Hi everyone,hope ive posted in the right section,
last year was the worst ever for me,firstly my wife passed away from cancer leaving me with 3 young kids to look after,then i lost my job to covid,
after all the grieving that i have done i need to start moving forward,
what i asking is im 44 years old and want to start driving for a liviing,
can someone point me in the right direction for funding/grants to get my truck licence as i have no savings,ive tried the governments advanced learning loan scheme but cant find a trainer that uses the scheme,
thanks in advance,
Shawn
You will struggle to find any grants or funding for HGV training. I’ve heard of people on jobseekers getting funding but that was a lot of years ago and I don’t know if it’s still a thing.
There are a number of supermarkets that run warehouse to wheels schemes, co-op and Aldi are two that spring to mind, basically you work in the warehouse and you will be able to apply for the scheme after working there for a while. May be worth a google?
Other than that, there is either saving up or taking a loan out. I will say though, HGV driving especially in the first few years getting experience isn’t exactly family friendly. Agency’s will say they are flexible until the point you turn down a few jobs and you go in the “don’t call” list and find yourself with no work.
I can’t offer advice as to funding, you have my utmost sympathies for a horrible situation and I appreciate that you are trying to give your family the best chance.
Usually when someone asks about driving HGV with a family, there are many people saying don’t do it it is not compatible etc. I often provide my experience of working up through it with a young family getting regular hours on days and no weekends and getting a job that pays well for doing so. It can be done, and I’ve been fortunate enough to attend things at schools or pick the kids up from school sometimes etc.
However I was lucky to have a wife to raise my three kids whilst I was at work so the occasions when it doesn’t go so well there was a back up. If you don’t have support from a partner or family member then I fear that HGV driving is not a realistic route for giving your family what they need most (you)
It is an industry that has a reputation for being hard on family life and not compatible, I’m sure that a lot of it is drivers who let that happen but it is an industry that demands a lot.
Please don’t let me put you off if you think you have the support network in place but do heed the warning. Good luck.
Pertemps have a driver academy.Give them a bell they may help.They do all your training .Sorry about your loss.
8wheels:
I can’t offer advice as to funding, you have my utmost sympathies for a horrible situation and I appreciate that you are trying to give your family the best chance.Usually when someone asks about driving HGV with a family, there are many people saying don’t do it it is not compatible etc. I often provide my experience of working up through it with a young family getting regular hours on days and no weekends and getting a job that pays well for doing so. It can be done, and I’ve been fortunate enough to attend things at schools or pick the kids up from school sometimes etc.
However I was lucky to have a wife to raise my three kids whilst I was at work so the occasions when it doesn’t go so well there was a back up. If you don’t have support from a partner or family member then I fear that HGV driving is not a realistic route for giving your family what they need most (you)
It is an industry that has a reputation for being hard on family life and not compatible, I’m sure that a lot of it is drivers who let that happen but it is an industry that demands a lot.
Please don’t let me put you off if you think you have the support network in place but do heed the warning. Good luck.
^^^^This is spot on advice.
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thanks for the replies
I’m doing a funded course at the moment.
After losing my business during the Covid crisis last year I had to claim Universal Credit. I was looking to retrain and the job centre advertised a driver training programme.
There isn’t any funding available for the actual driver training but the company I’m training with have got around this by putting a programme of other funded courses together which raise enough money to pay for the practical course and test.
My particular course includes 5 weeks of online learning (functional skills/warehousing/customer service, CPC, hazard perception, driver theory) then a week of driver training and a guaranteed interview.
The opportunities are out there depending on what area you’re in. I’m in South Yorkshire.
thanks for the replies everyone,