One of the main reasons for choosing the company that I did was the fact that (prior to the recession), you were paying the going rate similar to any of the commercial LGV schools but there was a defined route of C (Rigids), C+E (Artics) and then (if there was a vacancy and you were good enough) a trunking job (one of the easiest in the industry) with them.
I knew when I started (from the trucking forums) that much has changed since Cecil did his training and agency work in 2006. There are out-of-work experienced drivers who can't get work and the chances for newbies are very few-and-far-between now.
There is also a bit of split opinion as to whether you should consolidate a C pass with some driving experience on Rigids before attempting Artics (C+E) or go straight from C to C+E.
Tellingly, Andy and I had asked Dave about this early on in the week and he was emphatic: go for C+E straight away. He also said that they were looking for a C pass with 3 to 5 minors as their standard. "If I get a guy gets a pass with 12 Minors; well yes, it's a Pass but not the standard we are looking for. So I would advise him to go and get a C job and get some experience and think about Artics later. And many of them get a C job and think, well this will do me and go no further".
I think that Friday and the mock tests changed all that and indeed our collective results on the real test on Monday. I had a difficult conversation with him in the café while waiting for Andy. I asked about the chances for a C+E course and he was very evasive.
Some of it is true (they have a huge burden of internal training with the EU changes coming in this year for existing drivers; there are 200 C+E drivers at Stoke and another 160 nation-wide who need CPC re-training). So they are stopping external courses such as ours to concentrate on internal re-training. And whereas, in the earlier part of the week he had been telling us to go for C+E straight away, he is now telling us both to go to the agencies for some C-work and experience.
Reading between the lines this means he doesn't think we are up to artic standards yet. Less so Any (with 6 Minors) but definitely not me. My sales questioning skills came in well and I asked him directly (he was making excuses about how busy the training team are) that were it not for their capacity, was he really saying I needed some C experience before I attempted artics and he said "Yes".
Well I appreciate his honesty (though I had to drag it out of him). And later, as I said goodbye to Andy, I learnt that he had the same conversation and got much the same result, though without the experience to ask difficult questions had got a more vague answer. I think he got a "My advice is to go and get some experience but if you really want to do your C+E now, we have got a couple of lads asking for this and might be able to fit you in".
Dave also told us that the last few who have completed C+E are on a "Keep in Touch" waiting-list as the previous route of training with this company leading to a job is a thing of the past in the current climate. So there are no jobs to be had at Stoke.
For me the advice was to get some varied experience of different makes of trucks and driving loaded* ones and in 2 or 3 months when I feel ready, get back in touch and if they can fit me in they will.
So not the ideal result we wanted, but a start in the right direction. So today I have been downloading simple business card templates and re-dong my CV in a Functional format (ideal for changing careers) with the target audience of a TM (Transport Manger) in mind and will soon be hawking myself around the local (and not-so-local) hauliers chasing a job.
Meanwhile, with one hurdle out of the way, I shall address myself once more to the IT market (though the spirit is weak) and see what we can land for another
9-to-18 months!
But on a brighter note, here is our reversing exercise at Port Vale FC last Friday:
We first have to drive onto the pad and position the truck in line with the "B" cone (just behind the truck's nearside front wheel in the pic below)
And you can see ahead of it the two A cones (against the wall). We have to get it in that with a clear line between the B cone and the left A cone. Then stop the truck between the two A cones by the wall. But the nearer we can get to the left A cone the better for what comes next.
There's a yellow line, in line with the right A cone that we can't put a wheel over, so it's window down and full left lock but watch the wheel over the yellow line. Then hope to God we find the B cone in our offside mirror before we squash it (regularly done!)
Past the B cone (in the middle of the pad) and towards the dock….
And then in we go. All on mirrors of course!
And here we are in the "dock". No worries? (That's Dave on the left. The grey hair is teaching the likes of Andy and me to drive this thing!)
Mind how you go!
*Loaded Trucks – everything we have done so far is with and empty and therefore light truck. The difference in handling when fully-loaded is yet to be experienced for me. Though as a passenger with Cecil in 2006 I could feel the difference in ride immediately. So he has a point and a big learning curve beyond the Test.
