So, I have my car licence and I am looking seriously at whether I can afford (primarily) and whether going for my tucking licence would pay off right now.
I have recently lost my job (long story) but I had long mentioned to the wife I could do it.
Now, I know that a lot of companies will want experience and even agencies ask for some; but there are a few job adverts that are offering work to completely newly qualified drivers.
Should I be believing that these vacancies exist? It almost sounds too good to be true, but I do not want to take a massive gamble with circa £1500 (and that is merely a 4 days Cat C course) expenditure to find that I am then £1500 more in debt!
Phone them & ask? You don’t need to mention you’re not qualified yet. If they insist on seeing your licence tell them your waiting on its return. It’s the only way you’ll get a definitive answer. You can also assess if the pay/hours are sufficient for you st the same time (before committing to training).
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Agencies lie. It’s what they do. You will ring up, and they will promise you that there’s loads of work, you will register and they will still promise you. Then the phone won’t ring, you’ll be at home sitting on your arse waiting. If you’re lucky, you will get the ■■■■ jobs that no one else wants with bugger all notice. Example would be the phone going at 3am to start at 4 somewhere. And if you don’t answer because for some odd reason you’re asleep… tough luck, someone else will do it.
That is the harsh reality of agency work. I’ve done various agencies for years, so I know what I’m talking about. Sure you get busy periods, but they never last. Better to look for permanent work.
Thank you for both your answers. I suppose the question is (and I have looked and only found one in Bristol) do employers take on NQ or trainee HGV 2?
If you’re looking for someone to take you on, and train you for your LGV licence, be very careful.
Some may do that, but tie you into a long contract, with low pay, and penalty clauses if you leave early.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Bristol is apparently one of the better areas for work, so as Matto suggests look around now, and see how the ground lies. If there are directly employed jobs about, rather than agency promises, it looks good. Maybe you’ll do a bit of time on agency, but if permanent jobs exist you should get one eventually.
The training is a big outlay, so don’t pay it out on a whim, but if you’re sure driving is for you, it is an investment in your future.
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Morning Franglais,
I am not sure what my direction is at the moment. I would have to place the training on a credit card (thankfully I have 12 months 0% to pay it back, but that is not the point) but at the same time with no income the mortgage is not going to get paid!
I think that in my situation, certainly looking at the online bookings for providers it would be a month before I get on a course anyway, and that might be too long!
Oh well, back to the drawing board. Thank you for your help anyway.
One slight chance is if you can get a job van driving, on your current car licence, and get “a foot in the door” with a transport company that way?
Any experience with driving will do you no harm if you do opt to go on to bigger vehicles. Reading the road well applies to all vehicles.
There are some awful van jobs out there, but maybe if you take one on, thatll give you the time to look for something better, and maybe look at training up? A bad job wont be so bad if you know its only temporary. Sorry, Ive no better ideas, but hopefully someone else will have.
Bristol is a good area for Class 2 new passes. A quick look on indeed.co.uk and you will see loads of agencies and employers willing to take on new passes. Brakes, Hovis, Palletways, the agency Pertemps, and loads more.
indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20c … 1170116ba8
Pay for your licence yourself or you will get yourself tied to a low paying job with bad working conditions. Make sure you choose a trainer that has their own test centre and is located well away from the cities.
Morning Carlston,
I did see quite a few in Bristol but it is going to be difficult for me to commute from Hampshire. Indeed I had seen the Pertemps jobs that come up and also Staffline, which is why I was asking the question as to whether there really is a LGV 2 Newly Qualified market out there.
I might have to just bite the bullet and do it. The next step is talking to my GP though as I may not get passed for Sleep Apneoa. Not that I have a problem with it, it’s controlled, but my GP is a stickler!
Just looking at my medical renewal form, sleep apnoea is specifically mentioned, so you MAY have a problem. It depends how mathematically severe it is and whether it’s controlled
I can’t remember the last review, although the consultant complained I do not use my CPAP (breathing machine while I sleep) enough.
Certainly on the Epworth tiredness index I never score high, because I am use to it.
I did take a look at the D4 and it is very wooly as to what would knock me back and what wouldn’t.
Edited to add: From the a quick search across the net suggests that as long as it is controlled and I don’t suffer from excessive sleepiness then it would be okay. Certainly, as I have declared it already on my B licence, it should not be a problem, but I will have to discuss it with my GP. (also, my weight is dropping right now as I got too fat; which is the likely reason for my apneoa in the first place.)
It’s all down to what you score and how it affects your life. Think carefully about what you tell the doc.
They banned me from driving altogether when I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia, because of the painkillers I take (fentanyl and oramorph) and the sleeping pills I take (zolpidem) in fact, it wasn’t plain sailing to get my license back afterwards. I had to jump through quite a few hoops to do it.
My main problem was my natural sleep pattern. Unmedicated, I sleep 3/4 hours every other night (ideal for a driving job at 15 hours a day (joke: before anyone gets their knickers in a knot)) but on the sleeping pills I sleep nearly 6 hours every night. Now, my consultant says that is not enough. But the truth is that it is more than enough for me, and I suffer no daytime tiredness, in fact, I wake bright and breezy every day.
Sorry to waffle on, the point I am making is that even with a sleeping disorder you can hold a class one and work. You will just have to prove that you are not driving irresponsiblely tired. Before they gave me my hgv entitlement back, I had to go and live in a sleep disorders clinic for 2 weeks, where they monitored when, how much and the quality of sleep I was getting. The also check your reactive functionality throughout different times during the day (which means they check if you’re firing on all 4 various times during the day) I had disturbances to my sleep pattern because of the alien environment (new bed, new place, didn’t have the mrs snoring in my ear) so while I was there I only slept 4 to 5 hours every night.
Your weight will definitely be a factor with apnoea, my advice to you would be lose weight, eat healthy, perhaps join a gym, try oxymetazoline spray before you sleep (blocked nasal airways could even be causing the problem in the first place)
Good luck with it my friend! If it’s what you want to do, go for it and don’t let anything stop you. I did and it’s the best thing I ever did! I wouldn’t want to do anything else. If I lost my license, I couldn’t stand to be stuck in a factory or warehouse for 40 hours a week.
Well,
As my GP has a lead time of 3 weeks for a suitable appointment, I have booked in with d4drivers for this Saturday.
There is only one way to find out if I am destined to get out of the office work I was doing and either driving or back into back-breaking labour!
How many clinic reports should I take? My most recent one simply says I did not use it as much as they would like, but when I did my AHI is 6.9 and my Epworth is 3.
It also says I have to lose weight… recent events have led to a 12kg loss in 1 month, so I promise doc I am listening!
Cheers for everyone help!
On the sleep problems, its not actually your GP or the doc who decides.
The details go to DVLA medical unit who can apparently take a while to check it all, with a few back and forwards letters from consultants going by all the posts on here. Its definately something that would peak their interest.
If you think you can get rid of it by losing weight, it might be worth waiting. Also makes it easier to do the job as most class 2 will be manual handling albeit maybe with pallet trucks. Its also not necessarily the most heathy job.
Thanks for the heads up about the DVLA. I am getting the last few years of annual reviews to show there is a pattern that I would be alright.
As they know about it for my car licence (I told them the day I was diagnosed) I am hopeful that they will be quick!
As for losing weight, Keto is working for me!
EDIT TO ADD: The reason why I have done the medical separate to an all-in-one package is indeed if the DVLA / doctor has an issue.
Franglais:
One slight chance is if you can get a job van driving, on your current car licence, and get “a foot in the door” with a transport company that way?
Any experience with driving will do you no harm if you do opt to go on to bigger vehicles. Reading the road well applies to all vehicles.
There are some awful van jobs out there, but maybe if you take one on, thatll give you the time to look for something better, and maybe look at training up? A bad job wont be so bad if you know its only temporary. Sorry, Ive no better ideas, but hopefully someone else will have.
Franglais is long experienced, and i agree with him about looking at van work for now using your existing car licence.
You will find there isn’t much difference between van and the more poorly paid (we all had to start somewhere and it ain’t usually in the cream) HGV work, may even find the van work better paid, but by doing van work you’ll be gaining valuable on road experience with a bigger vehicle in a commercial setting, a few months of that may well tell you if the life is for you before you’ve shelled out dosh and then find it isn’t.
Lots of vans now limited to 56mph, if you get a job driving one of those it will be a valuable insight to what the reality of lorry life is.
Most old drivers you see, including me, started many years ago driving ■■■■■■ 
vans and 7.5 ton small lorries before we took our HGV licences, those miles you do are invaluable in on road experience and especially finding your way about, so if you decide you do like the life and go for an HGV, you won’t be just another one of those virgins who’s gone straight from a car to a lorry without the foggiest idea of commercial driving, and without a clue where they are in the country and then find themselves completely reliant on a £350 lorry specific satnav (some here encourage such extravagance, it’s not necessary in the least) which sadly too many new HGV drivers buy, and it’s all out of their own money.
Agencies are the pits by the way.
You’ll probably make more on vans than class 2 as the pay is just slightly lower (50p to a £1 per hour difference?) however you aren’t bound by tacho rules so you can do as many hours a day and as many days a week as you feel like. That’s if you’re fit physically and willing to do more/harder work.
I started working as a class 2 driver last year after walking out of a permanent 20k/year job; the same job now pays £22k/year whereas I’ve grossed just a bit over £9000 in 8 months on agencies which includes periods of no work at all so several pay-less Fridays 
.
I’ve just re read your post, you say that you’re out of work? My advice would be to go for it and give agencies a try, you’re not going to make your situation any worse. I don’t suppose you have 7.5 grandfather? If you do, that would be a good introduction, if not maybe you might get lucky and get a van job.
Sometimes agency can lead to a permanent job… slim chance, but it does happen. I would never EVER suggest someone leaves a job for agencies, but if you’re already unemployed, roll the dice, you’ve got nothing to lose.
Good luck my friend
Morning Everyone,
Thank you for continuing to offer advice, I really do appreciate it.
I had already started applying for van driving jobs prior to Franglais and Juddian bringing it up. I had a first interview for one on Wednesday and I am waiting to hear if I am going to second interview, although others have not got back to me yet. I am also on the books for a couple of agencies in the area although complications with the employment I have left have stopped them being able to get me work.
… and to be fair Juddian. I wish I had passed my driving licence 2 years earlier before they took away the 7.5T entitlement. even on the agency books when I went in, it was predominantly 7.5T work.
johnteller - I was technically unemployed from yesterday. A very messy affair where an almost immediate resignation was far better than the alternative. We will just say I publicly blew a whistle and people didn’t like that!
My plan is to go live with the two agencies I have already signed up for on Monday. I am doing a few office-type bits from home freelance, but nothing that takes priority!
Anyway. LGV medical is today… which is useful as I have applied for a few trainee D jobs locally as well. At least if I have a medical done it might push things along that road as well.
Actually, shockingly, I applied for a trainee bus with my most local company… they have a “health & safety” drivers seat limit of 18 stone… I rarely see a bus driver under 18 stone…
SlowPsycho:
… and to be fair Juddian. I wish I had passed my driving licence 2 years earlier before they took away the 7.5T entitlement. even on the agency books when I went in, it was predominantly 7.5T work.
You sound as if you have my luck, if its possible to be born in the exactly wrong time of a particular year so getting the crappy end of every stick going, yes that’s me too 
Best of luck with the job hunt.
I wouldn’t be relying on the agencies mind, i started on vans as a youngster and every single job i got was via looking to see who or what was about and then going and knocking on the door.
This has been the same throughout my working life and in transport it is still the best way to land jobs, i only got one job via an advert and it was the worse job of all by a country mile, and my brief experiences of agencies they have almost all been variations of ■■■■ poor liars and con men.