I can’t take my current job any longer, so heavily targeted, office based, corporate commission fueled hell, constantly competing for your wages with other colleagues.
I need to get out, I just don’t know whether they’ll be much hope for a new Cat c lisence holder if I follow the path and get qualified.
The idea of driving, and especially working on my own (mostly) for a living is very appealing.
Anyone based near Oxford had much luck with finding work as a new driver?
I know what you feel like, I was made redundant from my very busy, stressful (but well paid) job on New Year’s Day, I started a job as a postman two days ago and it’s like a massive weight has been lifted, soooo happy! Still going to do my lgv licenses, but proper happy to be out of the stress. 
There are places that will take you on but you will be at the bottom of food chain. The place I’m working at delivers to some stupidly tight places and as a new driver its nerve racking.
There’s nothing like being in your own cab with the heater set how you like , with the radio set to what you want to listen to , watching the sun rise , and set later , yes it is intimidating going on your own and I still can’t reverse perfectly yet but I’m really enjoyed my short time doing sugar baulk work , ( read my thread [WINKING FACE])
Best advice I can give is relax and enjoy your training , your doing what you want to do !! , if your stressed you’ll hate it
And once you’ve passed don’t be afraid to ask for help , truckers are a friendly bunch always willing to point you in the right direction
It’s swings and roundabouts from what I can gather. I passed my class 2 just before christmas and still waiting for my license but got my CPC card back, saw a job advertised last night, one that sounds really interesting to me so fired off my CV by email as that’s what they wanted. Not even 15 minutes later a phone call asking me to come in on monday, and they know i’ve got no truck experience and not received my license back, surely they wouldn’t waste their time and mine for the hell of it theres got to be something there.
tommyboy1289:
It’s swings and roundabouts from what I can gather. I passed my class 2 just before christmas and still waiting for my license but got my CPC card back, saw a job advertised last night, one that sounds really interesting to me so fired off my CV by email as that’s what they wanted. Not even 15 minutes later a phone call asking me to come in on monday, and they know i’ve got no truck experience and not received my license back, surely they wouldn’t waste their time and mine for the hell of it theres got to be something there.
what area of the country is that in Tommy?
tommyboy1289:
It’s swings and roundabouts from what I can gather. I passed my class 2 just before christmas and still waiting for my license but got my CPC card back, saw a job advertised last night, one that sounds really interesting to me so fired off my CV by email as that’s what they wanted. Not even 15 minutes later a phone call asking me to come in on monday, and they know i’ve got no truck experience and not received my license back, surely they wouldn’t waste their time and mine for the hell of it theres got to be something there.
Good luck sounds promising
For three or four months of the year when the weather is terrible I would prefer to be in doors.
But for eight months when the weather is warming up it’s nice to be outside meeting new people and seeing new places
No matter what career your in there’s crap and stay long enough and your going to go full circle in that at first it’s fresh and new and interesting then it’s becomes like your previous job . A trade is more advisable .
michaelalan:
tommyboy1289:
It’s swings and roundabouts from what I can gather. I passed my class 2 just before christmas and still waiting for my license but got my CPC card back, saw a job advertised last night, one that sounds really interesting to me so fired off my CV by email as that’s what they wanted. Not even 15 minutes later a phone call asking me to come in on monday, and they know i’ve got no truck experience and not received my license back, surely they wouldn’t waste their time and mine for the hell of it theres got to be something there.what area of the country is that in Tommy?
Between South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire on the border, I fully believe there’s work out there, it may not be easy to find it but how much do people want to work? Id look at around 50/60 miles radius plus IF it was tramping all week.
i was in exactly the same predicament, same job for 9 years and got fed up, i worked on my own alot of the time but fancied a change and went for hgv, after a few weeks i love it. did my first solo run in artic on fri, got paged but i didnt know what bay i was on but another driver was soon to help and then helped me back onto my first bay in an artic, took a few shunts but got on
when u think about a change its easier to go and do it and get it over with
good look in the job hunt
I normally do markets and events at the weekends. the weekends are amazing as we go all over doing specialised events great at the weekend as everyone is off spending there wages on my products. The only problem is I’m sat around all week doing nothing. Lorry driving was always in the back of my head jus was too young to even think abou it.
I’ve been a security guard done general markets, worked as a Tarmac paver driver for a while nice job but with 50 grand contract each day and you have 6 lorrys waiting to unload the mac and you got to lay it not 99% perfect 1000% perfect it’s very streesfull. Then I started my own cheese delivery round to trade which is very hard work as you have use by dates and health and safety regulations etc and if u are 000000.1 pence more than your competition then your gone lol. So this looked so much more relaxed I can keep my weekend events work for agency 4-5 days a week to gain my 2 year experience and earn whilst still learning. Sitting in a truck does not bother me it’s nice and warm you have radio. And you are taller than everyone so you have a great view 
Lorry driving opens so many doors it’s not just about employment it’s also the opportunity of lease your own lorry for sub contracting I spoke to a mate about this he said he gets 30£ a pallet from pallet line or some one like that they give him a route and he gets between 12-16 pallets on a rigid another said arctic tractor owners earn 1500£ but not to sure on that I buy the truck mag there is adverts in the back asking for owners and franchise drivers think bardons Tarmac haulage franchise.
I spoke with a taxi driver who took me home the other day he said he used to be a driver and he loved it he said he prefers doing the lorry but his wife moaned about it he told me in strong words to crack on and do it it’s great.
Don’t get put off by the gremlin lorry drivers these guys are the industry moaners there always saying used to be good and to much regulation, regulation makes jobs harder which also pushes up wages it takes a year or two to gain a plumbing qual gas safe is 5 years plumber/ pipe filter gets so much a meter or 9ph gas safe is 30£ ph the more tickets and regs some one has to do the more sought after they are.
And like my instructor said there are 75.000 drivers short nationally look online you will see
Find a school with automatics and newest truck I started my training in a older lorry manual it was he’ll I basically wasted half my course but do take a course on gears maybe a few days before your employment assessment drive.
Hi all,
This is my 1st post on this positive,helpful and incredibly informative site.
After a few years of FLT driving,selling cars and basically doing warehouse work a good friend of mine who drives HGV,s suggested to me that I take my class 2. After lots of research,which consisted of mainly “2 years experience or no job cos of insurance reasons” I decided that was just the challenge I needed!
I live in Warrington and plumped for a training provider in Stockport. To cut a long story short-had I researched the pass rates of LGV’s (easily found off a google search),I would have realised that Bredbury’s pass rate is one of the lowest in the country(around the 35% mark!!!) I then switched to Red Rose training in Bolton and after 2 failed tests at Bredbury,i flew through straight away with Red Rose.(Examiner comes to their site).
I passed Feb 28th 2014 and immediately contacted as many agencies as poss and spent the following day filling in forms,doing tacho tests etc. 24 hours after that an agency offered me a start for the day at Palmer & Harvey in Haydock. It was a little daunting but I took my time,thought about what I was doing and brought myself,my second man and a nice Merc axor back in one piece with an empty box behind me(around 10 drops from memory).They asked me back the following day and I loved it. 11 weeks later after being in every day within driving rules,i started permanent. Nearly a year later I am still there.
The moral of my story is this; Do your research,decide if driving lorries is what you want to do and then GO FOR IT!
Yes lots of companies want experience but its up to YOU to go and gain it,a good attitude,determination and manners should do the trick!!