Hi all just kinda emptying my brain as much as anything but thoughts welcome too. Recently passed class 2 and have a bit of cash to make make my next move. Not working as a truck driver currently but driving a van for a job I took quite recently. Driven vans a while and enjoy the industry hence upgrading the licence.
Here’s where I’m possibly over complicating things. My aim is class 1 but my head has been turned a little by seeing that you can earn decent money by adding specialities to the class 2 I already have, e.g HIAB or ADR. More likely to pass those than doing class 1 too, which is a consideration.
My job is 30 hours a week over 3 days so I have the time to do courses without booking too much holiday etc. The other issue is the longer I work part time, the more I burn through my little stash of cash to upskill myself.
The other thing is I could try to get a normal class 2 job, meaning I’m not eating into my cash but I’m then working full time and probably getting bogged down and life happens etc etc. Just don’t know what to do really and feeling a bit unsure over what is the best way forward for me.
I’m guessing others have been here too and wondered what you did and if you had any regrets either way?
Straight to class 1 jobs are hard to get but they do come up. I guess it will be the same for straight to ADR or HIAB. maybe even harder.
The ideal would be to get a job that would put you through the training, so you know you have a job to walk into because you’re already doing it.
With my vast experience of one day, I can categorically state that class 1 work is easier to do than class 2. (Because you’ll be unloading twice as much as your driving with class 2 - but then I haven’t done any specialist)
If there isn’t any top paying super specialist outfit near you then there is very little point in lashing out lots of cash for training.
If you want a nice work/life balance go down the route of class 2 Hiab. It won’t make you rich but having a life is more important.
It’s true that you can earn more by getting either ADR or HIAB qualified than you can on general class 2 work, however you will earn even more by getting your class 1 than either of these options.
It is worth getting one of them though, and I’d recommend ADR, as there is more work available on class 1 than there is on HIAB work, so it will be better value in the longer run
My job is 30 hours a week over 3 days so I have the time to do courses without booking too much holiday etc. The other issue is the longer I work part time, the more I burn through my little stash of cash to upskill myself.
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You’ve got to live within your means, other than when you’re investing in yourself. Is there a reason you can’t live off 30 hrs money? Would be great to make the most of your free time to learn.
Is there very much ADR work where you are? There’s lots where I am on Teesside, which makes it a wise choice of add-on, but in other nearby places (Sunderland, Newcastle, Ripon, York) there is far far less so could end up being fruitless. A big plus is that there’s nothing particularly difficult about ADR work once you’re qualified and a lack of experience won’t be a huge issue
Hiab, the ticket on it’s own is not worth a massive amount until you can get some of that all-important experience under your belt, mainly because it requires some creativity and problem solving logic to use the crane safely in a wide variety of circumstances. If you do go down that route, be aware that if an employer does have any particular favourite Hiab quals, it’ll invariably be for the more expensive ALLMI qualification.
Thanks very much for the advice here, many very wise points which I’m thankful for. I’m located in South Wales, in quite a decent location. Sadly the big bucks jobs in the Avonmouth area are too much of a stretch but Cardiff, Newport and Swansea are easily reached within a range of 20 to 45 mins. There does appear to be some demand for ADR for class 2, same for HIAB and it was through checking indeed where my head got turned and the plan of doing class 1 got muddied a bit by that.
In regards to my 30 hour job eating into my little savings pot, it’s just cost of living really. I took the job nearly 6 months ago and since then things have gone up and it’s just not quite making the ends meet it was initially. Bad planning slightly on my part but it was always gonna be a fairly short term job until I got my HGV licence/s and or any additional qualifications.
Well done on the class 2 pass. I’m in South Wales too and there seems to be a fair bit of Class 2 work around if you are looking for a full time job.
If you have the time and money spare for getting your Class 1 I’d say use it and get the qualification. The price for the lessons will only go one way (up), the same as everything else at the moment.
I’m only driving part time at the moment, with a full time job non-driving, but I found a part time job within a month of passing class 1. I had no luck getting part time work with class 2 only on my licence, so I drove an artic on my own before driving a rigid.
Well done on the class 2 pass. I’m in South Wales too and there seems to be a fair bit of Class 2 work around if you are looking for a full time job.
If you have the time and money spare for getting your Class 1 I’d say use it and get the qualification. The price for the lessons will only go one way (up), the same as everything else at the moment.
I’m only driving part time at the moment, with a full time job non-driving, but I found a part time job within a month of passing class 1. I had no luck getting part time work with class 2 only on my licence, so I drove an artic on my own before driving a rigid.
Thanks very much mate! Yeah I’m going to crack on with the class 1 and see where that takes me. I think you’re right about the cost of it going up for the training so I’m going to get it all booked in and paid later this week. The training company said I can get the part a done this week over 2 evenings. Hopefully I can then do the going forward parts and get fully passed within the next month. Thanks again for the congrats and the wise advice. Glad to hear it all worked out well for you.
Do they offer a pass protection scheme? Mine offered :- pay £400, pass first time you get £200 back, or 2 free retests.
If you’ve got savings right now, at risk of being eaten into, it could be a great investment [emoji106]