Nearly ready: You’ve got your vehicle, you’ve done the assessment or you’re about to be thrown in at the deep end. Find out where you’re going. Ask about the best route to get there. In hilly or urban areas, a ten mile shortcut can turn into a 40 minute delay. Ask about weight limits, as many premises have several approach routes but only one legal one. Ask about low bridges. Make sure you know how the paperwork should completed. Find out what you have to do when empty.

What not to do: Spinning a laden trailer in its own length. It rips up the yard surface, strains the suspension and can pull tyres off.

Working bare handed and then driving without washing your hands. Apart from the dirt you transfer to the cab, the diesel present will cause dermatitis and can cause cancer. If it’s someone else’s regular vehicle, they will be forthright if it’s not clean.

Spilling fuel while filling. You can lay your employer open to large fines for polluting, let alone the wastefulness aspect. Clean it up.

And last.

You’re ready for the road. You’ve learned how to pass the test, now you’re going to learn how to be a driver. You already possess something that less than 1% of the population have. You’ve chosen a profession that demands initiative, alertness and foresight. Remember that you’ll have to do the thinking for a lot of the people you share the road with. And when you get ten minutes down the road by yourself, you’ll have the biggest grin for miles!

Written by John Bramwells. No. 1 in a series published by the

Professional Drivers Association.

10 East Moor Lane, Doddington, March, Cambs. PE15 0TD

Registered in England No: 4584223

10 East Moor Lane, Doddington, March, Cambs. PE15 0TD

Registered in England No: 4584223