Should I take the plunge? to drive or not to drive

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello all,

This is my first post so please don’t be too harsh on me.

I’ve been lurking on here for a good few weeks now considering lgv driving as a career. I have spent a lot of time reading through various posts and threads, far too much time!

A quick bit of background, I’m 38, Live in Oxford and like many others I’m sick of my current office based job, most of my working life has been spent in hospitality and I’ve vowed never to go back! My dad had a successful haulage company for over 25 years but that’s pretty irrelevant though as I’ve only ever driven a car and nothing bigger.

So, my question/s is/are should I take my Class c or not, is it worth it? [ with a view to class 1 after]

How are new drivers finding overcoming the 2 years experience scenario at the moment?

Besides the brokers and agency hype how is the market, driver shortage or not?

Is anyone on here driving lgv’s in my area?

What is a realistic wage for a new driver?

I know the path to getting qualified is complex, I know the costs and I’ve got the funds but do I or don’t I ?

I’m well aware there is a good mix of cynics and content drivers on here so I’d like as much feedback as possible with regards to the actual working life of a driver and what it entails for you,

Many people state 80+ hours to scrape minimum wage, however some are quoting 30-35k for reasonable hours, what’s the truth?

The thing that appeals to me is the idea of working alone and the possibility of earning a reasonable salary doing so.

I wouldn’t mind multi drop with handballing, but might not be too keen on regular tramping. I’ve even thought the only way to get a foot on the commercial driving ladder might be to drive for a courier or grocery delivery service.

Please give as much advice as you can whether you are a new driver or a seasoned veteran,

Many thanks, and I’m looking forward to hearing yours views/comments/experiences

2

What’s the truth ? well you can work 82 hours per week and could be on £7 per hour, some say there’s a shortage others cannot get work I stopped driving in August and the phone rings at least twice a week with work so I don’t know if it’s just Christmas rush.
If you want multi drop such as corner shops you will always get a job because it not driving it’s labouring with a licence.
Before doing your licence you need to research what work out there so how much have you seen advertised and what are they paying?

3

Based on a 70 hour week , which about 20 of them are lying on my bed gettin tipped . I take 660 home easy fridge work . On a 80 hour week finish Saturday afternoon I take about 730 home . Away all week .and very early starts . Which I prefer . So u can make a decent wage if ya happy to be away from home 4 nights a week . But there will be some companies who pay bad . An some who pay well . So get ya experiance were u can , and shop around . There’s plenty of work about . Just check on all the lager companies website . There always advertising

4

paul.fitz.589:
Based on a 70 hour week , which about 20 of them are lying on my bed gettin tipped . I take 660 home easy fridge work . On a 80 hour week finish Saturday afternoon I take about 730 home . Away all week .and very early starts . Which I prefer . So u can make a decent wage if ya happy to be away from home 4 nights a week . But there will be some companies who pay bad . An some who pay well . So get ya experiance were u can , and shop around . There’s plenty of work about . Just check on all the lager companies website . There always advertising

80 at work then 55 on break so 135 hours for 730 take home or £5.40 for each hour away from home is it worth it to give up your life, if you have a wife will she stay or if you haven’t got one you never will, any kids you will never see them that’s not good to me.

5

ideally I don’t want to get involved with the tramping side of the industry, but is that easily avoided?

6

Very easy to avoid

7

I’m just tellin him about the job and hours . Don’t worry about my life .its not for everyone but it suits me . Guess it’s the same as the sparky sand joiners who go an work on sites and spend there week in a hotel really .

8

Find a job for Asda or someone like that . Average 10 hour day , bout 28 grand a year I think

9

paul.fitz.589:
I’m just tellin him about the job and hours . Don’t worry about my life .its not for everyone but it suits me . Guess it’s the same as the sparky sand joiners who go an work on sites and spend there week in a hotel really .

Me to £5.40 per our to give your life up and live in a tin box being treated worse tan being in jail

10

Treated worse than jail ? I get to go home when I choose . Eat when and where I choose , meet up with friends and have a few pints , an home every weekend , I’m not forced to stay out , of coarse I’d rather be home , but pulling cages into shops isn’t for me . Dunno where ya gettin worse than jail from

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Not here to argue anyway . It’s lights out soon . So must go . Before the guard catches me using me I pad .

12

I’m going to try and balance things up a little here. Whenever a new or wannabe driver comes on here asking for advice, Mac12 always makes an appearance spouting the line about working 84 hours a week. He is to an extent right - yes its feasible for you to be at work 84 hours a week but please don’t think that is the industry norm. Some do it tramping away all week and hats off to them but working around half the amount of hours for good money and sleeping in your own bed every night is also very achievable. I just wish both sides of the argument were presented but normally its only the downsides and negatives.

As for income potential and numbers of hours worked then it depends on a variety of factors, location, type of work, shift patterns - do you want Monday-Friday, weekends, days, nights. You’ve already said you don’t want tramping which is no problem, loads of jobs out there on days and nights. You also cant just generalise lorry driving with regards to what job you do as there is so much variety and this will influence what sort of income you can achieve.

While I don’t know the Oxford area I would hazard a guess that there would be plenty of work around paying decent money as you have plenty of populated areas within commuting distance. It tends to be the less populated and out of the way parts of the country where there isn’t much work and the pay is poor. Round my way for class 1 £13 per hour is very possible Mon-Fri on days, some parts £7-£8 for class 1.

With the driver shortage this again depends on area - for instance the Midlands where I am has a chronic shortage and rates and salaries have shot up in the last few months but with other area’s from reading some posters on here the situation is not as prosperous. As for the agencies if you want to go down that route then its a good way to get some experience under you belt but in my experience (I have a fair bit now with working with agencies) then it will be a bit trial and error in terms of finding a good one that suits you. Do agencies lie and exaggerate - Yes absolutely but once you figure them out they are easy to get what you want out of them. If you want a permanent job then apply for each and every job around you regardless of whether they say they want x amount of experience, the worst they can say is no and also visit them in person with a CV.

13

Well written tmcassett, the man speaks sense, so much variety in the industry but the skill is finding what suits you.

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Tockwith Training:
Well written tmcassett, the man speaks sense, so much variety in the industry but the skill is finding what suits you.

Cheers for the kind words, I just wanted to highlight how lorry driving can be a rewarding and well paid job if you want it to be and make the most of it. We all want different things out of life and a job and I just get annoyed when potential drivers post on here stating its what they want to do and people are nothing but negative about the job, these negative people know nothing about why the potential newbie might want to do it or why their current situation might be a lot worse.

One of my good mates is currently re-training at university to become a teacher, having seen what it did to my Dad stress-wise in the last 5 years he did it before early retirement in 2013 I personally wouldn’t recommend it but I haven’t said anything to my mate because its not my place - that what he wants to do for a career so good luck to him.

15

Thanks tmcassett, nice to have a bit of positivity appearing on this thread,I’m happy to work any shifts really, prepared to do weekends and whatever comes my way, not sure if the early shifts would suit me as they appear to be really early! Currently 4.30 am is the middle of the night for me, but I’m flexible and prepared to get stuck in so you never know.

I’m considering heading up north for a residential course with Peter Smyth as he has been kind enough to offer Christmas vouchers for members of trucknet.

There is another recommended trainer near me in Banbury who have great pass rates but Peter does 1:1 + voucher and free residential and my local school no discounts and 1:2 so could well be worth the trek.

Anyone have any experience with either jld of Banbury or Peter symth, feedback would be appreciated

16

Passed with Peter’s clan. I had a guy called Chris and he was ace. One tip that Peter said to me about the CPC Module 4. “If you come back with clean hands, you haven’t passed”.

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tomoxford:
Thanks tmcassett, nice to have a bit of positivity appearing on this thread,I’m happy to work any shifts really, prepared to do weekends and whatever comes my way, not sure if the early shifts would suit me as they appear to be really early! Currently 4.30 am is the middle of the night for me, but I’m flexible and prepared to get stuck in so you never know.

I’m considering heading up north for a residential course with Peter Smyth as he has been kind enough to offer Christmas vouchers for members of trucknet.

There is another recommended trainer near me in Banbury who have great pass rates but Peter does 1:1 + voucher and free residential and my local school no discounts and 1:2 so could well be worth the trek.

Anyone have any experience with either jld of Banbury or Peter symth, feedback would be appreciated

Should add also that just because your new that doesn’t mean you have to put up with the crap jobs, hours etc. once you pass, really depends what’s around your area as to where you can get a start. In recent times the 2 year rule has been very relaxed due to the struggle for companies and particularly agencies to get drivers so there has never been a better time to get your Class 2 then 1.

Good thing for you as well is you said you can afford to take your tests and once you have your licences then they are a qualification you have for life - assuming you keep your medical and CPC up to date. If you drive for a few years and get fed up and go do something else then you always have them to come back to at a future date so its a worthwhile investment.

I have no personal experience of either trainer but both have good recommendations on here.

18

I was going to post queries about the 2 year rule, figured I’d put it into this thread rather than start one of my own.

Passed my multiple choice theory today, and doing my hazard perception next week. I work full time, so its been hard to clock in all the studying, but I will hopefully be going into the New Year with just my practical and CPC left to do, could ultimately be qualified by around March.

In my current job, I work 4 days a week and take home £200, without any overtime. I understand that working half that for the same amount of money isn’t an unrealistic ask. Obviously I’d take all the hours I can, but quitting my job and needing just 4 shifts a fortnight to break even, doesn’t sound too daunting.

I keep an eye out on job websites, just to see what is out there really, and some are clever. They post annual salary, or weekly salary, and nowhere in the job advert does it mention anything about how many hours you’ll be doing.

I am based in Formby on Merseyside, and have the likes of Liverpool, Skelmersdale, Preston, Widnes, Warrington, and even Manchester all within an hours commute.

I have heard that Skem, Preston and Warrington are goldmines for LGV work, and Stobart do a lot of stuff in Widnes, but I guess I won’t really know until I start applying.

19

tmcassett the only reason I say what I do is because I think a lot of future new drivers really don’t know what the job entails and think they are going to do office hours tanning there right arm while eating a Yorkie bar with there left while earning £30000. I was a driver for 15 years and one day will be again and have earned some good money but the job is so different now to then, things such as money when I quit in august I was getting paid the same as 10 years ago but 10 years ago I picked up my paperwork and was free now you are watched all the time and everyone seems out to get you.
Going back to hours when people go to work at say 8am and see a truck how many will know he’s been at work maybe 4 or more hours and when they come home at night he could still be working until 7pm before having to sleep in a layby with no toilets because his firm will not pay for services because he’s only a driver.
I may seem to not want anyone to become a driver but that’s not true I just want them to be 100% sure before spending £3000 getting a licence to find it’s not for them, some drivers would work for nothing just to be behind the wheel with frilly curtains but not me and I feel sorry for drivers who come on here who cannot get a job or find out its not for them when it’s to late and we do seem to get a few of them on these pages.
This is a long post for me but while others keep coming on here saying how good it is I will keep putting it from the other side.

20

I can give a thumbs up for Peter Smythe, couldn’t fault the training at all.