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[Kate]

Does anyone know where you can do category C LGV training that doesn't cost a fortune? Most places seem to charge over £1000. I'd really like to do C+E too but that doubles the cost.

Is it even worth doing? I don't know if there any any decent jobs. All you here about are people being laid off these days.

I've already got my provisional from when I did some bus driver training.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm sick of not working but I can't go back to teaching. It's 'orrible.

[Kevin Wood]

Taxi Al to the forum, please.

[Seth]

Does anyone know where you can do category C LGV training that doesn't cost a fortune? Most places seem to charge over £1000. I'd really like to do C+E too but that doubles the cost.

Is it even worth doing? I don't know if there any any decent jobs. All you here about are people being laid off these days.

I've already got my provisional from when I did some bus driver training.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm sick of not working but I can't go back to teaching. It's 'orrible.

That's about the going rate these days I'm afraid Kate - my (any type) HGV training cast almost 800 quid nearly 20 years ago. That was for a 5-day course which included the actual test

Most truck drivers earn little more than minimum wage (pro rata per hour) and whilst they'll claim to be grossing several hundreds of pounds per week, that's usually due to the fact that they drive to the limit of the drivers hours regs each day. A 15-hour spread-over of duty from memory?

Given your stated situation, why not contact your local bus company?
Many now offer paid training to obtain the necessary licence, and the hourly rate's usually well above minimum wage level. Regular work and often a company pension/sick pay scheme too!

Sod being a lorry driver these days ... 

[biggriffin]

Word from the wise.
 DONT become a hgv driver shite hours,treated worse than sh***, facilities non existent, and if you start delivering to the supermarkets, be prepared to sit in a freezing cold,room on a plastic chair for 2hours minimum, then there's multi drop, try putting a 45 footer down a double parked industrial estate road then blinded it into a gateway, then there's tramping, that's even worse.  European is now not much good,as the eastern Europeans have carved it right up, and ruined all the goodwill across Europe.
And any one who says "you going to earn £800 pw" that's for 80 odd hrs a week doing 5 and 6 days.

yes some supermarket drivers are earning good money,but they are old contracts,

Don't do it.

[Kate]

It sounds like an awful job so that's put me right off. It would be interesting to hear if anyone likes the job? Surely there must be some good things to say about the job?

I did think about bus driving but I've just found that I'm over the weight limit to work for my local company.

I think I'll just stay at home.

[biggriffin]

O and did i mention the jobs "f#####"
it might look good when you watch trucks n trailers on ch5 or ice road truckers, they just show the glory not the real job.
then there's the driver cpc,

[Seth]

Be positive missus!

Found this: http://www.metrobus.co.uk/about-us/vacancies/

[05omegav6]

Where to start...

From experience, I had the opportunity to do my hgv test, was summat I always wanted to do, so put myself through my C, C+E and driver cpc.

Agency work looks plentiful but there's a mahoosive difference between signing on for an agency position and actually working. As said above, it really isn't what it's cracked up to be. Sure it's nice to be on the road and when the day goes well then great, but when it doesn't...

Forget getting a propper, full time job without two years experience. That's two years full time driving, not two years agency membership.

Best advice I can give is do your driver CPC and assuming you have a C1 licence, apply to UPS or TNT for multidrop full time work. Both are the best two firms in that industry. If you only have a B (upto 3.5t) then Tesco/Waitrose home delivery, again two of the best employers in that area.

Seths' suggestion is also a sound one, big depot in Godstone

[jerry]

we use 7.5 box vehicles (C1) which we have agency drivers for but although they get sat and sunday premiums, the base rate isnt too good.With our standard 45 footers, 5 yrs ago we had a lot of contract HGV drivers who used to brag about the money they earnt but those days are long gone. Working for a supermarket as an HGV driver isnt so bad either wages or conditions wise but these days there is a lot of talk about them using contractors instead. Depending on the area you live in-Northampton way for eg remains reasonable because of its central location and number of distribution centres-will also affect job opportunites. By DEC next year you will need a CPC qualification whether you do agency work with small box vehicles or HGV.

[05omegav6]

we use 7.5 box vehicles (C1) which we have agency drivers for but although they get sat and sunday premiums, the base rate isnt too good.With our standard 45 footers, 5 yrs ago we had a lot of contract HGV drivers who used to brag about the money they earnt but those days are long gone. Working for a supermarket as an HGV driver isnt so bad either wages or conditions wise but these days there is a lot of talk about them using contractors instead. Depending on the area you live in-Northampton way for eg remains reasonable because of its central location and number of distribution centres-will also affect job opportunites. By DEC next year you will need a CPC qualification whether you do agency work with small box vehicles or HGV.

All well and good, but no experience = no employment

Driver CPC applies to any vehicle over 3.5t driven commercially, if you don't have C1, then might as well do C test

[Omegatoy]

got my class 1 in the early 70,s 73 to be exact(seventeen and knew it all in the army)lol been driving class 1 ever  since,earnt very good money all me life,however now being told i have to
take a drivers cpc before net september when i started it was all flat beds and roping and sheeting,no satnav,just a box of maps and if you couldnt firnd your way to the droips you got the tintack,same for maintenance on the truck,so over 30years of experience and now i need to take a test to get a piece of paper saying i know what im doing? countrys gone mad!!

[Sir Tigger KC]

I was a Lorryist for a while and as Al has pointed out the agencies are pretty much your only employment option as a new driver.  Expect the shitty jobs and shifts that no one else wants to do.  So 3am starts and at least a 13 hour day are pretty routine. 

I think I was lucky as I got in with an agency that had a good contract with a national transport company that did chilled food, there was usually plenty of work and it was mainly trunking work so it wasn't too taxing.  Every so often it would go quiet and I'd get a 3 day week which wasn't ideal.    However I was renovating a run down house at the time so I could generally work as much or as little as I liked. 

I havn't used my HGV licence for a few years now, but have always regarded it as my 'safety net', but I'll probably let it go next year as I'm not going to fork out for a CPC! 

[blackviper90210]

got my class 1 in the early 70,s 73 to be exact(seventeen and knew it all in the army)lol been driving class 1 ever  since,earnt very good money all me life,however now being told i have to
take a drivers cpc before net september when i started it was all flat beds and roping and sheeting,no satnav,just a box of maps and if you couldnt firnd your way to the droips you got the tintack,same for maintenance on the truck,so over 30years of experience and now i need to take a test to get a piece of paper saying i know what im doing? countrys gone mad!!

I know the feeling, same here!
Joined the RAF and took all my licences except motorbike which I took in Cyprus whilst on deployment
Years later, working part time driving coaches I'm told I had to do cpc! WTF?   What the hell did I do when doing my training courses???
Bloody jobs worth t##sers. Told them to keep the job and changed trades after 24 years

[Vamps]

I was a Lorryist for a while and as Al has pointed out the agencies are pretty much your only employment option as a new driver.  Expect the shitty jobs and shifts that no one else wants to do.  So 3am starts and at least a 13 hour day are pretty routine. 

I think I was lucky as I got in with an agency that had a good contract with a national transport company that did chilled food, there was usually plenty of work and it was mainly trunking work so it wasn't too taxing.  Every so often it would go quiet and I'd get a 3 day week which wasn't ideal.    However I was renovating a run down house at the time so I could generally work as much or as little as I liked. 

I havn't used my HGV licence for a few years now, but have always regarded it as my 'safety net', but I'll probably let it go next year as I'm not going to fork out for a CPC!

Same here, but + PSV shame cos unless I take the CPC no early retirement yet loads of part time bus driving round here........

[05omegav6]

Bus CPC is already in force

It's a bit of a waste of time, but a useful refresher for things like the Working Time Directive and Drivers Hours. Typically £75 per 7 hour session, so, whilst not exactly cheap, it covers you until 2019, (or 5 years from completion if after September 2014).
You might even get work to pay for it if you have even a vague possibility of needing it for your job