. You will pass quicker and easier
3. You will have the advantage of learning to drive under workplace conditions.

Finally a WIN WIN for everyone

Regards

John
Flair Training

[brawngp]

LGVTrainer:
Absolutely Peter, Wagon and Drag is by far the best option for a quick clean 1st time C+E pass.

In the days when car to class 1 was the norm the courses were generally 8-10 days long. Candidates would take days to master left turns and the reversing was a nightmare. Courses were done with a tractor unit and semi trailer.

There was not a single training provider in the 80’s offering W&D because the drawbar entitlement came with the HGV 2/3 automatically. It came automatically because the drawbar trailer is not that difficult to master. The trailer follows the prime mover almost like a train on tracks. Not quite but almost.

The change in licencing was both good and bad. On the downside it meant paying for 2 tests, although many had to pay for 2 anyway with the appauling pass rate. On the upside it meant getting to the holy grail of C+E without the problems that a conventional artic presents.

Of course you pay your money you take your choice. In general you will pay more money with an artic than a W&D.

Only my opinion but it is the reality.

Regards

John
Flair Training

I would of felt cheated or basically feel i took the easy option if i took my training in a W&D, im glad i took my training in a proper artic. I wanted to do my training in a veichle which was most likely i would be using out in the real world! only real problem i had at first was the reverse but it soon came good.