I’m bored with what I’m doing and it’s time for a change. I’m very seriously considering driving artics for a living.
My main concern is the pay. I’ve done a bit of research and it seems that taking home £500 a week is average and realistic. Am I right in this?
I’d go for a C+E and I don’t mind doing weekend or night work and pretty much whatever it takes. I’d have to take a loan though to pay for the training, which makes it even more important that my earnings expectations are on point.
Well first of you can’t go straight to c+e.So have to go class C first…Do some searching on here as to what it all involves…But to do the lot is going to be around £2500 to £3000…And yes you can earn £500 a week…But you will have to put the hours in to earn that in take home pay…All the best
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Well if I turned back the clock I would seriously consider learning a skill, if its jus the money the earning potential is far greater than driving plus you will be fitter
If you’ve got your mind set on driving you can earn 30 k in a year quite easily if you get in a supermarket and the work isn’t to demanding but the hours are a bit shi t
25-30k would be average I would say, but 30k+ is achievable if you put in either lots of hours or specialise.
Really depends where you live but £500 take home is easy & no you don’t have to max your hours out you may be away most of the week mind
But it will cost you approx 2-3k to get your licence depends on when you passed your car test as said also do some looking around at training companies avoid brokers as you will pay over the top go direct to the training company
See what work is available in your area be careful that there not all agency look for the real employers as there are jobs out there but you may have to go & look
You could try some van driving 1st see if you like it before spending all that money you could do some at weekends etc when not at work but be careful of the rules
Where I work, on days for a large haulage green and red haulage company, I get around £450 per week take-home, working Thursday to Monday. Before tax this is around £570 per week. Monday to Friday days, I’ve never done it, but I imagine you’d get around £410 take-home, so around £520 before tax. The latter is a guess, so please don’t quote me, I only know about weekends. I work around 50 - 55 hours, give or take, on days, so no nights-out.
Tramping, you can easily take-home more than £500 per week. Obviously, that requires you to spend 3-4 nights away from home, but there you have it, an extra hundred or so quid per week as a recompense! That’s another £5k per year!
Personally, I’d rather be in a lorry than stacking shelves at a supermarket, but there are good employers and bad ones. I saw an advert for an ADR day man, offering £650 take-home per week, and on the line below it, another company wanting a tramper for a £400 per week salary!
JackMacyntire:
I’m bored with what I’m doing and it’s time for a change. I’m very seriously considering driving artics for a living.My main concern is the pay. I’ve done a bit of research and it seems that taking home £500 a week is average and realistic. Am I right in this?
I’d go for a C+E and I don’t mind doing weekend or night work and pretty much whatever it takes. I’d have to take a loan though to pay for the training, which makes it even more important that my earnings expectations are on point.
i think you’ve got to WANT to be a HGV driver,rather than just being bored in your present job,or the long hours,idiotic planners and idiotic drivers on congested roads will quickly grind you down.
You could earn anywhere between £7.20 - £14 plus an hour depending on vehicle you are driving and hours/shifts you are willing to do
Best checking vacancies in you’re area first which will give you a better idea
carryfast-yeti:
JackMacyntire:
I’m bored with what I’m doing and it’s time for a change. I’m very seriously considering driving artics for a living.My main concern is the pay. I’ve done a bit of research and it seems that taking home £500 a week is average and realistic. Am I right in this?
I’d go for a C+E and I don’t mind doing weekend or night work and pretty much whatever it takes. I’d have to take a loan though to pay for the training, which makes it even more important that my earnings expectations are on point.
i think you’ve got to WANT to be a HGV driver,rather than just being bored in your present job,or the long hours,idiotic planners and idiotic drivers on congested roads will quickly grind you down.
I did my HGV licence because I was bored of my job at the time and wanted a change,it wasn’t some sort of childhood dream to drive lorries.
As others have said you’re looking at around 25-30. More if you tramp, I have a few friends who tramp and do some mega hours and are on roughly 34k a year. I’m on considerably less as I work 4 on 4 off…im salaried for 12 hour days and rarely do that, but anything over 12 hours I get paid time and half. My average working hours are 28ish, but because I’m salaried and do half of what my mates do my pay is good for the hours I work. I prefer being off than working every hour under the sun! I’ll often do only 7 hours and get paid the 12.
Our lads on euro earn 38-41k + a nice wedge in expenses. It’s about 50% UK and 50% euro. Hours can be long and early/late start times on the euro, but most of it’s double manned, so on the whole it’s not too bad.
Michael Douglas:
As others have said you’re looking at around 25-30. More if you tramp, I have a few friends who tramp and do some mega hours and are on roughly 34k a year. I’m on considerably less as I work 4 on 4 off…im salaried for 12 hour days and rarely do that, but anything over 12 hours I get paid time and half. My average working hours are 28ish, but because I’m salaried and do half of what my mates do my pay is good for the hours I work. I prefer being off than working every hour under the sun! I’ll often do only 7 hours and get paid the 12.
Hi Big M
I’m taking my class 2 practical next week, so hopefully will be looking for some driving work soon. I’m definitely interested in the type of hours/ shifts that you do. Like you, I’d prefer not be working all hours. Could you advise me what type of work has those hours. Is it tanker driving, or supermarket work? Would I need to get my class 1 to get those hours. Thanks in advance. Cheers
F-reds:
25-30k would be average I would say, but 30k+ is achievable if you put in either lots of hours or specialise.
According to my P60, I earn’t £25K last tax year. Not bad for being on salary. I average about 52 hours a week.
archno1:
Michael Douglas:
As others have said you’re looking at around 25-30. More if you tramp, I have a few friends who tramp and do some mega hours and are on roughly 34k a year. I’m on considerably less as I work 4 on 4 off…im salaried for 12 hour days and rarely do that, but anything over 12 hours I get paid time and half. My average working hours are 28ish, but because I’m salaried and do half of what my mates do my pay is good for the hours I work. I prefer being off than working every hour under the sun! I’ll often do only 7 hours and get paid the 12.Hi Big M
I’m taking my class 2 practical next week, so hopefully will be looking for some driving work soon. I’m definitely interested in the type of hours/ shifts that you do. Like you, I’d prefer not be working all hours. Could you advise me what type of work has those hours. Is it tanker driving, or supermarket work? Would I need to get my class 1 to get those hours. Thanks in advance. Cheers
I drive class 1 mate. When I did class 2, you could get work Monday to Friday delivering milk and that was usually job and Jack. So if you hammered your round, you could be done within 7 hours. I will say though, that class 2 (like others have mentioned before) is hard graft compared to a lot of class 1 work. Lots of getting in and out of the cab and hauling stuff around by hand… Like I say, I’m salaried where I am now and do a lot of work driving for drink logistics. Not a bad number!
Thanks BIG M, looks like I’m going to have to try for the class 1 in the not too distant future.
Michael Douglas:
archno1:
Michael Douglas:
As others have said you’re looking at around 25-30. More if you tramp, I have a few friends who tramp and do some mega hours and are on roughly 34k a year. I’m on considerably less as I work 4 on 4 off…im salaried for 12 hour days and rarely do that, but anything over 12 hours I get paid time and half. My average working hours are 28ish, but because I’m salaried and do half of what my mates do my pay is good for the hours I work. I prefer being off than working every hour under the sun! I’ll often do only 7 hours and get paid the 12.Hi Big M
I’m taking my class 2 practical next week, so hopefully will be looking for some driving work soon. I’m definitely interested in the type of hours/ shifts that you do. Like you, I’d prefer not be working all hours. Could you advise me what type of work has those hours. Is it tanker driving, or supermarket work? Would I need to get my class 1 to get those hours. Thanks in advance. Cheers
I drive class 1 mate. When I did class 2, you could get work Monday to Friday delivering milk and that was usually job and Jack. So if you hammered your round, you could be done within 7 hours. I will say though, that class 2 (like others have mentioned before) is hard graft compared to a lot of class 1 work. Lots of getting in and out of the cab and hauling stuff around by hand… Like I say, I’m salaried where I am now and do a lot of work driving for drink logistics. Not a bad number!
All the Cat C work I done was easy tbh never done any hand ball or much getting in /out cab some of it 1 hit this was for tramping as well
animal:
Michael Douglas:
archno1:
Michael Douglas:
As others have said you’re looking at around 25-30. More if you tramp, I have a few friends who tramp and do some mega hours and are on roughly 34k a year. I’m on considerably less as I work 4 on 4 off…im salaried for 12 hour days and rarely do that, but anything over 12 hours I get paid time and half. My average working hours are 28ish, but because I’m salaried and do half of what my mates do my pay is good for the hours I work. I prefer being off than working every hour under the sun! I’ll often do only 7 hours and get paid the 12.Hi Big M
I’m taking my class 2 practical next week, so hopefully will be looking for some driving work soon. I’m definitely interested in the type of hours/ shifts that you do. Like you, I’d prefer not be working all hours. Could you advise me what type of work has those hours. Is it tanker driving, or supermarket work? Would I need to get my class 1 to get those hours. Thanks in advance. Cheers
I drive class 1 mate. When I did class 2, you could get work Monday to Friday delivering milk and that was usually job and Jack. So if you hammered your round, you could be done within 7 hours. I will say though, that class 2 (like others have mentioned before) is hard graft compared to a lot of class 1 work. Lots of getting in and out of the cab and hauling stuff around by hand… Like I say, I’m salaried where I am now and do a lot of work driving for drink logistics. Not a bad number!
All the Cat C work I done was easy tbh never done any hand ball or much getting in /out cab some of it 1 hit this was for tramping as well
Yeah I’m sure they’re not all bad. Just the bit I did sucked!
I do 5 days (including weekends) I managed 36k last year
It’s long hours, but there’s a lot of time sat around drinking coffee. Used to do my head in, then one day I had an Epiphany and noticed I was being paid to do nothing.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You will be absolutely loaded fella. You will have more money than you know what to do with.
In fact, I give most of mine away. Hardly do any hours, other motorists idolise me and its the best job in the whole entire galaxy.
eagerbeaver:
You will be absolutely loaded fella. You will have more money than you know what to do with.In fact, I give most of mine away. Hardly do any hours, other motorists idolise me and its the best job in the whole entire galaxy.
You’re the proverbial chocolate fireguard aren’t you mate! 