Hi folks
I’m new to the forum and would like some advice please. Thinking about a career change to HGV driving and would like to know if this is a good industry to get into at present. I have already been in touch with a few of these so called broker training companies. Would like to know what training companies out there are good/bad etc. Any advice would be appreciated since I know very little about this.
Thanks in advance
rich
I would say It’s a good enough industry to get into if you enjoy driving large vehicles and like your own company, but only you can know if it’s for you or not.
As for training companies you’ll need to give your approximate location to get recommendations, I would say find a local training company who have a good reputation and proved training record, but I’m sure the PST fanboys will tell you different 
One thing we’ll all agree about though is to stay clear of brokers 
Is it a good career? Yes if it’s what you want to do and enjoy driving.
Is the money good? It can be depending on who you work for and if you are prepared to work longer hours than most other types of work. Companies like the one I work for will want every hour out of you, so 13 and 15 hour days in peak at least will be the norm, but you are getting paid pretty well for it.
Training? Look for recommendations about the company either in online reviews or here or from other people, just because a training company is big or looks good has a good website etc does not mean they are good. Look at cost cheap usually is cheap for a reason. It also depends on whether you have 1:1 training or 1:2 training so your learning with someone else at the same time.
Depending on how old you are and when you passed your car test will influence cost also and which licences you want to go for. I reckon for a new driver Theory, medical, CPC, lesson in 7.5/C/C+E all in your looking around £4500-5000 a big investment if you are not going to earn the money to pay for it all in a decent amount of time.
That is just getting the licences, then you have to learn all about the working time directive and how that affects you and your job, then you have to learn how to use a digi card and if unlucky even tacho paper charts if you work for anyone that runs trucks older than 2006. Then you have to learn the tacho regulations again to make sure you are in keeping with the law.
Some of it is pretty easy to learn, others are a bit harder, some you will learn on the job or from older hands on the job and mostly we are all learning still.
As I say there are a lot of variables, there are good paid jobs around that don’t require you to spend half your time alive at work, but a lot of jobs in the industry will be long days, not to mention early morning starts if on days.
Google digi tacho use on YouTube and manual tacho entries on YouTube and see if you can get your head around that. Download the GV262 as that is the tacho bible and start looking at what you need to know first so you can at least learn and understand the basics. If you drive for a company and make tacho mistakes then you will get infringements, too many of them and you will have to have “counselling” as they call it at our place, too many still and you won’t be able to drive for a lot of companies so could continually be looking for work.
Sorry my posts sounds like doom and gloom but people often think that driving for a living driving trucks is a walk in the park, learning to drive a truck anyon3e can do, learning to be a good truck driver and keeping your tacho clean and learning everything else is the hard bit. How to use curtainsider trailers, how to strap a load, vehicle safety checks, recording any working hours when not driving a truck there is so much to know and a lot to learn.
If you decide it is for you then good luck and I hope it all pans out for you.
Get a van driving averaging 60 or so hours a week and do that for 6 months including winter, you’ll know by the end of that if you are cut out for the job.
No point in peeing £3k up the wall to find its not for you.
Many of us long termers, lorry driving (it was somewhat different then, some say better, some say not) was what we wanted to do from childhood so did our first stints on vans before old enough to drive a lorry, i still think this is the best way in, you learn your routes and much about the job before having to cope with a bloody great lorry on top.
Orangerick:
Hi folksI’m new to the forum and would like some advice please. Thinking about a career change to HGV driving and would like to know if this is a good industry to get into at present. I have already been in touch with a few of these so called broker training companies. Would like to know what training companies out there are good/bad etc. Any advice would be appreciated since I know very little about this.
Thanks in advance
rich
I used a broker. They did exactly what they said they’d do. They did however charge me over £200 for the privilege. If I’d used this forum beforehand, that money would have been in my pocket because they didn’t do anything I couldn’t have done.
Captain Caveman 76:
Orangerick:
Hi folksI’m new to the forum and would like some advice please. Thinking about a career change to HGV driving and would like to know if this is a good industry to get into at present. I have already been in touch with a few of these so called broker training companies. Would like to know what training companies out there are good/bad etc. Any advice would be appreciated since I know very little about this.
Thanks in advance
rich
I used a broker. They did exactly what they said they’d do. They did however charge me over £200 for the privilege. If I’d used this forum beforehand, that money would have been in my pocket because they didn’t do anything I couldn’t have done.
Who did you actually do your training with then? Was it one of the local ones??
It was Hughes Bean Done.
eagerbeaver:
It was Hughes Bean Done.
Cheers E8B, it certainly felt like it! It was actually with Welwyn Training, near Beverly. Good set of lads, passed C first time and C+E second time round. I paid for a “pass insurance” so got the second go for “free”!
Good God I was thick!
Check out the link in my signature below
Captain Caveman 76:
eagerbeaver:
It was Hughes Bean Done.Cheers E8B, it certainly felt like it! It was actually with Welwyn Training, near Beverly. Good set of lads, passed C first time and C+E second time round. I paid for a “pass insurance” so got the second go for “free”!
Good God I was thick!
To be fair, i think you got off light, as ONLY £200 for being treated like a mug is cheap mate! 
Good post simcor as it’s informative without pulling any punches…
But “doom and gloom” is normally Juddian’s job!
As ROG says OP, find a local trailer that you feel comfortable with after a chat, and then book an assessment drive…
Best of luck! 
Cheers Evil,
I do come across as all doom and gloom sometimes but I think it’s better to be informed then you can make an informed decision. The majority of non truck drivers the K this driving lark is dead easy, once they know what we need to know and do it does change people’s minds.
Truck driving is not for everyone as are not many jobs.
Captain Caveman 76:
eagerbeaver:
It was Hughes Bean Done.Cheers E8B, it certainly felt like it! It was actually with Welwyn Training, near Beverly. Good set of lads, passed C first time and C+E second time round. I paid for a “pass insurance” so got the second go for “free”!
Good God I was thick!
I did my cat c at welwyn with a Irish lad, I then did my c+e with TIR, highly recommend them!
Thanks for all the advice so far. Ok so any advice then on local training companies, I’m in the Ripley, Derbyshire area.
thanks again
rich
hi again, please ignore my last post regarding training companies. I’ve checked out ROG’s link in his post and there’s a few in the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire area that would be convenient.
thanks all
rich