The number of 18 year olds wanting to spend a couple of grand on HGV training, with little prospect of a job at the end of it must be minimal. To those that do it, then yes they deserve to get a job and good luck to them.
Tiger.
THE VEHICLE CURER:
i am coming up to 18 and a fully qualified mechanic
?
even with 5 years experience under my belt
What age are you now?
depablo:
THE VEHICLE CURER:
i am coming up to 18 and a fully qualified mechanic?
even with 5 years experience under my belt
What age are you now?
17
KevinKevin:
I’m sure the government would’ve taken everything into consideration before lowering the age from 21 to 18.
You really sure on that 
Younger people pick things up far better than older people can.
Now that statement is so dated, although I like the way you fight your corner. (age 54)
You speak about experience on the road. People need to experience to have experience. I’m sure you had to experience to have experience when you began. You have someone who’s passed their car test at 17 and doing their HGV at 18 + someone who’s passed their car test at 17 and doing their HGV at 21, their road experience with a truck has no relevance to car experience. Both people are in the same boat. Both skills will probably be the same.
Actually you just shot yourself in the foot, 17~21=4 years experience driving on the road, before stepping up to a bigger vehicle. That 4 year period should not be lost in the rush to drive at 18.
I think you’re just plainly judging a book by it’s cover. Get over yourselves.
Actually I enjoy a good debate, its just the boy racers don’t do the younger generation any favours.
THE VEHICLE CURER:
depablo:
THE VEHICLE CURER:
i am coming up to 18 and a fully qualified mechanic?
even with 5 years experience under my belt
What age are you now?
17
So you’ve been fitting full time since you were 12■■? 
just tell the little runt he’s on “reefers”. he’ll be fine.
“yer, right, top one, sorted, an dat, innit”
“smoke da reefer”.
Lucy:
THE VEHICLE CURER:
depablo:
THE VEHICLE CURER:
i am coming up to 18 and a fully qualified mechanic?
even with 5 years experience under my belt
What age are you now?
17
So you’ve been fitting full time since you were 12■■?
no i am a fully qualified mechanic now but when i was 12 i started riding quads but got sick of them breaking and having to send them back to the shop to get fixed so my uncle taught me some bits about mechanics and some of it was just self taught but the problem i have is that the car market is dead there is no jobs going near me for mechanics.
limeyphil:
just tell the little runt he’s on “reefers”. he’ll be fine.
“yer, right, top one, sorted, an dat, innit”
“smoke da reefer”.
eeemmm excuse me, have i called you any names? and i am not a druggy i have worked very hard to get to where i am today and why does every body have this view that all teenagers with a license fly round a housing estate with crap music blasting out and writing off cars. i am nothing like that i have never written off a car, got 0 points on my license and don’t blast music out whilst driving round in a crap little saxo that looks like it has driven into halfords.
THE VEHICLE CURER:
no i am a fully qualified mechanic now but when i was 12 i started riding quads but got sick of them breaking and having to send them back to the shop to get fixed so my uncle taught me some bits about mechanics and some of it was just self taught but the problem i have is that the car market is dead there is no jobs going near me for mechanics.
i am a fully qualified mechanic.
NVQ, SVQ, city & guilds etc or as above self taught.
And I ain’t knocking you, trying to work out your age in relation to the above.
depablo:
THE VEHICLE CURER:
no i am a fully qualified mechanic now but when i was 12 i started riding quads but got sick of them breaking and having to send them back to the shop to get fixed so my uncle taught me some bits about mechanics and some of it was just self taught but the problem i have is that the car market is dead there is no jobs going near me for mechanics.i am a fully qualified mechanic.
NVQ, SVQ, city & guilds etc or as above self taught.
And I ain’t knocking you, trying to work out your age in relation to the above.
City & Guilds level 3 mechanic passed level 1, got skipped ahead from level 2 because of experience already gained in years before i started college and also experience gained in work experience at a garage and then went to level 3 which i have passed making me a qualified mechanic.
i was not having a go at you but at the one saying i am a druggy and calling me a runt.
Fully skilled at 18, credit for experience gained while still at school.
You live and learn, hope you get your scania V8 8x4, with loads of chrome, lights big exhaust and a big stereo.
Took me 5 years and I used to help a guy build scooters when I was at school, no credit for that though 
Thames Traders, Guy warriors, invincibles and Big J were the truck of the day, now its plastic tat and your lappy.
Just remember your never to old to learn 
It had to happen as most of the old boys are afraid of CPC and say they wont do it. So the goverment has called there buff and allowed 18 year olds on the road.
This will buy LABOUR browney points,
1st 18 year olds are not afraid of CPC
2nd It easy and cheap to train 18 years to drive when they have no other qualification when leaving school
3rd Its cheaper to employ an 18 year old and they can tramp all month because they have no family
4th Give an 18 a bing truck and he will work non-stop
5th the 18 year old will have a back bone like a lion and be able to handball all those loads older drivers moan about.
6th The 18 year old will increase insurance company profit,employe more staff a A&E departments, keep more VOSA staff employed, so you see it will get Britain back to work…I think.
I have trained hundreds of 18 year olds for LGV under the young driver scheme, they nearly all turn out to be great drivers. Very few bad habbits to break during training. Once they have grasped the planning and awareness needed to handle a large vehicle they are as good as it gets. (provided they continue to use the training they have been given).
Big D:
I have trained hundreds of 18 year olds for LGV under the young driver scheme
I believe that was the scheme where young drivers had to be employed by a company and could only drive for that company. That meant that they had ongoing development training for a long period rather like an old style apprenticeship.
The new young drivers will not have that - get the licence, albeit with a little more basic training (Initial driver CPC), and ‘get on with it’ is the more likely outcome for them.
To me, those two ways of doing things are worlds apart.
miketdt:
It had to happen as most of the old boys are afraid of CPC and say they wont do it.
Well here’s one that ain’t, just object to paying for it myself.
18 year olds are not afraid of CPC
Why should they be? Why should anyone be afraid of it?
Give an 18 a bing truck and he will work non-stop
The case with most drivers who will work for buttons
the 18 year old will have a back bone like a lion and be able to handball all those loads older drivers moan about
They will age soon enough, I was daft myself at that age now the backs paying for it thats why I am forced to use machinery to lift heavy weights, thank christ for manual handling regs
The 18 year old will keep more VOSA staff employed
Well that will be a first
depablo:
Fully skilled at 18, credit for experience gained while still at school.You live and learn, hope you get your scania V8 8x4, with loads of chrome, lights big exhaust and a big stereo.
Took me 5 years and I used to help a guy build scooters when I was at school, no credit for that though
Thames Traders, Guy warriors, invincibles and Big J were the truck of the day, now its plastic tat and your lappy.Just remember your never to old to learn
thanks man.
in the end i am happy with any truck as long as i have something to listen to and a good seat i will drive any where i am asked to go.
depablo:
Actually I enjoy a good debate, its just the boy racers don’t do the younger generation any favours.
Well this, as you call it, “debate” is just wasting your time because your feelings are probably the least thought about if you’re speaking about the government… so you might as well forget it. And, reality check, you will see 18 year old truck drivers on the roads, regardless of most insurance’s criteria, because there’s bound to be insurance companies who will insure an 18 year old to a truck. Plus, the government will be doing apprenticeships, so that even makes my point stronger. 
Actually kevin, premod is wasting my time. Neither you or anyone else need worry about my feelings.
Reality check, experience is the jockey and you only get it with age.
KevinKevin:
the government will be doing apprenticeships,
That would be the NVT and it lasts for a year BUT from what I understand of it - you must have an employer in the first place so maybe catch 22 again
Why all the animosity towards 18 yr olds driving lorries?
If theyare prepared to pay out all that money to do it out of their own pockets, then surely they are serious about it, Then there’s the lack of social life, the long hours and all the things WE moan about. They are aware of this and STILL want to do it.
IMHO, the Initial Drivers CPC will be seen by insurance companies as ‘training and experience’ and will encourage them to insure such drivers.
It will also give angencies and bosses a little bit of confidence in using them too.
Not only that but with the corporate manslaughter laws in place now, if you can show you employed someone who has been ‘trained’ then the penalties are far less.
Good luck to the young 'uns, they have energy and enthusiasm, just as we all had many years ago when lorry driving was a dream to aspire too…or have we all forgotten that feeling?
Pat