HGV/LGV Training - Prospects for Job?

bugslet

I am confused - I thought LGV was the same as HGV?

Taken from a trainer's website:

Whats the difference between HGV and LGV?

Absolutely NOTHING! Its just a name change. We don't actually know why they changed the name, but it was changed in 1992. LGV is the new name for HGV, instead of Heavy Goods Vehicles they are now named Large Goods Vehicles. HGV Class 1 (Artics); is now called LGV Category C+E, HGV Classes 2 & 3 (Rigids); is now called LGV Category C. 7.5 Tonne lorry; is now called Category C1 (Minimum age 18 years)





Being reet old,:o, it's still all HGV and Class 1/2 to me.


What's he driving at the moment chanie?

thaimeister

Hi all,

Sorry to hijack the thread but I logged on to post a similar thread of my own and noticed this one

Unfortunately this week I lost my job. I am trying to look at it in a positive way. After 17 years working in electrical wholesale, everything from warehousing & driving to sales & more recently sales management I'm looking at this as an opportunity get out of it and change careers.

A few years ago I briefly looked into taking an HGV license as a possible career change, but at the time the security of being in full-time employment meant I didn't pursue it any further. Now maybe this is the push I needed to make a change.

So anyway, I don't really know where to start or what my first step should be. I would probably be looking to qualify Class C asap then try to get some agency work to gain experience at that level

From what I understand, as I passed my car driving test after 1997 I'll need to take a CPC course first and then the Class C and then eventually the Class C+E? Can the CPC & class C be run alongside each other?

Does anyone know roughly how long it would take from initial medical to CPC to Class C qualified before I could be in a position to apply to agencies for work and again roughly the cost involved?

We have some savings in the bank which would be used to cover the course and my wife works but ideally I'd need to be in a position to earn a wage within a couple of months. Does this sound doable starting from scratch?

There is a training place not far from me so I've emailed them for some info so will advise what they say when I get a response

Many thanks

bugslet

Hi thaimeister

If you look at post 2, you will see a link for the newbie board on trucknet, that will give you a load of info and a lot of people about to/taking/just taken/found work on there.

Anything else about the job I am happy to answer - been in the game for about 30 years.

1886

I've had my Class 2 (C) licence since 2009 and also been a member on Truck Net UK since 2009. Don't let all the negative talk on the main board put you off, it's vastly full of drivers who've become to hate the job through many years behind the wheel and use it as a release to rant and rave about anything and everything instead of retrain etc

You will be lucky to walk in to a Class 2 job with no experience, some do but not that many due to insurance purposes. Most companies want two years experience minimum.
I joined a local agency called Driver Hire and they got me work within 48 hours. I was in a double manned 7.5T delivering AGA cookers around the South East. I really enjoyed it and as a new driver it was good to have somebody to offer advice next to me if I needed it.
I also worked for a local nursery delivering plants to garden centres, again in a 7.5T. The money for that job was minimum wage but the home delivery was around £8 I think.

The agency was only getting me 3-4 days of work a week at most so I left the world of HGV and went to drive a 3.5T van for Ocado for three years which was very well paid for a van driving job. Although I got my C licence I never actually drove one, 7.5T was the biggest but it was good exp.

I no longer drive for a living but do drive tri-axle coaches on site as part of my current job. In the future I may look in to delivering them as the money is good here for that

Truck Net is well worth a look as you can see how newly passed drivers are getting on trying to find work. Just have a good think about it before you part with your money

Ali1802

Have you thought about bus driving? My husband gained his class I and II licenses in the army and they have served him well to date, he worked for G4S for a long time and having his licenses have him a lot more scope, they pay their night trunker drivers very well. However we have just moved to the Isle of Wight and work here on the whole is very thin on the ground. He went for an interview with the bus company and got the job, he starts the training next week.

They take £10 a week out of his wages to cover the code of training for 3 years, but if your still with them after the 3 years you get all that back. For the first year he is on £8.50 an hour, after the first year his wages increase to £10.50 an hour.

May be way off the mark with what your thinking but it's perhaps a more affordable way to get you a job in driving good luck with whatever you decide to do

DFlights

Hi everyone, thanks again for the info, I've just joined Trucknet and have had some good feedback.
Bus driving is probably a no for me, as I don't do very well in customer-facing roles, I used to do retail work and get very stressed. I'm okay with people in general, but not having to deal constantly with them all day, which is why LGV/van driver jobs appeal a lot more.