Getting a HGV licence

Designator

Im currently changing career paths, qualified in transport management but after two roles in this administration and assistant manager ive decided im not ready to sit in an office job just yet and think it would be best for me to get out on the road for a bit and have a job i enjoy! Currently looking to get a hgv licence, I know that back in the day my dad basically did his driving test in a truck and as a result was licenced to drive all sorts of vehicles, is it still the same these days or do you have to do each category test seperately? I am currently half way through the theory book for trucks and buses and am going to book my theory test soon, anyone on here that can help be sure and let me know thanks

CiniO

Everything is separate now.

Categories:
C - rigid trucks
CE - trucks with trailers (including articulated trailers)
D - buses
DE - buses with trailers.

F.e. to be able to drive articulated trailer, you need to do theory test for trucks, apply for driving permit, pass C category driving test, apply for this licence, apply for driving permit for category CE, pass CE category driving test.
And on top of that you need to do CPC from scratch which means 2 quite big theory tests + practical test in a truck.

All above won't let you drive any buses, so you need to pass theory test for buses, apply for driving permit in category D, pass driving test in cateogry D. Also need to do CPC separately, so one of the theory tests + practical test in the bus.
If you need DE (bus + trailers above 750kg) you will get that automatically if you have CE category so that's the only one thing which makes it easier.

Designator

Jesus that can get pricey then ! Thanks for the info! What category are car transporters under then? Category C or CE?

CiniO

Designator wrote: »

Jesus that can get pricey then ! Thanks for the info! What category are car transporters under then? Category C or CE?

Any truck which has a trailer (either hatched or articulated) requires you to have CE.
Any truck without trailer category C is enough.
For trucks with GVW (gross vehicle weight) of up to 7500kg category C1 will do, but IMO hardly any point doing that if you can do C for nearly the same money.

Del2005

Designator wrote: »

Im currently changing career paths, qualified in transport management but after two roles in this administration and assistant manager ive decided im not ready to sit in an office job just yet and think it would be best for me to get out on the road for a bit and have a job i enjoy! Currently looking to get a hgv licence, I know that back in the day my dad basically did his driving test in a truck and as a result was licenced to drive all sorts of vehicles, is it still the same these days or do you have to do each category test seperately? I am currently half way through the theory book for trucks and buses and am going to book my theory test soon, anyone on here that can help be sure and let me know thanks

Unless you have a job lined up you'll be on crap money with crazy hours. A person stacking the shelves in most supermarkets earns more, and works less hours, than the person delivering the items to be stacked.

CosmicSmash

It's just another career that was hit hard by the recession and the influx of foreign workers, maybe a bit controversial to say it, but that's the way it is.

Designator

Id still rather that then sitting in an office day after day, being out driving would be something id enjoy and it matters more to me to be happy with a job than to just do it solely for money

Designator

Also I have the benefit of knowing a good few owners and transport managers of haulage companies from my previous jobs and being on great terms with them

CosmicSmash

Designator wrote: »

Also I have the benefit of knowing a good few owners and transport managers of haulage companies from my previous jobs and being on great terms with them

That would be a great help if you know them personally, you may be able to negotiate better terms with them. Maybe someone would be able to give a breakdown of how much it may cost to acquire the licence's that you will need, between lessons, tests, CPC, etc. It may be a substantial amount but it will be something you will always have.

bigroad

driving is the easy part of trucking.
be carefull what you wish for.
its an artic licence for mosr car transporters and they are quiet hard work to load and unload.
small cab to live in and you will be living in it.
you would be better off driving a van to be honest.

Designator

nothing wrong with hard work tho, i worked in a butchers for 7 years prior to my office jobs and i much prefer hard work than looking at a computer screen all day haha id take a van driving job if i could find one but i see much more hgv jobs advertised these days

Del2005

Designator wrote: »

nothing wrong with hard work tho, i worked in a butchers for 7 years prior to my office jobs and i much prefer hard work than looking at a computer screen all day haha id take a van driving job if i could find one but i see much more hgv jobs advertised these days

There's a difference between hard work and hard work driving a 44t vehicle though towns and villages, the only damage you can do in a butchers is cut something off yourself if you're tired different story in a fully loaded artic.

If you can get a job paying good money with reasonable hours I'd say go for it, but put your feelers out before blowing about €1k for a job paying barely above minimum wage with HUGE responsibilities.

Designator

So much fear in everyone ! I can only imagine the negative response I'd get if I said I was wanting to be an astronaut , Jesus it's a negative and fearful country we live in! Spending €1k on that is nothing compared to the price of college which you can come out of with a degree after it cost upwards of €15k and also get barely paid minimum wage ! So I'll take my chances

CiniO

Del2005 wrote: »

There's a difference between hard work and hard work driving a 44t vehicle though towns and villages, the only damage you can do in a butchers is cut something off yourself if you're tired different story in a fully loaded artic.

If you can get a job paying good money with reasonable hours I'd say go for it, but put your feelers out before blowing about €1k for a job paying barely above minimum wage with HUGE responsibilities.

That's pretty much true.
Driving is often not a hard job, and it might be very pleasant job if someone likes driving, but responsibility and risks are huge, and money not great.
I used to work as bus driver, but pretty much switched to something else now for reasons above.
I still drive buses occasionally, as I really like it, but pay is not really worth the risk.

Designator

Risks with every job, you dont get paid to do nothing ha
In my past jobs Ive been responsible for a fleet of 70 vehicles for just above minimum wage and being sat in an office most of the day so im no stranger to responsibilities
And I like driving alot, and the added bonus of not having to be constantly dealing with customers or people every minute and making mindless office chit chat is a bonus too

Del2005

Designator wrote: »

So much fear in everyone ! I can only imagine the negative response I'd get if I said I was wanting to be an astronaut , Jesus it's a negative and fearful country we live in! Spending €1k on that is nothing compared to the price of college which you can come out of with a degree after it cost upwards of €15k and also get barely paid minimum wage ! So I'll take my chances

If you want to do it go for it. But don't expect to like driving for much longer, there's a reason plumbers always have leaking taps in their home.

Streetwalker

OP take advice from someone who drove heavy goods for 15 years until I walked away 3 years ago, the industry is destroyed you'd be better off stacking shelves in Tesco or whatever. I made a good living from it back in the 90's and before 2006 tbh you'd be pulling in 1500 a week no bother at all could earn double that on long haul runs to southern Spain some weeks but tacho, CPC, low pay, long hours, fines from RSA for all kinds of small stupid sh1te, standard of driving on Irish roads and that's before even mentioning what it will do to your health. Used to know several lads in the industry they are all gone now to Canada/Australia or New Zealand they couldn't hack working full weeks for 350 euro and companies pulling all sorts of rubbish to scam the tacho. If you want to do it go for it by all means but I can almost guarantee you after 2 years max in the present day environment you will regret it.

Designator

Well im not doing it just for the purpose to drive trucks, im also going doing a security course with the hope of getting into cash-in-transit driving , but if that fails id also try for just regular goods haulage, so im not just focusing on one career just incase , and to me anything beats going back to sitting in an office staring at the same four walls everyday

neveragain1985

Designator.i am currently in the same boat as You. I was currently Working in a range of different office jobs doing meaningless s**t. It's come to a point that it is just not life fulfilling. I am qualified as a designer but after years of graduating I as of get have not gotten a design job. Nor at this point do I want a design job. I worked in a design company alright doing marketing and there were responsibilities so I'm no stranger to responsibility. I currently want to retrain in hgv driving. Pay might be poor but at least I'd be doing something I'd be happy in. I want to be out there. Its good though that you have transport management in your background. how have things gone for you on the driving jobs front? Any luck?