I’ve been thinking about taking my class 2 licence for a while now. I had an assessment drive about six years ago but what put me off was the driving instructor, the guy was just one of those people who are a bag of nerves! Brake! brake! even though the lights are 100 meters off plus the fact he insisted I was to be doing 20 mph at that distance from the lights anyway
At the moment I’m a PCV driver for a well known national company. My dilemma is do I leave a job that is £11 per hour to move into LGV or do I stay where I am? Would I get anywhere near those kind of wages doing class 2 work in and around Manchester?
I’m 45 this year so I hope I have plenty of time left!
if your happy stay put . you’ll be hard pushed to get £11 ph class 2.
You have to think cost of doing class 2 , how long is it going to take to reimburse that cost before you start earning again
then you’ll have the dilemma of do I go for class 1 with the same questions and then you have the problems everyone has getting work …
on top of the above you have the possibility of getting a job where your never home so that’s home life gone.
on the other hand if home life is not of a concern I would be trying to get on the coach tour jobs
You will probably to able to get the CAT C at a fraction of the full course price. As above, have an assessment or two. I would definitely give Paul @ Elmet a try. Then go to another for comparison. (You’ll probably go straight back to Paul!).
My question to you would be; Why do you want to drive trucks instead of PCV’S? If its because of the usual hassle with passengers/bosses etc I wouldn’t bother switching. I drive class 2’s for a well known chilled food/confectionery/tobacco outfit and we get paid approx. £9.25 per hour for a basic 40hrs and then time and a half for o/time. You would only swap one load of B/S for a different load of B/S(you are blocking me in can you move your truck you prick etc)
If like me,you really want to be truck driver then a pound or two per hour isn’t that important,but if its about the cash then stay put.
The only way class 2 around the North West will pay £11+ is either ADR or HIAB in my view(assuming based on days-weekends or nights obviously pays a bit more).
To be honest, unless you want to leave driving coaches I wouldn’t go head with gaining a truck driving licence, the position you are in at the moment seems a better choice, the haulage sector is very different industry. Having spent time working for both, if you are a good with your passengers I would stick with.
Assessing drivers with a PCV licence can be difficult for some instructors, they are more used to novice drivers. Assessing drivers pre driver training is quite a skill, we only have about 90 minutes to build up trust in the driver, help them at every stage then let them build confidence and see how they progress in a variety of ways. All the time trying to answer various questions and put yourself and company across in a positive and professional manor. However I must say, I love how exciting assessments can be, they vary from amazing drivers with loads of ability to those with none who are just dangerous!
I was a PCV driver for 10 years with a national company that started in Perth, I was sick of stopping every 200yrds to pick up or drop people off.
The best thing if you are going for it is to get your licence but stay at your current company until you decide to go for your class 1 or not. If you do want to go for your class 1, then stay at the company until you have got it. Then stay there until you get a job to go into.
I left the PCV to work in a shop that was related to my hobby at the time, I couldn’t hack being stuck in doors all day and decided to get my class 1(should get in the next month due to fund). I wish I had got it when I was still driving buses.
45 this year - if needing a medical then change your photo if not had a licence issued since oct 2012 - that will give an extra 5 years until the next medical
