What Can you expect to earn as a new driver?? Can people please give an account of the type of work they carry out and money they earn both experienced and owner drivers? I know it varies greatly throughout the industry! Whats the best route to the big money!!! 
Whats the best route to the big money!!!
Dont drive lorries and become a Bank Robber!!!
I would imagine you get a good rate as a ram raider.
Seriously though there are jobs that pay well, some that pay reasonably and some that are laughable.
Iâve also seen forklift drivers advertised for over ÂŁ10ph and Van drivers for ÂŁ8ph though. Thing is would you âwantâ to do those? I wouldnt fancy being stuck in a warehouse shifting pallets all day, would send me mad!
As a new drivers itâs all about getting experience to put on your CV for the first 2 years. So itâs take what you can get, but I guess youâd have to think very hard about taking on an HGV job that paid less than ÂŁ13k (gross) for a 40 hour week, unless itâs âreallyâ easy work.
as said above if you want big money look for a job in a different sectortypically you can get between 20-30k before tax and ni are taken out but that is with experience but you wont be doing hour a week for big money in this job
As aboveâŚ
On the other hand I earnt more in my first few months than I do now, 2 years down the line 
Its a way of life. You either like it or you don`t. Good payers are usually found by word of mouth. 
Harry is right, you have to like the lifestyle.And itâs taken me years of working silly hours for pathetic wages to finally get to the stage where I get a decent pay packet.Also , if you are considering driving I would develop a thick skin because joe public hates you 
âŚAmazingly though I still enjoy the job, no 2 days are ever the same, you see things other workers will never see while on your travels,you meet new people all the time etc etc.
parrot:
What Can you expect to earn as a new driver?? Can people please give an account of the type of work they carry out and money they earn both experienced and owner drivers? I know it varies greatly throughout the industry! Whats the best route to the big money!!!
Experience is the only way to big money. Sorry but youâre not going to be able to jump in as a newbie and command top rate. It isnât some poncy office/IT job where you can blag your wayâŚa BSâer will be found out extremely quickly.
The first 15 years are 
the worstâŚ
Ok im livin on beans on toast the next few years!!! What do owner drivers get paid, i know its difficult. But could someone give me some examples of what hours/loads/and wages you could expect, im hoping to take my test soon so really want to know what im letting myself in for!!! I always read trucxk and driver etc and go the shows but they really dont show the money side of itâ â ? im going take me test no matter what its something i enjoy? On the other hand when i started looking for a instructor they always tell you you can earn 35000 cus they want you learn with them!!
ok you asked for it
containers deep sea short sea
max tacho hours no really work other than driving can be 600 per for up to 80 hours per week over 5 or 6 days average in lancs is 400 take home per week for uk
tippers 400 -500 per week inc nights out max hours again
are you starti ti see a picture here yet
tankers
can be max or depending on the job 12 hr shifts upto 30,000 per year
cutrain siders
350 -500 depending on hours worked or if your on salery or not some areas this can include nights out
ie a k worthingtons from memory are on around 300-350 per week for 40 ish hours i could be wrong and it could be more or could be less
agency
if you rob k and set up properly as a self emplyed driver up 600 per week take home not havein a dig rob just trying to tell im how it is if im way off with the figures please correct me
if your emplyed on angency then it could be arround the same for an exellent week or zip if theres no work about
there are companies that pay more but these jobs are never advertised they go by word of mouth orbeing in the right place at the right time
You could drop lucky and walk into a well paid job , you just never know .
Be mindful though that the good jobs are only available when some one dies and there is usually a waiting list . Get your name down if you know of somewhere like that . Fancy night work ? It pays more .
I fancy night work if i ever pass class c, but Semtex says rigid ânâ artic work is a waste of time out ere in de countrysideâŚthats why heâs gone back On The Buses (sorry mate, couldnât resist that one) pmsl.
alix776:
ok you asked for itcontainers deep sea short sea
max tacho hours no really work other than driving can be 600 per for up to 80 hours per week over 5 or 6 days average in lancs is 400 take home per week for uk
tippers 400 -500 per week inc nights out max hours again
are you starti ti see a picture here yet
tankers
can be max or depending on the job 12 hr shifts upto 30,000 per year
cutrain siders
350 -500 depending on hours worked or if your on salery or not some areas this can include nights out
ie a k worthingtons from memory are on around 300-350 per week for 40 ish hours i could be wrong and it could be more or could be less
agency
if you rob k and set up properly as a self emplyed driver up 600 per week take home not havein a dig rob just trying to tell im how it is if im way off with the figures please correct me
if your emplyed on angency then it could be arround the same for an exellent week or zip if theres no work about
there are companies that pay more but these jobs are never advertised they go by word of mouth orbeing in the right place at the right time
Yeah, not a bad bit of summing up although obviously this is a BIG generalisation and there are always the ÂŁ250 per week artic jobs and ÂŁ500 per week 7.5t jobs about.
As far as my own earnings go, they vary wildly depending on whether Iâm in the mood for doing any work that week or just fancy minimum hours. As a general rule I charge ÂŁ10.50, ÂŁ15.75 and ÂŁ21.00 for nights, week nights, Sats and Suns respectively, with time 1.5 after 8hrs through the week. For urgent, last minute âoh we need a driver like, RIGHT NOW!â rush jobs I usually charge a quid or couple of quid per hour more, depending on the job and client.
Those might seem like pretty good figures to some, but donât forget Iâve been hacking agency work pretty much constantly for the past 11yrs+ so could be considered an experienced agency driver who knows whatâs required and can be left to get on with it without the usual agency driver worries of âwasnât able to find the drops so brought them all backâ and then just to add insult to injury, later finding a smashed light cluster / mirror / dent in the door / missing mud guard etc which was never mentioned. 
Anyway, those figures are irrelevant if youâre a newbie cos theyâd just laugh at you if you told them those rates.
Just for some insight into my past, my first class 1 job was for PMP Logistics on containers. I was doing about 75-80hrs per week over 6 days, living in a filthy & wrecked N-reg DAF85 ATI 400 all week (low roof cab) and used to be paid on mileage. Even with my night out money wound in with my max hours I never took home any more ÂŁ360. I stuck that for 3 months just to get the experience (and luckily never hit anything), then went back on agency and cracked on onwards and upwards from there. 
parrot:
Ok im livin on beans on toast the next few years!!! What do owner drivers get paid, i know its difficult. But could someone give me some examples of what hours/loads/and wages you could expect, im hoping to take my test soon so really want to know what im letting myself in for!!! I always read trucxk and driver etc and go the shows but they really dont show the money side of itâ â ? im going take me test no matter what its something i enjoy? On the other hand when i started looking for a instructor they always tell you you can earn 35000 cus they want you learn with them!!
to be honest mate by the time youâve got the license and the experience, there will be no o/dâs left or agencies for that matter, strangeld by ever increasingly daft rules and regulations and foreign drivers and hauliers whoâll do the job for next to nothin.