Becoming a HGV driver?
Discussion
Glenn63 said:
Don’t let some of the comments in here put you off, it will be like any career some jobs are s
te some are good it is what you make of it.
Once you have your licence you will always have work. I could be sacked now and have a new start on Monday (and that’s not just because of the current issues).
You may have to start at the bottom and endure some ste jobs while you learn but there’s many to choose from depending what you want/ pay you want. Monday to Friday home every night, mon- Friday tramping ie sleeping in the cab 4 nights a week, 4 on 4 off is common, or work for agency and work whatever/ whenever you like.
Can have some very interesting jobs if you want to go into specialised stuff, I worked as a ballast driver on heavy cranes for a few years so super interesting and paid well but I was away for a few weeks at a time.
Pay can vary Iv worked from Monday to Friday for about £400 a week to the crane job for £1300 a week, now I have a cream of a job doing Monday to Friday 7-11 hour shifts nothing but trailer swaps and home every night for about £50k a year. General haulage can be ste sometimes being messed about waiting to be tipped/ unloaded but it is what it is unfortunately your unlikely to stride straight into the top jobs but you’ll get there eventually if your a decent driver/ person in general.
Spot on, the industry is huge with lots of different avenues for you to choose from and see if they suit you.te some are good it is what you make of it.Once you have your licence you will always have work. I could be sacked now and have a new start on Monday (and that’s not just because of the current issues).
You may have to start at the bottom and endure some s
te jobs while you learn but there’s many to choose from depending what you want/ pay you want. Monday to Friday home every night, mon- Friday tramping ie sleeping in the cab 4 nights a week, 4 on 4 off is common, or work for agency and work whatever/ whenever you like. Can have some very interesting jobs if you want to go into specialised stuff, I worked as a ballast driver on heavy cranes for a few years so super interesting and paid well but I was away for a few weeks at a time.
Pay can vary Iv worked from Monday to Friday for about £400 a week to the crane job for £1300 a week, now I have a cream of a job doing Monday to Friday 7-11 hour shifts nothing but trailer swaps and home every night for about £50k a year. General haulage can be s
te sometimes being messed about waiting to be tipped/ unloaded but it is what it is unfortunately your unlikely to stride straight into the top jobs but you’ll get there eventually if your a decent driver/ person in general.No it won't fall into your lap a week after passing and there will be times you wish you'd never got involved, but persevere with it learn the job put some effort in take a pride in your work and earn a reputation of someone competent and reliable who brings the vehicle back intact every day and you might be pleasantly surprised just how good a job it can be, once you've found your niche.
Best being a glass half full person, so you make the best of things, there are still good jobs out there but you have to find them, they won't come looking for you, on the contary anywhere needing to advertise continually as the usual suspects do are best avoided.
The glass half empty crew are always down about the job, often in poor jobs for good reason, yes there are terrible jobs out there but no one's chaining them to the steering wheel.
Exactly that, attitude can be everything. The glass half empty, complaining, everything’s crap people are the same ones who don’t care for the job, take short cuts everywhere come back with fresh dents and scrapes on their trucks and infringements on their tachos weekly, damaged loads etc and wonder why they are stuck at the bottom.
Come into the game fresh, interested, well presented (yourself and keeping the trucks clean) and willing to learn all the different sectors increasing the length of your CV and you could do well and get into a decent job sooner than you think.
Come into the game fresh, interested, well presented (yourself and keeping the trucks clean) and willing to learn all the different sectors increasing the length of your CV and you could do well and get into a decent job sooner than you think.
I did the D first and have been working on the coaches and buses for 3 years now. Did the C rigid recently and going to do my C+E before I make any decisions, but the coach company I work for are top class, no st work and look after you even if the pay isn't top money - I'd take lower money any day over bigger money and a big pain in the arse every day.
t work and look after you even if the pay isn't top money - I'd take lower money any day over bigger money and a big pain in the arse every day.lost in espace said:
The biggest barrier seems to be getting a job when you have no experience, or can this be overcome?
Just accept you arn't going to waltz into a dead mans shoes cream job straight away, work hard and diligently at what you can find, build up a reputation and the right doors will start to open.
with the current climate the opportunities for new starters is better than ever.
I did my class 2 a few years back and it was hard finding a job that would take new starters. i was hoping that in a few yrs i'll do my class 1 and make it a bit easier.
however now i look and there's quite a few vacancies with new drivers accepted.
I did my class 2 a few years back and it was hard finding a job that would take new starters. i was hoping that in a few yrs i'll do my class 1 and make it a bit easier.
however now i look and there's quite a few vacancies with new drivers accepted.
Just don’t do it. For every driver saying it’s great, there are at least twenty that will tell you the truth. Of course there are good jobs out there but they are very few and very far apart. The fact you will be a novice will automatically put you at the bottom of the pile unless you have contacts within one of the top tier of employers. The apprenticeship period for truck driving varies depending on the job but it is an in at deep end course. Passing the test really is just the start.
leggly said:
Just don’t do it. For every driver saying it’s great, there are at least twenty that will tell you the truth.
These are the same twenty people who could be Head of R&D for the Gold Plated Blowjob Company and would still carp on about how their lunchbreak wasn't long enough.Some people are just miserable, and will find fault in anything. They are never happier than when they are unhappy, it makes them feel superior over the ones who are happy and just get on with things. They're the ones who think they get picked on, but in reality they just have thinner skin than a rice pudding and take offence at the slightest thing where everyone else just smiles and gets on with things.
They're everywhere, in every industry; but in HGV driving they get to sit alone with their superiority complexes for 10 hours a day, with nobody to suggest that maybe the TM isn't actually spending his every waking moment intricately planning how to make your day hell on purpose.
Don't let them make you feel bad about enjoying something just because they hate it.
I generally find that the people moaning about the job right now are not actually doing it any more, they're talking about how it was when they were doing it. Either that or they're in the arse end of nowhere, you're not going to earn decent money if the industry that you work in doesn't have a presence where you live. st has changed a lot in the past year. Conditions, pay, hours and expectations.
We've got a few new pass drivers, one of them was doing home deliveries for asda in a box van before he got his class one. You don't need experience, you just need to not be a muppet. Muppets can still get decent jobs, they'll let anyone drive for Stobart or maritime
t has changed a lot in the past year. Conditions, pay, hours and expectations.We've got a few new pass drivers, one of them was doing home deliveries for asda in a box van before he got his class one. You don't need experience, you just need to not be a muppet. Muppets can still get decent jobs, they'll let anyone drive for Stobart or maritime
the job is whatever you want it to be.
where i'm at currently its a easy job but there's one guy who just whinges about everything. this isnt good enough and that isnt good enough. and this is an EASY job.
i've done a bit of agency work to see what different stuff was out there. some was st. some was awful but some guys love that job. i personally didnt like the haulage work which was dropping stuff off at the end user. for me i enjoy the store deliveries and pulling the cages. on to the tail lift and in the store.
the great thing about the current climate is that you can pick the job you want.
where i'm at currently its a easy job but there's one guy who just whinges about everything. this isnt good enough and that isnt good enough. and this is an EASY job.
i've done a bit of agency work to see what different stuff was out there. some was s
t. some was awful but some guys love that job. i personally didnt like the haulage work which was dropping stuff off at the end user. for me i enjoy the store deliveries and pulling the cages. on to the tail lift and in the store. the great thing about the current climate is that you can pick the job you want.
mercedeslimos said:
I did the D first and have been working on the coaches and buses for 3 years now. Did the C rigid recently and going to do my C+E before I make any decisions, but the coach company I work for are top class, no st work and look after you even if the pay isn't top money - I'd take lower money any day over bigger money and a big pain in the arse every day.
Just out of interest for you once you pass your C+E you'll have the category D+E, nope I've not found a use for it either but I'm sure there is one.t work and look after you even if the pay isn't top money - I'd take lower money any day over bigger money and a big pain in the arse every day.My advice to any potential new HGV driver would be to also add sub categories such as HIAB, Moffett, and possibly ADR, if you add on these extras then you'll be more attractive to agencies which is a good place to start as you can experience various types of driving jobs before settling on the particular branch of the HGV driving that you want to follow for your career.
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