Licence help please

[Minibiker]

Hi all

So i was meant to have my Driving test on the 9th of April, Obviously Covid put that on hold so i'm due to do it when everything's back to normal... Once i pass i'm looking to get my truck licence, my aim is to do Tipper driving so will need to do that licence,

I'm just wondering if there are any truckers on here that could give me any pointers, Information or helpful advice towards it..

Also will i need to go for a 7.5 licence before i can go to the rigid bigger trucks?

Thanks

 

[Minibiker]

You'll need a cat C license (Class 2 in old money), and you can go straight to that without a C1 (7.5t)

You'll typically do a weeks driving course, then have a test at the end.
Prior to that, you'll need to pass a medical to get your provisional licence, and you'll also have to do your driver's CPC, and get a Tacho card before you can drive for commercial purposes, unless you happen to get job where you'll be exempt, but tipper driving isn't likely to be one. I'm exempt from CPC training, as I'm only driving for repair purposes or to test centres.

Thanks for this information... I'm glad I can go straight onto the Class 2 that will save me some money not having to get the 7.5 tonne licence...

I have the theory book and have been reading through it, there's a lot of questions

So do I need to have a medical, get my provisional and CPC before I can go for my test or is that once I've passed I must get all that to go for a job?

 

[Minibiker]

You need the medical to get your provisional. Then you need your theory to go for your practical.

Then IIRC you go for your CPC training after your practical, as a certain amount of the CPC is practical based. I can remember you have to average 35hrs (5 days) CPC training every five years, but to get it you have to do the full 35hours to start with. Once you have it, the best option is to try and get a days training every year, rather than wait for the five years to be up.
Although I've never done any CPC training, it can't be hard given some of the idiots I've dealt with. I'm surprised some of them manage to get themselves dressed in the morning, let along be capable of driving anything bigger than dodgem, although I've met plenty who do drive lorries like a dodgem...

OK brilliant, I always heard drivers at my old job talking about CPC and renewing it every so often... Hahah I bet you've seen some characters, ive only ever seen videos of some bad truck driving although saying that our train bridge in Swindon seems to get hit a lot every year by people because they forget how big their truck is

 

[Minibiker]

Not much to add, Medical (speak to your GP to ensure you don't have any medical issues with HGV driving) oh and why for the love of God do you want to be a tipper driver? - Chasing your tail all day long, paid by the load, filthy work, often old and hammered trucks.

Give me a run down a motorway in a high spec artic any day!

My best advice having spent 8 years on Class 2 (C) before getting my Class 1 (C+E), get your Class 1 as soon as possible! - Better trucks, generally cleaner work, usually hourly pay (you don't want a job that doesn't pay for sitting in a queue such as at a quarry....) easier work usually and often higher rates of pay.
My office (when I'm not on furlough leave :/ )

Thanks for your info mate... I don't know why but I've always loved tippers, maybe if I was to spend a day in one working I may be put off I would love to drive a bigger one but the price of the test scares me abit I'd happily do motorway miles in a nice Scania or something along those lines, what sort of work would you consider if you was just getting your class 2 licence?

(Nice office by the way, always loved Scania's)

 

[Minibiker]

CPC works a bit differently when you do it the first time. It's much less hassle then the 35 hours. You do an extra theory test (which you can do at the same time as your HGV theory), it's fairly similar to the theory test but instead of stand alone questions you have to read a case study and then answer questions based on it.

You also do an extra practicle test, no driving involved you just need to point at the lorry and possibly show the examiner how to use a racthet strap.

When you apply for your class c provisional also tick the box for class d as well. Saves you having to have another medical if you then want to become a bus driver.

Once you you're up and running you will need to do 35 hours of training every 5 years (in 8 hour blocks). You could do 1 day a year or wait till the last minuter and do 5 days on the trot.

If you don't already have a look on youtube for a chappy called luke C in an HGV. He's a tipper driver and he's from swindon so everything you aspire to be.

I currently drive on agency for the Coop. It suits me because I have another job which is very inconsistent, but much more fun.

The theory seem to be a lot of questions so a lot of revising for me, how did you find it and what's the pass mark?

Yeah I've subscribed to Luke C, he's been working for Earthline for a few months now, I seen he came back from doing bigger/heavier work before.

Do you find there is more work out there for truck driving? How is the job compared to any previous work you've done in life?

 

[Minibiker]

On class 2 you'll be offered mainly multi-drop shop deliveries which is hard graft but soon teaches you where you can & can't take an HGV, the difference with class 1 is you mainly deliver full loads to RDC's (regional distribution centres) where your load is split down and sent out in smaller trucks, generally tipper companies want experienced drivers by the nature of where they go to load & unload, many off-road loading & delivery locations etc which is where experience is everything.

Ultimately, once you've passed your Class 2 you accept whatevers offered, and much of the work will be of the type nobody else wants, until you get experience your stuck in a bit of a vicious circle, once you've got a bit of experience and more importantly established yourself with a few employment agencies (usually the best option for new starters) you soon find your being asked to go back for another shift if you've proved to be able to do the job, equally, if you can't you won't be asked back!

Ignore the cost of the Class 1 (C+E) license, over your potential career span it'll pay for itself many many times over and theres many more Class 1 jobs readily available than Class 2 and you'd recoup the training costs within your first year or so simply because Class 1 usually pays a little more than Class 2.

Use Class 2 as a springboard into Class 1 (which it is as you have to pass the Class 2 first) , take your Class 1 as soon as you can afford to once passing Class 2, the longer you drive rigids for before learning Class 1, the harder it is to learn to drive them, believe me, especially reversing.

And remember you'll get a full size 44t artic in places an 18t rigid wouldn't have a prayer of a chance, despite being so much bigger, their maneuverability is remarkably better, they are actually far easier to drive, more comfortable, better specced, usually 1 or two drops per day instead of multiple and, you won't be known as a "Puddle Jumper"

When you say multi-drop is that pallets and cages or Heavy goods that can be carried like Oak furniture delivery?

Well i'm a grafter so i'm hoping once i'm in a workplace they'll keep me Always happy to work the extra hours or go the extra mile (excuse the pun) The cost was one thing that threw me back a bit but like you say that will be earned back over the years.... Yeah i can imagine they're quite a steep learning curve especially reversing, I can do it really good on ETS2

It's one job i've said i'll happily do and wanted to be since a kid... Some of the drivers we've had at work reverse a 44t double decker onto a bay door like its a smart car, I'm like 'How the hell did he do that'

 

[Minibiker]

If you have the money, doing your class 1 straight after your class 2 is a good idea as you will still be in the mindset to drive to test standard before getting into bad habits.
Where you live my dictate what type jobs are available in your area.
Don't be afraid to try everything until you find a job that suits you. Trucking is like marmite. I've been doing multidrop for nearly 20 years as I despise trunking or RDC work, other drivers cry if they are asked to do so much as open the trailer doors. There's plenty of choice out there to find your niche.
Your licence is your income, the first pointy shoed desk clerk that pressures you to do something illegal walk away, cowboy operators are dwindling but they still exist. Avoid them, your licence is a job for life, but not if you lose it.
Most importantly, if you've no experience of this kind of work.... transport is an unpredictable job. Things can, and will go wrong. Don't ever plan on being home for a fixed time. If you rely on having to be home for childcare, or some other commitment that has to be done on a work day, forget a career in transport. Breakdowns, a motorway pileup, a slow Tesco warehouse will see you sleeping in the truck instead of getting home. It doesn't take much to turn a 9 hour day into a 15 hour day, few other jobs are like that, so be prepared.

I'm guessing your enjoying the multidrop work... Is that cages and pallets? Do you get many drops in a day?

Yeah I can imagine you'd run into a few delays doing truck driving especially if you do motorway miles, there always seems to be delays/diversions in place...

 

[Minibiker]

Sorry, I somehow missed this.

We do general haulage, pallet distribution and overnight pallet deliveries as part of a network - Palletline - so multi drop could be a trailer full of overnight pallets or a mix of pallets, machinery pretty much whatever.

Our primary customers are a tile adhesive manufacturer, light construction equipment, heavy construction equipment and a pottery / tableware manufacturer, add to that pretty much anything that’s non hazardous can - and is - sent on the overnight network so you find yourself delivering weird stuff to unusual places.

One random item I delivered prior to furlough was a Rolls Royce Merlin engine to an RAF storage depot!

it’s quite varied, less so if you drive for a haulier with one primary customer.

The reversing comes with practice and experience, it’s easy to spot experienced drivers over inexperienced ones, especially when reversing an artic!

my biggest problem isn’t with the truck, it’s I can’t park my car for love nor money , I’m always a good foot or more away from the kerb when I parallel park, I guess I’m far more used to parking a much wider vehicle than my car...

Ahhh so you get pretty much anything across the country... I bet you get to go in some special places.. Yeah I think if enjoy the work going to different places delivering different stuff, heavy or light loads...

Ohh really so you can park your massive lorry in spaces but not a smaller car I hope you don't have a smart car or something really tiny

 

[Minibiker]

I didn't realise you needed a provisional when learning to drive a HGV. For some reason I always presumed you could use your car licence as a provisional. You learn something everyday on here.

They are screaming out for tipper drivers around here as there are six quarries in a 10 mile radius and double that in a twenty mile radius.

Yeah exactly what i thought regarding the licence... I just looked on agency sites and there seems to be a lot of Class 2 drivers wanted, That may be a way to get my foot in the door

 

[Minibiker]

Get your class 1 and do some heavy haulage recovery, when the big trucks break the bigger trucks come out to play.

Righting a fully laden 44t at on a soaking wet M25 at 3am on Monday morning is oddly, fun. Until the airbags rip or you can't get the prop off the broken down coach anyway.

Glad I'm in IT now but do miss my cab sometimes.

I'd love to do heavy haulage and have a police escort

What made you leave Trucking?

 

[Minibiker]

The company I worked for suffered in the 2008 recession and laid off a lot of drivers, did the agency shuffle for a couple of years and hated it so took a Civil Servant role that didn't require any HGV driving.

Ahh i see, Would you go back on the roads again?

There’s a reason for that, it’s usually paid by the load rather than by the hour, relatively trashed vehicles, filthy etc.

For the same money - or more - your sat in an RDC waiting room whilst your drinking coffee, paid by the hour, with a usually decent spec tractor waiting for you once your done.

Having tried tipper work years back before I got my class 1, I wouldn’t do it again, unless the money was too good to turn down, which it isn’t!

Anyway, furlough surprisingly ended today, back in after two months tomorrow.

Can’t wait!

That's suprised me i didn't realise they pay per load I bet your looking forward to going back tomorrow, What hours do you work?

 

[Minibiker]

Many do, some don't although pay by the load is usually the reason tipper drivers have one style - foot to the floor - and you can't blame them, to a degree.

Yes, very much looking forward to being back, as I understand it, my rig has stood whilst I've been off so I'm hopeful there's no damage / wear that wasn't present prior to my being furloughed.

Normally, I start at 4AM and pretty much max out my weekly hours - 70+ hours wasn't uncommon, not all of that was driving, out of my 90 hour fortnightly driving limit, I used to be anywhere between 50 and 80 hours on average.

I won't know for sure until I get back into it, but, given most companies are still closed, and those restarting are on much-reduced output, I'm not expecting to be doing huge hours, I start @ 06:30 tomorrow instead of 4AM, tbh I don't even know if this is permanent, part time or ad-hock - I could very well be back on furlough next week, instead of planning weeks ahead as per usual, I would not be surprised to find its now very much a day to day scenario with work peaking and troughing daily....

So is that cab only yours to drive or do you get different ones every so often?

Atleast your getting a bit of a later start, Some long days for you but i bet the hours fly by when your on the road.

 

[Minibiker]

That shows you've got the basics, ie how the trailer behaves, what angles etc you need which many drivers struggle to grasp even after years at it!

A word of cautious advice though, I'll confidently put a 13.6M tri-axle trailer pretty much anywhere you ask me to, so long as its feasible, I can't reverse on ETS2 however for crap!

Ive always been interested in trucks and how they work and have some sort of idea regarding movements ie reversing with a trailer you steer opposite kind of thing, i know about winding legs down, removing airlines.. i saw a youtube video earlier where the guy said there is no need to adjust the cab height when detaching but i always thought it's best to do that

Nice to see you have company on your travels, Atleast they have masks on

 

[Minibiker]

Don’t take too much heed from YouTube, to my mind a driver that doesn’t drop his suspension whilst uncoupling a trailer - especially one that’s loaded - is lazy or incompetent, or both.

Adjustable height suspension is standard fit on your most basic specced artic for a reason.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ll find a whole host of interesting and informative stuff in YouTube but also a lot of crap.

Such as this I uploaded it years back , I taped my phone to my mudguard looking back at the trailer, it does show how the trailer behaves as you turn, tbh I’m just surprised the phone didn’t fall off....

Yeah I have always assumed its good to lower the cab suspension when detaching the trailer, where I worked before I used to watch the night drivers hitch up and detach so learnt a bit off them...

That video is a good angle you should do more but use a go pro just so you don't lose your phone the seen to stay in position when turning which must make things abit more difficult

@Josh I bet that was a pleasure to be moving such stunning vehicles... Atleast you have the licence now if you want to go back... What was London like to drive a lorry around, its bad enough at times walking round it

 

[Minibiker]

Cheers @rpmmatt helpful post

@Josh I bet it was fun but I'm sure there were times when someone made a stupid move around you, like cyclists going up the inside etc

Do you guys have any tips regarding theory? I've got the newer book to help but do you find it easier to write stuff down as there is a lot

 

[Minibiker]

Practice, practice and practice some more - pretty much the same as how you prepare for your practical test tbh.

Look on the bright side, you can do it online these days, I spent hours reading the same Theory test book endlessly....

I'd be on this or similar if I were you mate.

https://www.safedrivingforlife.info...-tests/large-goods-vehicles-practice-test-one

I've been reading through the questions in the book I have, I know the answer to a fair few of the questions in the first section, any I'm not sure of or didn't know I've written down in a notepad..

Cheers bud I will look at the link and get practicing... I seen a post of yours about being back at work, hope it's not to quiet

 

[Minibiker]

Absolutely flat out at the moment, basically playing post lockdown catch up for a lot of customers, after this backlog is cleared though, I have my doubts.

Ohh really hopefully it will stay at a nice pace for you lot

 

[Minibiker]

lol
Our CPC training !!

very productive by the looks of it

 

[Minibiker]

A little question for you all, i'm currently reading through the theory book about braking systems and air lines.. It states about a Red line, YELLOW line and Blue line..

Could you please explain what line does what and are they always the these colours or do they change?

I found out what the colours mean but a more in depth explanation would be a great help

Red - Emergency
Yellow - Service Line
Blue - Auxiliary

Thanks

 

[Minibiker]

@Scania cheers bud some very helpful info there and the videos are great, I will watch the whole of that blokes video as he seems to know his stuff, love the way he does the reverse and then says 'that's it, easy'

In the book it also says if the trailer has a 3rd air line you do not connect it, why is that?