So guys got a hgv 2 job, passed the interview and an assessment drive. It’s been years since I’ve drove a cat C truck ( class 2) but managed to do an hour with one of their guys who said he was just after a safe drive. No real criticism and managed to drive well enough to their standards. I’ve been driving buses for 8 years though.
Looked at doing a few hours refresher training with local HGV training schools, it’s mainly 4 hour blocks with an instructor, costs range from £300-400.
The Mrs thinks it’s a waste of money, as she said the truck I’ll be driving will be different to the one I’d be training in and that the company will train me on their equipment anyway.
Whilst I’m inclined to agree with her, just for a confidence boost, I’m prepared to pay the money and go out with an instructor. Just to go over certain things and a few rules and regulations.
I’ve got myself a digi card and going to train myself on how they work on YouTube!
Never used one before.
Also my mechanical knowledge is pretty much nil.
You’ve already passed an assessment drive, so the company clearly deem you competent to drive.
You won’t be shown anything regarding the truck mechanically, so there’s no point from that regard, and they won’t show you anything about using a tacho card, their vehicles might not even have them fitted as training vehicles are tacho exempt. If you’re unsure about tacho use your best bet will be a CPC module on tachographs.
Save your money, it doesn’t sound like a refresher drive would benefit you all that much for what you’re after.
sorry if i have miss understood but i got the imprestion you have been driving buses for the last 8 years so are used to dealing/driving big vehicles with regards height, road postion, stopping distance and turning etc. Hopefuly you will be but with a “buddy” for a few days so will effectivly have someone with you while your being paid rather than paying an instructor
I went back to class 1 after 18 years out. I needed an assessment with training and a few weeks on class 2. After a year back, I’m probably better than I ever was before.
With class 2 you should be pretty much OK, of course it will be a bit difficult at first and the digital tachos are bloody annoying, but likely you’ll be fine in a few weeks and as good as anyone else in a few months. Good driving is mostly about being careful and efficient.
I had a 15 year gap when i went back to class 2, it all comes back to you in a day or 2. I really wouldn’t bother wasting your money with a refresher, class 1 maybe after a big gap but class 2 i would just crack on.
Looked at doing a few hours refresher training with local HGV training schools, it’s mainly 4 hour blocks with an instructor, costs range from £300-400.
.
Ask all your local trainers if they offer a free 30 min assessment drive because you think you’re going to learn to drive with them. tell them you thinking of changing your license from buses.
Looked at doing a few hours refresher training with local HGV training schools, it’s mainly 4 hour blocks with an instructor, costs range from £300-400.
.
Ask all your local trainers if they offer a free 30 min assessment drive because you think you’re going to learn to drive with them. tell them you thinking of changing your license from buses.
Are you for real?
Wasting the time of businesses for absolutely no reason.
And for an assessment drive they would need to see your licence anyway so it would then be obvious he already has his C licence so wouldn’t work anyway.
Why would it be a waste of the business’ time? Either they say your experience in the buses has stood you in good stead, You’re good to go. Or they say FFS who lets you drive a bus, you really need many hours of refresher training.
Why would it be a waste of the business’ time? Either they say your experience in the buses has stood you in good stead, You’re good to go. Or they say FFS who lets you drive a bus, you really need many hours of refresher training.
Expecting businesses to do free asesements with someone to get a bit of free practise in and you see nothing wrong with that?
The OP has 2 choices pay for some refresher training or go to the job and ask for some help or crack on with it.
But to expect to make up a ridiculous story to get some free time in a training school vehicle is just plain wrong.
stu675:
Why would it be a waste of the business’ time?
Because there’s a backlog of eager beavers desperate to get time in that cab.
I’m with Simcor on this, it’s just not cricket, be upfront with whoever-it-is-training-school, they might give you a quick spin for a bargain price just to set your mind at rest.
Training schools offer free assessments. That is their business model that they choose, it’s not my suggestion. Ok I’ll agree with you about telling them the true story. So if you can find a training establishment that will take you out and maybe try and upsell it to some refresher training, I can’t see a problem with that.
stu675:
Training schools offer free assessments. That is their business model that they choose, it’s not my suggestion. Ok I’ll agree with you about telling them the true story. So if you can find a training establishment that will take you out and maybe try and upsell it to some refresher training, I can’t see a problem with that.
They offer assessment drives to see how much training a candidate will need before they are ready for a test. To pretend to be a person looking to see how much training you will require despite having already passed your test is effectively tantamount to fraud, by pretending to be something you’re not. These companies have to bring in an income to survive, they do so by effectively renting out their instructors and vehicles. Offering assessment drives is a way to increase business, giving a prospective customer a ‘try before you buy’ experience, while also letting a customer know that they aren’t going to be ripped off by a training provider.
If you still can’t see why doing what you suggested is a bad idea, then I don’t think anyone will be able to help you
Class 2 versus double deck? If you can drive properly, repeat properly, then you can drive anything. I certainly wouldn’t be trying to hoodwink a training company. If the OP feels his general standard of driving may need polishing then a refresher course may boost confidence. However the most dangerous thing in any walk of life is over-confidence in one’s abilities. I’d be more concerned about doing the swap the other way around. Would the passengers get a comfortable ride from a long term HGV driver and how would the rigid driver cope with the set back front axle? Bus to Lorry the most noticeable difference from the driving seat will be the lack of steering lock and the poor quality of gear change from an automated manual box compared to the far smoother fully automatic box found in a bus - unless of course you are comparing with a clapped out Olympian or Dart. The major difference will be the need to secure the load. I would be spending my money on a couple of DCPC courses, one on Tachograph/drivers hours and the other on load security. That money won’t be wasted since it will count to the next Driver Qualification Card.
30 min on your own while being paid should boost your confidence much more than 4 hours with someone in the cab telling you to trun left then turn right, getting paid 300ish by you.
I always thought that bus drivers have much more to deal with than Class 2 drivers. You sit way ahead of the front axle, which puts the moment where you should start turning at a completely different place from any other vehicle, the front/rear swing while turing has to be accounted for much more considerably, bus drivers more often than not drive through city traffic and tight roads with people walking about everywhere and doing all sorts of things around the road, plus your load shouts at you.
To me everyone that passes a driving test on a bus should get Class 2 automatically.
