Been on the buses about 7 years. I got my cat C and C+E before leaving the Armed Forces, it was a resettlement course. This was back in 2007, haven’t really touched trucks since then.
I have my CPC for the buses, I don’t know if this is transferable or not. My question is will I find it hard to get a job doing HGVs, particularly class 2 to begin with? Lots of Class 2 does seem to be multi drop work, of course.
I suppose if I was offered an interview I’d consider a few hours refresher training to brush up on.
There’s a large distribution centre near me that was pre covid taking on new drivers even training them up. 3/4 am starts, multi drops to shops , some up to 100 miles away,then back home for early afternoon.
Anyone made the move and preferred truck driving?
Not got my D licence but I wouldn’t imagine you would have much trouble getting class C work. You have relevent experience of driving so that shouldn’t be a problem (if it is just bend the truth a bit).
Question is why do you want to do back breaking class C crap when you have C&E?
Hey there, I did exactly the same as yourself but in 2008. C and C+E on resettlement. 2015 worked buses for 5 months to get my eye back in, Stagecoach were desperate for drivers. I then chanced my luck and approached the traffic manager at a local firm who work alongside the whisky industry. Interview, assessment drive, started 2 weeks later.
I had NO hgv experience, simply 5 months on a 40ft coach. Your CPC on buses is good for HGV. I had done Stagecoaches 3 day new driver prog to get mine but did day 1 & 2 again to get 5 modules. You can have 5 of the same if you so desire.
All I would say is take whatever you can get your hands on and give it a whirl. It’s all good experience.
Start on tippers. Plenty jobs to be had. Then move onto skips etc.
All you need is a pair of riggers.
Then once confidence has built get on the bendys as the artic boys like to call them. You get an extra 50p an hour for that.
Then once trained in bendys as the artic boys like to call them straight into aupermarket work where th big bucks is earned and if you feel the need go sit cpc in adr and go on nights on the tankers refuelling gigs.
Wonderful splendid work.
Avoid tramping though unless your single and love ■■■ and have the snapvhat app with maps on. Find all matter of stuff on the road.
Or a pre planned ■■■■■■ if you know your daily routes on way.
drover:
Not got my D licence but I wouldn’t imagine you would have much trouble getting class C work. You have relevent experience of driving so that shouldn’t be a problem (if it is just bend the truth a bit).
Question is why do you want to do back breaking class C crap when you have C&E?
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Well I suppose until I get back into it. Other than doing my C+E course 13 years ago, I haven’t got experience in driving a truck with a trailer, or indeed any HGV 1 experience.
The bus job is ok, sometimes I hate it, ultimately I’m on 11ph and it’s unlikely it’s going to go up any time soon, seeing as public transport has been massively hit.
With regards to multi drop, I guess every job is different? Some might be 5 drops, others could be 30.
Then once trained in bendys as the artic boys like to call them straight into aupermarket work where th big bucks is earned and if you feel the need go sit cpc in adr and go on nights on the tankers refuelling gigs.
Beep beep keep on trucking
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Any idea what the supermarket drivers are on? Do any of them work directly for the supermarkets, I believe some have been contracted out?
You may earn less than £11. on trucks, most supermarket work is agency. You may as well register with all of the agencies in your area. Dont believe anything an agency man says, they all lie .
RogerOut:
Then once trained in bendys as the artic boys like to call them straight into aupermarket work where th big bucks is earned and if you feel the need go sit cpc in adr and go on nights on the tankers refuelling gigs.
Beep beep keep on trucking
Any idea what the supermarket drivers are on? Do any of them work directly for the supermarkets, I believe some have been contracted out?
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Trucker of a truckers friend had said they are on 13ph. Pick up trailer go to said site. Reverse on to bay green light tata. Easy money. Draw curtains non exist. Although low loader driver i know up and down country makes mints pulling tiddles. Its a catch 22. Woukd recommend supermarkets all day.
alamcculloch:
You may earn less than £11. on trucks, most supermarket work is agency. You may as well register with all of the agencies in your area. Dont believe anything an agency man says, they all lie .
I worked for Tesco direct, the discount was handy shame that my nearest supermarket was Asda and the looks you got going into Asda with a Tesco uniform
RogerOut:
Then once trained in bendys as the artic boys like to call them straight into aupermarket work where th big bucks is earned and if you feel the need go sit cpc in adr and go on nights on the tankers refuelling gigs.
Beep beep keep on trucking
Any idea what the supermarket drivers are on? Do any of them work directly for the supermarkets, I believe some have been contracted out?
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Yes indeed. You are correct.
Check your cpc card. If you do it should show what you hold. The bus and lorry cpc is different. You may need to do a few hours or 35 hours to have your cpc.
I did both and they both have there good and bad points. One job I never fancied was driving a bus round a town but coach driving can be good fun at times.
Each to their own.
Bit of a catch 22. Good points about my job on the buses- it’s local so no commuting and no travel costs. I get a free bus pass and so does the Mrs,that can be used on most services ( not that I travel much on buses anyway). If I break down it doesn’t matter, get paid whether the bus moves or not. And I’m never more than 18 miles away from the depot.
Negatives- stuck on 11ph. Not much chance that will go up any time soon. Crap vehicles that are a mix of newish and old. Sometimes the heaters don’t work in the winter, and no air con in the hot summer. Picking up coffin dodgers who want a taxi service even though they get free travel after 9.30. Some insist to argue the time with you. Picking up school kids who destroy the bus, generally just not much fun. Picking up some of society’s rubbish, atleast unlike dustmen, ours walks themselves off. An outdated culture, the bus industry is still stuck in the dark ages with how it works. Also on duty for 12 hours but paid only 9 or 9.5 of them. Considering the responsibility thrust upon us, we are badly underpaid, but I blame the unions for much of this.
Also us bus drivers are generally hated,by other road users , our management and even our passengers. Our only allies are our colleagues. Just generally no respect for us.
Also ,old people and drunks who ■■■■ themselves on the bus. Babies and drunks who are sick on the bus. And old people who fall over, even though you are stationery with your doors open. This involves completing an accident report and even filling out a police report. All of this is in your own time. Have a prang and you’re in the managers office having a disciplinary. Also false allegations made against your that apparently two weeks ago you scratched someone’s parked car, even though you didn’t. Then you have to write a report protesting your innocence, and the person who basically committed an offence by making a false insurance claim still probably gets paid out by the bus insurance. So they get rewarded for it.
The saying “When you’re on your death bed you will regret the things you didn’t do, not the things you did” can be disproven simply by the saying “What about the time in my life when I drove buses for First”.
Driving the dregs of society around for a pitiful wage wears you out after a while. There’s only so much you can take before you start to hate people. 7 years is a long time to do bus work, you may need to be eased back in to normal society gradually.
Alas, the beauty of trucking is if you don’t like one job you can go get another and the work can be completely different if you want it to be. I suspect you will look back and wonder why you didn’t switch to trucks sooner. I do.
I have been on buses for 22 years , work at a small family firm doing mainly school work and some private hires. I have met drivers who say that bus driving is the best job in the world. I wouldnt go that far. There is variety, if one job doesnt suit you try another.
Keeping an eye out for some suitable jobs. I would need some refresher training and Tacho training, never used one, as haven’t driven since my course.
As a family man, I can’t give up a permanent job for an insecure agency job.
I know a man who’s in the know at the distribution centre I mentioned in an earlier post, it’s delivery to retail across SE England. But about 5/6 drops a shift, some fewer. Obviously a bit of hard graft unloading cages. But the truck is pre loaded before the driver leaves the depot. They just unload.
The worse part is the fact some drops go into London, having driven buses there I know how bad it can be. Not just that ,its the cameras and box junctions, not to mention the traffic wardens.
And also the idiots that block loading areas for trucks, it looks like it can be very trying at times.
I would not want to drive any thing in London, I find Edinburgh bad enough. Have done some class 2 shop work, they are called corner shops for a reason but you cant park at corners. Maybe just stay with the devil that you know.
RogerOut:
Also ,old people and drunks who ■■■■ themselves on the bus. Babies and drunks who are sick on the bus. And old people who fall over, even though you are stationery with your doors open. This involves completing an accident report and even filling out a police report. All of this is in your own time. Have a prang and you’re in the managers office having a disciplinary. Also false allegations made against your that apparently two weeks ago you scratched someone’s parked car, even though you didn’t. Then you have to write a report protesting your innocence, and the person who basically committed an offence by making a false insurance claim still probably gets paid out by the bus insurance. So they get rewarded for it.
Had an old person fall over when I was on the buses, claimed I was doing 25mph and slammed the brakes on. I had pulled away from the stop to the roundabout 100yds up the road, didnt know the bus had a nitro kit upgrade.
Manager actually said to me “Are you sure you weren’t going that fast?”
