Phil is back for some HGV Class 1 Refresher Training

Last week I returned to Dulson Training to brush up my reversing skills in the
artic. They had already massively improved from doing a refresher with them
last year before getting regular lorry work, but I felt I could do with a little more
expert instruction. In particular, I wanted to get more confident manoeuvring on
the blind side, when delivering to yards too small to turn around in.
Trevor was my instructor for the four hour session at Dulson’s site in
Shrewsbury. They have a large practice area where he used cones to mark out a
pretend loading bay for me to reverse in to. Before we began, Trevor made sure
he understood my goals and imparted a few extra bits of useful knowledge about
different axle configurations and how they affect the manoeuvrability of the
truck.
First of all, I was glad to begin with a few reverses on my good side, with the bay
on my right, to settle me down before tackling the trickier ones. Trevor
explained the best way to set the lorry up to make the reverse simpler, and was
very encouraging with lots of praise, which helped my confidence!
Next we moved on to reversing in from the other direction with the bay to my
left. Another Dulson instructor, Dave, kindly came across to share a brilliant tip
from his own experience which was a neat method for me to try out and also use
in future. It was nice that he offered that insight, even though Trevor was taking
my session. Thanks, Dave!
We stopped for a refreshment break about halfway through, which was certainly
needed! I then continued reversing in to the bay from both sides at varying
angles. The session achieved my targets of feeling more prepared and confident
at reversing, and increasing my awareness of how the trailer responds while
reversing. Trevor was thoroughly complimentary and constructive, which made
for a very enjoyable and productive time together. Many thanks indeed, Trevor!
Dulson’s are clearly able to offer tailored products to meet customers’ individual
needs on whichever vehicle they wish to improve their skills on.