HGV Training

[Scania]

So presumably, you work a lot of hours in the job, to get a higher wage. Do you have enough spare hours to use the wage?

Absolutely, the more hours and the more unsocial the shift, the better the money.

I'm returning to work this week after 10 weeks off sick (!) to get back my lost earnings, I'll be doing Thursday > Tuesday one week, Thursday > Monday the Next and working nights.

Don't really want to work weekends, but, combining that with night shifts mean I'll get a good wage from it, and, be home every day.

After I've been back a few weeks, I'll go "tramping" for the duration of my working week, i.e. sleeping out in the truck.

 

[Freefaller]

It would be fun to go for an HGV licence, but I'd miss the money - though I know of some people touching the 30k a year salary which isn't too bad. It gets you out and about and /I can imagine it being quite interesting and varied. Do you get paid substantially more for international trunking routes?

 

[Scania]

It would be fun to go for an HGV licence, but I'd miss the money - though I know of some people touching the 30k a year salary which isn't too bad. It gets you out and about and /I can imagine it being quite interesting and varied. Do you get paid substantially more for international trunking routes?

Some people touch considerably more than £30k.

International work can pay very well, however, you can be away for anything upto a month or more, depending how international you want to be, so your social life is non-existent.

Any kind of long distance trucking is not a job, its more a way of life that pays a wage, when my daughters grown up, I fully intend to be driving on the continent,the way things are going I'd rather hand in my card than drive on the UK's roads in 10 years time.....

 

[FrostedNipple]

the way things are going I'd rather hand in my card than drive on the UK's roads in 10 years time.....

explain?

 

[Brando]

I was going to say how have you found the roads have changed in the last few years and what do you make of the future?

I've done quiet a bit of driving in Europe and it puts our roads to shame!!!!!

 

[Scania]

explain?

Brando puts it in a nutshell for me.


Overcrowded roads full of people in far too much of a rush to think about what they are doing, terrible attitude in general towards HGV drivers by both Joe public and Distribution Centres such as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons etc etc

The main thing for me though is the lack of driver facilities and the increase in crime against truckers - a knock on effect of closing truckstops, and the ones that are still open are an overpriced shambles.

The Motorway Services should hang their heads in particular shame.

Drive in the U.K. and get treated with contempt, drive in Europe and retain a little degree of pride in ones profession.

Hand in my card - send back my digital tachograph card - without which, I cannot drive a modern rig.

 

[Pants]

I was toying with the idea of getting a class 1 license a while back ;

What are the medical requirements for getting one - I am partially sighted in one of my eyes (Can't read out of it, can make out shapes and colours thouhg) - would this prevent me being allowed to drive a truck?

Yeah i'm partially sighted in one eye too. I have been reading the DVLA forms on this... but it's still not clear to me weather I can have a licence or not!

 

[Pants]

Hmmmmmmmmmm think my driving career is over before it started!

I've checked out the eyesight requirements in more detail here. Seems if one of your eyes is very weak then theres no hope of passing the medical basically. Bugger.