New HGV career change?

andygreenwood

Hi all,
Iv come to a decision of changing my job/career. I turn 40 late last year and like lots of people with this pandemic it got me thinking about it more than i've ever done.
At the moment i'm fortunate to have a full time job as a Technical Engineer (the title sounds more technical than the job/work) and i like to think i'm wanted as i got through 2 lots of redundancy losses but its getting to the point that i'm bored, i don't like coming to work, i don't like sitting at a desk for 8hrs with about an hours worth of work trying to look busy. Iv always wanted to become an HGV driver or driving some sort of machinery, i had the opportunity 20 yrs ago with a previous company but you had to be 21 (for insurance purposes). Then about 10 years ago i thought about it again when i was made redundant but the redundancy money was needed to live on (2 kids @ 3 & 1yrs old).  
Now the kids have grown up and the wife has a job that she loves i want a job i like, so i've got a plan: 
1. Save up the money (£1800-2000)
2. Do the training needed (Class c to start with)
3. Look for a job while in my current job
And this is were i have a problem, iv been told that not a lot if any employers set on new drivers they all prefer 1-2 yrs experience so it would have to be an AGENCY, in which they can ring you up at any time wanting you to go somewhere. I currently have to give my employer a months notice.
I could ask if after my notice period i could go on a weeks rolling contract or be cheeky and ask for redundancy or bite the bullet and quit my job and hope i get a job through agency or employer.  
Please give your views and thoughts.
Thanks 

pickledonionspaceraider

Point 3 is completely correct, a full time contract for a newly passed driver is not very common at all - unless you know someone

From the idiot office staff, the transport planners (who cant plan a drink in a brewery) .................. everyone treats drivers like garbage - they think drivers are  basic knuckle draggers.  (which they certainly are not) - they get treat as the real bottom of the pile

Go to a big distribution centre, and have the jumped up idiot clerk at the desk be snotty to you, and then sit for literal in waiting rooms in a distribution centre, that are like a doctors surgery, metal upright chairs, be sat in there hours on end and not allowed to go sit in your truck whilst it gets tipped.  If you think you are bored now, you have no idea.

Everything you do is monitored via fleet telematics systems, how fast you go, how much fuel you use - micromanaged, some even have truck view cameras so the office staff sit watching the drivers all the time

There is no freedom, it is a tedious, repetitive , micromanaged job - and the glory days of being able to earn good money are long gone.  Back in the day there was decent money in it but it is all gone now

You never know what time you are going to finish each day, there are no guarantees on the road

and the obligatory nights out on a bunk that has had 500 other nekkid hairy drivers on,,,,ewwwwwwww

Lots of people spend thousands doing this, and within a couple of years, hate it - cos you really do get treated like the bottom of the pile, and wages that match that status 

Just giving some realities

Bradden

Sorry @pickledonionspaceraider that is not necessarily true. It depends on the location. In the south-east there is a shortage of drivers currently. I work in the builders merchant industry and we routinely recruit unqualified staff and put them through the training at our cost on the understanding that if they leave within a year they will pay us back the costs. 

We do not treat drivers different to any other staff.. in fact we view them as the face of the company. Sure.. some days they get back late due to unforeseen circumstances.. but we let them take back any time owed.

OP if you are serious about a driving job I'd suggest you phone a couple of local merchants and see what they say.

andygreenwood

pickledonionspaceraider said:

Point 3 is completely correct, a full time contract for a newly passed driver is not very common at all - unless you know someone

From the idiot office staff, the transport planners (who cant plan a drink in a brewery) .................. everyone treats drivers like garbage - they think drivers are  basic knuckle draggers.  (which they certainly are not) - they get treat as the real bottom of the pile

Go to a big distribution centre, and have the jumped up idiot clerk at the desk be snotty to you, and then sit for literal in waiting rooms in a distribution centre, that are like a doctors surgery, metal upright chairs, be sat in there hours on end and not allowed to go sit in your truck whilst it gets tipped.  If you think you are bored now, you have no idea.

Everything you do is monitored via fleet telematics systems, how fast you go, how much fuel you use - micromanaged, some even have truck view cameras so the office staff sit watching the drivers all the time

There is no freedom, it is a tedious, repetitive , micromanaged job - and the glory days of being able to earn good money are long gone.  Back in the day there was decent money in it but it is all gone now

You never know what time you are going to finish each day, there are no guarantees on the road

and the obligatory nights out on a bunk that has had 500 other nekkid hairy drivers on,,,,ewwwwwwww

Lots of people spend thousands doing this, and within a couple of years, hate it - cos you really do get treated like the bottom of the pile, and wages that match that status 

Just giving some realities

Hi pickledonionspaceraider
Thanks for your views
I agree and disagree with your comments.
but until anyone dose a job they don't know depends on the individual 

Emmia

@andygreenwood I was wondering if this programme aimed at getting people into the industry might be of interest?
https://www.roadtologistics.org/

pickledonionspaceraider

andygreenwood said:

pickledonionspaceraider said:

Point 3 is completely correct, a full time contract for a newly passed driver is not very common at all - unless you know someone

From the idiot office staff, the transport planners (who cant plan a drink in a brewery) .................. everyone treats drivers like garbage - they think drivers are  basic knuckle draggers.  (which they certainly are not) - they get treat as the real bottom of the pile

Go to a big distribution centre, and have the jumped up idiot clerk at the desk be snotty to you, and then sit for literal in waiting rooms in a distribution centre, that are like a doctors surgery, metal upright chairs, be sat in there hours on end and not allowed to go sit in your truck whilst it gets tipped.  If you think you are bored now, you have no idea.

Everything you do is monitored via fleet telematics systems, how fast you go, how much fuel you use - micromanaged, some even have truck view cameras so the office staff sit watching the drivers all the time

There is no freedom, it is a tedious, repetitive , micromanaged job - and the glory days of being able to earn good money are long gone.  Back in the day there was decent money in it but it is all gone now

You never know what time you are going to finish each day, there are no guarantees on the road

and the obligatory nights out on a bunk that has had 500 other nekkid hairy drivers on,,,,ewwwwwwww

Lots of people spend thousands doing this, and within a couple of years, hate it - cos you really do get treated like the bottom of the pile, and wages that match that status 

Just giving some realities

Hi pickledonionspaceraider
Thanks for your views
I agree and disagree with your comments.
but until anyone dose a job they don't know depends on the individual 

Absolutely - it may be totally different for you, and a fantastic career change

LudaMusser

You can’t go far wrong looking on Truck Net UK and in the Newbies section

I have class 2, got it in 2009 and went down the agency route. You’ll most probably have to start with van work and 7.5T first. There are some employers who offer new passes jobs. Wincanton might be doing an apprenticeship right now. I saw a big firm last week offering ppl the chance to get their class 2. I’m sure with the power of Google it can be found 

andygreenwood

LudaMusser said:

You can’t go far wrong looking on Truck Net UK and in the Newbies section

I have class 2, got it in 2009 and went down the agency route. You’ll most probably have to start with van work and 7.5T first. There are some employers who offer new passes jobs. Wincanton might be doing an apprenticeship right now. I saw a big firm last week offering ppl the chance to get their class 2. I’m sure with the power of Google it can be found 

Thanks LudaMusser
Iv been on TrucknetUK but there's a lot of negative people on there, i don't know if its the type of job there in or there just a negative person but if they hated the job that much they should look else where.

LudaMusser

Yes I see a lot of negativity on TN too. I think the vast majority of it comes from truckers who have been doing the job for a very long time and they don’t know how to or can’t do anything else. Certainly quite a lot of bitter ppl on there

They often complain about how they’re spoken to by security. I’ve always wondered if it’s partly down to how they come across to the security though?

I only used my HGV licence for a few months via Driver Hire agency, I was only getting about three days work a week and then got offered a full time job away from HGV. Now I’ve got a two year old I can’t see me ever using it tbh as I need to take her to nursery and pick her up and HGV is long hours and not v flexible

We have a guy driving a Fortress class 2 that comes into my work once a week and empties the skip size recycling bins. I always think that it must be one of the few HGV class 2 jobs where he gets to finish early (ish) every day and he’s never very far from home either. I’d just keep researching if I was you, everybody will tell you that there is good HGV jobs out there but it may take a while to find one. 

I worked for AGA Rangemaster driving a 7.5T as a two man crew delivering those stunning huge cookers and really enjoyed it. About seven drops a day but via agency. I would have loved to work there, ten years ago they were on about £12-14 per hour for 7.5T!!!