Hi, now I realise that this forum must get inundated with questions from new or would be
HGV drivers, but I am going to add another one to it!
I am a 55 year old man, who is trying to embark on a new career in the lorry driving industry.
My current job is as a Prison Officer, which I have done for just over 11 years now. I have
largely enjoyed the job and was looking forward to seeing out my last 5 years until I can retire
at age 60. I was then going to get a part time job to supplement my pension (one with the Prison Service and another with Royal Mail).
The Prison Service has changed dramatically over the last few years, with huge cuts and staff shortages. My own personal safety has become a priority for me and so I am looking to follow in the footsteps of a number of other colleagues who have jumped ship and taken up HGV driving.
I have a certain amount of trepidation about making this move relatively late in my working life, but am determined to make a go of it. I have received some advice from a couple of my ex colleagues, but I believe you cannot have too much advice.
I am due to take my theory test next week and all being well with that, take my practical at the end of July. I have spoken to a few agencies, but most were a bit negative about taking on newly qualified drivers. Also, the pay is a bit on the low side. The thing about my current job is that the pay is not too bad and I did not really want to work all the hours God sends, in order to receive a decent wage. That said, I am more than willing to take a cut in pay, if there was some light at the end of the tunnel, regarding getting a permanent job with good pay, terms and conditions. (I hope there are some out there! )
My questions are these :-
Can someone reassure me that 55 is not too late to take up HGV driving (I know it is meant to be an older persons career)
I live in the East Anglia / South East area. Can anyone give me any advice on what path to follow, as I am setting out as a newbie? I have done a bit of driving, Royal Mail trucks up to 7.5T, a number of years ago. I am willing to work hard at the beginning in order to maximise my chances of doing well in this industry.
Any other advice that people can offer would be very much appreciated. e.g. What to write on CV’s - What type of driving jobs I could or should go for and ones to avoid,
Well you are not too old mate, but possibly too old to want to do a lot of Class 2 jobs like food service…
My advice would be head straight to class 1, and to getting into that with zero experience is probably going to be on the low end of the wages in your area, whatever that area pays. I can’t help with that, as wages are regional. Clearly firms that pay a bit more or treat drivers better are not going to need or want to take on drivers with low experience, but there are firms out there that can’t seem to keep drivers and therefore have vacancies, and I’m sure you’re old and wise enough to work out why!
But my advice to you before you spend your money is to go and speak to some local firms and find out the score in your area…
archno1:
Hi, now I realise that this forum must get inundated with questions from new or would be
HGV drivers, but I am going to add another one to it!
I am a 55 year old man, who is trying to embark on a new career in the lorry driving industry.
My current job is as a Prison Officer, which I have done for just over 11 years now. I have
largely enjoyed the job and was looking forward to seeing out my last 5 years until I can retire
at age 60. I was then going to get a part time job to supplement my pension (one with the Prison Service and another with Royal Mail).
The Prison Service has changed dramatically over the last few years, with huge cuts and staff shortages. My own personal safety has become a priority for me and so I am looking to follow in the footsteps of a number of other colleagues who have jumped ship and taken up HGV driving.
I have a certain amount of trepidation about making this move relatively late in my working life, but am determined to make a go of it. I have received some advice from a couple of my ex colleagues, but I believe you cannot have too much advice.
I am due to take my theory test next week and all being well with that, take my practical at the end of July. I have spoken to a few agencies, but most were a bit negative about taking on newly qualified drivers. Also, the pay is a bit on the low side. The thing about my current job is that the pay is not too bad and I did not really want to work all the hours God sends, in order to receive a decent wage. That said, I am more than willing to take a cut in pay, if there was some light at the end of the tunnel, regarding getting a permanent job with good pay, terms and conditions. (I hope there are some out there! )
My questions are these :-
Can someone reassure me that 55 is not too late to take up HGV driving (I know it is meant to be an older persons career)
I live in the East Anglia / South East area. Can anyone give me any advice on what path to follow, as I am setting out as a newbie? I have done a bit of driving, Royal Mail trucks up to 7.5T, a number of years ago. I am willing to work hard at the beginning in order to maximise my chances of doing well in this industry.
Any other advice that people can offer would be very much appreciated. e.g. What to write on CV’s - What type of driving jobs I could or should go for and ones to avoid,
Thanks a lot in advance.
55 is about the age of the “average” HGV driver, so you don’t need to panic about your age.
Working hard in the industry is likely to involve a lot of hours, at least until you’ve got your foot in the door, and worked out what is right for you. If you don’t have any particular skills, or knowledge, about specific sectors within transport, the best thing is probably to get signed up to a few agencies and try your hand at a bit of everything!
You can’t ask what will suit you, what suits you might not suit me. Best bet is to be well presented, well mannered, and well versed in the regs and you’ll be away up the road before you know it.
archno1:
I have done a bit of driving, Royal Mail trucks up to 7.5T, a number of years ago.
Emphasise to prospective employers how many years you have held your C1 licence. If you passed your car test before 1997 you will have held your C1 licence since you passed your car test. This is known as grandad rights.
Drivers over 50 are in demand. They have less accidents and cost less to insure. Any problems getting a C+E job, then just start off with a C1 or C job!
Evil8Beezle:
Well you are not too old mate, but possibly too old to want to do a lot of Class 2 jobs like food service…
My advice would be head straight to class 1, and to getting into that with zero experience is probably going to be on the low end of the wages in your area, whatever that area pays. I can’t help with that, as wages are regional. Clearly firms that pay a bit more or treat drivers better are not going to need or want to take on drivers with low experience, but there are firms out there that can’t seem to keep drivers and therefore have vacancies, and I’m sure you’re old and wise enough to work out why!
But my advice to you before you spend your money is to go and speak to some local firms and find out the score in your area…
Best of luck pal!
Thanks Evil8Beezle, I will definitely ask around before shelling out another £1200 or so on Class 1 training. I guess I will just have to work hard to prove myself and endure some low wages in the mean time. When you say food service, do you mean delivering to supermarkets, or is that something else?
Unfortunately the wages in and around East Anglia are’nt great…Plus the fact there are no Rdc’s or anything like that in the area…
And the food service industry work is with firms like Brakes,3663,Gist…Which involve shop & petrol forcourts,hotels & restaurants…And can be 10 drops +…So if your not a fit 55yr old…You soon will be…
archno1:
I have done a bit of driving, Royal Mail trucks up to 7.5T, a number of years ago.
Emphasise to prospective employers how many years you have held your C1 licence. If you passed your car test before 1997 you will have held your C1 licence since you passed your car test. This is known as grandad rights.
Drivers over 50 are in demand. They have less accidents and cost less to insure. Any problems getting a C+E job, then just start off with a C1 or C job!
Cheers carlston49
I have held it for nearly 38 years. How well paid are C1 jobs?
daftvader:
Unfortunately the wages in and around East Anglia are’nt great…Plus the fact there are no Rdc’s or anything like that in the area…
And the food service industry work is with firms like Brakes,3663,Gist…Which involve shop & petrol forcourts,hotels & restaurants…And can be 10 drops +…So if your not a fit 55yr old…You soon will be…
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Thanks daftvader
I’d rather be doing less drop off’s , although fitness isn’t a problem as I am a runner. I’d also rather not be doing too much ‘handballing’ if I can help it. Is there much in the way of referrals in the driving industry? i.e. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know
55 is about the age of the “average” HGV driver, so you don’t need to panic about your age.
Working hard in the industry is likely to involve a lot of hours, at least until you’ve got your foot in the door, and worked out what is right for you. If you don’t have any particular skills, or knowledge, about specific sectors within transport, the best thing is probably to get signed up to a few agencies and try your hand at a bit of everything!
You can’t ask what will suit you, what suits you might not suit me. Best bet is to be well presented, well mannered, and well versed in the regs and you’ll be away up the road before you know it.
[/quote]
Thanks F-reds, I guessed you would say that about my age. I will initially stay on at the Prison and use some of my days off to offer to work with experienced drivers to build up my experience and put my face about. Although I haven’t got much driving experience, I have got a lot of transferable skills to offer e.g. working with customers, dealing with paperwork, dealing with irate people (prisoners!) Is there any other advice you can offer? Cheers
Trouble is unless you work for the likes of a builders merchants…Then most class 2 work will be multi drop handball type stuff…Not all of course…But the majority would be…As for referalls.Yeah i’m sure if you know someone in the game already it could help…Think your best bet is to actually pay the companies in person a visit…Rather than just sending out cv after cv…Wich could get overlooked.
archno1:
Thanks Evil8Beezle, I will definitely ask around before shelling out another £1200 or so on Class 1 training. I guess I will just have to work hard to prove myself and endure some low wages in the mean time. When you say food service, do you mean delivering to supermarkets, or is that something else?
This sort of work actually pays well above average, and your focus about starting on low wages concerns me…
The wages is the transport game don’t vary wildly mate, it’s actually more to do with what you have to do to earn the money. Yes there are some better paying gigs, but there are no golden gooses! For example container work isn’t the best paid, but the work is easy and with all the waiting around doing nothing you can earn a fair crust as long as you put the hours in. And sadly putting the hours in is generally how you earn a fair/good wage in this game!
If starting on Class 2 is your aim (possibly due to financial restrictions) I’d recommend that you get in with a firm that runs both classes like pallet delivery. It’s not the best paying gig, but the work is easier than most as it’s generally a “kerbside delivery”, and as it’s not the best, the vacancies are there. Normally they run both classes, and once you have proved yourself in a VAN offloading a fair percentage of your drops with a tail lift and pallet truck, you should get the chance to upgrade to Class 1 where the drops are almost exclusively fork lifted off.
Obviously there are other options, but I can only give advice based on my experience…
For me, I liked doing Builders Merchants HIAB work, and love what I’m doing now, both suited me very well, but they wouldn’t be for everybody.
Beeze’s suggestion of getting your class 1 is definately a good one, as it is inherently easier work than class 2.
Where abouts in the south east are you specifically? Some people on here might be able to suggest some transport companies near to you that you haven’t noticed.
Transport does tend to be very incestuous with regards to recruitment, especially at the small and medium sized firms, friends and recommendations go a long way. But a can do attitude, and knowing your stuff goes a lot further!
I got my Cat C licence last Feb, when I was 55. I had done the best part of a year with an agency driving 7.5 tonners. Immediately after my test I was sent by the agency into CCF and ended up working for them for 14 months. £23.4k p.a. Next week I start Cat C+E training and am looking forward to the challenge. Don’t dismiss agencies, but you have to make it work for you. You’re not too old, work at your own pace and your fitness will improve. Good luck.
Sumsmeister:
I got my Cat C licence last Feb, when I was 55. I had done the best part of a year with an agency driving 7.5 tonners. Immediately after my test I was sent by the agency into CCF and ended up working for them for 14 months. £23.4k p.a. Next week I start Cat C+E training and am looking forward to the challenge. Don’t dismiss agencies, but you have to make it work for you. You’re not too old, work at your own pace and your fitness will improve. Good luck.
Hi, I’ve got a CCF a few miles from me. Which branch were you at? Good luck with the C+E, where are you looking to work after qualifying?
For me, I liked doing Builders Merchants HIAB work, and love what I’m doing now, both suited me very well, but they wouldn’t be for everybody.
Beeze’s suggestion of getting your class 1 is definately a good one, as it is inherently easier work than class 2.
Where abouts in the south east are you specifically? Some people on here might be able to suggest some transport companies near to you that you haven’t noticed.
Transport does tend to be very incestuous with regards to recruitment, especially at the small and medium sized firms, friends and recommendations go a long way. But a can do attitude, and knowing your stuff goes a lot further!
I’m near Colchester. As a matter of interest, would I need to fork out my own money to train on HIAB? Thanks for all the advice so far.
archno1:
Thanks Evil8Beezle, I will definitely ask around before shelling out another £1200 or so on Class 1 training. I guess I will just have to work hard to prove myself and endure some low wages in the mean time. When you say food service, do you mean delivering to supermarkets, or is that something else?
This sort of work actually pays well above average, and your focus about starting on low wages concerns me…
The wages is the transport game don’t vary wildly mate, it’s actually more to do with what you have to do to earn the money. Yes there are some better paying gigs, but there are no golden gooses! For example container work isn’t the best paid, but the work is easy and with all the waiting around doing nothing you can earn a fair crust as long as you put the hours in. And sadly putting the hours in is generally how you earn a fair/good wage in this game!
If starting on Class 2 is your aim (possibly due to financial restrictions) I’d recommend that you get in with a firm that runs both classes like pallet delivery. It’s not the best paying gig, but the work is easier than most as it’s generally a “kerbside delivery”, and as it’s not the best, the vacancies are there. Normally they run both classes, and once you have proved yourself in a VAN offloading a fair percentage of your drops with a tail lift and pallet truck, you should get the chance to upgrade to Class 1 where the drops are almost exclusively fork lifted off.
Obviously there are other options, but I can only give advice based on my experience…
Best of luck pal!
Thanks. I will pay a visit to a few agencies first, then see about paying some local firms a visit. I’m not after earning megabucks. Ideally I’d like to be earning £15 per hour in time. I realise it will be less than that for a while.
£15 right at the top end of the scale that you can earn per hour, certainly is if you are only working Monday-Friday doing days on PAYE. Obviously weekends/nights/ltd company you could be earning that and more.
Have you been reading and believing them job adverts again??
archno1:
Hi, I’ve got a CCF a few miles from me. Which branch were you at? Good luck with the C+E, where are you looking to work after qualifying?
Portsmouth. Portsmouth.
Oh dear, I sound like a broken record…
In all honesty, I’ll rely on the agency to find me a day here and there just to get started. I’m in striking distance of Southampton so there’s a fair old number of companies not far from me. Containers might be a good place to be…
)
