Everone is different, what cheeses RR off, may not phase the OP. Youve got to give it a crack, or you’ll forever be wondering what if?
Get some agency shifts on smaller vehicles for which you hold a licence already. Take it from there, it’s like a monkey grip. A monkey never lets go of one branch, until it’s got a proper grip of the next.
You’re in a decent position, to be able to fall back on the IT work if you find that driving isn’t for you.
I did a similar thing. Came driving full time about 6 years back and I’m still at it. Who knows if I’ll still be at it in another 6 years, a week at a time is enough for me.
As frustrating a job as it can be a lot of the time I do enjoy it. That being said I only work nights so far less ■■■■ wittery to deal with once the plebs are home in bed.
Plenty of work around Manchester area so you’re fortunate enough there. See how you go and best of luck. And if you find its not for you after 12 months or so who cares, you tried it.
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I’d say go for it. It’s clear that you’ve got the itch and you will always regret it if you don’t try.
As has been said, if you can afford it right now, get the ball rolling and once you have passed, try to get some agency shifts around your current job. They should pay for the training after a few months so you’d not be losing anything and would gain the licence and some experience.
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That looks quite sensible to me. You will be investing/spending a few grand up front, (but if you can afford a pay cut from your IT job, then you can afford that) and can recoup that from weekend etc work. Getting some weekend(?) shifts will dip your toe in the truck driving water without burning any bridges.
If you have changed IT jobs a few times then I guess that you could get back into that again anyway? So even getting a full time job seems low risk to me.
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Thanks @goff118 , do you think I could try some odd-job shifts around my full time job initially? Maybe saturdays, or couple odd days during the week, where I could book holidays in my full time, and do the driving here and there?
Yea if you get lucky with the right agency that would certainly be doable. I think I may have got lucky during the “driver shortage” back in 2021 where I got work with a supermarket agency a few weeks after passing Class 1, driving one day a fortnight (Sunday) around my Monday to Friday office job. You wouldn’t legally be able to work more than one day per fortnight around a Monday to Friday job.
I’m not entirely sure if you can legally drive on days where you take annual leave in another job but I’m sure others here will be able to confirm.
You asked for advice, vastly experienced drivers offered you advice, it’s your decision to either take the advice…or reject it . And remember this, you have a mortgage and a partner to consider, she’ll want stability, and the mortgage lender will want their money every month
Modern days HGV driving is NOT the bed of roses you seem to imagine…it’s c rap. And the big fancy lorries soon lose their appeal.
DON’T DO IT
And definitely forget Europe.
I know they don’t exist anymore but stobarts used do free training do culina or who ever it is these days do it now?
I’d maybe try working around your job driving 7.5 t van. If you have the rights to drive one.
That way you get bit experience using a tacho and curtains etc. and an insight into the job
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Interesting to note it’s the older experienced drivers trying to point out to him the ‘error of his ways’'.
All the other lads with up to say…20 years exp have all been brought up on all this corporate dog sh that goes on now.
They know nothing else and think all the management b/s, compliance manager this, debriefing that, pay for damage, effin cameras pointing at yer boat is the norm…
Unfortunately today it is and that is exactly what has f… cked the job up to what it is now.
I’ve said on here before I’m proud to say I managed to talk my 2 lads out of it who have now got FAR better jobs than me, with excellent t.s & c.s.
I can see this lad is keen, possiblly swallowed all the media driver shortage/high pay rates crap, but conveniently ignoring the 15 hour day/9 hours off 70+ hours a week for same pay rate cack.
.
You can lead the horse…drink etc etc, so yeah crack on mate give it a go.
Good luck…(I DO mean that btw I aint being sarcastic)
We know no better, unfortunately. All the good contracts with the great pensions etc. seem to be a thing of the past. Across many jobs and industries.
Also, by the time we’re old enough to get our pension, the pension age will likely be 70+ anyway so I imagine that there are a lot of people out there in jobs that they are not enjoying, wondering why they are even bothering and therefore are looking at other options that might be a bit more tolerable for the next 40 years.
Not saying that driving a lorry is the best option, for the reasons you have mentioned, but the pros will outweigh those cons for a lot of people.
interestingly or maybe not. when i said i wanted to learn to drive a lorry my brothers reason for me not doing it was his neighbor was a long distance lorry driver for 40 odd years and regreted it because of the long hours and missed family life.
Its a question that doesn’t fit everyones opinion, to a lot of people it’s in the blood to others it’s a way of life and to some people it’s an endurance also to some people it’s just a living earning a wage
Its a personal choice to make and that’s your choice, you seem to have the best of both worlds in choices so i don’t think any advice about simple questions like your asking is going to make a difference
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That was me then, when I ceased to be a driver at the age of 40 because I thought I had better settle down and start using the newly invented transport manager’s licence I had been bequeathed, I took the job at Toray (then Samuel Courtaulds) but my immediate superior used to moan about the number of times he could only find me if he looked for a wagon. In those early days we were required to have all our vehicles serviced at Courtaulds (British Celanese) in Derby so 2 drivers were needed to drive the collecting driver there or back. I was often that driver and from time to time I did the day trunk to Hyde, and, once when the regular driver was away, a multidrop with wagon and drag starting in Fife and last one in Galway. I loved it. 
Just see your in Manchester, down here you’d earn what your on now & more without the long hours & no nights out. You’d be working nights though or a mix of the 2.
Your username is literally ‘grumpy_old_man’ so forgive me for taking your comments with a pinch of salt
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That’s 2 strikes and still going???
I think the long distant driving was something like Manchester to Scotland or something like that
If he can’t decide his own decision it wouldn’t have even entered his mind doing Europe
Of course that’s if it’s genuine advice being looked for, its looking very selective to be genuine
We’re all grumpy mate, over a certain age, gasping at the antics of the young. I’ve made 4 score and 2 so far and GOM is even older than I am. 
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N88_lny, do your HGV2 and go into mobile cranes. Less stress, easy work, no tacho/WTD, and MUCH better pay.
I did my HGV1 in 2022 and now on the cranes, did a 6 week assignment last year and got paid around £2,000 per week AFTER tax. I’ve had colleagues taking home £2,500 per week after tax for certain assignments.
If you then want to get onto the bigger cranes, I know of one driver on a 300 tonne crane at a smaller firm, making around £140k gross annually.
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@marky-p maybe a silly question but what happens when you get to the site do you have to operate it. i have always fancied something like that but wuss i am im scared of heights… a foot stool is about my limit