Hi,is it just me or does anyone else think its crazy that I cant carry goods unless I have met “the two years experience fairy”,but after a weeks training I can be let loose in a bus??
Why are insurance companies allowed to determine who can work in the haulage industry??
Im thinking getting my class1 may have been a mistake!
Bill
Trucks are a completely different beast.
With a bus you’ll be driving the same route in a vehicle that has the same dimensions and handles the same and the load secures itself and you have no worries over load distribution.
In a truck you’ll be usually going all over the place and there is a massive difference in how you drive it for various loads. With an artic the length of the vehicle can change by up to 25ft. How it corners with a 6x2 unit is different to how it corners with a 4x2 unit. The load isn’t self securing or loading so you’ve got to know not only how to distribute the load correctly but how to secure it.
I don’t know If Stobarts does anything for you but they seem to be one that will give you a go , as long as your confident is really all that matters.
Don’t give up fella something will turn up 
All true of course, however buses are full of old people and babies and teenagers and people so I can see the OP’s point.
On the other hand - it’s another good reason for being a trucker rather than a bus driver
Some employers will take you on, but there will be stricter rules on the insurance policy, such as a higher compulsory excess, and this is presumably because the insurance company’s claims experience tells them that new drivers will be a greater risk.
try your nearest Norbert Dentrensangle depot, they will give newbies a chance
Hi yes it can be frustrating but do not give up.There are more chances for new drivers now than there has been for a while.Worst comes to worst go to an agency and if need be tell them you are prepared to prove yourself driving a van or smaller truck before moving on to larger vehicles if you want.There are still plenty companies willing to give new drivers a go.
Conor I think you are being a bit harsh regarding bus or coach drivers and not all coaches travel the same route.Driving a coach with 55 people takes as much responsibility as driving any truck.Having driven both for a living they both have different peculiarities but both can be mastered quite easily by any competent driver.
Hi,Its just driving me nuts trying to get a start.Ive had no claims in 28 years,ive been a driving instructor for the last eight years and in the IAM for four.Ive worked in heavy industry,and loaded lorries by forklift.Some firms have said they would give me a crack based on that history,but the insurance companies dont care,im lumbered into an insurance statistics pigeon hole and thats that!
Whats worse is the insurance companies are making a good profit,which is why supermarkets etc are all in on it now!!,insurance is going the same road as the fuel companies and the tax man.
There are insurance Co’s out there that will happily cover a fleet that includes drivers without 2yrs experience.
Your problem is, that the premium for such insurance is much more expensive.
A fleet operator has 2x choices, do we go with the cheap option or do we go with the expensive option.
Actually it’s not as simple as that. Both of the options could work out costing the fleet operator near enough the same.
I’ll attempt to explain :
Fleet ‘A’ insists all new drivers have at least 2yrs experience & a clean(ish) licence. They’ve made a conscious decision to go with a policy that insists upon it, their policy costs £50k per year.
Fleet ‘B’ chose a policy that allows anyone qualified to drive, it cost them £90k.
Imagine a scenario where fleet ‘A’ is a good Co’ to work for, it doesn’t need to screw its drivers. Fleet ‘B’ however, is £40k less competetive than fleet ‘A’, it needs to claw back that £40k from somewhere, & IME the driver is the easy option. It needs to screw its drivers to compete with fleet ‘A’.
2yrs experience & a max of 6 points (of a certain type) is no bad thing, it shows that the Co’ can retain it’s existing drivers & attract the best of the applicants for new positions.
Fleet ‘B’ will take any Tom, ■■■■ or Harry. They need to 'cos no ■■■■■■ will work for 'em !
when i 1st passed my class 1 i was in the same position despite 25 years driving class 2 and i thought it was completly wrong that i couldent find a class 1 position because of the whole experience thing now 4 years on i am on the artics and believe me i learnt more in the 1st year on artics than i thought possible so i can now understand why people are reluctent to employ without experience
when there are more drivers than jobs, the people offering the jobs can be more picky and the drivers not so picky. when there are more jobs than drivers, the drivers can be more picky and the people offering jobs not so picky.
The situation has always been like this.I passed my class 2 20 years ago and found it to be a useless qualification.The agencies were saying if you do your class 1 we could use you.I got my bus licence and have been doing that ,mainly school work ever since.I get on the lorries during school holidays with the agencies ,sometimes ,when there is work,when they cant get any one else.Every time you see an artic going up the road you are seeing some one who has cracked the 2 year rule,keep on trying and you will get there.
Insurance is compuslary…so why not government run …like road tax and mot…its just a free for all they just pull numbers out of a hat and hope some daft ■■■■■ will pay it , when your young its through the roof and you will get that old chesnut when you get to 30 it goes down then when you get to 50 it will go down…then after 50 it starts to go up again because they think you have lost your marbles after 50…you cant win, until it changes theres jack ■■■■■ you can do. 
billrob:
but after a weeks training I can be let loose in a bus??
Because stage carriage bus companies are usually self insured and can afford newly qualified drivers…
I think youll find that a lot of coach firms insist on a minimum of 2 years experience…
Plus the coach industry everybody knows everybody and most bosses know the good/bad drivers…
shytalk:
Insurance is compuslary…so why not government run …like road tax and mot…its just a free for all they just pull numbers out of a hat and hope some daft [zb] will pay it , when your young its through the roof and you will get that old chesnut when you get to 30 it goes down then when you get to 50 it will go down…then after 50 it starts to go up again because they think you have lost your marbles after 50…you cant win, until it changes theres jack [zb] you can do.
you think the government would run it cheaper?
how much would you charge a 17 year old to cover them upto a million (i think that’s the minimum) if they get it wrong?
personally i’ve not had any issues with the cost of my insurance, i asked them to check they had quoted a turbo’d impreza when i was 23 as it was a lot cheaper than i expected. straight after passing my bike test i got a 600 sport bike that i though was very cheap as well given the performance
bjd:
when i 1st passed my class 1 i was in the same position despite 25 years driving class 2 and i thought it was completly wrong that i couldent find a class 1 position because of the whole experience thing now 4 years on i am on the artics and believe me i learnt more in the 1st year on artics than i thought possible so i can now understand why people are reluctent to employ without experience
How did you manage to learn on the artics ? By being given a chance
If you had driven rigids for 100 years and move on to a artic your still a total newb at the artics just like a new driver would be.
If you look at agencies, 2 years holding a class 1 license but not driving at all is classed as the same as someone who has been driving for 2 years. Kind of just highlights the experience thing as a bit of old hat nonsense For insurance purposes then that is a totally different ball game.
Also this thing of more drivers than jobs: There might be more drivers than jobs but are they the right drivers? A lot of experienced drivers are a liability.
ajt:
bjd:
when i 1st passed my class 1 i was in the same position despite 25 years driving class 2 and i thought it was completly wrong that i couldent find a class 1 position because of the whole experience thing now 4 years on i am on the artics and believe me i learnt more in the 1st year on artics than i thought possible so i can now understand why people are reluctent to employ without experienceHow did you manage to learn on the artics ? By being given a chance
If you had driven rigids for 100 years and move on to a artic your still a total newb at the artics just like a new driver would be.
If you look at agencies, 2 years holding a class 1 license but not driving at all is classed as the same as someone who has been driving for 2 years. Kind of just highlights the experience thing as a bit of old hat nonsense
Also this thing of more drivers than jobs: There might be more drivers than jobs but are they the right drivers? A lot of experienced drivers are a liability.
but the ■■■■ drivers are still there when there’s more jobs than drivers
i can’t remember if it was direct or through an agy, but arla in leeds wanted x amount of days driven in the last 2 years
It’s all part of the same pecking order bs that goes on at every stage of a driver’s career progression.There’s probably more chance of getting a start depending on how good the type of work is and how easy the guvnor can find someone to take the job on.Whereas on the better the type of work it’s possible that a driver will never get a start without being very lucky with the experience issue often applying at every stage when moving onto different better types of work especially the type of elitist bs that’s applied in the international sector.
IE there’s probably more chance of a driver finding a start in certain sectors like the four wheeler or even artic uk/local/distribution sectors than the long haul/trunking/international sectors and in the case of the latter sectors that applies regardless of having 2 years previous experience or not.While in cases like 4 or 6 wheeler or even artics local builders deliveries on agency or employed the guvnors are often so desperate for drivers that they don’t give a zb about the insurance restrictions and just pay what’s needed.
after school my mate did the day release mechanics course, working at a back street garage, a year or 2 after being time served, he applied for a job at a BMW dealers, but they wanted something like 2 years main dealer exp.
It’s not a truck driver only issue.
I can see the sense from the employers perspective,but the fact is 48 passengers lifes are worth 100 loads or more,if I kill my “load” through my mistake,thier families will sue for an amount nuch more than one million.I will keep trying!,its all I can do!
thanks for the replies and the advice,its much appreciated!
Another wee “anomally” I found is that cannabis users cant get a provisional unless off cannabis for a year,however,an alcoholic or heroin user can get a provisional straight away if they are on a treatment proggramme,ie methodone.Is this not encouraging alckies and junkies into the industry with an easier entry than a guy who smokes a few joints now and again.What could the governments reasoning be here!!
I dont smoke,or drink very much and I was shocked to discover this!