Hi all i would be grateful if you could answer some of my questions… sorry i have lots
ok so i’m 28 years old looking for a new career. i am very flexible able to work 7 days a week at any time of the day
#i currently earn 400 pound a week (TAKE COME)… how realistic would it be to expect to bring at least this home every week (take come)
#i live in the east midlands… how easy would it be to find full time work… 5 days a week being on agency or not…
#do i as a new driver have to go through agency for work■■? are all full time contracted jobs taken by people that have been doing it years■■?
#i beleieve the working time directive only allows a driver to work 48 hours a week?? but ‘‘i see many people advertising in job posts for as much overtime as you want’’ how does this work??
#at a later date ill be doing my c+e artic ‘‘class 1’’ what would you say the salary difference is between class 1 and 2■■?
do people get paid more for driving out of england IE having to deliver something to Spain
my ultimate goal is to drive class 1 doing trunking/tramping are there many jobs available for me■■?
sorry for the many questions. thnak you if you answer any of them for me
Welcome pal!
You CAN earn over £400 a week driving a truck, but the real question is how many hours you will need to do to earn this…
The full times at my place take home about that, and that’s based on a 48 hours week.
Yes the WTD means we shouldn’t average more than 48 hours, but this limit is made up of “driving” and “other work”. So Tacho breaks and POA do not count towards this. For example, a container driver could easily do 70+ hours a week, as they often sit around in the docks waiting for hours upon end.
As for finding work, it depends where you live, and I can’t answer that as I’m nowhere near you.
ok so in cab hours ‘‘other work’’ is different then actual driving as far as the working time directive goes■■?
as far as the company goes who you work for if your driving you get paid, if your waiting you get paid hence the large weekly wages i see people advertising?
as far as tramping goes guys if your tramping do you get paid to sleep?
Ergot2005:
as far as tramping goes guys if your tramping do you get paid to sleep?
LOL - No you don’t get paid to sleep, you probably only get a night out allowance of about £20-25. But this is to cover the need to buy a meal, have a shower, and the general inconvenience of not sleeping in your own bed. It should not be considered part of your wages!
Trampers generally work 12+ hours a day, and up to 15 hours 3 of those days. But this may only equate to 2/3rd of the day actually doing anything (i.e. driving or other work like loading & unload) The rest of the time they may be sat in a filthy RDC waiting room or kipping in the bunk while being unloaded, or waiting to be unloaded…
The above applies more to class 1 than class 2, as most class 2 jobs are multi-drop and you simply don’t have time to sit about. This is why a lot of class 2 pays about the same as class 1 (sometimes more) as the work is harder…
Ergot2005:
ok so in cab hours ‘‘other work’’ is different then actual driving as far as the working time directive goes■■?
Not quite, Other work is time you are working: E.G. unloading/loading
driving is time spent driving but only when the wheels are turning, other wise its other work.
both of the above count as “working hours”
but what Evil was saying about containers is they spend alot of time on the docks and they not need to load/unload themselves so they just go on brake.
so you could have a day like
15mins other work
30mins driving
30mins brake
15mins driving
30mins brake
180mins driving
120mins brake
180mins driving
30mins brake
15mins driving
60mins brake
30mins driving
finish
7:30 driving time
15mins other work
4:30 brake
you have only “worked” for 7H 45mins and had 4H 30mins brake
Ergot2005:
ok so in cab hours ‘‘other work’’ is different then actual driving as far as the working time directive goes■■?
Not quite, Other work is time you are working: E.G. unloading/loading
driving is time spent driving but only when the wheels are turning, other wise its other work.
both of the above count as “working hours”
but what Evil was saying about containers is they spend alot of time on the docks and they not need to load/unload themselves so they just go on brake.
so you could have a day like
15mins other work
30mins driving
30mins brake
15mins driving
30mins brake
180mins driving
120mins brake
180mins driving
30mins brake
15mins driving
60mins brake
30mins driving
finish
7:30 driving time
15mins other work
4:30 brake
you have only “worked” for 7H 45mins and had 4H 30mins brake
so for the WTD you have only had a 7H 30M day
hope that makes sense
Sure thank you. And just to make clear you would get paid for the full amount being it driving or waiting around ‘’ on break’’
I was thinking maybe also when I pass to possibly do some volunteer work on weekends to get some real experience .would this be needed or do you think I could easily enough find some work ■■ Without any real work experience
I get paid for every hour i work…Including breaks…Some firms deduct your 45min break per day from your wages…But other than that you’ll be paid for all your other hours.
daftvader:
I get paid for every hour i work…Including breaks…Some firms deduct your 45min break per day from your wages…But other than that you’ll be paid for all your other hours.
I thought that’s what it would be thank you daftvader much appreciated
Tramping / trunking are 2 totally different things btw
Tramping is where you are away all week
Trunking is normally between 2 depts can be both day & night
Have know many Cat C jobs be tramping I have done them never yet done multi drop in over 20 years driving that was me starting on small vans up to Cat CE
But start 1st with your medical to get provisional then theory & HPT think also you will need your mod 2 & 4 then lessons & test before you start to worry about some of the other things
animal:
Tramping / trunking are 2 totally different things btw
Tramping is where you are away all week
Trunking is normally between 2 depts can be both day & night
Have know many Cat C jobs be tramping I have done them never yet done multi drop in over 20 years driving that was me starting on small vans up to Cat CE
But start 1st with your medical to get provisional then theory & HPT think also you will need your mod 2 & 4 then lessons & test before you start to worry about some of the other things
Hi mate yes I was aware that tramping and trunking are different. I was just stating these are the things I would like to do and not so much multi drop… Even though yes multi drop can also be tramping but you know the type I mean. I would much prefer a long drive to deliver and then come back not 30 drops in the same area and given one day to do them the time constraints currently frighten me trying to find 30 different addresses. Things might change though this just reflects my current thoughts hehe
I know some of my questions I need not worry about just trying to dig around and get a basic ish knowledge of the industry before I jump out of my current job into a new one… Scary times ahead!!!
Thank you all so far for your kind helpfulness though.
I’ve got my D2 D4 and tacho forms all in front of me my medical is booked for after the new year. And currently learning the highwaycode. Just looking around for courses and weighing each one up with what they offer
Make sure you visit the training companies that you intend to train with before handing over any money do some research 1st pick the best for you not always the cheapest
I know my provider done everything from giving me the D4 booking medical booking theory & HPT to test
animal:
Make sure you visit the training companies that you intend to train with before handing over any money do some research 1st pick the best for you not always the cheapest
I know my provider done everything from giving me the D4 booking medical booking theory & HPT to test
I’ve been looking around the net at providers and they all Seem ok so far but there are many to choose from. I liked the look at one based in Kent. Also not the cheapest… I can imagine it’s a right mine field
animal:
Make sure you visit the training companies that you intend to train with before handing over any money do some research 1st pick the best for you not always the cheapest
I know my provider done everything from giving me the D4 booking medical booking theory & HPT to test
I’ve been looking around the net at providers and they all Seem ok so far but there are many to choose from. I liked the look at one based in Kent. Also not the cheapest… I can imagine it’s a right mine field
From a lot of the posts that have been on here, the quality of training can vary wildly, as well as the kit…
I’ve not a moments hesitation in recommending the forum sponsor, I did both my class 2 & 1 with them!
Although it’s the obvious thing to do, with respect, it’s not the best for this job. There are plenty of websites that seem to offer extremely good training. The flashier ones tend to be no more than brokers who run no vehicles and employ no trainers. But they have a very active and effective sales office - and that’s it! They are easy enough to identify; they claim to have 30 or 40 centres nationwide. No trainer has this number of centres so it’s just misleading. You will pay over the odds for training that is often not much cop. Avoid like the plague.
They sometimes claim to be DVSA Accredited LGV training centres - simply a lie. This is the list dft.gov.uk/fyn/lgv.php
It’s a good plan to find a couple of providers you like the look of and go and visit them. If you’ve got your provisional at that point, you could also ask for an assessment drive to see how you feel. You shouldn’t part with any of your hard earned without doing this. The only exception to this is booking on rock-solid recommendation. eg we have folks come to us every week from all over the UK. This is partly on price - which is unbeatable - and partly reputation - which aint bad either!
You wouldn’t buy a sofa without sitting on it. You’re about to part with sums in excess of a grand; take a good hard look at the options.
Did you know that there is no legal obligation for a trainer to be registered or trained? This is fact, sadly. Anyone who has held an LGV licence for 3 years can buy a rusty old truck, stick L plates on it, and call themselves a driving school. And they do. Ironically, some of these charge more for their “services” than we do . And we’re at the other end of the spectrum. It’s a truly worrying situation when it comes to making these decisions.
animal:
Make sure you visit the training companies that you intend to train with before handing over any money do some research 1st pick the best for you not always the cheapest
I know my provider done everything from giving me the D4 booking medical booking theory & HPT to test
I’ve been looking around the net at providers and they all Seem ok so far but there are many to choose from. I liked the look at one based in Kent. Also not the cheapest… I can imagine it’s a right mine field
o offence but you can’t see there lorries or speak with them in person on a web site but please stay away from brokers they will just take your money & send you to the cheapest they can find you will pay more for this btw
Nowt like going to see in person yep have a look on the net then phone up ask if you can visit or if you like say who you are looking at as there might be people that have used them
