Just a quick question as the title suggests really.
I appreciate that the ADR cert. may open a couple more doors to vacancies with different firms etc. but is it going to pay off in the long run.
ie the course fee vs the extra hourly rate vs requal every 5 yrs?
All views and opinions welcomed.
stevo101:
Just a quick question as the title suggests really.I appreciate that the ADR cert. may open a couple more doors to vacancies with different firms etc. but is it going to pay off in the long run.
ie the course fee vs the extra hourly rate vs requal every 5 yrs?
All views and opinions welcomed.
No. Too many cab-happy blue-eyed boys with ADR ticket these days happy to work for the same hourly rate as the non-ADR guys.
I think a lot depends on what job opportunities there are in your area
Yes it is
I did mine 3 years ago and got 3 days DCPC uploaded for an extra £45 as I remember as part of the course
Anyway just shortly after I passed I did 3 weeks ADR which paid for the certificate and then some and I still have a valid certificate today 
Bargain!
Mixed reviews so far then. I am in the Dorset area so will be doing some research as to whether there is much of a call for ADR drivers around here. Although it is a consideration to move to south Wales…
stevo101:
Mixed reviews so far then. I am in the Dorset area so will be doing some research as to whether there is much of a call for ADR drivers around here. Although it is a consideration to move to south Wales…
Hi stevo101,
Rob K’s observation is spot-on IMHO, and it’s perfectly true that the differential rate that an ADR qualified driver used to command has been eroded to the point where there’s little (if any) difference at a lot of firms now.
However, and to give balance, m4rky and ROG’s points are also correct.
It’s a big IF, but if you can find a firm that does pay enhaced rates for an ADR qualified driver, then the cost of a course can be recouped fairly quickly.
The other way to look at this might be to think that with an ADR ticket, you are capable of doing work that others aren’t qualified for, even if the pay rate is the same as for non-haz work. If you’re on agency work, an ADR ticket might save you sitting at home sometimes. Just a thought. 
unless you know you’re going to be walking into work specifically requiring it, it’s a huge waste of money.
I have had mine nearly a year and only had the chance to use it 4 or maybe 5 times at a push. For what? …An extra quid an hour. 
The ticket cost 500 odd quid, so, well, you do the math…
COOKiEEES!!:
unless you know you’re going to be walking into work specifically requiring it, it’s a huge waste of money.I have had mine nearly a year and only had the chance to use it 4 or maybe 5 times at a push. For what? …An extra quid an hour.
The ticket cost 500 odd quid, so, well, you do the math…
My math aint great, but have you considered that you might be well on your way to break-even?
“I have had mine nearly a year,” suggests that there’s just over 4 years of validity remaining, so if you keep at “4 or maybe 5” per year and project that over the remaining period, my math tells me that you’ll probably make a profit on your outlay.
If there was no other work available when you did the “4 or maybe 5 times” then you’ve defo at least made some headway towards recouping your outlay.
I guess that your current feeling might be to do with whatever your expectations were at the beginning and the relatively expensive price of an ADR course.
dieseldave:
COOKiEEES!!:
unless you know you’re going to be walking into work specifically requiring it, it’s a huge waste of money.I have had mine nearly a year and only had the chance to use it 4 or maybe 5 times at a push. For what? …An extra quid an hour.
The ticket cost 500 odd quid, so, well, you do the math…
My math aint great, but have you considered that you might be well on your way to break-even?
“I have had mine nearly a year,” suggests that there’s just over 4 years of validity remaining, so if you keep at “4 or maybe 5” per year and project that over the remaining period, my math tells me that you’ll probably make a profit on your outlay.
If there was no other work available when you did the “4 or maybe 5 times” then you’ve defo at least made some headway towards recouping your outlay.
I guess that your current feeling might be to do with whatever your expectations were at the beginning and the relatively expensive price of an ADR course.
Maths fail Dave? Cost him £500 and has only used it 4 or 5 times at a quid an hour extra. Based on the greater figure and using a 10hr day as an average he’s recouped only 10% of the cost so no idea how you come to the conclusion of him being “well on his way to break-even”. 
Mate, it’s an extra pound per hour, over the course of an 8hr shift, for 5 shifts… That’s a whopping… 40 quid I’ve made this year from my ADR!]
Yippeee, someone crack the ■■■■■■ champers
So anyway, sarcasm aside, it takes over 12 of those 40s to make 500. So, if we were projecting at that rate, then even just to break even would take over 12 years! But wait… don’t forget, the ticket only lasts 5 years anyway before you need to fork out more money on updating it lol!
I do admire your positive attitude and optimism, but I’m afraid the true picture ain’t quite as rosy 
The raw fact is… unless there’s definite ADR work awaiting you, the ticket is, at best a gamble, but more than likely, a costly waste.
Rob K:
dieseldave:
COOKiEEES!!:
unless you know you’re going to be walking into work specifically requiring it, it’s a huge waste of money.I have had mine nearly a year and only had the chance to use it 4 or maybe 5 times at a push. For what? …An extra quid an hour.
The ticket cost 500 odd quid, so, well, you do the math…
My math aint great, but have you considered that you might be well on your way to break-even?
“I have had mine nearly a year,” suggests that there’s just over 4 years of validity remaining, so if you keep at “4 or maybe 5” per year and project that over the remaining period, my math tells me that you’ll probably make a profit on your outlay.
If there was no other work available when you did the “4 or maybe 5 times” then you’ve defo at least made some headway towards recouping your outlay.
I guess that your current feeling might be to do with whatever your expectations were at the beginning and the relatively expensive price of an ADR course.
Maths fail Dave? Cost him £500 and has only used it 4 or 5 times at a quid an hour extra. Based on the greater figure and using a 10hr day as an average he’s recouped only 10% of the cost so no idea how you come to the conclusion of him being “well on his way to break-even”.
It’s possibly a maths fail Rob, cos my maths aint great, but the point I was trying to make is that he might have been sitting at home with no work on those occasions he was able to use his ADR ticket.
If he had no ADR ticket and there was only ADR work on offer, without an ADR ticket he’d have had no income that day.
I had in mind (assuming it’s agency work) that it was a straight choice between having work that day, or not.
dieseldave:
Rob K:
dieseldave:
COOKiEEES!!:
unless you know you’re going to be walking into work specifically requiring it, it’s a huge waste of money.I have had mine nearly a year and only had the chance to use it 4 or maybe 5 times at a push. For what? …An extra quid an hour.
The ticket cost 500 odd quid, so, well, you do the math…
My math aint great, but have you considered that you might be well on your way to break-even?
“I have had mine nearly a year,” suggests that there’s just over 4 years of validity remaining, so if you keep at “4 or maybe 5” per year and project that over the remaining period, my math tells me that you’ll probably make a profit on your outlay.
If there was no other work available when you did the “4 or maybe 5 times” then you’ve defo at least made some headway towards recouping your outlay.
I guess that your current feeling might be to do with whatever your expectations were at the beginning and the relatively expensive price of an ADR course.
Maths fail Dave? Cost him £500 and has only used it 4 or 5 times at a quid an hour extra. Based on the greater figure and using a 10hr day as an average he’s recouped only 10% of the cost so no idea how you come to the conclusion of him being “well on his way to break-even”.
It’s possibly a maths fail Rob, cos my maths aint great, but the point I was trying to make is that he might have been sitting at home with no work on those occasions he was able to use his ADR ticket.
If he had no ADR ticket and there was only ADR work on offer, without an ADR ticket he’d have had no income that day.
I had in mind (assuming it’s agency work) that it was a straight choice between having work that day, or not.
A lot of “ifs” - an expensive way of finding out, don’t you think? 
I agree with cookie monster on this one, it’s a waste of money unless you’ve got a proper good paying ADR job lined up in advance.
Rob K:
A lot of “ifs” - an expensive way of finding out, don’t you think?
That’s a fair point Rob, and I completely agree that it is a speculative shot given that there are a lot of “ifs.”
In my own case, it took me about eight weeks to be in profit because I was on agency work at the time and we all know what they’re like with the “if you get your ticket, we’ll give you lots of work” BS. In reality, it was a day or two here and there and I had no way of knowing whether there was (truly) any other work available on any given day.
TBF though, there is a lot of ADR work in my area so it probably depends on geography too.
One way of paying less for an ADR course is to leave out the optional tanker module, which I’d say can make a saving of around £140, depending on the provider’s prices.
Again some more interesting points, but I am getting my own feeling that there is either not much call for it or the wages are lower due to people accepting it.
As we said for around £500+ for the core plus either packages or tanks is a lot of money out for what appears to be a very limited money in.
It is a good point what some have said re the “unless you have ADR work lined up” as the course can be booked in quickly and only takes 5 days or so from what I understand.
Are there still companies out there that pay the premium for a fully spammed up driver possessing the ADR or are they all looking to have the cheapest drivers going?
stevo101:
Again some more interesting points, but I am getting my own feeling that there is either not much call for it or the wages are lower due to people accepting it.As we said for around £500+ for the core plus either packages or tanks is a lot of money out for what appears to be a very limited money in.
It is a good point what some have said re the “unless you have ADR work lined up” as the course can be booked in quickly and only takes 5 days or so from what I understand.
Are there still companies out there that pay the premium for a fully spammed up driver possessing the ADR or are they all looking to have the cheapest drivers going?
Hi stevo101,
£500+ should get you Core, Packs, Tanks and seven UN Classes including VAT and DCPC.
If funds are tight, I’d really recommend that you leave out the tanker module and save yourself some dosh.
BTW, it’s fair to point out that although the course I’ve mentioned above does indeed take 5 days to complete, you should be aware that the exams are marked in Glasgow and the ADR card can take up to 5 weeks to arrive through your front door.
Some companies pay a higher hourly rate for ADR work, but not all.
Did mine, didn’t use it for several months, then got a call from an agency I’d signed up with offering me a 6 month contract doing ADR work.
On the plus side the job looks ideal and I’m really enjoying it and might not have got it without the ticket - however it’s the same rate the company pay for non ADR driving work. And another guy who they want to do the same job hasn’t got ADR and they are putting him through the course!!! He had a personal connection with someone in the firm so maybe that’s why.
In short it doesn’t look as though you’ll earn more with it, but it just might open a door to a job that otherwise wouldn’t be open to you.
kvin:
In short it doesn’t look as though you’ll earn more with it, but it just might open a door to a job that otherwise wouldn’t be open to you.
That’s what I was saying earlier, but you’ve summed it up nicely, so thanks for that. 
kvin:
Did mine, didn’t use it for several months, then got a call from an agency I’d signed up with offering me a 6 month contract doing ADR work.On the plus side the job looks ideal and I’m really enjoying it and might not have got it without the ticket - however it’s the same rate the company pay for non ADR driving work. And another guy who they want to do the same job hasn’t got ADR and they are putting him through the course!!! He had a personal connection with someone in the firm so maybe that’s why.
I’ll bet that is the agency’s most profitable customer. In your position I would have told them no for the money they were offering, but I would do it for x instead. Really you’ve only got yourself to blame for accepting the same rate as the non-ADR boys. Although you probably don’t realise it and I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but people like yourself who roll over and accept whatever pathetic amount the agency offer is another one of the reasons why the agency job is ■■■■■■.
Rob K:
kvin:
Did mine, didn’t use it for several months, then got a call from an agency I’d signed up with offering me a 6 month contract doing ADR work.On the plus side the job looks ideal and I’m really enjoying it and might not have got it without the ticket - however it’s the same rate the company pay for non ADR driving work. And another guy who they want to do the same job hasn’t got ADR and they are putting him through the course!!! He had a personal connection with someone in the firm so maybe that’s why.
I’ll bet that is the agency’s most profitable customer. In your position I would have told them no for the money they were offering, but I would do it for x instead. Really you’ve only got yourself to blame for accepting the same rate as the non-ADR boys. Although you probably don’t realise it and I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but people like yourself who roll over and accept whatever pathetic amount the agency offer is another one of the reasons why the agency job is [zb].
That’s another fair point Rob, but kvin is a newbie and might not have much in the way of other opportunities in his area.
Sometimes, a person just has to take some crap jobs as a first foot on the ladder. I know I did.
I think it’s inevitable that individuals “roll over” and take whats on offer - your personal circumstances take priority over the bigger picture.
In my case having had my licence less than a year my priority is to get work, maybe after two years I can pick and chose. I want to get experience and miles under my belt. At the moment where I am I can do milk tankers 12 hour shifts for £85, odd shifts here and there delivering to RDCs with a box trailer for £90 a time with no guarantee of work each week, regular daytime multidrop for £8.75 ph, regular night trunking £10.50 ph. Along comes 6 months work with the prospect of a permanent job doing days at £10 ph and ADR experience plus courses thrown in. I’ll have to put my hands up to taking bread from the outstretched hands of the families of other members of the truck driving classes and keep my head down! Though I agree with the sentiments Rob.
(Sorry if this got a bit off topic!)