Hi all
Well I wonder if I’m possibly the youngest LGV driving instructor on the web site, I’m currently 27 and have been training new drivers since 3 years after passing my LGV driving test (1st attempt) at 21 (but i had been driving trucks off road since 15 on a massive airfield). I doubt any driving schools would normally get any applicants under 40, I know we don’t, am I the youngest?
I spent the 3 years after passing my test driving LGV C+E for a national general haulier delivering many different goods to all different sorts of locations/businesses in the UK. To be honest, I loved the job but all I was doing was filling in time and getting experience because as you all know to be able to train LGV drivers the instructor has to had their truck licence 3+ years.
I guess I’m lucky because my father set up Tockwith Training in 1971 and I could easily join the company, I have been training new truck/coach drivers for over 3 years - to be honest its an easy job, its not rocket science but it does take a good amount of skill, common sense and a professional approach to become a good instructor.
I passed my DSA Instructor Test at the first attempt a year after working as an LGV instructor at Tockwith. I’ve always scored well at tests, so I got 100% on the theory and took both part 2 and 3 in the same day at Darlington, I scored fives and sixes so I was happy with the result. I had never driven a truck around Darlington before - but as I always say - A good driver should read the road well and notice the signs and you can drive perfectly wherever you are.
So, is anyone younger than me doing this Job?
Also I became an RTITB Accredited Lift Truck instructor at 21, if you ask me it was more a challenge to pass that test than the DSA one, but maybe having done the lift truck one first prepared me for the correct way of how these bodies expect you can instruct that as we all know doesn’t always work in the real world.
LGV C+E
PCV D
RTITB Lift Trucks, inc Hiab, counterbalance, reach, telescopic, pedestrian, rough terrain (passed 7 lift truck related tests in total)
DSA LGV Registered Instructor
BAHons in Web Design (comes in handy)
BTEC in Graphic Design
But, I failed my cycling proficiency! Which figures because I’m a downhiller on a weekend if anyone knows what that means - i ride at stupid speeds down mountain courses designed for full suspension bikes.
oh and yes, many trainees ask ‘aren’t you young to be a driving instructor?’ I don’t ever find it problem because I approach the job very professionally. In my opinion the industry needs to attract far more younger drivers. My father set the company up at the age of 21 so that should prove age is not a barrier - he still trains every day and has 37 years experience (1971-2008), can’t think many have been doing it that long.
Maybe we can also see who is the oldest/most experienced!