I’ve been watching a brakes class 2 job go up to £33 k & still no takers it seems , class 1 bulk drivers ( I assume trunkers ) just gone up , £31 k , years ago it was the other way round
Now seeing loads of van jobs at £7/800 pw , one £850-£1100 pw
I guess vans can be explained with the massive rise in online retail , but class 2 jobs look the same , maybe it’s harder to get class 2 than 1
dozy:
I’ve been watching a brakes class 2 job go up to £33 k & still no takers it seems , class 1 bulk drivers ( I assume trunkers ) just gone up , £31 k , years ago it was the other way round
Now seeing loads of van jobs at £7/800 pw , one £850-£1100 pw
I guess vans can be explained with the massive rise in online retail , but class 2 jobs look the same , maybe it’s harder to get class 2 than 1
Get on the brakes then doze! Wouldn’t do that job for £50 an hour…
I can see in the not too distant future that class 2 wages will overtake class 1 simply because new passes will be going straight to class 1.
Those van jobs will be based on self employed, subbing for amazon etc, all costs of van, fuel etc coming out of those invoices each week.
Brakes and the other food delivery jobs are really hard work carrying stock up stairs no parking near where you have to be etc. You would earn your money for sure.
Grandson used to work for DPD. Had a day off sick, then he was charged £150. for the privilege.
SWEDISH BLUE:
Grandson used to work for DPD. Had a day off sick, then he was charged £150. for the privilege.
I believe they changed that policy now because of the poor guy who died because he couldn’t afford to take a day off 
It’s no mystery that most drivers would take less per hour for a job that involves maximum driving as opposed to maximum ‘other duties’.
SWEDISH BLUE:
Grandson used to work for DPD. Had a day off sick, then he was charged £150. for the privilege.
About 6 years ago I was working at yodel Via agency using there van and fuel
They were wanting owner drivers so I asked. Was told
Pay was 85p a parcel went up if did over 100 a day.
Was told no holidays. Your given a set postcode area has to be covered 5 days a week 6 during busy times.
Can ask driver on neighbor postcodes to cover you. Ask a family member. Etc
Otherwise be a daily charge of £120 to cover your route.
I stayed on agency paid by the hour passed my hgv n left
Been with my current employer now for the past 14 months after getting made redundant as a kitchen installer at pubs and restaurants due to the pandemic.
So it was back to the old profession of driving ( class 2 )
I do approx 1-2 nights out a week roughly 55 hours a week , no multi drop
Mainly rdc or trading estates ( no tail lift work ) nationwide take home just under £600 a week .
Do have the occasional 60 hours and 3 nights then your looking at just over £650
So as the original post says class 2 can be decent wage .
Having said that one of the pallet network companies near me some of there drivers are taking home £700 + a week no nights away . But not for me , done that 15 - 20 years ago at the start of the pallet network explosion and it was hard work then , much worse now .
I’m happy where I am thanks .
class 2 work can be tough to be fair
adam277:
class 2 work can be tough to be fair
The lines have become and will get more blurred as time goes on in that regard.As more load capacity is just seen as a way to lumber a driver with more local drops/load handling as the industry is confined to ever reducing distances.
While rigids can provide a few exceptions to the rule in the form of bulkers of numerous types.
Or what remains of any better quality distance bulk drop type work which will probably reduce in volume to the point of making smaller rigids the more efficient truck for the job.
It’s even possible to find that taken to the extreme in the form of distance same day pallet work for vans but local distribution type dross for artics.
The former obviously way over subscribed with drivers looking for it compared to the latter.
I am on 43k basic for 48 hours class 2 ADR …it’s graft though.
Class 2 and 1 are paid the same on palletline at Gregory, I went back to class 2 after four years on the bendy trucks as it’s actually an easier more interesting job and your truck is your own as opposed to the units that are used for night trunking.
Start at 7.30am and rarely back later than 6pm five days a week for 30k, I’m happy with that and we have electric pallet trucks.
Brakes done away with most of their artic runs, mine among them.
I was offered a C2 job “or redundancy”. When I chose the latter - I was removed that same day, as I had an extra year’s service as of the following week, so they thought they’d save a whole year’s worth of redundancy payout by getting rid of me right then and there.
…Trouble was, whilst that diddled me out of around £750 - I then got around £1400 severence pay, so I guess they shot themselves in the foot, this Sysco outfit that paid around $500million too much for Brakes - two weeks before the Brexit vote went “The wrong way” for all those RHA luvvie types… Had they belived enough in Brexit to “punt the dollar rather than the pound” - they could have saved a boatload of cash simply by delaying their intended purchase of Brake Brothers for a month or so… 
Now we hear that Morrisons have been bought out my another American outfit…
…Chances are this WON’T be good for the normal rank-and-file staff working there.
Of course I could be wrong, but am I?
I never heard of a company takeover when conditions improved sharply the moment the deal completed… Prove me wrong, someone!
My average take home pay for class 2 for 55hrs and 4 nights is £750. Just had a 20% pay rise, paid 4 nights out whether you do them or not as long as you’re prepared to be away Mon-Thurs. Fri night out is £41 tax free, we also get a £220 bonus every 4 weeks. I’ve been here since last November and I can’t see myself looking for anything else for a long while if at all
Iwe recently got a pay rise now im.on £13 hr doing class 2.
Plus£100 month attendance bonus.
Is easy work long distance usually 2 drops a day sometimes even 1 all depends .
Have no stupid telematics no cameras. They don’t really watch us on a tracker just leave us alone to get on with it.
Sometimes can go days without having to speak to anybody in the office.
But I feel now you can bypass class 2
Go straight to class 1 . There obviously will be more class 1 drivers to address the shortage we apparently have.
But in a year or so we will be short of class 2 drivers. As all new passes go straight to class 1. And guessing they won’t be applying for class 2 jobs . After all they paid.the money for there class 1 licence so there obviously going to drive one .
adam277:
class 2 work can be tough to be fair
Especially if you’re a Class 1 driver who hasn’t reversed a rigid for 20 years! 
edd1974:
Iwe recently got a pay rise now im.on £13 hr doing class 2.
Plus£100 month attendance bonus.
Is easy work long distance usually 2 drops a day sometimes even 1 all depends .
Have no stupid telematics no cameras. They don’t really watch us on a tracker just leave us alone to get on with it.
Sometimes can go days without having to speak to anybody in the office.But I feel now you can bypass class 2
Go straight to class 1 . There obviously will be more class 1 drivers to address the shortage we apparently have.
But in a year or so we will be short of class 2 drivers. As all new passes go straight to class 1. And guessing they won’t be applying for class 2 jobs . After all they paid.the money for there class 1 licence so there obviously going to drive one .
It’s the type of work that matters not the type of truck.The job that you’ve described seems to confirm the idea that artics will be used increasingly for moving a lot of grouped loads over shorter distances with all that implies.
While smaller capacity rigids are more suited to a decreasing amount of distance bulk work.