I am looking to get my Class 2 license as soon as possible. I currently work in an office which i absolutely hate. Always loved driving and always had a fascination with HGV’s so I’ve decided I’m going to take the leap as I believe this is somthing I will enjoy doing.
I’m currently on £9ph, 37.5 hours per week - Take home roughly £1250 per month
I’ve been looking at Class 2 jobs around my area (Sheffield) and the wages seem to vary quite widely for Class 2 as do the hours.
What i am wondering, as a newly passed Class 2 driver, can i expect to jump into a job and be earning at least the same amount as what I am earning now in my current job? I understand the pay wont be as good as what it is with experience behind you, but I really can’t afford to take a pay cut off my current wages.
Also, how realistic is it to take home £2000+ per month for class 2 driving, with or without experience?
Hi. Started with an agency this week. £10.50 an hour PAYE. Haven’t yet looked into the LTD option yet. I’m a new pass. Had my first shift on Tuesday although it rolled into Wednesday. If you are prepared to graft for 6 months or so I reckon you’ll be fine. Hardest physical work I’ve done in over 20 years or so but I’m back in later out of choice. Character building is how I’m viewing it. Many muscles aching just so you know but it’ll get better and I’ll get stronger. Good luck.
You won’t go far with shepherd distribution on steel multi drop delivery out of Sheffield I started with them it dose 3things 1 gets you to find your way round the country 2 long hours and nights out give you a perspective to if this job is for you or not 3 if you like it they will help you to progress to get your class 1 but do thay you in for 2 years but it dose fly by I stayed I now have 4 trucks of my own good learning curve
carter1:
I really can’t afford to take a pay cut off my current wages.
Also, how realistic is it to take home £2000+ per month for class 2 driving, with or without experience?
I’m all for taking a gamble when you’re in a job you hate, so from that point of view, go for it, but only if you can accept the uncertainties: even with a pass you may very well struggle to find a job, you may have to start with an agency so hours and pay will be subject to massive fluctuations.
But… speaking purely from my own experience, if you’re lucky you might find a job that won’t require a pay cut from your £1250 per month, but I doubt you’ll be doing 37.5 hours a week to get it. Also it won’t be office hours so it’s going to impact on family life, if that is a consideration for you.
As for £2000+ per month, there may have been once or twice I got somewhere near that with my last job, but I personally don’t find that to be a realistic scenario overall.
I am looking to get my Class 2 license as soon as possible. I currently work in an office which i absolutely hate. Always loved driving and always had a fascination with HGV’s so I’ve decided I’m going to take the leap as I believe this is somthing I will enjoy doing.
I’m currently on £9ph, 37.5 hours per week - Take home roughly £1250 per month
I’ve been looking at Class 2 jobs around my area (Sheffield) and the wages seem to vary quite widely for Class 2 as do the hours.
What i am wondering, as a newly passed Class 2 driver, can i expect to jump into a job and be earning at least the same amount as what I am earning now in my current job? I understand the pay wont be as good as what it is with experience behind you, but I really can’t afford to take a pay cut off my current wages.
Also, how realistic is it to take home £2000+ per month for class 2 driving, with or without experience?
Thanks,
Carter
Why not apply for jobs and only make the switch if/when you get a position which fulfills your requirements for hours/pay if you’re so dependent on your current one
As for 2k take home for class 2, I don’t think so - yeah…no. Certainly not as a new pass. Maybe in London, idk.
My first Class 2 Job was £11.50 at 11.25 hours paid per day (Agency deducted breaks) on a 4 on-4 off basis at DHL Supply Chain at Gatwick Airport, which was £517.50 per week before tax - It was the most labour intensive work I ever did. I was eating and drinking crap and the weight was still falling off - I lasted 6 months ish and was far from one of the new guys at the end of that.
I’ve since done work on agency at £10 and £11 per hour (General haulage moving pallets of paper and all sorts and then plant delivery to building sites, like Cherry Pickers for example) Then I got into £15 an hour at Hermes, which to be fair wasn’t totally terrible depending on which drops you got and which indoor staff shift you had per shift.
Then I got into RM and been happy there since.
If I was you, I’d pop in to your local office of nationwide agencies like The Best Connection, Manpower, Pertemps etc and see if there is much work for new Class 2 drivers and what the realistic pay rates are like on PAYE (Or LTD if you prefer that option)
You might need to be prepared to take on a crap Class 2 job for 6 months to gain that first bit of experience, then move onto something else.
To get through class 2 will cost at least £1500 with all costs to get the license provided you pass first time.
I too am looking for a change of career in Sheffield/ Chesterfield area but was highly surprised at the pay rates for class 2. Even class 1 wages raised an eyebrow. I’m on 37 hours at £11.50 an hour / £17.50 over 37 hours for overtime. After my 8 hour shift I leave. What I’m trying to get across is the grass isn’t always greener. Wages for driving are lagging behind. Add on to a 12 hour shift your commute time and you could be looking at a 14 hour day for a little more you are getting now. Add to the uncertainty of the job market and agency work with no secure work to build up your experience.
But in the end you have to be happy as life is too short. I would take your class 2 on weekend off/week off and still keep your old job. In your holidays apply to agencies to build experience. Then wait until the ideal job comes along. Check out Peter Smythe training. There are jobs for class 2 paying £11 an hour but you will struggle to hit the £2k mark.
Just a further thought, take the class 2 and then keep your old job, and just work a Saturday or Sunday at your leisure via an agency you will be quids in and then over time you can decide if you really want to do it full time, you might feel differently.
With regards to your office job, they are generally much harder to obtain and are generally more secure than driving lorries, my advice is to hang in there and look for a better one. Working in the office for a good organisation in a positive culture may change your views, plus you can still blow of the cobwebs in a truck whenever you want. Furthermore, you could do evening classes to better your situation
I have done trucking full time and office fulltime, when I mixed the two I appreciated both and got sick of neither.