Hi, I’m currently a drayman for a microbrewery and love the job, enjoy driving (until I get a BMW sitting on my arse while I’m overtaking slower vehicles on the motorway) and currently only have my basic licence, had a read of a few threads and just want a couple of things clarifying.
Can I go from basic licence to class 2 licence
If I can and do get my class 2 licence how likely is it to walk into a job, I quite fancy driving them tipper trucks like Owen Pugh, Thompson’s of Prudhoe if anyone is from the north east and knows them.
I’m aware it is expensive but on a rough guide how much am I looking at, £1000?
As a class 2 driver do you have to worship artic drivers and give them your arse, or is that personal preference?
Do you find yourself picking faults with everyone else’s driving? I kind of do already
Do I have to sit another theory test and if I fail either the theory or practical do I have to pay to resit the failed part or the whole thing?
A bit about me as a driver, yes I drive a white van BUT I’m not a typical knobheed white van man, do around 1000 miles a week on all roads, citys towns and villages, I know how to work my indicators keep a safe distance and have had one non fault crash in the old works van (recently got my compo for it which may fund the upgrade licence)
Yes-you can go straight to a class 2 license. It depends on how much training you require regarding the cost,and also how many tests you fail. Work on £50 ish an hour for training. If you fail either theory or haz percep,they are classed as individual disciplines. Yes you will probably moan about other drivers. As regards getting a class 2 job,much depends on your location,your patience/attitude and a bit of luck.
Regarding class 1 drivers-it is a legal requirement to worship them. We are superior beings,and if you offered a child a toy rigid lorry,and an artic lorry,they will love the artic and put the rigid in the bin after spitting on it.
eagerbeaver:
Yes-you can go straight to a class 2 license. It depends on how much training you require regarding the cost,and also how many tests you fail. Work on £50 ish an hour for training. If you fail either theory or haz percep,they are classed as individual disciplines. Yes you will probably moan about other drivers. As regards getting a class 2 job,much depends on your location,your patience/attitude and a bit of luck.
That’s good to know, I doubt I’ll need a lot of training I could probably drive an artic after an hour or two of lessons
eagerbeaver:
Regarding class 1 drivers-it is a legal requirement to worship them. We are superior beings,and if you offered a child a toy rigid lorry,and an artic lorry,they will love the artic and put the rigid in the bin after spitting on it.
Some truth in that, I always loved toy artics as a kid
Ghia - you said…That’s good to know, I doubt I’ll need a lot of training I could probably drive an artic after an hour or two of lessons
I hope that was said with tongue in cheek…if not dream on matey…you are looking at the best part of £3000 for everything…or about 1500 if you only do Rigid.
£300 ish for cpc
medical average £75
Theory and Hazard tests - think its about 30 now plus drive 4 all subscription which i used - advisable
rigid training - average £1100 - 1300
digi tacho £38
jbaz73:
2 hours to go from van to artic? ive been a class 2 driver since 2000 and i doubt I could pick it up in 2 hours.
space1999:
Ghia - you said…That’s good to know, I doubt I’ll need a lot of training I could probably drive an artic after an hour or two of lessons
I hope that was said with tongue in cheek…
The laughing smilie wasn’t a give away?
I am quite tongue in cheek/sarcastic (not in a nasty way) thought all drivers were especially when you’re on your own 10/12/14 hours a day.
James the cat:
If you love your Drayman’s job why would you give it up? It’ll take a while to find another job you actually love once you actually get your licence.
Moneys a bit crap, well its good for what I do but it’s less than £20,000 a year but I live a 10 minute walk from work so don’t need a car right now although the bus service is crap to anywhere except Durham/Newcastle/Middlesbrough but even the last two take over an hour to get to by bus, 15-20 minutes by car/van I just fancy a change and the main dray companies (DHL trade team/Carlsberg/K&N) don’t seem interested in people without at least a class 2 obviously class 1 is preferred.
Just a thought btw as obviously I’ve never driven a truck, but I’ve seen people around my age (28) driving artics so surely if people have been driving rigids for years it wouldn’t take much effort to go up to artics?
So you could carry on being a drayman on rigids? If you love it that would be ideal.
If you pass the rigid, artic is not much different. Same sort of thing. You have to look down on rigid drivers though. As mentioned, its the law. You have to field posts from rigid drivers on the main forum posting pleading posts asking if us artic Gods looking down on them. We treat them gently, pat them on the head. Empathise with false platitudes saying how much harder it is to drive a rigid than artic. You’ve got to look after your littluns
Just a small update, phoned tyne and wear LGV training £1346 everything included
I’ve got the money, question is does class 2 driving earn enough to justify that? Granted it’s not a lot of money to own but its a lot of money to lose if I fail
sounds like about the right price, if you get the theory and hp without a problem, any repeat tests will run you about 300 quid a time. is it worth doing? well I can’t speak for your area, you would have to research that yourself, but a class 2 generally is around 8-9 quid an hour and about 50-60 hours per week. its for you to decide.
one point to consider is that if your job finishes for whatever reason, van driving jobs are few and far between, a class 2 would give you more strings to your bow.
jbaz73:
sounds like about the right price, if you get the theory and hp without a problem, any repeat tests will run you about 300 quid a time. is it worth doing? well I can’t speak for your area, you would have to research that yourself, but a class 2 generally is around 8-9 quid an hour and about 50-60 hours per week. its for you to decide.
one point to consider is that if your job finishes for whatever reason, van driving jobs are few and far between, a class 2 would give you more strings to your bow.
I do on average 45-50 hours a week as it is have done over that but its rare (and the head brewer/sales manager complain about the hours they do which is probably 35-40) and I’m currently on 7.20 which as I said, is decent for a white van dray man although some are on more with bigger longer established brewerys.
It’s the future I’m thinking of so more strings to my bow is appealing!
eagerbeaver:
You have to earn your stripes in this game. Apart from anything else,you can never be a superior artic legend without it so you may as well go for it.
Wise words also from James the cat. Apart from ’ patting rigid drivers on the head '.
You can pick up a dreadful disease. HANDBALLITIS.
I keep seeing artic drivers in the news or on a facebook page called ‘idiot drivers uk exposed’ overtaking on bends into oncoming traffic (UK plated trucks) crashing while watching ■■■■ (or sadly having a heart attack) you sure these guys are superior? lol
I’m used to handballing stuff its the only way to move casks, lifting them up to cellars above your head is always fun when they’re nearly 8 stone lol/roping them in/throwing them down a hatch, got hands full of warts although that could be down to dorty wimmin.
I just fancy a change and the main dray companies (DHL trade team/Carlsberg/K&N) don’t seem interested in people without at least a class 2 obviously class 1 is preferred.
