Im 36 years old and looking at a career change, from being a young child I have always wanted to drive trucks and buses but kind of fell into my career in learning & development which I have been doing for 16 years, recently redundancy hit and rather than being disappointed like some of my colleagues I viewed it as the opportunity to do what I have always wanted to do.
My issue is Im stuck on which way to go, PCV or LGV?
Im hoping some members here may have some experience of both and be able to offer advice on which direction to take or do I bite the bullet and just get both licences?
personaly i have done both as probably most guys on here have and i would for sure go hgv but it ultimatley comes down to you if you are a people person then the pcv may be the way to go…the only downside i have found on the hgv side is that it can be a lonely job at times but again i could not think of any other job i would rather do .
Done both, the cost for HGV will be higher if you are after driving artics. If you want more social hours then stick to driving rigid trucks for a local council or skip firm. Buses and most other HGV jobs will be shift work or long hours.
Buses are much better paid than they once were and you may find it hard to get the same money driving HGVs without the 2 years experience that seems such a stumbling block for so many.
You may find your local bus company will train you at their cost and as long as you stick with them for a set amount of time you won’t have to pay back any training costs, and it gives you the all important experience.
Personally, I prefer trucks as so a few other drivers on here who have both categories.
Hi there, Like others I have done both. Currently driving buses for Stagecoach, it’s ok money £10.56 hour, local and they put you through the training BUT that said I am going back to Hgv driving soon as I am fed up with the shift work and hours being all over the place and the biggest reason is I simply can no longer abide all the rude, nutty and smelly people that must come straight from Jeremy Kyle show to my bus ! Can’t wait to get back to truck driving to be honest but not sure whether to go for it now or wait to spring ?
That said Bus driving is easy if you are able to switch off, tough call where are you based ?
Thanks for the replies its certainly give me something to think about.
I do enjoy dealing with people which is making me lean towards bus driving, ive had experience dealing with aggressive and rude people all my working life from working with offenders, drunks, drug addicts and and all sorts, Ive learned to rake it with a pinch of salt.
That said Im considering doing both pcv and cat c out of my own pocket to avoid being tied to a bond,
Dosr1:
the only downside i have found on the hgv side is that it can be a lonely job at times
I found a couple more downsides :L The traffic is one. Hours another.
But Jesus on a speedboat is it lonely. I mean sometimes it’s great meeting people, I met a forkie working near London who grew up just down the road from me! He was like “What’s it like now?” Felt bad telling him that everything shut down, burned down, and has generally gone. Thanks Thatcher (May she rot).
Also I’m not sure as many people were bus drivers as you might think. Think most guys got their licences 19 and spotty then just kept going for 40 years. Probably what’d happen to me if self-driving vehicles weren’t on the horizon.
OP: If you like talking to people, go bus. You probably won’t get a meaningful conversation, but there’s people. Otherwise, trucks. You’ll meet all sorts. Some you won’t understand, some won’t understand you
I drove buses for 17 years from 1986 and loved the first two or three years and then things tightened up in the aftermath of deregulation.
From then I hated every minute of it.
I was lucky as Ipassed my hgv3 the same week as my psv1 and the hgv has led me the least stressful life of the two.
I developed a hatred for people while bus driving so it fits this job really well
I ve done both both here in alberta Canada and back in the 1970 s in the uk . I was driving fuel tankers semi long distance until 2008 when my health took a nose dive. I then went back to Calgary transit doing local bus work where I m still employed (67 years old this year). I have a 75 hour bi weekly guarantee and very good benefits and hourly pay however I still would like to be out on the highway driving tankers. I would never do long distance bus work over here. I worked for Wallace Arnold in leeds in 1976 and had a blast and also worked for a few smaller outfits in Leicestershire where I m from. The public can be hard to deal with but nothing I cant handle .
