Lgv licence

Author
Discussion

timster

Original Poster:

363 posts

159 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Hi folks thinking of doing this licence as I've been made redundant a few months ago and would get funding to do this. Any advice as it would be totally different to my trade which is an engineer/ toolmaker

anothernameitist

1,500 posts

134 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
What class, is that up to 7.5t

there are already a lot of drivers out there with experiance, sorry to pour water on your fire.

However its an add on to any CV and could give you an advantage.

if its free training and you are out of work take the opportunity.

Nothing wrong in personal development and taking the initiative, employers will view this as a positive

callmedave

2,686 posts

144 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
Will you have a guaranteed job at the end of it?

If not i would say go for a job on the buses, a place where they train you up and then give you a job, stick it out for a year (or whatever the minimum term is) and then get your LGV training, you then have some experience when applying for LGV work.

timster

Original Poster:

363 posts

159 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
The training is free and just thought I'd use it up as I don't fancy doing anything else. Can't see me doing the bus driver thing as I'd probably not have the patience with the general public

audikentman

632 posts

241 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all

Where in the country are you? Ever thought about becoming a Traindriver?

callmedave

2,686 posts

144 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
timster said:
The training is free and just thought I'd use it up as I don't fancy doing anything else. Can't see me doing the bus driver thing as I'd probably not have the patience with the general public
I looked at getting my HGV and my comment above is what stopped me.

Can i ask how you got the training for free?

chevy55

8,248 posts

235 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
timster said:
Hi folks thinking of doing this licence as I've been made redundant a few months ago and would get funding to do this. Any advice as it would be totally different to my trade which is an engineer/ toolmaker
Try and get some (if not all) of the CPC qualification included in the training. There's now starting to be a shortage of good drivers although you'll probably end up on an agency to start with. It can be a good job providing you can handle stress reasonably well and expect to be looking at £30K+ after a year or two if you can find a permanent position.
Contrary to what a lot of people will say, you don't have to live in a cab all week there are plenty of jobs about where you'll be home every night.

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
callmedave said:
I looked at getting my HGV and my comment above is what stopped me.

Can i ask how you got the training for free?
^ This. I'm also looking into HGV training and it seems to me you generally have to pay £xxxx upfront for training with no guarantee of a job at the end. I wasn't aware of any free training schemes available?

I started a topic on this subject a few weeks back and in general seems like there are mixed opinions with old timer drivers saying it is now a crap job and others saying there is still money to be made but only by working longer/harder to earn it. Over on TruckNet newbies seem to be saying it is all crap agency work to start with but you can make decent money after a couple of years if you can land a permanent contract with a good company.

I'm going for my medical next week.



Edited by VolvoT5 on Friday 12th February 17:16

timster

Original Poster:

363 posts

159 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
I have up to £1500 of funding through careers Wales,living near Swansea. I'm not planning on living in a truck for a week would like a daily job tbh

mp3manager

4,254 posts

195 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
You need to wake up and smell the coffee if you think that £1500 will get you a licence and a nice cushy, 'home-every-night' job at the end of it.

timster said:
as I'd probably not have the patience with the general public
You're definitely not cut-out to be a lorryist then.



timster

Original Poster:

363 posts

159 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
te=mp3manager]You need to wake up and smell the coffee if you think that £1500 will get you a licence and a nice cushy, 'home-every-night' job at the end of it.

timster said:
as I'd probably not have the patience with the general public
You're definitely not cut-out to be a lorryist then.
Thanks for your informative input, perhaps when someone asks me about a subject I'm knowledgeable about iI'll try not to be so patronising


phil-sti

2,668 posts

178 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all

chevy55

8,248 posts

235 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
timster said:
te=mp3manager]You need to wake up and smell the coffee if you think that £1500 will get you a licence and a nice cushy, 'home-every-night' job at the end of it.

timster said:
as I'd probably not have the patience with the general public
You're definitely not cut-out to be a lorryist then.
Thanks for your informative input, perhaps when someone asks me about a subject I'm knowledgeable about iI'll try not to be so patronising
Ignore it, everyone is different, I've been doing it 42+ years and am now fed up with it, that doesn't mean it's not for you. I still love my job, it's just the people I work for and the stress of London's roads over the past few years I'm having problems with.
I would think £1500 would get you a lot of training in Wales, you'd get a full course with test in London for less than that. Just try and get something that includes a CPC qualification as well as you can't work without it.

mp3manager

4,254 posts

195 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
timster said:
Thanks for your informative input, perhaps when someone asks me about a subject I'm knowledgeable about iI'll try not to be so patronising
laugh

Best laugh I've had in ages.

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Friday 12th February 2016
quotequote all
If you're on JSA you can get free LGV training and test with a guaranteed job at the end of it. That's right up to class 1.

truck71

2,328 posts

171 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
quotequote all
I'd recommend getting an HGV licence either funded by an employer or otherwise. Big driver shortage means even inexperienced drivers will be employable if not at every business. There are flexible shifts available at different organisations and you can earn reasonable money if you work hard and when others don't want to.

In 1993 I did my class 1 as didn't know what to do having completed my education (business studies). It kick started a career that has led to senior roles in blue chip businesses. In September I turn 45 and will take a medical to keep my licence- never know if I might need it again. Great insurance policy for life- you will always have access to a job.

All that jazz

7,632 posts

145 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
quotequote all
truck71 said:
I'd recommend getting an HGV licence either funded by an employer or otherwise. Big driver shortage means even inexperienced drivers will be employable if not at every business. There are flexible shifts available at different organisations and you can earn reasonable money if you work hard and when others don't want to.
Which would be great if there actually was a driver shortage, but there isn't. Do you see supermarket shelves empty on a daily basis or read stories about it in the tabloids daily, or are HGV driver wages increasingly exponetially in an attempt to stem this alleged undersupply issue?

NO. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

This "shortage" has been orchestrated purely by haulage companies to keep pay rates low. The only shortage is a shortage of mugs that will work for the abysmal rates that are on offer. Up the rates and their imaginary driver shortage issues will disappear overnight but they won't do it because the low-ball prices they gave to all their blue-chip clients to get the contracts means that they'd then be losing money hand over fist. They've only got themselves to blame.

As for getting it paid for by an employer, make sure you do your research if you think that it'll be a bed of roses. The kind of employer that offers such things are places that no experienced driver would ever work at because the pay, hours and conditions are terrible and believe me, there are some driving jobs which will see you have both a mental and physical breakdown by the end of your first week. You reckon you can stand up to 2 years of that on a daily basis? You'll also be tied into a contract which will say you will have to work for them for x number of years before you can leave to go elsewhere, unless you pay them your training costs plus interest.

If you're self-funding then you'll probably become an agency bh in order to get the experience as very few companies will touch you with less than 2 years provable driving experience for insurance reasons. So that'll be all the st work that all the other drivers on their books won't do or if you won't do it then you sit at home next to the phone, biting your fingernails whilst wondering how you're going to pay next month's mortgage payment and put food on the table for your wife and kids. If you don't already have grandfather rights then you'll be looking at about £3500 all up for all your tickets, DCPC, medicals and DVLA card costs, and then ~£500 every 5 years thereafter for DCPC and card renewals. All for £8-8.50/hr? 60+ hours per week? Probably at least a few nights sleeping away in the truck? Traffic stress levels and not being able to book any appointments or take the wife out for an evening meal because you're stuck in a jam 2 hours from home and are the end of your 15hr shift? Unless you're a fresh-faced young pup with no commitments, forget it, stay where you are.

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Saturday 13th February 2016
quotequote all
I used to do multi-drop in a 7.5 tonne 25 years ago around north Kent and south east London.

Wouldn't do it again because of the reasons stated above. It's also why I refused the offer of getting a new licence to drive bigger stuff.

cossy400

3,153 posts

183 months

Sunday 14th February 2016
quotequote all
All that jazz said:
truck71 said:
I'd recommend getting an HGV licence either funded by an employer or otherwise. Big driver shortage means even inexperienced drivers will be employable if not at every business. There are flexible shifts available at different organisations and you can earn reasonable money if you work hard and when others don't want to.
Which would be great if there actually was a driver shortage, but there isn't. Do you see supermarket shelves empty on a daily basis or read stories about it in the tabloids daily, or are HGV driver wages increasingly exponetially in an attempt to stem this alleged undersupply issue?

NO. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

This "shortage" has been orchestrated purely by haulage companies to keep pay rates low. The only shortage is a shortage of mugs that will work for the abysmal rates that are on offer. Up the rates and their imaginary driver shortage issues will disappear overnight but they won't do it because the low-ball prices they gave to all their blue-chip clients to get the contracts means that they'd then be losing money hand over fist. They've only got themselves to blame.

As for getting it paid for by an employer, make sure you do your research if you think that it'll be a bed of roses. The kind of employer that offers such things are places that no experienced driver would ever work at because the pay, hours and conditions are terrible and believe me, there are some driving jobs which will see you have both a mental and physical breakdown by the end of your first week. You reckon you can stand up to 2 years of that on a daily basis? You'll also be tied into a contract which will say you will have to work for them for x number of years before you can leave to go elsewhere, unless you pay them your training costs plus interest.

If you're self-funding then you'll probably become an agency bh in order to get the experience as very few companies will touch you with less than 2 years provable driving experience for insurance reasons. So that'll be all the st work that all the other drivers on their books won't do or if you won't do it then you sit at home next to the phone, biting your fingernails whilst wondering how you're going to pay next month's mortgage payment and put food on the table for your wife and kids. If you don't already have grandfather rights then you'll be looking at about £3500 all up for all your tickets, DCPC, medicals and DVLA card costs, and then ~£500 every 5 years thereafter for DCPC and card renewals. All for £8-8.50/hr? 60+ hours per week? Probably at least a few nights sleeping away in the truck? Traffic stress levels and not being able to book any appointments or take the wife out for an evening meal because you're stuck in a jam 2 hours from home and are the end of your 15hr shift? Unless you're a fresh-faced young pup with no commitments, forget it, stay where you are.
Pretty much word for word how id put it, Id don get pushed or rang very often, but when I do its normally something un-doable and they get laughed at.


Rates dictate a hell of a lot now days, back loads pay a pittance.


Firm round the corner from me, £10 an hr straight thru, but they are a company as mentioned above, they are doing the training thing as no one wants come drive for them.

Ive found is very hit and miss, and location is a very big part of it.

But if you can get it for nothing then its always another string to your bow.

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Sunday 14th February 2016
quotequote all
All that jazz said:
Which would be great if there actually was a driver shortage, but there isn't. Do you see supermarket shelves empty on a daily basis or read stories about it in the tabloids daily, or are HGV driver wages increasingly exponetially in an attempt to stem this alleged undersupply issue?

...
Fair enough. But the thing is every industry I've researched there are almost identical stories of high stress, low pay, worsening conditions and complaints of 'it is not how it used to be'. Assuming someone is unemployed like OP at present, what route are they supposed to go down in terms of retraining?

Or is the job market now like the property market - as in if you aren't 'on it' already you are stuck at the bottom for life?

As OP has the offer of free / cheap training then surely it can't be a bad thing to take advantage of that?