Daniel Hassan
Member
- Joined
- 8 Jun 2019
- Messages
- 31
Hey guys, does anyone know roughly how long it takes to get your opc assessment results? Did mine the other day, so just wondering on a timeline. What’s the process if you pass? Thanks
I did but Ideally I'd like to connect with others who are not driversDid you not make friends on your course or within your depot?
Probably not the best thread to post on, that consideredI did but Ideally I'd like to connect with others who are not drivers
For me it's not the shifts that are the hard part (though we have some ten hour gruellers which can become a little demoralising if you have a few in a row!), it's the ever-changing pattern. Going from a 3am start one week, to a 2am finish the next, to a week of nights, and back to earlies again, really takes its toll. It's equivalent to permanent jetlag; you can function but you're knackered. No surprise that fatigue is the single greatest factor in incidents.This was really interesting to read for someone interested in driving positions in the future - partially because you won't get this sort of reality check in the job advert.
I do somewhat relate to trying to sleep when the sun is up. I get the impression that these shifts are tight and that you have no time for anything once home. Thinking about Hidden, If you are working at 1am, would that mean you've finished at 1pm the previous day? I suppose that's a bit of time you get into your day. I do work shifts, but very clearly nothing near to what Drivers have to deal with.
I wouldn't get into my car on an hour's sleep, but I understand the hesitation to phone in unfit - for me it sounds a bit silly to phone in that "you're tired". Then the follow-up and everything.
Driver shifts discussion is interesting because it's the one part of the job (in my opinion) you don't get a lot of information on other than start anytime finish anytime max 9h. I only have a rough idea thanks to a driver who was willing to part with their schedule card a few months back.
Psychs valid for 5 years.Figured this would be the best thread to ask.
I have a question about moving from depot to mainline in the future. Would you need to resit the OPC Assesments if you were to move? Or is that toc related. Ive applied for GA, does anyone know if they would make you resit the tests to move? I'd love to be a mainline driver but would what to start learning in the depot to be more rounded on my knowledge.
Hi everyone,
I am looking for a bit of guidance. I am an aspiring train driver. I have recently completed the OPC assessments for stage 1 where I managed to pass 3/4 assessments to the enhanced standard but I fell short on the Trainability for rules and procedures part 2, where I only met the national standard. Can anyone offer some advice on progressing forward? I ask mainly because I have recently applied for another trainee drivers role and was rejected as soon as they found out I had completed stage 1 of the assessments?
Many thanks,
Hi everyone,
I am looking for a bit of guidance. I am an aspiring train driver. I have recently completed the OPC assessments for stage 1 where I managed to pass 3/4 assessments to the enhanced standard but I fell short on the Trainability for rules and procedures part 2, where I only met the national standard. Can anyone offer some advice on as I have recently applied for another trainee drivers role and was rejected as soon as they found out I had completed stage 1 of the tests?
Many thanks
Hi Andy,Wondering if it was you I was sat next to at the assessment. If it was you, I was gutted for you not making it through the morning as it felt like we'd made the same sort of progress through the tests. The TRP 2 was the fault finding one I believe. I may have had an advantage at this as in my current job i'm constantly dealing with fault finding so maybe that helped me get that little bit further through it. There must be some training material out there for this. Personally I'd say that it's not the actual fault finding that would catch you out, it's the requirement to do it at speed that will make the difference. I approached it in the same way i would deal with a fault a work, tackle the priorities first and disregard the rest unless i later need to look at them. The notes said which order the priorities were so I did a fast scan through all the faults and in just a couple of seconds it told you which one or two you needed to work on. I would then completely ignore the rest and just deal with the one or two prioritised (Hope this makes sense!) Feel free to message me if you want to chat it over more in case I can help with it. Andy.
Wondering if it was you I was sat next to at the assessment. If it was you, I was gutted for you not making it through the morning as it felt like we'd made the same sort of progress through the tests. The TRP 2 was the fault finding one I believe. I may have had an advantage at this as in my current job i'm constantly dealing with fault finding so maybe that helped me get that little bit further through it. There must be some training material out there for this. Personally I'd say that it's not the actual fault finding that would catch you out, it's the requirement to do it at speed that will make the difference. I approached it in the same way i would deal with a fault a work, tackle the priorities first and disregard the rest unless i later need to look at them. The notes said which order the priorities were so I did a fast scan through all the faults and in just a couple of seconds it told you which one or two you needed to work on. I would then completely ignore the rest and just deal with the one or two prioritised (Hope this makes sense!) Feel free to message me if you want to chat it over more in case I can help with it. Andy.
Wondering if it was you I was sat next to at the assessment. If it was you, I was gutted for you not making it through the morning as it felt like we'd made the same sort of progress through the tests. The TRP 2 was the fault finding one I believe. I may have had an advantage at this as in my current job i'm constantly dealing with fault finding so maybe that helped me get that little bit further through it. There must be some training material out there for this. Personally I'd say that it's not the actual fault finding that would catch you out, it's the requirement to do it at speed that will make the difference. I approached it in the same way i would deal with a fault a work, tackle the priorities first and disregard the rest unless i later need to look at them. The notes said which order the priorities were so I did a fast scan through all the faults and in just a couple of seconds it told you which one or two you needed to work on. I would then completely ignore the rest and just deal with the one or two prioritised (Hope this makes sense!) Feel free to message me if you want to chat it over more in case I can help with it. Andy.
You need to be 21, although I believe you can apply at 20.What is the minimum age you can train to become a driver? I've never looked into this but would like to find out how old you need to be and what the driving test is like.
Lisa
What is the minimum age you can train to become a driver? I've never looked into this but would like to find out how old you need to be and what the driving test is like.
Lisa
Was in a resourcing strategy meeting the other day where it was mentioned 2 successful applicants for the same depot had just failed to show up for their first day of training after getting the call and accepting I presume.
I assume that is quite rare? What would the most likely cause be?
There are some absolute weapons recruited into this industry. Many of them don’t make it through the driver training, and are booted out, but that’s a huge waste of time and money for everyone involved.
My driver training course started with eight, five of us passed out, the other three were sacked mid course, and quite rightly.
With many of them I so wonder what they see during the interview process that I don’t.
Have you been a DI? I’m hopefully going to be doing it soon, albeit probably for the wrong reasons…
Sure have my friend. Talked into it in 2011 & somehow hung onto it ever since.
That’s brave. How do you find it, how many have you passed out?
I mean, I obviously consider myself a maestro of the orchestra of train driving, these days, nearly a decade in with a squeaky clean record. So I should be able to teach it, right?
I’m probably a bit of a control freak, though. I wouldn’t want anyone to be doing less than *80 at that signal, or *30 at that speed restriction. Or they’ll be exiting my cab sideways, and extremely violently…
I know of some instructors who I would find unbearable and spending up to a year with them on a daily basis would have made me question sticking around. Although I would have just requested a new instructor that being the case.
Absolutely.And the same applies the other way around too
That’s brave. How do you find it, how many have you passed out?
A DI wouldn't pass out a trainee driver, that would be an assessor's job, which would also need to be verified before the trainee would be deemed fully qualified.
All our DIs were asked to become assessors. Myself and a couple of others declined. I simply wasn’t interested.
Fair enough although a trainee driver shouldn't be instructed and assessed by the same person, to avoid accusations of partiality and so on.
With many of them I so wonder what they see during the interview process that I don’t.
A DI wouldn't pass out a trainee driver, that would be an assessor's job, which would also need to be verified before the trainee would be deemed fully qualified.
I’m hopefully going to be doing it soon
albeit probably for the wrong reasons…
As a DI I'm sure you had people who you deep down knew wouldn't make it as a Driver but you still get them to 225 and up for assessment.