So I’m very passionate about becoming a truck driving, I’m nearly 20 years old so I’ll more than likely have to wait another year, but I’m fairly certain it’s something I will enjoy. Spent endless hours with my dad in his truck when I was younger.
My issue is and it’s the only thing holding me up about being certain it’s what I want to do, is what comes after trucking? By this I mean, when self-driving trucks do take over and truck drivers are no longer required, what sort of job could I go into? I understand self-driving vehicles won’t be around for a long time, but I believe it will happen in my lifetime. I don’t want to pack up truck driving and work in retail so I’m really unsure of what I could do. Any advice would be appreciated, I understand it’s probably a difficult question to answer as who knows?
Firstly stick to your chosen path and doing the management CPC on a home study basis is a good way of spending any interim time.You can also go for the LGV before the age of 21 so sooner is probably better than later.
As for automation the government is going to be faced with the dilemma of having to pay for the unemployment/early retirement benefits of the redundant workforce before imposing the type of mass redundancies which applying it to the transport industry,for one,would create.Simply because robots don’t buy stuff or pay tax and what jobs remain either won’t pay enough to sustain the previous economic activety generated by the sector,or would drive most ex drivers into a state of depression,or exceed their scope for qualification.
the previous posts are right, there will always be a need for drivers, its like the car industry yes they have robots but they cannot build a whole car, and some firms run older trucks because the rate available to them cannot pay for the ever increasing complicated vehicles, I know of a skip company with a Mercedes arocs skip loader that has never regenerated by its self and every trip to mercs to have a forced regen is £700, its an auto so refuses to move on damp grass, I don’t think you will have much to worry about, just keep aiming for the driving job that suits you and the life style you want, its out there some where.
Retail will probably be dead before truck driving…never heard of online shopping? You’re looking for something that’s impossible for anyone to give i.e. a guarantee of decent work in future years. It’s a very fast moving world now. I’d go and get the licence and give it a go then see what developes in the coming years.
If you want to drive lorries young man just go and do it.
As above, you’ll be retired after a lifetime of lorrying and the pointy heads will still be experimenting with automating lorries and failing, in a country with around half as much again population by the time you reach 78 or whatever the pension age will be then, so even less possibility of it working.
My advice though, in the meantime start to learn Hungarian or Polish or both, because you’ll have a clear advantage over millions of others when the time to get out of this country arrives, when the visegrad group of countries are likely to be the only safe places to live in europe.
Just go for it. At worst you’ll get a good number of years out of the industry before anything changes and then if it does there’ll be millions in the same boat as you.
But as mentioned there’s industries where automation has been present for a good number of years that still require human intervention.
Dont forget that at 21 to 25…many firms will not take you on…1. for insurance purposes. 2. for lack of experience. So get as much as you can and you may be lucky. and i wish you all the best.
Good luck Myles. Personally I think there are far better jobs to be had. Driving is a mugs game (nowadays) and good jobs are hard to find. I wish I was as confident as some on here about automation.
Personally I think it is far closer than people realise but that’s just my opinion. Just look how fast technology is progressing.
Doubt it’ll be at least another 50 years until self driving trucks become a real threat, 20 or 30 maybe. Still, nothing to stop you jumping in right now to driving, no need for you to wait until you’re 21. The only difference at doing it under 21 is they don’t issue your license until you have done the CPC, but that doesn’t really make a difference if you’re like the 99% of us getting paid for it (as opposed to horseboxing etc).
