I have a friend who is an HGV Driver in the UK, but wants to live and work in France. He has a DCPC.
I would be really grateful for any help with the following questions:
-
What is the procedure he would need to follow to live and work as an HGV Driver in France?
-
Does he need to have any further qualifications/training beyond the DCPC he already has?
-
As a British citizen, does he need to bear any other factors in mind with Brexit just round the corner, or does he proceed as per his current EU citizen status?
-
Assuming he gets through the above successfully, can you give any tips for seeking and finding a job as an HGV Driver in France? He has family in Central Brittany, so that area would probably be high up his list.
Many thanks in advance.
jonas29:
I have a friend who is an HGV Driver in the UK, but wants to live and work in France. He has a DCPC.
I would be really grateful for any help with the following questions:
-
What is the procedure he would need to follow to live and work as an HGV Driver in France?
-
Does he need to have any further qualifications/training beyond the DCPC he already has?
-
As a British citizen, does he need to bear any other factors in mind with Brexit just round the corner, or does he proceed as per his current EU citizen status?
-
Assuming he gets through the above successfully, can you give any tips for seeking and finding a job as an HGV Driver in France? He has family in Central Brittany, so that area would probably be high up his list.
Many thanks in advance.
First and most important question :
Does he speak/write French ■■
Let’s start with that one first !
Whilst he wouldn’t describe himself as fluent, he has enough competence and experience to hold conversations in French.
He is apparently receiving tuition in how to write a CV, covering letter etc in French, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
jonas29:
Whilst he wouldn’t describe himself as fluent, he has enough competence and experience to hold conversations in French.
He is apparently receiving tuition in how to write a CV, covering letter etc in French, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
OK that’s good. Beachers Brook, the biggest hurdle, covered.
Next; at the moment, pre-Brexit, UK licences, driver CPC and Digi cards are accepted here as they are European, but post-Brexit, things could and probably will change. I still have my UK cards but am in the process of changing them to French ones just in case.
Here in France the equivalent of the DCPC is called the FIMO, a month long course that covers everything, including ADR packages, but depending on when he passed his UK licence, he will be probably only have to do the 5 day refresher course, called the FCO, lots of transport companies here do it in-house. This is where his knowledge of the language will be important. It is nothing like the UK version, so it wont be a case of doing a first aid course 5 times, or falling asleep at the back of the classroom due to boredom and getting the hours just because he’s attended. 
In France there is a test at the end of the course. fail and you don’t get it, so no job.
BTW I’m not trying to put you or him off, just stating the facts.
There is a big lack of drivers here in France and companies are shouting out for people to fill the vacancies. Where I work, STEF in Vire, Normandie, they reckon that they are 40 short of a full quota, that’s just our depot, Stef have depots all over France, “including Brittany”.
CV’s here are nothing like what you would write in England, the format is totally different, so hopefully the help he is getting is from someone who knows the score. You also need what they call a “lettre de motivation” it’s like a formal letter that you send or take with you. It is an addition to the CV. Where the CV gives details of qualifications, past employment etc (kept to a minimum, relevant to the job being applied for), the letter is for you to formally introduce yourself to companies where you are applying for a job. again hopefully the person helping your friend will talk him through this.
It’s not difficult to get into the system here, there are drivers here on TNUK that live here in France and work for French companies.
If you come across any hurdles, just post and ask.
Many thanks indeed on that. May I just ask on a couple of your points:
Good advice by my collègue Pierrot as always, like he says there’s no shortage of work here and if your mate is even half-good he’ll have agencies chasing him constantly as the standard of drivers we’re seeing coming to our firm now is pretty poor.
Just to add one thing, as a British citizen your mate needs to get a ruddy move on if he wants to work here! Come the end of March things are likely to become much more difficult for Brits seeking to move here, and the French administration is already a more complicated beast to deal with than the system back home… who knows what hurdles are going to be put up once the UK is out?
Craig
jonas29:
Many thanks indeed on that. May I just ask on a couple of your points:
I don’t think you can exchange the DCPC card for a FIMO/FCO card, you would probably retain the UK card until it expired then sit the FCO course after. Many bigger firms do this in-house.
www.leboncoin.fr Just enter Chauffeur SPL in the search box for the area that interests you
Craig
jonas29:
Many thanks indeed on that. May I just ask on a couple of your points:
One thing I forgot to mention re the licence exchange. He wont actually be able to start the ball rolling till he has actually got a residential address here, as you need to send a copy of of a bill (elec or gas), or a property rental agreement, that has his name on it, but there is a way round it. You said that he has family here, will he be staying at their address ? If the answer is yes then he can do this: He has to get them to write (in French of course) “attestation sur l’honneure” a letter confirming that he is staying there and it has to be dated and signed by both the relative and him. Copy of their identity card, passport and a copy of a utility bill with their name on it.
To get his LGV entitlement also on the licence, it wont be a straight changeover, he will have to take a medical first and these are done by a designated doctor, not the local GP. All the information will be found on the prefecture site, permit poids lourd heading.
As Craig has said, French administration is rife with paperwork and form filling. 
Many thanks again for all your advice.
One final thing - I take it all of this would apply if he joined a UK firm based in France?
jonas29:
Many thanks again for all your advice.
One final thing - I take it all of this would apply if he joined a UK firm based in France?
“UK firm based on France”?
Do you mean if he worked for a UK based company, but he was based on France?
Today there would be one answer, come March there may well be another answer. Who knows?
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Sorry, that wasn’t very helpfully worded, was it.
What I meant was if he joined a firm with UK owners, but the firm was based in France, then everything above would apply as if it were a French-owned company?
jonas29:
Sorry, that wasn’t very helpfully worded, was it.
What I meant was if he joined a firm with UK owners, but the firm was based in France, then everything above would apply as if it were a French-owned company?
Not too sure on that one but I would say that if the lorries were French plated, then he would need the French licence,card and FIMO, English registered, then more than likely the UK docs would suffice. Surely the “English owners” would know.
I know that there is at least one UK based companies that has drivers “living” here, but don’t actually know of any UK companies that actually have a base here.
pierrot 14:
jonas29:
Sorry, that wasn’t very helpfully worded, was it.
What I meant was if he joined a firm with UK owners, but the firm was based in France, then everything above would apply as if it were a French-owned company?
Not too sure on that one but I would say that if the lorries were French plated, then he would need the French licence,card and FIMO, English registered, then more than likely the UK docs would suffice. Surely the “English owners” would know.
I know that there is at least one UK based companies that has drivers “living” here, but don’t actually know of any UK companies that actually have a base here.
Even more complicated/simple than that. I know of French residents (address, tax, driving-license,) who drive UK reg trucks. At the moment it’s all fine, March…?
At the moment we all recognize each others licences etc. Probably stay the same, but no one can say for sure yet.
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pierrot 14:
Here in France the equivalent of the DCPC is called the FIMO, a month long course that covers everything, including ADR packages,
Sorry to pick you upon your normally impeccable knowledge, but unless it has changed in the last few years, when I did my FIMO in 2012 ADR packages certainly wasn’t included. Indeed I did ADR packages a year later paid for by myself.
If I may chip in…Jonas in my area (Creuse) the FIMO courses are held by ECF and fill rapidly, he may have to book well in advance, it’s worth contacting traing provider asap to get a good idea of timle scales involved.
Also, I took my bike licence a year ago here and was required to do the higway code, even though I’ve lived here 15 years and I’m fluent it was a challenge with vocabulary I didn’t know (got 40/40 cost instructor a big cake!)…I would highly reccomend that he buy the FIMO book in advance and learn as much as he possibly can before the formation code-a-domicile-boutique.com/FI … usseau.htm. I’m trying to get onto the FIMO myself but it’s proving tough (after a few bad years), if anyone can help or pass my details to potential employer/traing privider I’d be extremely grateful
gofundme.com/formation-fimo
ChrisHead:
I’m trying to get onto the FIMO myself but it’s proving tough (after a few bad years), if anyone can help or pass my details to potential employer/traing privider I’d be extremely grateful
gofundme.com/formation-fimo
Have you been to the Pole Emploi regarding your FIMO? A good friend of mine arrived here from Ukraine and got on a LGV training course with the FIMO and ADR all paid for through the Pole Emploi. He found work straight away, firstly with a gas firm, then with us at STEF Agen and now he’s at Olano in St Jean de Luz.
Considering that truck firms are crying out for drivers in most of France I’d be very surprised if you had to pay for your own FIMO. Have you done the rounds of the local firms?
Craig
pierrot 14:
jonas29:
Sorry, that wasn’t very helpfully worded, was it.
What I meant was if he joined a firm with UK owners, but the firm was based in France, then everything above would apply as if it were a French-owned company?
Not too sure on that one but I would say that if the lorries were French plated, then he would need the French licence,card and FIMO, English registered, then more than likely the UK docs would suffice. Surely the “English owners” would know.
I know that there is at least one UK based companies that has drivers “living” here, but don’t actually know of any UK companies that actually have a base here.
I remember that Fiolet and TSA both had UK-based drivers but IIRC they drove UK registered tractor units. Conversely Denby had a couple of outbased drivers over here, but that is going back nearly 20 years
pierrot 14:
jonas29:
I have a friend who is an HGV Driver in the UK, but wants to live and work in France. He has a DCPC.
I would be really grateful for any help with the following questions:
-
What is the procedure he would need to follow to live and work as an HGV Driver in France?
-
Does he need to have any further qualifications/training beyond the DCPC he already has?
-
As a British citizen, does he need to bear any other factors in mind with Brexit just round the corner, or does he proceed as per his current EU citizen status?
-
Assuming he gets through the above successfully, can you give any tips for seeking and finding a job as an HGV Driver in France? He has family in Central Brittany, so that area would probably be high up his list.
Many thanks in advance.
First and most important question :
Does he speak/write French ■■
Let’s start with that one first !
Just for interes.What can earn LGV driver in France tupical or potentional before and after tax.
Craig 111:
ChrisHead:
I’m trying to get onto the FIMO myself but it’s proving tough (after a few bad years), if anyone can help or pass my details to potential employer/traing privider I’d be extremely grateful
gofundme.com/formation-fimo
Have you been to the Pole Emploi regarding your FIMO? A good friend of mine arrived here from Ukraine and got on a LGV training course with the FIMO and ADR all paid for through the Pole Emploi. He found work straight away, firstly with a gas firm, then with us at STEF Agen and now he’s at Olano in St Jean de Luz.
Considering that truck firms are crying out for drivers in most of France I’d be very surprised if you had to pay for your own FIMO. Have you done the rounds of the local firms?
Craig
Hi Craig, Yep registered with PE but they haven’t got any funds left until April next year, same with conseil generale, put an ad on boncoin…something will come up! Like you said there is a big shortage and I’ll go anywhere. Cheers
Hello all,
I recently posted a query in a Sweden thread enquiring about work in the far north of the country, as I am looking at a possible move there. I was amply rewarded with very precious info, thank you very, very much.
British friends living in Brittany, near Mont St Michel have suggested I try there instead. I am an EU national so one less hurdle, and already know about the FIMO from this and other threads. Thank you for those members too.
My question is of a social nature rather than professional. Europe, especially Latin Europe (I am Portuguese) are well known for their ageist (unofficial) hiring policies. I would therefore be very grateful if any member living in or with good experience of the industry in this area of France, could give me their opinion.
What is the likelihood that a 58 year old Cat C licence holder with one year experience would be able to find work in Brittany/Normandy, around Mont St Michel. I prefer this area as living in Jersey I spend a lot of time there and is where all my friends are concentrated.
Thank you to anyone able to assist.