Iv been trawling through these forums for the past couple of days now trying to get a true insight into what its like being a professional driver, as its been something i wanted to do for quite some time but never really had the cash to do or the knowledge of where to even start getting my licenses! I really enjoy being out on the road but have never had the chance to drive a vehicle bigger than a transit camper van towing a jet ski, and what i can i say i was a pretty decent dab hand at reversing down the slip way so i thought how hard could an artic be… i only kid! LOL
At the moment i work in a call centre and I hate it, being stuck behind that dam desk 8 hours a day staring at the same people and scenery day in day out is finally sending me crazy, and the fact that all people do all day is whine down the phone at you, and the cash is shocking as well!! But any way thats by the by!
Im 24 now and wish to start earning some more cash for my self and for my family (I have a little girl that is 6 months old) and i want to do something i enjoy where im not tied to the same place listening to the same old rubbish everyday, earning shocking money, in honesty i just want to be out on the road driving!
1st silly question…I am looking to do my Class C license and eventually C+E is there anything i need to do before going for this license?
So please do excuse my ignorance but I am very much a noob with not a clue where to start in honesty, so your help would be muchly appreciated!
2nd question… I have checked some training schools out and i have seen one call ELGV from what i can gather they seem pretty genuine anyone else had experience with them?
3rd and final daft question for now… If im on a 9 hour shift and do the 10 hour extension and then the 10 hours is up but say im only 20 min drive from the depot what would i do?
Also can any recommend the best place to get reading material etc, as i want to get the ball rolling now and what to get my theory knowledge up to scratch before moving onto the practical.
Thanks
Kev
Oh i must say the majority of people seem pretty decent on here as well! which is nice for a forum!
You need to do a medical and get your provisional licence sorted.There is a firm called desktop driving (google it)they can sort you with all of the publications that you want.I enjoy being on the road but the pay is not great,so dont expect to get much more than you are on at the present.
I’ll get the first one out the way… You’ll hear plenty of crap in RDC waiting rooms that makes your customers on the end of a phone seem normal lol.
As for your questions…
You will need a medical to get your provisional categories.
You will also need to take the theory tests before you can take a practical test.
Depending on when you passed your car test as to what your CPC status will be and whether you need to take the Initial CPC modules or completing your 35 hours of Periodic CPC modules.
I have no experience of the school you refer to. But standard advice would be to not hand over any money until you have visited and are happy with the school.
3rd question. Whether you have a 10 hour drive left or not, you should not go over your driving time. The only time you are allowed is if you are legitimately held up (unplanned) and even then you can only get to a place of safety. If you ever find yourself in that situation then you should contact the company and negotiate either them picking you up or paying for a night out.
drummerkev:
2nd question… I have checked some training schools out and i have seen one call ELGV from what i can gather they seem pretty genuine anyone else had experience with them?
Hi drummerkev,
I can tell you ELGV are a reputable LGV training school, cos I used to meet their instructors at the (now defunct) Bredbury test station when I worked as an LGV instructor for a rival company.
drummerkev:
Oh i must say the majority of people seem pretty decent on here as well! which is nice for a forum!
That’s especially true in the Newbies’ forum, and the Mod/Admin Team do our best to keep it that way, so thanks for the feedback.
I think on my next payday be investing in getting a medical done and also getting my provisional. I see ELGV do a package deal on that one for £99, seem fair to me i guess?
dieseldave:
I can tell you ELGV are a reputable LGV training school, cos I used to meet their instructors at the (now defunct) Bredbury test station when I worked as an LGV instructor for a rival company.
Ahh good good i know there reputable now i think ill have a trip down and have a chat with them!
dar1976:
Depending on when you passed your car test as to what your CPC status will be and whether you need to take the Initial CPC modules or completing your 35 hours of Periodic CPC modules.
3rd question. Whether you have a 10 hour drive left or not, you should not go over your driving time. The only time you are allowed is if you are legitimately held up (unplanned) and even then you can only get to a place of safety. If you ever find yourself in that situation then you should contact the company and negotiate either them picking you up or paying for a night out.
Cheers for the info on the hours buddy, been wanting to clear that up but not been able to find the info!
In reguards to the CPC i passed my car test in… 2005 i think it was?! if that of any use for you to give some more info?
B test pass in 2005 means that you will need to do the Module 2 CPC Theory Test and Module 4 Practical Demonstration Test to drive LGVs commercially in addition to the Multiple Choice/Hazard Perception Theory Test and Practical Driving Test
I think on my next payday be investing in getting a medical done and also getting my provisional. I see ELGV do a package deal on that one for £99, seem fair to me i guess?
dieseldave:
I can tell you ELGV are a reputable LGV training school, cos I used to meet their instructors at the (now defunct) Bredbury test station when I worked as an LGV instructor for a rival company.
Ahh good good i know there reputable now i think ill have a trip down and have a chat with them!
dar1976:
Depending on when you passed your car test as to what your CPC status will be and whether you need to take the Initial CPC modules or completing your 35 hours of Periodic CPC modules.
3rd question. Whether you have a 10 hour drive left or not, you should not go over your driving time. The only time you are allowed is if you are legitimately held up (unplanned) and even then you can only get to a place of safety. If you ever find yourself in that situation then you should contact the company and negotiate either them picking you up or paying for a night out.
Cheers for the info on the hours buddy, been wanting to clear that up but not been able to find the info!
In reguards to the CPC i passed my car test in… 2005 i think it was?! if that of any use for you to give some more info?
Cheers.
I did my C test in July, my advice would be to get some books from WHSmiths. There are a few that you could get. I only brought the Theory Test questions and answers book @ £17.99 but there are more books (Driving Large Goods Vehicles, DCPC books etc) my instructor lent me a Theory Test CD ROM and a Hazard Perception CD ROM. Study them like crazy because if you prepare well you won’t fail them (unlike practical tests where other peoples actions can put you into situations) and every time you fail it cost you £££.
Go on an assessment drive! Driving a truck looks cool but you will be surprised how little room you have when your in that seat it may not be for you. My instructor didn’t charge me for mine, but don’t be afraid to try more than one instructor and don’t just go with the cheapest or the one who quotes you the least hours because a re-test cost between £250-£300.
Make sure you check if your training is with another learner at the same time, of if you have the truck to yourself, you don’t want to be paying for sitting on the bed waiting for your turn. So if it is a shared drive keep tabs on your hrs.
Relax and enjoy go slow really slow and remember you are really wide and long compared to a car.
drummerkev:
have never had the chance to drive a vehicle bigger than a transit camper van towing a jet ski, and what i can i say i was a pretty decent dab hand at reversing down the slip way so i thought how hard could an artic be… i only kid! LOL
This may surprise you, but an artic is easier to reverse than a Transit van and jet ski trailer. The main factor in how difficult a combination is to reverse is the relative lengths of the prime mover and the trailer.
It would probably help with recommendations if you gave an indication of where you live.
If you want to do it, then do it. Plenty of people will try to dissuade you, and it is true that work is not easy to find right now, but plenty on here have managed it.
drummerkev:
have never had the chance to drive a vehicle bigger than a transit camper van towing a jet ski, and what i can i say i was a pretty decent dab hand at reversing down the slip way so i thought how hard could an artic be… i only kid! LOL
This may surprise you, but an artic is easier to reverse than a Transit van and jet ski trailer. The main factor in how difficult a combination is to reverse is the relative lengths of the prime mover and the trailer.
It would probably help with recommendations if you gave an indication of where you live.
If you want to do it, then do it. Plenty of people will try to dissuade you, and it is true that work is not easy to find right now, but plenty on here have managed it.
Good luck.
Iv updated my location now so hopefully that should be a little more useful for people!
Yes i would like to give a dam good go thats for sure!
That’s enough reason in itself to do it then. Once a person decides they want to do something, if they don’t do it for whatever reason then they regret it forever. If they do do it, and it doesn’t quite work out as they planned then they just chalk it down to experience and move on, they don’t rue the time or money it took to do it for the rest of their days.
Getting all philosophical here.
There’s plenty of info on this part of the forum to read and digest, if you trawl back you can find diaries and posts from people who started out where you are, and now drive artics. It takes a while, some money and some determination, but if you do get a licence and find work then you should recoup the cost fairly quickly.
mac12:
And don’t forget to say goodbye to your little girl, if you get a job you will be away all week for maybe £6 per hour so you will not see her grow up.
What a load of complete RUBBISH I am yet to see a driving job that involves nights out for £6ph
mac12:
And don’t forget to say goodbye to your little girl, if you get a job you will be away all week for maybe £6 per hour so you will not see her grow up.
What a load of complete RUBBISH I am yet to see a driving job that involves nights out for £6ph
I think the rate was tongue in cheek. But the realities of missing your kids growing up are definitely spot on.
mac12:
And don’t forget to say goodbye to your little girl, if you get a job you will be away all week for maybe £6 per hour so you will not see her grow up.
What a load of complete RUBBISH I am yet to see a driving job that involves nights out for £6ph
I think the rate was tongue in cheek. But the realities of missing your kids growing up are definitely spot on.
That is true with most jobs now days you have to be very lucky to get a 9-5 job these days.
Family life in this country is totally ■■■■■■ and that why this country’s kids are the way they are, dad’s either on the dole and doesn’t give a ■■■■ or working all hours to put food on the table.
I must admit that is the one thing I am most concerened about in honesty, But it similar in the job I am in at the momemt really, As long as I am earning more money and Enjoying my job then i can certinly justify it
I think the most important part is that i enjoy my job rather than dreading getting up in thwe morning!
If it’s something you want to do then you have got to try just don’t think you will pass your test and jump into a big shiny truck,as alot on here have found out it can be very hard to get a job.I have seen jobs for £6.25 per hour true you will get night out money on top but thats to give up your life for the truck not wages there was a company on this site not long ago that was not even paying that.
mac12:
If it’s something you want to do then you have got to try just don’t think you will pass your test and jump into a big shiny truck,as alot on here have found out it can be very hard to get a job.I have seen jobs for £6.25 per hour true you will get night out money on top but thats to give up your life for the truck not wages there was a company on this site not long ago that was not even paying that.
Yes, i would agree with you totally. But we all have to start somewhere i guess, after looking on a couple of websites today (job related) and there seems to be a fair old bit of work in my area, with not a lot to mention of 2 years etc. Which seems promising i guess. Jobs ranging from the £6 up to £15.
Even if i was at £6 an hour i wouldnt be too far off what i was earning at the moment, i understand that it would take a few more hours to get to where I am at, BUT in the long run i would for sure earn more than i could here!
My son worked in a call canter & like you hated it but turned it round as he quite liked some of the people he worked with or some that were not as bright as him so he could take the mick or wind them up etc & they didnt even realise he was making decent money ( although he didnt have a family & still dosent ) he then looked for another job which he did find & loves
Just be careful of all the adverts you see on the job sites as there may only be 1 or 2 as they could be through the agency & they all advertise the same job
In this area the average for CE is £7.50 per hr most now are paid at flat rate so no overtime or some are salaried
which is nice for a forum!
