Hi 
I have just got it into my head to become a truck driver. I am a cab driver now and have been for 13 years. I have loads of freedom at the moment as to when I go to work; I like working evenings/nights and try to be āout thereā when I think I can make the most cash. I enjoy the job, its easy money really, I just need a change, and to drive down some different roads. I am a little scared of change (it must be old age, Iām 38!) and I do wonder how you guys cope with manoeuvring those bloody great trucks through everything on the road.
Reading through the posts here I am unsure about a couple of things. How the wages are usually calculated? if there is a standard method. If I was out on the road for a week, driving here there and every where, living in the cab and I am being paid hourly, which hours would I get paid for?
Does anyone know if the fees paid to a driving school are tax deductible?
welcome to trucknet timid 
pay is ussually either paid hourly with overtime but some companies just pay a flat hourly rate so you get the same for every hour you work or saleried pay swings and roundabouts with this you get x amount of Ā£s per week every week regardless of what hours you do so it pays to try and keep the hours to a minimum if you can but salaries in my opinion are going up just depends on the cost of living in your area .nights out are paid on top of your basic wage tax free under a certain amount i think its around a bout 18 quid a night but this can be higher or lower in certain areas of the country. youd have to ask the guy n gals that have just passed about the cost of training cuz my class one cost Ā£650 including a retest 8 years ago and i know its alot more expensive now .as for get the trucks into places it comes with practice mate .you never stop learning theres always somthing new to make ya stop and wonder.my advice go for it and good luck.cheers jonah
hello timid, welcome to trucknet mate. i passed my class 2 last week and it cost me Ā£816.25, fortunately i passed first time mind you, or i would have paid Ā£175 for another lesson and retest on top of that. i am going straightaway for my class 1 where i am paying the same amount again, but as i said if i dont pass first time then i gotta find more dough to keep going with it. but good luck with it all and keep us all informed on how u do mate 
Welcome to TruckNetUK Timidā¦
I have just recently passed my Class 1 or the new format of LGV C+E. Its cetainly something that as soon as I started to do, I knew I should have done it years ago, as soon as I couldā¦ 
Everyone is a a little scared of change, just simply coz its something different. Its gonna be a change for me too, coz Ive worked in a factory for 13 years since leaving school, and now I am taking up lorry drivingā¦ 
Try taking up some of the driving schools up on there offers of assessment drives. It will give you an idea of what to expect. they normally take you out for about 20 mins-half hour to see how you drive and tell you how many lessons you will need. That gives you an idea of the size of the vehicles, and what it might be like to drive them. 
What ever you decide mate, keep us informed and above all if you have any other questions, just post them upā¦
i must be pretty lucky then andy mate, i got hour free assesment with my instructor suppose it all depends who u go with
timid, you could help yourself alot by learning to plan much further ahead when you,re driving your taxi,crucial when driving a truck! see if you get to a bridge without noticing the sign first seriously though your signs are much more
important to you driving a lorry ,such as road narrows,and winding road,need
to be seen and acted upon early,so try not to miss any road signs as you drive along.
also notice on bends,where the grass verge,or the kerb has been scuffed by
truck tyres,(these are where the trailer traps are),where you would need to take
a wider line. hope this helps and good luck.
hello timid, just one other thing to add, i dont know if you already know but you can no longer go straight to class 1 or c+e. you now have to pass a rigid test first. if you already knew i apologise rgs jon
AndyM:
Welcome to TruckNetUK Timidā¦I have just recently passed my Class 1 or the new format of LGV C+E. Its cetainly something that as soon as I started to do, I knew I should have done it years ago, as soon as I couldā¦
Everyone is a a little scared of change, just simply coz its something different. Its gonna be a change for me too, coz Ive worked in a factory for 13 years since leaving school, and now I am taking up lorry drivingā¦Try taking up some of the driving schools up on there offers of FREE assessment drives. It will give you an idea of what to expect. they normally take you out for about 20 mins-half hour to see how you drive and tell you how many lessons you will need. That gives you an idea of the size of the vehicles, and what it might be like to drive them.
What ever you decide mate, keep us informed and above all if you have any other questions, just post them upā¦
Yeah, I have edited it as I should have put Free Assessment drivesā¦ I didnt pay for any of mine, and I had fourā¦ the third one being the one I went withā¦ But I dont think I was out for an hour thoughā¦ Its does all depend on whoe you go withā¦ three of the were out on the road, but one of them used a 7.5 tonner around a yard as an assessmentā¦ LOLā¦
Thanks for all the good advice! I have just requested a licence application, so if I can get through the medical I will have to shop around for some of those free assessments.
Cheers!!
Iām not sure, but I think that you could do an assessment now, without an LGV provisional. You would be driving under supervision (obviously) and for an assessment I think that the assessors licence would cover you. It wouldnāt do any harm to ask, anyway.
By the way, Welcome to TruckNetUK.
hi simon,
i was told that i had to have medical completed and prov entitlement on licence before i could get behind the wheel mate 
I was a cabby part time only for a few years,give me a truck anyday,compared with joe public 
Go for it timid,but look out for them cabs LOL
Hi Timid welcome to Trucknet.
Go for it! for all my moaning itās a great way of life but I have 1 question do you drive a car cab or a hackney. I ask this because I did my training with a london cabby who was perfection in heavy traffic but struggled with the gear change exercise so if you drive a hackney it might be worth spending some time with a manual, it might help.
john o:
I was a cabby part time only for a few years,give me a truck anyday,compared with joe public
Go for it timid,but look out for them cabs LOL
Thats kind of how i am feeling, I love being out on the road but the punters drive me mad 
margatemafia:
hi simon,i was told that i had to have medical completed and prov entitlement on licence before i could get behind the wheel mate
Cheers margate, I wasnāt sure which is why I had underlined the āI thinkā. Now I know I was wrong . No harm done, I hope
help appreciated for a transmoglified technophobe
how do you do those quote fingys 
thanks
sidan:
how do you do those quote fingys
Just go to the relevant previous post, click on the 
button, then edit the text and add your own comments afterwards. Simple.
Simon:
Iām not sure, but I think that you could do an assessment now, without an LGV provisional. You would be driving under supervision (obviously) and for an assessment I think that the assessors licence would cover you. It wouldnāt do any harm to ask, anyway.
Regards, Jonathan Ex Trade Plater. Ex.Owner/driver Ex. Instructor
Krankee:
sidan:
how do you do those quote fingys
Just go to the relevant previous post, click on the !(http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB2
letās just see )
Krankee:
sidan:
how do you do those quote fingysletās see if thatās a bit neater