[NethertonSH]

Thanks for the write up Womble! I'm in the same boat you were in and have been meaning to get round to sitting the test for a while. I sat my driving test in Bathgate then spent my first few years of driving taxi'ing mates around Livingston so thankfully I'll have the advantage of knowing the place pretty well!

[greenbeast]

Good write up, i didn't know you aren't meant to look behind you, i think i kinda mostly already use the mirrors.
I should take the test because occasionally i have a need to tow a few ton.
Luckily the stock trailer and stock is less than 1 ton, so is fine behind my 2.5 ton fourtrak

[Womble]

Well, you *can* look behind you, but as Sally says, only on one side, so that will score you at very least a minor fault for 'lack of all-round observation'. So, if you're going to have to use the mirrors on the nearside of the car anyway, why not learn to use them both?  For one thing, it prevents your brain from getting confused by having to keep switching views from real to mirror image all the time.

One problem I had was that I'd learned to reverse by not only looking out of the window, but also looking in the rear view mirror, and *over* the trailer. Of course the moment the trailer gets bigger or becomes a horsebox, I'm well and truly stuffed, and my visibility is reduced to one side of the trailer only - not ideal!

None of it is hard though - it just takes practice.

BTW NethertonSH, local knowledge is definitely a big advantage. I thought the examiner told me to follow signs to "Torfitshen", then got all flustered when I couldn't see any. In the end I went to Torpichen, as it was the closest match I could find. That seemed to work well enough! 

[pgkevet]

Training in B&E? Hmm... thought that was illegal....

[Buttermilk]

Or you could go with the strategy adopted by the abbatoir on my latest trip: "Keep coming!, come on, keep coming!, that's it, keep coming.... BANG!!!......... er, that's far enough now!" 

This happened to me only going forward near bollards and the comment was "Oh You've hit it!"

[chrismahon]

Great easily remembered tip on reversing with mirrors Womble- I always seem to go the wrong way but won't now.

[Dav275]

I'm fortunate (?) to be old enough not to have had to take the additional towing test,  but the best advice I received when first towing a caravan/trailer was...

" put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, then move it whichever way you want the back of the trailer to go".

Still use this occasionally if I get in a muddle. 

[bazzais]

What they dont teach you is how to drive a trailer through a built up area with lots of city cars around who seem to overtake and tuck in between you and your trailer - and they biggest problem, having to strandle two lanes cos your too long and people beeping thier horn and tryiong to undertake in a gap that your trailer is following