Hello all.
Keep hearing about shortage of LGV drivers in the media. Do people think there really is one? Is it just media hype? Can people walk out of one driving job straight into another, as some claim?
What are your views?
Spent the last couple of days looking through the job websites and it certainly doesn’t look like theres an abundance of jobs. Prolly just goverment propoganda to get people going for their LGV and paying them lots of £89 test fees.
Hello Kiowan, I know this government are trying to get more & more money out of us, but surely they haven’t stooped that low yet 
Have they??
I should imagine if you have plenty of experience then you can pick and choose jobs, but when starting out maybe it’s more difficult.
keano1:
I should imagine if you have plenty of experience then you can pick and choose jobs, but when starting out maybe it’s more difficult.
That’s true to a certain extent but any shortages there are tend to be regional, with some areas having virtually no shortage and others a bit of a shortage.
Put it like this. I am currently agency and the 3 places I went last week all offered me a perm job with my tickets. Midlands there is a shortage.
Only if you believe clearstone there is a HGV shortage, yet they seem unable to find people jobs like they say they will.
Dogmatix:
Only if you believe clearstone there is a HGV shortage, yet they seem unable to find people jobs like they say they will.
That’s because they are lying scum.
I do have written proof to back that statement up
Coffeeholic:
That’s because they are lying scum.
Is that what it says on their promotional literature? 
Personally, I think it’s quite catchy. As a child, I was always told, honesty is the best policy!
over the years ive told one boss to shove it and had a start 2 hours later on a regualar basis sometimes 5 a year but ive got a lot off experience all the tickets and learned the job the old way theres a shortage of old hands not licence holders all the newstarts ive seen usually [zb] up get sacked or dont really like 70 hours a week n 5 nights out and yes we still do it 48 hours living wage whats that
Yet another language edit. Either abide by the rules you agreed to when you signed up or find another forum
hammer:
Coffeeholic:
That’s because they are lying scum.Is that what it says on their promotional literature?
It should do. 
Can only echo what it says above in that with a few exceptions (as already covered) there isn’t so much a shortage of drivers as a shortage of experienced drivers. I remember the difference it made once I’d got 2 years under my belt…and after passing the 5 year mark you can pretty much pick and choose. In the meantime, you just have to do any old crap to serve your time, just as we all did.
Coffeeholic:
keano1:
I should imagine if you have plenty of experience then you can pick and choose jobs, but when starting out maybe it’s more difficult.That’s true to a certain extent but any shortages there are tend to be regional, with some areas having virtually no shortage and others a bit of a shortage.
it depends on the day too. a lot of drivers wont work weekends. saturday is a good day to be an agency driver. asda normally leave it til 4pm on a friday before calling up asking for as many drivers as we can supply
Lucy:
Can only echo what it says above in that with a few exceptions (as already covered) there isn’t so much a shortage of drivers as a shortage of experienced drivers. I remember the difference it made once I’d got 2 years under my belt…and after passing the 5 year mark you can pretty much pick and choose. In the meantime, you just have to do any old crap to serve your time, just as we all did.
I knid of agreewith whats been put about the expierience side of it. What alot of people see as a driver shortage is actually a shortage of good jobs. There are plenty of jobs out there but the pay and conditions are no where near what alot of drivers would accept. This will be where the government get their impression from.
So basically, as a new driver which I will hopefully be, I am going to have to take all the rubbish jobs for about 2 years before I can hope to get any progress.
Correct Dogmatix. And to my mind, that’s how it should be. You won’t have the skill for the “better” jobs, so why should you be paid as much as those who do? It’s just the same as starting out in any other profession, and it’s constantly a source of wonder to me why people expect anything else - goes to show just how much they have to learn that they think the job’s so simple that experience needn’t be relevant, I guess.
We all had to do it, so you can too. Welcome to the bottom rung.
But But But according to clearstone, I should be expecting 30k and a brand new tractor unit every week.
Lucy, I too am hoping to get my licence soon & I totally agree with your views about experience & wages. I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way. I may be able to prove I can drive a large lorry to a certain standard, but I won’t have the many years of experience about the job that only comes with time.
However, even at 49 I’m still willing to ‘do my time’ & go for it.
All the best
Not sure if i’m taking your statement in the way it was intended Lucy, but it appears your saying that as soon as your pass your truck test, be it C or C+E you immediately lose any work experience of any kind you’ve had and are regarded as someone fresh out of High school who should be happy working a 10-12K job for 2years.
I think that’s pretty unreasonable and hope it’s not the actual case. Althought i’ve only just passed my truck test, I do have 3years of experience driving 3.5T vans across the UK doing crazy mileage, plus the fact i’ve just forked out over £1100 to gain an LGV licence. I cannot possibly be expected to be said well we’ll take you on but because you’ve never been employed driving a TRUCK before then you cannot possibly expect over £5.50 an hour. I’m certainly not gonna work for less than what I do now after forking out for training and gaining 3yrs experience in what is technically national haulage (deadlines, safe loading, responsible driving).
I’ll be sure to report back as and when I get a job. I don’t see how any truck company would expect to employ NQD if they tell them they ain’t worth employing but they’ll be nice and let em drive their rusty wrecks 60 hours a week for pittance, maybe if people refused then they’d have to change their recruitment tactics.
And PS. no i’m not expecting 20K jobs here, i’m prepared to start significantly lower than experienced drivers, but not lower than I earn currently which technically only involves holding a car licence and jumping in a van.
And PPS, I can see how it might be different from an ex shop assistant whos just done their truck test, but i’m referring to someone with experience in a relevant area which id thought most people going for their HGV have.
Sadly, that is what I’m saying, Kiowan. Vans and trucks are a world aprt, as are rigids and artics. I did a year’s rigid driving before going onto class1, and that year counted for nothing at all when I came to get a job. It wasn’t until I did the job for a bit that I found out why.
Kiowan, I think you have the right approach, alot of people pass their test and expect to be earning 25k+ a week, driving a new top of the range truck. If you manage this then your a very lucky bloke, its taken me 8 yrs to get to that stage.
When applying for a job tell them about the 3.5t expierience, it could stand you in good stead. When I started I phoned 8 agencys one day and got fobbed of by all of them, the last one I just let rip at and challenged their best driver to come to our farm and manouver our 40ft bale trailer and bogie. Luckily I got an assesment the following weekend, and spent the next few month working for Sainsburys through them.