Hi all hope you can help - well Im thinking of a career change into trucking. I’ve been unemployed for the past 11 months & just can’t get back into my previous line of work! Have savings so can fund the LGV courses myself but I don’t want to make any rash decisions. So I need some advice please.
Cheers all si
hidden&dangerous:
- How hard is it to get experience once qualified ?
It’s the same as most jobs really. You have to knock on a lot of doors untill you get lucky and a job comes up. Although agencies are often a good bet when you first pass your test.
hidden&dangerous:
2. How much work is available for class 2 drivers ?
It depends on the area you live in. Have a look in the local paper or job centre to see what’s available.
hidden&dangerous:
3. What sort of pay would I expect to earn roughly ?
Again, it depends on where you live. £5 - £6 per hour is average around my area.
Hope this helps. One thing you could try is getting a van driving job (or 7.5 ton truck - depending on whether you have the entitement on your license). That way you will get some commercial driving experience, plus find out whether you like being on the road all day every day.
Good luck. Oh, and welcome to Trucknet. 
I am probably wrong again, but here goes anyway.
Is there a time limit, when on the dole, after which you can get the dole to pay for a training course? Is that time limit 6 or 12 months?
I am sure it used to be 6 months, tho’ it could easily (and probably has been) increased to 12. If I am right, get the dole office to pay and save your own money for when you really need it.
If you want to get treated like a third-class citizen or a social-leper, become a lorry driver ! The Editor of a well-known transport magazine has voiced this opinion on many occasions.
Remember the last fuel protests, the government treated the protestors with nothing more than contempt.
The various organisations that are supposed to support the road transport industry are influenced by public opinion and not the needs of its members.
Road transport legislation is made by some “chinless wonder” in London with years of experience in “driving a desk”, takes the “tube” to work every day and has no real understanding of how to drive a car - let alone a truck !
If you want a “conversation stopper” at social events - tell everyone you’re a truck driver (its worse than being a copper). You’ll then get loads of comments about how trucks always pull out without any consideration for other road users, or “I had one pass me the other day at 80 mph !” - not even the Irish go that fast !!!
I apologise for my lack of enthusiasm but those are the harsh realities - something to consider beforehand.
Nevertheless, you get to meet some really down-to-earth people from all walks of life, have a great time, get to travel to all sorts of places and get paid for it !
Better than being stuck in an office !!!
hidden&dangerous:
Hi all hope you can help - well Im thinking of a career change into trucking. I’ve been unemployed for the past 11 months & just can’t get back into my previous line of work! Have savings so can fund the LGV courses myself but I don’t want to make any rash decisions. So I need some advice please.
- How hard is it to get experience once qualified ?
- How much work is available for class 2 drivers ?
- What sort of pay would I expect to earn roughly ?
Cheers all si
Best advice I can give is spend a lot of time reading the threads on this site and make your own mind up.
The job has a lot of good points, it also has a lot of bad.
We could argue with each other on here for weeks about why it’s good and why it’s not but it all comes down to your own personal circumstances, financial situation and what you want from the job; there are many many different avenues to take re what type of work/hours you want to work and what pay you want.
Good luck.
As many people are aware I have had some difficult times lately and I am one of the best moaners here but if push came to shove I would not swap my licence for anything. I agree with the others, read the threads here the dole will help you but the pay isn’t great so do some soul searching because a truck driver is something you are not something you do.
simon,
you have to be on the dole for six months to get help from them. each dole office will have a driving school that work with them. it is usually a 12 week course and alot of time spent in a classroom and your driving time is shared with other people too. but you get prepared and put through your theory test, and do different courses on taco hours and health and safety and basic mechanics on lorries.
i only know this as i had my 13 week assesment last thursday at the dole and the advisor who i spoke to told me about these driving courses. but before you can get reffered to this course you have to do a numeracy and literacy test at the dole to show how intelligent you are 
if you want to have a look at the type of course the dole will offer click on link and this will give you a rough idea of what they offer hidden&dangerous
Exactly Margate. Hidden & Dangerous says hes been on the dole 11 months. Getting the licence is only a part of the knowledge you need. If you can get training on stuff like tacho rules, drivers hours etc, etc. You then have a head start on all of that. As you will know, getting an LGV licence is also an expensive business. If you can get someone else to cover the costs, you can then use your own money for other things, ADR for eg.
There are many miss-conceptions about what is written down in the drivers hours regs among drivers, most of them have been discussed on here. Putting yourself through the LGV1 test teaches you how to pass a driving test, it teaches you absolutely nothing about any of the other things you need to know (unless you are lucky). My instuctor didn’t realise that his tacho clock was 12 hours out, for eg, till I pointed it out, then I had to tell him how to set it. The only reason I knew any of that was because of the course I had just done in a classroom.
thats exactly what i said in another post simon, even when i eventually pass my class 1 that don’t mean to say thats it, i would still be learning all the time even with a licence
margatemafia:
thats exactly what i said in another post simon, even when i eventually pass my class 1 that don’t mean to say thats it, i would still be learning all the time even with a licence
in this game your always learning.theres guys on here who have had there licence for enough years than they care to remember,and have driven everything under the sun and they say that there is still things in this industry that they have never come across b4.once you think that you know it all then i think it’s time to stop and try your hand at something else.
and margate i hope you get your class one soon as you sound really keen and i think that you’d be an assit to a company large or small,good luck.and don’t be affraid to ask any questions.that goes for all you wannabies out there. 
thanks kit kat, i hope i get my licence soon too as i can’t afford to keep failing too expensive got another test on 29th so we’ll have to wait and see…but i will let you guys know what happens
hi mate,listen you know yourself that you can driver the dam truck,do yourself a favour.don’t sit there till the 29th and worry or go over things in you head.wait untill the 29th when your sat in the unit and then say to yourself thats it this test is mine i will pass no problem.get the reverse right and you have passed,as you know that you can drive it.confidence in your own ability is the key here if you have that which i know you have then there will be know problems.and as for the tesco truck i hope you stuck to the speed limit 50mph its in the contract.straight jacket is in the post mate
thats exactly what i am gonna do kitkat…no chance of the tesco truck doing over 50mph not with 4 kids in the house