ive just turned 25 and its coming close to 2 years in my first class 2 job. i enjoy my job very much but feel it’s time to try and boost my career.
ive been looking into doing my adr certificate within the next few months but really i was looking for advice to find out if it is worth while doing it. there are a few depots around my area that operate class 2 fuel tankers such as brogan fuels, scottish fuels and shell.
any opinions or advice would be very much appreciated
weerab84:
ive just turned 25 and its coming close to 2 years in my first class 2 job. i enjoy my job very much but feel it’s time to try and boost my career.
ive been looking into doing my adr certificate within the next few months but really i was looking for advice to find out if it is worth while doing it. there are a few depots around my area that operate class 2 fuel tankers such as brogan fuels, scottish fuels and shell.
any opinions or advice would be very much appreciated
Hi weerab84, The first question I’d ask you is; do you think there are any actual opportunities that could become open to you? (I’ve no idea of the job market in your locality.)
Next, you’re probably aware of the ‘two-year’ experience thing, and that’s also true of tanker firms especially if you’ve no tanker experience, so it might be worth bearing that in mind too.
It might be worthwhile for you do do some research in your own area before parting with your own cash for ADR training. Perhaps you could get in touch with the companies that you mentioned and ask a couple of questions?
To balace the above, it might be that there’s a shortage of tanker-qualified drivers in your area, hence my suggestion that you do some reseach.
If you decide to go ahead with ADR trainig, I’d need to know your location and preferred tavelling distance so I could give you the contact details of ADR providers nearby.
To be qualified for the job you’ve mentioned, you would need to do a minimum of:
Core module + Tanker module + UN Class 3 (flammable liquids) module.
You could optionally also do the UN Class 2 module (gases) if you’d like to have a slightly broader appeal to employers who carry eg. propane.
It might be worth considering that a full ADR course would count 21 hours towards your 35 hour driver CPC target if you do the course after Sept. 10th and the ADR provider is also a driver CPC provider. That would be more expensive though. 
I hope that helps. 
hhhmmm interesting… im just getting to grips with this cpc thing. so really if i wanted to do my adr it would be best to do it after september, with a company qualified with both cpc and adr, killing two birds with 1 stone and saving a bit of money? i stay in central scotland and i know ritchies do adr so might phone them, aslo ask them if they know what the current market is for qualified adr drivers.
also might phone brogan fuels see what experience you need with them. if most places want two years experience how do u get a job in the first place. very frustrating.
thanks for your help
weerab84:
hhhmmm interesting… im just getting to grips with this cpc thing. so really if i wanted to do my adr it would be best to do it after september, with a company qualified with both cpc and adr, killing two birds with 1 stone and saving a bit of money? i stay in central scotland and i know ritchies do adr so might phone them, aslo ask them if they know what the current market is for qualified adr drivers.
also might phone brogan fuels see what experience you need with them. if most places want two years experience how do u get a job in the first place. very frustrating.thanks for your help
Hi weerab84, There’s lots of info on the driver CPC in the FAQ forum.
Agreed about waiting until September, but please first do the reseach I suggested, just in case there’s something on offer at the moment.
I can recommend Ritchies as an ADR provider, and I can tell you that they have a good reputation within our industry.
TBH mate, there are no hard and fast rules for getting a start on a tanker firm, but I’d be being less than honest if I told you anything other than having an ADR tanker licence is barely enough to get you through the gate to the interview. If there are vacancies and you’re sucessful at the interview, a tanker firm will want to (and are obliged to) give you extra training on their particular tankers, the methods of delivery/collection and info about the particular substances they carry. Training for tankers only starts with getting your ADR, cos there’ll very probably be plenty more training afterwards too. 
It looks like you’re setting off on the right path, so I’d like to wish you good luck in your efforts and please don’t forget to keep us posted.
hey, u said i was to keep u posted so thought i would give you an update.
was at work and noticed a brogan tanker in the depot so i thought while i would have the chance i would ask him a few questions.
they get just short of £10 an hour, which is better than what im getting just now. i asked him about experience and he said that they just took on a temp with no tanker experience, so thats a positive thing.
so i phoned ritches today… funny thing was he didnt know much about cpc… but for the price of an adr looks like im def going to go ahead and do it. might come in handy within the next five years if i dont use straight away. might even do it before september because i think that most companies are putting there employees through their cpc eventually
all i need to do now is gather some funds together to pay for it and get a week off work.
its all looking up
weerab84:
hey, u said i was to keep u posted so thought i would give you an update.
Hi weerab84, I did indeed, and thanks for letting us know.
weerab84:
was at work and noticed a brogan tanker in the depot so i thought while i would have the chance i would ask him a few questions.
they get just short of £10 an hour, which is better than what im getting just now. i asked him about experience and he said that they just took on a temp with no tanker experience, so thats a positive thing.
There ya go mate, I said there were no hard and fast rules.
It’s all a case of supply and demand, plus you being in the right place at the right time.
weerab84:
so i phoned ritches today… funny thing was he didnt know much about cpc… but for the price of an adr looks like im def going to go ahead and do it. might come in handy within the next five years if i dont use straight away. might even do it before september because i think that most companies are putting there employees through their cpc eventually
all i need to do now is gather some funds together to pay for it and get a week off work.
its all looking up
That’s good news indeed mate.
I’m a little surprised that Ritchie’s “didn’t know much about cpc,” unless they have separate arrangements, or their boss hasn’t yet told the guy you spoke to…
(Drivers aren’t the only ones left in the dark by their bosses. )
Since it looks quite likely that you’ll go ahead with obtaining your ADR, it might be an idea to take UN Class 2 (gases) as well, because you could then have the additional option of being qualified to work as a tanker driver for the likes of Calor Gas, or a similar company that delivers propane for home-heating…
I’m glad your outcome is looking so favourable, so good luck to you mate.