Hi guys I’m planning on doing my hgv very soon on c and c+e. People I speak to say yes do it or save your money and don’t bother with it. What do you guys think?
Don’t expect easy money, or an easy life. I’ve had mine for 24 years, and I’ve never been unemployed. So, in my opinion, yes it’s worth it.
I think if you have to ask, then maybe the job, which is a way of life for most of us, might not be for you.
Before you splash out get yourself a job driving vans, preferably some long distance work including some nights away, and some local parcel carrying stuff with up to 100 drops a days, plus 30 or so collections afterwards to stop you getting bored after 9am… 
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If you like the job you’ll naturally gravitate towards progression.
I am a driver driving large vans and love it but money is crap at under £7 per hour
If you want to do it then go ahead, doom and gloom surrounds all types of work. Only you can make the decision and if you decide yes and then find something better you will always have this to fall back on.
don’t listen to those who have done nothing but driving all their lives, they wouldn’t know hard work if it bit them on the arse.
i personally don’t class sitting on my arse listening to the radio for a decent wage a bad gig. but thats just me…
If you are considering driving or some other profession then see what the pay is like at the other gig.To get to C+E you will be spending about £4,000.Then there is all of the agencies ,2 years experience and the wages are by no means great.On the other hand I have been a commercial driver for 16 years and cant see myself earning a living any other way.
I would say if you have to borrow the money then don’t do it, its a lot of money to lay out with little prospect of work for 2yrs, while still having to pay the bills somehow.
If you can pay for it out of savings and have other income to pay the bills in the meantime then think about giving it a go.
Yes it can be a doddle, but the killer for me is the start/finish times, sometimes never seeing daylight for days at a time through the winter.
In my opinion yes, assuming you can get through both your class 2 & 1 first time you’ll get change from £3000 and you will have your licences for the rest of your life.
I also disagree with a lot of opinions on here that trucking is a way of life, you don’t have to work 70 hour weeks and be away from home all week to earn a good living. To me it’s just a job - I do about 45-50 hours, no nights out, very few weekends and no unsociable hours and I manage to earn more than friends I have in the police, retail management and teaching to name a few and these are considered much more respected careers than driving a lorry.
It may be tough due to lack of experience at the start but once you get in somewhere you’ll be laughing and there has never been a better time to get a start as a new driver, both companies and agencies are struggling to fill vacancies at the moment. As was said above its what you make of it when you find what sort of work you prefer.
tmcassett:
In my opinion yes, assuming you can get through both your class 2 & 1 first time you’ll get change from £3000 and you will have your licences for the rest of your life.I also disagree with a lot of opinions on here that trucking is a way of life, you don’t have to work 70 hour weeks and be away from home all week to earn a good living. To me it’s just a job - I do about 45-50 hours, no nights out, very few weekends and no unsociable hours and I manage to earn more than friends I have in the police, retail management and teaching to name a few and these are considered much more respected careers than driving a lorry.
It may be tough due to lack of experience at the start but once you get in somewhere you’ll be laughing and there has never been a better time to get a start as a new driver, both companies and agencies are struggling to fill vacancies at the moment. As was said above its what you make of it when you find what sort of work you prefer.
A good point, well made. There are many different types of driving jobs, with all sorts of options. The job is what you make it, getting the license just opens the doors, you decide which one to walk through.
devonlad2009:
save your money and don’t bother with it. What do you guys think?
I wouldn’t bother.
tmcassett:
you will have your licences for the rest of your life.
Theres absolutely no guarantee of this.
sayersy:
tmcassett:
In my opinion yes, assuming you can get through both your class 2 & 1 first time you’ll get change from £3000 and you will have your licences for the rest of your life.I also disagree with a lot of opinions on here that trucking is a way of life, you don’t have to work 70 hour weeks and be away from home all week to earn a good living. To me it’s just a job - I do about 45-50 hours, no nights out, very few weekends and no unsociable hours and I manage to earn more than friends I have in the police, retail management and teaching to name a few and these are considered much more respected careers than driving a lorry.
It may be tough due to lack of experience at the start but once you get in somewhere you’ll be laughing and there has never been a better time to get a start as a new driver, both companies and agencies are struggling to fill vacancies at the moment. As was said above its what you make of it when you find what sort of work you prefer.
A good point, well made. There are many different types of driving jobs, with all sorts of options. The job is what you make it, getting the license just opens the doors, you decide which one to walk through.
Exactly, after trying different types of work for 2 years I discovered I preferred doing supermarket and store delivery work which is what I currently do. However it’s not everyones’ cup of tea, some prefer distance trunking, some prefer multidrop handball, some prefer livestock haulage, car transporters, tankers, hiab - anyway you get the idea, there’s so many different aspects to having an hgv licence other than just driving so you’ve just got to find what suits you.
Do it,then you have always got something to fall back om if you dont like it. I did mine 15 years ago after where I worked closed down, and since within a week of getting my class 2 have never been out of work. It aint everyones cuppa tea but there are far worse jobs out there.
Think things through, do you want a job where you are away from home 2-5 nights a week. Do you want a job where there is very little stress, where the speed limits are rigidly enforced.Do you want a job where from the moment you climb in the cab its foot to the floor until you get out. There are endless amount of driving jobs out there,me I like bulk tanker work,other people wouldnt touch it for a grand a week cause sometimes you get dirty.
Do you have a young family,do you want to see them grow up,are you single so it dont matter. Seriously, its the same as any other job, way up the pros and cons then decide.
Being a new driver myself and having a terrible first drive, I say stick with it and do it. I know its not the end of the world for me and I know that there are plenty of work out there.
Join the army and get your licence for free whilst they pay you
When you are out and about ,look at what people have to get out of bed on a morning to do horrible jobs just to keep a roof over their head and survive,then look at yourself and think how lucky your are to be out and about all day 
Would go back to driving again tomorrow if I could - lost my license after heart attack in 2008 - managed to get into a good job with good managers and other drivers and that makes all the difference. Only even driven in UK but seen some amazing places I would probably never seen otherwise.
Do you know any drivers who would take you out for a day? You could even join the Royal Corp of Transport and get paid while you train but you might get shot.
You could always join the army reserves or RAF reserves, that way you will get your class 1 adr and all the other stuff, work part time as a soldier for the duration of your contract and part time agency work. You will get free health care and when your contract for the reserves is up you can leave and you will have 4 or 5 years experience and maybe the industry may have picked up a little by then.