right a little story here for all whos intersted. had interview with transport manager this morning he said they defo want me and everything is fine offered me a job just need to sort an assessment (which i cant fail just gives them help to decide how long they will leave me with another driver) and start date.
problem is as im leaving he asks my age, 24 i reply !
in his words he said “oh thats a stumbling block we like them to be 25 really for insurance purposes, although i wouldnt think its a problem, ill check it out”
what does everyone else think will this hold me back? i must add too i work for a very large company!
if you are lucky it might mean a higher excess if you have a bump. i seem to remember some people here saying stuff like that in which case it probably wont be a problem. i would imagine that with the current economic climate some insurance companies wont insure under 25s at all though to cut down on payments. i would imagine that the problems over in america will have an effect on insurance companies here trying to cut down on paying out on claims
yeah all went well till then, least i have my licence and its there for when i am 25. not holding my hopes up tho. but saying that there are plenty under 25 drivers on here so you never know
scanny77:
if you are lucky it might mean a higher excess if you have a bump. i seem to remember some people here saying stuff like that in which case it probably wont be a problem. i would imagine that with the current economic climate some insurance companies wont insure under 25s at all though to cut down on payments. i would imagine that the problems over in america will have an effect on insurance companies here trying to cut down on paying out on claims
Agree with scanny77, it’s like when I’ve put a provisional licence holder onto my car insurance as a named driver - the excess goes up if they are driving at the time of any incident.
thats just it. if you look around you will get something. its a hurdle, not a dead end. you might even need to take some class 2 work for a while to prove yourself to the boss. i certainly wouldnt be comfortable about giving a fully laden artic to a young guy who has just walked in off the street but there are ways around it. sending a driver out with him/her to assess/teach new tricks, putting them on a rigid for a while to see how we get on. stuff like that. you will need to be a bit more flexible though at your stage. once you have 2 years under your belt and you are over 25 you can pick and choose. stick at it and good luck
been at the firm a fair while and have a clean sheet, to be honest i dont think it will be a problem as we do have a couple young lads (not sure if there 25+) and i would have thought they wouldnt have left it till last minute to ask me my age esp when its all on my company records
if you have been there a while i wouldnt worry about it. even if they say you have to be 25 then since you are already an employee they will probably have a birthday present for you in the shape of an artic driving job. even if you do have to stay as you are for a while you are still in a better position than some of the newly qualified drivers who are trying to get a job from scratch. at least you have a little step up and only have your age to worry about. the rest is already taken care of
very true least i am in with a chance as it dont actually cost any more money if i dont crash, so its just a case of will they be prepared to give me a chance to prove myself. i think so esp since im so old (meaning if i was 21 it`d be a longer wait). fingers crossed ill keep you all posted
insurance can be a {zb} i have the problem with most companies for insuarnce cause im only 22 with my class 1, though im still doing the class 2s right now which is alright i spose, got one years experience with trucks under my belt though.
bigcheese:
thats odd gogzy, youd think that if thed insure you to drive a rigid theyd do it for artic too. have you had any artic work since passing?
ive not had any yet, im wokring with the local council up here right now so age restrictions dont really apply for insurance, so i get to drive about in 32ton hooklifts
least i get the experience with the weight for a while
i would keep applying for artic work too pal least you have experience now i think any company not willing to take a under 25 would turn a blind eye wiyh your experience. goodluck
when i was 17 the company i was double manning for at the time had vans and lorries . I pestered the boss for a chance at driving the vans . He went to the insurance company and they said the excess would go up £500 and he would not be prepared to pay the extra. I said get a contract wrote stating that if i had a crash and it was proven to be my fault then i would pay the extra £500 . He went for it and i was driving the whole uk in a brand new sprinter at 17 . Yes it was a risk but luckily i never had a bump so a worthwhile risk in my opinion . Sometimes you have to take risks .
