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New truck driver

  • 22-06-2020 1:34pm
    #1
    AnSliabhCorcra
    Registered Users Posts: 137 ✭✭


    Hi there.

    Wondered if any of you could share any recommendations, experience or thoughts. I'm 31 years old and have been employed in corporate/administrative jobs for most of my working life.

    From childhood I've always wanted to be a HGV driver (I spent all my childhood in and out of my grandfather's trucks) but I never really had the option to pursue it. Anyway, I feel that now is as good a time as any.

    I'm due to sit my category C theory test in a couple of weeks and then hope to get started with formal lessons. I'm doing these/paying these by myself as I'm not employed in any related industry at the moment.

    If it matters, I'm based in Cork.

    Questions
    • Any advice/recommendations for a newbie wanting to start out?
    • Did you do your lessons self-standingly or as part of a role you had?
    • How is best to get into the field? Are there any options prior to holding license for that category?
    • Was lesson practice sufficient?
    • Were employers generally requiring X amount of experience and how to get around this?

    Thanks in advance for any responses. :)


Comments

  • #2
    Cork Trucker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,553 ✭✭✭Cork Trucker


    AnSliabhCorcra wrote: »
    Hi there.

    Wondered if any of you could share any recommendations, experience or thoughts. I'm 31 years old and have been employed in corporate/administrative jobs for most of my working life.

    From childhood I've always wanted to be a HGV driver (I spent all my childhood in and out of my grandfather's trucks) but I never really had the option to pursue it. Anyway, I feel that now is as good a time as any.

    I'm due to sit my category C theory test in a couple of weeks and then hope to get started with formal lessons. I'm doing these/paying these by myself as I'm not employed in any related industry at the moment.

    If it matters, I'm based in Cork.

    Questions
    • Any advice/recommendations for a newbie wanting to start out?
    • Did you do your lessons self-standingly or as part of a role you had?
    • How is best to get into the field? Are there any options prior to holding license for that category?
    • Was lesson practice sufficient?
    • Were employers generally requiring X amount of experience and how to get around this?

    Thanks in advance for any responses. :)

    If i were you i would stay in that sector, better money and working hours against a balanced personal/family life, in the HGV world you'll have none of that.

    Like yourself, for very similar reasons i wanted to be a HGV driver, it's not the great industry it once was, it's now a cut throat industry where the race to the bottom is rife with wages that are dire.

    You'll find work in the Cork area almost instantly, but be prepared to be treated like crap by not only your boss, but also customers/clients. As someone with zero experience you'll find it hard for a decent company to give you your break.

    Have you looked at school's of motoring for lessons etc?


  • #3
    AnSliabhCorcra
    Registered Users Posts: 137 ✭✭AnSliabhCorcra


    Cork Trucker wrote: »
    If i were you i would stay in that sector, better money and working hours against a balanced personal/family life, in the HGV world you'll have none of that.

    Like yourself, for very similar reasons i wanted to be a HGV driver, it's not the great industry it once was, it's now a cut throat industry where the race to the bottom is rife with wages that are dire.

    You'll find work in the Cork area almost instantly, but be prepared to be treated like crap by not only your boss, but also customers/clients. As someone with zero experience you'll find it hard for a decent company to give you your break.

    Have you looked at school's of motoring for lessons etc?

    Thanks so much for getting back to me; appreciate that.

    RE: the money - i'm certain i'd take a cut, a significant cut but it's not the main motive for looking to get in to it.

    I suppose being treated like crap by bosses and customers alike is definitely something, though. :mad:

    I've looked at lessons in Cork; they're quite expensive but still - my only way to get any actual experience of driving. :)


  • #4
    Cork Trucker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,553 ✭✭✭Cork Trucker


    AnSliabhCorcra wrote: »
    Thanks so much for getting back to me; appreciate that.

    RE: the money - i'm certain i'd take a cut, a significant cut but it's not the main motive for looking to get in to it.

    I suppose being treated like crap by bosses and customers alike is definitely something, though. :mad:

    I've looked at lessons in Cork; they're quite expensive but still - my only way to get any actual experience of driving. :)

    Not a problem at all.

    It all depends on who you would end up with, for example, there is one particular rogue operator in Little Island who only pays €80 a day before tax, no subsistence payments and if you are travelling where there is a toll road you either avoid it, taking longer, or pay it out of your own pocket which is €6.10 at most, but on a Cork to Dublin run that would be a minimum of 4 tolls.

    Many of us have had to put up with it, now there are some guys on here who have it cushy doing what they are doing, but it's either a case of who you know and not what you know or else they are in their current positions a long time.

    I worked in Greenstar in Glanmire in recent years and was paid roughly €14 per hour, i was doing 8-12 hour days, 4 days a week, the way the roster worked itself out was that week 4 you always had a full week off, finish on Thursday, back in the following Wednesday for example, as they are 2 separate pay weeks you didn't lose out. It was a grand job as well even if it was rubbish truck driving.

    Lessons vary between 120-140 per two hour lesson, or at least that was the rate when i was doing them. There's only really 2 big HGV players now in Cork, Brian O'Leary of O'Leary's Professional Motoring School in Douglas, Gordon Sheehy of South West School of Motoring who are a Kerry based company with Cork based FAS contracts and then Martin Cox was another guy but i think he stopped doing HGV's and the chap with A1 school of motoring retired. Billy Corkery gave it up as well i think to just focus on Buses.

    There's a few instructors who do it in Mallow if you were prepared to travel up to do it? I did mine there and passed, while being based in the City.


  • #5
    LRNM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 164 ✭✭LRNM


    Not a truck driver but got a C licence and drive large vans for a living.



    Regarding lessons: I struggled badly when I was learning. I'd never driven anything larger than a car in my life and the jump from a tiny ford fiesta at the time to a Scania with a split gear box was horrible. Probably one of the most stressful things I've had to do.
    In the end I spent about €5000 on lessons and I think the only reason I didn't fail the test is because the tester took sympathy on me.
    Driving a lorry is a lot more difficult than one would imagine.


    Obviously that was back then, now I'm well used to driving larger vehicles and reckon I'd have no bother hopping into a HGV these days.


    Regarding working: My dad is involved with hauliers and the stories I hear. It really sounds like píss poor work. Long hours, poor pay, away from home for extended periods of time, unrealistic targets and treated badly by employers. He says steer well clear from truck driving.



    Have a neighbor that drives milk lorry for glanbia and I see him working all sorts of mental hours. Seems like a tough life.


  • #6
    Ryertex
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭Ryertex


    If that’s what you have a desire to do, I would say go for it. You have to discover for yourself if it’s right for you. That applies no matter what career you want. Ok, it will be an expensive experiment but hopefully will work out. Maybe try and get talking to lorry drivers in person rather than on the internet because most of the drivers I know are reasonably happy with the job. Also very useful to have contacts in the industry.


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  • #7
    Faith+1
    Registered Users Posts: 3,674 ✭✭✭Faith+1


    LRNM wrote: »
    In the end I spent about €5000 on lessons and I think the only reason I didn't fail the test is because the tester took sympathy on me.
    Driving a lorry is a lot more difficult than one would imagine.
    .

    Jesus that was alot. Think I spent around €1500 to get mine, that was in 2010 though. How many lessons did you take?:eek:


  • #8
    Cork Trucker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,553 ✭✭✭Cork Trucker


    Faith+1 wrote: »
    Jesus that was alot. Think I spent around €1500 to get mine, that was in 2010 though. How many lessons did you take?:eek:

    I was about the same as yourself. My lessons cost €130 for 2 hours, the OP must have taken dozens of lessons.


  • #9
    contrary_devil
    Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭contrary_devil


    Cork Trucker wrote: »
    Not a problem at all.

    It all depends on who you would end up with, for example, there is one particular rogue operator in Little Island who only pays €80 a day before tax, no subsistence payments and if you are travelling where there is a toll road you either avoid it, taking longer, or pay it out of your own pocket which is €6.10 at most, but on a Cork to Dublin run that would be a minimum of 4 tolls.

    Many of us have had to put up with it, now there are some guys on here who have it cushy doing what they are doing, but it's either a case of who you know and not what you know or else they are in their current positions a long time.

    I worked in Greenstar in Glanmire in recent years and was paid roughly €14 per hour, i was doing 8-12 hour days, 4 days a week, the way the roster worked itself out was that week 4 you always had a full week off, finish on Thursday, back in the following Wednesday for example, as they are 2 separate pay weeks you didn't lose out. It was a grand job as well even if it was rubbish truck driving.

    Lessons vary between 120-140 per two hour lesson, or at least that was the rate when i was doing them. There's only really 2 big HGV players now in Cork, Brian O'Leary of O'Leary's Professional Motoring School in Douglas, Gordon Sheehy of South West School of Motoring who are a Kerry based company with Cork based FAS contracts and then Martin Cox was another guy but i think he stopped doing HGV's and the chap with A1 school of motoring retired. Billy Corkery gave it up as well i think to just focus on Buses.

    There's a few instructors who do it in Mallow if you were prepared to travel up to do it? I did mine there and passed, while being based in the City.


    Are you serious that there's lads working for €80 for up to a 15 hour day? :eek::eek::eek:
    Regarding the tolls they pay, I'm sure the submit the receipt to claim them back?

    Though it's poor management not to have the toll box in the windscreen, even the lad I drive for has one for only the one truck.


  • #10
    Cork Trucker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,553 ✭✭✭Cork Trucker


    contrary_devil wrote: »
    Are you serious that there's lads working for €80 for up to a 15 hour day? :eek::eek::eek:
    Regarding the tolls they pay, I'm sure the submit the receipt to claim them back?

    Though it's poor management not to have the toll box in the windscreen, even the lad I drive for has one for only the one truck.

    On my life to god that’s the truth, only for I’d get infracted or banned I’d make the company.

    Nope, you pay out of your own pocket, it’s cheaper to take the tolls as it’s saving on diesel, but this guy is known to the RSA and court service. It changes nothing and he’s allowed to continue. What he’s doing is not illegal though.


  • #11
    contrary_devil
    Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭contrary_devil


    Cork Trucker wrote: »
    On my life to god that’s the truth, only for I’d get infracted or banned I’d make the company.

    Nope, you pay out of your own pocket, it’s cheaper to take the tolls as it’s saving on diesel, but this guy is known to the RSA and court service. It changes nothing and he’s allowed to continue. What he’s doing is not illegal though.


    Anyone that's driving for him must be right clowns to be working for that sort of money and paying his tolls, tbh I have no sympathy for them if they're willing to put up with that nonsense.
    I am surprised that other operators haven't had a word in this guys ear because if that's his modus operandi then he's sure to be cutting the rates for the work. There's a few places around the country where he'd be advised to get out of the game ;)


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  • #12
    BorneTobyWilde
    Registered Users Posts: 35,565 ✭✭✭✭BorneTobyWilde


    Buy an old reliable Volvo D12A and a low loader. That way you would actually make a weeks wage in a day doing a load.


  • #13
    Cork Trucker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,553 ✭✭✭Cork Trucker


    contrary_devil wrote: »
    Anyone that's driving for him must be right clowns to be working for that sort of money and paying his tolls, tbh I have no sympathy for them if they're willing to put up with that nonsense.
    I am surprised that other operators haven't had a word in this guys ear because if that's his modus operandi then he's sure to be cutting the rates for the work. There's a few places around the country where he'd be advised to get out of the game ;)
    It’s all foreign lads driving for him, or else Irish lads who have no experience and can’t get their break anywhere else.

    He’s sub contracting from a big now former Irish company doing haz.

    On the toll issue, if going from Cork to Dublin they pay it themselves at Watergrasshill and Portlaoise or take the old longer roads.


  • #14
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 14,344 ✭✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    I always loved the idea of being a truck driver.

    Now that I'm an adult, and have an idea what it's like, I think the only way I'd venture into that arena at all, is if I was intending to get into the job of giving truck driving lessons. Seems to be a way of getting into a truck without all the negatives that roll alongside it (albeit I appreciate it's not the same job, it's quite different, but I don't think i'd stick it as a truck driver in general).


  • #15
    Gladius
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭Gladius


    If your looking to get into truck driving then go for it,

    I've been driving lorrys since 2008 and I'll agree with the lads about the money and hours, however I stuck with driving rigids and I work Monday to Friday 7 to 3:30 driving a fairly decent Scania flat bed crane lorry and I'm making more money than I probably should be, I do the odd run in an artic for a lad as I have my EC license as well and get a few quid cash running machines from Dublin port to wherever so look its not all horror stories, Im very happy with truck driving and maybe you will be too so give it a go



  • #16
    donkey balls
    Registered Users Posts: 3,423 ✭✭✭donkey balls


    If you do want to get into the industry I suppose now be the best time, As there is a shortage of drivers in the industry.

    Plus when I started out 25 years ago I was 23 at the time and no company would insure anyone under 25, Fortunately I worked for a large US transportation company and once you had the licence you could drive.

    Upto recently most companies/agencies required 2 years experience on Irish roads, With the way things are now that's being parked aside.

    The RSA have being asked to see if they can do licence swops with Argentina Ukriane Macedonia and Moldova, So that in itself will tell you how dire the situation is.

    Again the reason for the driver shortages is lads like myself getting out of the industry the last 10 years, The last time I was on the ADR course (Hazchem course ) I was the 2nd youngest.

    As for wages they seem to be shooting up but that won't last forever if the IRHA get their way with cheap foreign labour.



  • #17
    SupplyandDemandZone
    Registered Users Posts: 729 ✭✭✭SupplyandDemandZone


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118097264#Comment_118097264

    Same as yourself did it for years until one day i just had enough. Wages where great at the beginning i'd make 1000 a week before tax but the race to the bottom destroyed it as a life choice and bill paying job. I know a few companies crying out for drivers the minute and some have drivers with two tacho cards to beat driving hour rules doing 80hrs a week plus in the cab. Basically if the RSA clamped down on everyone doing it the nations logistics operation would grind to a halt and they know it. I've even a friend doing it at the minute two days a week around 18 hrs and he's getting 600 for that cash into hand.

    Anyway OP yeah if you want to commit to it i'd say go for it but go in with your eyes wide open that as soon as they figure a way to get the cheap labour in over the next year the arse will fall out of it again and be prepared to be paid and treated badly.



  • #18
    And86
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭And86


    CPC case studies




  • #19
    And86
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭And86 


    where can i find the questions and answers CPC case studies for truck

    where can i find the questions and answers CPC case studies for truck



  • #20
    tech
    Registered Users Posts: 2,798 ✭✭✭tech


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118097384#Comment_118097384

    2x 9hr days for 600 cash, where do I sign up ??



  • #21
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,849 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120214315#Comment_120214315

    Not enough. That's the reason why there's a shortage of truck and bus drivers.



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