Ex - Armed Forces Drivers

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

What are your experiences of young (early 20’s) ex-army drivers?

I will be finding myself in that situation in June after signing off from the army.

I’m a little nervous at finding work as experience seems to be everything in the civilian side of things.

I am experienced in some respects such as the actual operating of the vehicle and I have covered many miles in various different vehicles.

Most of my experience was gained through working with civilian vehicles, however they were army property and as such were operated as the army directs.

2

i was in the same position mate but found work you should be fine gud luck with it :smiley:

3

Cheers.

Did you have problems getting work at first?

Were employers understanding of your situation?

I should be okay getting interviews, as I hold both CE and DE as well as ADR and all the NVQs that go with them.

But when it comes to the actual interview stage I could fall apart, as I’ve never used a tacho or followed driving hours before.

4

But when it comes to the actual interview stage I could fall apart, as I’ve never used a tacho or followed driving hours before.

In that respect nor has any newly passed driver, however you’ve got the driving time on your side.

Tachographs are relatively straighforward and can be easily taught, hours can be a headache but you can always refer to written guidelines in your own time to check that you’re OK.

I’ve had several driving jobs, none have ever involved more thought about hours than the following.

Not more than 4.5 hours break.

Max. driving in a day 9 hours (very occasionly 10 but never more than once a week)

Minimum daily rest (can’t even remember that now as I don’t work late / early anymore)

I’ve never got more involved than that, but could soon pick numbers up if I needed to.

You need to explain that you’ve got all the driving experience just you might need a brush up / helping hand with the other bits. I’m sure many people would look favourably on that rather than an outright new starter.

5

This may sound stupid( not meant as an insult either) but as an army driver how much reversing have you done do you know how to use the trailer brake

The reason for this is because my boss took on an ex army driver yes he was quite young 25 had all the qualifications like you do but his reversing had a lot to be desired, he then took the artic out driving down the road sparks around drove like this for about 15 mile before he stopped and he did not know what was wrong. The boss had a call about this as all our fleet is livered up and he had to phone said driver. Another driver had to go down to show him what to do

He did not last long as you can imagine

Sorry to be so negative

6

I assume by early 20’s you mean under 25, that might be a problem with some employers due to insurance.

However you have got time behind the wheel on your side, just have to be honest about the tacho stuff in the interview.
In fact being a honest about you fears and experience might help you get a job as the employer might respect the fact that you realise that you don’t know it all and are willing to listern and learn.

7

Hi Chiz, WELCOME

Chiz:
I should be okay getting interviews, as I hold both CE and DE as well as ADR and all the NVQs that go with them.

Sounds like you’re well set-up mate.
Did you actually do your ADR in the forces, or did they send you to an external provider :question:

The forces do ADR ever so slightly differently to the way that us civvies do it, but the qualification is the exactly the same regardless of where/how you did it and is equally valid :wink:

As for NVQs did you do the NVQ2 in “driving goods vehicles”■■ There are others, but the one I mentioned seems to be the one in most demand these days.
BTW, don’t let anyone tell you that it stands for Not Very Qualified :wink: cos they’re only jealous :smiley:

Chiz:
But when it comes to the actual interview stage I could fall apart, as I’ve never used a tacho or followed driving hours before.

My tip for the interview is to be straight with them. If you do that, I don’t think you’ll have much to fear. Just imagine the opposite. You try to blag it and then they cotton on to you, how would you look to them then :question:

You can always read up on drivers’ hours and then ask Coffeeholic or Tachograph in the Health & Safety forum.
( :wink: They have an apprentice called ROG :exclamation: ) :open_mouth: You can’t miss ROG, he’s the one with a flack jacket and Hi-Viz :laughing:

TIP: When you return home, please don’t forget to inform DVLA of your change your address on your driving licence. Many guys leaving the forces forget to do that for some reason. :wink: BTW, DON’T send off your ADR licence, Swansea will automatically issue you a new ADR licence anyway, once you’ve told them you’ve moved, cos they’re linked with your normal licence on the computer, but just mention it on the form, just to play safe.

Happy New Year, Good Luck, and please let us know how you get on. :smiley:

8

Welcome to the madhouse Chiz

where about in Newcastle are you :question: :question:

9

Hi Chiz, A lot of drivers are ex forces and had little or no problems with the transition to civvy jobs,
You will be fine I am sure, just be honest and highlight your skills

10

For one thing, it depends on what you mean by “Army Driver”.

There are more than a few soldiers who got an LGV licence through the army, but never actually drove an LGV, apart from their training. They then lie there way into a driving job and ruin it for everyone else, by proving in a very short time that they actually know nothing about the job.
The next time that employer is recruiting, just out army drivers are rejected out of hand.

There are also soldiers who drove LGVs for the whole of their career. I’m one of those.
At my first unit, I was the regiments tyre fitter for 6 months, then the grease monkey in the servicing bay. I only drove a wagon when they were desperate for a driver. When I left, after 12 years, I was an all terrain fork lift instructor, a lorry mounted crane instructor, an MOT inspector, a coach driver, a CQP driver, a continuation driving instructor / driving assessor and had been touring Germany and Benelux with a wagon and drag for 7 years.

I still had to start as an inexperienced driver, when I joined civvy street.
I had no commercial experience.

11

Thanks to everyone for your advice.

I’ll start at the top.

I’m only 22, but have held my CE since I was 18 and DE since I was 20.

I’m reading up on my drivers hours right now, I will get the hang of it.

Just by browsing this forum, it’s quite evident that I don’t know it all, but I’m more than willing to learn.

My reversing is reasonably good, I spent two and a half years driving a DAF 85CF with curtain / box / low loader / flat bed / tanker trailers. I was single manned pretty much all the time, so I had to pick it up quite quickly.

In my opinion, the reason a lot of army drivers are incapable of reversing is because the army insists on the use of a banksman at all times, even for the most simple of manouvres. While this is good practice from a H&S point of view, it means that the drivers do not get enough practice reversing. As I was lucky enough to be single manned, I got all the practice I wanted.

My ‘other than in tanks’ ADR was conducted at the Defence School of Transport at Leconfield, near Beverley, whilst the ‘in tanks’ modules were done at West Moors near Bournemouth. The instructors were all civilian, so I would imagine the course was conducted to civilian standard.

My NVQ is the level 3 in Driving Goods Vehicles, I also hold a level 3 BTEC in Road Freight Logistics. What all this means to a civilian employer is yet to be seen, but I hope they’ll be of use.

And Animal, I’m from Benwell, in the west end.

Once again, thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement.

12

Oh dear not another 1 know it well very well

13

I joined up as a driver (RLC), completed my training and got sent straight out to Northern Ireland where I did my NVQs as well as gained experience on the ‘white fleet’ (civilian vehicles).

I got more into the driving and less into the soldiering, which has lead me to where I am now, leaving the army to look for some ‘proper driving work’.

Simon, when you say CQP, is that what is now called ‘staff car’? If so then I am a defence staff car driver as well as a close protection driver. Not the most recognised qualification, but the advanced driving side is of benefit.

I know exactly where you are coming from with ‘army drivers’. The army has plenty of ‘license holders’ but not as many ‘drivers’, as in; day in - day out, on the road, in the workshops drivers.

14

animal:
Oh dear not another 1 know it well very well

You must do, only people who know the place say ‘oh dear’ :laughing:

15

your just out the army you ve got the close protection course try iraq security for a few months or haliburton

16

if you try a “Logistics company” you’ll have no probs getting a start
they like people who follow rules and do as their told

if you end up in general haulage you will have to learn to

take the rough with the very rough :cry:

17

i think it is the french and italian who are best at reversing

18

while i am at it why do people come on here and talk about truck driving as if one was takeing comand of the space shuttle

19

fuse:
while i am at it why do people come on here and talk about truck driving as if one was takeing comand of the space shuttle

:open_mouth: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: Whiskey tango foxtrot, over?

20

i found being honest was the way forward, i had plenty of driving experience just never in the uk and no tacho knowledge at time 2 years ago. company give me 4 days of driving with co-driver to get me started and kept me on easy routes or follow another truck for few weeks then i was off on my own :sunglasses: