Dazza:
I don’t know if Trucknet has ever covered this topic before, but it’s worth a thought.
This week’s edition of Motor Transport reports that Robert Wiseman has invested heavily in the Young Drivers Scheme and currently has an 18-year-old driver driving C+E vehicles. Call me old-fashioned but I’m not entirely convinced that at 18 you have the necessary stability and maturity required to be a HGV driver.
At 18, most young lads are out discovering alcohol and embarking on casual relationships with the opposite ■■■, after all, these are meant to be the formative years of your life.
I just think that there may be a conflict with having to deal with peer pressure as an 18-year-old truck driver, not being able to go out drinking during the week, having to go to bed at a reasonable hour in order to be safe to drive down to Felixstowe at 3 in the morning, sticking to the 40mph speed limit when you’ve got your mates in the cab with you etc. No disrespect to the drivers who join the scheme, after all how many young lads want to get behind the wheel as soon as possible?
Obviously some feel that this is a good way to solve the recruitment crisis in our industry, but looking back, I wouldn’t have liked that responsibility at 18 and I’m not sure the majority are ready for it.
I think on the rare occasion someone that young actually wants to do it, they’re probably the right type of person to do it. I don’t see many 18 year olds wanting to do it.
Don’t post that often nowadays but thought i would chip in on the subject.
With out doubt one of the main reasons youngsters are not coming into the game is they don’t with their dads in the lorry when they are kids.
In my opinion this is exactly why the whole of the haulage industry has gone wrong no wonder drivers are not coming into the game today most drivers i know of our generation were all brought up in transport and so naturally progressed to being a driver
And before anyone mentions the insurance malarkey it is just a get out.
I saw our company’s insurance policy and it stated ‘passengers can be carried with the owners permission’
I always looked forward to the summer holidays and going with my dad in his lorry on general haulage all over the country by the time i was 15 i knew my way around the length and breadth of the county and could get anywhere without a map.
If drivers could take their kids with them today it would breed a new generation of eager youth, who in gaining geographical and practical knowledge at such a young age, would more than likely be eager to become lorry drivers later in life but hey ho what do i know management always know best and have now made a rod for their own back.
No problem with youngsters training for LGV Licence,must admit I would prefer it still to be at 21, saying that some have a more sensible head on their shoulders than some of the clowns who have held a Licence for years.
Why not,at 18 you are considered old enough to fight and die for your country and can buy a Ferrari[if your rich]and drive 200mph everywhere.I was driving trucks at 18,taking them for testing,[ok without an HGV]but never had problems.The world has progressed.
40 years ago you wernt sat in traffuc like you are now - anyone at 18 thinking of sitting in even worse traffuc for the next 50 years has to be completely deranged.
Dazza:
I don’t know if Trucknet has ever covered this topic before, but it’s worth a thought.
This week’s edition of Motor Transport reports that Robert Wiseman has invested heavily in the Young Drivers Scheme and currently has an 18-year-old driver driving C+E vehicles. Call me old-fashioned but I’m not entirely convinced that at 18 you have the necessary stability and maturity required to be a HGV driver.
At 18, most young lads are out discovering alcohol and embarking on casual relationships with the opposite ■■■, after all, these are meant to be the formative years of your life.
I just think that there may be a conflict with having to deal with peer pressure as an 18-year-old truck driver, not being able to go out drinking during the week, having to go to bed at a reasonable hour in order to be safe to drive down to Felixstowe at 3 in the morning, sticking to the 40mph speed limit when you’ve got your mates in the cab with you etc. No disrespect to the drivers who join the scheme, after all how many young lads want to get behind the wheel as soon as possible?
Obviously some feel that this is a good way to solve the recruitment crisis in our industry, but looking back, I wouldn’t have liked that responsibility at 18 and I’m not sure the majority are ready for it.
Nationwide platforms are getting involved they have 12 vacancies for a year long appreciate/training programme and hgv lessons.
Apparently theve had 100s of applications.
All good really every little helps.
Altough there always advertising for drivers on Warrington.
So make.of.it what you want
I don’t know if Trucknet has ever covered this topic before, but it’s worth a thought.
This week’s edition of Motor Transport reports that Robert Wiseman has invested heavily in the Young Drivers Scheme and currently has an 18-year-old driver driving C+E vehicles. Call me old-fashioned but I’m not entirely convinced that at 18 you have the necessary stability and maturity required to be a HGV driver.
At 18, most young lads are out discovering alcohol and embarking on casual relationships with the opposite ■■■, after all, these are meant to be the formative years of your life.
I just think that there may be a conflict with having to deal with peer pressure as an 18-year-old truck driver, not being able to go out drinking during the week, having to go to bed at a reasonable hour in order to be safe to drive down to Felixstowe at 3 in the morning, sticking to the 40mph speed limit when you’ve got your mates in the cab with you etc. No disrespect to the drivers who join the scheme, after all how many young lads want to get behind the wheel as soon as possible?
Obviously some feel that this is a good way to solve the recruitment crisis in our industry, but looking back, I wouldn’t have liked that responsibility at 18 and I’m not sure the majority are ready for it.
the rules I’ve got say :- Trainees can apply for their Provisional Category C licence 3 months before their 18th Bir thday as long as they hold a full Category B licence (car driving licence) with no penalty points. Once their Category C licence has been obtained, the trainee may drive unaccompanied on revenue earning journeys. Four driving assessments are carried out over the next 6 months and then a Category C+E licence can be obtained when the Category C licence has been held for two years.
I started my class C training last week and a 19year old young lady took her class C&E Test Friday afternoon,I haven’t found out if she passed or not but she did say she had to stay in her fathers employment till she is 21.
Well, I do agree that 21 is in general a sensible minimum age for driving heavy vehicles, but some people are responsible enough at 18 to do it, and a good attitude is probably worth as much as the extra three years.
Not everybody. Not me. I was doing that “casual relationships and alcohol” thing you mentioned, like any other sensible 18 year-old!
Back in May my friend came to me to ask for advice about a PCV licence. He was 18 so after checking with the DVLA website that it was possible I took him with me a few times on long journeys to let him relise it isnt an easy job.
He went for the training for a manual PCV and past first time with only about 2 minor faults.
He could not find a coaching company to take him on due to his age but found work with First Glasgow. A few weeks ago I was on my way to work and took the bus into Glasgow and he was the driver. I was suprised how good he was. A True advanced driver
I assume that there will be the idiots who fluked the test, and are given a PCV or an HGV to drive and they are useless at it.
Few weeks ago I was driving into a bus station and was behind another bus. There was a bus reversing out of a bay but there is enough space for you to reverse out and turn, while not slowing other buses entering. Well this driver never turned the wheel and went straight back and clipped the bus in front passing him smashing 2 windows and denting a few panels. Turned out he just started in the job 2 weeks ago and never received any sort of training for reversing around other vehicles - which I think should be nessesery these days, When you learn you reverse in a yard, Its conned off so no other vehicles can annoy you - easy! but not so in the real world. Its also good to know if you get lost! like a dead end street and need to reverse round a corner to turn. First time i had to reverse after getting lost I took a giveway sign home with me. No damage to the bus but the pole was stuck under it - left it in the yard and moved the bus away from it! never told the boss.
