I reckon it’ll be a long time before drivers are out of a job, or at least in a format we can relate to.
As for it costing 3k, well the way I look at it, is that graduates keep shelling out 27k for a degree in bu88er all and then get a job for 25k. Something like 60% of student loans don’t get paid back fully because they don’t earn enough, so spending 3k to get your self a job that should pay about 30 k at least after the initial difficulties in securing work as a newbie, is a bit of a no-brainer.
looks like another…wwoooosssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh for the majority there…the toe s getting dipped into the water for another 2 pronged attack methinks…
Not really a whoosh is it? Unless you are one of the ones who follow and comment on troll behaviour with avid interest? Majority read a reasonable post, take it on face value then move on.
StandingCrow:
Thanks pete.
To be honest my main concerns are this new tesla truck coming out and it’s effect on drivers/the industry and how long it would take me to get my backside on that cosy lorry/truck seat.But without looking on the link you’ve referring to it’d cost me about £3000 which’s why i’m anxious about pursuing.
Thank you & safe trucking
Join the Army Reserve (An RLC transport regiment) they’ll pay YOU to do your licenses.
From signing on, you would be getting your class one license in 18-24 months.
I think they even do a twelve week ‘zero to hero’ type course event summer, which would see you do phase one and two training. Phase two is great fun, off-roading Landrovers and MAN lorries. Basic maintainence, convoy driving, etc… You also get a £1k bonus when you complete this course!
As well as your daily rate as a private (not much admittedly, like £45), you’ll come out as a HGV Cat C driver/ B3 Army driver.
6-12 months later, they will send you on your C+E, and then there all kinds of other courses - hazmat, ADR (not tanks though, unless you know the right people), those telescopic fork lift things you get on building sites, etc, etc.
Plus they’re constantly asking for drivers to go abroad for a few months, like Kenya, Canada (and elsewhere), so if you’re young and free it’s a great chance to pick up some life experience (maybe stay away from invites to sandy places though).
albion:
I reckon it’ll be a long time before drivers are out of a job, or at least in a format we can relate to.
As for it costing 3k, well the way I look at it, is that graduates keep shelling out 27k for a degree in bu88er all and then get a job for 25k. Something like 60% of student loans don’t get paid back fully because they don’t earn enough, so spending 3k to get your self a job that should pay about 30 k at least after the initial difficulties in securing work as a newbie, is a bit of a no-brainer.
THIS.
Despite me being a high school teacher for most of the last 14 years.
I’m regularly telling my (highly intelligent) teenage sons to forget uni for now. They could go for the experience, I suppose, and education in itself is a good thing, but I’m recommending they get their HGV licenses as soon as they’re 18, to start getting the two years in. I’ll pay, our they can do the TA route, as I outlined above. Then go do what they like for a few years: travel, study, ski rep, whatever, then tramp for a few years while still living at home, save like crazy.
They’ll be able to buy a house by 25. Maybe in a student area, they could sub let to other students. They could go to uni as a mature student, with no stress over A level results, because they take ‘life experience’ in lieu. And they’ll have that maturity as an advantage both socially and academically, while still being young and
They’ll still be under thirty, when they graduate, with a house as a source of income, or to sell to buy a place to settle in, with a 9-5 M-F career, and NO DEBTS.
I don’t know why we insist on trying to force all our academically-inclined young people straight through the uni sausage factory.
Thoughts? Am I mad? Irresponsible? Dreaming?
dieseldog999:
looks like another…wwoooosssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh for the majority there…the toe s getting dipped into the water for another 2 pronged attack methinks…
Not really a whoosh is it? Unless you are one of the ones who follow and comment on troll behaviour with avid interest? Majority read a reasonable post, take it on face value then move on.
Very true, there are two types of troll
Those who regularly start inflammatory threads with the sole purpose of ■■■■■■■ people off or stirring up trouble.
Those who reply to threads in an inflammatory manner with the sole intention of ■■■■■■■ people off or stirring up trouble.
What, you mean it could be . . . . . . no, never, it couldn’t . . . . . no, not possible . . . . . you must be wrong dd . . . . . surely!
If it was trolling would have thought the obvious suspects would have posted a reply just to pep it up.
And if it is a troll it they’ve failed really, because nobody has been triggered, just reasonable replies.
StandingCrow:
That’s the kind of thing i want at least 10-20(more the better) years in the industry,sorry if some felt this question to be stupid but like i said, it’s just the way articles on the net etc was talking they made it sound like i’d have a case of s*ds law i. e take 3 months saving, test, get license, eventually get job, love the job for bout 3 months most, out of job (or behind tesla, which’ll probably have same outcome) . But i think from what you have all said i’ll be ok So i’m of to work to start saving and read trucking magazine
Safe driving.
There is nothing in the Tesla that isn’t being worked on by the regular truck makers, the big headlines about it came from the Elon Musk PR machine and were regurgitated by the media outlets invited to the launch, none of which, as far as I can find out, had anything to do with commercial vehicles.
albion:
I reckon it’ll be a long time before drivers are out of a job, or at least in a format we can relate to.
As for it costing 3k, well the way I look at it, is that graduates keep shelling out 27k for a degree in bu88er all and then get a job for 25k. Something like 60% of student loans don’t get paid back fully because they don’t earn enough, so spending 3k to get your self a job that should pay about 30 k at least iafter the initial difficulties in securing work as a newbie, is a bit of a no-brainer.
THIS.
Despite me being a high school teacher for most of the last 14 years.
I’m regularly telling my (highly intelligent) teenage sons to forget uni for now. They could go for the experience, I suppose, and education in itself is a good thing, but I’m recommending they get their HGV licenses as soon as they’re 18, to start getting the two years in. I’ll pay, our they can do the TA route, as I outlined above. Then go do what they like for a few years: travel, study, ski rep, whatever, then tramp for a few years while still living at home, save like crazy.
They’ll be able to buy a house by 25. Maybe in a student area, they could sub let to other students. They could go to uni as a mature student, with no stress over A level results, because they take ‘life experience’ in lieu. And they’ll have that maturity as an advantage both socially and academically, while still being young and
They’ll still be under thirty, when they graduate, with a house as a source of income, or to sell to buy a place to settle in, with a 9-5 M-F career, and NO DEBTS.
I don’t know why we insist on trying to force all our academically-inclined young people straight through the uni sausage factory.
Thoughts? Am I mad? Irresponsible? Dreaming?
You, my friend are absolutely spot on. So many of our youngsters have been sold the pup which is, " education, education, education," and “if your don’t have a degree you’ll never get a decent job”
Nothing wrong with education, after all,knowledge is most certainly power, but how many people have we all met, who have the benefit of a good education and have qualifications to prove it, yet in the world which most of us inhabit they are a complete waste of space.
The occupants of the Houses of Parliament being the best example
I can think of.
Two of my three also very intelligent children have had the very experience you describe. EG. One of them has a Masters in Mech Eng. , and is working in an unrelated discipline for less than thirty thousand, the other teaches Mathematics at secondary level for around twenty five K. , having also spent a total of five years in university.
To the OP. Go for it my son. Don’t listen to the gloom merchants on here. There are a lot of good jobs out there. I’m away in the wild north west of Scotland and drivers are just as scarce as everywhere else.
A lot of the log charioteers are on £11/14 hr, and some of livestock firms are having to pay £15 to keep the good guys.
Be willing, versatile, which will come with experience, and don’t be frightened to get your hands dirty and you’ll never be idle.
Best of luck lad.
Go for it. I did; as soon as I was 21 and I’m now sixty-four. I’ve not really got off the bottom rung of the ladder in some respects but there is nothing else I would have rather have done.
If there is nothing else you would rather do than drive a lorry; then drive a lorry.
You follow your dream my friend, i`ve been in the industry since 1963, seen many changes, and the industry is changing fast, but sadly its never to the drivers favour, however, there are some good jobs out there, that pay a good wage, like any job, some good…some bad…some have dafs…some have volvos, some even had scanias, but avoid them at your peril, otherwise your be retired by the time you reach 35, with spinal problems…ha ha anyway the important question…Self driving trucks…its not going to happen for many many years…we will always need drivers…i wont go into the reasons for now…but i reckon at least 20/30 years before they are let loose on our highways without a driver…so good luck in following your dream, i did, and never regretted it, in fact i am in the process of renewing my licence once again, and i am 72 in march.
truckyboy:
You follow your dream my friend, i`ve been in the industry since 1963, seen many changes, and the industry is changing fast, but sadly its never to the drivers favour, however, there are some good jobs out there, that pay a good wage, like any job, some good…some bad…some have dafs…some have volvos, some even had scanias, but avoid them at your peril, otherwise your be retired by the time you reach 35, with spinal problems…ha ha anyway the important question…Self driving trucks…its not going to happen for many many years…we will always need drivers…i wont go into the reasons for now…but i reckon at least 20/30 years before they are let loose on our highways without a driver…so good luck in following your dream, i did, and never regretted it, in fact i am in the process of renewing my licence once again, and i am 72 in march.
I’m 27 now that’s not long, was hoping to drive a bit longer haha. I didn’t drive till this year due to confidence and money issues.As for you renewing your license i wish you every success. I did think when i originally post, that because of the effects to drivers that’s publiced of the tesla they may think i’m a troll trying to scare them etc, but honestly i didn’t mean to i just needed honest answers from drivers who know, not just the negative **** that’s published + experience advertised for some job these two combined made me think it wasn’t worth the money, tbh you guys have given me hope and the strength to carry on and pursue my dream/class 1 license,so thank you. I’ll try and post some more (maybe in a year a picture of my first lorry im driving ) but honestly what knowledge can i give .
BTW:If i was a troll i’d have more fun with youtube.
Thanks again.
You can still give valuable knowledge, even if you have only just passed your test, it will be from a different perspective though…your hgv lessons, whats expected, how you coped…this is all knowledge, that even i dont know, i never had to take a test…in fact there wasnt even a HGV licence…ha ha its whats called grandfather rights…we got our licence on what we were driving at the time, and that had to be proved by getting the T./M to sign the forms stating that. Our renewal for the HGV ( brown book…black book () ( i cant remember now what came first ) but i still have them, and my little red one…anyway…like i was saying, for renewal they never changed the licence…it was a sticky backed piece of paper, that was stuck over the existing piece in the book…tight ■■■■■■■■■■■■ any way, dont let anyone put you off of your dream, regardless of the negativity of some members on here and other sites, who are unhappy with their own lives and jobs…keep us informed…and good luck.
You will earn money and will do till the day you stop, you will put long hours in for that little extra, when you are retired from driving trucks they will still need truck drivers even then.
why are you so worried about so far ahead, if you analysis to much you get left behind and if its something you want to do just do it, and stop reading crap that will never change this game in any big way.
Just do it and enjoy
albion:
I reckon it’ll be a long time before drivers are out of a job, or at least in a format we can relate to.
As for it costing 3k, well the way I look at it, is that graduates keep shelling out 27k for a degree in bu88er all and then get a job for 25k. Something like 60% of student loans don’t get paid back fully because they don’t earn enough, so spending 3k to get your self a job that should pay about 30 k at least after the initial difficulties in securing work as a newbie, is a bit of a no-brainer.
And besides,if standing crow takes the finance option maybe two or three years down the line it will be paid off but you will still have your licence until you retire,so worth it in the end
StandingCrow:
I’m 27 now that’s not long, was hoping to drive a bit longer haha. I didn’t drive till this year due to confidence and money issues.As for you renewing your license i wish you every success. I did think when i originally post, that because of the effects to drivers that’s publiced of the tesla they may think i’m a troll trying to scare them etc, but honestly i didn’t mean to i just needed honest answers from drivers who know, not just the negative **** that’s published + experience advertised for some job these two combined made me think it wasn’t worth the money, tbh you guys have given me hope and the strength to carry on and pursue my dream/class 1 license,so thank you. I’ll try and post some more (maybe in a year a picture of my first lorry im driving ) but honestly what knowledge can i give .
BTW:If i was a troll i’d have more fun with youtube.
Thanks again.
I passed my class 2 last year, just before my 27th birthday. That was in july, took a job which turned out to be rubbish, a load of lies etc etc, anyway, went back to my original job in the meantime still looking and applying, anyway got offered a job i applied for which stated 2yrs experience necessary, had a interview and they laid everything on the table, wage, hours, ot rate, weekend rate, told me they are willing to take me on and pay the extra for insurance, had an assessment drive and then started the following monday, in august, and so far So good. Granted class 2 is a glorfied van but the boss has told me He will put me thru my class 1 around august next year if i want, because i would of been driving a year and mainley for the insurance. Long winded, but go for it. I dont regret doing it one bit, and the happiest i have been in a job before, that ranges from working as a car mechanic for 7years, then in retail, then as a van driver doing 120stops a day. When i think back the only thing i am annoyed about is not doing it sooner, because like you i thought about it for too long.
So i’m of to work to start saving and read trucking magazine 
.