Hi I’m a 45 years young female.
It’s been 20 years since I last worked driving trucks.
I used to be a class 1 driver also was a bus driver in London.
I miss driving trucks and been longing to do it part time
Would anyone entertain employing me or am I living a dream?
I’d like to do night trunking perhaps as I used to enjoy that a lot 
Ask around and see what firms say.
You don’t say what you do now, your post suggests a non driving job?
Maybe try part time on agency to ease in?
As you had your licence longer than new passes I’d think your in with a shout for someone to let you get started again.
dcgpx:
Ask around and see what firms say.
You don’t say what you do now, your post suggests a non driving job?Maybe try part time on agency to ease in?
As you had your licence longer than new passes I’d think your in with a shout for someone to let you get started again.
Thanx
I’ve been driving for a while then long story why I became a Midwife [emoji1] so still ‘delivering’ but babies instead [emoji12]
I have always loved the road and miss it badly.
I ride a motorbike to work and that keeps me a bit happy but I do miss trucks.
Agency work would suit me fine as I would not want to leave Midwifery (I get quite a bit more money on my current job).
But agencies would not look at me maybe though I can only ask. …
Thing about agency is they will take anyone on ( no disrespect meant by that!) so go see a few, get on their system then pester life out of them and you will get some work off them. You need to be very careful on hours though as your day job counts as other work in a driving week so you might go over hours limit without realising it.
Also as you’ve previous experience, regardless of how long ago your in a better position than most.
I drove trucks in my very early 20’s then went on the buses for 17 years then 7 in the office before getting back into wagon driving, I was 46 before redundancy but got a job through family employed as a garage/warehouse labourer but the boss somehow knew about my hgv 
and took near a year to talk me into taking on a wagon, (after fruitful negotiations) so I classed my self as new and very lucky to get the opportunity.
I have a class 2 but am paid the same as class 1 in our place as my boss reckons I am working harder to move the same amount of equipment as the three class one guys
It makes for good banter but not one of them would swap
A long break and the fact you have carried the most expensive load ever that can claim at a whim will work in your favour at any interview 
Good luck, not that you will need it 
You probably stand the same chance as anyone else. If you want to go drive a truck , then go do it!
Remember you will need to do your 35 hours of CPC training and apply for a digi tacho card before you can do any driving.
dcgpx:
Thing about agency is they will take anyone on ( no disrespect meant by that!) so go see a few, get on their system then pester life out of them and you will get some work off them. You need to be very careful on hours though as your day job counts as other work in a driving week so you might go over hours limit without realising it.Also as you’ve previous experience, regardless of how long ago your in a better position than most.
thanx dcgpx
will give it a go, I have a friend who’s a trucker, have not seen him in a while but he’s coming to see me today.
Hours should not be a problem but I will double check , I already work 6 days a week and have looked into working hours regulations, the main thing is that you need to have enough hours off in between shifts for a start then to have signed a WTR (working time regulation form). I intend to swap one of my days (the sunday one) for a trip in the truck, I normally work monday to friday office hours then a very long shift on a sunday during the day, if I drop the sunday long shift maybe I can do a saturday night driving.
Also if I get back into it now part time even if one shift a month then I’ll get myself slowly back into it, with the NHS we have good (well they are ok) early retirements packages, I could look at that in a few years and then still work for the agency trucking (if I stay in good health as now), some of my colleagues take early retirement then still work in the hospital, but why do that when I can be out on the road
whelmic:
Remember you will need to do your 35 hours of CPC training and apply for a digi tacho card before you can do any driving.
Thank you Drift and Bonnie Lass
and also whelmic, yes I have to get a digi tacho and the CPC, will ask my trucker friend today when he comes to visit to go over these things with me so that I don’t miss a trick
in the meantime I also have my medical on Friday (optician today for an eye test, never worn glasses and sight was ok a year ago so should be ok) as when I turned 45 a few months ago I totally forgot to do it! I was moving home and had some other bad/stressful events in life, I received the DVLA reminder but put it to one side and totally forgot about it…moved home, then next thing you know was that I sent my licence to DVLA for change of address and it got back to me with NO truck/bus entitlement on it, I had a fit then remembered 
I gave them a ring they said if I do my medical now and it is ok they will stamp it back on (phew)
I came back to HGV driving after about about 22 years away from it, admittedly this was a few years ago when there was more work available, but I’m led to believe the work situation is picking up again so I reckon you’ve got every chance of finding HGV work, you may have to do some agency work to get the experience though.
Be warned things have changed a great deal in the road transport industry over the years, it’s not what it used to be, the lorries and technology are better but some aspects of the job have taken a dive I’m afraid 
tachograph:
I came back to HGV driving after about about 22 years away from it, admittedly this was a few years ago when there was more work available, but I’m led to believe the work situation is picking up again so I reckon you’ve got every chance of finding HGV work, you may have to do some agency work to get the experience though.Be warned things have changed a great deal in the road transport industry over the years, it’s not what it used to be, the lorries and technology are better but some aspects of the job have taken a dive I’m afraid
Yes I have been ‘warned’ about the legalities of the job being a nightmare for some things, also my friend who had been out of trucking for a while, when he went back into it he had some difficulties in getting used to the digi-tacho 
One day if I entertain going back on the continent (as I had a job with a refrigerated Class 1 over Europe) I am worried about all these illegal immigrants, how does that work, is the driver ‘always’ guilty even if they just go on your axles/under your wheels■■? if so what do you do? constantly look under your wheels every time you stop? is that enough? 
well, I have started ‘hunting’, I have emailed an agency and a haulage company, they can only say no.
that is what I did originally 25 years ago, well…25 years ago instead of emailing I called them up on the phone 
They like you these days to turn up. Too easy to ignore emails.
Any agency will need you to turn up any way to sign forms etc so expect that.
good luck on the hunt [emoji4]
dcgpx:
They like you these days to turn up. Too easy to ignore emails.Any agency will need you to turn up any way to sign forms etc so expect that.
good luck on the hunt [emoji4]
Thanks for the tip.
The problem is that this haulage company is not exactly round the corner to just turn up. Though I can plan a trip to it. My problem is that I only have Saturdays off…
However the agency is near so I will go there.
[emoji4]
Funny how things come back to you like you’ve never been away.
I’m new at this class 1 malarkey. You’ll be way better than me
And I’m doing it every day. And being paid for it!
PaulNowak:
Funny how things come back to you like you’ve never been away.I’m new at this class 1 malarkey. You’ll be way better than me
And I’m doing it every day. And being paid for it!
I hope you are right and that it will all come back within a day
did you get a job shortly after obtaining your class 1?
it’s a shame the job does not pay too well, or at least I think truckers should be paid more anyway 
Check your plans against the driving regs.
You’ll need a minimum of 45 hours’ continuous rest every other week. In between you can reduce your rest to no less than 24 hours, but you then need to make up the shortfall (from 45) by adding it to another rest.
If you’re working Mon to Fri then realistically that means you will probably only be able to fit in one driving shift a fortnight. You could try to go part-time to free up more driving time, but the weekly rest rules will prevent you from shortening your weekends by much.
ORC:
Check your plans against the driving regs.You’ll need a minimum of 45 hours’ continuous rest every other week. In between you can reduce your rest to no less than 24 hours, but you then need to make up the shortfall (from 45) by adding it to another rest.
If you’re working Mon to Fri then realistically that means you will probably only be able to fit in one driving shift a fortnight. You could try to go part-time to free up more driving time, but the weekly rest rules will prevent you from shortening your weekends by much.
Hi thank you
can you tell me ‘exactly’ which regulations you are looking at as the ones I’ve looked at do not say that…I’ve looked at the GB driving regulations and in there it says you need 24 hours rest every fortnight…Drivers' hours: GB domestic rules - GOV.UK
thanks again
You’ll come under EU rules not domestic which is where the difference is