I currently work at tata steel but i am been made redundant at the end of march after 30 years service. Tata steel are going to pay for me to do my class 2&1 and cpc.I am 49 years of age i am just wondering how hard will it be for me to get work as a class 1 driver with no previous experience.Also how hard will it be to pass my class 1 straight after i have done my class 2 .Also i live in sheffield
Cheers
Mick
Passing your tests will be down to your own ability to get a grip of the techniques required for those particular types of vehicles.
Your pay off should make it easier to sustain yourself until you find permanent employment which should be fairly easy at your age.
Your best bet for experience gaining will probably be agency to start with doing odd days until you secure a permanent position or decide that the job isn’t all it’s promised or you prefer part time working.
Just my thoughts and good luck! 
Hi ,
Use a good training company…look on here to find one , a proper one !!!
Pete Smythe is near ish to you I think.
Then join with an agency and take your chances, your age is on your side in my opinion as you are not young and gun Ho .
Good luck.
You will find work. It may not be the best paid or best job but treat it like an apprenticeship. It will pay the bills then after a bit of experience start shifting about till you find a job you like. It’s a handy thing to have. Good luck
Found myself in a similar position 11 years ago, for me it took 6 months to go from car licence to full c+e entitlement. I was doing training at weekends due to working mon to fri. Once you have got your c entitlement doing rigid work via agencies this will give you an idea if this job is for you.
Just remember that driving for a living is not a 9 to 5 job or a simple 8 hour shift routine, expect to be on shift for up to 15 hours & possibly spending the night out too. Worth making your sure wife/partner are happy with you doing this, the divorce rate for truckers is rather high.
When working for agencies you get a good idea of who the good companies to work for full time.
I think Pete Smythe is based near Sutton in Ashfield (north notts).
Good luck with the training.
Thanks for all your reply’s . I feel a lot more relieved now that i am taking the right direction and doing my class 1 and 2. What would you say the average hourly rate is for a class 1 driver in the south yorkshire area.
It would help if the OP filling in his user CP with his location, or state here on the thread which area of the country they’re in. Then the inmates might be able to give more local advice regarding training providers and potential employers in their area
peirre:
It would help if the OP filling in his user CP with his location, or state here on the thread which area of the country they’re in. Then the inmates might be able to give more local advice regarding training providers and potential employers in their area
Sheffield ring any bells!?
lowe9020:
Thanks for all your reply’s . I feel a lot more relieved now that i am taking the right direction and doing my class 1 and 2. What would you say the average hourly rate is for a class 1 driver in the south yorkshire area.
Depends on sort of work you are doing, general haulage/ rdc trunking etc will pay around £8 to 10 p/h.
Adr or Hiab work may be a little higher.
Hank Hill:
Found myself in a similar position 11 years ago, for me it took 6 months to go from car licence to full c+e entitlement. I was doing training at weekends due to working mon to fri. Once you have got your c entitlement doing rigid work via agencies this will give you an idea if this job is for you.
Just remember that driving for a living is not a 9 to 5 job or a simple 8 hour shift routine, expect to be on shift for up to 15 hours & possibly spending the night out too. Worth making your sure wife/partner are happy with you doing this, the divorce rate for truckers is rather high.
When working for agencies you get a good idea of who the good companies to work for full time.I think Pete Smythe is based near Sutton in Ashfield (north notts).
Good luck with the training.
You needn’t do nights out if you tell them. Say you’ve got a young child to look after, they’re more likely to be sympathetic.
If a welder from Sheffield can make it to Hollywood (Sean Bean), then a steel man can make a wagon driver!!
Plenty of work around Sheffield mate, plus you will end up enjoying the delight’s of a regularly closed Woodhead pass!!
Best of luck Chief.
If it was me mate I would ask them to send you for training for a more lucrative trade, electrician or I T for example.
I suspect you are used to 8 hour days at the steel works, so 15 for maybe the same money you were on for 8 could be a shock to the system.
I would not recommend today’s driving job to anybody, that is why I talked my 2 boys out of it, both of whom are on more money than me for fewer hours.
Did the DNA test not work out Rob?
I knew that Beezle wouldn’t be your lad.
all we need to keep wages low a whole load of steel workers being given hgv licences - jesus its the miners all over again, get rid of an industry and give hgv licences out for free.
best of luck and don’t blame you for taking it if offered but I would be looking at sparky / plumber etc.
eagerbeaver:
Did the DNA test not work out Rob?I knew that Beezle wouldn’t be your lad.
Don’t upset him ffs, he likes to boast I’m his Dad (and hero 
) 
war1974:
all we need to keep wages low a whole load of steel workers being given hgv licences - jesus its the miners all over again, get rid of an industry and give hgv licences out for free.best of luck and don’t blame you for taking it if offered but I would be looking at sparky / plumber etc.
Hi there i can understand your concerns, but trust me its not the situation i like to find myself in.I always believed i had a job for life but that’s not to be. The cheap Chinese imports are killing the steel industry.
Note taken about plumping or electricians but not a option course can be longer than 10 weeks.
lowe9020:
war1974:
all we need to keep wages low a whole load of steel workers being given hgv licences - jesus its the miners all over again, get rid of an industry and give hgv licences out for free.best of luck and don’t blame you for taking it if offered but I would be looking at sparky / plumber etc.
Hi there i can understand your concerns, but trust me its not the situation i like to find myself in.I always believed i had a job for life but that’s not to be. The cheap Chinese imports are killing the steel industry.
Note taken about plumping or electricians but not a option course can be longer than 10 weeks.
Like the sound of the plumping course, pies and chooccy bics all day 
lowe9020:
war1974:
all we need to keep wages low a whole load of steel workers being given hgv licences - jesus its the miners all over again, get rid of an industry and give hgv licences out for free.best of luck and don’t blame you for taking it if offered but I would be looking at sparky / plumber etc.
Hi there i can understand your concerns, but trust me its not the situation i like to find myself in.I always believed i had a job for life but that’s not to be. The cheap Chinese imports are killing the steel industry.
Note taken about plumping or electricians but not a option course can be longer than 10 weeks.
Yep you guys have been sold down the river and now they’re saying they’ll retrain you, but only on short term courses. Every steel worker can’t be cut out for truck driving, but there might be some good tradesmen given the chance.
Personally I think the government should help you into their expanding industries, such as H&S, Marketing, PR, Media and Banking
Lol. You cannot beat a bit of typo trolling on a Friday Rob.
Good effort.
Sheffield? If you’re happy to travel up to 30 miles to go to work you’ve got Doncaster, Worksop, Leeds, Wakefield and Normanton with plenty of distribution centres and lots of hauliers - certainly better placed than I am near Bridlington.
Your age isn’t an issue, the average age of truck drivers is 55. Only the experience is but get signed with a few agencies and be willing to take the crap jobs offered to get started and you’ll be able to get work, especially if you’ll do nights. Night work is also mostly trunking and the roads are a lot quieter so its an easier way to get experience than getting chucked in at the deep end on multidrop.
Doing Class 1 straight after Class 2 is the easiest way and Class 1 opens up a lot more work.