Hi all, just found this web site,curtusy of a rep from Pathway, and registered yesterday.
I currently work for a company called M-Real in the paper industry, my department was notified last week of redundancies due to take place between this November and the following 3 years due to St Regis buying the complete site and not requiring our conversion department.
I had been thinking for a while of changing my career and this gives me the opportunity.
I am seriously considering taking my LGV Class C and C+E but am now worried about which company to use for training. I have obtained quotes from Pathway and also from Sterling.For the king of the road corse which includes the CPC for haulage, which i am interested in as i may want to move into management in the future. But having read all the negative post about sterling 
and also some about Pathway i am unsure who to use.
If any body has any recomendations for a quality trainer/instructor in my area which is Kent, i would appreciate the feedback and advice.■■
Ideally in the long term i want to gain my ADR and hopefully find employement with a company that supplies the petrol companies, in the short term i’d like to get my liscences and do temporary work for an agency,hopefully class c+e to gain experiance, whilst i am still employed, as my current shift patterns allow me loads of spare time.at my present job, The redundancy is to much to walk away from.
Does any one know how difficult it is to get a job with the companies that supply the petrol stations, and how much experiance they generally require before they employe any one.■■
And also if their is plenty of work with companies in the medway/swale area of Kent, and any that are willing to take newbie drivers on.■■
Sorry about the length of this, i’ll try and keep the future posts shorter. 
If you want a few days training, it would be worth travelling to take up a course with a good school. Priestley lgv driver training (Mothertrucker) is a recommended one. Although in Spalding, Lincolnshire they do provide accommodation. Liz
Firstly - WELCOME CONKASH
Secondly - try the link in my signature at the bottom of this post and it contains the procees to be a trainee along with a lot of pre training tips 
Thirdly - one thing at a time do the C first and forget the rest. It’s hard enough to find an employer who will give a newbie a chance on a C licence, let alone anything else.
Fourthly - the CPC talked about is the national CPC for those who want to run a few lorries or maybe be a TM. It is not the Driver CPC which comes into force in 2009.
Fifthly - is that how you say it? - go to a training school that has their own training LGVs and instructors and not an ‘agent’. - ask how many hours behind the wheel it will be - not the number of days.
Having a lot of things on paper does not mean a lot in this industry - it is experience that counts.
Welcome. I like your enthusiasm but the likelyhood of being let loose with a fuel tanker is many, many years into the future. And anyway, why would you want to do that? Lugging around heavy pipes, clothes smelling of fuel all day, every day, and as they invariably use only day cabs, no bunk to lie down on. 
You’d be far better looking for ‘trolleys’. Supermarket Distribution Centres, of which there are several in Kent.
Didn’t expect reply’s that quick.
Thanks to you all, i’ve just found web site for training company called Kent Metro, based in Rochester.Apparently they’ve been about for over 30 years, anyone heard of them??
Again many thanks for the advise so far.
I went for an assesment with the Rochester Driver training and they told me I should go for driving horse boxes. Needless to they are a good school. Also there is E P Training Services at Great Bookham, near Esher, where I did a 10 day course. It was great and good tuition although not 1-2-1 training. Finally finished my training in Southampton. Liz
I used to see KML around the Medway area quite a bit, I think they have recently set up an Essex branch so they must be doing OK. They do use realistic sized vehicles which is an advantage too.
Yes Kent Metro have a good name and have been around for years.
try this company.
Contact details
Address: Gordon Springate Transport Training Services
County Showground, Detling Hill
Detling
Maidstone
Kent
ME14 3JF
Tel
01622 736803
Fax: 01622 735 177
CALL US FREE ON 0800 262 291
LGV Training Centre, Kent
ESTABLISHED IN 1979, WE HAVE BEEN OFFERING ONE OF THE FINEST TRAINING FACILITIES IN THE SOUTH EAST specifically designed for the purpose of LGV driver training and boasting a full-sized manoeuvring and shunting area.
The self-contained administration block includes a modern office, fully equipped classroom and facilities for light refreshments.
Our services
Excellent training facilities
DSA approved instructors
Modern easy-drive vehicles
We cover the theory test with you
Free assessments
No licence required
GUARANTEED PASS COURSES
Training
RIGID
Courses start from £600 + VAT + test fees
ARTIC
Courses start from £600 + VAT + test fees
Comprehensive training will give you an introduction into the skills required to achieve the status of a truly “professional driver”.
County Showground, Detling Hill, Detling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3JF Tel: 01622 736803
CONKASH:
Ideally in the long term i want to gain my ADR and hopefully find employement with a company that supplies the petrol companies,
Hi CONKASH WELCOME 
I’m not sure whether you mean “as a driver” here, since you also mentioned about possibly going onward to management later.
ADR is a qualification for drivers, but there’s no requirement to hold an LGV licence first. Eg. Transit type van drivers need an ADR if they carry certain types/amounts of dangerous goods.
Anybody with a DVLA issued driver number and some form of acceptable photographic ID can take an ADR course at any time they wish. If this is something that you’d want to “get out of the way,” some ADR training providers run courses spread over either 2 or 3 weekends, depending on which modules you choose to do.
CONKASH:
Does any one know how difficult it is to get a job with the companies that supply the petrol stations, and how much experiance they generally require before they employe any one.■■
It used to be a case of “dead men’s shoes,” but it’s not as bad as that these days. In terms of a game plan, I’d echo ROG’s suggestion of doing your “C” licence and then getting some experience first. One suggestion that I’d make, given your overall plan, is that there are a number of fuel companies that run tankers that need a “C” licence to drive them. It might also be useful for you to note that, once you’ve got your ADR licence, it automatically follows whatever driving licence category you hold. So there’s nothing further for you to do in the event that you do “C” then “C+E” at any time during the 5-year validity of your ADR licence.
If you take your “C” licence and then get a job driving a “C” petrol tanker, you’ll find that your ultimate goal of C+E petrol tanker will be somewhat easier to achieve, due to the fact that you’ll have ADR and tanker experience at the time you need it.
You might even stay on the same firm too.
I hope this helps.