Firstly what a good and informative forum. I am seriously considering doing my LGV C and then C+E.
I am based in Truro in Cornwall and currently work as a Used Car Manager for a big dealer group down here. We use a really good transport company called J and A based in Bridgewater. I have been seriously thinking about and will probably get the wheels in motion in the next month or so. Just not alot of training companies down here and the ones that are here i am unsure of what they are like.
Does anyone know of any intensive courses? I dont mind travelling.
The courses for doing the C & CE are usually intensive courses with a test at the end of the course.
Dont be too hasty to get CE as most employers will be reluctant to give a newbie a chance on C.
Get the C done first and then do CE later when you have a bit of experience of driving LGVs.
Nothing to stop you doing both, one after the other, but it does seem a waste of money to shell out for something that you probably will not be able to use for a while
For some pre training advice and the procees to go through, click onto the link in my signature below
Dont be too hasty to get CE as most employers will be reluctant to give a newbie a chance on C.
Get the C done first and then do CE later when you have a bit of experience of driving LGVs.
Have to strongly disagree with you here Rog.
Firstly, when you have dont the training and freshly passed on Cat C, the correct driving standard is still fresh in your mind and you are in test passing mode so to speak . I find most guys who go directly onto Cat C+E usually pass with flying colours.
And as for getting a job. I know most newbies struggle to get a start with their new Cat C’s licences but our local driving agency contacted us to say they will take every C+E driver we can point their way - as soon as they pass.
^^^^thats promising to hear, and i do see both your points reference taking C+E straight away…although i dont have to go straight onto artics or drawbars.
Think doing it all ASAP will be the best option although more expensive.
Dont be too hasty to get CE as most employers will be reluctant to give a newbie a chance on C.
Get the C done first and then do CE later when you have a bit of experience of driving LGVs.
Have to strongly disagree with you here Rog.
Firstly, when you have dont the training and freshly passed on Cat C, the correct driving standard is still fresh in your mind and you are in test passing mode so to speak . I find most guys who go directly onto Cat C+E usually pass with flying colours.
And as for getting a job. I know most newbies struggle to get a start with their new Cat C’s licences but our local driving agency contacted us to say they will take every C+E driver we can point their way - as soon as they pass.
I suppose the best way then, is to find out what the local job market is like for newbies and take it from there.
I agree that there are two trains of though on whether to take C then immediately CE but I do recommend that those who do the two a few months apart have at least a few hours each week driving like they did on test to keep their hand in, so to speak.
I think it is good that we differ on this - it gives the newbies a chance to assess their options from our differing opinions and make a personal choice
I can see both sides of the argument here, and I can see that local conditions may have an influence on what’s best for you.
I left CE for six months after doing C. I just didn’t have the time due to work commitments. I wish I’d just cracked straight on with it now while everything was fresh in my head.
I personally think if you can afford it then do both licences together, for starters a lot of places will give you a discount if you do both categories with them. Then there is the fact you remain in training mode and don’t get a chance to pick up all sorts of bad habits. And lastly, once you pass C it cam be very hard to get a job without any experience (often 2 years), even if you have 7.5t. Then once you go to C+E you can end up with the same again, even if you’ve been driving C for years. So why go through the difficulty of not having experience twice, just go straight for C+E IMO.
I Passed my C test in July `07 and passed C+E on the 31st of December. Had first job assesment on 30th Jan and start with my new company on 18th Feb.
I think ive been extremely lucky in landing a position with the company im joining ( due to being a total newbie and having no experience whatsoever ) but it shows that it can be done.
given the chance i’d of done both at the same time. one there is proberbly a financial benefit from it and two its fresh in your mind about correct driving etiquet (sp?).
once both licences are accuired then you open more chances of employment im my eyes and then its just a case of gaining that experience.
I wish now that I had done both when I did my class c but now I have decided to wait till the summer and go for it then when the savings have had a chance to recover from paying out for a new engine for my car
ROG:
Nothing to stop you doing both, one after the other, but it does seem a waste of money to shell out for something that you probably will not be able to use for a while
That’s a question I’ve had since they changed the set up.
Is there any time restraint between passing the Rigid aspect and taking the Artic test ?
Could you (one) have an “intensive” type course doing the rigid, then carrying more or less straight forward, say, the following week and taken the artic test ?
Don’t quote me on this as I am not positive but as passing the C gives an automatic CE provisional entitlement, I THINK it is allowable to do CE straight after passing C.
There is another prob - if you book a CE course and you do not pass C test, the training company will still want their money for the CE course you cannot now do.
To be honest the jobs market down here is not to good at the moment.
The main source of cat C employment is tippers but since the A30 finished the jobs are very few and far between.
In the last 12 months we have seen the end of Sid Knowles at Mabe (not to be confused with Sid Knowles waste) and R&O at Fraddon have all but packed up.
On the C+E side, Conway Bailey is apparantly newbie friendly.
I’ve got my C+E but I have just gone back on the buses…go figure
The pay rates were dire, I’m on more money driving a bus and home every night than I would be tramping in an artic (not including night out money)
tra, if I were you, I would send Semtex a PM to get the full gen for your area.
I seem to remember that he has done a lot of job hunting down your way recently.
Not much more I could tell him apart from what I have posted Rog
Agencies you can forget, Cornish busy time is everyone elses slack time
Having seen his other post, possibly try Combellic (sp) vehicle recycling.
they run some class 2 car transporters collecting cars for the breakers.
Gregorys are a possibility at North Tawton unless you can get in at St Erth (unlikely)
You have got the likes of Ferguson’s at Plymouth (general Haulage)
Amoric at Plymton (fridges)
Avoid Bryans at Oakhampton (how good is your polish) job was not to bad but the pay and conditions wern’t great
As mentioned Conway Bailey or R R Transport at Redruth (both owned by the same family) are newbie friendly Baileys is more Fridges and Bulkers whilst R R is more flats.
PM MattF as he does some work for Conway Bailey
Dennis Oates at St Ives, your not experienced enough!!! (Thats what he told me last year and I have done about 6 - 9 months on artics)
Wages wise I’ve been offered between £6 and £7 per hour on artics and up to £7.50 per hour on rigids
For Transporters apart from Combellics and J and A that you mentioned you are probably looking at Bristol for anything decent (3 hour commute at the start and finish of the week…I don’t think so)
As I’ve said pretty dire
Thats why there are so many C+E licence holders driving buses down here.
