Hi guys,
Just filled in my D2 form, and got my medical booked for next Tuesday. Been looking at a few training places, but non of them seem to get any reviews?
Can anyone vouch for any one in the Warrington/Widnes area atal? Runcorn also considered.
I assume places with agencies built onto the training team is normally a load of crap of promising jobs at the end/interviews?
Hope my first post is OK.
Many thanks truckers!
Ben
Hi Ben, and welcome to the forum. When you’re looking round the websites, the ones that state they have 30 or 40 sites around the country ARE NOT trainers. These are training brokers. Historically they have a terrible name and go broke at regular intervals. Currently, they seem to have cleaned up their act though it has to be said you will always get a better deal by going direct to a trainer.
Sites that guarantee job interviews - or even jobs - should be looked at with caution. Exactly who is employing all these drivers? Most amount to Jobcentre adverts and little more.
When choosing your trainer always go and visit unless you have rock solid recommendation. Look at the general impression. Are the vehicles clean and tidy? Are the instructors clean and tidy? Most aren’t qualified or registered anywhere. So it’s worth asking if they are RTITB or NVDIR registered. At least these have taken the trouble to gain recognition of their abilities. At this point I always make it clear that some very good trainers have yet to see the value of this so remain unregistered. It’s up to the candidate to try and find them.
ROG will be along shortly with a link to recommended trainers. These have been recommended at some point by at least one Trucknet user.
Training locally can be a very sensible option. Travelling for a residential course works for some. We offer a residential course for £1260 fully inclusive of accommodation, VAT, test fee. In other words, once you’ve done your theory there’s nothing else to pay. It’s not the cheapest - but look at the reviews.
At the moment there is an offer of FREE driver cpc but this is time limited. For details, check out the Sponsor Thread or pm me. You have till the end of 2017 to actually take your course but you need to register your interest by 2130 Friday 27th Jan (tomorrow).
What ever you do, don’t buy on price. Do your homework thoroughly and choose wisely.
All the best, Pete 
Hi Pete,
Thanks for the constructive reply!
I thought as much regarding the training broker’s. To be fair, they didn’t seem “professional” on the phone when I rang up regarding which entitlements to tick on my D2 form.
I think HGV training NW has been mention before on here once or twice. However, not many reviews. A lot of places don’t have reviews to be honest!
The £1260 seems like a steel, specially with the free CPC and reviews you get Pete, however I’m not 100% sure I’ll pass my medical next week due to being a diabetic type 1. However, I have got my taxi licence badge, passed a medical, and always looked after my self, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
When looking at jobs, it seems to be a lot of agencies recruiting, and not actual employers. Also seems they want experience rather than new drivers, is this the case? Surely someone with great ambition in driving, customer service, and attention to detail is something to give a shot at? At the end of the day, you have to start somewhere!
I whole-heartedly agree with your post Peter.
I did my Class 2 with one company, was a nightmare, screamy shouty instructor, I very nearly asked for my money back at point. Just told him you behaving the way you are is not helping me and probably not you either, so do you want to pack it in or shall we just head back and let’s go have a word with the boss.
I wouldn’t have gone back to them for my Class 1 even if they offered it at half the money, I went elsewhere, the new training company said, don’t worry, we will TEACH you, and they did. They were more expensive than the first company, but they were as different as night and day with their approach, and I still remember the instructor’s name to this day, the other company, I can’t even remember what they were called…
It’s common to assume that the starting point is agency work - and that can well be the case. But there is often permanent work to be had if you put the effort in to visiting (not phoning and emailing) truck operators and presenting yourself in a workmanlike manner.
Pete
RazerBlade93:
Surely someone with great ambition in driving, customer service, and attention to detail is something to give a shot at? At the end of the day, you have to start somewhere!
Yes, you know that, unfortunately they don’t… But fear not, you will get a start, it will happen !! When? I dunno, but in my experience with new passes / starts, they never seem to have sat around too long.
RazerBlade93:
Can anyone vouch for any one in the Warrington/Widnes area atal? Runcorn also considered.
You got Stobarts on Appleton, never worked for them, but can’t see it as being a bad stepping stone into the industry as they also provide the training
RazerBlade93:
Hi Pete,Thanks for the constructive reply!
I thought as much regarding the training broker’s. To be fair, they didn’t seem “professional” on the phone when I rang up regarding which entitlements to tick on my D2 form.
I think HGV training NW has been mention before on here once or twice. However, not many reviews. A lot of places don’t have reviews to be honest!
The £1260 seems like a steel, specially with the free CPC and reviews you get Pete, however I’m not 100% sure I’ll pass my medical next week due to being a diabetic type 1. However, I have got my taxi licence badge, passed a medical, and always looked after my self, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
When looking at jobs, it seems to be a lot of agencies recruiting, and not actual employers. Also seems they want experience rather than new drivers, is this the case? Surely someone with great ambition in driving, customer service, and attention to detail is something to give a shot at? At the end of the day, you have to start somewhere!
Just put your CV online mate, you’ll get calls coming in no time
Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk
For schools recommended by site members check out the link in my signature below
Do your research before parting with any money, visit the training school, check out the vehicles and facilities.
As Pete said price shouldn’t be the main “driving force”, its what you get for your money that matters.
We are a little bit further afield than Runcorn but good luck with it.
Any questions just shout out 
John
RazerBlade93:
When looking at jobs, it seems to be a lot of agencies recruiting, and not actual employers. Also seems they want experience rather than new drivers, is this the case? Surely someone with great ambition in driving, customer service, and attention to detail is something to give a shot at? At the end of the day, you have to start somewhere!
Peter Smythe:
It’s common to assume that the starting point is agency work - and that can well be the case. But there is often permanent work to be had if you put the effort in to visiting (not phoning and emailing) truck operators and presenting yourself in a workmanlike manner.Pete
In fairness to Operators they are letting you out with an expensive piece of kit and potentially an expenisve load and there is no argument that experience counts for a lot. On the other hand, I do think if you are an Operator, you should give new passes a chance, you can’t benefit from others taking all the risk.
The other point is that is that really no one knows how good your attention to detail is, how ambitious you are and customer service until you are out there. What’s said in an interview doesn’t always translate into the real world, as I well know.
However, just to reiterate Pete, go and visit companies. Look smart, take your license and CV, work boots with you, hi-viz in case someone says , ‘C’mon, let’s go for an driving assessment’. Really I don’t want to advertise, because you get some real weirdos and time wasters, far better someone decent walks through the door and is able to leave their details. IMO small companies run by people that have driven are more likely to give you a start, simply because they’ve been there themselves.
We have employed young/new pass drivers at our other depot ( vans/7.5s up here in the North), one of whom was doing casual in a yard of a company we deal with. He was a decent lad looking for a job, we had a vacancy; the moral of the story is even in a bad job, there is an opportunity to be had.
Best of luck with the training and let me know if they let you loose on the roads In Runcorn so I can stay at home out of the way
Thanks for all the positive feedback.
Will take a lot of it on board. Over the next few weeks will take a look at some places and like you say, check the trucks, facilities out etc before I make a decision.
I won’t go for the cheapest, unless obviously they have a good reputation, but don’t want to go someone who is way more expensive to think they are the best!
My plan was try and get into places like brakes, bidvist I think it’s called, food places basically as they do take on newbies. I’ve done multi drop before, and drive for a living!
Assessment drives, is this more for you to get to know the truck, and your teacher? Or is it for the teacher to see if you have a chance in becoming a hgv driver?
RazerBlade93:
Hi guys,Just filled in my D2 form, and got my medical booked for next Tuesday. Been looking at a few training places, but non of them seem to get any reviews?
Can anyone vouch for any one in the Warrington/Widnes area atal? Runcorn also considered.
I assume places with agencies built onto the training team is normally a load of crap of promising jobs at the end/interviews?
Hope my first post is OK.
Many thanks truckers!
Ben
If you’ll consider Wallasey then ajm training are decent
In Runcorn, well actaully Widnes but by the Ditton round about are ghv northwest training, there excellent I passed with them
Assessment drives, is this more for you to get to know the truck, and your teacher? Or is it for the teacher to see if you have a chance in becoming a hgv driver?
Best treated as a way of confirming that you’ll be ok with the truck and the instructor - though you may get neither for your actual training.
Personally I’m not keen on assessing someone’s ability to do something they haven’t been trained to do ie drive a truck. But it can have it’s benefits so we offer it on request.
Pete
Hello Ben,
Was in the exact position you are now only a few weeks ago. Whilst passing my medical and theory / hazard, I researched training providers and visited the transport training academy (TTA) based in Atherton, 20 mins from where I am near Warrington. It appears a well run outfit and has reviews to back that opinion up. I met the team who seem a decent bunch and I got a good price on my class 2 which was very competitive. Additionally, if you proceed to do your class 1 with them, I’ve been told that it will be at a discounted price.
I had a 4 week wait to book a date. A quick tip Ben, if you pass your medical which fingers crossed all goes well, and you decide to go ahead and book somewhere, send off the D777B ( application for a digital tachograph driver card £32 ) which can be obtained from your local post office, around 3 weeks before your class 2 test week. These cards can take up to 3 weeks to land in your hand and you will want it ready to go for when you start getting responses to your CV.
Good luck
Red Rose training at Bolton fella.
After a couple of fails at Enterprise Mcr (testing out of Bredbury), I switched over to RR and passed class 2 and class 1 at the first attempts with them.
Decent price and really nice people.
RazerBlade93:
Hope my first post is OK.
Hi RazerBlade93,
Yes, it’s great!!
RazerBlade93:
… however I’m not 100% sure I’ll pass my medical next week due to being a diabetic type 1. However, I have got my taxi licence badge, passed a medical, and always looked after my self, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
A read of Dr Thornley’s posts here might help, although he’s discussing type 2 diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes - HEALTH AND FAMILY (INTERACTIVE) - Trucknet UK
If that’s not suitable for you, then post a question in that forum and Dr Thornley might answer.
I hope this helps!!
Thanks for the input guys!
Regarding the diabetes, I SHOULD be okay. Always looked after my self, never been in a coma, dvla know about my diabetes, and got my taxi licence too which required a dvla medical which went fine.
Good suggestion about the TACO card, once my medical has been done and theory booked, I shall get one sorted. I like the look of TTA’s website, and will inquire as they ain’t that far from my location. The call office isn’t open on a weekend by the looks of it for some reason?
Looking forward to the whole process. I’ve always wanted to be a HGV driver when growing up, but when I turned Diabetic at age of 13, sadly my dream passed due to type 1 not being able to. But they did change the rule which is brilliant news!
Again, thanks for the time for the responses in the thread!
You can get a digicard NOW - all you need is a B (car) licence
Thanks for that ROG, will get one ordered!
I’ve sent off for my provisional. Medical went a doddle and no problems. Sent it off via recorded delivery as it had my card I’d in there!
What’s the turn around for the provisional normally? Obviously I can’t book my theory till I get my provisional back?