I am looking to start my class 2 course and hopefully progress to my class 1. Has anyone got any stories/experiences on the above training site. They seem very professional on the phone but nothing beats actual people with REAL stories. Has anyone got good/bad experiences they would be very kind to share before I commit any money.
Many thanks in advance
markbracks:
I am looking to start my class 2 course and hopefully progress to my class 1. Has anyone got any stories/experiences on the above training site. They seem very professional on the phone but nothing beats actual people with REAL stories. Has anyone got good/bad experiences they would be very kind to share before I commit any money.Many thanks in advance
Looks like a broker to me mate, but why not try a provider from the TN recommended list?
That way, you’ll know that the recommendation has come from a TN member who received a good service at a sensible price.
Brokers are to be avoided at all costs. They take money for (hopefully) booking lessons with a school local to you. Go straight to your local schools, and see what vehicles they use and whether you trust/like them.
DO NOT use brokers.
The Sarge:
Brokers are to be avoided at all costs. They take money for (hopefully) booking lessons with a school local to you. Go straight to your local schools, and see what vehicles they use and whether you trust/like them.
DO NOT use brokers.
Thanks for the response, so the main issue seems to be the broker not paying for the course potentially and/or being overcharged, the training centres themselves they would send me to are generally good?
The other “Positive” is that they will be able to get me a job offer straight after (hopefully 
) passing my test, although I will have no experience which to me is a real positive, having looked for current jobs nearly all require some sort of experience before employment, there have been companies mentioned to me that they would look to put me with, but I am new to these forum things and I am not sure if I can put the names of companies in my post to check the possibility of it being true.
Also the cost of the course, they offer to only take 10% of the cost upfront and the rest paid after I have passed and I am working.
Are there any good brokers out there or are all to be avoided.
Cheers
Mark
You may want to rethink that Mark,
My advice to you is to do some reading on this board before parting with any money, you’ll find that everyone here will advise you to get in touch with local training companies and go and visit and meet the people before booking, we can’t all be wrong.
By the way that advice will also come from several reputable HGV trainers who frequent this board as well as plenty of people who have been in the same situation as yourself.
markbracks:
The other “Positive” is that they will be able to get me a job offer straight after (hopefully
Feel free to name the companies they claim they can place you with, I’ve no doubt someone here will know them.
Here’s a link to there job search page, bear in mind that this training company claim to have access to thousands of jobs, well they do but so does everyone else because the job adverts all lead to the government job centre site, and most of the jobs on there are being advertised by agencies, which in turn means the jobs probably don’t actually exist.
Try for yourself, click the link I posted above and type your home town or wherever in the search box and see what you get.
markbracks:
Also the cost of the course, they offer to only take 10% of the cost upfront and the rest paid after I have passed and I am working.
Yes but you will pay interest on the finance loan, and I imagine there will be penalties for late payments.
Please understand I’m not trying to put you off HGV training, but I would like to put you off going through a broker that feeds you bull [zb] in order to get your money.
As above, you would be better off chucking tenners out the window along the M62 than pay ridiculous amounts of money for stuff that is pretty straight forward to sort out. There’s a reason why it sounds sooo good and the reason being they see people with money to burn wanting a career change and make it sound like a breeze to get your test and straight into a 32k a year job…my dad and granddad have been drivers both 25+ years and have still yet to make that 32k they boast about.
Look at the recommended training providers and cut out the middle man. Better to go to the organ grinder to see what your spending your money on than the hope of everything will be perfect and hunky dory.
Remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably more than likely positively is.
Cheers
Jonny 
Get yourself along to Truswell’s at Dodworth and have a word with Paul who runs the training department. If you want a realistic view on costs and prospects you wont go far wrong there. And before anyone asks I’m not on commission but they did get me through C and C+E first time so I have no problem recommending them on the basis of knowldge and cost.
Think about it mate!
The broker wants your business, and ultimately your money to get their commission.
Everyone on this forum has nothing to gain in the advice they give you. Yes a trainer on this forum would like your business, but they are not going to shoot themselves in the foot ripping you off, and damaging a reputation they have spent years building!
But the choice is yours, and I suggest you look through the older threads that are littered with the words “wished I’d looked at this forum first, and not used a broker!”
Best of luck on what you choose, but don’t say you were not warned about brokers!
Watch this: youtube.com/watch?v=VZDzubOZ9Mo
Please don’t add to the number of dissatisfied customers these brokers have.
Book assessments at 2 or 3 real schools then make up your mind.
All the best, Pete 
SAY NO TO THE HGV TRAINING CENTRE…SAID FROM EXPERIENCE
THEY HAVE NO TRAINING CENTRES
THEY HAVE NO INSTRUCTORS
THEY HAVE NO CONTRACTS WITH BLUE CHIP COMPANIES
YOU WILL NOT GET A JOB BECAUSE OF THEM WHICH PAYS £15K A YEAR, LET ALONE £32
THEY CANNOT OFFER ANYTHING BETTER THAN YOUR LOCAL TRAINING CENTRE
CHECK THE RECOMMENDED TRAINING SCHOOL LIST ON THIS FORUM…
I’m not a trainer, just a relative newcomer to this game, and I have nothing to gain by advising you to leave this lot well alone. I have seen many people on here very annoyed and angry after booking their training through a broker. Firstly you are throwing money away as the middle tier have to be paid to exist. Secondly, you have no control over where you are sent for training, no chance to go and do an assesment and get the right length course for you, no chance to check out the vehicles (newer trucks are much easier to drive), no chance to check out the instructors and get a general feel for the place.
If you want to do it ‘right’ then find a DSA accredited trainer, and book an assessment. This is cheap or even free at some places, and is worth doing to be sure you are happy with where you are blowing over £1000.
Why do I say that? Have a look at this Become an LGV driving instructor - GOV.UK and you will see what an instructor has to go through to get DSA accredited. People only bother doing this if they are passionate about doing the job well. They don’t tend to be any more expensive to train with, but it carries a lot of peace of mind knowing that the person training you has sat the same test recently, and convinced the DSA that they are good at teaching.
markbracks:
The other “Positive” is that they will be able to get me a job offer straight after (hopefully
Finally, sorry, but I have not seen a single post on here about a broker actually getting someone a job. You can see when I joined on the left to give a context for this. I HAVE heard of normal honest trainers providing help and advice about getting going, and which companies to talk to though.
Very best of luck with your training, however you go about it. This forum is a great place to help you through the journey.
Have a look at this gov.uk/become-an-lgv-drivin … r/overview and you will see what an instructor has to go through to get DSA accredited. People only bother doing this if they are passionate about doing the job well. They don’t tend to be any more expensive to train with, but it carries a lot of peace of mind knowing that the person training you has sat the same test recently, and convinced the DSA that they are good at teaching.
Sadly, before folks ask about this, they tend to ask the question “how much”? Obviously cost is important. But it’s an expensive exercise to have repeated fails.
If your proposed trainer isn’t on the register, ask yourself (and him) why?
Our Mansfield site is one of the few DSA LGV Accredited Training Centres in the UK. Part of the criteria for that is to employ ONLY DSA registered Instructors.
The ADI system for car instructors started as a voluntary scheme and became compulsory after a short time; the LGV register has been around since about 1997 and it’s high time it became compulsory. Personally, I was registered and qualified with Road Transport Industry Training Board (now defunct) for 20 years before the DSA register started. So I am very accustomed to being checked and monitored.
Pete