Vehicle Controls, Manoeuvring and Practical Driving
What this domain tests
Vehicle controls, manoeuvring and practical driving tests the physical operation of a heavy vehicle: the pre-drive routine, the air-brake check, turning, reversing and hill work.
Before you move
Cockpit drill: seat and head restraint, mirrors, seatbelt, gear in neutral, parking brake on. Then the brake check - build air pressure until the compressor cuts out, confirm the low-pressure warning works before you reach the safe minimum, and stop the engine to listen for leaks. Only then start.
Steering a long vehicle
- Off-tracking: the rear wheels follow a tighter path than the front. In a turn the rear cuts the corner, so take the turn wide and watch the inside mirror for the rear tyres and the kerb.
- Tail swing: the back corner of a rigid truck, or the front corner of a trailer, swings outward in the opposite direction. Check that side before you turn.
- Use the mirrors before, during and after every manoeuvre; if you cannot see, you cannot judge.
Reversing
Get out and look first, use a guide with agreed hand signals, and reverse slowly. If you lose sight of the guide, stop.
Hill work
Select the gear before the climb or descent, keep the engine in its power band, and hold the parking brake for a hill start until you feel the vehicle pull.
Worked example
You turn left into a narrow side street. The rear tyres of your truck track about a metre inside the front wheels, and a parked motorbike sits on the inside corner. Take the turn wider, delay the steering, and check the inside mirror through the turn - if the bike is in the mirror, it is still safe.
Traps
Reversing on mirrors alone; swinging the tail into oncoming traffic; starting downhill in a high gear and riding the clutch.