So the Cat C is in the bag and my plan is a) to get some jobs in and the money flowing but also to do a few ancillary courses so I have a wider range of work to go for.
Apart from going for my C+E which ain’t going to happen for a while what else is worth investing in.
My thoughts so far are FLT (mainly so I can drive Moffets but would be happy doing the odd day just on the forklift), Hiab and ADR.
Are there others that would widen my options further?
I’ve had the same dilemma myself. Not really interested in C+E but want to increase prospects and enjoyment by getting additional skill. Although in my case still need to get C first 
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Recent truck magazine said that ADR, moffet and HIAB are the most desirable skills. Having said that I think they might be the ONLY additional skills. I can’t really think of anything else there is. So one or two of the above would be the way to go. Price wise though it all adds up so might be worth getting the 35 cpc hours while you do it.
cscs card… Do a special course for drivers, then again depends if you end up working in the building trade…
Depends on your job criteria…
I hear that agencies tend to lean to drivers with additional qualifications as it makes them more adaptable to there clients needs… I spoke with a drive a few weeks ago who was on agency and they’d had a recent sort out of drivers on staff and he was kept because of an ADR… whilst others got dropped…
I found plenty of work with just the Cat C on the licence driving mainly curtain siders although I have also had one shift apiece on ‘fridges’ and flat beds (transporting pallets). I think the availability of work will depend a lot on your location, there seems to be plenty here in Nottinghamshire but reading the comments on this forum it does appear that the availability of work varies from region to region. I have been working through an agency for the last 7 weeks using just the Cat C licence and have missed only a couple of days work which I think was mainly down to the fact that I was only available for part of the working week to start with.
I have done the ADR & tanks plus the ALLMI lorry loader courses although I have not had a chance to use any yet as I am still waiting for the licence to come back, they do seem to be in demand in my area and I have already been offered work on both and at a slightly higher rate than the general haulage work I have been doing.
The courses are not cheap, the 2 day ALLMI lorry loader course using the brick clamp attachment was just shy of £600, other cheaper courses were available but I was advised that the ALLMI was the one to have as it is the most recognised. The ADR and tanks course was circa £500 - although I did not pay for this myself as I managed to secure funding through the re-training package that was on offer as part of the redundancy deal from my previous employer.
My advise would be to see what work is available with just the Cat C licence because if you are going for full time employment with a firm your future employer could put you through the training for free. If you intend to go the agency route for employment do some research - have a look and see what jobs are in demand, both now and in the future, in your area before paying for any course.
Other more experienced drivers will probably advise you better, I am a newbie driver but having only just recently made the same decisions for myself I thought I might be able to share something of value with you from this experience.
MickyB666:
I found plenty of work with just the Cat C on the licence driving mainly curtain siders although I have also had one shift apiece on ‘fridges’ and flat beds (transporting pallets). I think the availability of work will depend a lot on your location, there seems to be plenty here in Nottinghamshire but reading the comments on this forum it does appear that the availability of work varies from region to region. I have been working through an agency for the last 7 weeks using just the Cat C licence and have missed only a couple of days work which I think was mainly down to the fact that I was only available for part of the working week to start with.I have done the ADR & tanks plus the ALLMI lorry loader courses although I have not had a chance to use any yet as I am still waiting for the licence to come back, they do seem to be in demand in my area and I have already been offered work on both and at a slightly higher rate than the general haulage work I have been doing.
The courses are not cheap, the 2 day ALLMI lorry loader course using the brick clamp attachment was just shy of £600, other cheaper courses were available but I was advised that the ALLMI was the one to have as it is the most recognised. The ADR and tanks course was circa £500 - although I did not pay for this myself as I managed to secure funding through the re-training package that was on offer as part of the redundancy deal from my previous employer.
My advise would be to see what work is available with just the Cat C licence because if you are going for full time employment with a firm your future employer could put you through the training for free. If you intend to go the agency route for employment do some research - have a look and see what jobs are in demand, both now and in the future, in your area before paying for any course.
Other more experienced drivers will probably advise you better, I am a newbie driver but having only just recently made the same decisions for myself I thought I might be able to share something of value with you from this experience.
Just out of curiosity… How come your cpc runs out in 2025■■ Thought they was on a 5 year period?? Or is it because you’ve done courses??
Hi MickyB666, i’ve just got your certificate and licence card through the post today, i’ll send it to you tomorrow. Steve the instructor is back on the HIAB again tomorrow, only two drivers this time, again brick clamp. send me a PM to organise that clamshell conversion, i’ll work out a low cost for you. Hope you enjoyed the course.
yt03:
Just out of curiosity… How come your cpc runs out in 2025■■ Thought they was on a 5 year period?? Or is it because you’ve done courses??
Once you have completed the 35 hours for your first 5 years DCPC you can immediately start collecting the 35 hours you need for next 5 years.
I completed the initial periodic 35 hour course which gave me DCPC for 5 years - until 22.07.20.
Then via a combination of ADR, HIAB and driver training gathered another 35 hours which gave me DCPC until 22.07.25.
I now cannot collect any more DCPC hours until after 22.07.20.
Tockwith Training:
Hi MickyB666, i’ve just got your certificate and licence card through the post today, i’ll send it to you tomorrow. Steve the instructor is back on the HIAB again tomorrow, only two drivers this time, again brick clamp. send me a PM to organise that clamshell conversion, i’ll work out a low cost for you. Hope you enjoyed the course.
Brilliant 
It was a lot quicker to come through than I was expecting.
NB: If anyone is considering doing the HIAB training I would highly recommend Tockwith Training, it was an excellent course and Steve the instructor was the top man at it - and a right nice chap to boot!!!
I will drop you a PM regarding clamshell over the weekend - Cheers.
This picture shows two more drivers Steve is training today!
Half the pallet of bricks near the headboard now put the other half on top of those… I remember it well
He could of turned around and gave us a smile for the camera, he must of been concentrating to much. 