att:
road furniture is often at eye level, blocking your view and therefore negating any subsequent planning the driver has undertook approaching the junction.
Several islands near me actually have fences so you can’t see what’s coming, forcing you to almost stop at the end.
Conor:
mac12:
Easy answer to this question No. I left driving 2 years ago to work on the railway and when you see how other jobs treat there staff compared to transport no way would I ever go back.Depends on the job. Where I am we’re treated very well, even the agency. My son has just started on the path to getting his HGV license. I’ve done it longer than he has been alive so he’s been aware of the hours it involves and how crap it can be and he has been out with me a lot so he is under no illusion of what the job is like. He is doing it because he says its far more challenging than what he does and he’ll not be stuck in a windowless room working on machinery 12hrs a day.
As for the comments about the wages, for an 18-21 or even 25 year old the wages that they can get driving a truck are a lot better than they’re looking at in most other jobs at that age, even the skilled ones. Hell where I am working currently at Howdens Joinery you’ll struggle to find many professional jobs in the area paying the same wage. There are a lot of people in the East Yorkshire area with degrees in jobs which require degrees working for a lot less money than truck drivers get.
I will however make this final point. Unlike us its not going to be a job that will see them through to retirement. I reckon automated trucks will be along in 20 years and it’ll be a very niche few things that actually require a person at the wheel.
Howdens may be a good firm to drive for but they still want the drivers to work 20 hours a week more than there office staff for the same hourly pay, to me thats not good. You have said drivers wash the trucks after every shift do the office staff hoover the office or do they have a cleaner?
xichrisxi:
So your asking if HGV driving is a good place to send the thicko’s■■?Yes probably.
no - I did not, and never would use that term to describe any of the young people I teach. 
I should’ve known of course that some people on here wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation for a quick quip at someone else’s expense…
I didn’t say they were unintelligent, but surely you can recognise that there are different kinds of intelligence?
Case in point : my brother-in-law is a senior partner in a top London law firm, but he can’t cook bacon.
albion:
Shandy123:
The students in question are unlikely to succeed in traditional academia, but they have plenty of common sense,I’d take common sense and lack of academic qualifications over super intelligent and no common sense.
It’s a tough one, unless they’ve grown up knowing someone in the industry, it’s difficult to explain what the job is like on a day to day basis. If you get on for a good firm, then it’s a good job - if you end up for a rubbish firm, it’s a miserable existance, but as a newbie you end up generally having to do the carp jobs and they need to be prepared for that.
I still love my industry, though I don’t drive any more. Often wish I did, deskwork is not really my cup of tea.
Thanks for your sensible answer.
xichrisxi:
So your asking if HGV driving is a good place to send the thicko’s■■?Yes probably.
spelling (“your” = “you’re”), see me.
the irony…
Shandy123:
xichrisxi:
So your asking if HGV driving is a good place to send the thicko’s■■?Yes probably.
spelling (“your” = “you’re”), see me.
the irony…
Sentences also begin with a capital letter. I’d have thought a teacher would know that.
Olog Hai:
Shandy123:
xichrisxi:
So your asking if HGV driving is a good place to send the thicko’s■■?Yes probably.
spelling (“your” = “you’re”), see me.
the irony…
Sentences also begin with a capital letter. I’d have thought a teacher would know that.
ah - but I’m not the one throwing words like ‘thicko’ around, am I? 
Shandy123:
Olog Hai:
Shandy123:
xichrisxi:
So your asking if HGV driving is a good place to send the thicko’s■■?Yes probably.
spelling (“your” = “you’re”), see me.
the irony…
Sentences also begin with a capital letter. I’d have thought a teacher would know that.
ah - but I’m not the one throwing words like ‘thicko’ around, am I?
No, but you are the one who decided to give out a grammar lesson.
Olog Hai:
Shandy123:
Olog Hai:
Shandy123:
spelling (“your” = “you’re”), see me.the irony…
Sentences also begin with a capital letter. I’d have thought a teacher would know that.
ah - but I’m not the one throwing words like ‘thicko’ around, am I?
No, but you are the one who decided to give out a grammar lesson.
no - that was a spelling lesson… 
well - thanks for the [mostly] constructive comments; there’s quite a wide range of experiences and stances - I think what I am getting from the wide range of comments is that I should try to show the job ‘warts and all’ and let them make the choice themselves.
Thank you all.
eagerbeaver:
Rjan- Where do you get the figure of " five grand " from to aquire your licences? Long way out there fella. £3k should cover it easily including a couple of failed tests and CPC.As for all the doom and gloom merchants…see you on the motorway tomorrow.
I think £5k is a realistic sort of figure - individual cases may vary, but it’s a figure I’d suggest trainees start with.
I’d say a ballpark price for HGV training is £1,250 a lash nowadays. Times two if you’re going for Class 1. Add another £250 a lash for each retest (if any). Another £250 for the initial CPC. You’re at £3k already.
We haven’t even started yet on travel costs and lost wages during training, and the odds and soda like books, licences fees, and so forth. The unemployed of course won’t cost themselves any wages, but then they’ve got to find over £3k with no income.
And unless you waltz into a permanent position where you’re happy and treated well (which younger drivers will find difficult indeed), and which actually pays better wages than your existing occupation, then you’re going to have other costs and hassles to factor in.
And if you drop out along the way for any reason (whether not being able to drive, or disliking the industry), then your money is gone.
This is why I say that I would only recommend it to those who either have close family doing it (so they know the score, and they’ve got advice from someone who knows the job and knows them), or those who have had a tap on the shoulder from a supportive employer (who is paying for training, is obviously going to be supportive with time off, and will guarantee a job at the end).
Otherwise, you may as well just go and buy scratchcards.
Also, whilst liking to drive is a prerequisite for this job, just remember that driving is not the bad part of this job, it’s the way in which the driving is organised and scheduled. Get in the car at 4am and drive around the country for 15 hours straight, and when you get home, go to bed and get up and do it again the next day for 6 days - that’s a more realistic reflection of some driving jobs, than a leisurely drive in the sun after tea. Even the better jobs are not compatible with family life or regular socialising - and if you’ve got a missus, she better like the colour of your money better than your face.
Do you have to have “proper” training now from a dedicated school? or can you just put “L” plates on and get a mate to teach you.
I think theres an awful lot of unhappy drivers on this forum, considering the answers given.
I have enjoyed all of my 50 odd years driving as a career…not because i am thick, but because I wanted to be a trucker…to travel different routs, in the uk and abroad…and get paid for it. My advice would be and i gave this very advice to a builder recently whose son wanted a career in driving, get in the right frame of mind, work your way up to a good job, and be satisfied with it…dont expect to pass your test, then be given the keys to a brand new outfit immediately, and start running to spain…it has been done, but not everybody gets such an opportunity.
I think its a great life, if you dont let planners push you too hard, you state the way you work…or find another job.
It can be a great industry and job if it suits you.
I would suggest try and speak to some local hauliers and see if experience days can be arranged. See if they let a student spend some time with a driver and see the job from the inside. Have fun trying to arrange that …
The haulage industry is great at moaning but rarely proactive. There is currently a shortage of drivers - what do the industry do about it? Moan.
Look at the PSV industry. They hold open days & public events. They invite people from all walks of life to apply for a job. They assess them, then start their Training and see if they are suited. At the same time the person can see if the job suits them. At the end, they take a driving test and get to work. The PSV world create their own employees. If they aren’t suited, they are paid for what they did and they leave. Yes some of them then contract the driver to pay back Training costs should they leave - but at least they getbtomtskevtheir new driving licence with them.
I think more haulage companies need to be proactive. Visit schools and sell the job. Carry out careers advice sessions. Make the industry attractive to those who may not be the office job or mundane warehouse job type. Introduce training schemes and a job progression from trainee to expert driver. Invest in staff that will do a good job.
Instead a large proportion of the industry pay crap money, expect the driver to work terrible hours and have no life and maybe even treat the driver with contempt offering terrible conditions. This is what the industry has become. It has screwed itself to become a job most wouldn’t want.
My eldest son wants out of the Army and is talking of being a driver. Am I encouraging him?? Yes - because I know he is the type that will make something of whatever job he does. He will be an asset to an employer. He just needs to take time to find that employer. He fully expects to have to earn respect and prove his worth. The Army taught him well.
So in answer to the original question. Yes it can be a great job where a driver can be a true professional with high standards that stands out from the rest. He just needs to find a professional company to employ him.
shep532:
It can be a great industry and job if it suits you.I would suggest…
…My eldest son wants out of the Army and is talking of being a driver. Am I encouraging him?? Yes - because I know he is the type that will make something of whatever job he does. He will be an asset to an employer. He just needs to take time to find that employer. He fully expects to have to earn respect and prove his worth. The Army taught him well.
So in answer to the original question. Yes it can be a great job where a driver can be a true professional with high standards that stands out from the rest. He just needs to find a professional company to employ him.
Thanks for a great reply - I think that yes, the army is a great preparation for driving HGVs, because (a) you can take most things in your stride after working with those nasty shouty men (b) you don’t mid roughing it (c) you are used to being flexible, to say the least! after all that the army throws at you, truck driving’s a doddle!
I also think that contacting local hauliers is a great idea - they should have some sort of network which can offer work placements, etc… with a view to talent spotting.
I discouraged both my lads about taking up truck driving and I’m glad to say that they have good jobs in different aspects of the motor trade, with prospects.
When I was a kid, I was truck and trucking mad after spending times away with my Dad as a nipper, and a couple of mates later on in my teens, having some brilliant nights out in different towns, and really enjoying it.
The freedom being left alone, virtually your own boss, the camaraderie and the naive illusion that it would all be like ‘Convoy’ and all the crap US trucking shows was another attraction. 
However if I was that age now and considering how things have mostly turned to ■■■■ in terms of how the job is, and I was told that you will be expected to work ridiculous hours in comparison to other industries, all cabs would have phones, trackers where you could be constantly monitored, and if you worked for a arse hole type firm would even have a camera facing you all day ffs! 
I reckon I would impolitely decline with a 2 word answer, second one being ‘OFF’
So NO I would not…end of.
Just a point on the money thing, I look at like this…
Yes you may only be on £8ish per hour driving, and yes you may be able to get £10 per hour stacking shelves at Aldi. But at Aldi you’ll get worked hard for that money, I do 50ish hours per week in days or 65ish hours per week tramping plus nights out. They are an easy 55 or 65 hours rather than 40 hours of being worked like a dog. Also at Aldi or flipping burgers or whoever pays more, you wouldn’t be able to do as many hours a week as driving. So whilst the hourly rates put against each other might look like that, I can guarantee you’ll take home significantly more driving, with no one bothering you really and easy work.
I’ve felt more tired before after some 8 hour days than I do on my 15 hour days in this job.
I know I’m going to get people telling me I’m talking crap but the above is just my opinion, which in entitled to.
Rowley010:
Just a point on the money thing, I look at like this…Yes you may only be on £8ish per hour driving, and yes you may be able to get £10 per hour stacking shelves at Aldi. But at Aldi you’ll get worked hard for that money, I do 50ish hours per week in days or 65ish hours per week tramping plus nights out. They are an easy 55 or 65 hours rather than 40 hours of being worked like a dog.
Yes, basically the reason I drive a truck is because I’m bone idle, sitting on my arse listening the the Ken Bruce show is about as hard as I’m prepared to graft.
When you look at every job in existence, I’d say there are more ‘worse’ jobs than being a HGV driver than there are better, taking everything into consideration.
Sometimes I get so ■■■■■■ off and bored of driving hundreds of miles every day at 55 mph, but it really is easy money. The hours are long, it’s difficult to make plans or keep appointments, but for a person with no post school qualifications, it’s not a bad earner.
I also think it’s a good thing to be able to do, and to have experience in, because if you’re working in an industry that goes belly up, you can ALWAYS find HGV work and guarantee £500 a week minimum simply by talking to an agency bod for 30 mins, whereas others would be worrying about how they’ll pay the mortgage while they go through the 3 month application process for their next £20,000/year office job…
Its not just our job, everything has changed, some for the better some for the worse.
The job has always had ■■■■ poor pay and prospects in some sectors and some areas of the country, this is nothing new and i suspect will always be the case, its only by either getting a foot in the door of a unionised job (usually own account) and/or specialising that has seen those lucky enough get onto better things, that again will always be the case, it might not be unions in the future because anti union propaganda is powerful and invasive, but something will take their place.
There will always be some form of specialising, when fully robotised vehicles eventually come to pass i suspect those skilled at the time and able to take various vehicles from road/railhead into towns of the future without wiping out part of the (standing room only by then) population will have lucrative jobs…the more deskilling and dumbing down that goes on the fewer will be competing for those jobs.
Something always comes up…i’ve had brilliant jobs which have gone ■■■■ up, each and every time i’ve thought thats it i’m buggered now, but sure enough couple of years later i’ve found another niche, again that will always be the case for those prepared to go out and look and take a chance.
The surveillance spy state is here to stay and its going to get a whole lot worse, but it has been welcomed in the main by the modern citizen who is happy to share all their personal info with everyone on Faceache and ■■■■■■■ so the new generation won’t be put off by that should they decide on lorrying.
Companies spying on and monitoring their staff quite so intently is a new concept but within a few years the new generation will come to accept it as normal.
I’ve enjoyed the last 40 years on the whole, wouldn’t want to be starting again now in the present time frame but thats because i dislike where the lorry itself has gone, the new driver aged 21 will have no concept of what it was like 40 years ago and will start with a clean sheet dated 2016, not 1976.
Those who have the right attitude and are prepared to learn properly will always do well i expect, those who lack that attitude will do the same as they always have, not so well.
Interesting that a teacher might be suggesting manual work to students, i thought everyone had to be the company chairman by aged 34 these days, (all must be winners?), but it’s good that someone at the education front line is prepered to put some realism in, not everyone is cut out for further education culminating at University (with a bloody great debt hung round their necks)…and as an aside isn’t it about time you teachers taught the sods to spell again so they can use the whole word instead of bloody Uni… 