TruckNet UK - Professional Drivers Forum

Skip to content

  Advanced search
Contact Us
  • TruckNet UK Home
  • Board index ‹ UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS ‹ NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
  • Change font size
  • FAQ
  • Chat [1]
  • Gallery
  • Register
  • Login

From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Discussion and advice for new and wannabe Truck drivers

Sponsored by
Image

Moderators: ROG, dieseldave

Forum rules
Forum rules and sanction system updated 15/2/2009-click here to read before posting

By posting content to TruckNet, you're agreeing to our terms of use and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Use Policy. You acknowledge that any personal data you post on TruckNet may be accessed by other members of TruckNet and visitors to the forum

Post a reply
11 posts • Page 1 of 1

From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby Neetsneets » Mon Jan 17, 2022 12:26 pm

Hi guys.

My class 1 training and test (straight from cat B) are booked for the first week of March but I'm really struggling to sit tight in my underpaid office job.
I'm dreaming of an opportunity to learn something useful in the meantime, like driving a forklift on the job, and maybe earn some overtime because the training is so expensive.
Does anyone have any ideas if agencies would be of any help here?
My small company (a farm) actually has a fleet of artics but I'm scared that if I approach them about my switch from accounts to lorry driving, they will laugh me out of the room and then probably sack me :roll:
Is it far reaching to hope to do some warehouse/loading/forklift work for a company and then move onto their lorries?
At this rate I feel like I'm going to have to pick up a second full time job... damn being on a rubbish salary.

Sorry not sure if I'm asking for help or venting at this point!
It's such a long wait, I lost a lot of momentum since getting all theories done in November.
Neetsneets
MEMBER
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:51 pm
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby carlston49 » Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:02 pm

Rather than warehouse work/forklift truck driving, etc. a proper driving job would be more helpful.

Maybe you can work 1 day each week driving a 3.5 tonne supermarket delivery vehicle in addition to your office job. If you do 8 hours at £10/hour you should take home £64 as only 20% income tax will be payable on that and no National Insurance. This is because you don't pay any NI on the first £184/week on each PAYE payroll that you're on.
carlston49
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 320
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:44 am
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby Noremac » Thu Jan 20, 2022 3:43 am

I find it interesting reading the outlook of potential new drivers.

Driving isn't a well paid profession on the whole. Drivers can make a bit of money by putting in the hours or by getting in with one of the better payers, which by no means is a given for a new starter.

Driving usually does not involve sociable hours and the hours are normally longer than an office job and can include weekend work, making family life more difficult.

Driving has an element of risk and there is considerable responsibility because one moment of distraction and you can end up in a lot of bother.

There are considerable rules and regulations to follow and potential for personal fines for infringing drivers hours or driving a vehicle with defect(s).

Driving is solitary and boring and involves going out in all sorts of weathers.

If you read through the forums, there are many more examples of why driving really isn't for everyone and if you are just doing it because it is better paid than your current job, you perhaps are not taking everything into account.

Having said this, if you think it is for you, it can be a rewarding career choice.
Noremac
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 874
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2019 7:20 pm
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby Terry Cooksey » Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:11 pm

I wouldn't bother with any other training like forklift, as you'd be very unlikely to use it once you've passed your hgv so it would just be wasted money.
I'd also say there's no harm in telling your company about doing your training, as they might let you do a few shifts once you've passed to cover holidays and sickness, or you could be next in line to replace any drivers that leave. It's also likely in that case that they would provide some training or send you out with someone else rather than throwing you in at the deep end, which is likely to happen if you find work elsewhere, especially if you do agency work.
Your employer can't fire you or take any disciplinary action against you for doing extra training, if anything, they would probably be glad that they didn't have to cover the costs

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
Terry Cooksey
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2021 3:05 pm
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby Neetsneets » Fri Jan 21, 2022 4:53 pm

Noremac wrote:I find it interesting reading the outlook of potential new drivers.

Driving isn't a well paid profession on the whole. Drivers can make a bit of money by putting in the hours or by getting in with one of the better payers, which by no means is a given for a new starter.

Driving usually does not involve sociable hours and the hours are normally longer than an office job and can include weekend work, making family life more difficult.

Driving has an element of risk and there is considerable responsibility because one moment of distraction and you can end up in a lot of bother.

There are considerable rules and regulations to follow and potential for personal fines for infringing drivers hours or driving a vehicle with defect(s).

Driving is solitary and boring and involves going out in all sorts of weathers.

If you read through the forums, there are many more examples of why driving really isn't for everyone and if you are just doing it because it is better paid than your current job, you perhaps are not taking everything into account.

Having said this, if you think it is for you, it can be a rewarding career choice.


I hate the office politics with burning passion, I earn £26k with no overtime potential, live alone in a rented flat I can't afford so I have to look for a second job... I love driving, I drive a lot, get on with the warehouse people better, and love being on my own. Thank you but I know what I'm getting myself into 8)
Neetsneets
MEMBER
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:51 pm
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby Neetsneets » Fri Jan 21, 2022 4:57 pm

Terry Cooksey wrote:I wouldn't bother with any other training like forklift, as you'd be very unlikely to use it once you've passed your hgv so it would just be wasted money.
I'd also say there's no harm in telling your company about doing your training, as they might let you do a few shifts once you've passed to cover holidays and sickness, or you could be next in line to replace any drivers that leave. It's also likely in that case that they would provide some training or send you out with someone else rather than throwing you in at the deep end, which is likely to happen if you find work elsewhere, especially if you do agency work.
Your employer can't fire you or take any disciplinary action against you for doing extra training, if anything, they would probably be glad that they didn't have to cover the costs

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk


Thank you so much Terry, you made some valid points that I haven't considered before.
They have some tramping work available (Herts - Cornwall) which is very well paid and looks pretty tempting. Their fleet is also really new and well looked after. I might need to have that hard conversation.
Neetsneets
MEMBER
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:51 pm
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby stu675 » Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:07 am

Neetsneets wrote:Hi
My small company (a farm) actually has a fleet of artics but I'm scared that if I approach them about my switch from accounts to lorry driving, they will laugh me out of the room and then probably sack me :roll: .


I'd like to believe, that if you told the right person in the company all the steps you had already taken to become an Artic driver, they would not laugh and they would help
stu675
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 1312
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2021 11:42 pm
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby driveress » Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:25 am

stu675 wrote:
Neetsneets wrote:Hi
My small company (a farm) actually has a fleet of artics but I'm scared that if I approach them about my switch from accounts to lorry driving, they will laugh me out of the room and then probably sack me :roll: .


I'd like to believe, that if you told the right person in the company all the steps you had already taken to become an Artic driver, they would not laugh and they would help


^This…definitely

Do you want to leave the company or just the office? When you say you think they would probably sack you, I think you were joking and it was an expression of your fear of anyone knowing of your plans, but in case that is a real fear, they can’t sack you easily unless you have worked there for under 2 years. Even then, they have to be careful how they do it.

If you would stay with the company if they could offer you a different role, I would think you are in an extremely enviable position already working for a company with a fleet.

Just to give you my perspective as an employer, I tend to think everyone is happy in their role unless they say. Employees seem to think I’m psychic but I have no idea their circumstances have changed/that they want more hours/fewer hours/different role unless they tell me, or they have complained to someone else and it gets back to me, and when they do/it does, I can usually meet their requests. It very often happens that someone will come to me asking to take on someone else’s hours after they have left, about 2 minutes after I have posted a job advert that I have spent hours crafting. If one of my front of house staff told me they wanted to work in the kitchen I would bite their hand off and get them trained up ASAP! Recruitment is costly and risky. I would think most employers would look to keep members of the team in the company if they could. I bet they would rather recruit a new office bod to train up to replace you than a new HGV driver.

I know what you mean when you fear people will laugh you out of the room. This is a complete change for me too. I still have not told some close friends of my decision because I need to be emotionally strong enough to manage any negative responses. I am emerging into that place now, partly because the people who I have told have been positive and supportive.

So be brave, value yourself and what you can offer, whether you choose to stay or go. Good luck.

Ps the beginning of March really isn’t that far away, it will fly by
User avatar
driveress
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2022 10:13 pm
Location: North Devon
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby DSMRookie » Sat Jan 22, 2022 2:30 pm

Neetsneets wrote:
Noremac wrote:I find it interesting reading the outlook of potential new drivers.

Driving isn't a well paid profession on the whole. Drivers can make a bit of money by putting in the hours or by getting in with one of the better payers, which by no means is a given for a new starter.

Driving usually does not involve sociable hours and the hours are normally longer than an office job and can include weekend work, making family life more difficult.

Driving has an element of risk and there is considerable responsibility because one moment of distraction and you can end up in a lot of bother.

There are considerable rules and regulations to follow and potential for personal fines for infringing drivers hours or driving a vehicle with defect(s).

Driving is solitary and boring and involves going out in all sorts of weathers.

If you read through the forums, there are many more examples of why driving really isn't for everyone and if you are just doing it because it is better paid than your current job, you perhaps are not taking everything into account.

Having said this, if you think it is for you, it can be a rewarding career choice.


I hate the office politics with burning passion, I earn £26k with no overtime potential, live alone in a rented flat I can't afford so I have to look for a second job... I love driving, I drive a lot, get on with the warehouse people better, and love being on my own. Thank you but I know what I'm getting myself into 8)
Would you consider house share or you have too much stuff? I don’t exactly know where you live, but renting a room might save you massive amounts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
DSMRookie
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 156
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:25 am
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby Neetsneets » Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:50 am

I just wanted to drop a quick thank you to everyone who replied.
I'm sticking to that office job for now and just picked up a few shifts with a temp agency in the evening.
My reversing test is on Friday, then if all goes well the training will commence as planned.

Can't wait to be let loose on the road! :mrgreen:
Neetsneets
MEMBER
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:51 pm
Top

Re: From office work to class 1, the wait is KILLING ME.

Postby Tailschwing » Wed Mar 02, 2022 5:51 pm

I quit a £30k office job four years ago because I also hated the office politics and having to present a 'professional image' etc. I now earn just shy of £40k driving a mixer and I don't regret my decision.

I do somewhat longer days than my previous 9-5, often 10 hours, sometimes slightly more if accident on motorway etc, but I also have days like today where I started 6am and finished at midday with full pay. Driving whilst listening to music doesn't feel like work to me. Totally different to my previous office job where it was getting increasingly harder to motivate myself.
Searching for a caf...
User avatar
Tailschwing
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 346
Joined: Thu May 03, 2018 7:28 am
Top


By posting content to TruckNet, you're agreeing to our terms of use and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Use Policy. You acknowledge that any personal data you post on TruckNet may be accessed by other members of TruckNet and visitors to the forum

Post a reply
11 posts • Page 1 of 1

Return to NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Goff118, Google Adsense [Bot], Lawrence Dunbar and 26 guests

Advertisers





  • Board index
  • The team • Delete all board cookies • All times are UTC [ DST ]
  • TruckNet UK Home
  •  | 
  • About Us
  •  | 
  • Advertise
  •  | 
  • Contact Us
  •  | 
  • Press Center
  •  | 
  • Terms of Use
  •  | 
  • Privacy Policy
  •  | 
  • Cookie Use Policy
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group | TruckNet UK, DVV Media International Ltd.
Note to Media.. copying or use of quotes from any part of this bulletin Board is only permitted with the members permission and credit given to TruckNet UK