Truck driving industry

Romeo83

I'm very curious to understand how people get started driving trucks when everyone only hires people with experience? I'm in process of getting my C and C+E license and find the whole industry awfully strange.

boardsuser1

Romeo83 wrote: »

I'm very curious to understand how people get started driving trucks when everyone only hires people with experience? I'm in process of getting my C and C+E license and find the whole industry awfully strange.

I started off driving for tesco even though that was only on a category B license it was a step onto the ladder. I now drive trucks for a living. It is difficult to get your "break" but isn't impossible. I'm lucky that both tesco and my current job both paid well above the industry average. Was offered a job driving artic's recently for €9.15 an hour. Fcuk that i said to myself.

I've noticed your only previous comments relate to this very subject from 2014.

Have you made any attempts in that time???

Romeo83

KC161 wrote: »

I started off driving for tesco even though that was only on a category B license it was a step onto the ladder. I now drive trucks for a living. It is difficult to get your "break" but isn't impossible. I'm lucky that both tesco and my current job both paid well above the industry average. Was offered a job driving artic's recently for €9.15 an hour. Fcuk that i said to myself.

I've noticed your only previous comments relate to this very subject from 2014.

Have you made any attempts in that time???

I had a baby come along and backed off the idea, ive got a very good job but really don't like it and I've always wanted to drive lorry's so ive decided to bite the bullet, I'm just worried about money terms in the industry and where to start, I can't believe how bad some are payed, I've also heard over 1000 drivers left the industry last year but not even 700 licence's where given out so it's bleeding drivers at a serious rate, I'm hoping that will make the money rise, but getting a start somewhere is a head scratching situation big time.

boardsuser1

Romeo83 wrote: »

I had a baby come along and backed off the idea, ive got a very good job but really don't like it and I've always wanted to drive lorry's so ive decided to bite the bullet, I'm just worried about money terms in the industry and where to start, I can't believe how bad some are payed, I've also heard over 1000 drivers left the industry last year but not even 700 licence's where given out so it's bleeding drivers at a serious rate, I'm hoping that will make the money rise, but getting a start somewhere is a head scratching situation big time.

Got my rigid and artic license's with babies on the way. Still went and done it. Admittedly i was unemployed and got them through FAS. But even still a FAS course for rigid or artic is tops 4 months. Were you employed in 2014 when you wanted to get them? The money is poor in tbe majority of situations,yes. However i reckon that there will be more leaving than entering the industry in the years ahead. It is slready happening from your figures. If supply is low and demand for drivers high wages will have to rise. I'm very lucky where i am with the money i am on. What part of the country are you in OP? I'm Cork based myself.

Romeo83

KC161 wrote: »

Got my rigid and artic license's with babies on the way. Still went and done it. Admittedly i was unemployed and got them through FAS. But even still a FAS course for rigid or artic is tops 4 months. Were you employed in 2014 when you wanted to get them? The money is poor in tbe majority of situations,yes. However i reckon that there will be more leaving than entering the industry in the years ahead. It is slready happening from your figures. If supply is low and demand for drivers high wages will have to rise. I'm very lucky where i am with the money i am on. What part of the country are you in OP? I'm Cork based myself.

Yeah I was working back then, I'm from Dublin but living in Kildare, thats good you got a nice job, I won't jump outta my job till I get something good hopefully, how that will happen ive no idea, apparently you gotta do agency work to get in somewhere

neris

why do you find it a strange industry? Its a cut throat industry with alot at stake for alot of owners. Rates are low at the moment and this is reflected in the wages paid out unfortunately. Theres alot of red tape and bureaucracy around the whole industry aswell. Drivers numbers are dropping as more older drivers retire and it,s not an appealing job to alot of younger people or school leavers now. Personally I dont think wages across the industry will get much better but will rise slightly. The more companies that want their goods transported cheaper and cheaper will have a negative impact on wages as hauliers rush to undercut each other

donkey balls

I haven't drove professionally on Irish roads on a full time basis in over four years, I am still involved in the industry though from the office side.
About two years ago while still on a temporary contract I renewed my ADR licence and sat the CPC driver scam I was the youngest at both courses and I'm an aul fella of 40:p

When I started out in the industry back in the 90s most companies would not hire lads under 25 due to insurance issues, I was lucky as the company I worked for was a large multinational company which meant once you were the age and had a licence you could drive.
Over the last few years with wages dropping down to the min wage and lower with agencies getting in on the act of under cutting each other, A lot of lads like myself have left the industry.
My advise is if you have a good job stay there or go and get the licences and see if you could get a few runs while on holidays with a company to see if you like it, Remember the transport industry is like the emergency services its 24/7 the only day you would have off over just say a xmas period is xmas day.
Another way of looking at it from a different angle is go and get the licences you will have them for life and if something ever happened were you work at present, At least you could go driving.

Silvera

I got my rigid licence in 2003 and my artic in 2014. I don't have any intention of driving either for a living (private usage perhaps) ...so the number of possible new drivers available to the industry can be dropped to 699!:D

Seriously though, it's a tough job with a lot of responsibility. Imho, I would advise you to think (Very!) long-and-hard before leaving a well-paid job to go driving trucks for a living.

The suggestion of doing some driving during your summers hols (i.e. to get a taste of it) is a good idea!