Observation days: ride along on a real test day
Spend a full day in the cab with one of our candidates on their driving test day. Watch, listen, learn the Ipswich test routes, then drive the truck back to Chelmsford yourself.
How the day works
Every Flair truck has an extra seat fitted. On a candidate's test day, that seat is yours.
Join a candidate on their test day
You ride along from the start of the day as they have their final training before the test.
Watch and listen
Hear exactly what the trainer teaches and why. Plenty of people find they learn faster by watching.
See the Ipswich test routes
Get to know the area and its hotspots: the junctions and roundabouts where candidates most often pick up faults.
Follow the test day through
See how the day runs, from warm-up to the test itself, so nothing is new when it's your turn.
Drive the truck back
After the test, whatever the result, you drive back from Ipswich to Chelmsford with the trainer beside you. That's about an hour at the wheel.
Why it helps
People who have done an observation day tell us their own test day feels much easier. They've already seen the routes, the hotspots and how the day runs, and they've had an hour driving a truck on real roads.
Nothing is taken away from the candidate whose test it is. The extra seat would otherwise be empty, and the trainer would always drive back from Ipswich anyway.
Before your observation day
- LGV medicalPassed, so you're fit to drive a lorry.
- Provisional lorry entitlementOn your licence, because you'll drive the truck back.
Observation day questions
What is an observation day?
A full day riding along in the extra seat of one of our trucks while another candidate has their driving test day at Ipswich. You watch their final training, listen to the trainer, see the Ipswich test routes and their hotspots, and afterwards drive the truck back to Chelmsford.
Does it affect the candidate taking their test?
No. The extra seat is fitted in every one of our trucks and would otherwise be empty, and the trainer would always drive back from Ipswich anyway. The candidate's test day carries on exactly as normal.
What do I need before I can do one?
Your LGV medical and provisional lorry entitlement on your licence, because you'll drive the truck back from Ipswich to Chelmsford.
How much is it?
An observation day has a value of £199. Ask us about one when you book your course.
How long is the day?
A full training day of about 8 hours, including the drive back from Ipswich, which takes about an hour.
See a test day before yours
Ask us about an observation day when you book your course.