Hi everyone
Ive thought about driving again for a living after 15 years away from it. Not sure how to go about it tho. All the vacancies seem to be agency, how do you get a full time job now. Plus Ive been away so long would it be beneficial for some sort of refresher training. Got my dcpc booked for early next year. Look forward to any feed back.
Lgv c+e
Cheers
A lot of the work nowadays is with an agency will you need a medical ?also you will need a digi.card your photo card on your licence will also need updating.I often wonder if all ofthe zb makes the job worth it.
Hi mate - Sadly, agencies are obscenely prolific in these times, with zero-hours contracts running a close second. Full-time jobs are much trickier to secure, but to be honest, ive turned one down recently to reluctantly stick with my present agency. It basically was an "offer" amounting to a pay cut, so ■■■■ that for an option. If there is indeed a driver shortage (mixed opinions on this) its taking time to effect any change by the haulage firms. Its not so bad if you can attach to a half-decent agency (rarer than hens teeth and a bit of a contradiction in terms), but the real crappy, rogue one`s absolutely must be boycotted, and run out of town. 
Location seems to make all the difference, and as for refresher training - only you can decide if it`s appropriate for you. Would you be happy to do an assessment drive for any company you approach? As just said, you sure do have to jump through a lot of hoops these days to get on the road.
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.
shamu:
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.
If you are going to do it longer term then these costs aren’t important. They’re a nuisance butif getting them eventually secures you a full-time job then they’re surely worth it. I suppose it also depends on your reason for returning to driving and whether or not you’re employed at the moment. If you are employed I’m guessing you’re not happy and/or not earning a great deal. There are so many variables which we don’t know in order to be able to advise. Good luck.
bigears:
Plus Ive been away so long would it be beneficial for some sort of refresher training.
Nah, it’s like riding a bike, within a couple of minutes in the saddle it will be like you’ve never been away.
bigears:
Hi everyone
Ive thought about driving again for a living after 15 years away from it. Not sure how to go about it tho. All the vacancies seem to be agency, how do you get a full time job now. Plus Ive been away so long would it be beneficial for some sort of refresher training. Got my dcpc booked for early next year. Look forward to any feed back.
Lgv c+eCheers
I had 17 yrs off then got back into it no problem, signed on with some agencies and got plenty of work but admittedly the first day or two were a bit daunting but soon got my head round it.
Good luck you’ll be fine.
Just to add I didn’t do a refresher course but in hindsight I wish I had booked a day just to jog the brain cells.
Hi Bigears, (and others)
I’m in the same boat, went back into driving 12 months ago, after 15 years off. I did 11 months on rigids while i sorted my CPC and got my head round digi tachos and the like. Then did a few weeks on agency with shiney new auto class 1s. Just started full time with a firm local to me, when I filled out the application I wouldn’t have hired me. No real recent class , no bulk tipper experience, not a lot of anything that was on the form. the owner called me in for a chat and offered me a drive there and then. He was more happy that I hadn’t tried to blag him and talk crap. I spent last week with 1 of his long term drivers and get my own motor on Tues. I was happy how quickly it came back, did a few days shunting to get my reversing back up to scratch. In short be honest, do some agency and get paid while you refresh instead of paying to do a 1 or 2 day course.
Jump back on that horse and get out there, we might not be matching the guy’s in their 20’s for running around but old time experience makes up for a lot.
A joke I was told a long time ago by an old timer at my first yard.
Young bull and old bull stood on a hill.
Young bull says “lets runs down this hill and shag one of them cows”.
Old bull says “Lets walk down the hill and shag em all.”
Don’t be put off by the long break within a week you will be back into the swing of it.
Have fun
Smudge
Hello bigears
I returned for a brief spell after 11 years away. I was concerned about coming back after so long as believed my skills would’ve left me. I asked on here and was told it would be like riding a bike. I can safely say, it was just like riding a bike. I considered refresher training but glad I didn’t pay for it in hind sight.I found driving the wagon not much of a problem. It’s all autos now anyway which makes them seem like cartoon lorries compared to when you last did it. I used YouTube for videos on coupling up/uncoupling to remind me.
I found the details I needed to get used to again was basic stuff particular to “X” company such as paperwork. Oh - the road world has gotten a whole lot more rule based and ■■■■ since you left. You’ll find more weight limits than you can shake a stick at, and if you go to rdc’s there’s stacks of health and safety rules and procedures enforced with all the viciousness of the truly bored searching for pedantic detail in a “scientific detail not required here-just basic common sense” environment.
You still get the ignorant attitudes from jo blogs goods staff at rdcs who’ve done the same job twenty “year” to make you feel at home.
Joking aside, good luck
Just completed my 2nd week back after absence of 6 years. 1st agency said I had to have refresher training so told em to shove it.
2nd agency, I gave them a bit of BS about having driven on and off for a mate and they put me in for assessment.
Assessment was a bit daunting at first but soon as I got behind the wheel everything came back to me and I was fine.
Technology seems to have taken over a bit what with tracking and safety devices. I’ve even got proximity radar that lets out an annoying buzzing noise if I get too close to anything on nearside.
Only problem I have is auto boxes, used to drive a Volvo with one which was fine but now have an Actros which I just can’t get on with, seems to have a mind of its own especially when reversing.
wing-nut:
Just completed my 2nd week back after absence of 6 years. 1st agency said I had to have refresher training so told em to shove it.
2nd agency, I gave them a bit of BS about having driven on and off for a mate and they put me in for assessment.
Assessment was a bit daunting at first but soon as I got behind the wheel everything came back to me and I was fine.
Technology seems to have taken over a bit what with tracking and safety devices. I’ve even got proximity radar that lets out an annoying buzzing noise if I get too close to anything on nearside.
Only problem I have is auto boxes, used to drive a Volvo with one which was fine but now have an Actros which I just can’t get on with, seems to have a mind of its own especially when reversing.
Not driven an auto merc but all the Ivecco and MAN had crawler or “slow” reverse gears.
shamu:
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.
Why are you shouting?
Ader1:
shamu:
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.If you are going to do it longer term then these costs aren’t important. They’re a nuisance butif getting them eventually secures you a full-time job then they’re surely worth it. I suppose it also depends on your reason for returning to driving and whether or not you’re employed at the moment. If you are employed I’m guessing you’re not happy and/or not earning a great deal. There are so many variables which we don’t know in order to be able to advise. Good luck.
I am still in the same job I left the transport industry for. but the overtime at that job has been cut over the last few years to nil now.
I love the job but the money just isn’t there anymore and with my medical due next year its got me thinking of returning to the road.
peter s:
shamu:
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.Why are you shouting?
shouting ■■?
shamu:
peter s:
shamu:
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.Why are you shouting?
shouting ■■?
Using all CAPs is regarded as shouting on the Internet, apart from being harder to read it’s considered to be bad manners.
tachograph:
shamu:
peter s:
shamu:
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.Why are you shouting?
shouting ■■?
Using all CAPs is regarded as shouting on the Internet, apart from being harder to read it’s considered to be bad manners.
oh ok never heard of this before now.
shamu:
tachograph:
shamu:
peter s:
shamu:
I AM ALSO THINKING OF RETURNING TO DRIVING AFTER I STOPPED IN 2009.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE COST OF A DIGI CARD, CPC,AND I WILL BE DUE MY MEDICAL SOON AS WELL.
NOT SURE IF IT WILL BE WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY.Why are you shouting?
shouting ■■?
Using all CAPs is regarded as shouting on the Internet, apart from being harder to read it’s considered to be bad manners.
oh ok never heard of this before now.
YOU HAVE NOW;-)
I packed up driving for a living in '86 when I came off the middle east and went into engineering. However I had the medicals and kept my licence going “Just in case”. After 18 years I retired at 60 and got bored within a couple of weeks, so I dug my licence out and went on the agency route and found this job that gives me two night shifts a week, and has done for eleven years.
It was very easy to get back into, as has been said, just like riding a bike, but when I started back, in 2003 there was no digi card or DCPC so apart from getting used to the different suzzies that I had been used to, a minor thing, driving was no problem.
I suppose I’m lucky that these new fangled things like digi cards, DCPC cards and auto transmissions have come in since I was back on the road so I was able to get into them just as any other fully employed driver had to.
If I had to restart again now, I might find it a bit overwhelming to get my head around, but you don’t know until you try, the driving bit is now the easy part!
Thanks fellas for all your replies. Ive got a job at the moment and the pay is good with a company vehicle. The thing is tho the pressure is incredible and i dont really enjoy it. I will just have to join an agency and have some weekend work to see if i take to it again.
I’ve recently returned to driving after only a 3 year absence and, as others have said, if you can get through the initial 10 minutes or so then it is like riding a bike. Assessments are the order of the day now so make sure you don’t hit any kerbs and drive defensively/economically seem to be the major rules. I was going to go down the agency route but decided to try for a full-time job after being told that the company were desperate and hey-ho I am now doing a 48 hour week (averaged) for £27k a year - £30k after 12 months. It’s a bit of a shock doing the hours, especially as it’s a 60 mile round trip each day (40 minutes either way if traffic’s ok) but it’s only Mon-Fri so I’ll see how it goes. The work is very easy, mainly 1 or 2 drops within a 150km radius and no hassle, just open curtains & sit in cab. Can’t get used to the new H&S rules - not even allowed to change a fuse or lightbulb! and if you move the unit in under 20 minutes at the start of the shift it’s deemed that you haven’t done the daily OPS checks which is fine by me but just takes a bit of getting used to. Definitely no pressure and it is quite a relaxing and unusual experience staying at 86kph on M’ways 
.