Hi all, I think I might know the answer but thought I’d reach out in hope that someone comes up with something I hadn’t thought about…
Im in my 40s and want a career change, I hate office life even with the £35k salary, but I’ve found that I really like driving (especially long distance).
I’m single, so long hours don’t bother me too much. But the trouble is I only passed my driving exam (car) in an automatic (driving for 12 years, no points, fines, accidents etc ever).
I tried driving manuals, but just couldn’t get it (even 2 instructors told me to go for an auto). I think it’s a left-right brain coordination thing… Tried again last year and was just as bad.
I’m looking at driver jobs I could do and think I’ve ruled out working for a courier as the more “legit” couriers that lease a van want you to have a manual licence, as do trade plate delivery driver employers (which I think would be my dream job really).
I think I’ve read that most HGVs are automatic nowadays, so wondered whether this would be an option open to me or would I need to be able to drive a manual to get a good chance of being accepted anywhere? If its of any importance I live between Liverpool and Manchester.
Sorry if its a dumb question but suggestions and thoughts appreciated.
I’ve never driven a manual truck since i passed my test, can’t comment on class 2’s but the majority of class 1’s now are auto.
I don’t know if it would limit you not having the option to drive a manual, might be worth phoning a few companies and asking if that would be an issue after passing.
Also you may not get near 35k as a new pass with no experience, not impossible but you’d need to get a bit lucky. Something to consider if your life is already suited to 35k income.
Passed my test 3 years ago but only started using it in Nov.
We gmhave MAN, DAF, Volvo and an Iveco on the fleet…all automatic.
First job I went for on HGV I got…DHL.
Paying just over 34 grand.
It’s true that manuals are becoming less common - though they still exist. But my gut feeling is that you’ll be less likely to have problems on CE. Some of the smaller (up to 18t) rigids are still manual as are some tippers.
As far as the money goes, get ready to pull your belt in. You’re not likely to earn £35k immediately after passing your test - - though it should come after a short while.
And when it comes to training, remember Trucknet users get 10% discount with us. And, depending on where you live, accommodation is completely free for the duration of your course.
Many thanks for the replies, much appreciated. I’m obviously not expecting to earn what I get now but am happy to take a cut in return for less stress and more independance - all I (and everyone else) wants is a decent pay for graft.
Thanks again, especially for being so positive in your responses.
Scoobydoo20:
Many thanks for the replies, much appreciated. I’m obviously not expecting to earn what I get now but am happy to take a cut in return for less stress and more independance - all I (and everyone else) wants is a decent pay for graft.
Thanks again, especially for being so positive in your responses.
Bare in mind it won’t just likely be a cut in wages you’ll take it will probably be a lot more hours with the possibility of staying out. I’m on a similar boat, love driving but thinking of a career in either web development, software engineering or HGV driving. I made a post asking folk on here their opinions and almost all of them said stick with IT as its a career and not a dead-end job was what they said.
Some were saying do what you like better, but it’s hard to do that when you don’t know what you’ll like as you’ve never done any haha.
The shift patterns you can get with HGV driving appeal to me such as 4 on 4 off, 5 on 3 off etc. But with IT there is more room for progression with some senior positions earning in the region of £60 - £100k. In fact the other day I was looking online and seen jobs paying £450 a day for contract positions and it wasn’t just one or two of them available either there was various ones paying that or thereabouts.
I’m not sure what everyone else is smoking… But I think it’s time for a reality check.
I’ve driven manual trucks for… Tesco (rigids but they won’t have you on if you can’t drive them), Sainsburys (same as tesco), Co-op (both ridigs and artics), McDonalds (both rigids and artics). And many many other companies. Regularly when they get a hire vehicle in…
If you can’t drive a manual you are really going to struggle. Why not redo your car test firs in a manual and then the truck bits? Getting a job which is nearly all auto is easy. Getting it whilst being unable to drive a manual on paper is not. I did my truck tests in an auto and got the full ticket as my car licence is manual.
Even taking out pool cars or driving a sprinter to swap with a driver is totally normal. Can you imagine explaining to transport you can’t take the sprinter to a driver who was out of hours as you can’t use the 6 speed box?
Sorry but you I don’t want you to waste your money OP. A side note for you is that reversing a manul truck is much easier, especially on old vehicles (thinking MAN here).
thanks again, something to think about in terms of flexibility in what I can drive. I really have tried getting to grips with a manual but I just can’t do it. I sometimes wish it was down to a disability, but it isn’t.
Mark, I get what you’re saying but my whole rationale is to avoid promotion! My current field of work is highly specialised, the atmosphere totally toxic and it has led to my going off sick with stress for the first time in my life (its not just limited to my current employer, its endemic in the field). I’d be more than happy driving around the country for the rest of my life.
The reason I can say this, and what in part has lead me to look at driving roles, is that recently I’ve had to deliver and collect highly sensitive equipment from clients around the country (we so happened to have an automatic van). I absolutely loved it, even having overnight stays was fine by me, and it wasn’t just because of a change from the normal routine. As I’m single with no commitments, I’m fairly flexible timewise and I have a good work ethic, so ending up all over the country is fine by me. It’s just a shame I didn’t consider driving as a career earlier (or have so much bloody trouble with manual cars)!
Hello mate. I also live between Liverpool and Manchester (Warrington) and there is plenty of wagon driving work available. Vast majority of LGV’s are automatic anyway, the problem is not so much driving the wagon itself, it’s all the crap that goes with the job.
Assuming you would be looking at Mon-Fri days, don’t plan on achieving anything more than £10.50 per hour Class 1 or 2. Also be aware that most of the employers in the area (I’ve worked for most) are utter rubbish. Unless you are happy to be monitored by in cab camera’s or run ragged for a £120 day rate, in which case you will love it
Can fully understand why you’d want to get out of offices and such - unless you’re willing to play the games or are lucky to be in a small team, it really can be horrible.
On the driving front, based on my experience.
There are a lot of manual 6 speed or even 8 speed class 2 trucks out there. They are reducing all the time but new drivers usually get the crappy old truck.
Very few artics are manual now unless they are very old and even experienced drivers of manuals will struggle (mostly due to knackered gearboxes).
25K to 28K is around what I’ve earned fulltime on PAYE. Agencies will quote higher but thats usually with tax fiddles which you want to avoid. That’s also home every night (or day in my case).
Remember, if nighting out you’re living in the cab not a Premier Inn. Some love it, but I couldn’t do it every night.
Class 2 is often (but not exclusively) more local work esp on pallet work which is the easiest to get into. If you get the getter companies they will be fully automatic trucks as they’ll be newer too.
Class 1 can be mix of local, national nights out, national tramping and nights trunking (easiest). Better companies will have slightly newer trucks so autos (esp 13 plates upwards in my experience).
Finally, if doing tramping or non local work it could be 15 hours x 3 days and 13 hours x 2 days working, not inc getting to / from work. Local pallet stuff tends to be more like 10 hours a day.
The longer we go on, the more chance there is of an all auto fleet and decent companies will be fully auto except for really specialist stuff. Would go for it.
Most companies I have came across only use manuals for their shunt units nowadays, most companies in my area do the “3 year old or less” with their fleet so this means pretty much all automatic units. If you explain your situation I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t be an issue, someone mentioned about taking the van to swap with other drivers which could be a problem but again if a company takes you on and knows the situation then they could work around it
Scoobydoo20:
Hi all, I think I might know the answer but thought I’d reach out in hope that someone comes up with something I hadn’t thought about…
Im in my 40s and want a career change, I hate office life even with the £35k salary, but I’ve found that I really like driving (especially long distance)…
You say you like driving! I think you are thinking along the lines like many considering it. Nice 9-5 job away from the office… no politics, stress free - just great. I thought so at first until I realised what the traffic office were like. A lot depends on who you work for.
Deliveries they expect done in lightning speed. A truck is only little bigger than a sports car so shouldn’t be much difference. Hmm well manoeuvring a truck does take longer and the pressure on a driver to achieve all deliveries within time I can assure you is quite stressful. Congestion is not allowed for by traffic dept so believe me you will feel the pressure.
This past couple of weeks I’ve been in North London driving an artic to small cash & carry’s and such places. You just wouldn’t believe what I have had to do… thankfully no incidents and I am absolutely shattered. Driving is not an easy life and lots of stress. One bump and you are likely to be sacked. I only got Class 1 in October and absolutely hated reversing. Only now with much effort and challenge - am I actually beginning to enjoy it.
My advice would be to approach several local firms explaining you are considering a career change and ask to go out with a driver for the day to see what the job is really like. I have worked for several pallet freight firms and I can almost guarantee that they would respond positively. That would be the best step for you and you can draw your own conclusions. Driving forwards is easy… harder part is manoeuvring into places. Professional driving to me is mastering going backwards… not just forwards.
I’ve driven a few Scania units which have auto boxes but also have a clutch (only used for pulling away, not changing gears). Do they count as manual or auto? You have a rough time jumping in one if you had never used a clutch.
You have a rough time jumping in one if you had never used a clutch.
I fail to understand why? A clutch is a clutch - whether it be in a Fiesta or a Scania. True to say that the particular Scania set up can be a bit confusing as it’s not needed for gear changing, just for moving off and stopping.
There are, IMO, two issues that run through any discussion around manual boxes, clutch or no clutch etc. Firstly, the employer SHOULD provide familiarisation training. Sadly, this is frequently missed out, thus potentially costing the employer dearly. The second point is that there is an overiding assumption sometimes that truck drivers are dim - especially newbies. I strongly contest this. Gone are the days when someone who wasn’t very sharp would scrape through a test. Newbies now need to be reasonably well wired up. And I cant see that a gearbox is going to cause an issue. For myself, I passed on a 4 speed crash box (yes, it was a long long time ago!). Since then I’ve driven the huge majority of gearboxes on both trucks and coaches and I’ve always reached my destination without breaking anything.
The normal argument is that folks should learn on a manual in preparation for the real world. Sadly, this argument is flawed due to the variations in boxes out there.
IMO, there’s plenty of other stuff worthy of worrying about rather than whether or not a truck has got a stick.
I fail to understand why? A clutch is a clutch - whether it be in a Fiesta or a Scania. True to say that the particular Scania set up can be a bit confusing as it’s not needed for gear changing, just for moving off and stopping.
Because the OP only has a auto car license so would have no experience of using a clutch…
Only being able to drive auto won’t be much of an issue if you are straight in at a firm that ONLY has autos, however if you can’t land a job straight away and end up on agency for a bit to cut your teeth, then on class 2 I think you’ll find the majority have manual 4 over 4 boxes. If you end up on class 1 manuals then you could end up with range changers aswell!
As has been said, why not try passing your car test in a manual, then do your HGV in an auto, then at least you have the option of worst came to worse. In 5 years it may not be an issue, but currently there’s still far too many manual boxes out there you may be limiting yourself.
Also, driving is great, I love it too. But when you’re doing it for a job with the added pressure of a transport office ringing up gobbing off or you know you have a certain time within which to make a drop it’s not quite the same as taking a leisurely potter up the motorway in your own time.
Trucking sideways:
why not try passing your car test in a manual, then do your HGV in an auto
Might be easier to do LGV C in a manual
It would be cheaper sure, but having to learn how to handle a much larger vehicle and all that entails, whilst having to learn how to use gears and master a split shift, all in a few days to then pass a test?
Not sure on that one personally, especially if, as OP says, he struggles with the concept of using them.
Pretty sure you need a manual car licence to be able to take cat c in auto and then drive manual.
Did my cat c in an auto this week, my instructor said as i had a manual car licence I’m allowed to do cat c in auto and still qualified to drive cat c manual.
Makes me think that it would be different for a auto car licence holder…
Both the cat c trucks where i currently work are manual. One is a splitter.
Trucking sideways:
why not try passing your car test in a manual, then do your HGV in an auto
Might be easier to do LGV C in a manual
It would be cheaper sure, but having to learn how to handle a much larger vehicle and all that entails, whilst having to learn how to use gears and master a split shift, all in a few days to then pass a test?
Not sure on that one personally, especially if, as OP says, he struggles with the concept of using them.
Some love it, but I couldn’t do it every night.
