So, You want to become a Truck Driver?
You need your head examined. Road Rage, traffic jams, long hours, parking restrictions, weight limits, bridge heights, speed cameras, unsocial hours/days, Service Areas where the main building is a ‘route march’ from the parking area, to name but a few.
Add to that, tight schedules, having to deal with grumpy staff, limited (and congested) overnight parking, with the possibility of being ‘gassed’ with substances containing carcinogenic compounds, and the picture doesn’t look so rosy.
Counter that with the prospect that you are out on the road, rather than being sat behind some desk. You have yourself for company. The radio is playing your choice of music, and hey, if the phone rings, whether you answer or not is your choice. A blow-out occurs, and after you’ve wished you’d packed an extra pair of underpants, a fitter arrives two or three hours later. Suddenly you’re inclination not to have your flask filled at the last stop was a mistake, but your wrists/hands are in no shape to hold a cup.
But it’s a good way of seeing our countryside using fuel paid for be someone else, and earning an income at the same time.
The first thing one has to ask oneself is whether or not it is the job for you? If you are of the type that enjoys having meals at set times, on a table, then perhaps not. And do not fall into the trap of believing that having arrived at a destination, that you will be the priority for loading/unloading. For the most part, British Industry and, in fact Industry throughout the world, revolves around breaks. Dinner breaks, Tea breaks, Toilet breaks. The list is endless, and if the person responsible for your load is due a Break, then a Break will be taken, regardless of your urgency to be elsewhere.
You may have battled through heavy traffic. You may have forgone a meal, or a much needed visit to the toilet, but if you arrive late, everybody voices their displeasure. If you arrive on time, nobody thanks you for it. It’s a thankless existence. The only thanks you get are the pride in knowing that you have done your best in the circumstances on the day.
Whilst the various sectors of opportunity are too numerous to mention, one also has to be aware of seasonal trends. For example, to someone engaged in the supplying to the building trade, an extended summer holiday is virtually out of the question. As is an extended Christmas period for anyone delivering Oil and Gas to domestic or commercial premises. One has to be aware that, for suppliers to the Engineering Industry and, to a large extent, the Building Industry, a two-week shutdown over the festive holidays is traditional, and a significant portion of one’s holiday entitlement will be expected to be taken within that period.
Up until now I have only dealt with local work. Once one starts to consider ‘Tramping’ or ‘Long-Distance’ work, then other factors come into play. How do you cope with being alone for extended periods? How does your partner cope? Whilst you may be of the extrovert type, able to enjoy fleeting companionship with colleagues met, and perhaps, never seen again. Does your partner have a circle of friends and family with whom they can comfortably interact during your periods of absence?
Consider the following.
I’ve been “tramping” for the vast majority of the six years I’ve been driving. I go away on Monday and get home on a Friday, although in the past that has been Sunday-Friday.
It is vital that your partner is 100% happy with this. I suffered a family break-up a few years ago because my then partner simply couldn’t cope with my being away. We lived very rurally so I had no choice at the time, but the bottom line of it was that he simply wasn’t an independent enough person to run the house and family whilst I was at work.
I’m married now, and my husband is an industry veteran of 23 years himself (although he now works from home and looks after our son, plus my daughter when she’s not with her Dad), so he understands that my distance driving has nothing to do with whether or not I enjoy his company. He’s an incredibly independent being - as am I - and more than capable of dealing with any problems quickly and intelligently in my absence.
It’s never an easy situation to be in, but the most important bit of advice I would give to you is to promise (and mean that promise) that you will look for and take a day job if at any point she decides that the distance driving lifestyle isn’t for her. There are also some invaluable tips for both drivers and their partners on LOADS.org - it’s a US site, but the same problems apply wherever you are, as do the solutions.
It is easy to assume that the term “Being a Driver” only extends to securing the load and controlling the vehicle. Let me assure you, it extends far beyond that.
It requires inter-personal skills, negotiation skills, an ability to ‘think beyond the box’, to be adaptable, sometimes even, creative. It certainly requires an element of multi-tasking. Reading a written list of directions whilst looking for signs that may have been demolished by the errant driver few evenings prior. Stopping at the roadside, in a car, to check directions, causes limited inconvenience and frustration. Stopping in an artic, frequently brings traffic to a halt.
The large vehicle parked outside a petrol station on the edge of a town is, more often than not, there to not only to replenish their supply of Yorkie bars, but enquiring the best route to a particular location, having regard to bridge heights, weight restrictions, and the width of roads within the area.
Reversing a rigid out from a road that one has turned into and then discovered is too narrow, is demanding. Do the same with an artic, and it is a nightmare. Also, unprofessional to have got oneself in that position in the first place.
Still interested? I’ll start with the basics. An HGV or LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) as it is now called, is any goods vehicle that has an MGW (Maximum Gross Weight) or MPW (Maximum Plated Weight) or MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) in excess of 7.5 tonnes. The terms all broadly mean the same. It is simply an example of the way Politicians and legislators adapt terms according to. Well. Who knows?
Minimum age = 18 years. Whereupon a person can be issued with a provisional licence for Category “C”, which entitles them to drive, subject to most normal provisional driving licence conditions, any rigid vehicle not drawing a trailer.
Once having passed a Class ‘C’ test, a person can then go on to qualify for a ‘C+E’ Licence, which entitles them to drive Articulated vehicles, or Wagon and Drag (Rigid towing a trailer), or to pull ‘A’ frame trailers. All of which are terms that relate to different vehicle combinations but essentially mean that one can drive any vehicle to which a trailer is attached. There is no minimum period between taking a Class ‘C’ test and a Class ‘C+E’ test, but in reality, a driver must await the upgrading of their Licence in order for it show a provisional entitlement for Class ‘C+E’. In reality, this may take only a few days, particularly as the DSA have now introduced a system whereby, on passing a test, the candidate can submit their Licence to the Examiner, and have a replacement generated by the DVLA.
As to whether there is any finance available to fund or subsidise training? Frankly, in reality, the answer to that question is as changeable as the weather. Literally. It can change month-to-month, or even week-to-week.
The ‘Fund holder’ for vocational training for the region in which you live is the local Learning and Skills Council. Dependant upon local skills requirements, they may have funding available through the NVQ programme, or even through the Young Driver Scheme (which allows participation from the age of 18 years upwards).
Alternatively, for the long term Jobseeker, each office holds a ‘Discretionary Fund’, which may be made available to fund future training. Quite frankly, if you can elicit funds from this source, then you are probably better suited to ‘Sales’ as a future career.
Some of your questions Answered
“#Opportunities” What opportunities are available in my area?
“#Medical”>How much will the Medical cost me?
“#Theory”
The Theory and Hazard Perception Tests?
“#Trainer”>How do I Choose a Training Provider?
“#Opportunities”
Opportunities In Your Area
The principal barometer on this subject is your own eye. What you see going past in the street, and what appears in the Classified Ads in your local newspaper.
The first thing to establish is how far you are willing to travel? Whilst not commonplace, there may be occasions when, after being at work for 15 hours, you only get a 9-hour break before commencing your next working day.
To the Professional driver, distance is something that is measured in Time, as opposed to being a linear quantity, so decide how much ‘Time’ you would be prepared to spend travelling to and from work, having regard to that portion of the day that you would be undergoing such journeys. Having established a suitable working radius, go out and explore, not only the industrial estates, but also the more out of the way locations where Transport Operators tend to be based. Remember too, that some operations are based at farms, either because the business originally developed as an extension of farming practices, or, more recently, from the needs of Farmers to diversify in order to remain in business.
Do not fall into the trap of assuming that, because you have a major manufacturer close by, that they will have a Transport operation. Many will have outsourced their distribution to Logistics Companies or employ Sub-contractors.
A change in career path must always be likened to a Business Venture and, as with any business, researching your market is of paramount importance.
AGENCIES
Love them or hate them, at some stage in your driving career you are more than likely to have to resort to an Agency, either between employers, or to supplement your weekly income on days off, or simply because you enjoy the flexibility (and variety) that Agency work provides.
Do not be afraid to contact agencies in your area and request an exploratory interview. It is a valuable method of obtaining information as to the local economy and the opportunities available. Whether they agree to see you or not is a matter for them, but 3 years, even 5 years, hence, when you are considering joining an Agency, it will be the one that has previously given you the best service that you will go to first.
Some Agencies will be locally or regionally based. Others may be a franchise operated under the umbrella of a national organisation. Whichever you choose, they should all broadly operate to the same standards.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation site offers a “Joint Code of Good Practice for Agency Drivers” which can be viewed HERE
Their site also offers a Directory of Driver Members.
Medicals
The Medical examination for a vocational licence falls outside the services provided by the National Health Service and G.P.'s are permitted to charge whatever fee they consider appropriate. Typically, charges of £80 to £120 are not uncommon. Similarly, you might be lucky enough to find a G.P. that will sign the form in exchange for a £20 note.
One of the better deals on offer is through Cotswold Medicals, who offer a nationwide service.
REMEMBER: You do not need to have the examination carried out by your own G.P.
However, if you may any concerns about any pre-existing condition that may affect your application then either consult your G.P. or click
The Theory Test
The first part of the test is the MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions) and, as the name suggests, entails you being presented with questions followed by a number of answers. The ‘bank’ of questions (and answers) is readily available and, providing that you study sufficiently, a score of 100% is achievable.
Technique here is quite simple. There will typically be two answers that are obviously wrong. Which leaves one answer that is nearly correct, and the correct answer.
What is important here is to READ the question. You don’t get half a mark for identifying one correct option when the question is asking you to identify 2, or 3, options. You get zero.
The time allotted is more than adequate and you have the opportunity to review (and amend) all of your answers.
MOCK theory tests can be practiced here.
For anyone who has not previously passed it with a sufficiently high score, the second part of the test is the Hazard Perception Test. This takes the form of a number of video clips where the ‘contestant’ has to respond to one or more developing hazards. The word contestant has been chosen deliberately as it is little more than a video game.
As an already experienced driver you probably consider that your are already well prepared to identify hazards as they develop, and you probably are. However, the essence of obtaining a pass mark is to click the mouse within, what is referred to as, the ‘scoring window’. Too early, and you risk scoring nothing. Too late, and the score diminishes. Too many clicks (rhythmical clicking) and you risk scoring zero.
New Driving Instructors have been required to pass this test for some time and now existing (and experienced) Instructors are required to pass the same element. Many are finding it extremely difficult and, in some cases, their livelihood is under threat.
For advice on how to prepare for this test, read their experiences here,
Selecting A Trainer
Whilst it is possible to study, practice, and pass a test without professional training, the likelihood of many people finding success by following this route is relatively slight.
The expenditure required for professional training is quite substantial so it is important to research the subject thoroughly before committing yourself to a particular provider. Obviously, cost features heavily in any decision of this nature but so also should other factors such, the age of the vehicles used. After all, with most fleet operators having a replacement interval of about 5 years, any future employer would have expected you to train in a vehicle typical of current usage. That is not to say that a 7-year-old training vehicle would not equip someone for more modern vehicles, but perhaps a 10-year-old vehicle might represent a different era of technology.
Another deciding factor could be location. Whilst a trainer local to your home might appear convenient and offer savings in both time and fuel, this has to be balanced against the time involved in travelling to and from the locality where the driving test is to be conducted, and therefore the majority of the training should take place. Whilst it constitutes a valid argument that you are being trained to ‘drive’ a vehicle, rather than being trained to ‘pass a test’, the former is of little use until the latter has been achieved. Where there is scope for multiple routes between the training ‘base’ and the test location, there is value to be gained in the course of such journeys. However, a ‘daily dash’ using a single route is obviously of limited value. Especially where the trainer uses more than one Test Centre. You might even find yourself ‘paired’ with a trainee in the latter stages of their training that is scheduled to take a test at a different centre to yourself.
Of course the counter argument is that a provider local to your home is better placed to advise on companies and employment opportunities within your area.
And having raised the question of ‘pairing’. Identify your own training needs. Would you prefer one-to-one training for set periods of hours, or would you prefer two people to a vehicle with frequent changeovers? It is commonly accepted that for most people, ‘absolute’ concentration begins to wane after about 90 minutes. Therefore, logically, in any four-hour session, the majority of that time would be spent with the individual performing ‘under par’. Having a second person in the vehicle provides a chance to relax and the time spent in the ‘non-driving’ seat is valuable in that situations can be assessed from a less stressful perspective.
Having identified your own needs, you next need to identify a trainer. Yellow pages is always a good start but tells you little of the quality of the training. Here again, if you have taken the ‘Agency’ route for advice, they will usually be in a position to indicate which companies have the better reputations.
In order to decide what best fulfils your needs it is first necessary to understand the market. Training providers fall broadly into four categories or levels, and some will undoubtedly operate in more than one of these categories. So diverse is the market. At the top of the tree are the companies that advertise nationally, but in reality, only serve as a Broker, connecting a customer with a local training provider, and charging a significant fee in the process.
At the next level are the National or Regional companies who, likewise advertise widely, but differ in that they use trainers with vehicles bearing their livery. These trainers will almost certainly be franchisees. These are usually one or two man businesses aligned to the core organisation for advertising and administration, but are essentially self-employed.
Below them are the Local or Regional training companies. These are self-contained organisations that may have several vehicles and trainers, and who undertake their own marketing and administration. The important difference here is that if a trainee has issues with the level of training, there will be someone on the premises to whom those concerns can be addressed, and, most importantly, will be in a position to initiate changes should they be required.
At the bottom end of the scale is the Sole Proprietor. The typical one man show who has been doing it for years, knows all the tricks and foibles, and may be willing to fill an empty seat at a discounted price provided you are available next week. The main disadvantage here is that, in order to provide for both categories of Licence, C+E training will often entail utilising the Category C vehicle hitched up to a trailer. Wagon and Drag. And whilst there is an advantage in continuing in a vehicle with which you are accustomed, if the employment market into which you are intending to seek employment is predominantly Artic based, then some reluctance to offer opportunities could follow.
Some will be members of the Driving Instructors’ Association and can be located through their web pages. HERE
When contacting training providers, obviously the initial questions will centre on price. But you should also be asking about costs (and waiting times) for re-tests. Consider the age and nature of the training vehicles. Whether you can have an Assessment drive. Some companies offer them free, others make a small charge. Just as you wouldn’t normally buy a car without having a test drive, so you shouldn’t be committing yourself to the ‘thick’ end of a £1,000 without first spending a few pounds doing some market research.
“Guaranteed Passes” are always an appealing consideration. But if “Passes” could always be “Guaranteed” then there would be no need for a driving test. This avenue will always involve a “Premium”. What one has to consider is what that ‘Premium’ actually covers. Does it pay for the re-Test? Does it pay for the hire of the vehicle and Instructor during, and perhaps more importantly, a practice session prior to, the re-Test(s)? Is there an Administration Fee involved? These are all questions that should be asked before committing oneself.
Engaging a Training Provider is like purchasing any other service. YOU are entering into a Contract, and you should be aware of what to expect from that contract. READ it, and if there is anything of which you are uncertain, ask for written clarification.
ASSESSMENT DRIVES
This is your opportunity to see what you will be getting for your money. It is your chance to examine the operation, the vehicles and the personalities. Are explanations given clearly? Is the mode of teaching ‘supportive’ or ‘critical’? Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are effectively considering ‘employing’ this provider; so don’t be afraid to interview them. You are probably going to spend up to eight hours a day with them and you both need to know that you can get on together. Pass Rates are something uppermost in people’s minds in this type of situation but beware. “Creative Accounting” can make such figures meaningless. A quoted pass rate of 90 or 95 per cent may mean nothing other than a “Drop-out” rate of 5 or 10 per cent. Or it might indicate a Pass Rate of when the instructor expected the trainee to pass, as opposed to being borderline or expected to fail. The person who replies, “I’m not the person taking the test and have no control over the result, and therefore do not quote figures” is probably being the most honest. Re-test costs and availability should also be explored.
However, you should expect to go away having been told of any obvious weaknesses in your manner of driving that you may choose to address in the intervening period.
PRE-TRAINING PREPARATION
Your instructor, whoever that might be, is there to acquaint you with handling a large vehicle. You are already a driver. You consider yourself to be a good driver, otherwise you wouldn’t be considering driving as a career. But how much do you know, and understand, about the Highway Code, and Road Signs. Do you really know the rules about Box Junctions? Rule 162. Signals and Position at Roundabouts. Many drivers passed their test when the then current thinking was that any exit beyond 12 o’clock required a right hand indicator. Rule 108. What does a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, travelling at 10mph or less actually look like? Slow down to check their speed, and you may miss an opportunity to overtake. Undue hesitation. Overtake when the examiner assesses the speed of such a road user to be significantly greater than 10mph, and you will be judged to have committed a traffic offence. Rule 109. You are in a long vehicle turning right at a junction with hatch markings, with preceding vehicles also awaiting gaps in the oncoming traffic flow. To remain clear of the hatch marking would impede following traffic from passing on the nearside. Do you drive over the hatch markings or not?
Given a typical traffic light junction with an ‘optional’ green filter for turning right, the average driver, on seeing the circular lamp display green, will be into the junction, either waiting for a gap, or waiting for the filter light. Put that same driver in a training vehicle, and they will invariably remain at the Stop line. The tar infill of the loop detection diamond that activates the filter light is clearly visible some twenty or thirty feet ahead, but still they sit there.
If you are expecting your instructor to have to teach you such basic rules, then you are wasting their time and, your money.
Two weeks or so before commencing training you should have ‘ditched’ the centre mounted mirror in your car. Point it upwards, downwards; cover it with tape, anything other than having it pointing rearwards.
Start practicing MSM - PSL - LAD. 
Not sure what it stands for? Then it’s time for a visit to John Farlam’s site. SmartDriving.
Whilst the site is essentially aimed at car driving, much of the information and techniques equally apply to drivers of larger vehicles.
The secret of good driving, whatever the vehicle, is to Look and Plan well ahead.
For example, the most effective way to avoid stalling or rolling backwards when moving off is to NOT have to stop. When approaching traffic lights on red, providing your vehicle, or a preceding vehicle, has ‘tripped’ the detection system, then low gear progress at ‘sauntering’ pace is perfectly acceptable, and also saves fuel.
Test routes for the various centres are now available, although there might be occasional variations due to traffic conditions. You might choose to visit the routes and identify any locations that pose particular problems when driving a larger vehicle. Assessing such hazards from the seat of a car is of limited value and more can be learned by stepping out of your car and watching how the drivers of other large vehicles approach, and negotiate the situation.
Do Not be tempted to try and follow a vehicle which you have identified as being on test. Neither the Examiner nor the candidate would appreciate such actions.