Class C1 Licence, how difficult?

Class C1 Licence, how difficult?

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Discussion

Yazza54

Original Poster:

18,464 posts

180 months

Sunday 14th February 2021
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WilliamWoollard said:
OP, you do not need to spend anywhere near a grand to do your C1 if you can already drive a van. We do a one day C1 course for £495. That's a 6 hour course including a test at the end of the day, you'll be on your way home by 3 o clock! We're in Oxfordshire/Northants so a little out of your area, you may be able to find someone locally to you that will do a one day course, or spend £40 on a travelodge and come and see us smile

You will absolutely need some tuition though, 90% of people that just rock up to the test centre in their own vehicle don't even get out of the yard.
Thanks William however I have got fixed up with a course now locally.

With regards to the comments about doing C/C+E, I'm not ignoring the advice, I've thought about it but it's not something I'm interested in doing. I just need to be able to drive my race van.

I don't envisage me ever wanting or needing to drive anything bigger, whether it be personally or professionally.

Edited by Yazza54 on Sunday 14th February 22:10

mercedeslimos

1,656 posts

168 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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graham22 said:
OP, I did my HGV test last year, driving both the rigid an artic wasn't an issue.

What your instructor will tell you is where you need to put the lorry and where and when you're expected to wait without causing issues and getting minors - it still amazed me how badly the rigid turned.

Not to mention (albeit its all out there), the specs and weights needed in the vehicle to qualify for the test.

Once you know what to do, the test itself was easy.
I drive coaches and buses, and I find that the tri-axles with the third steering axles are vastly head and shoulders more manoeuvreable over ones with just two axles. Add in that the distance between the axles seems to be getting longer and longer, only two axles for a 13.2-metre long machine you have to take things pretty wide, the third axle and you'd spin it on a sixpence.

WilliamWoollard

2,339 posts

192 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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944 Man said:
I have spent a while thinking about this before posting. I have even gone and made a pot of tea and drunk one mugful. What gross weight vehicle are you doing that in: four tonnes?

Whatever it is it represents poor value compared to Category C instruction over one week where you get far more instruction in a far more suitable vehicle for not that much more money.

I suppose that if you want to really learn and obtain a useful licence then you opt for Cat C, whereas if you have a 3.5t van already and you want to quickly take a test in a 3.8t van then it is a bit cheaper and quicker (and I see the appeal in that for some), but you will still be a liability in a 7.5t puddle jumper, whether you have taken a vocational test for it or not.
Something that is less than half the price of the alternative yet still provides exactly what you need is poor value.... Okaaaaay.

Darkslider

3,071 posts

188 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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What if the racing bug bites and you want to upgrade to a 10/12 ton lorry rather than a van? Make sure it's not a potential option?

Yazza54

Original Poster:

18,464 posts

180 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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Darkslider said:
What if the racing bug bites and you want to upgrade to a 10/12 ton lorry rather than a van? Make sure it's not a potential option?
It's already bitten, but this thing is perfect for what I need, me calling it a van is a disservice tbh. I won the championship out of the back of my Freelander last year, towing the car and sleeping rough, it was 90% pain and 10% pleasure. Unless I start running a team transporting multiple cars that's not going to be an issue. For a start it's the absolute largest vehicle I could get parked at home!

Edited by Yazza54 on Monday 15th February 09:55

944 Man

1,741 posts

131 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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WilliamWoollard said:
Something that is less than half the price of the alternative yet still provides exactly what you need is poor value.... Okaaaaay.
It gets you past the hurdle, but it doesnt equip you to deal with what is on the other side of the hurdle.

I was equally critical of 8t vehicles being used for Cat.C training.getting someone through the test in a vehicle just over the threshold does not equip them to drive a 32t truck.

normalbloke

7,401 posts

218 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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944 Man said:
WilliamWoollard said:
Something that is less than half the price of the alternative yet still provides exactly what you need is poor value.... Okaaaaay.
It gets you past the hurdle, but it doesnt equip you to deal with what is on the other side of the hurdle.

I was equally critical of 8t vehicles being used for Cat.C training.getting someone through the test in a vehicle just over the threshold does not equip them to drive a 32t truck.
But to be fair, doing your C and C+E doesn’t prepare you for driving either truck in the real,world once you’ve passed either...

944 Man

1,741 posts

131 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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I agree. Even if you train hard, you still dont get to fight easy. I learned to drive in the largest vehicle that they had (an unladen 18t curtainsider) in preference to one of the little 10t puddle jumpers that they had, because I wanted to try to get a handle on the 18t horse box that I was going to drive.

When I came to drive a 32t eight-wheeled monster, the four wheelers seemed like puddle jumpers and it took plenty of adjustment, but at least I had relevant training to fall back on. If I had passed in a tiny 6sp flat bed then I would have had the required licence, but I would have been inadequately trained..

With regard to C+E elitism: those people are idiots. Frequently young/thick and moved straight from C to C+E with little, if any, experience. Most can't drive a proper transmission, let alone a knock box or an Eaton twin split, and they mock maps.

Edited by 944 Man on Monday 15th February 19:49

normalbloke

7,401 posts

218 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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Boom, there it is, the Eaton Twin Split. You did well, I thought you’d have dropped it several posts back!

944 Man

1,741 posts

131 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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It is a hateful thing, but it is useful as an example. Maps are better but less easy to mention concisely. My point, which you appear to need a little help with, is that the 'elitists' to whom you refer are usually, younger, thicker and with little experience. They have only driven automatics and they slavishly follow satnavs, they skipped over rigid vehicles which they now deride.

Let me know if you need further help comprehending.

944 Man

1,741 posts

131 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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And clearly, the only person with a chip on their shoulder, is you.

normalbloke

7,401 posts

218 months

Monday 15th February 2021
quotequote all
944 Man said:
It is a hateful thing, but it is useful as an example. Maps are better but less easy to mention concisely. My point, which you appear to need a little help with, is that the 'elitists' to whom you refer are usually, younger, thicker and with little experience. They have only driven automatics and they slavishly follow satnavs, they skipped over rigid vehicles which they now deride.

Let me know if you need further help comprehending.
I need all the help I can get, keep it coming,man!

WilliamWoollard

2,339 posts

192 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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944 Man said:
WilliamWoollard said:
Something that is less than half the price of the alternative yet still provides exactly what you need is poor value.... Okaaaaay.
It gets you past the hurdle, but it doesnt equip you to deal with what is on the other side of the hurdle.

I was equally critical of 8t vehicles being used for Cat.C training.getting someone through the test in a vehicle just over the threshold does not equip them to drive a 32t truck.
So driving a 5 tonne van doesn't equip you to drive a 5 tonne van? Out of the last 100 C1 tests we've done, I think 2 were doing it to drive a 7.5 tonne lorry. The other 98 will never go near anything bigger than a van, doing the test in a lorry really would be poor value.

Sorry to piss on your chips drive, but you can't use an 8 tonner on a cat C test.

944 Man

1,741 posts

131 months

Monday 15th February 2021
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No you can't, but you could, and I would support their changing C1 test requirements to prevent people from training candidates in vans only just over the class threshold too.

fttm

3,667 posts

134 months

Tuesday 16th February 2021
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Always was the way iirc , Bedford TK with a 30' flat was the norm for years . I was slightly above the rabble because I used a V8 Ford Cargo and 40' tautliner . Elite without doubt , young idiot maybe , worked out ok so far lol.

carmadgaz

3,201 posts

182 months

Sunday 14th March 2021
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944 Man said:
No you can't, but you could, and I would support their changing C1 test requirements to prevent people from training candidates in vans only just over the class threshold too.
Yeah but where does that stop? I passed my B test in a Fiesta. Does that mean I can't drive my Range Rover? I passed my C in a Volvo FL 4 wheeler. Does that mean I can't drive a 32T tipper? I passed my CE in a... Ahh you get what I'm driving at here thumbup

mercedeslimos

1,656 posts

168 months

Sunday 14th March 2021
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Starting my C lessons Thursday, P280 Scania. Looking forward to it. Be something different from the buses that's for sure.

944 Man

1,741 posts

131 months

Monday 15th March 2021
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carmadgaz said:
944 Man said:
No you can't, but you could, and I would support their changing C1 test requirements to prevent people from training candidates in vans only just over the class threshold too.
Yeah but where does that stop? I passed my B test in a Fiesta. Does that mean I can't drive my Range Rover? I passed my C in a Volvo FL 4 wheeler. Does that mean I can't drive a 32T tipper? I passed my CE in a... Ahh you get what I'm driving at here thumbup
It means that a fully laden eight wheeler was very different to the vehicle that you passed in. Can you imagine how unprepared youd have been if you had done your test a few years earlier and been allowed to do it in a glorified 7.5t flatbed carrying nothing? This is why they changed it - yes you can make the arguments above but with vocational licences, you can see why they have acted. I think that passing a C1 test in a <5t van doesn't equip you to drive a 7.5t lorry, in just the same way. The only real difference is that at least theyre getting trained and not driving the things like idiots on a grandfathered entitlement.

m3jappa

6,391 posts

217 months

Monday 15th March 2021
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I will be doing this myself soon.

I totally get why people say do the c+e but i will just stick to the c. It is just two days training inc the test as opposed to a week.

Its very very unlikely i will want the c+e as i just want to be able to drive my own 7.5t truck. Anything more is way out of my price range, at least for years anyway. I will do that one if i ever need it.

Can you do the test or training in your own lorry? Im not sure about insurance id have to ask them as well.

I have just got a 7.5t isuzu forward which to me feels good. i haven't driven it but i have driven 3.5t tippers for years and this isuzu is only marginally bigger, id feel very comfortable doing training and a test in that as opposed to something which feels a lot bigger.

944 Man

1,741 posts

131 months

Monday 15th March 2021
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Are you confusing your groups? C1 is up to 7.5t. C is over 7.5t with no upper limit. You can go directly to either. C+E is C plus a trailer over 750kg and you can't do this until you already have a C entitlement.