LGV Training Funding for unemployed ?

24

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  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    M1KE wrote: »
    Its not that everyone thinks that, what people are asking about is some form of funding or training without the full cost some people are either on benefits or on low paid incomes or simply just want a change in career and cant afford over £2000.

    There is companies out there that will offer free LGV training with some form of written contract or reduced priced training there is 2 or 3 companies where i stay that offer training although not for free they do offer cheaper prices than a lot of places and also accept people on benefits which the government pay a percentage its even not unheard of for the DWP to have paid for the full course including medicals etc

    Actually, many people think that including the Jobcentre, that's why the DWP pay for courses and the government put prisoners through their HGV. There's also a whole raft of people who want to do this that are under the illusion its a 40hr week.
  • dickydonkin
    dickydonkin Posts: 3,055
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    After 20 odd years of driving up and down the country, I left the profession 13 years ago and although I was disappointed to be made redundant, it was probably for the best due to the fact that when that door closed, another one opened in a completely different profession.

    I was very fortunate as I worked for two excellent companies, the last one being an 'own account' operator where I delivered our own products and did not have to faff on with return loads.

    This is my opinion, but I would certainly not recommend driving a truck for a living in todays climate as it seems you do not work for a living, but due to the nature of the employment, you live for your work.

    Don't get me wrong, I made a good living out of it albeit at the expense of missing my kids growing up, but I just could not do it anymore which is strange for me to state, as I still retain my class 1 or CE+1 whatever they call it nowadays even though I know I will never need it again.

    As many experienced drivers will agree I think, it may seem a great job but in reality, it isn't - although the younger people embarking on driving trucks for a living may initially find the nomadic lifestyle to their liking, I can assure them that the novelty will wear off as quickly as the waistline increases!
  • Zazen999
    Zazen999 Posts: 6,183
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    Hammyman wrote: »
    Why does everyone think they can just get a licence and become a lorry driver?

    There aren't a shortage of Class 1 drivers or anything approaching a shortage. There are a couple of training companies advertising such but the reality is different. I bet they told you you could choose your own hours as well but forgot to mention the little fact that the industry average working week is 55 hrs and could be as much as 84, usually with a 4-6am start/finish time but just as easily you could be starting at 1-2am, leaving home before sun up on Monday morning and not getting back until late Friday night if you're lucky or Saturday night if you're not.

    10,000's of VERY EXPERIENCED drivers were laid off in the recession. Even when there was a shortage, it was nigh on impossible for drivers with no experience to get a job. Would you send someone out who had no experience with a fully loaded 44 tonne £100,000 lorry and load at up to £1m value?

    Your £2500 training is a bit optimistic too. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO it was £1500 per licence and you'll need to take two. The medical alone will be around £100.

    In addition to getting your licence, you will now have to do a Driver CPC course as well before you can be employed. That'll set you back up to another £1000.

    The OP was writing that 3 years ago.
  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    Zazen999 wrote: »
    The OP was writing that 3 years ago.

    It was applicable then.
  • Zazen999
    Zazen999 Posts: 6,183
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    Hammyman wrote: »
    It was applicable then.

    Yup - my point was that they might not need to know now!
  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    Zazen999 wrote: »
    Yup - my point was that they might not need to know now!

    Its still applicable now. Its been applicable since around 2006.
  • Zazen999
    Zazen999 Posts: 6,183
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    Hammyman wrote: »
    Its still applicable now. Its been applicable since around 2006.

    I see that.

    My point is that [as they asked 3 whole years ago] they might not really be all that fussed about it any more.......
  • Hammyman wrote: »
    Why does everyone think they can just get a licence and become a lorry driver?

    There aren't a shortage of Class 1 drivers or anything approaching a shortage. There are a couple of training companies advertising such but the reality is different. I bet they told you you could choose your own hours as well but forgot to mention the little fact that the industry average working week is 55 hrs and could be as much as 84, usually with a 4-6am start/finish time but just as easily you could be starting at 1-2am, leaving home before sun up on Monday morning and not getting back until late Friday night if you're lucky or Saturday night if you're not.

    10,000's of VERY EXPERIENCED drivers were laid off in the recession. Even when there was a shortage, it was nigh on impossible for drivers with no experience to get a job. Would you send someone out who had no experience with a fully loaded 44 tonne £100,000 lorry and load at up to £1m value?

    Your £2500 training is a bit optimistic too. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO it was £1500 per licence and you'll need to take two. The medical alone will be around £100.

    In addition to getting your licence, you will now have to do a Driver CPC course as well before you can be employed. That'll set you back up to another £1000.
    Hi hammyman.
    I just thought that I needed to comment on your statement from 03/06 of this year.
    I think that your comments are a bit off line as far as your pricings for L.G.V. training. I run a company in the Bristol area offering courses that are way under your prices, such as a medical for £50, a category C course for £810 inc test fee, a category C+E course for £850 inc test fee and as for your driver C.P.C. you will have to do 2 modules before you can earn money as a driver and the cost for these 2 tests is£85 for both plus some training for the second one. The theory and hazard perception tests come to a total of £50. My prices have been reduced somewhat over the last few months in line with what I consider to be fair to people who may be struggling to fund the courses but your figures are way out and your knowledge of driver working hours is also questionable.
  • Jo_F
    Jo_F Posts: 1,780
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    edited 18 August 2010 at 11:50AM
    Hi hammyman.
    I just thought that I needed to comment on your statement from 03/06 of this year.
    I think that your comments are a bit off line as far as your pricings for L.G.V. training. I run a company in the Bristol area offering courses that are way under your prices, such as a medical for £50, a category C course for £810 inc test fee, a category C+E course for £850 inc test fee and as for your driver C.P.C. you will have to do 2 modules before you can earn money as a driver and the cost for these 2 tests is£85 for both plus some training for the second one. The theory and hazard perception tests come to a total of £50. My prices have been reduced somewhat over the last few months in line with what I consider to be fair to people who may be struggling to fund the courses but your figures are way out and your knowledge of driver working hours is also questionable.

    My other half started his 3 years ago, he did the medical and the theory, the medical cost him close to £100, and I can't remember what the theory was.

    Unfortunately work and the lack of time/money got in the way and his theory ran out, so he had to do it again, again, I can't remember the costs for that.

    Each lesson was around £42 an hour, he took a week intensive for his Class 2, test on the Friday and failed it, that week cost him just over £1500.

    He then started doing half days, and some full days driving.

    Each test attempt was in the region of £350 to £500, taking in the cost of the test, the lesson before hand and the use of the vehicle.

    I know that over the 3 years of going at it, he has spent in the region of £5k getting both licences. Oh and he has his Smart Card.

    It also took him a lot of hard work and trying to get a job, he's lucky that he has one, even though he doesn't know from week to week if he is doing nights, days or week out.

    After testing him on his theory ready for that test, seeing how much work he put in, how hard it has been to get a job, and then hearing just what its like having to cope with the attitude from car drivers while on the road, it's definately not a career move I would recommend to anyone.

    And as to Hammymans comments about working hours, I can attest to that, as I help my partner with his time sheets, I know what he is allowed for driving time, when his breaks have to be, and how long he works each week, anything below 50 hours of working time (driving, tipping, loading and other work) has been considered a luxury.

    Last week he left the yard at 4pm on the Sunday, and he was not back in the yard until just got 8am the following Saturday.
  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    edited 18 August 2010 at 7:29PM
    Hi hammyman.
    I just thought that I needed to comment on your statement from 03/06 of this year.
    I think that your comments are a bit off line as far as your pricings for L.G.V. training. I run a company in the Bristol area offering courses that are way under your prices, such as a medical for £50, a category C course for £810 inc test fee, a category C+E course for £850 inc test fee and as for your driver C.P.C. you will have to do 2 modules before you can earn money as a driver and the cost for these 2 tests is£85 for both plus some training for the second one. The theory and hazard perception tests come to a total of £50. My prices have been reduced somewhat over the last few months in line with what I consider to be fair to people who may be struggling to fund the courses but your figures are way out and your knowledge of driver working hours is also questionable.

    My figures are based on what a mate of mine was charged at schools in the East Yorks area four years ago and what the current charge at my GP is for a medical. Think I'm wrong? Ask over at Trucknet and also mention you charge what you do - the phone will be off the hook.

    And my knowledge of drivers working hours is questionable? I have absolutely no problem with drivers hours. I am the only person at the agencies I've worked at and at Stobarts to get 100% in the tests. Perhaps you'd care to point out where I'm wrong. Is it my statement about the 84hr working week? Try 3 x 15hrs (3 reduced daily rests per week) plus 3 x 13 hrs in a week which still leaves you enough time for a reduced weekly rest. You can still legally do that despite the WTD 60hr weekly limit if you make serious use of PoA. For example, one regular run I did took 13hrs, 6 of it sat in a RDC waiting to get tipped, all of which was on PoA so for the WTD in that day I did just over 6hrs work. And an average 55hr working week is well within the law for both EU driving hours and the WTD. Hell, its only recently that HGV drivings schools had to teach EU Drivers Hours regs so forgive me if I'm not slightly worried about any claim you'll make.

    So go on, as you're so confident I don't know what I'm talking about, tell me where I'm wrong? After all, I've only had 16 years experience in the driving seat actually working with the EU Drivers hours regs whereas you've either been sat in an office or driving EU Drivers hours exempt vehicles, not even requiring a two yearly tacho inspection, let alone having a chart in whilst driving. Last time I came across a HGV driving instructor (ASMT Leconfield, been doing it for decades) he needed to be taught how to reverse a wagon, as he could only do it for a test, and had bupkiss idea of drivers hours.

    I'm quite sure you're telling the truth about the prices you charge - just the same as there are hauliers still doing loads for £1 per loaded mile. There's always someone doing it for nowt and for little profit. I would also question why you are so low. The decent HGV schools around my area haven't dropped their prices to pre 1992 levels.
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