Im 17, 18 in november, my whole life ive always wanted to be a lorry driver. A question i have is, at 18 you can only drive 7.5t trucks, if i was to get my licence would i get a job as i have no experience?
LewisG94:
if i was to get my licence would i get a job as i have no experience?
Think them days are long gone.
I love your enthusiasm - and welcome to the industry 
BUT
No - you will struggle a lot - its not a good time to even try to get a foothold. there are too many well experienced drivers out there looking for work for most employers to pick and choose from.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news- but you probably have less chance of getting a start than winning the Euro millions
Rikki-UK:
I love your enthusiasm - and welcome to the industry
Then you go and ■■■■ on his dreams with facts that arent quite right.
How do you suggest i fullfill my dream then? Which to be driving the c+e
LewisG94:
Im 17, 18 in november, my whole life ive always wanted to be a lorry driver. A question i have is, at 18 you can only drive 7.5t trucks, if i was to get my licence would i get a job as i have no experience?
You only need to be 18 to drive the biggest of the biggest now a days don’t you?
LewisG94:
Im 17, 18 in november, my whole life ive always wanted to be a lorry driver. A question i have is, at 18 you can only drive 7.5t trucks, if i was to get my licence would i get a job as i have no experience?
Experience isnt normally the problem, its age, but dont let that put you off because theres plenty of young drivers on here who’ve had no issues getting work.
Well you need to get your license first, then go knocking on doors, you’ll more than likely end up working for the firms that know one else will go near but that doesnt matter your just after experience.
Dont let being young put you off, alot of companies like young people, generally they work hard and arent set in there ways.
Good luck.
And wasn’t that the very reason the driving age was lowered so as to get new young blood into the industry, low and behold they then come to the insurance + experience barrier.
i’m probably gonna get shot down for this, hang on i will get shot down for this 
depending on where you are, the you know who (hint have a tv show on 5 on friday’s) are doing this http://www.stobartgroup.co.uk/careers/the-academy/apprenticeships/
tin hat on nope ■■■■ that, gonna need a nuclear bunker for this fall out… i’ll be here http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/index.html 
Do companies hire young drivers, there are lads of 18/19/20 on here who do have jobs driving lorries so yes they do 
. If you can pay for the license yourself its a bonus, if not getting a company to pay for training is next to hopeless on most occasions. As philgor posted companies like stobart do apprenticeships to help you gain your licenses etc but if you know or know someone who knows somebody who owns a few lorries ask them to whether they could put you through it as I do believe they get money back from the government hiring apprentices as well as you getting your licenses in return.
Don’t expect wages to be great if you go that way either via apprenticeships. As an apprentice myself the wages I’m currently on are not the best (£4.75 p/h I get an extra £2.04 for unsociable and overtime…bonus if your on both at the same time means I’m on £8.83 p/h) but what I’m on is considered a ‘good’ wage as an apprentice which to be fair coming from nothing it’s alright and much better than being at home on my arse doing nothing living off of the tax payer. And having recently been in contact with the training provider Stobarts use they aren’t hiring any driving apprentices on at the moment and apprently all other training providers are the same…ironically I phoned a second training provider asking about the same thing as I maybe going down this route myself and from when I rang they wanted to get the ball rolling then and there! So some places are different to others. But companies such as stobart and wiseman daries are known to help put young folk through their tests so two suggestions in the pipeline to contact first!
But in some cases if you do know people in the industry, or if your dad etc do then ask if they could help by asking round etc. Like the route I could be going down sometime next year, it’s not what I know it’s who I know. But if you don’t, keep knocking on doors, send letters out etc with cv’s to big/small companies. I remember reading in a truck mag (Can’t remember which one) a lad of 16 wrote letters round to companies etc of his desire to one day drive a lorry for a living and asking for a help in hand one bigish company gave the lad a help in hand by putting him in the office/on the yard duties to get him knowledgeable in other areas until he was old enough to pass his tests etc and then they would get him on the road. I know it’s a long shot with most of it but it’s not impossible. But if that isn’t an option the other option is to take a job, save up some money and pay for your training that way and then it’s a case of asking round companies to give you a chance, not impossible as others on here have managed it but don’t expect it to be a walk in the park. Be prepared for knock backs and people telling you in not so nice words no but think to the bigger picture because you could find if you turn up to a yard ready to go and a company has had a driver call in sick or not turned up you could find it’s a situation like that that gives you the break you need.
Also don’t listen (on the most part) to the people telling you not to do it, the pays ■■■■ etc. If it’s something that you really want to do best bet is to do it and find out for ones self. One mans poison is another mans treasure as someone once said. But those giving advice, welcome it all with open arms because one day it will come in handy as I’ve already learned Good luck!
Cheers
Jonny 
Appreciate the help people, thank you, i have saved around a grand for my 7.5t license, i was hoping to get a job driving them for 3 years untill im 21 then do my c+e to upgrade. I dont know anyone who is in the industry so will have to do everything myself.
If you do your initial cpc you can do your c and c+e aged 18
redstormrising:
If you do your initial cpc you can do your c and c+e aged 18
Really?
Yeah. Go and study the link to the website you posted. Obviously you will come under the new rules from 2013. In that section the HGV ages have stars next to them. If you go to the bit that explains the stars it gives you all the info.
Sorry but Rikki is right, if you get any work before you are 21 then please buy me a lottery ticket.
I thought discriminating people based on their age was illegal in Great Britain.
I come across a lot of youngsters that have got a job somewhere where driving isn’t their main activity. i.e an engineering place. They do manual tasks AND drive the 7.5t with deliveries and things or when the full time drivers are off. In time they then work up to the larger vehicle and maybe full time driving.
If you roll up somewehre with the 7.5t licence it places you ahead of most young people who may or may not have a car licence - never mind 7.5t. Not ideal but a way into driving. Local company to me that makes houehold alarm systems runs 3 or 4 7.5t. Two of their drivers started on the production line and one day when they were desperate for someone who could drive the 7.5t … now they are full time drivers gaining experience.
There is a shortage of 7.5t drivers looming due to nobody getting the 7.5t by default anymore. I don’t mean full time tramping type drivers. I mean at companies who operate one or two vehicles as a sideline to their main manufacturing or engineering type business.
Also - trailers. The utilities industry is suffering a shortage of people licensed to drive the 3.5t vans with a larger trailer. They often carry 2t or bigger machines around and most young lads willing to dig up roads don’t have the trailer entitlement. So … get the trailer entitlement on your car licence, get in digging the roads up, then get your 7.5t or C and move on up to the bigger grab wagons etc. Gain experience and age then go find a driving job.
If you are keen there are ways and means of creeping into the industry. You may not start off doing exactly what you wanted but will get there.
philgor:
i’m probably gonna get shot down for this, hang on i will get shot down for thistin hat on nope [zb] that, gonna need a nuclear bunker for this fall out… i’ll be here http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/index.html
+1 on the stobart I know a fella did that now he driving all ways worth try
mike68:
I thought discriminating people based on their age was illegal in Great Britain.
But if the govnor isnt prepared to pay for the insurance thats a completely different matter, the problem is aswell a new driver will have little bumps here and there unless say their trunking to pallet network hubs etc.