HGV Training (C+E License)

gilbert_and_sullivan

Some downbeat posts about lorry driving here, and up to a point thats understandable, but all is not doom and gloom.

A good living can be made but you have to put the years in to learn the basics and then work your way up to specialist sectors, eg tankers or car transporters, and you need a certain amount of luck and perserverence to get into the lucrative side of those....having an impeccable work record helps enormously but the best work will not come straight away, and to earn up to £50k doesn't happen by spending half the day in the cafe, its hard graft and long hours.

Has our OP been back by the way?

Paradigm

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

A good living can be made but you have to put the years in to learn the basics and then work your way up to specialist sectors, eg tankers or car transporters, and you need a certain amount of luck and perserverence to get into the lucrative side of those....having an impeccable work record helps enormously but the best work will not come straight away, and to earn up to £50k doesn't happen by spending half the day in the cafe, its hard graft and long hours.

While I agree that there are jobs paying a good wage these jobs are limited in numbers & the drivers in these jobs don't tend to leave, for obvious reasons. It's pretty much a case of "dead mans shoes".

For the vast majority it's a case of general haulage on much, much lower pay with ever increasing rules & regs (DCPC for example, what's that all about?), long hours & crap working conditions....if you're on nights out then decent, secure overnight parking is almost non-existant so you're stuck, in a poxy tin box, in some layby miles from any amenities.

I don't know if the Stobart TV series is painting an over glamorous picture, I can't watch it, but if it is & people are basing their career choices (& money) on it then they are in for a rude awakening.

Maybe it's just me & I've done it for too long but I would advise anyone thinking about it to have a long hard look at the job before committing to the expense of training.

scooterdaft

If the OP is young enough and has the motivation then join a TA transport unit they will get all the HGV tickets paid for apart from a driver CPC.

Having done what the others have said working for agency it was long hours around 60Hrs+ per week for about £8 PH you weren't paid for your 45min by law first brake either. So you depended on the long hours to help get you over 9hrs to make something resemble a decent days wage (back in 2007).

Plus think of not getting clean for a few days if out on the road tramping and parking in places that reek of pish. Being told to run "bent" IE over your allowed daily hours by your boss.

On the flip side you might find the odd decent place to stop overnight and get some nice views etc.

I did read that the industry will balance itself out over the next few years as a lot of the drivers are nearing retirement and a lot will jack it in when the DCPC becomes mandatory next year. That will remain to be seen though if the Romanians and Bulgarians come over and work for low wages like the Poles did who would then go home after 6mths and give their mate their license so they could do the same :shhh:

ericonabike

Not sure if the op is still here, but if so then I'd recommend Data Academy of Leicester over J Coates anyday. I tried both before going for training and DA were so much more professional and approachable. Costs around the same for both outfits - say £1500 for Class C and the same again for C+E.

jaymidlands

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Actually I think the OP may be female. It's hard to think that any bloke wouldn't know what an artic is. (and if that remark is sexist - tough.)

I have a male office worker who didnt know what a artic was(the dayshift planner) but a few years he now knows..(I am male as well btw) and work in a mostly female workplace

cheevers

I have a question about HGVtraining company has anyone got any reviews about the company also I would like to know if anyone has an american licence but converted it to an EU licence and then been told by the DVLA that they must take the car test again here.

forgotmyname

I dont think you can convert a US licence to a UK one?

This says no.

https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence

philgr

The bulk of driving jobs in Cheshire are HGV related. It's something I'm seriously considering to get back earning a wage. As for training schools from what I can tell, I'd grab a copy of yellow pages and ring local schools. The main contention seems to be agencies on the net who book your lessons for you....

forgotmyname

Wages are not as good as they once were. Stuck in traffic and it makes it a PITA sometimes.