Looks like the time has come to hang up my driving gloves

[AlanW]

It's a double whammy for casual/agency drivers!
I get mine paid for by the company I work for. You will likely have to pay for it yourself plus lose the money you could have earned driving whilst sat in a classroom.

Yes, it would all have to be self funded so that's really nailed the decision for me now. Its a shame to let it slip away, but things have changed and I don't enjoy driving a car that much anymore let alone a HGV so I guess its time to move on

 

[AlanW]

But I would keep your original licence as proof that you once had HGV1 entitlement. I've read of many cases of people sending their licence off to the DVSA for whatever reason, and it being returned with some entitlement removed. It's been in the press re motorcyclists.

I still have my original leather bound HGV licence back in the day when it was a separate one to your car driving licence. It had multiple pages where you would stick the renewal notices from the Traffic Office. Now I do feel old.....

 

[Brandane]

It's a double whammy for casual/agency drivers!
I get mine paid for by the company I work for. You will likely have to pay for it yourself plus lose the money you could have earned driving whilst sat in a classroom.

This ^^^.
I would like to keep my hand in by doing the occasional agency job, but it just doesn't make any financial sense to do that. By the time you factor in cost of CPC, medical, and digi-card, you really need to be driving regularly to make it worthwhile.

Never mind the fact that at some point before next December I would need to use one week's holiday from my current job to do the utterly pointless CPC course, and pay £500 for the privilege.

 

[AlanW]

This ^^^.
I would like to keep my hand in by doing the occasional agency job, but it just doesn't make any financial sense to do that. By the time you factor in cost of CPC, medical, and digi-card, you really need to be driving regularly to make it worthwhile.

Never mind the fact that at some point before next December I would need to use one week's holiday from my current job to do the utterly pointless CPC course, and pay £500 for the privilege.

And while I sort of agree with the principle requirement for CPC training, it has a knock on effect which is why there is a national shortage of casual/agency HGV drivers. For those that drive full time and the course are funded, then great happy days. However, for everyone else its tough titty.....

 

[Brandane]

I sort of agree with the principle requirement for CPC training,

I sort of agree with it too, in principle. But as we all know, in practice it's a farce. No practical driver training involved at all, but you can fulfill your legal obligations by going along and doing the first aid course five times (unless that's changed in the last 4 years).
When I last did my CPC I spent 3 days listening to some blow-hard telling us all what a great driver he was - he'd been everywhere and done everything and wanted the whole world to know about it. But because I had actually paid good money to turn up and listen to him BS for 3 days, I had done my bit and got my CPC.. Absolutely farcical.
NB.. The other 2 days were with a different training company and were better - more on topic, but still nothing to do with what my job involved at the time. How to load a trailer with logs in the middle of a forest? Interesting, but not much use when you're transporting palletised air freight!

 

[smokeysmoo]

Does hitting 60 mean a more in depth medical than 55 was? Either way make sure to shop around. I had my medical at 45 a few months ago and 'only' paid £50 for it, my Doc wanted nearer to 100!

FWIW my CPC is due next year, and if I'm still in the same job I can't do it in work time so that will be 5 Saturdays ruined on the run up to September

 

[Brandane]

[QUOTE 5456742, member: 9609"]out of curiosity - what did they say about working alone?[/QUOTE]
Sorry; it was 4 years ago and although I said it was interesting, there might have been some sarcasm in that statement. I think my eyes had probably glazed over at that point, so the bottom line is ..... I can't remember!

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

I'm about 1mi away from a large ASDA distribution centre that uses a lot of agency temps for their weekend work, commonly new licence holders seeking a few extra reddies/experience.

Keep your hand in IMO, do a wee bit on the side to supplement the cycling/relaxing fund.. I've considered it myself!

 

[pjd57]

I ditched the Hgv bit on my license as like the OP I didn't need it for work and wasn't prepared to stump up £££ for the medical.

I hardly use the car bit now.

 

[Brandane]

I'm about 1mi away from a large ASDA distribution centre that uses a lot of agency temps for their weekend work, commonly new licence holders seeking a few extra reddies/experience.

Keep your hand in IMO, do a wee bit on the side to supplement the cycling/relaxing fund.. I've considered it myself!

Don't do what some poor sap on my last CPC course did, and spend around £1000 getting a class 2 HGV licence with the intention of making some extra cash at the weekends.

It wasn't until he did the driver's hours regulations module that he realised what his training school had forgotten to tell him - as his normal job involved working Monday to Friday, he could only legally drive an HGV one shift every third weekend (or it might be 2 but not on the same weekend; I'm getting rusty already, maybe one of the other drivers can confirm).

In these days of digital tachographs it's harder to get away with driving illegally, and seriously not worth it for the money on offer if you get caught. You are required to record your other job as "other work" on your tachograph.

 

[Dave7]

I am 60 in February next year and I've held my HGV1 licence since the age of 21, and in this morning post was my renewal for that licence. After initially being a full time HGV driver for a few years and being away from home four or five nights a week, it was later used more in conjunction with my role as a HGV fitter doing road tests and delivering/collecting vehicles.

As time moved on, as it does and I slowly moved more into office based roles but I used to do the odd driving jobs at a weekend: a) to top up the slush fund for bike related bits b) keep my hand in driving large vehicles.

To be honest over the years it has got me out of so many financial predicaments as I have been made redundant four times during my working life. And while seeking full time work that is more suitable to my skill set, one phone call to my regular driving agency and the next day I can be working. Not ideal jobs some times, and usually its the crap that the full time drivers didn't want to do, centre of London delivers on a Saturday afternoon in an artic for example!

A few years ago once again I was dealt yet another bitter blow and was made redundant and I opted to return to driving full time. Large utility company with regular hours, no overtime and staying within a 60 miles radius of home, what's not to like about that I thought. But within a few weeks I realised that I had made a huge mistake, traffic congestion, knob head drivers and so bored doing the same route over and over again. But it was paying the bills which was the main thing till I found something more suitable.

Okay it took me 18 months, but I finally found another full time role which has no involvement driving HGVs at all and I have been in this role for coming up to fours years now and its about as secure as any job can be I suppose.

Its fair to say that I have no aspirations to ever drive an HGV again, crowded roads, possible long and uncertain hours, early starts and late finishes, to many knob heads etc, but part of me thinks that it would be a shame to let it lapse, given also the fact that I have contemplated the thought of possible early retirement next year and it may be a "easy" route to find the odd days work.

That said its going to be the best part of a couple of hundred quid for the medical and new tacho card, and it certainly wouldn't be my first option to consider if I needed work.

Is that artic' as well.
Many years I drove 3 1/2 tonners but nothing bigger. I was always fascinated when watching artic drivers reverse around corners and into tight spaces.
There is a narrow(ish) lane I go down twice a week and often there is an artic' delivering farm foods. He has it off to a fine art as he pulls forward and most times reverses in 1st time. When I first saw him do it I thought "no chance". Ha ...straight in.

 

[AlanW]

Is that artic' as well.
Many years I drove 3 1/2 tonners but nothing bigger. I was always fascinated when watching artic drivers reverse around corners and into tight spaces.
There is a narrow(ish) lane I go down twice a week and often there is an artic' delivering farm foods. He has it off to a fine art as he pulls forward and most times reverses in 1st time. When I first saw him do it I thought "no chance". Ha ...straight in.

To be honest, I always found reversing an artic much easier than a rigid, unless it was a blind side reverse......hated doing those with affection!

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I let mine lapse when I was 50 along with my PCV, I wasn't really using it, hadn't used it in a couple of years, I do miss it, but hopefully with rose tinted, never really did it as a full time job but it was handy to have as my other contracts ended & before picking up the next. I do think it would be good still to have it so I could do a few weekends, but I'm not paying out for CPC so my days are behind me.

 

[Archie_tect]

Alan, if you need to earn some quick money you can always get a temp job driving vans or a luton, with your experience, you'd get loads of work!

 

[albal]

Similar story. Tho a few years younger. Been a freelance since millennium, my dcpc is due September next year, not interested in sitting in a classroom for x5 days. Did the whole lot in a day 1st time round. I am interested in the first aid course 5 times tho. As I,vve been driving 30 + years I already know everything .