Still in the process of trying my damndest to get trained up and qualified to drive the big rigs.
Passed the medical, sent off for provisional which I’m still waiting to come back (Nearly 2 weeks).
Now I’ve been trying for days to try to get funding but having no joy at the moment.
Have been officially unemployed since April last year when I gave up my job to help my fiancee look after her gran who suffers from alcohol related dementia. All savings been used up.
Company I’d like to go with don’t accept Career Development Loans. Tbh can’t blame them with the red tape.
Bank won’t give me a loan as I’ve slipped over my overdraft a couple of times in the last 12 months, even though all my previous loans with them have been paid on time. They are putting through a credit card for me but I really doubt that the credit limit would cover the £2650 I’m looking at for the Cat C, C+E and CPC.
Thought the mother-in-law would help out so I could get into a decent paying job before our baby is due. Turns out her divorce lawyer is a bit more expensive than she first though so can’t help.
Really don’t relish the idea of going for one of these loans with 12345% APR and end up paying through the nose but its looking like I’m running out of options.
Out of sheer desperation, I have to ask for any advice that you reading this are able to give please? Has anyone been in this type of situation?
Not sure if you do pass that you will get full time work as a newbie so that needs serious consideration if you are thinking about paying back a loan for the training
Very different in my day because there were more jobs than drivers so as a newbie I had plenty of local companies wanting to take me on full time/perm and give a little more training = late 80s
Thanks Rog. I had a chat with one of the girls at Wincanton a couple of weeks back and was told they’re rolling out a newly qualified driver scheme where they take on newbies and train them up on a reduced wage for 4 weeks before turning them loose. Sounds promising.
Have the biggest reason to be motivated now that I’ve ever had to get a decent job so am more than prepared to go knocking on doors and handing out CVs when the time comes.
Yes, there is no doubt you’ve got more than a bit of a problem!
One idea springs to mind and I hope I’m not out of order mentioning this. There is a regular forum contributor, John, who calls himself LGV Trainer. In recent years he’s given away (IIRC) free of charge a training course from his base at Chelmsford, Essex. I HAVE NO IDEA IF HE INTENDS REPEATING THIS OFFER so don’t shout at him or me if he chooses not to. But it’s previously been on the run up to Christmas so I suggest you get your theory tests done and then you’ll be in a position to enter the draw. That’s if he runs it again.
This post is not intended to raise your hopes unfairly, nor to put any pressure on John. Apologies in advance if I’ve got it wrong.
mac12:
You say you want to drive the big rigs why? Do you no anything about the job?
Really only what I’ve read on here and what I’ve heard from a few drivers I’ve spoken to.
Main thing for me is that its probably the best paying job I could get even with long hours etc. Aint afraid of long hours or hard work so long as my woman n bump get a decent standard of living for my efforts
andygt4:
Still in the process of trying my damndest to get trained up and qualified to drive the big rigs.
Passed the medical, sent off for provisional which I’m still waiting to come back (Nearly 2 weeks).
Now I’ve been trying for days to try to get funding but having no joy at the moment.
Have been officially unemployed since April last year when I gave up my job to help my fiancee look after her gran who suffers from alcohol related dementia. All savings been used up.
Company I’d like to go with don’t accept Career Development Loans. Tbh can’t blame them with the red tape.
Bank won’t give me a loan as I’ve slipped over my overdraft a couple of times in the last 12 months, even though all my previous loans with them have been paid on time. They are putting through a credit card for me but I really doubt that the credit limit would cover the £2650 I’m looking at for the Cat C, C+E and CPC.
Thought the mother-in-law would help out so I could get into a decent paying job before our baby is due. Turns out her divorce lawyer is a bit more expensive than she first though so can’t help.
Really don’t relish the idea of going for one of these loans with 12345% APR and end up paying through the nose but its looking like I’m running out of options.
Out of sheer desperation, I have to ask for any advice that you reading this are able to give please? Has anyone been in this type of situation?
andygt4:
Still in the process of trying my damndest to get trained up and qualified to drive the big rigs.
Passed the medical, sent off for provisional which I’m still waiting to come back (Nearly 2 weeks).
Now I’ve been trying for days to try to get funding but having no joy at the moment.
Have been officially unemployed since April last year when I gave up my job to help my fiancee look after her gran who suffers from alcohol related dementia. All savings been used up.
Company I’d like to go with don’t accept Career Development Loans. Tbh can’t blame them with the red tape.
Bank won’t give me a loan as I’ve slipped over my overdraft a couple of times in the last 12 months, even though all my previous loans with them have been paid on time. They are putting through a credit card for me but I really doubt that the credit limit would cover the £2650 I’m looking at for the Cat C, C+E and CPC.
Thought the mother-in-law would help out so I could get into a decent paying job before our baby is due. Turns out her divorce lawyer is a bit more expensive than she first though so can’t help.
Really don’t relish the idea of going for one of these loans with 12345% APR and end up paying through the nose but its looking like I’m running out of options.
Out of sheer desperation, I have to ask for any advice that you reading this are able to give please? Has anyone been in this type of situation?
andygt4:
You obviously have no idea just how hard caring for someone with dementia is, let alone doing it 24/7.
My wife did that for a job for years - started as a part time carer then made it to care home manager where the home had a dementia wing with her being the wing manager for that as well as for the whole home so from what she has told me over the years it is one of the hardest things to do … that was in a care home with all the facilities so doing it alone without such facilities must have been very hard indeed
Those who comment without doing it themselves need to have a reality check - how many times do we hear car drivers complaining about lorry drivers when they have never done it themselves and we take a dim view of that on here
mac12:
You say you want to drive the big rigs why? Do you no anything about the job?
Really only what I’ve read on here and what I’ve heard from a few drivers I’ve spoken to.
Main thing for me is that its probably the best paying job I could get even with long hours etc. Aint afraid of long hours or hard work so long as my woman n bump get a decent standard of living for my efforts
The long hours is what makes the wage you could be on £6.50 per hour. With a lot of jobs you may only see your woman for 45 hours per week if lucky I no of a few who could not leave the wife so had to give the job up.
If things are so financially tight for you, why on earth are you trying to borrow the neck end of 3k to get both licences with no job guarantee at the end of it !!
What’s your background prior to being unemployed?
Why not consider van/7.5t delivery work & save for the class c & then c&e?
Surely if you want to be working again you would get some form of delivery work through an agency on vans at this time of yr !!
Get the impression you think passing both lgv licences will then get you some mega paying job the minute you’ve passed them !! Forgive me for sounding blunt but that’s the impression your giving from your post !!
Boo9729:
Why not consider van/7.5t delivery work & save for the class c & then c&e?
If he passed his car test less than 16 years ago, he won’t be able to drive a 7.5 tonner. But I agree with the main point you make - the sensible route would be to get some other work for now and use the income to pay for the HGV training. You really don’t want to be saddling yourself with a few thousand £££s of debt when you have a new family to provide for.
Been waiting 2 weeks for provisional to come back now so shouldn’t be too much longer. Keep checking on the direct gov site to see if i can book theory but no luck yet.
Have only had car licence since 2009 i think it was so no grandfather rights on it so everything has to be done the long way. Guess I’ll get there eventually.
Did look into van work at one point but with no experience no-one wanted to know. But I have had a couple of face-to-face meetings at a couple of lorry haulage companies and they’ve expressed positive views on taking on newly qualified drivers so it’s not looking too gloomy.
