Go for it, i did my C at 39 last august. Good luck.
Thanks very much guys good to hear.
jeezo
Passed the Cat C last August aged 45, 
had a few weeks where work was non existent, 
booked onto 5 agencies and the work seems to be coming 
Be warned tho once you have passed, SOME (not all) unscrupulous employers 
will try to take advantage of your newly acquired innocence and give you some god dang pooo like work for peanuts or less. 
Did the ALLMI Hiab course in November 
just to have an additional string to the bow and it has paid off with additional work 
…
|
As already said at 41 you’re definitely not too old, weather or not it’s worth training depends on you circumstances, the reality of the current situation is that you may get lucky and find work as a HGV driver but it’s more likely that you won’t find any significant amount of work for some considerable time, the work situation for drivers can vary from region to region but I’m afraid at the moment it’s quiet over most of the country as far as I can see but the best people to advise you on this would be drivers in your area.
You have to realise that in the job stakes you would be competing with experienced drivers who have also found themselves out of work.
The 2 year thing has been mentioned, whilst it’s true that most agencies and haulage companies will ask for 2 years experience in many cases this does in fact mean 2 years experience and not holding a license for 2 years as has been suggested, having said that like most other things it goes out the window when agencies are desperate for drivers but this is unlikely to happen except in peak periods for at least a couple of years and possibly longer.
Again the reality of the situation is that although agencies will ask for minimum requirements such as 2 years experience, maximum 3 or 6 points on the license ec’t anyone who has done any significant amount of work for agencies will know that most agencies will take on almost anyone if they’re desperate to fill a position so being flexible can be the key to getting work.
Sorry I couldn’t paint a brighter picture but you may as well see it as it really is 
Good luck and be sure to be a regular visitor here and let us know what you decide, one thing you can be sure of is that if you decide to go for the training you will receive plenty of help and encouragement from the members here
A
man is as old as the woman he feels.I was 42 when I passed my C test and and 45 when I passed my bus test ,I will retake my C+E if some one else will pay {fat chance },In my opinion a bus licence might be of more use to you.A large bus firm might well pay for your training and then employ you,what haulage firm offers that!!
what concerns me is why wait this long to be a truck driver■■?.it seems to me some,not all folk,see transport as an easy option an d have the attitude ,anyone can drive a truck,it takes many years to get experience.some people use transport as a fall back on job,this annoys me as it undermines the industry,some of us are what you could call career drivers who have it in the blood or just wanted to drive trucks.look what happened when thatcher was in power and there was all the big redundencies,what did people do?? got their hgvs and transport went down hill because so many new drivers just took any driving job,even though it didnt pay,a similar thing is happening now,to many drivers so bosses can cut wages…i understand we all need to work but will the wages bounce back when times get better,i think not…the point you have passed an hgv test doesnt make you a seasoned driver and some bosses know this and take the pee,so if you go ahead with you hgv training good luck but beware its not good out ther and you may waste your money…
Concern ? pour moi ! oh what a lovely forum
There is always some “negative” feedback on these forums I am suprised no one has mentioned the F word yet !! Jeezo go for it and good luck ok .
JEEZO:
Had a read at Rog’s tips, great insight, and thanks to the other guys for advice that I may not be too old.Its down to me I suppose and how I feel.ThouGH I do realise there is not a lot of work at the mo, does anyone know of any reputable HGV training in the Glasgow area.jeezo
Ritchies Training Centre,Hobden Street Glasgow, excellent company to train with, all of the instructors are first class, they have been around for ages, drop in and have a chat with them and i’m sure they will answer any questions that you may have. Never too old, go for it mate.
on the news the other day when all this “its official we are in recession” came out on hte news they said “however officially scotland is not yet in recession” how can they say that?! the UK is the UK. u can’t have one bit in recession and not another bit!
there is nothing negative about my post,i was being honest thats all,and if folk read it properly i wished him good luck…
ken57:
there is nothing negative about my post,i was being honest thats all,and if folk read it properly i wished him good luck…
I see nothing wrong with your viewpoint - that is the point of these forums - to get views from all
My usual welcome stuff includes some negatives - the job market etc - which may put off newbies but, IN MY OPINION, that is the way I see it.
JEEZO:
Hi everyone been revising my theory and came on this fab site and realised its not all glamour but does anyone think I am too old at 41 to become an HGV driver.Any opinions appreciated
jeezo
Never too old to have fun and after 36yrs holding my class 1 licence it’s still fun!
Please don’t tell the 61 yr old who has just booked his Cat C with us that he is too old because he has booked his course on the strength of a job offer in writing so I guess if you knock on enough doors and stay positive there is still chance of work.
Data Academy:
booked his course on the strength of a job offer in writing
That’s the way to do it - job first, then pay to train - pity that is not the norm 
B***er Rog Have you got a monitor on every thread? or do you get an e-mail as soon as some one posts on here Ha Ha
Data Academy:
B***er Rog Have you got a monitor on every thread? or do you get an e-mail as soon as some one posts on here Ha Ha
I’m a serious stalker
I use the ‘posts since last visit’ tab
ROG:
Data Academy:
B***er Rog Have you got a monitor on every thread? or do you get an e-mail as soon as some one posts on here Ha HaI’m a serious stalker
I use the ‘posts since last visit’ tab
Too clever for me!!!
don’t understand the engine in thi ere computer thing!!!
JEEZO:
Had a read at Rog’s tips, great insight, and thanks to the other guys for advice that I may not be too old.Its down to me I suppose and how I feel.ThouGH I do realise there is not a lot of work at the mo, does anyone know of any reputable HGV training in the Glasgow area.jeezo
Try ritchies there bout the best in glasgow and been running for years
ken57:
what concerns me is why wait this long to be a truck driver■■?.it seems to me some,not all folk,see transport as an easy option an d have the attitude ,anyone can drive a truck,it takes many years to get experience.some people use transport as a fall back on job,this annoys me as it undermines the industry,some of us are what you could call career drivers who have it in the blood or just wanted to drive trucks.look what happened when thatcher was in power and there was all the big redundencies,what did people do?? got their hgvs and transport went down hill because so many new drivers just took any driving job,even though it didnt pay,a similar thing is happening now,to many drivers so bosses can cut wages…i understand we all need to work but will the wages bounce back when times get better,i think not…the point you have passed an hgv test doesnt make you a seasoned driver and some bosses know this and take the pee,so if you go ahead with you hgv training good luck but beware its not good out ther and you may waste your money…
That’s a fair point.
But, I guess everyone here has a different reason for taking LGV lessons, my own reason is very obscure and singleminded, nothing to do with money or a fallback job etc.
I also think most folk are aware of the long hours drivers put in compared to other jobs, so retraining for a job with longer hours and hence often a lower hourly rate must indicate more than a fallback job and more of a long term career change.
Just my thoughts.
ken57:
what concerns me is why wait this long to be a truck driver■■?.it seems to me some,not all folk,see transport as an easy option an d have the attitude ,anyone can drive a truck,it takes many years to get experience.some people use transport as a fall back on job,this annoys me as it undermines the industry,some of us are what you could call career drivers who have it in the blood or just wanted to drive trucks.look what happened when thatcher was in power and there was all the big redundencies,what did people do?? got their hgvs and transport went down hill because so many new drivers just took any driving job,even though it didnt pay,a similar thing is happening now,to many drivers so bosses can cut wages…i understand we all need to work but will the wages bounce back when times get better,i think not…the point you have passed an hgv test doesnt make you a seasoned driver and some bosses know this and take the pee,so if you go ahead with you hgv training good luck but beware its not good out ther and you may waste your money…
here here i have said this many times before i believe our industry took a big knock when steelworkers and miners who got big redundencies and decided to become hgv drivers as an easy option to get a job. There is less camraderie in the job nowadays as there are fewer as you put it in the blood or career drivers left. Im not knocking anyone who wants to drive an hgv but would question why at 41 and not 21?