boredwivdrivin:
You would be mad to become a trucker
+1 I wouldn’t advice anybody go start trucking, it’s not like it used to be (been here 35 years) to many rules/regulations/hours, working 70 hours a week
If anyone thinks the OP will be put off by Drivers Hours regs then they have no idea what kind of ■■■■■ the FCA lay down on people even remotely linked to financial services. I used to be a car salesman and the FCA interference in that was mind-boggling. God knows what it’s like in a bank.
To give the OP an idea, I passed in 2011 in Bedfordshire, went straight through from a car licence to C, then CPC, the C+E, then found a job. All in all it cost me £3259.49 but my photocard was due for renewal then anyway so I had to pay a little bit more for that. It won’t massively change the figure.
Being in Kent you are then quite lucky because no matter where you are in that fine county, you are never far from a supermarket RDC. If you go for C rather than C+E you have the additional choice of working for a builders merchant. Finding a tramping job, if that is what you are looking for, straight away may be difficult because of the pre-historic ‘2 years experience’ rule.
You can however expect early starts, (4-7 am) and reasonably early finishes. If you opt for supermarkets or builders merchants you will probably be in reasonably new kit too. If you go for a smaller concern the equipment will probably age a bit. If you are looking at tramping, don’t restrict yourself too tight on where you are willing to work, there are some good tramping jobs in Norfolk for example, which pay reasonably well and while it is a substantial drive to work and back, you only have to do it once a week.
Don’t want to name names, but there’s a certain Kent Haulier with the worst trailers I’ve seen on the road. They are yellow if that helps. I’d avoid them as you might as well have a flashing light to be pulled over.
In there office I saw a memo on the wall threatening disciplinary action against the person or persons responsible for a Facebook page listing all the defects.
As someone who went from driving to management and back again I think I know a bit.
Drivers and driving jobs come in many shapes and sizes. I think it takes a certain type of temperament to be a happy driver - You will spend many long hours alone but need the ability to interact with all kinds of people at times. You need to be methodical so that you always check everything, but not so would up that a non working radio will send you into a decline. You need to be a quick learner and never shy to ask questions, and when you inevitably meet some stupid a-hole to just shrug and move on.
It generally takes two weeks to learn how to drive a truck, but that’s only the start. Class 2 jobs are mostly local and the ones that usually want drivers are the pallet system hauliers. I think that they also give the best entry conditions in that the money isn’t bad and the hours not too long, but you get to handle just about anything that regularly gets sent by road. A few months doing that; a few hours re-stacking the tipped over pallets; negotiating with goods-in (Your not booked in/too early/too late); and finding your way around from inadequate addresses and you will get the idea.
If you sign up for an agency you will get to sample a variety of jobs, trucks and employers which will give you a start if you go looking for a full time job.
Lorry driving, like most jobs, is pretty much what you want to make of it.
I’ve been royally shafted - numerous times - in my current role working for a well known bank.
Today was the last straw. I was passed over for a role that was made for me and it’s not the first time. I can’t let it happen again. I need to get out before it’s too late.
I’ve never really been cut out for the corporate office lifestyle. I come from a working class family, we’re all cut from the same cloth and yet I’m the only one chained to a desk - the rest of my lot couldn’t think of anything worse. I agree with them but life happens and we don’t always end up where we want to be.
My old man drives for a living and it’s something I feel I would be happier doing. I know it would be a big change but I think it would be worth if for the sake of my sanity and stress levels.
I’m after some basic info and I hope that you wise bunch can help me:
In the longer term I would hope to gain my Class 1. IF I was to obtain my license and work, say Mon-Fri days but long hours (as much as is legally/physically possible) how much could I hope to earn? Can you earn a decent wage when working relatively sociable hours?
An idea of wages for Class 2 and 1 would be appreciated. I’m based in Kent.
Thanks guys…
Ok You asked about wages in driving .Can i ask what wages for small clerk in Bank.just for interes■■?
I’ve been lorrying for years and it just gets better . I’m currently driving a heavy Hiab artic, and I get all over the UK, delivering all manner of weird and wonderful loads. I effectively get paid ( a rather handsome remuneration) for sightseeing, I get to some seriously interesting places, and. I meet some of the nicest people you could hope to meet. The kit is top class and the transport office couldn’t be more helpful.
Please accept my apologies if I’ve offended any of the bitter and twisted " jobs forked, can’t wait to hang up my keys, etc, etc" brigade…
Yes, the FCA regulations do complicate things and we’d better off with less interference. However, the changes they make soon become the norm and I soon forget how things were before. The real issues are the awful systems and procedures that are in place when it comes to promotion opportunities. The way it works is that your previous achievements, experience and skills count for nothing - literally.
In order to progress, you sit an interview (more like a test) where you have to hope that you say the right things and score up to a maximum of 25. You can be the biggest moron, possess no people skills, be disliked by all of your peers and be rude to the customers daily BUT if you get a high enough score, the job is yours. It’s madness, which can be evidenced by the rude, bad attitude and simply thick supervisors and managers that are currently in place. They’ve been trained to say the right things in interview and lo and behold they’re higher up the food chain than they deserve to be. Some are getting 100% which shouldn’t be possible in any interview situation. It dehumanises the role and makes it difficult to give the job to the right person. Like I said it’s all about passing a test. Your manager isn’t asked for a character reference, your achievements aren’t discussed and your previous experience means nothing. Get someone to tell you what to say, turn up, get it right and the job is yours.
As it stands my salary is poor for the responsibilities that I have - I’m on 17.5k - which is laughable.
Add this to the fact that I can’t stand much more small talk, worrying about customer’s accounts and the general boredom of sitting at a computer for much longer. Driving a truck will bring its own problems but if it means longer hours with a sense of freedom and no real stress and the chance of a better wage then I’ll happily make the switch.
I wouldn’t be interested in tramping to begin with as I would hope to keep the missus happy. I know it will limit my earning potential BUT I would be more than willing to work as many hours as I can doing mon-fri days/eves - would, say 50 hours bring in a decent wage? What could I expect to bring home with those hours? I don’t mind doing the odd Saturday either.
I find tramping easier as it suits me n the wife.
When your tramping u want as much hours mon to Thursday as possible. Very early start on Friday and home at a decent time.
You will find a job quite easy at the minute clearing £500-600 a week. Depending on hours worked.
I enjoy it. Save fortune on travel time and fuel and only need one car as the yard is on my doorstep.
I wouldn’t fancy working for supermarkets or 7 day rota jobs.
me in my wife would never see each other and rarely have day off together.
It’s horses for courses what ever suits u and your family.
Sounds like you want out of there! I’m on 23k a year for class 2 work but I love it (now anyways, hated it to begin with), I get a fair amount of freedom as long as the job gets done. Hours can be long but that’s part of the job. I couldn’t stand doing shop work, it would drive me crackers!
Glad to hear you love your job now. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you hate your job when you started? How many hours do you work for 23k and how tough is it?
Glad to hear you love your job now. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you hate your job when you started? How many hours do you work for 23k and how tough is it?
It was getting used to it all, having to make deliverers in places I hadn’t been before, it sucked for the first three weeks as I was cab hopping with lots of drivers. It got better when I was given my own truck.
As for the job itself, its actually pretty easy compared to most Class 2 work. Sure the places we get asked to deliver to range from the easist to the hardest, stupidst places on earth. Tomorrow I have a pallet of flooring for a house in central London, I have a feeling that I won’t be delivering it to the actual house. Can’t block the road next to a school!
The company I work for runs all the shipping to Sweden, Finland, Demmark, Norway etc so I collect as well as drop off. Hours can be long, I nomrally do between 50-60 hours a week, some weeks are less though as I’m parked up before 2pm! Start times though are a real pain. 3am start from a 6am tip in Manchester etc.
Its a good job when you compare it to the links of Palletline etc, a busy day for me is 4 drops, 3 collections.
. I’m currently driving a heavy Hiab artic, and I get all over the UK, delivering all manner of weird and wonderful loads. I effectively get paid ( a rather handsome remuneration) for sightseeing, I get to some seriously interesting places, and. I meet some of the nicest people you could hope to meet. The kit is top class and the transport office couldn’t be more helpful.