Hello All,
I hope all of you are safe and well.
I am considering to be HGV driver and I wanted to ask for your opinion as I am very confused.
I am currently working as a financial analyst. My yearly income is about 25K, which has a potential to go 30K in a year. I simply have what people call “comfortable office job” where I feel myself uncomfortable. As I don’t like what I am doing, I want to change my career.
I was a driver before corporate life. I drove Sprinter and Crafter. I really liked driving and I am considering to go back to my driving job. I have experienced all the negatives sides and I am sure I don’t mind the cons of driving. Hence, I believe that I should became a driver to not spend rest of my life being unhappy.
I wanted ask you: What do you think my income would be as a beginner? What would my salary be after 1st and 5th years?
Am I being unrealistic wishing to leave my job to became driver?
Thank you so much for your responds. Really appreciated! 
Have you checked out the link in my signature below 
Hi, and welcome to the forum.
On CAT C your income will range between £18k - £22k. CE is a bit more, maybe £20 - £25. There are many variables, eg location, type of work. Plenty of CE drivers earn £30k+ but that’s not something to expect immediately as a new pass. You can enhance your employability with extra quals such as ADR. The debate continues as to whether you will actually earn more. But it might help get the job.
There is a great unknown because of the current situation. No-one can say whether work will be harder or no harder to get when we achieve the “new normal”. My current recommendation is to only train if you either have a job offer set in stone OR you can afford to do the training without going into debt.
Our office phone is still manned so feel free to give us a call on 01623 555661 and chat through the options. Or post on here and I’ll respond or you can pm me.
We offer residential courses so, in that sense, your location is irrelevant.
Hope this helps, Pete 
Just to give you one perspective of a drivers view, I started out 3 years ago my first job on pallet delivery work minimum wage per hour and hard graft!!! Done that for 8 months to get some experience then applied for my second job which I’m in now and now on £13.40 an hour on afternoons which personally it works for me. So many options out there when it all eventually kick off tidy again.
Peter Smythe:
My current recommendation is to only train if you either have a job offer set in stone
Thats very good advice! Its quite hard getting a job initially but that applies to lots of career moves not just driving.
Currently it might be a tad harder due to uncertainty in the job market, but there are always jobs that those with the magical “2 years experience” don’t want to do. For example, food deliveries.
Finances - would say Peter’s figures are about right. Class 2 I was usually on £9 to £10 hour, class 1 about £10 to £11 excluding overtime or tramping which can add quite a bit but obviously messes with your life.
Eoild I do it right now. Personally no, but I wouldn’t change any job currently until you know theres either a sensible job or what the job situation is like in a little while.
I fell lucky when I passed. I self funded by the way from savings.
I was training in case I was made redundant as rumours were rife that it would be coming soon. I spoke with a few drivers that came to our place and got an application form on their ‘recommend a friend’ scheme.
Did both my licences C and C+E and sent off the form. The training manager said they don’t take on new passes as a rule but they’ll see what I’ve got. As a new pass I sailed through the assessment and by luck got the job. £16.02 an hour doing deliveries for supermarkets.
A word of warning though, my ex-work colleague saw how I’d done it, did his lessons and passed but didn’t get set on at our place. He’s now on Class 1 work for £9.40 an hour. Sometimes it’s the luck of the draw.
My advice if you do go for it is to keep your current job, apply at leisure. Don’t rush into the first job you see, wait til the right one comes up for you. You’re in no rush [emoji106]
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Agree with all of the above, stay where you are for the forseeable, by all means if you have money in the bank earning bugger all and you have no debts then get your licence if its really what you want to do, if you have the money to spare then go for the artic ticket, those van driving years will stand you in good stead in many ways.
Pay is an emotive subject, much depends on where you live, don’t expect to run before you can walk and expect the pay to refect this, some get lucky and fall on their feet some never get a decent break onto the best paying work, not everyone is money driven.
Class 1 can vary from £25k to well over £40k (never ever include night out pay as wages) and the hours can vary from shortish hours but shifts to the excessive 70+ hours some crave, the better jobs will be well subscribed and you may need an introduction/recommendation to get in there so do a good job whereever you are because you never know where chance meetings can lead , also never be afraid to knock on doors and ask for a job, surprising what the direct approach can achieve, but don’t knock on dead mans shoes doors until you feel confident in your skills if you land a DMS job you want to keep it forever.
Thanks a lot for al the advices.
I am clear now. I’ll keep hating my job a little longer and take it slow. So, I’ll pass the theory by studying on my own. And go for driving instruction in few months. For sure I will do everything within next year with no rush. And I will wait for the the right job.
Thanks a lot to you all once again, I sincerely appreciate it.
Behemoth:
Thanks a lot for al the advices.
I am clear now. I’ll keep hating my job a little longer and take it slow. So, I’ll pass the theory by studying on my own. And go for driving instruction in few months. For sure I will do everything within next year with no rush. And I will wait for the the right job.
Thanks a lot to you all once again, I sincerely appreciate it.
Take the figures above with a pinch of salt. TrevHCS’s post has the numbers about right for each class, on average.
There will of course be exceptions to the ‘rule’ either side of those figures - supermarket drivers on direct for the supermarket being one of them, but note that their rotas are typically a right old mixed bag of shifts starting at all hours of the night, day, weekends and expected to do “voluntary” overtime when it suits them and you’ll get lumbered with all the ■■■■ runs if you refuse.
They’re also ■■■■ with petty rules over stupid stuff which will do your nut in if you’re the type of person who likes to use their brain and own initiative.
Good money but it’ll only suit conformist robot types who like being ordered about.
The work is about as fun as sticking pins in your eyes. Zzzzzz.