LGV , tell me all about it please
Discussion
Hi guys .
New to the form so high to all .
I am thinking of having a career change and need to know all about driving lorries for a living if you can please ?
I am aware of the two licenses needed and what you have to do to get then but would like to know what the job is like please ? Pay , hours , allowances ect ?
Whats it like to do a night out and what hours do you acculate for it ? Being single it could suit .
Is tanker driving still a lucrative path after qualifying as an ADR driver ?
Cheers
New to the form so high to all .
I am thinking of having a career change and need to know all about driving lorries for a living if you can please ?
I am aware of the two licenses needed and what you have to do to get then but would like to know what the job is like please ? Pay , hours , allowances ect ?
Whats it like to do a night out and what hours do you acculate for it ? Being single it could suit .
Is tanker driving still a lucrative path after qualifying as an ADR driver ?
Cheers
Too many people chasing too many jobs means its hard to get started
Pass your test and no-one will employ you without experience so look forward to 6 months of agency work (agency driving is jobs they cant get anyone to do for long)where you will get the worst routes, the worse vehicles and get respect from no-one
Then you might if you are lucky get a permie contract but its unlikely to be a great one , drivers are an unloyal bunch and if a company down the road pays 15p an hour more they will be off , but by the same token they are 10 a penny so dont expect to be treated well
Some jobs are good its not all bad but the road haulage industry is dog eat dog and when you start off you are at the bottom one way or another
Glad i'm out of it myself
Pass your test and no-one will employ you without experience so look forward to 6 months of agency work (agency driving is jobs they cant get anyone to do for long)where you will get the worst routes, the worse vehicles and get respect from no-one
Then you might if you are lucky get a permie contract but its unlikely to be a great one , drivers are an unloyal bunch and if a company down the road pays 15p an hour more they will be off , but by the same token they are 10 a penny so dont expect to be treated well
Some jobs are good its not all bad but the road haulage industry is dog eat dog and when you start off you are at the bottom one way or another
Glad i'm out of it myself
Don't waste your time, money and effort trying to get a LGV licence, as you won't get a job.
The recession hit the haulage industry hardest with more truck drivers being made redundant than any other profession.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8068110.stm
I was laid off after 15 years and it took me almost a year to gain another job, despite my vast experience and qualifications (full ADR, Driver CPC, Moffett, roping & sheeting etc), so a newly qualified driver with no experience, no qualifications has absolutely zero chance of finding a job ahead of the many experienced hands, who are also out there job-hunting.
Forget truck driving....go do something else.
The recession hit the haulage industry hardest with more truck drivers being made redundant than any other profession.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8068110.stm
I was laid off after 15 years and it took me almost a year to gain another job, despite my vast experience and qualifications (full ADR, Driver CPC, Moffett, roping & sheeting etc), so a newly qualified driver with no experience, no qualifications has absolutely zero chance of finding a job ahead of the many experienced hands, who are also out there job-hunting.
Forget truck driving....go do something else.
Sage advice above. To be successful you need to provide what is scarce; drivers are nit scarce. If however you can find a niche that will differentiate you or identify an area that is finding it difficult to recruit, then you may have a chance. Even convoy runs in Iraq and Afghanistan are not short of applicants so it may well indeed be an uphill struggle. Good luck!
some good and some rubbish on here .
most of my family are in haulage as said good drivers are hard to come by plenty of ex MOD i got my licence driving in a feild types who think they can drive .
everyone says under 25 and without 2yrs under your belt half true half rubbish i no a lad class 1 at 23 and been employed for last 3years by varios companys and at 26 offten has companys calling offering jobs .
now it does help if you no the haulage , i have seen so called exsperinced drivers 25yrs this and that who i wouldnt let out in a van infact i had to show one how to use anoulouge tacho the other day .
my only advice is its down to what you no someone who thinks they no it all don't and a lot of the bigger company's now prefer newer drivers so can train them up in there way rather than some old dog who set in there ways , also choose your training school carfully a lot will have you sat in laybyes having tea and coffee they make money from it .
most of my family are in haulage as said good drivers are hard to come by plenty of ex MOD i got my licence driving in a feild types who think they can drive .
everyone says under 25 and without 2yrs under your belt half true half rubbish i no a lad class 1 at 23 and been employed for last 3years by varios companys and at 26 offten has companys calling offering jobs .
now it does help if you no the haulage , i have seen so called exsperinced drivers 25yrs this and that who i wouldnt let out in a van infact i had to show one how to use anoulouge tacho the other day .
my only advice is its down to what you no someone who thinks they no it all don't and a lot of the bigger company's now prefer newer drivers so can train them up in there way rather than some old dog who set in there ways , also choose your training school carfully a lot will have you sat in laybyes having tea and coffee they make money from it .
I started HGV driving 18 months ago after taking redundancy from a warehouse job.
I was (I keep telling myself) lucky; I only had to do agency work for five months before I was taken on full-time.
Pay rates for general haulage are not good (£7.50 - £10.50) but long hours can go some way toward making up the difference. A 15-hour day is the legal maximum* and hence a target, 13 is considered adequate. The rest of the world's 8 hours would be regarded as barely worth getting up for.
The night out allowance you mentioned varies between companies; it's not taxable up to (IIRC) £23.50 so this is a practical ceiling. Most pay less. Also tax-free and very variable is the daily meal allowance; I know of rates from £2.80 to £13.00 per day.
What's a night out like? Again, depends
If your employer is prepared to pay your parking expenses, you can use truckstops and motorway services which have toilets, showers and food. If not, you're looking at A-road laybys and industrial estates. Be sure to s
t and shower before parking up; crapping al fresco is best left to dogs and p1keys 
Modern cabs are very comfortable to sleep in; most drivers make up the couch as a single bed with fitted sheet, pillow and duvet
Cold is rarely an issue (cab heaters can comfortably cook you) but summers can get a bit sweaty.
I was (I keep telling myself) lucky; I only had to do agency work for five months before I was taken on full-time.
Pay rates for general haulage are not good (£7.50 - £10.50) but long hours can go some way toward making up the difference. A 15-hour day is the legal maximum* and hence a target, 13 is considered adequate. The rest of the world's 8 hours would be regarded as barely worth getting up for.
The night out allowance you mentioned varies between companies; it's not taxable up to (IIRC) £23.50 so this is a practical ceiling. Most pay less. Also tax-free and very variable is the daily meal allowance; I know of rates from £2.80 to £13.00 per day.
What's a night out like? Again, depends
If your employer is prepared to pay your parking expenses, you can use truckstops and motorway services which have toilets, showers and food. If not, you're looking at A-road laybys and industrial estates. Be sure to s
t and shower before parking up; crapping al fresco is best left to dogs and p1keys Modern cabs are very comfortable to sleep in; most drivers make up the couch as a single bed with fitted sheet, pillow and duvet
Cold is rarely an issue (cab heaters can comfortably cook you) but summers can get a bit sweaty.
Have a look here http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=49...
under New and wannabee drivers and ask away
Only 2 more years until my class 1 expires, will i renew not a chance, medical fee's, new 5 yearly driver cpc both due at the same time, i'll stick to an easy job now
under New and wannabee drivers and ask away
Only 2 more years until my class 1 expires, will i renew not a chance, medical fee's, new 5 yearly driver cpc both due at the same time, i'll stick to an easy job now
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