I am trying to get an honest answer to an honest question with no BS please,
I currently work as a 46 year old IT Manager at a primary school doing term time only (so I get all the holidays off) and am currently on around £23k, it’s a descent wage for our area but it’s a job my heart isn’t in (even though its easy work) I also know I will never progress and earn any more as there is no pay rise when your in school unless your a teacher.
So this was my plan as I wanted to be in trucking, medical, licence, HP and theory all completed and booked in for my LGV 2 lessons and test the last week in October (half term week), with modules 2 & 4 to be fitted in asap.
I then planned to try and get the odd day at weekends (as I only do 35 hours a week at school) and all the school holidays to gain some vital experience presuming on the run up to Christmas there may be a bit of work around (fingers crossed).
The plan was all set and I thought I knew what direction I was heading until Friday, I got offered a job as a field engineer on £26k starting 1st Jan 2016 so a bit of a pay rise (but once again in a field I’m not happy with). This would then mean I would not be able to get any experience at weekends as its over a 40 hour week and miss out on the school holidays so will get no experience there either.
Now I’ve bored you all to death here’s the questions I wanted to ask what sort of money could I expect on average for a LGV 2 driver ■■? and what sort of hours does everyone do ■■? are you averaging 10, 12 hours a day or maybe more ■■? As now I’m wondering where to go ■■? do I take the easy route in a job I don’t really like or jump into the unknown in an industry I don’t know at all ■■?
I know it’s a bit of a vague question without a deffinate answer but people have told me so many different stories I don’t know who to believe and who not to believe , the ultimate target is also to complete LGV 1 with ADR in packages and tanks.
i’d say the norm is 10-13 hours on average but it is not all “work for 10 hours” a lot of it quite easily might be just waiting time at an RDC.
As fort he pay - depends on where you are. The best way is to get on a jobsite and see what your local area offers. New drivers rarely start on ok salaries. The main thing is that good jobs are not advertised. That means you can get them only (well, mostly) through networking and personal communication etc skills. And not everyone is good at that.
Happy to be corrected as i am a newbie myself though
In my limited experience bud it’s not as simple as just driving. Hard bit is all the grey areas in between like organising paperwork, company protocols, loading and unloading procedures, internal politics and negative workers, waiting and running late, running out of hours, tacho regs, loooooooooooong hours. Basically it’s not a bed of roses. The people that do this day in day out make it look easy, but it is not. imho of course
IMO it’s a mistake to go for driving as a way of making good money. Sad, but true. There are exceptions, but many CAT C drivers would be more than happy to earn £23k. CE drivers can do considerably better but that needs a greater investment of time and money from you.
I’m really sorry you’re unhappy in your work; I’ve been extremely fortunate not to have experienced that so I cant really empathise. But I don’t think I could bring myself to spend all day doing something I didn’t enjoy.
So the decision, of course, is yours. Don’t think of driving as just a way out of something else; it is a vocation and you should feel “called” to it. If this isn’t the case, chances are you wont get on with it as it can be a very tough life for many reasons.
My advice, for what it’s worth, is to consider any other available options before taking the new job or going for LGV training. This probably isn’t the help you were looking for; sorry about that. But you don’t want to end up miserable either.
Depends where you live for a start yep there are jobs out there & yep you could earn what you are on now but it would involve more hours anything up to 15 per day have a good look at the drivers hours as said a lot of other things like loading unloading unhappy customers planers
You could take the new job & still drive prob 1 day per fortnight to see if you really do like it & of course your holidays
No it not a bed of roses but some of us like it have a good look round the whole site
Before you start take your rear-view mirror out you can only drive at 56 mph at most single roads 50 unless other wise stated when you out & about watch how much room we need at a roundabout / corner etc
Thanks for the input everyone I really appreciate it,
Please don’t get me wrong I’m not expecting to walk into a job hit big money and not do any work, total opposite
I have a very strong work ethic and always willing to put the hours in if there needed, I don’t intend on staying with LGV 2 either just want to get a little experience before moving to LGV 1 and also got my sights sent on ADR with packages and tanks, it’s just a bit scary changing your career when you have your family and commitments to consider as well.
Again depends where you are for ADR as there are a lot of drivers out there with it & not many jobs one up it can still be " dead man shoes " where that is
Ok know a lad just gone onto tanks but he was a refuelled at the local airport then has done some general etc while waiting for this job to come along
I am lucky enough to be in an area where there are a few jobs but require ADR certification, loads of industrial estates as well as a refinery, steel works, 2 docks, airport and a power station to name but a few. I did see an advert online earlier that was for an LGV 2 driver with ADR certification on a rate of £17.95 to £25 PH it was tramping and came with a £18 per night unsociable hours payment as well.
Why not use your expertise in IT and work as a teacher (primary or secondary) I’m sure there must be various options to gain teaching qualification in such a shortage subject. Maybe work part time if you prefer and do some driving on the side or during holidays. Get the best of both worlds: decent pension and something you might enjoy a bit more. I’m 45 and would give anything to be in your position.
I do appreciate as far as my situation is concerned I’m not in the worst of places but my heart isn’t in IT anymore doesn’t interest me in the slightest so teaching something you have no passion for is an absolute nono
Fair point in which case i’d say go for it. Financially you shouldn’t be any worse off and you may be a lot better off with the right job. Procrastination doesn’t get you anywhere (I’ve done it much of my working life). Just go for it if it is something you really want. I think I came on this site a few months ago kind of wanting to get confirmation that i’m making right decision or maybe I wanted someone to say “it’s not really for you” but ultimately it’s a decision we can only make for ourselves. In your case what’s the worse that can happen? You spend a bit of money getting licence. It’s not wasted as you can still put it to use in a variety of ways even if you decided not to use it for work purposes. But going by what you have said you are doing the right thing.
Could also be opportunities using existing skills within transport/driving to push up your earnings even further.
Go back to your second paragraph.
I wanted to be in trucking
You’ve answered your own question. Go for it and don’t look back.
Similar to you, needed out of what I was doing (for past 11 years) So now been driving since last December on Class 2, earn slightly more than your on now. Monday to Friday averaging 9 hours a day doing shop, pub and restaurant delivery, have my own 15 plate truck and quite enjoying it… I’d say go for it.
staningrimsby:
…with modules 2 & 4 to be fitted in asap.
If you passed your car test pre 1997 you don’t need to do mods 2 and 4, grandfather rights allow you to go down the periodic training route which might be a bit cheaper.
MickyB666:
If you passed your car test pre 1997 you don’t need to do mods 2 and 4, grandfather rights allow you to go down the periodic training route which might be a bit cheaper.
That’s interesting Micky,
What do you mean by that ■■? I passed my test July 1989 and had to phone the DVLA on Friday as when I tried booking the Mod 2 online it wasn’t an option and the chap said it would take him up to 10 days to check my eligibility and get back to me.
He means that you could sit 5x7hour classes to gain your CPC for a cost of about £300 ish. But the really attractive part is that you cannot fail as the drivers continuing education CPC is pass by attendance.
As for the wages part, that advert you saw was probably an agency so is to be treated the same way as Santa, the Easter Bunny, and your hot next door neighbour, they are all wonderful ideas, but probably not real.
£30000 for an average of 50 hours per week duty is available on Cat C where I am.
It wasn’t with an agency it was with Calor gas who have a depot local to me but only on a 6 month contract for the winter
As well as working at school I also have a zero hours contract at weekends shifting cars for BMW at £7.28 ph, I spoke to them the other weekend asking if I got my LGV 1 would there be any chance of moving onto the car transporters full time, they said yes and that I would have to attend a 4 week course but would still only be on £7.28 ph the robbing ba*****s.
, the ultimate target is also to complete LGV 1 with ADR in packages and tanks.
