Hi all. Im 19 20 in august. I have been in trucks from as long as i can rememeber. I am very keen on driving. I go out with a freind 2-3 times a week and do the basic coupling uncoupling trailers. Unloading trailers with pump trucks and even tesco`s cages lol.
I have looked into doing a hgv apprenticeships but only one company around me advertise they do it and only take on 1 person every 6 months. Ive applied for there last 3 intakes and dont get anywhere. I have phoned local companies but they have no idea about hgv apprenticeships and they dont seem interested. I have not got the money to go just do it. Or even got anyone to lend me the money to just do it. I cant even get the goverment to help or the apprenticeships threw the goverment dont seem to interested.
What do people suggest i do. I am running out of idea`s.
Stobart are the only people who do HGV apprenticeships that I know of, and out of the 6 people I know who went and done it - all have left because of how they’re treated there.
I’ll say now that you’re going to find it very hard if not nigh on impossible to get funding for it, what I will say is though, if you phone up your local jobcentre and say to them, “if I can provide a letter or proof that I will have a job if I can obtain my HGV license, would you fund it for me?” and see what they say as that’s how I got my Class 2 before moving onto doing my Class 1 myself.
Sam Millar:
if you phone up your local jobcentre and say to them, “if I can provide a letter or proof that I will have a job if I can obtain my HGV license, would you fund it for me?”
I’m fairly certain that funding like that has now been cut.
Sam Millar:
if you phone up your local jobcentre and say to them, “if I can provide a letter or proof that I will have a job if I can obtain my HGV license, would you fund it for me?”
I’m fairly certain that funding like that has now been cut.
I only done my Class 2 in December and I know someone else who done it after me… it seems to be down to the individual JCP office though.
Sam Millar:
if you phone up your local jobcentre and say to them, “if I can provide a letter or proof that I will have a job if I can obtain my HGV license, would you fund it for me?”
I’m fairly certain that funding like that has now been cut.
I only done my Class 2 in December and I know someone else who done it after me… it seems to be down to the individual JCP office though.
Or where you live
But the government in England have now cut all funding even for people on sick
Lets be honest its a crock of ■■■ a hgv apprenticeship. It insults the 4 years of hard graft and bleeding fingers I had to do to get my city and guilds. To the open join the army, man up and get your hgv through them
Its ok saying get a job and save up. But i have applied for over a thousend jobs even mcdonalds and no joy so its not as simple as just get a job…
Well you don’t appear to have any other options? However difficult it has been I am unable to see how else you might achieve your stated aim of becoming a large Goods Vehicle driver. Where do you live?
Well if you’re looking for an apprenticeship in driving, you’re either looking at stobarts or a few smaller (but biggish) distribution companies (Except distribution in Bradford are doing this apprenticeship…unfortunately I have yet to get my car license to apply for this sort of stuff myself
But adding my personal opinion into this, I suggest looking into ‘trying your luck’ with apprenticeships in warehousing/mechanics etc stuff relating to the haulage/logistics area mentioning at the interview/induction what you want to do. You might be surprised at the response you get, as apparently I’m the first person working at the Clipper Depot in Selby who wants to drive a truck for a living
Needless to say my ‘digging’ is finally paying off some what, and I am ‘discussing’ this matter on the 19th of this month and whether it happens or not I won’t know until I get the ‘yes’ at the end of that meeting and the definite yes at the end of this apprenticeship…even if I don’t I’ll at least be able to afford the training itself for the Cat C. It’s a long shot yes and it’s ■■■■ work especially on the warehouse front, but remember nobody starts at the top they work their way up from the bottom to where they want to be. After all I still remember those saying I wouldn’t last a month where I work…I’ve been here 4 nearly 5 months over a third of the way through the apprenticeship…my way of sticking my fingers up at the pricks and making them eat some humble pie…even if they think I’m stupid for doing this…but if my persistence pays off…I get to drive one of Clipper logistics finest Ivecos and I’ll be where I WANT to be a truck driver And remember it’s experience as well as training, 2 things that college can never give you.
I tried this road back in 2010, I first enquired at stobarts to be told that the stopped this due to currant economic climate, then tried a company down the road from me and got no reply, then tried the public busses and didnt get in, (not sure if it was due to age or something with the family name as my dad was on the previously and something happend) but like most people on here state save and get your licence, that way you wont be tied to the company for 4 years or more. I too want to get into this at some point however these days its hard to find a permanent job, so im sticking to being an enviromental consultant for the time being, my main reason to get into hgv or busses was due to me enjoying diving around new places etc etc. But keep trying you may get your way in, however passing your tests and turning up at companies ready to go may also get you In the door too.
Realistically, very few companies will take on an apprentice who they intend to be primarily an LGV driver at the moment. There is already a surplus of LGV drivers in most areas - why pay to put someone through an LGV course when there’s plenty of people who have already passed (who, at most, need to do Modules 2 and 4)? Apprentices are going to be young drivers with relatively little category B experience, who will be expensive to insure once they pass their test.
The other problem is finding enough content for an apprenticeship. Even if the company puts you through C, CE, Modules 2 and 4 and some periodic DCPC training (possibly ADR, Moffett or Hiab), that’s going to take no more than four weeks. However, that training doesn’t come cheap - you’re talking about approximately 2500 and 4000 pounds.
There is an NVQ 2 in driving goods vehicles, but few seem to want this qualification or value it in any way. Its primary purpose seems to be a ruse by which training companies can put people through the NVQ largely at government expense, and throw in a day or two of periodic DCPC training paid for out of the profits of the NVQ. Considering that you can get a day of DCPC training very cheaply from some decent providers (shep532 comes to mind if you’re in the north west), this is a bad deal all round - apart from for the training provider.
The only people companies are likely to pay to train as LGV drivers at the moment are current employees who find they need LGV entitlement for their work. For example, if a stables gets a new horsebox that is over 7.5t MAM, they may pay to put some of their employees through Category C. Similarly, a workship may pay to put an LGV fitter through Category C. These are very different scenarios from an 18 year old that wants to be on the lorries full time.
A more broad based apprenticeship may make sense, especially if you do it with a company that employs LGV drivers. You may then be able to switch to the lorries once you have your licence and initial DCPC (Modules 2 and 4). It sounds as if Jonny is on the right lines - he’s clearly put a lot of effort into investigating this.
One thought, if you don’t mind the manual labour and hard graft, is to go on the bins or try to find a job scaffolding. Both these jobs involve LGVs, though there’s no guarantee they’d use your LGV entitlement if you got it and they may well not pay for your LGV training.
and I’ll be where I WANT to be a truck driver 
And remember it’s experience as well as training, 2 things that college can never give you.
