Thanks carryfast.
I past my class2 30 years ago. Next day I was sent out on a A Frame waggon/drag! With no driving experience . They take some getting used to! I now drive the close coupling type. Both ok going forward. But totally different reversing. Take your time! And if possible get someone to watch you into we’re ever . I’ve never driven an artic! But wouldn’t be afraid to try.
Dan Punchard:
If you give it chance you will not want to see a artic ever again .
What Dan says
I’ve driven the A frame type for Alstons of Ipswich and were a right pain in the arris and closed coupled for Murfitts and the one legged monster from Mendlesham and defo prefer the latter, go for it the experience will always come in handy later, just take your time.
Have driven a draw bar ( not A frame ) they do follow round easier than an artic W&D more forgiving when reversing ( this is why a ot of people prefer them for test )
You could speak to your local training provider see if they have 1 go out for an hour or so see what it is like ( bit like newbies do when they pass in W&D but other way round )
Yes I know you have been driving for more than 20 years but what is the harm in learning a new skill
Don’t forget the ‘P’ plates !
440Mopar:
Theres A frame type and old style ,what I call euro turn table type. Both totally difernt. Would tackle Aframe no probs. Would tackle euro style after a lot of reversing practice. From what I can gather the euro style are real barstewards at first. But hey ho, you soon get used to anything.
you don’t even know the difference between them do you?
A frames are the old style and take a hell of a lot more skill
green456:
A frames are the old style and take a hell of a lot more skill
They are only considered as being ‘old’ here because ze Germans don’t think that we can handle them at least as good as,if not better than,they can.
The problem being that Brit drivers and their employers have started to believe it themselves in many cases. 
youtube.com/watch?v=k1K81IkDlvY
I remember when I first started a lot of older trucks did not have power steering, and it was commonplace to see guys on A frames attaching the trailer to the coupling on the front bumper. (not down the motorway 
) I suppose because of the lack of pas it would be easier to guide it in to a tight place when easier to see where trailer was going.
ancientone:
Hi gents have been driving artics for quite a few years now 20+ Now my current firm also has wagons and drags, and they are pushing me to take out a wagon and drag “yes i know its a class 1” but my problem is I struggle with them dont like em, and dont feel too safe with em. So my question, is if I refuse to take one out am I being unreasonable and refusing a reasonable request? if push comes to shove will probably just hand in notice and be the 18th driver they have lost in a year (only 12 in fleet) lol bit of a turnover in staff
sensible replies only please
You’ll not end up needing too leave ,I was planned too drive a rigid the other week and refused point blank too drive I,did it a week earlier and it was too much like hard work,5 drops and the turning circle of a super tanker ,the tried the if you won’t drive it we’ve no other work for you,fair enough see you tomorrow,they just gave job too agency bod and I did artic work .
Best laugh was when they said do you mind changing work he was only too happy too,then once out the t.o he was roaring his eyes out that I should do what work I’m given,not dump it on him ain’t that what agency drivers are for
I had a great 7 years driving Aframe demountables on the Habitat contract in Oxford (Wallingford) , use to be great doing a box swap in the services providing all went to plan , I could reverse one any where and I reckon blind sided was a lot easier .
If I had to nose the trailer in I felt a failure so I never did that .
I must say I was not looking forward to my first week on the A frames but soon got the hang of it .
I’d be reluctant to take on an A Frame lorry and drag, not for general driving as they’re a doddle, but for manoeuvering they are a whole new ball game, very much an aquired taste.
Lorry and standard trailer drag are, IMO, a nicer drive than an artic, main reason being you get a long wheelbase prime mover so benefit from coach standard ride quality and better control over the trailer, loaded correctly there should be no tail wagging the dog.
Plusses…ride quality, sure footed handling, lorry usually heavier than trailer.
Cons…in certain tight reverses you can lose the back end of the trailer as you back around buildings and other lorries, purely due to the length of the prime mover, in practice you get used to this very quickly and usually only need to nip out once to check all is clear on the very tightest of reverses.
Not much else against them apart from you need to be more accurate than with an artic when connecting up, but a bit of practice will soon perfect that too.
They turn differently to an artic, the trailer needs less steering input than a semi trailer and follows far better overall, blind sides are easier as in practice you won’t have to perform the exaggerated jack knife’s that you sometimes have to with an artic.
I certainly wouldn’t be looking to give up the job, i’d give it a go with an open mind, after a week you might find W&G preferable, i did when i had them, ride quality alone worth the change.
green456:
440Mopar:
Theres A frame type and old style ,what I call euro turn table type. Both totally difernt. Would tackle Aframe no probs. Would tackle euro style after a lot of reversing practice. From what I can gather the euro style are real barstewards at first. But hey ho, you soon get used to anything.you don’t even know the difference between them do you?
A frames are the old style and take a hell of a lot more skill
Thanks green456, carryfast beat you to it…do keep up.
Ive not driven a bendy for about 19 years and a dragon & wag for longer than that but I know for a bleedin fact I could jump in either tomorrow and not bat an eye lid.
Storm in a tea cup.
I will admit though that I never really did get the hang of going backwards with an A-frame, work of the devil IMO.
Wagon & drag ! Go drive it I say, it’s not difficult , the trailer just follows. I passed my test in one and went straight onto driving artics with no difficulty. Take your time & give youself a chance to get used to it. You may enjoy it !! 
Yes, you’re being ridiculous and if I was your boss, you wouldn’t have to hand your notice in, if you refused to drive it. 
They’re fine mate, I’ve done both draw-bar and a-frame wag and drag. I jumped straight out of an artic into a draw bar with no issues at all.
The a-frame are amazing going forward but a PITA to reverse, even when you get used to them, if you lose concentration or try and rush, it WILL go wrong. You WILL need instruction on reversing, and LOTS of practice.
The draw bars however are a doddle forwards or backwards, only downsides to them are:
a) the work is usually harder than artic work, ie you might have to tip a drag and then a unit / drop the drag somewhere etc
b) spinning them round will normally require a reverse into a street and pull out manoeuvre rather than a jack-knife like on a regular artic
c) the cab is usually more like a rigid cab than an artic cab, so no willy waving…
d) demounts don’t have much room between the guards and the legs of the box, so you’ll be a dab hand at reversing if you do a few of those - on B&Q we’d have both drags in a line, reverse under both, pick front one up, then pull forward and pick rear one up, 4 twist locks per box gotta be pretty damned perfect (not bang on, but close) - a new challenge perhaps?
mrginge:
maga:
reminds me of a driver that wouldn’t do central LondonMost drivers won’t, yet 99% of them have never done it.
I was in stitches when i was talking to a random driver who had been told by a shred-it guy that they get 20 parking tickets a day up there. I successfully managed just 5 in nearly 2yrs going there 5 days a week.
Have you ever done shred-it type work? You HAVE to park as close to the entrance as possible because it’s secure documents, and a lot of places insist on the documents being shredded before you move, which takes a while, so you’re in the back of the truck with the donkey engine blaring away so have ear plugs in, lifting heavy bags to tip them into the shredder.
And the places that use these services are not normally industrial units or on back streets etc, they’re usually doctors, solicitors, blue chip companies etc that are on the main drag with high profile offices, so I’m not surprised they’re getting 20+ per day.
I did the job around Manchester and never got 1 and my co-driver was shocked, it was the 1st day he’d ever done without a parking ticket, but there was 2 of us, so stuff was done MUCH quicker and once the 1st bags were brought down, 1 stayed in the truck shredding whilst the other brought bags down, so the truck was only unattended for a couple of minutes, on your own it would be several minutes and several times as you go back in and out.
this thread to me shows me that more and more people are becoming chauffeurs rather than drivers.
i was once asked as an agency bod to drive a wag and drag, (quick 5 mins on how to couple uncouple as its not that hard really) and away i went yes i screwed up the 1st reverse but after that was as easy as an artic.
would you refuse to drive a 7.5tonner too as you have been on artics for over 20years?