To my other thread "Welding Course" I have been tossing up between a Welding course and Hgv licence, I did my threoy bout a year ago, with the intenction of doing it, then had some money problem and had to use the cash for other things. Now that I have been made reduntant I need a new career, as my old job gave me shit loads of skills with engines and remanfatoring, but I have no paper work to prove what I can do. Is it worth using my reduntace money to pay for a HGV Licence?
What the work like out there, is there many jobs going, or would I be using money, to still be finding it hard to get work?
Dave

 

Dont bother i wouldnt of if i knew then what i know now.

 

Whats that mate? and why not bother?

 

my friend did it a while ago and finds if hard to get work, so he just stayed with the busses and says he would make more out of first buss anyway

If you are able to weld alloy to a good standard i would have thought that good money could be found in it no?

 

dont do it mate iv got both my c and c+e nightmare i decided to do it as i was board of been a sparky less than 18months of passin im back on the tools hated it after a few months to many gears etc and then theres alway the traffic cars dont care that your runnin 44ton round late break etc really does wind you up its good to have as a back up but look into plumbin or sparky courses may cost slighty more nut then if you wanna do both parts of your hgv it would work out the same.

 

on the positive side of things, i took my class c hgv licence the last week in may, and was in a job the 1st week of june

seems a lot of new hgv drivers rely solely on agencies for their work, whereas i just looked myself, called about a job, n was in straight away. was also an amount of luck as its hard for drivers with no experience to get their foot in the door, but i managed it, so others cud too

plus, im on salary 22k, job until finish, so get paid for 10 hours a day, but go home as soon as im done, today for example i did 6.5 hours, rarely ever do my full hours.

 

it's a way of life pal,and im not fucking do it past the age of 30,its shite,cant really be arsed writing all reasons but late finish's,early starts,traffic jams,away from home most nights,jumped up drivers and unloaders,just not worth it mate imo.

 

there isnt many hgv jobs in the lincs area for drivers anymore
my old man has been out of work for the last 6 months since his last place made him redundant
unless you want to work for peanuts or an agency, id look at other stuff

 

ive had my hgv 1 licence for almost 2yrs now,
think its great. i doubled my money from being a van driver.

i must agree that it is often long hours, early starts late finish but ive not been out of work once.

this week im in at 4.30am every day for my trot down to southampton docks for the baot show, today i was finished at midday.
same thing 2morro however im expecting a longer day due to the load.

it depends on where you are really, in north london there seems to be loads of hgv work around.

i love it


my basic salary is Ł27k with a Ł1500 bonus but there is loads of overtime with the company im with. i work for an event and exhibition company.
im planning to do my hazchem / adr test soon as i want to drive tankers

 

Driving in a fashion is a way of life, early starts, nights out, late finishes etc dependant on the job your on,
I enjoy it because I like being outdoors and not stuck in an office, and being paid half decent money for singing badly and thigh watching (bit like X factor)

As for work, there is work out there, you gotta go hunting in some area's though, and some places dont wanna pay you the best money, but would it not be worth starting there to get that all precious experiance.

 

Hi all,
Well Iv alway wanted to do it, since I was a boy. I love to do the Long Distance Europe work!
But its weather I use my reduntance money to fund it or weather Il just be wasting it.
I have not long got back form a freinds house and she is a collage licture, it a agricultural collage and been reading loads of info bout Plant and Farm machinery Fitter cousre.

 

Hi Steve, hows you.
Was meaning to call you, been looking for something for the Rst, and I thought you might have one.
Cheers for the info on driving!
Dave

 

ive just posted up in the for sale section as im having a clearout of my shed,got loads more than just listed as well.

job wise have you thought about seeing if there are any postie jobs in your area? last year i earned 18k for 35 hours a week
start at 7 finished most days by 12-1

 

is there any postie jobs round our area that u know off steve at all

 

I hear Shell is the place to be a HGV driver ???

salary is 40K+ ???

They don't use agencies either, or have a heard a tall tale ???

 

its all sorted out at doncaster i think so you would need to contact them

 

got any numbers please

 

dont think it will be that much and yoou would need a haz-chem licsence as well
plus i dont think yoou can just go straight into hgv i think you have to work up from vans/small wagons

 

Hi dude, I'v been a postie, when I was 18-19, I was a long term Agency postie, was best job ever, walking round a village, enjoying a smoke and mp3 player.

 

might stand you good for getting back in then

 

it more than that.

i know some one that works out of stanford le hope in essex.
he is on Ł42k a year basic.

some company's pay more than this aswell.

also you can go from a car to hgv, atleast you could 2years ago as i did it.

you have to do your class2 licence 1st which is the rigids then class1.

 

Get on the tankers and youve got a job for life,
Hoyers do a hell of alot of tankers.

 

Thanks every one!
Got some good news today, got a interview with the biggest truck company, sponcer a frod powered WRC team!
its working in the office, but hopeful can be a foot in the door to get one of their training sceams to get out on the road.

 

well done mate

 

id stay in the office mate! ive just had another kick in the teeth,gaffers approached me about going fucking belgium every week for the next year,he found a job and another local firm have got work going 2miles from where i want to be,he approached me because our other drivers wont night out,whoopy do...

not meaning to put you off pal,but have a long hard think before you commit to it,earlt starts,e.g 3am for me tomorrow,late finishes,the scum known as vosa everywhere,stupid tacho laws,driving properly and always treating your truck right,most companys will fuck you off if your having new brakes every 4months,proper wanker unloders who think you can bodge it in places 3foot smaller than the lorry,holdups,weight limits,the list goes on...

like i say think about it.

 

getting the licence is the easy part, you just gotta find the right job.

I drive for ASDA. 30k, home every night, left to my own devices every day, new fleet every 3 years, light work (I deliver GEORGE clothing) VOSA leave us well alone,......90 % of the day is chilling out listening to music.......awesome ........and paid by the hour means ANY hold up just doesnt matter!!!

 

i got pulled by vosa at southmimms not long ago,
they told me the only reason they pulled me was because i was in a hired unit and pulling a hire trialer with no logo.
he also said they target dirty trucks as they tend not to be well kept by the operators.

 

who do you work for mate?

 

alf sammans mate,you would of seen our trucks up your road of work every day,i drive the blue 1 with the white trailer.

 

yes mate i thought so i drive for the steel firm mines the 56plate daf rigid

 

ive been driving 5years,pulled 5times,never been done on tacho's,only gv9'd once for loose u bolts,not my fault them,but i like to keep my truck clean,always think it makes you look better,my gaffer keeps ours nice with lightbars bottom mudflaps spoilers etc,so we dont do so bad,but they seem to be everywhere these days,ive seen them every day this week.

 

which steel firm? how far up r u? u'll have give us a flash next time you see me,im there twice tomorrow.

 

your not wrong, they seem to target the foreign lorries mostly which is a good thing as 90% of them are running bent.

i dont get bother with tacho's either.

we no longer have any anologue tachos left in our yard. its all digi cards now.
i think they are so much better

 

they want any drivers?

 

they are good,but i had a 07 reg tipper and couldnt get on with them,they ate me time up with fucking round on site etc,and it was a day cab so i was always getting me gaffer to come and pick me up.

 

just below right mix on the oposite side of the road big galvanised fence round barclay & mathieson im out in morn on train to fetch a van from chorley be back about 11.30

 

Anyone ever worked or working for the company iv got my interview with?

 

no myther pal,ill give ya a flash when i next see ya,cant say i ever seen your cos though much,you not drive it work alot?
ill be there at 8ish and 3ish with a bit of luck and plenty of right toe

 

daily i norm park it round side

 

i take it your on about eddie stobart? ive worked on there trucks lol if that helps? also a few lads on the rsoc drive for them. well kept fleet & look after there employees,

friend of my bosses used to drive for them & when he passed away they sent 3 artics up imacuate 1 of which was the guy who passed aways old truck cant remember the name if it, & the other 2 were his mates. they sent them up/down/across to send him off & follow the hurse. all 3 had flowers etc in the window. i was realy impresse