How long did it take you to do your c1 lorry test?

[georgiegirl]

Not strictly CR I know and I have posted a similar post in NL but in hindsight thought CR might be a better place to ask as a lot of you have lorries!

Things are going in the right direction. Medical is done, provisional licence is back and I have booked the theory test and have been practising the questions like mad

The centre close to me tends to do their learning in days that run from 8.30 til 4 in a 5ton iveco (big minibus type thing - not too much smaller than mine which is 6.5t) so you do get quite a lot of driving so its up to you how many 'days' practice you choose to do and then do your test at the end of it.

They recommend three days although my friend did her course in two days and then the test at the end to keep costs down and passed so Im wondering how many to try and go for? and how many days others have done it in?

Ive had quite a lot of experience towing so Im guessing this must stand me in good stead for being used to something a bit longer/road awareness etc.....????

Plus I do have a friend who has done the c1 so planning to get out in the lorry later on in the week to do some practice on the L plates. eeeek exciting!

Any hints or tips gratefully received!

 

[diggerbez]

i didn't do my C1- i did the full C class as the place i used didn't have a 7.5 tonne lorry and would have had to hire one in for me! i did a 4x day course with test on the fifth day- however, i did fail twice and so needed a few extra lessons! first time i failed for 'not making progress' i.e. being too careful round corners and then next time for going too quickly

i found the manouvering the hardest thing- but if you have done the trailer test then you know what to expect

 

[georgiegirl]

Im quite lucky the centre near me do the test in a 5ton iveco minibus as I know a lot of others do it in a full size 7.5 tonner! A few people have suggested just doing the full cat c licence but to be honest I dont really see the point. Never in a million years will I have to drive something over 7.5t so I figure theres no point over complicating things!

Not done the trailer test per se as had been towing on L plates but have done so for at least the past five years! Was pretty handy at reversing the trailer out of spots a lot of people said they would baulk at but doing it to 'test conditions' will more than likely be a different kettle of fish altogether! Its like they say - a lot of people who have a licence and drive probably wouldnt pass their test if they had to go and do it tomorrow!

 

[MillbrookSong]

i didn't do my C1- i did the full C class as the place i used didn't have a 7.5 tonne lorry and would have had to hire one in for me! i did a 4x day course with test on the fifth day- however, i did fail twice and so needed a few extra lessons! first time i failed for 'not making progress' i.e. being too careful round corners and then next time for going too quickly

i found the manouvering the hardest thing- but if you have done the trailer test then you know what to expect

Pretty much the same as above!!

 

[measles]

I did C over 5 days with training 9-1 on 4 days and test on 5th. The HGV I did the training in was virtually the same size as our 7.5t lorry so easy to drive except for the split gearbox.

Even though I have been driving a 7.5t for 20 years on grandfather's rights I found the training draining and wouldn't have fancied doing whole days.

Good luck!

 

[applestroodle]

I did the lorry C test over four days but two to one training so I suppose half days as we swapped over, I to found it very draining & was exausted after!
My trailer test I did a two hour lesson the day before my test to practise test routes & reversing, I found trailer test much harder than lorry but was 7 years since did lorry test. Oh & I'm a driving instructor so helped with my trailer test. Good luck!

 

[jess_asterix]

I personally would not want to drive for that long everyday and the have to do a test as I find loads of driving makes me tired. I did 4 days training which was 3 hours driving so 12 hours then one hour before my test on the 5th day.

I also did the full cat C and I had never driven a lorry or trailer before and I passed first time.

 

[squiz22]

I haven't done mine yet but I did do my trailer test a couple of years ago. One thing I never thought about at the time was to think about where you take your test. I had a bit of a balls up with mine, paid for a two day course and then arrived on day one to be told that my test was at 8.00 the next morning which is actually one day and she wouldn't refund etc. That aside I took the test during morning rush hour through the centre of reading town centre, round a horrid one way system across two junctions of the M4 one of which was a mass of cones and road works. I failed the test - annoyingly because I went to take the handbrake off when a signal for a bus lane turned amber I hadn't actually moved anywhere (can you tell I am still bitter! haha). Alll the same the route was stressful and it doesn't matter if the route takes you 40 mins or 2 hours you have to follow a 'test route' so I had been in the car for ages by the time we made it back again - probably a concentration lapse on the light it was the road before we turned into the test centre.
Anyway, I re took the test straight away (I think I had to leave 3 working days) and I re took it at Guildford test centre. My test route was a lovely calm drive through the Surrey Countryside! Nothing like Reading town centre at 8.30!! I am taking my lorry test this year and the first thing I thought about was where I would take it..

 

[measles]

squizz22 makes a very valid point above. The test centre you book into and also time of day will affect the test route you may be taken on and the volume of traffic plays a large part in the challenge.

 

[ROG]

squizz22 makes a very valid point above. The test centre you book into and also time of day will affect the test route you may be taken on and the volume of traffic plays a large part in the challenge.

The other side of the coin ...

A driver should be able to drive in any conditions at any time - that is one of the points of the test

 

[squiz22]

The other side of the coin ...

A driver should be able to drive in any conditions at any time - that is one of the points of the test

Agreed BUT why make things more difficult for yourself? The test is stressful anyway and its expensive if you fail.

 

[PorkChop]

Did mine on a week's intensive course, with the test on the Friday.

On the plus side - by Friday you are in the "groove" and everything feels like second nature.

On the negative side - it was THE most boring week of my life.

It cost £1200 all in - Good Luck x

 

[ROG]

Agreed BUT why make things more difficult for yourself? The test is stressful anyway and its expensive if you fail.

We could now enter the debate on finances versus ability and that could go on for a very long time .....

 

[squiz22]

We could now enter the debate on finances versus ability and that could go on for a very long time .....

Haha ok I'll stop. Mind you we could enter a debate on the point of the whole thing. I think I wouldn't mind so much if everyone had to do it BUT when its only for us younger ones it makes a bit of a mockery of it. I have been manoeuvring trailers about the yard for a long time and have frequently had to moved pony club mums trailers that can't tow for toffee but don't have to take any kind of test!

Further to that, its quite scary that my mum could drive the horse box and not me.. if you'd ever met my mother and seen her drive then you'd understand

However, lets save this debate for a separate thread and not hijack this one.

 

[fabscd]

I did mine with 11 hours training over 4 days with the test at the end of day 4. This was in an area totally unfamiliar to me (Acton/Park Royal/North London sort of way so not quiet traffic either) and it was fine. I did have a very good instructor though and have always been very confident driving unfamiliar vehicles and places.

 

[Tempi]

I did my C as thought it was more benficial and only around £200 more to do that than the C1.

I did 3 days of solid driving - 830am to 430pm, then did my test on the 4th day. Was hard work and I was exhausted by the end of each day. Passed my test first time though, and I was the only person who passed my test all day that day at the test center I went to. Showed the men how to do it, lol!!!

 

[horseywelsh]

I also did my C rather than C1. Did 4 half day (afternoons) Mon-thurs training and then test on 5th day (Fri).

 

[palomino_pony]

My friend is a HGV / C / B+E instructor. They usually run a standard 4 days with the test on the 5th day - 3 hours per day - which is enough as you get frazled!

Also look at where you do your test because I did mine in Wolverhampton and really did not realise how difficult the driving / navigating would be (trailer) in an area where I was not used to driving around anyway. The centre was closest to me but 6 lane ring roads / very busy rush hours / M6 junction 10 / 9 was not the easiest at all, infact when i looked up the area there was only a 30% pass rate from that test centre. I didn't pass first time. I was so worried and nervous. I failed because a foreign lorry driver swerved out into my lane on a big M6 island so I had to swap lanes quickly on the slip road, with me ending up in the right hand lane. I got back in and everything was safe but hey ho! My friend did hers in another part of the country where she didn't even go on a dual carriage way! I think now they just tell you which place to head for (ie. not turn left at next island, but follow the route for Wolverhampton for example) so make sure you really know the area. Good luck!

 

[charlimouse]

I think I did my C1 at the same place you are planning on going to . The 5T van drives pretty much like a big car, so it that respect it isn't particuarly difficult. I did a 3 day intensive course with my test on the 4th morning, and passed first time . I found by the end of the 2nd day I was fairly proficient at driving the thing, but the manouvers took time to master. I went into my test on the 4th day as confident as I could be that barring a major blond moment I should pass. For me I would rather go into my test knowing I was over prepared rather than under prepared. It also meant I had chance to do loads of the manouvers so in my test I got them pretty much bang on!

 

[Coop]

I did mine in a 5 tonne van too, took four mornings after the initial assessment and the test was on the last day. Luckily passed first time. Was really tired by the fourth day but remained focused. My examiner was horrid, but so horrid it was funny and made me sort of relax!!!
I still drive the lorry like I was taught, and feel confident doing so!
It has enabled me to be so much more independent and well worth it, my poor mum has driven us around for years and she is really enjoying being driven now!! Cost about £800 in all including medical. xx