HGV Drivers Report In!

Scania said:
Class 2 1997
Class 1 2004, definitely no coupling required back then that or my examiner and trainer forgot that minor detail! :D
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I know a chap who passed his BE with 7 minors, 6 of those happened during hitching up. Not sure how he managed that without failing completely.
 
Scania said:
That surprises me to read, we’ve got a few new starters here who’ve come on straight after passing their tests, I know as well a lot of the large operators (Stobart et al) will gladly take newly qualified drivers,
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I think it depends a lot on where you're looking for work and how desperate they are. When I started driving I'd actually had my HGV license for 3 years but not made any use of it. I spoke to an agency in Gloucester, they weren't keen and wanted to put me on 7.5t work at barely above minimum wage. Went to Avonmouth where demand is much higher and got straight on to Co-op.

I think the driver shortage has been made much worse by the growth of massive logistics hubs like Avonmouth. It concentrates demand into a much smaller area.
 
Not just the big firms that'll take on newer drivers, we're a small-medium sized company and have taken on a lot of new passes. It's often just about getting lucky and knocking on the right door at the right time.

I got my job just from showing up and asking if they wanted someone, only had a bit of agency experience doing basic work on fridges for the most part but they were willing to take a shot.
 
helpimcrap said:
lol.

Did they not teach you it in your lessons?
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Nope, I had to ask another driver once I’d passed my class 1 to show me how to couple up and uncouple!

Beggars belief really, I also learned in an unladen vehicle (I believe learners these days pull weight) I’ll never forget the first time I went to stop @44t , damn near flattened the Corsa in front of me! :eek:

The old test just didn’t prepare you for the reality whatsoever.
 
No coupling up when I took my test either but I was asked the procedure and what a Telma Retarder was !
I also went straight from a car licence to Class 1.

Back then you could even be a "Double Learner" in that you could only have had a provisional car licence but could get the lot in one "hit" !

And I agree that the test, although the hardest thing I'd ever done at the time, bares no resemblance to reality !

Lots of condensation !!

 
Scania said:
Nope, I had to ask another driver once I’d passed my class 1 to show me how to couple up and uncouple!

Beggars belief really, I also learned in an unladen vehicle (I believe learners these days pull weight) I’ll never forget the first time I went to stop @44t , damn near flattened the Corsa in front of me! :eek:

The old test just didn’t prepare you for the reality whatsoever.
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When I did it last October, I had 18T of water I think? After 2 test failures I've not had the money to do it again yet.

The speed and force you have to couple at I don't like! No wonder lots of 5th wheels get famaged.
 
helpimcrap said:
When I did it last October, I had 18T of water I think? After 2 test failures I've not had the money to do it again yet.
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I thought they now made you pull weight, makes sense given that’s what the bloody things are designed for!


The speed and force you have to couple at I don't like! No wonder lots of 5th wheels get famaged.
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Here I must disagree, you should be able to couple at a snails pace @Outcast ,would you agree? - you roll gently onto the pin and then make sure you hear the click as the 5th wheels jaw engages (yes peeps, an articulated trucks trailer is held in place by a little piece of steel, nothing more!) then you do a tug test to make sure it’s engaged and your good.

I find lifting the air suspension as you back under the trailer makes this easier, not to mention it makes winding up the legs far easier.

Applying speed and force is what shags them in the first place.

If your having to give it the Captain Caveman treatment there’s something wrong with the 5th wheel.
 
You mean you're not supposed to shunt the trailer back a foot, then drag it back forwards on the tug test? :D

Really though, lifting the suspension when coupling up is a good habit to get into because you'll only miss the pin once, dropping the air when pulling out if dropping a loaded trailer is also good.
 
Makes me cringe when I see people pick up a low trailer by slamming into it with the run up ramps, guarantee they wouldn't do it if they bought the truck themselves. Not for the sake of taking 5 seconds to drop the air.
 
Indeed, were not on steel springs anymore. It used to be quite difficult picking up a trailer as the cab had no air adjust for the suspension. You should always pump up as you go under to remove the strain from the legs otherwise you risk bending the worm gear and that's why some legs are hard to wind.
 
Anybody got something like this in their cab? :D

grZTyT3.jpg
 
lol No but I've seen many a Flip Flop drive passed with a movie playing on a laptop balanced on the dash !
 
Outcast said:
lol No but I've seen many a Flip Flop drive passed with a movie playing on a laptop balanced on the dash !
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The best / worst one I’ve seen is a flip flop (foreign driver) cooking a fry up with a gas stove balanced on the dashboard of his DAF XF whilst doing 50odd mph!

I know a lad at Stobarts who’s got a gaming rig in his cab. :D
 
Update... I'm at work now. 2 blokes from Marshalls Thermo were gas welding in one of our trailers and the bottle has blown up.

Yes they are in a bad was. Police have just sealed off the yard
 
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