good evening, and hello, so i wanna be but , i hate that word but,but ide appreciate some advice please, so im 58, physically fit, <licence catsb,be,c1,c1e,d,d1,d1e, >ive recently completeda treadmill test for dvla no probs however dvla issued licence for 3 years only then another,treadmill,the treadmill was due to a minor heart attack brought about by colestrol,obviously im on various tablets but these are preventative, prior to all this i drove uk and europe on coaches,italy france spain, etc,so is it feasable for me to train for hgv,also im potless is there any help out there,thankyou for your time
Hi and welcome.
My advice, for what it’s worth, is to apply for a provisional licence. You’ll need a medical for this of course. If it falls flat at that point, so be it. Assuming you get the provisional, book some FREE assessment drives. Given your experience with large vehicles I would expect a reduction from a full training course - and thus a saving.
So far as financial help, I cant really point you at a magic pot of money. Some trainers offer finance. Beware of the brokers though.
Feel free to pm if you want to discuss finances more privately. Best of luck with whatever you decide. Pete 
thankyou for your advice , its much appreciated,ive had a hankering to drive hgv,s for some time now , my eldest lad is a route planner at one of mr stobarts depots,again ill make some enquiries,
Sadly, your age will go against you.
Work is sparse at the moment so I wouldn’t do too much too soon.
I would stick with coaches if I were you, i know I’m trying to get into coaches. Just seems a little better.
i fear it is as bad with coaches and the pay isnt that good there is a company local to me 350 pw but they drive you to the limit,fuel prices, recession and greedy coach drivers,more so the later have killed the touring game, used to do lake como ,lake garda,amongst many many others,without being greedy it was very good,plus many perks,
The medical for LGV is the same as for PCV so that should not be an issue as you already have PCV
If you have just done the full D4 PCV medical or already have C provisional on paper part of licence then that will count for LGV - if neither then you will need to take a full D4 medical for LGV but that will also count for PCV until you are age 63
The treadmill bit will still need to be taken every 3 years
You are probably driving under EU regs on PCV so you know what the restrictions are if you decide to take on part time LGV work alongside the PCV work - providing your PCV employer does not have a restriction written in your contract preventing you from doing work for others
The periodic dcpc stays the same for you as you have already have PCV ‘D’ & LGV ‘C1’
Complete all 35 hours before 09/09/2013 and you get a DQC (driver cpc card) expiry dated 09/09/2019 for both LGV & PCV
If you do not intend to work after 09/09/2019 then no more periodic after this set of 35 hours will need to be done
Remember to visit a training school before parting with any money and get an assessment drive because with you already being a PCV driver your course length may be shorter then most
Hiya Rocky,
I just noticed this post from you after having replied to your Nonplussed post about tradeplating!!
I see that you have been a coach driver in Europe and that you have done a lot of Lakes Como and Garda trips. WOW!! - my dream job (i think), lots of sunshine, scenery and meeting different people every week.
But what is it REALLY like?
Is the money any good? What are the actual working hours like? What about accomodation and food? Is there a lot of responsibility for the customers? were you accompanied by a rep?
Where else did you go? Austria? Switzerland? France?
Did you start each trip from the UK or on the continent?
Cheers,
Landylad
landylad ill email you with this one
Hello Rocky
Take Pete’s advice and get the Cat C provisional subject to medical. My guess is you will be fine or they would not allow you the Cat D.
You will need to pass a theory test but trust me with your experience the LGV test will seem like a peaceful drive out with a mate.
Too old…not at all mate. There are plenty on here older and they dont feel past it.
In fairness to the DVLA they have got better recently about medical conditions, ie Diabetes type 1 is no longer a certain refusal for a licence.
I am not absolutely certain about the average age of LGV drivers but I would safely bet it is 50+
BTW you have only got until 09/09/2013 to complete the 35 training hours for your PCV CPC. It started 12 months earlier than LGV.
Good luck and keep the faith
I liked your challenge mate.go for it.I 've seen 74 years old class 1 driver recently he’s working for agency 2 3 days in a week.you 've got another 15 years on the uk roads!!