Truck Licence: Four Critical Guidelines for Passing Practical Tests

If you are planning on starting a career in commercial heavy vehicle driving, you will need a truck licence. This simple document can open up numerous career opportunities for you in the transportation and shipping industry. Unfortunately, numerous individuals fail to acquire the licence due to basic mistakes during the practical tests. If you are concerned about this aspect of the licensing process, you should review the below-outlined simple guidelines before your examination. 

Watch Your Cornering Speed

The difference in size between heavy vehicles and standard cars can cause significant problems when cornering. In simple terms, the longer wheelbase in trucks can make it easy for you to cut a corner around tight city streets. Also, you might mount the wheels on a curb when driving around a roundabout. When driving in such areas, you should always watch and manage your speed. Slowing down will allow you to navigate corners and roundabouts with ease, preventing mishaps.

Use Your Mirrors

Using mirrors might seem like an obvious process when driving trucks. Unfortunately, most people who have never handled a heavy vehicle tend to have a tunnel vision. If you fail to use your mirrors correctly, you will put other road users at risk. Therefore, this simple issue can cause your failure. The most common problem is the failure to use the left mirror as much as the left one. You should be aware of this challenge as you prepare for your test.

Focus on Smooth Driving

Numerous people who have only driven standard cars have problems driving a commercial truck smoothly. This issue can cause unexpected failure of the practical test. Typically, rough driving can be attributed to the poor use of the clutch. If you keep your foot on the clutch pedal, you are more likely to lose control of your truck. Therefore, you should make sure that you can handle smooth gear changes before your test. You should also remember riding the clutch will cause premature truck wear.

Learn the Pre-Checks

Commercial truck drivers are required to perform inspections of their heavy vehicles before beginning their journeys. If you do not know how to carry out pre-drive checks correctly, you might find yourself failing your tests. Ideally, you should understand the proper way to check the different fluid levels and identify leakages. You should also know how to assess the health of the engine visually. Additionally, it is critical to examine the general vehicle body, the tyres, battery, lighting and other essential components.