Hi, I currently and always have worked in sales I am 39 years old with 0 points. I have always fancied the idea of a class 2 driver job (don’t fancy the bigger stuff). I currently earn £40k I would drop to £30k if it was possible. I live near liverpool. I would be prepared to do 45 hours per week. Am I likely as a new driver to get anywhere with this is it worth doing lessons/tests etc or is it a poor job. I am a grafter I just want a change and to know what I am earning rather than commission in sales. I presume I would earn a lot less in the first year why I build up. Looking for advice. Can the class 2 be done on a crash course like a driving test??
I think you may have to adjust your expectations. 45 hours in Merseyside for £30k on a rigid? Good luck with that. Sure, there will be a small handful of those jobs out there, but it’ll be dead man’s shoes to get in and you’ll 1. nddc to have a provable track record and a decent amount of experience and 2. know someone who knows someone who can put your name forward.
It’s also worth my pointing out that the industry is currently on its arse. There is barely any work being advertised (ignoring fake book-padding agency ads) and the very small of permie ads are getting thousands of applications so your chances as a newbie are close to zero.
Stay where you are and take another look in 12 months time.
Out of curiosity I took a look at the Best Connection website for Swindon vacancies today. 2 for warehouse order pickers. Nothing else. Many agencies get flack for having vacancies listed that don’t exist but means they get drivers to sign up and have them ready to go when something is available. If this isn’t even worth their while I would suggest opportunities right now are few and far between.
The rest of this year may be all about keeping working and cover your bills, moving jobs for preference could be reckless / impractical / impossible for many.
You work in sales and consider yourself as a grafter? Yu don’t fancy the bigger stuff. Odd really as most who look at driving usually only want the bigger trucks to drive. It’s usually only when you drive the bigger stuff that you realise the smaller stuff is better. Any way regardless to these facts, stay in sales. If you think that is grafting you really don’t want to be getting out of bed to start work at stupid o clock and getting home at stupid o clock. The wages are only good if you work every hour you can, this is as good as it gets for a new driver by the way. In summary look elsewhere for a change.
I’ve been looking for a class 1 driver in Swindon and it’s daft. You get every idiot you have ever been warned about applying and nobody decent. The guy I finally got is great but he’s come from working for a mate, who might not be a mate any longer when they read this 
I’ve got another vacancy for mainly class 2 with class 1 cover and I can’t be arsed to start the whole silly process again TBH
Will have to soon I suppose or I’ll end up driving it
I’d forget going in to driving now, I have Bus/Rigid/Artic and I’ve just today been offered a van driving job and I was bloody lucky to get that lol and I only got that because I was flexible with hours, and had relevant experience.
100% what the guy above said… forget it all and have another look in a year. You’ve chosen the worst time possible at the moment.
To add to my earlier post, even £30k for a genuine 45 hours on an artic in Merseyside would be pushing it and if you did find something it would most likely involve rota’d weekends. Note that the hours on most truck driving job ads are underquoted, eg. “48 hours” often ends up being more like 60.
You’d need to be looking at the likes of Brakes if anything. They pay good money but you graft for it.
But as others have said, perhaps give it a year bearing in mind Brakes will likely not be taking on as a lot of their hospitality trade work will have gone missing.
They do however put people who work in the warehouse through licences so if you did go in eventually and fancied the class one there’s a cheap way of doing it.
R420:
To add to my earliest post, even £30k for a genuine 45 hours on an artic in Merseyside would be pushing it and if you did find something it would most likely involve rota’d weekends. Note that the hours on most truck driving job ads are underquoted, eg. “48 hours” often ends up being more like 60.
£30K is being optimistic lol
More like £22K-£25K in regular employment
I can only agree with the above, if your job is secure stick with it for at least another year and then see how the land lays.
The reality of what has happened hasn’t hit home yet, thousands of experienced drivers are going to be out of work, i reckon 30% minimum of car transporter drivers alone will be out by the end of the year and that’s just one sector, as a newby you haven’t a hope in hell of getting into the better jobs because people with years of proven track record will be battering doors down, to be fair to operators they’re going to cherry pick and who would blame them.
Money wise, if anything pay cuts will be on the cards, supply and demand.
In normal times I wouldn’t recommend class 2 work & I only have a class 2 license.
I’d regard myself as a grafter, worked on building sites & roadwork in past.
Majority of class 2 work is multi drop & I will never do another multi drop shift again.
At 42 I’ve came to conclusion it’s defo a young man’s game & the way to an early grave.
There is a big difference between having a good work ethic & working yourself to the bone. As said in previous posts you are talking 60 hr weeks.
You’ll find a lot of driver’s do class 1 to get better driving jobs & less hand balling. I just can’t afford to pay for a class 1.
All the best but seriously think this through.
Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk
I find it hilarious that people look at coming into an industry renowned for long hours and say they are prepared to do a 9 hour day . Stay with your 40k 9 till 5 because once you have done ur test and been made the promises when the reality hits and you are doing 12+ hour days for sub 30K You will be crying for your old job back
Ok folks thank you for the replys. Appreciated
You will earn nowhere near 30k in this game for 45hr a week,maybe doing class one for a supermarket etc or very very few and far between other firms…
Driving is poor hourly pay and that’s why drivers do long hours to make the wages good.
My problem is now I want to leave the industry but I know nothing else,
Expect most firms to want 50-60 hrs from you.
good_friend:
I’ve been looking for a class 1 driver in Swindon and it’s daft. You get every idiot you have ever been warned about applying and nobody decent. The guy I finally got is great but he’s come from working for a mate, who might not be a mate any longer when they read thisI’ve got another vacancy for mainly class 2 with class 1 cover and I can’t be arsed to start the whole silly process again TBH
Will have to soon I suppose or I’ll end up driving it
Done you like a kipper. He is not a good friend at all. This made me laugh
WheelsofCardiff:
Done you like a kipper. He is not a good friend at all. This made me laugh
Thank you, I try my best 
Col81:
I would be prepared to do 45 hours per week.
Best of luck with that. A survey done by the Road Haulage Association found the average working week was 55hrs. When you do ever get to do a “normal” 8-9hr day like the rest of the population do it feels like you’ve only done half a day. In Liverpool and in fact much of the north of the UK you’re looking at £9-£10/hr, very lucky if you get any overtime rate.
Early starts and late finishes are part and parcel of the job. If you’re parking up anything less than 11hrs after setting off you’re doing well.
To put this into perspective… I think you can earn over £30k on class 2. Brakes will pay it - but not for driving mainly. And co-op will pay it and were desperate for drivers. But again that’s not really driving. You’d need to look for something that involves a fair amount of hand ball and which is not popular.
I have earned the ‘good’ money driving. But due to this bug have just taken a job doing 4 on 4 off, nights for under £25k a year. That’s for class 1 work and requires experience. To earn the £30k I’d need to do a 5th shift (and they are 12 hour shifts minimum) - plus I’d need to be aiming to get some nights(days) out in. If I do the 5th shift I can take home just over £500 each week which I think it appallingly low for nights - but it’s the best I could find.
Contrary to everyone elses advice I’d still tell you to go with it. I have other ‘skills’ but with the economy now and how it’s going to be - that won’t matter for a bit. Junk still needs moving. Last night I took pop to a supermarket, and moved some junk in an amazon prime trailer. Neither are exactly critical - but the work is there. Driving is a cheap insurance policy to put a roof over your head**.
Note - big difference between the high paying and low paying jobs. I’m asked if I’ll do a start time rather than told what it is. I’m left alone. I can wear what I want rather than rules being rules (need some trousers in the cab for certain sites but if I want to wear shorts I can). I go whatever way I want rather than being told a route. I get to chose whatever unit is in the yard rather than being told what I’m driving. I even get a bit of a choice in the work I do. To earn the bigger money you need to be willing to take orders more and it’s not as enjoyable.
**Getting a start and experience was much easier for me as I was living in the midlands and the economy was good. I’m not sure how hard it would be now if you had wet ink on your license. The trick would be to do the stuff no one else wants to do.
Brakes at warrington 5 mile from me got hgv2 jobs mon fri with 1 saturday in for £30k! They are out there
Langdons, Knowsley