its up to you if you decide to do it or not but as said you will struggle getting someone to take you on even if you wait till your 21. if i were you i would go get a van job for a year and get some real on the job experience in what the job is like. ok you want get the thril of sitting waiting to be tipped for 5 hours while all the loaders are sat round the corner watching the foot ball but you will get the experience of some office wallah that hasnt the brains to dress themselves appropriately telling you how to do the job
I’d agree with Cooper that it’d have to be a longer term than just getting the licence and straight into a HGV.
I’d be inclined to start with van work (Owens do that also) once you’ve passed your car test. It’d be a good way to improve your skills, whilst making sure that the job is for you. I’d probably try to do that for a year or 2 before sitting the HGV course.
It’d also help you save up the money to cover the course, as well as any resits you may require (I’d recommend paying extra for a pass protection system like that offered by the forum sponsor PSTT).
I still think the Army idea was a good one…despite Frangers’s usual obnoxious retort. 
Didnt mean go in as a career soldier…what’s the minimum now…3 year’s ?
He’s a young lad gets it all paid for comes out at 23 fully qualified with a driver’s cv…AND experience…plus he will get on artics a lot quicker I would guess, than effin about in second rate crappy jobs at home… and drive in more attractive locations…saves 3k, and comes out better off.
Bob’s yer Dads brother. 
1 Like
If not a wind up
He Haven’t even got a car license yet and the future is looking bleak here
It’s all lfs and buts
Just grow up and do it if you want it, it’s not a fortune to get it and you will get work.
It’s the same in all walks of life, nobody starts life with experience
Nothing changes, nobody here had experience
Owens definitely DO take on new passes, there’s Class 2 in either Cardiff or Llangennech (nr Llanelli) and I believe they still have a few rigids based at Bridgend too, Class 1 obviously at all of the South Wales Depots including Port Talbot.
I know of plenty of drivers who have started out there, some have been there years and some didn’t make the cut and were binned after a few weeks, but they do take on new passes whatever these doom n’ gloom grumpy bums try telling you.
If you pass the attitude test your bum will be on a seat before you can say Yorkie bar.
Good luck with all your tests and modules and of course job hunting.
Not a wind up, just a heavy dose of young naivety.
He’s determined to be a driver …at all costs (literally) despite advice to the contrary from those who actually know the reality of it all…typical young lad (I have 2) think they know better.
'Lamb to the slaughter springs to mind, but there ya go. 
He does need to slow down his enthusiasm,.and learn to walk before he runs, nobody is going to let a young lad loose on a truck who has just got his car licence, a few months before his rigid licence…that new car licence is meaningless…you do not learn to dtive until AFTER you pass your test.
A van job is the answer…even I learned the job on a Ford Transit pick up ffs.
As for you saying it’s '‘not a fortune’ to get it
It is when you are 20 to spend what ?.3k now?
Then to get a job for a year or more on a van to get some kind of experience on minimum wage, not so much win win,.definitely lose lose (financially) and for what, a working life with kin derisory legal hours, crap conditions, and even crapper money.
Many of the “new passes” aren’t even paying for it their self, they’re predominatly coming from the government-funded bootcamp idea. Every now and then I get asked to help out with Mod 4 training, many of these would-be drivers resent having to do any kind of tests at all, the sense of entitlement makes for a fairly depressing few hours.
If I were a relative of OP I’d be concerned that he’s been suckered in by the media hype and will end up regretting it.
EDIT: I’m tending to agree with the general consensus that this has to be a wind up
I dont know if it is a wind up or not mate, when I was his age I was the same…trucks and trucking daft, (although at least I had held a car licence for 3 years.)
Went away as a kid with my Dad, went away with slightly older mates (who led me astray on the social side of the job then ) later on, and it was all I wanted to do after that…
I even kicked an engineering trade I had trained for for 4 years ffs.
Different days…(deffo a different job), but same principle.
We have a young lad at our place who is just the same, does not look old enough to be away from his Mam, let alone to drive an artic, I do try and advise him about burning himself out before he reaches 30, but another true to form young boy who thinks he knows it all and better.
It’s a bit unfair on lads like the o/p who are as keen as mustard, if the type of self entitled pricks you mention are getting catered for and dont appreciate it, but there ya go.
@robroy it’s not me “knowing better” it’s me wanting to do something I personally enjoy. It may be stupid in your eyes but I personally like the job. Wouldn’t you at least try to fight to do something you enjoy? It may be false hope but at least I have the damn hope
It’s not media hype, I couldn’t care if it was minimum wage, I genuinely like the job and I’ll take whatever path that’ll get me there
Like I said I did once.
Would I do it again knowing what I KNOW now?
Hell NO !!
I even talked my 2 own (keen as you) lads out of it, (I’m proud to say) both of whom have far better and well paid jobs than me now incidentally.
You will look back in x no of years time and say…
‘That ‘kin smart arse on TN who tried to advise me for my own good all those years ago…I wish I had listened’’
You WILL…trust me.
Those of us who have done, or are still doing the job are all virtually unanimous that it is all media hype. You can ignore experienced people if you want (not a good move in this industry), but that won’t change the facts.
And, as you haven’t done the job yet you can’t actually know if you like it. Sitting in the passenger seat is very different to having the testicular ague that goes hand-in-hand with modern HGV driving. Do it if you want but…
On the plus side it’ll give him something legitimate to whinge about when in the future he’s sitting on a DCPC course being “a proppa trukka” by complaining about everyone and everything. Although by that time it will actually have become your fault RR because you didn’t try hard enough to convince him 
Like other said, take it day by day. Don’t run before you can walk. Once you get the licence never give up in getting a chance.
@Kommou
If you don’t “go for it” you will probably spend many years wishing you had given it a shot, and will always wonder if it would have worked out well.
If it doesn’t work out, then you will know you gave it your best shot.
We regret the things we didn’t try, as much as the things we did try, but which didn’t work.
If you want more info on careers in the Army ask @robroy, who advised you to join up, about his experiences in the forces.
True, but spoken from the point of view of “old school”; FB is full of people complaining how it hasn’t worked out as the hype promised, and looking for someone to blame, anyone except their self. So only “go for it” if you can accept responsibility for your own actions, which seems anathema to many of the younger drivers posting online
I had some good times driving, but the jobs on offer today aren’t what we had.
However I do remember some 30 or 40 years ago some old hands saying the “job ain’t what it was”.
Modern truck driving isn’t what it was back in the day, but neither are most other jobs! There is more supervision everywhere.
I don’t think a few grand for a truck licence is peanuts, but neither is it the amounts involved in a Uni education, nor the years of time and effort either.
I’ve done both and haven’t regretted either, but then again I’m not a modern 20-something who has come through the wrapped-in-cotton-wool system of modern life where, for example, students/candidates blame their lecturers/teachers/trainers when they fail exams/tests/etc.
Aw…C’mon Frangers you can do better than that man, I’m disappointed, you are scraping the barrel of ‘pops’ with that one mate.
To use one of your usual terms…‘‘Where did I say’’…I was ever in the Army ?
Do I need to be to express an opinion on it?
I know a pro footballer’s life is a good un also, it doesn’t mean to say I played no 9 for Newcastle .
Same as yourself in fact, …your pompous attitude and superior know it all persona in all things politics has nothing to do with your time as Chancellor of the Exchecquer.
Earlier in this very thread you recommended taking advice from those who have actually done the job.
So how long were you in the Army, since you recommended it?