PCV Licence..

[TW]Fox · 19 Jul 2007 at 16:30

West said:
a lot of the fleet round here are all newer

It's still in production.

West · 19 Jul 2007 at 16:45

[TW]Fox said:
It's still in production.

I really dont care what kind of Bus I drive to be honest lol, but driving for me isnt just a neccecaty, its a hobby and I enjoy it a lot... if I dont enjoy doing the bus driving, at least with the licence I can move into another job if I want..

Mr Joshua · 19 Jul 2007 at 16:48

This sounds like a good route for your LGV licence.

Hopefully you should be able to sail through the class 2 test since you'll be used to driving a vehicle that size and then it's onto the class 1.

West · 19 Jul 2007 at 16:52

Mr Joshua said:
This sounds like a good route for your LGV licence.

Hopefully you should be able to sail through the class 2 test since you'll be used to driving a vehicle that size and then it's onto the class 1.

According to my sisters bfs Stepmum, you get automatic entitlement as it is classed as a HGV licence, so you get the automatic entitlement to any vehicle upto 7.5t..

icyshore · 19 Jul 2007 at 17:12

Found this, thought it might help

As a general guideline:

* lorry entitlements can upgrade bus entitlements
* bus entitlements can not upgrade lorry entitlement
* both lorry and bus entitlements can upgrade car entitlements

For further information regarding staging or upgrading of vehicle category entitlements, you can write to:
Customer Enquiries (Drivers) Group
DVLA
Sandringham Park
Swansea
SA7 0E

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/WhatCanYouDriveAndYourObligations/DG_4022548

West · 3 Aug 2007 at 23:22

Bit of an update.

After all the postal strikes, I had a reply from Travel West Midlands, another company who operate in my local area. They have invited me for a formal interview and driving assesment, meaning i've gotta drive like a saint for an hour with a bloke sat in with me lol.

Roll on the 16th

wez130 · 4 Aug 2007 at 18:33

my mate works for arriva on the buses, he's lucky if he manages to pick up over £200/week wages.

johnny6 · 4 Aug 2007 at 21:21

I've got a friend who has a PCV licence and worked on the buses for about 18 months, he ended up leaving because of all the abuse he got from certain types of people.

Have this company got a clause in the contract which allows them to recoup their training costs directly from you if you leave within a certain amount of time?

BigglesPiP · 4 Aug 2007 at 21:31

You used to be able to get your PSV at 18, but have a limited mileage until you're 21.

s0ck · 5 Aug 2007 at 02:45

Have you thought about becoming a delivery driver, perhaps?
Shunting around in an empty Merc (5 cyl) sprinter can be fun...

I love driving but I couldn't imagine anything more boring than driving a bus and as Fox points out, the responsibility/salary scale is a little one sided.

West · 5 Aug 2007 at 02:58

s0ck said:
Have you thought about becoming a delivery driver, perhaps?
Shunting around in an empty Merc (5 cyl) sprinter can be fun...

I love driving but I couldn't imagine anything more boring than driving a bus and as Fox points out, the responsibility/salary scale is a little one sided.

The salery with the company i've applied for is a little more convincing.

Starter for the first year you begin on £7.50 an hour, and obviously Double time for un-socialble etc.

After a year, it then increments and after 5 years going upto £10 an hour

plus an extra days holiday a year.. and according to the description, they said that theres a review in progress, so hopefully that will be an increase as well.

.:MBK:. · 5 Aug 2007 at 03:07

driving jobs have always tempted me, im a loner, and anything that pays more tha 5.50ph is a winner in my books rofl

Cupra · 5 Aug 2007 at 03:19

West said:
although I can drive any vehicle upto 7.5t now im 18... Confusing!

i believe that your stuck with a 3.5 tonne max on your licence unless you passed before januay 2001 m8 tbh

West · 5 Aug 2007 at 03:28

paul_64l said:
i believe that your stuck with a 3.5 tonne max on your licence unless you passed before januay 2001 m8 tbh

I am able to do a PCV, the only conditions are that I cannot travel a route that exceeds 50km, and I wont be able to drive the double deckers...

.:MBK:. said:
driving jobs have always tempted me, im a loner, and anything that pays more tha 5.50ph is a winner in my books rofl

heh, same. Im on just over £7 at my current job answering the phone, atleast if I get this i'll be able to Drive, which is atleast something I enjoy

pinkaardvark · 5 Aug 2007 at 06:26

If you want a job as a driver you may want to consider a job for citylink or one of the other couriers, also a job working for any of the big high street stores that do deliveries.. many of them you work as self employed and they give you an allowance for the vehicle and the sign writing, but the pay is vastly more than £7 an hour. If you do that for a while and get a bit of money behind you you may want to consider setting up you own courier and house removals firm, I know a number of people who work self employed in this industry and there is good money to be made.

Scania · 5 Aug 2007 at 06:30

West said:
it gives me a step up to eventually doing my class 1, this automatically gives you class 2 entitlement

I think you'll find you still have to do your class 2 first, before class 1 mate - bus entitlements can not upgrade lorry entitlement, thus, I think you can't simply class yourself as a class 2 with a pcv licence.

You won't find many fully automatic trucks (7.5 ton ot otherwise) most are semi-auto which still require a full manual licence.

This

is the gear leaver from a Mercedes Actros - it still has a clutch pedal.....

Trucking > Bussing any day of the week!

Must dash, I'm off to go trucking for the day! :rolleyes:

233 · 5 Aug 2007 at 06:41

pfft buses trucks

become a taxi driver

taxi>truck>bus

better money, you get to choose what you drive (and can mod it) you get to rip people off talk cobblers and perv at the laydees(and more) and get paid a decent amount of money for doing so.

[TW]Fox · 5 Aug 2007 at 10:41

West said:
heh, same. Im on just over £7 at my current job answering the phone, atleast if I get this i'll be able to Drive, which is atleast something I enjoy

Driving a Minibus full of old people is not really the same experience as chucking your Mini around..

ste_bla · 5 Aug 2007 at 10:46

sormicoft said:
pfft buses trucks

become a taxi driver

taxi>truck>bus

better money, you get to choose what you drive (and can mod it) you get to rip people off talk cobblers and perv at the laydees(and more) and get paid a decent amount of money for doing so.

Without holiday or sick pay, and no guaranteed money

Although I'm currently working towards it

West · 6 Aug 2007 at 01:11

[TW]Fox said:
Driving a Minibus full of old people is not really the same experience as chucking your Mini around..

True, but its still driving.. might as well do it for a couple of years, if I dont like it atleast i'll have the experience as a 'professional' driver (notice the inverted commas

) to fall back on should I decide to go into haulage or something similar.