New HGV career change

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hi all,
Iv come to a decision of changing my job/career. I turn 40 late last year and like lots of people with this pandemic it got me thinking about it more than i’ve ever done.

At the moment i’m fortunate to have a full time job as a Technical Engineer (the title sounds more technical than the job/work) and i like to think i’m wanted as i got through 2 lots of redundancy losses but its getting to the point that i’m bored, i don’t like coming to work, i don’t like sitting at a desk for 8hrs with about an hours worth of work trying to look busy.

Iv always wanted to become an HGV driver or driving some sort of machinery, i had the opportunity 20 yrs ago with a previous company but you had to be 21 (for insurance purposes). Then about 10 years ago i thought about it again when i was made redundant but the redundancy money was needed to live on (2 kids @ 3 & 1yrs old).

Now the kids have grown up and the wife has a job that she loves i want a job i like, so i’ve got a plan:

  1. Save up the money (£1800-2000)
  2. Do the training needed (Class c to start with)
  3. Look for a job while in my current job

And this is where i have a problem, iv been told and seen that not a lot if any employers set on new drivers they all prefer 1-2 yrs experience so it would have to be an AGENCY, in which they can ring you up at any time wanting you to go somewhere.

I currently have to give my employer a months notice.
I could ask if after my notice period i could go on a weeks rolling contract or be cheeky and ask for redundancy or bite the bullet and quit my job and hope i get a job through agency or employer.

Please give your views and thoughts.
Thanks

2

Andyg2629:
Hi all,
Iv come to a decision of changing my job/career. I turn 40 late last year and like lots of people with this pandemic it got me thinking about it more than i’ve ever done.

At the moment i’m fortunate to have a full time job as a Technical Engineer (the title sounds more technical than the job/work) and i like to think i’m wanted as i got through 2 lots of redundancy losses but its getting to the point that i’m bored, i don’t like coming to work, i don’t like sitting at a desk for 8hrs with about an hours worth of work trying to look busy.

Iv always wanted to become an HGV driver or driving some sort of machinery, i had the opportunity 20 yrs ago with a previous company but you had to be 21 (for insurance purposes). Then about 10 years ago i thought about it again when i was made redundant but the redundancy money was needed to live on (2 kids @ 3 & 1yrs old).

Now the kids have grown up and the wife has a job that she loves i want a job i like, so i’ve got a plan:

  1. Save up the money (£1800-2000)
  2. Do the training needed (Class c to start with)
  3. Look for a job while in my current job

And this is where i have a problem, iv been told and seen that not a lot if any employers set on new drivers they all prefer 1-2 yrs experience so it would have to be an AGENCY, in which they can ring you up at any time wanting you to go somewhere.

I currently have to give my employer a months notice.
I could ask if after my notice period i could go on a weeks rolling contract or be cheeky and ask for redundancy or bite the bullet and quit my job and hope i get a job through agency or employer.

Please give your views and thoughts.
Thanks

Firstly, ask yourself if you (and your wife) can live with the hours. You will need to put a fair few in to make a decent living, certainly initially. 60 a week isn’t uncommon.

Agency work suits me as I only do ad-hoc part time stuff as I have another job. But, if I were relying on driving entirely, I’d probably want a bit more security. That said, once you’re an employee, walking into a different job every week isn’t an option if you don’t like it…

You’ll get both “don’t do it” and “go for it” in reply. My thoughts are “I wouldn’t pick HGV driving because you think it’s better than your current job. Only pick it if you REALLY want to do it - and you’re prepared to graft.”

You certainly won’t be sitting around bored - especially on class C work. Too knackered to move is more likely…

No one can really answer your question apart from you. There are too many variables, some of which we aren’t aware of.

Good luck - you’ll certainly will find work, but initially as a new pass on C you’ll be working pretty darn hard. But once you’ve a bit of experience it’s not too bad…And a jump to artics is always an option.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

3

Thanks for your views Truckulent.
At the moment at work i just get the jobs that no one wants, so wouldn’t miss it.
The hard work is not the problem as my previous job was fabricating and welding industrial buildings (heavy, hot, and dirty work) and loading flatbeds trailers with steel.
The hours will be a shock to start with but if that what comes with it ill be ok.

4

Depends on, where you live, whats in the area, you already have experience if anyone asks, you have been loading flat trailers with steel, that counts for more than counting how many gears you can skip, you can work alone,

Some of the rigid steel stockholder jobs may pay more than the supermarket cages or Breaks Backs Food Supplies.

5

Hi Andy, if you can afford it, get the class C and sign on with a few agencies for weekend and bank hol work ( you can legally do 1 day a fortnight if you work 5 days already) it may take a while but a few shifts will come . If you like it crack on, if not you still have your full time payer. Worst case a skill to fall back on if ever anything changes. As many say here there is a variety of jobs, some love multidrop and supermarket work, some prefer tippers or trunking. Good luck.

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6

It doesn’t have to be agency mate , I passed my test in October and started in November with my employer . Albeit it needs some luck but sell yourself , if you apply for a job call them up and say you’ve applied for the position you’ve self funded your own licence it’s something you’ve always wanted to do your just looking for a chance etc . You’ll get knockbacks but somebody might just take a liking to your enthusiasm and give you a chance .

7

It is possible to get a start with a new licence, you need to be in the right place at the right time and have enough other world experience make someone believe in you and your potential.

There are companies that like to take new drivers so they can train them to do things the way they want it done rather than the way the driver thinks it should be done.

Just bear in mind that they can be hard to find and you may never find one that pays something reasonable. Don’t just look at Indeed or other job sites, you need to be looking for jobs that are not advertised. Sometimes a company might have a list of people who have asked for work who they will call before advertising, or you might call on someone who is just aabout to advertise.

Your initiative in searching is a good first step.

8

Thanks all for the comments and advise.
Id like to do the tippers, big skips or maybe something with a Hihab

9

Andyg2629:
Thanks all for the comments and advise.
Id like to do the tippers, big skips or maybe something with a Hihab

Hi Andy

Your story is a bit like myself, except, I’ve not got children and I’m 10 years older, I started the journey to obtain class c 12 months ago and due to C-19 not got started on lessons, passed theory, and currently doing CPC through the 35 hrs route, I have a good well paid job, but I’m managing 20+ people and I’ve lost my mojo for it, I can probably afford to pack in when I’m 50 but would like a fall back hence starting down this route, trying to get some experience while still working is the key thing I reckon, just need lockdown lifted and get my lessons and test passed.
I’ve been lurking on here for a few months and there’s plenty of links to information, and advice, as already stated it’s a big decision and taking that step and getting a break is the acid test.
Good luck with how it turns out, I’ll post here again if and when I make that step or get the break, not a huge amount of work in west ■■■■■■■ which might be the deciding factor
Cheers
Rudski01

10

Rudski01:

Andyg2629:
Thanks all for the comments and advise.
Id like to do the tippers, big skips or maybe something with a Hihab

Hi Andy

Your story is a bit like myself, except, I’ve not got children and I’m 10 years older, I started the journey to obtain class c 12 months ago and due to C-19 not got started on lessons, passed theory, and currently doing CPC through the 35 hrs route, I have a good well paid job, but I’m managing 20+ people and I’ve lost my mojo for it, I can probably afford to pack in when I’m 50 but would like a fall back hence starting down this route, trying to get some experience while still working is the key thing I reckon, just need lockdown lifted and get my lessons and test passed.
I’ve been lurking on here for a few months and there’s plenty of links to information, and advice, as already stated it’s a big decision and taking that step and getting a break is the acid test.
Good luck with how it turns out, I’ll post here again if and when I make that step or get the break, not a huge amount of work in west ■■■■■■■ which might be the deciding factor
Cheers
Rudski01

Thanks for the comment Rudski01
Iv rang round local companies already for unpaid work experience, like a day out with a driver to see the ins & outs of the job (plus it gets my foot in the door) but no luck due to Covid-19

11

Andyg2629:
unpaid work experience

If you mean unpaid by going with a paid employee then fine but if you mean unpaid so another does not get paid to do the job then not ok

12

Hi Andy,

Similar story here too. I am 30, and for the last 9 years I’ve been in a job where I am content with the work and pay, but growing up out in vans and lorries with my father as a youngster, I’ve always had the itch.

In October 2019 I made the decision to try to get some driving experience on the weekends to 1. see if I enjoy the work, and 2. save up some money on the side of my weekday job to put towards my Class 2 and Class 1 training if I did enjoy it. I managed to get in with a local brewery that was flying at the time, and I worked Saturdays and Sundays delivering beer across South Wales.

Then of course Covid hit in March, so the work changed to home deliveries, mixed with furlough, mixed with delivering back to the pubs when they reopened. Anyway, back on furlough now, I have managed to save enough to cover the training + extra, so am in the middle of the theory stage now, waiting on my next date of March 13th to see if I’ll be allowed to take the multiple-choice test then. Fingers crossed it happens in March and I can then get the Class 2 booked, with the hope of getting Class 2 and Class 1 passed by the end of the year!

The experience on the weekends is definitely a good idea, even if it is just in vans - maybe home deliveries for one of the supermarkets maybe? Don’t know if that is a potential route into the HGV side of supermarkets?

Another idea would be an interest-free credit card to cover the training, so you get it booked sooner, and then instead of saving, you’re paying back the credit card.

Good luck with it and keep us updated!

13

ROG:

Andyg2629:
unpaid work experience

If you mean unpaid by going with a paid employee then fine but if you mean unpaid so another does not get paid to do the job then not ok

Unpaid ride along, just to experience the work involved.

14

Andyg2629:

ROG:

Andyg2629:
unpaid work experience

If you mean unpaid by going with a paid employee then fine but if you mean unpaid so another does not get paid to do the job then not ok

Unpaid ride along, just to experience the work involved.

No prob and a good idea :smiley:

15

Andyg2629:
Id like to do the tippers, big skips or maybe something with a Hihab

Just so you know, it’s not hard to get your Hiab ticket (more correctly known as a Lorry Mounted Crane, Hiab is just a brand name) it’s just a question of paying for your training course (go ALLMI, it’s the dominant awarding body).

But… most company’s insist on experience, as always experience is the sticking point.

16

Best route into Hiab work (Yes Hiab is a brand but has become the term for the activity. Can you Hiab that off? We need a Hiab driver etc. Similar to when you clean your house you do the hoovering!) would most likely be builders merchant type work for a new driver. Simple off load of materials , is relatively easy work as most of it will be just placing bits and pieces on the ground with no massive amount of accuracy.

Some companies doing more specialist HIab work will train an existing driver if their other abilities are good. Experience and understanding of other hydraulic machinery can be helpful forklifts, diggers etc as there is some similarity with the way the hydraulics work if not the control pattern.

Getting builders merchant or simple materials delivery experience is probably the best starting point for getting into more specialised work.

Today I was using the crane to reassemble a 14t excavator which we’d dismantled to get the main boom repaired on. It’s a job where you need to have a couple of other people to help you get precision alignment to get the pins back in that hold it to the chassis. With a 3m long steel boom weighing over a tonne, you need to know exactly what to do to make sure you don’t pull the wrong lever and cause some nasty and severe injuries.

That’s why a lot of jobs want experience, just seek the ones that don’t need too much and build it through those. If you can get someone to let you tag along for the experience then that is good, i’ve helped a couple of people out and let them have a go with the crane under supervision and instruction. Everyone has to start somewhere so it’s just giving someone a bit of a chance

17

Andyg2629:
Hi all,
Iv come to a decision of changing my job/career. I turn 40 late last year and like lots of people with this pandemic it got me thinking about it more than i’ve ever done.

At the moment i’m fortunate to have a full time job as a Technical Engineer (the title sounds more technical than the job/work) and i like to think i’m wanted as i got through 2 lots of redundancy losses but its getting to the point that i’m bored, i don’t like coming to work, i don’t like sitting at a desk for 8hrs with about an hours worth of work trying to look busy.

Iv always wanted to become an HGV driver or driving some sort of machinery, i had the opportunity 20 yrs ago with a previous company but you had to be 21 (for insurance purposes). Then about 10 years ago i thought about it again when i was made redundant but the redundancy money was needed to live on (2 kids @ 3 & 1yrs old).

Now the kids have grown up and the wife has a job that she loves i want a job i like, so i’ve got a plan:

  1. Save up the money (£1800-2000)
  2. Do the training needed (Class c to start with)
  3. Look for a job while in my current job

And this is where i have a problem, iv been told and seen that not a lot if any employers set on new drivers they all prefer 1-2 yrs experience so it would have to be an AGENCY, in which they can ring you up at any time wanting you to go somewhere.

I currently have to give my employer a months notice.
I could ask if after my notice period i could go on a weeks rolling contract or be cheeky and ask for redundancy or bite the bullet and quit my job and hope i get a job through agency or employer.

Please give your views and thoughts.
Thanks

Please don’t get all romantic about the trucker’s life. It isn’t!! True a licence is a very handy thing to have and I have met many, in the last year, returning to the fold as their businesses have struggled during the COVID stuff, but it is a means to an end. A bill payer nothing more.

The reality is should you get a ‘Class 1’ you will have two years of learning on the job, where you can expect an equal measure of disinterest, disinformation and limited assistance from your more experienced co-workers. If you’re on agency work more likely the first two.

On agency you will do a succession of jobs where the permanently employed get 10-11 hour days and you get the 15 hour multi-drops until; 1. You’ve earnt your spurs. 2. You’ve been taken on permanently. Be under no illusions agency workers are not treated well, you could have taken all the crap they’ve thrown at you for months, even years, (odd hours, long days, crappy runs) and they will axe you without a second thought.

As a permanent employee you may still find yourself toiling under an ‘unofficial’ seniority system that will leave you on a crappy start time, doing crappy jobs for years, while you wait for the anointed few to die or retire (COVID may help some of the less fortunate out in this respect by cutting out the old and dead wood).

Some may say I am being harsh or negative, but after 30+ years doing HGV work I have seen it all and the above on a daily basis. It is no Eldorado, my friend, and so you should think carefully about your change of career. “The grass isn’t always greener…” and “Better the devil you know.” springs to mind.

18

Thanks for your views 8wheels & Truckerian99

It seems that after reading a lot of other posts on this forum there is a lot of truckers that recommend against HGV driving and everything they say is negative :question: , now this could be the job that there in or just the individual is just negative about everything and everyone.

19

8wheels:
Best route into Hiab work (Yes Hiab is a brand but has become the term for the activity. Can you Hiab that off? We need a Hiab driver etc. Similar to when you clean your house you do the hoovering!) would most likely be builders merchant type work for a new driver. Simple off load of materials , is relatively easy work as most of it will be just placing bits and pieces on the ground with no massive amount of accuracy.

Some companies doing more specialist HIab work will train an existing driver if their other abilities are good. Experience and understanding of other hydraulic machinery can be helpful forklifts, diggers etc as there is some similarity with the way the hydraulics work if not the control pattern.

Getting builders merchant or simple materials delivery experience is probably the best starting point for getting into more specialised work.

Today I was using the crane to reassemble a 14t excavator which we’d dismantled to get the main boom repaired on. It’s a job where you need to have a couple of other people to help you get precision alignment to get the pins back in that hold it to the chassis. With a 3m long steel boom weighing over a tonne, you need to know exactly what to do to make sure you don’t pull the wrong lever and cause some nasty and severe injuries.

That’s why a lot of jobs want experience, just seek the ones that don’t need too much and build it through those. If you can get someone to let you tag along for the experience then that is good, i’ve helped a couple of people out and let them have a go with the crane under supervision and instruction. Everyone has to start somewhere so it’s just giving someone a bit of a chance

In the past iv used overhead cranes up to 15t, a 7.5t side loader and a 9t mobile crane so i now the physics of cranes, slinging hand signals but they were never attached to a HGV…Dammit :frowning:

20

Andyg2629:
Thanks for your views 8wheels & Truckerian99

It seems that after reading a lot of other posts on this forum there is a lot of truckers that recommend against HGV driving and everything they say is negative :question: , now this could be the job that there in or just the individual is just negative about everything and everyone.

Well, maybe a little negative after so many years, but I am still doing it (although partly because I can do nowt else) and it did pay for cars, holidays, houses, weddings etc etc. It is a lot easier to drive now (power steering, auto boxes, better roads/shorter journey times), but in many respects it is a lot worse (young managers who cannot drive cars calling the shots, computer modelled runs that do not transfer to real world operations, terrible trucks that cannot react to driver or road conditions, ‘green’ ideals that actually do more damage than good, terrible inefficiency based on managerial arrogance, computer stupidity and cost cutting that works out more expensively). The moneyis comparatively worse that in decades gone and a job for life with a good small firm has beenlost to soulless multinationals.

You seem to have made up your mind to ‘go for it’, but some of us think that your hopes for the future should be mixed with a pinch of reality. I can be honest because at my age, with my experience, very little if these negatives affect me any longer, but they WILL affect you on an hourly and daily basis.