Sarahnya:
That’s true. I think it sounds like it’s worth the investment, I love driving long distance and like the ideal of not having to constantly deal with people and office politics anymore, it does my head in. I think I will go for it once I have saved the money, I’ll just have to be tenacious to get my foot in the door by the sounds of it.
Christmas is a good time to get that all important expirance. I only passed in June i havent started looking for work yet as im still gainfully employed for the moment but the agency have called me today asking if I’m free to drive for them. So chances for first time drivers do happen. Dispite what some say. I found out Royal Mail is great place for first time drivers as thay have no 2 year expirance rule. Hopefully this won’t chance due to it being sold off.
The another great offen over looked job involving getting the HGV licence is it makes you employable to drive the big tractors pulling the crops to and from the fields with the big trailers. You can’t do that job with out the HGV licene. As the the trailer and tractors combined weight is over 3,5 ton so all those guys are HGV trained.
If getting away from people is what your needing right now then working in the tractors is about as far from dealing with people as you can get. No taco’s to ■■■■ about with ither.
Although in fairness it’s properly harder to get a job doing this. Most tractor owners are contractors too all the local farms. Would help to know someone who dose farming work.
Gess working as a farm hand with the polish migrates to start with would be the best way to get to know the farmers and owners of the tractors and let them know you got HGV and can move the tractors if thay need you too. Would have to prove to them your alrite and are going play a fair game with them. I know a lot of farmers and thay can come over as being a strange breed. Will take along time to win them over. Anyway these are the some of the lines of work people seem to forget about.
Only licence needed for farm tractors is a tractor licence no HGV that’s why you can get 16 year olds driving them up to 24 ton. True no tacos or drivers hours
mac12:
Remember to get peters £500 you will have to give up any life you have so that you can work maybe 80 hours per week and to get your night out money you may have to sleep in a layby using the hedge for a toilet as a lot of firms will not pay for parking.
This is utter ■■■■■■■■ and you know it. I earn over that a week and I don’t work anything like 80 hours a week
So is the crap in the hedge bit true then
Yes. I stepped out of a cab backwards once into what can only be described as the largest pile of faeces I’ve ever seen. Looked more like a plop or horse crap. There was a soiled pair of trousers next to it too.
But, on the up side, I can take home £500 (in my pocket not top line) for doing a lot less than 80 hours. Less than 60 in fact.
Sarahnya:
That’s true. I think it sounds like it’s worth the investment, I love driving long distance and like the ideal of not having to constantly deal with people and office politics anymore, it does my head in. I think I will go for it once I have saved the money, I’ll just have to be tenacious to get my foot in the door by the sounds of it.
Christmas is a good time to get that all important expirance. I only passed in June i havent started looking for work yet as im still gainfully employed for the moment but the agency have called me today asking if I’m free to drive for them. So chances for first time drivers do happen. Dispite what some say. I found out Royal Mail is great place for first time drivers as thay have no 2 year expirance rule. Hopefully this won’t chance due to it being sold off.
The another great offen over looked job involving getting the HGV licence is it makes you employable to drive the big tractors pulling the crops to and from the fields with the big trailers. You can’t do that job with out the HGV licene. As the the trailer and tractors combined weight is over 3,5 ton so all those guys are HGV trained.
If getting away from people is what your needing right now then working in the tractors is about as far from dealing with people as you can get. No taco’s to ■■■■ about with ither.
Although in fairness it’s properly harder to get a job doing this. Most tractor owners are contractors too all the local farms. Would help to know someone who dose farming work.
Gess working as a farm hand with the polish migrates to start with would be the best way to get to know the farmers and owners of the tractors and let them know you got HGV and can move the tractors if thay need you too. Would have to prove to them your alrite and are going play a fair game with them. I know a lot of farmers and thay can come over as being a strange breed. Will take along time to win them over. Anyway these are the some of the lines of work people seem to forget about.
Only licence needed for farm tractors is a tractor licence no HGV that’s why you can get 16 year olds driving them up to 24 ton. True no tacos or drivers hours
yer but if towing a trailer couipled with a tractor combining there shared weight is over 3.5 tom then its classed as heavy good surely. local contrator i know got HGV and said he had to have it for this reson ?
The vehicle classification goes on the vehicle only so if the GVW is not more than 3.5 tonnes then it is not a LGV = LAW
A combination of vehicle and trailer over 3.5 tonnes total MAM may come under EU driver regs if it does not come under an exemption but that does not make it a LGV
Example
Transit van GVW 3500 towing a trailer with a MAM of 3500 = B+E (car and trailer)
Sarahnya:
That’s true. I think it sounds like it’s worth the investment, I love driving long distance and like the ideal of not having to constantly deal with people and office politics anymore, it does my head in. I think I will go for it once I have saved the money, I’ll just have to be tenacious to get my foot in the door by the sounds of it.
Christmas is a good time to get that all important expirance. I only passed in June i havent started looking for work yet as im still gainfully employed for the moment but the agency have called me today asking if I’m free to drive for them. So chances for first time drivers do happen. Dispite what some say. I found out Royal Mail is great place for first time drivers as thay have no 2 year expirance rule. Hopefully this won’t chance due to it being sold off.
The another great offen over looked job involving getting the HGV licence is it makes you employable to drive the big tractors pulling the crops to and from the fields with the big trailers. You can’t do that job with out the HGV licene. As the the trailer and tractors combined weight is over 3,5 ton so all those guys are HGV trained.
If getting away from people is what your needing right now then working in the tractors is about as far from dealing with people as you can get. No taco’s to ■■■■ about with ither.
Although in fairness it’s properly harder to get a job doing this. Most tractor owners are contractors too all the local farms. Would help to know someone who dose farming work.
Gess working as a farm hand with the polish migrates to start with would be the best way to get to know the farmers and owners of the tractors and let them know you got HGV and can move the tractors if thay need you too. Would have to prove to them your alrite and are going play a fair game with them. I know a lot of farmers and thay can come over as being a strange breed. Will take along time to win them over. Anyway these are the some of the lines of work people seem to forget about.
Only licence needed for farm tractors is a tractor licence no HGV that’s why you can get 16 year olds driving them up to 24 ton. True no tacos or drivers hours
yer but if towing a trailer couipled with a tractor combining there shared weight is over 3.5 tom then its classed as heavy good surely. local contrator i know got HGV and said he had to have it for this reson ?
No up to 24 something ton limited to 20mph but all go over and as before no drivers hours tacos and can run on red fuel.
Just wondered if someone could tell me what life is generally like as someone who sleeps out several nights on the job, how does your day break down etc?
Somebody mentioned go round to companies with your CV.
What i found when doing this was companies just handed me a application form and sent me packing which was then completed and handed back with CV never to be seen again. Ended up being in no better position visiting sites than if i had of emailed or phoned, worse in fact because it wasted petrol and time!
I wonder if visiting direct is now a out of date method or only really works on your small one man band outfits?
truckster5:
Somebody mentioned go round to companies with your CV.
What i found when doing this was companies just handed me a application form and sent me packing which was then completed and handed back with CV never to be seen again. Ended up being in no better position visiting sites than if i had of emailed or phoned, worse in fact because it wasted petrol and time!
I wonder if visiting direct is now a out of date method or only really works on your small one man band outfits?
The smaller outfits tend to have a better relationship with their drivers and as a result you’ll usually find a better job. Not always but IMO I’d sooner work for a proper family haulage firm than I would Stobarts, that dressing table lot, Royal Mail etc
Sarahnya:
Just wondered if someone could tell me what life is generally like as someone who sleeps out several nights on the job, how does your day break down etc?
Well passed my CE in Jan this year with Flair training in Chelmford ( yep went well out of area as it worked for me )
Since end of March not been out of work did do some agency then a full time job was a rolling 6 day week was out for 5 nights home 6th day then 3 off it was ok did shop when home for time was away have to plan carefully tbh just think was normally planed on where to stop so did have use of a shower although in the men block but hey this was working fridges so a lot of night work /early mor
Moved onto general for a time as was better hours ( or should have been ) again away all week this time planed my own routes stops where to have shower in services / truckstops planned my own breaks have to watch driver hours ( you will need to learn them ) but dont worry to much atm
I have now gone back to fridges as find it suits me best again a lot of night / early morning starts so sleep during the day can be hard untill you get used to it although not for every one I try to plan my meals for most of week I normally start on a sun evening through to a fri mor although sometimes I do get home during the week yep I try to plan where I stop ( no I wont say which layby or industrial est I use ) you learn as you go or from other drivers shower again in either services or truckstops on my 45 as my boss dont pay parking unless loaded we do /can sometimes stay at company we load / unload at
Pay in my area which is a little North of you although does make a difference is approx. £6.50 upwards depending on firm or if saleried from approx.£90 per day then you have night out allowance approx. £25. meal allowance normally £25. per week then night shift allowance
There is a list on here for night out gear but that is for later & you learn as you go what you need but basic gloves baby wipes hi viz good footwear
mac12:
Remember to get peters £500 you will have to give up any life you have so that you can work maybe 80 hours per week and to get your night out money you may have to sleep in a layby using the hedge for a toilet as a lot of firms will not pay for parking.
Bear in mind also, that the hedge is often a better toilet than the so called facillities at MSA’s. Seriously though, I couldn’t but echo the advice given in the first reply.
Thanks, so much for that. It’s nice to get an idea of how a day would pan out.
How many hours are you expected to drive for in a day and how often do you get breaks, also can you take an unscheduled break if for example you were nodding off at the wheel (I do this quite frequently on long drives)?
I’m really quite looking forward to starting my lessons it looks like I need about 3k for both licenses as people have said. Do you think it’s worth saving up the whole amount or shall I go ahead and do c first and get c and even at a later date when I can afford it? Sorry for all the questions is just I’m looking forward to the change, wish I had the money to get the lot done in the Christmas hols.
Sarahnya:
I’m really quite looking forward to starting my lessons it looks like I need about 3k for both licenses as people have said. Do you think it’s worth saving up the whole amount or shall I go ahead and do c first and get c and even at a later date when I can afford it? Sorry for all the questions is just I’m looking forward to the change, wish I had the money to get the lot done in the Christmas hols.
Nice to do both close to each other but needs must = no problem - many did theirs years apart
Sarahnya:
Thanks, so much for that. It’s nice to get an idea of how a day would pan out.
How many hours are you expected to drive for in a day and how often do you get breaks, also can you take an unscheduled break if for example you were nodding off at the wheel (I do this quite frequently on long drives)?
Thanks for that animal, it’s handy to know but I thought I would be allowed to drive more that hours. That leaves a lot of free time with not much to do
Consider this before getting your licence, do you enjoy driving 9hrs down the motorway day in and day out, try it and see if you enjoy it. Also be prepared to deal with parasites if using agency’s when starting out they will lye habitually to you and thieve as much money of you as possible so watch out for that when starting out. If you are prepared for this and stay committed send out loads of applications and knock backs it is a fairly well paid simple job just having the ability to turn a wheel and stay awake.
Working for agencies at the moment and I hate them. Was with 4 agencies in Leeds each of them for a couple of weeks and one of them for a week. Long story short, yes come in and spend 2 hours doing forms and tests and then we will take you on and you will do a nice easy night trunk (what I want) no nights out and fantastic hourly rate! It is ongoing right through the year so as much work as you want BUT if you want to cut the hours down for any reason we work with you and that is fine!
Then you sign up…
2/3/4 days of a good run and then
“\It has gone quiet on that run now” (yeah right what at Christmas?) but have a 7am start tomorrow £7.50 per hour HGV 2 multidrop for Ikea delivery flat pack furniture?
alder:
Working for agencies at the moment and I hate them. Was with 4 agencies in Leeds each of them for a couple of weeks and one of them for a week. Long story short, yes come in and spend 2 hours doing forms and tests and then we will take you on and you will do a nice easy night trunk (what I want) no nights out and fantastic hourly rate! It is ongoing right through the year so as much work as you want BUT if you want to cut the hours down for any reason we work with you and that is fine!
Then you sign up…
2/3/4 days of a good run and then
“\It has gone quiet on that run now” (yeah right what at Christmas?) but have a 7am start tomorrow £7.50 per hour HGV 2 multidrop for Ikea delivery flat pack furniture?
Sign off pick another agency…
then repeat
How long did it take from signing up to doing your first run?
I’m debating whether to eventually join up with a agency but like you prefer to stick to trunk runs to begin with. I’m guessing you can stipulate that you only want say trunk runs?
