Thinking of taking a hgv licence

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello everyone,im thinking of taking the HGV licence but i need more advice regarding this field of work.
Ive noticed pay seems to be much better than in class 1 than 2.
Is it worth going straight for class 1 rather than 2? or is it better to walk before you? lol
Also,after renting a van a few christmases ago the gales at that time were pretty scary,how hard/dangerous is it to cope with the weather conditions?
Finally,im 35 years old with a full clean driving licence for the past 16 years,how difficult is it to land a full time permanent job? (i dont mind travelling but dont want to be away every night due to a little one arriving soon)

Any help will be appreciated

Thanks

2

you cant go straight to class 1 anymore. so you need class 2 the sit the test for class 1.
what part of the country are you from?
here in Scotland (central belt) there are a few companys that will hire new drivers and agency as well.i don’t see class 1 drivers making much more then class 2.
you also need a cpc and digi card as well so that is more cost to you as well.

you can make good money and being a new driver you may have to take jobs that involve a lot of manual labour as well. delivering to high street stores and fast food places.

3

Its easier to take your Class 1 straight after Class 2 than try to undo a few hundred thousand miles of bad habits. Class 1 gets you the better work as a lot of Class 2 is local multidrop and manually unloading stuff with pallet trucks.

You get blown about a lot, especially this time of year. When the storm that flooded ■■■■■■■ was on the go, I was coming down the M6 past there and over the tops of the hills on the high points of the M6 at Shap with horizontal rains and 60MPH winds. If you can’t get your head around driving in high winds and snow then don’t waste your money because you will be doing a lot of it.

Landing a fulltime permanent job with no experience is hard but not impossible however you’re going to be looking at the ■■■■■■■■ end of the job, not money wise but it’ll be a job that many don’t want to do or with a company many don’t want to drive for. The common and in my opinion better route is via agencies where you will get a vast range of experience of different types of wagons, different types of loads and different types of work in the field in a very short period of time and its likely to show you what you prefer which might not be what you ever consider - for example I actually found I enjoyed doing waste food compactors even though I really didn’t want to do the job at first when the agency sent me there.

4

william2016:
Hello everyone,im thinking of taking the HGV licence but i need more advice regarding this field of work.

Welcome top Trucknet-UK :wink:

william2016:
Ive noticed pay seems to be much better than in class 1 than 2.
Is it worth going straight for class 1 rather than 2? or is it better to walk before you?

You cannot do a cat C+E (class 1) test until you have a cat C (class 2) licence, you have to pass the cat C test before doing cat C+E training.

william2016:
after renting a van a few christmases ago the gales at that time were pretty scary,how hard/dangerous is it to cope with the weather conditions?

Knowing how to deal with bad weather is part of the job that comes with experience, like many other drivers here I’ve driven large vehicles in all kinds of whether and never found it particularly scary, there are exceptions but generally if it’s that scary or dangerous you’re probably driving too fast for the conditions or shouldn’t be driving at-all.

william2016:
Finally,im 35 years old with a full clean driving licence for the past 16 years,how difficult is it to land a full time permanent job? (i dont mind travelling but dont want to be away every night due to a little one arriving soon)

That’s hard to say, it depends to some extent on your location and how lucky you are, some people manage to fall straight into a full time job while others have to do agency work until they can get a full time job.

5

Don,t do it. If your going to buy a skill be a plumber, sparkie, window fitter, something like that. You will earn nearly as much as an HGV driver but you will work a lot less hours. And a lot less anti social hours. It is not unusual to work 15 hour days driving a truck, 12 to 13 is the norm. My dog gets more respect than an hgv driver. Do some research first, don’t rely on this forum for advice there are some cab happy sods on here.

6

tommie1shunt:
Don,t do it. If your going to buy a skill be a plumber, sparkie, window fitter, something like that. You will earn nearly as much as an HGV driver but you will work a lot less hours. And a lot less anti social hours. It is not unusual to work 15 hour days driving a truck, 12 to 13 is the norm. My dog gets more respect than an hgv driver. Do some research first, don’t rely on this forum for advice there are some cab happy sods on here.

Sound advice.

Ken.

7

tommie1shunt:
Don,t do it. If your going to buy a skill be a plumber, sparkie, window fitter, something like that. You will earn nearly as much as an HGV driver but you will work a lot less hours. And a lot less anti social hours. It is not unusual to work 15 hour days driving a truck, 12 to 13 is the norm. My dog gets more respect than an hgv driver. Do some research first, don’t rely on this forum for advice there are some cab happy sods on here.

And there are some miserable old sods who shout and scream about the industry being crap and drive away new blood at every opportunity all the while trying to belittle ‘cab happy sods’ for having good jobs that they enjoy.

Life’s too short and it isn’t all about money. I’d rather do 15 hour days all week doing what I do than a 6 hour day being a plumber. Maybe its because I work for a good company, do good work and am not a miserable old ■■■■ stuck doing something he obviously hates.

To the OP, make sure you have a few quid lying spare, it’ll cost you upwards of £2k to get to Class 1, maybe not the best time to start training if you’ve a rugrat due soon. Many people start on rigid work before progressing to artics and through my fairly limited experience of job hunting, you’ll have better opportunities for being home every night on rigids. A lot of firms have 4 on 4 off shift patterns, it will be worthwhile looking at possible employers in your area and what shifts they offer. Wouldn’t be the best to put down the cash for your Class 1 to find out there’s nothing but tramping close by!

A.

8

Adonis.:

tommie1shunt:
Don,t do it. If your going to buy a skill be a plumber, sparkie, window fitter, something like that. You will earn nearly as much as an HGV driver but you will work a lot less hours. And a lot less anti social hours. It is not unusual to work 15 hour days driving a truck, 12 to 13 is the norm. My dog gets more respect than an hgv driver. Do some research first, don’t rely on this forum for advice there are some cab happy sods on here.

And there are some miserable old sods who shout and scream about the industry being crap and drive away new blood at every opportunity all the while trying to belittle ‘cab happy sods’ for having good jobs that they enjoy.

Life’s too short and it isn’t all about money. I’d rather do 15 hour days all week doing what I do than a 6 hour day being a plumber. Maybe its because I work for a good company, do good work and am not a miserable old ■■■■ stuck doing something he obviously hates.

To the OP, make sure you have a few quid lying spare, it’ll cost you upwards of £2k to get to Class 1, maybe not the best time to start training if you’ve a rugrat due soon. Many people start on rigid work before progressing to artics and through my fairly limited experience of job hunting, you’ll have better opportunities for being home every night on rigids. A lot of firms have 4 on 4 off shift patterns, it will be worthwhile looking at possible employers in your area and what shifts they offer. Wouldn’t be the best to put down the cash for your Class 1 to find out there’s nothing but tramping close by!

A.

Everybody including yourself is entitled to their opinion.
The ‘miserable old sods’ who slate the job only come about by years of disillusionment, and just because their opinion happens to be different to yours (as I suspect a relatively new driver) does not mean it is fair to display belittlement towards those that have seen it all change over the years.
Are they/we supposed to say 'yeh crack on mate, it’s great job everybody loves you and treats you with respect.
I like yourself was a bit wide eyed about the job once over, and it will be interesting to hear your opinion after a few more years under your belt, (and a bit more varied including your… dreaded tramping,) as most of us miserable gits have.

(Incidentally I do find it a bit naive bordering on bizarre that you prefer 15 hours work to 6 :open_mouth: …can’t get my head around that one :neutral_face: (unless you are Holly Willougby’ s ■■■ slave or something, )and sorry but it does come across as a cab happy symptom tbh, but hey, each to his own, boat floating and all the rest of it)

To the o/p I can’t be arsed to repeat my ‘miserable old sod’ type advice :laughing: …, but if you look on the ‘Advice required’ thread you will see it, and quite constructive imo. :bulb:

9

robroy:
Everybody including yourself is entitled to their opinion.
The ‘miserable old sods’ who slate the job only come about by years of disillusionment, and just because their opinion happens to be different to yours (as I suspect a relatively new driver) does not mean it is fair to display belittlement towards those that have seen it all change over the years.
Are they/we supposed to say 'yeh crack on mate, it’s great job everybody loves you and treats you with respect.
I like yourself was a bit wide eyed about the job once over, and it will be interesting to hear your opinion after a few more years under your belt, (and a bit more varied including your… dreaded tramping,) as most of us miserable gits have.

(Incidentally I do find it a bit naive bordering on bizarre that you prefer 15 hours work to 6 :open_mouth: …can’t get my head around that one :neutral_face: (unless you are Holly Willougby’ s ■■■ slave or something, )and sorry but it does come across as a cab happy symptom tbh, but hey, each to his own, boat floating and all the rest of it)

To the o/p I can’t be arsed to repeat my ‘miserable old sod’ type advice :laughing: …, but if you look on the ‘Advice required’ thread you will see it, and quite constructive imo. :bulb:

I get that they’ve done years and seen it change from ‘the good old days’, it just gets right on my wick that every time a new driver or someone looking to start in the industry gets told to go do something else because everything is crap, the job’s effed, this that and the next thing. Its on nearly every post and I know of no other career based forum where the ‘advice’ is like that. I’m not saying its all sunshine and roses and ■■■■■ birds with bikinis helping you tip, but its hardly the hellish nightmare some on here make it out to be. I can’t get my head around some who on here appear to despise the job yet still do it. It isn’t the best job in the world but new blood should be encouraged, not told ‘Don’t do it’.

I don’t understand what you mean about ‘my dreaded tramping’. I’ve been tramping since I started driving and, like yourself, see it as part and parcel of lorry driving. For me personally, I’d rather do something else than shift work, working away suits me, I’ve done it in one form or another all my working life. What I meant to the OP was that if he doesn’t want to be away, maybe looking around at what work is in his area could be a starting point, rather than spending a wedge to find only tramping, which he has said wouldn’t suit.

As for the 15hrs vs 6, I was making the point that I’d rather knock my pan in doing a job I enjoy than an easy day doing a job I don’t enjoy, since the reply was to go and become a plumber or a sparky. I’m surprised the old ‘go stack shelves you make more money’ wasn’t thrown in too.

A.

10

william2016:
Hello everyone,im thinking of taking the HGV licence but i need more advice regarding this field of work.
Ive noticed pay seems to be much better than in class 1 than 2.
Is it worth going straight for class 1 rather than 2? or is it better to walk before you? lol
Also,after renting a van a few christmases ago the gales at that time were pretty scary,how hard/dangerous is it to cope with the weather conditions?
Finally,im 35 years old with a full clean driving licence for the past 16 years,how difficult is it to land a full time permanent job? (i dont mind travelling but dont want to be away every night due to a little one arriving soon)

Any help will be appreciated

Thanks

Do you like driving itself? Do you like your own company, and are you able to be on your own for the majority of the time? On either class, you’re going to spend the majority of the day driving and without social contact with work mates, though generally more so on class 1. Some jobs (such as pure RDC trunking on class 1) can be extremely monotonous and impersonal. Jobs that are more sociable and local in their nature, like class 2 skip wagons, tend to be dirty jobs with clapped out equipment, and extremely poorly paid.

I wouldn’t worry about the weather (unless you have particular local problems with weather).

You’d probably find a full-time job soon enough (although I wouldn’t rely on getting one immediately), but it’s likely to be on extremely adverse terms in places where people can’t bear to stay for very long - and many firms and almost all agencies will reject you outright without a good 3-6 months recent experience under your belt (many will also reject you without having held a licence for 2 years).

The main thing to beware in this game is working hours. Start times that vary wildly between the early hours and late morning are not uncommon, shifts can be (and often will be) 13-15 hours a day, and weekend working will usually be required. Nice if you see yourself purely as a breadwinner, but not if you want a quality home life.

If I were you, I’d think more particularly about what it is that is attracting you to this game, and what sort of driving you want to do, because there is a wide range of different roles which suit fundamentally different types of personalities (and are different in the ease of accessing those types of jobs).

Realistically, you should budget about £1.5k all-in costs for each class you want to do, plus the loss of a few weeks earnings (or holiday) while you do it.

Some guys in this game are very happy with what others would not be. For example, I find night shifts very hard, but other guys work nights exclusively and love it. But I’d think very carefully about where you fit in - the average person would not tolerate the prevailing working conditions, and as a new driver you’ll have the ■■■■■■■■■ end of a very ■■■■■■ stick, which is why there is something like half as many working drivers as licenced drivers.

11

Adonis.:

robroy:
Everybody including yourself is entitled to their opinion.
The ‘miserable old sods’ who slate the job only come about by years of disillusionment, and just because their opinion happens to be different to yours (as I suspect a relatively new driver) does not mean it is fair to display belittlement towards those that have seen it all change over the years.
Are they/we supposed to say 'yeh crack on mate, it’s great job everybody loves you and treats you with respect.
I like yourself was a bit wide eyed about the job once over, and it will be interesting to hear your opinion after a few more years under your belt, (and a bit more varied including your… dreaded tramping,) as most of us miserable gits have.

(Incidentally I do find it a bit naive bordering on bizarre that you prefer 15 hours work to 6 :open_mouth: …can’t get my head around that one :neutral_face: (unless you are Holly Willougby’ s ■■■ slave or something, )and sorry but it does come across as a cab happy symptom tbh, but hey, each to his own, boat floating and all the rest of it)

To the o/p I can’t be arsed to repeat my ‘miserable old sod’ type advice :laughing: …, but if you look on the ‘Advice required’ thread you will see it, and quite constructive imo. :bulb:

I get that they’ve done years and seen it change from ‘the good old days’, it just gets right on my wick that every time a new driver or someone looking to start in the industry gets told to go do something else because everything is crap, the job’s effed, this that and the next thing. Its on nearly every post and I know of no other career based forum where the ‘advice’ is like that. I’m not saying its all sunshine and roses and ■■■■■ birds with bikinis helping you tip, but its hardly the hellish nightmare some on here make it out to be. I can’t get my head around some who on here appear to despise the job yet still do it. It isn’t the best job in the world but new blood should be encouraged, not told ‘Don’t do it’.

I don’t understand what you mean about ‘my dreaded tramping’. I’ve been tramping since I started driving and, like yourself, see it as part and parcel of lorry driving. For me personally, I’d rather do something else than shift work, working away suits me, I’ve done it in one form or another all my working life. What I meant to the OP was that if he doesn’t want to be away, maybe looking around at what work is in his area could be a starting point, rather than spending a wedge to find only tramping, which he has said wouldn’t suit.

As for the 15hrs vs 6, I was making the point that I’d rather knock my pan in doing a job I enjoy than an easy day doing a job I don’t enjoy, since the reply was to go and become a plumber or a sparky. I’m surprised the old ‘go stack shelves you make more money’ wasn’t thrown in too.

A.

Yeh I see what you are trying to put across tbh.
To clear up the tramping thing,.I wrongly thought that you had implied to the o/p that tramping was a last resort, I assumed you were a day man.

As for the ‘good old days’ they were never really ‘good’ just that the over reg, restrictions and vast dollops of bull sh today makes them look good.

As for most exp drivers having the same negative opinion, that is maybe for a good reason, and you can ONLY speak as you see things from your own point of view.

As I said in the other thread, ok it aint ALL bad (and I certainly do not despise it as you say) but as for starting as a newbie it will be worse for them than for the likes of me (or even you) as we get to the stage after a few years exp that you tend to tell the pressureisers and bull ■■■■ ers to go and ■■■■ themselves (well some of us do :unamused: ) , a newbie can not and has to take it all.
btw, I am also surprised the old shelf stack analogy aint been used. :smiley:

12

I’m new to the industry, been doing the job 6 months now. 1 month class 2 then class 1 since.

Like others have said, if you don’t like being on your own all day then it won’t be for you. I knew I did like being on my own all day before I started so was no issue for me. And again, stating the obvious but make sure you actually like driving and it’s not just a job you’ve thought of to get out of something else. Some people find driving extremely boring. I have always loved it so again was no issue for me.

Regarding the whole it’s not like it used to be crap… Like me if you go ahead and do it you’ll be new and will know no different. The industry that I’ve seen over the last 6 months is fine with me. I’ve not been there and done in “the good old time”. I’m sure over the next 30 years it will continue to evolve and change. Maybe in 30 years I will tell new drivers it’s not like it used to be, it used to be great (because I do think it’s great now!).

As for the weather, yes if you’ve got an empty 16 foot trailer on the top of the M62 in high winds then your gong to feel it and your going to need to be on the ball to correct it when a gust hits you, but you just get on with it.

I’ve not seen a big difference in pay but like others have said, a lot of class 2 work is multi drops, often town centres, and going to smaller businesses that have no space for HGVs and have no forklift, so you find yourself have to unload in the worst space, with a pallet truck on a tail lift. And believe me, pushing a ton pallet up a hill or trying to not lose it on the back of tail lift down a hill because there is no level ground anywhere close is not fun.

I got a job pretty quickly but I found a local company who support new drivers and understand the issue of “well how can I get experience if no one will give me a chance”. You’ll have to do your research locally and maybe on this forum to find any company local to you that are willing to give new drivers a chance. Someone said that as a new driver you will get the dregs of the job. Personally I haven’t found that and I’ve been doing all the same work the experienced drivers do. But like I said, my company support new drivers. Another company might see it differently and purposely give a new driver all the crap. I can only talk from my own experience.

13

Rowley010:
I’m new to the industry, been doing the job 6 months now.

Regarding the whole it’s not like it used to be crap…
.

Well he did ask for opinions mate, but I do apologise for talking ‘crap’ .
I’m sure the o/p will benefit more from your whole 6 months experience than he will from me or mine, so I will bow out now, and leave you to give him more of the benefit of it. :wink:

14

robroy:

Rowley010:
I’m new to the industry, been doing the job 6 months now.

Regarding the whole it’s not like it used to be crap…
.

Well he did ask for opinions mate, but I do apologise for talking ‘crap’ .
I’m sure the o/p will benefit more from your whole 6 months experience than he will from me or mine, so I will bow out now, and leave you to give him more of the benefit of it. :wink:

I’m not saying your opinion isn’t valid or that my tiny bit of experience is better than yours. I also don’t think I posted any body is talking crap! What I said was other posters are saying the industry is crap, not that are talking crap. Big difference!

My point is that there’s actually few jobs where the older more experienced people think the job is as good as what it used to be. In my last job before I changed career everyone was always moaning it’s not what it used to be. But I’m saying with that then and this career now, I know no different, and neither will any newbie. As newbies we come into it now and take it as it is now.

All I’m saying to the OP is it doesn’t really matter what it used to be like, all that matters is what it’s like now because that’s the job their coming into to. Personally I really like it, regardless of what it used to be like. I don’t care what it used to be like! That doesn’t help me in anyway, that is the past and I’m living in the present and carry out my day to day job in the present.

So no, no one is talking crap as you put it. Sorry for any offence for your misunderstanding of my words. Hope I’ve cleared it up there!

15

Driving is one of the few professions political correctness hasnt infiltrated to badly. If you like driving go for it, if its the money side of things then apart from a few exceptions dont expect to earn a fortune to start with.

A passion for the open road and a multiple personality disorder are the ideal ingredients but whatever you do dont go the whole hog of forking out for a licence then whinge about it.

Anyone can drive a truck but to enjoy it takes commitment, passion and a lot of drink (not when behind the wheel obviously).

Oh and brace yourself for loads of romantic encounters, some real but most imaginary.

As the saying goes you dont have to be a ■■■■■■ deviant to work here but it helps.

If I could go back in time and choose a different vocation I wouldnt as deep down I love it, all the crap soon dissapears when your in the zone with a clear open road, a cup of tea in one hand a eye out for the plobbers and cruise set at 2mph below your limit.

16

Dipper_Dave:
all the crap soon dissapears when your in the zone with a clear open road, a cup of tea in one hand a eye out for the plobbers and cruise set at 2mph below your limit.

Amen to that brother :sunglasses:

17

As the first respondent said, if I was buying training, would HGV be top of my list? No. But purely because one day, not soon I will grant you, but one day, we will be mostly extinct. Whereas people are always going need to drop a deuce and will want to do so as comfortably as their finances will allow. Equally they will always want electrical work done. Those skills are never not going to be in demand.

All that being said, for effort to money ratio, HGV driving is pretty good generally, and once you’ve got a bit of experience behind you, and a bit of savvy, a good job, on a decent wage can be found.

There are a lot of disillusioned folk on here who have wound up trapped driving a truck I think, where as if you have chosen to do it, you are likely to find the good in it.

As for me, I’m 7 years in, 30 years old, 2nd class bell end. But I still love it, and the challenge. I wouldn’t recommend it it to anyone, because I’m a firm believer tat if you want something, you will do it regardless of if its a good idea or not.

18

Don’t do yourself down F-reds mate.

I consider you to be my equal. And I am a first class bellend.

19

eagerbeaver:
Don’t do yourself down F-reds mate.

I consider you to be my equal. And I am a first class bellend.

:laughing:

20

I wouldcheck out employment opportunities in your area before commiting upwardsof £3,000 on training .Lots of firms wont employ you without experience,how do you get experience?I enjoy the job but the money is not great by any means.