Class 1 HGV licence

[peester]

Anyone here had/got/doing one?
general opinions on an average guy's attempt @ success..??

Word on the street is many foreign drivers (dependant on licence spec.) in a year and bit's time are gonna have to go packing,.. calling for more class 1's..

Its a bizarre career choice ive got in my head at the mo lol

[General Baxter]

its piss easy, just have to remember your 40ft long lol

think it cost about £2k when i done it lol

[m1c]

i looked into this, got to do class 2 first then wait a few weeks before class 1.
i work for a factory and drive the shunter unit which is a basic cab for moving trailers around site so dont need a license for it, have enquired about this before. ive phoned agencys before when talk of redundancys came up but was told that its a catch 22. cost lots of money to pass the tests, but unless you got at least 2 years experience not many companys take you on due to insurance reasons, and lets face it, most driving jobs are done thru agencys these days.

but thats only from what ive heard, ive not actually done it.

[Hobbit]

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p72/wiggardywoo/img007.jpg

:) what do you want to know?

Cost about 2k when I did it, as said you have to class 2 then class 1

It is harder then the car test so if you can get a course with a couple of extra tries do it.

I did my class 2 got a couple of years experience then did my class 1 (best way imo)

[bazil]

My class C cost me less than £150 and if I go for my class one it will only cost me £120!!

The thing is you don't have to go to a driving school to get your test, I borrowed one of mt gaffers 8 wheel tippers and sat my test in it and passed first time with only 4 minor faults, if you want more info on doing it this way let me know and I'll give you the full story.

[Hobbit]

^law has changed now, tests have to been done in a box/curtain sided wagon. Just so you know if you end up doing it that .

[bazil]

I only passed my test two years ago, and the DSA does not specify what type of vehicle you have to use, the vehicle MUST be no shorter than 9 meters, MUST have atleast 1 passangers seat, MUST have blind spot mirrors on both sides, the body of the truck MUST be as wide as the cab AND atleast the same height as the cab for the lenght of the vehicle, standard L plates are used, our scania 8 leggers are 9.2 long, 2.6 wide and 3.8 high, it's totaly legal and the DSA are happy to give you all the information you need, I've been driving farm crap all my days and been driving road sweepers since 2000 so passing was pretty easy for me,

I ain't talking crap this can be done BUT if you've never driven a large vehicle before you will fail!

[db_1.2]

Whats pay like on a class 1 then? Both my Grandfathers drive class 1, and both say it isnt great pay. I got offered to drive class 2 for £500 a week once....

[Hobbit]

money is usually crap to begin with but gets better once you've got experience

[Ste L]

i looked into this, got to do class 2 first then wait a few weeks before class 1.
i work for a factory and drive the shunter unit which is a basic cab for moving trailers around site so dont need a license for it, have enquired about this before. ive phoned agencys before when talk of redundancys came up but was told that its a catch 22. cost lots of money to pass the tests, but unless you got at least 2 years experience not many companys take you on due to insurance reasons, and lets face it, most driving jobs are done thru agencys these days.

but thats only from what ive heard, ive not actually done it.



thats what a lad at our work said, done all the test's and passed them, but cant find work, because everyone wants experiance etc

[bazil]

if you just get your licence most companies wont take you on till you have around two years experience, your only other option is by getting a job with or through a friend or try agency work but thats usually multi drop :(

[db_1.2]

money is usually crap to begin with but gets better once you've got experience

I see on the back of tesco HGV's they advertise £600 a week, but you could be working all hours for that. Suppose like everything, you work hard enough, youll get paid well

[peester]

ok, do all those with a class 1 drive for a living then?
nick, do you hate truck driving or summat..
ill read the replies properly later.

[db_1.2]

If your looking to drive for a living, my dad owns a courier type business. And he reckons his self employed drivers get paid a ''good'' wage, as they get paid per drop

Try out driverconnection.co.uk i think it is, not sure if it still works as i havnt been on there for a year or so

[peester]

that driverconnection link looks like the usual scam/sales/dodgy thing..
you not go on the site yourself to see, if its been over a year or so..?

[db_1.2]

that driverconnection link looks like the usual scam/sales/dodgy thing..
you not go on the site yourself to see, if its been over a year or so..?
Ill have a quick gander mate:thumb:

Yeh it does look that way!

[Hobbit]

I drive class 1 milk tankers, hours are rubbish, money is ok.

[db_1.2]

I drive class 1 milk tankers, hours are rubbish, money is ok.

We got a ''milk factory'' down here in Westbury, Wiltshire, ever visited?

[Hobbit]

Nope, go to Chard junction and Stroud

[db_1.2]

Nope, go to Chard junction and Stroud

Ahhh i see, i know a few people who drive milk tankers. Ever though of becoming an ice road truckerlol

[Hobbit]

Drove a couple of days in the snow. So its a case of done that, got the tshirt. :)

[Mazz]

many foreign drivers in a year and bit's time are gonna have to go packing

Watching them trying to back on a bay is hilarious, so i'm not at all surprised at all..

They can drive 3000+ miles forward, but ask them them to reverse round a corner and they are screwed!!

[mowgli]

i've had a class 1 since 1995.

driving in itself is a pleasure...

traffic, ar$ehole gatemen/transport office clerks/forklift drivers etc, and driving like a maniac to chase a loading deadline are not.

the hours are long, but the pay can be good.

tescos only pay £600+ for people on permanent weekend nights over a bank holiday.....,...

get a class2 & look about for work.

remember this, if you get your licence now & look for a job tomorrow, you have no experience....
but if you get your licence now & look for a job next year, you've got a years 'experience' and are more employable...


we have just had one of our labourers train & pass his class2 & driver cpc thing. he will be put onto our 13 tonner crane lorry in about 2 weeks & will build up to an eight wheeler over time. he's 29 & doesn't want to spend the rest of his days on a shovel, and our haulage company is expanding, so it just fitted in well.

[Edd]

foreign lgv drivers should be banned imo.

shocking skills to say the least.

we get the gatehouse to call us up to say ones coming, 7 loading bays trashed in the last 18 months cause of them.

one even pulled off the bay with with the trailer still being loaded.:eek: