A career as a train driver

[Daniel Hassan]

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

 

[Pasio22]

A bit off topic here, long time lurker.

I recently qualified as a train driver for Southeastern and would like to make new pals in the railway world. Just wondering if anyone out there would like to connect?

 

[AverageJoe]

Did you not make friends on your course or within your depot?

 

[Pasio22]

Did you not make friends on your course or within your depot?

I did but Ideally I'd like to connect with others who are not drivers

 

[skyhigh]

I did but Ideally I'd like to connect with others who are not drivers

Probably not the best thread to post on, that considered

 

[elle1630]

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.

 

[InkyScrolls]

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.

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.

 

[GPR]

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.

Psychs valid for 5 years.
Then you may have to sit a CBI if you were to apply for the likes of Avanti, as depot driving you do a MMI.
Just apply for anything that comes up.
The moment you start depot driving you wish you’d have applied for mainline straight away.

 

[Tcastle15]

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

 

[AndySV1K]

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

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.

 

[Tcastle15]

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.

Hi Andy,

Yes that was me! Are you on LinkdIn or Facebook or anything as looking to direct message you on here seems a bit of a faff? Hope the rest of your testing went well though mate

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.

 

[lisamerlot]

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

 

[365 Networker]

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

You need to be 21, although I believe you can apply at 20.

 

[driver9000]

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

The "driving test" is known as a pass out. It's about a full week of practical and theory examination of everything you've learned in the 12 month training course. Full rules, traction and routes exams according to the depot you'll be working at.

 

[Waterlemon]

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?

 

[43066]

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.

 

[dk1]

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.

 

[43066]

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…

 

[dk1]

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.

 

[43066]

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…

 

[dk1]

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…

Of course. You explain yourself extremely well on here so I’d say you would just flow with tutoring others. To some that just comes naturally. Yes of course they’ll be some hairy moments but that’s what learning is all about. Just make sure you keep your eye on the ball but in latter hours make them feel that they are in control even if you are still watching them like a hawk.

In the early years I mainly did brake handling on loco-hauled sets but these days with a harmonal fleet I seem to take on more newbies. It’s not easy for the first few weeks but something suddenly clicks and it’s a pleasure to have their company even if some are less endearing than others.

 

[AverageJoe]

I’d say being good at something doesn’t necessarily mean you are good at teaching it. Take Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, frank lampard, Steven gerrard for example.

I’m a recently passed out driver and I took the training seriously, but there will be the odd mistake here and there and you need an instructor that is able to remember what it is like to be a trainee themselves.

Any train driver can do the job, what makes a good instructor is someone who can get that across to another person while building their confidence and making them feel comfortable with the day to day experience.

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.

 

[dk1]

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.

And the same applies the other way around too

 

[AverageJoe]

And the same applies the other way around too

Absolutely.

 

[12LDA28C]

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.

 

[dk1]

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.

 

[12LDA28C]

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.

 

[dk1]

Fair enough although a trainee driver shouldn't be instructed and assessed by the same person, to avoid accusations of partiality and so on.

Yes I can imagine they wouldn’t. Personally I have never looked into that side of things after finishing with any trainee as never affected me.

Was quite amusing over the years how they expected you to do certain things as a DI like becoming an assessor. Another was to wear the formal rather than casual uniform for some reason. Another no no for me as I detest wearing a tie.

 

[ComUtoR]

With many of them I so wonder what they see during the interview process that I don’t.

I've sat both sides of that desk recently and wondered similarly.

Interviews have got easier to pass and become generic tick box exercises. This forum certainly highlights that you can pass based on trigger words/phrases and will often reel off the questions they ask.

When doing these interviews the structure and questions are the same for everyone so it's easy to pass and a pain in the ass to fail someone because 'I Gotta feeling'. You can't fail people because you just didn't like them. Did they meet the criteria, what score did they get'

Those "sociopaths..." are very good at coming across as the perfect candidate. Then suddenly... you know the rest.

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.

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 instructors are qualified to train and assess. Whilst the don't pass out Trainees. They do train and then assess routes with their own Trainee.

I’m hopefully going to be doing it soon

Congratulations. It's a highly undervalued role but I'm sure you will take a lot of pleasure with and one you will find rewarding.

albeit probably for the wrong reasons…

Sometimes ya gotta do something a little selfish.

 

[dk1]

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.

I am extremely lucky in that I have often been given the choice of who I do & don’t want. Those as well as those I have been asked to take on on the whole have been superb and turned out to be everlasting friends. We do around 290hrs that in the end include signing all routes.