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The true cost of becoming an LGV driver
Page 20
Page 21
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,ecoming an LGV driver involves more than just gaining your licence.
s Dylan Gray reports, there are plenty of hidden costs.
t's all too easy to underestimate the amount of training and hard work that goes into becoming a truck driver.As many operators preciaLe, there's more to it than just getting a mce — it takes time, dedi ca tion and money to :...ome a professional driver.
lime, of course, can also mean money. It's portant to remember that as a trainee driver a will probably need to take time off work possibly lose money— unless you have paid liday left that you are willing to sacrifice, or .tr boss is paying for you to gain your licence. Co get to the C+E licence stage (formerly iss 1), you must already possess a car licence 3 a Category C rigid licence. It costs 145 a provisional car licence and to turn this o a full licence you need to pass a theory I practical test. Even at this stage, costs can -y considerably as the difference in skill els between drivers means some need more
lessons and attempts to pass than others.
Once you have a car licence and are at least 21 years old (presuming you are not taking part in a young driver scheme), you can set off on the path to becoming a professional driver.
First, you need to add the provisional entitlement to your licence. A D2 application form can be obtained from the post office or ordered from the DV LA. It comes with a D4 medical form, which has to be completed and submitted with it. Don't make the mistake of assuming you're healthy and that this applies only to the elderly — every would-he driver must complete one. Medicals can be carried out by your GP and cost about £49 (price quoted from www.driversmedicals.com).
Note that after the age of 45 everyone is required to undergo a medical every five years and after 65 must undergo one every year.
The provisional entitlement costs nothing. but the form can seem a little confusing because of the many different provisional categories to choose from. If you are aiming for a C+E licence make sure you tick the box marked C and not Ci or Cl +E. There is no box for a C+E provisional entitlement — this comes through automatically once you have passed your Category C test.
Theory and practice
Once the provisional licence has arrived it's time to book the theory test, which consists of 60 questions and a hazard perception test. For an LGV the test costs £32 and lasts two years. It does not have to be taken twice if you take the Category C and C+E test within these two years. It is worth investing a few pounds in a revision booklet for the theory test or a practice CD for the computer some of these will include practice hazard perception tests, which arc not necessarily difficult but can often be confusing.
Once you have a provisional licence and a theory test pass certificate it is time to start driving. When choosing a driving school look carefully to see who offers what for the price they charge — some might be cheaper but not include all the aspects you need. For instance, some might train with two learners in the cab at the same time,others might have older vehicles and so on.
CM surfed the web and picked three driving schools at random. Their prices are similar, and another thing they all have in common is that the test fee is not included in the price. Test fees for Category C and C+E licences are £89 on
weekdays and £107 at evenings and weekends.
West Country-based Lorry Driver Training offers a five-day intensive course, with seven hours' training a day. except on the last day when you take the test, for £725 (ex-VAT).The price and duration remain the same for both parts of the licence.
Time is money York-based Tockwith Training Services recommends a four-day course for Category C licences at £960 (ex-VAT) with an additional £240 per extra day. For its C-,E students it recommends a three-day course for £780 (ex-VAT).
Enfield-based 1st Class Trucking offers a 20hour course for both Category C and C+E students at £745.
Taking all these steps into account. rounding up some figures and assuming that you pass your test first time it seems that obtaining your C+E licence will certainly not cost any less than #2,000 from start to finish. A couple of re-tests and just two days' extra training will add approximately £600. Or could be that you pass your class C licen first time, but need two attempts to gain yo C+E licence, In this case the total cost could I about L2,300.
According to a recent IDS/RHA survey t average pay for a class C+E licence holder £478 a week, not taking bonuses and overtir into account.Without any other expenses su as rent, food, etc. this would take about Ii weeks to pay off.
One option is to join a large reputable hauli and be trained through them. You mig progress from van driver to rigid driver on artic driver and this would be the most co effective way of gaining your licence.
And thecostsdon endtherc—when the DriN CPC becomes effective in 2009,every driver v have to undergo 35 hours of extra training evc five years. The Freight Transport Associati estimates these training costs at about £ an hour. • • Turn to page 26 tofind out what our operators' panel thinks of the Driver CPC