Too old to start trucking career?

pegdrums

Hi all,

I was looking at getting my C licence doing Covid but other stuff got in the way. Im now 42 and hate my job. Ive looked at truck driving before as a career but was nervous about making the jump. So ive a few questions for anyone who might be able to help.

1. Am I too old at 42 to start?
2. Are there jobs out there with regular hours? Not necessarily 9-5 but just start and end at same times. Im thinking of childcare.
3. Ive been driving on a full car licence for 23 years but as a totally new truck driver would my first job have to be as the second guy in the truck that ya sometimes see?
4. People (including rte news!) are saying there's a shortage of drivers and companies are crying out for drivers, in your experience how true is this?
5. What wage could I expect for my first year?

Many thanks

pegdrums

any thoughts from anyone in the industry would be hugely appreciated

kadman

I would have thought if childcare was your 2 nd priority then truckdriving would be one of the last jobs you would be focusing on. They are not exactly start on time and finish on time jobs. If heavy vehicle driving is your thing, then i recently saw plenty of bus driving opportunities for Bus companies with training as well.

contrary_devil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058367136/too-old-to-start-trucking-career

1. Am I too old at 42 to start? Certainly not too old.
2. Are there jobs out there with regular hours? Not necessarily 9-5 but just start and end at same times. Im thinking of childcare. There are but hard to find and might not be as regular as one would think due to delays during the shift for various reasons
3. Ive been driving on a full car licence for 23 years but as a totally new truck driver would my first job have to be as the second guy in the truck that ya sometimes see? You wouldn't necessarily have to be be the second guy, some outfits will put you with an experienced driver for a period to show you the ropes, others will have you do a driving assessment while others will throw you the keys and let you figure things out for yourself.
4. People (including rte news!) are saying there's a shortage of drivers and companies are crying out for drivers, in your experience how true is this? My view on this subject is that there is not a shortage of drivers per se but rather a shortage of drivers willing to work cheap and put up with poor terms and conditions.
5. What wage could I expect for my first year? That would depend on your location and the requirement for drivers in that area and also whether you are working for a general haulage operator or an own account operator. I would think it could be anywhere between €500 to €800 per week.

pegdrums

thanks for such a comprehensive reply. Lots to think about. In fact childcare and working hours almost immediately puts this career choice out of the running

pegdrums

looked at the bus wire Ann training programme, waiting on an email back from them. Did a lot of reading on various platforms and bus drivers themselves are saying their shift patterns are horrendous and family life suffers.

Although you have got me thinking about getting the bus licence anyway as it may be useful down the line

Del2005

Aldi pay from nearly €600 to €700 for store assistants and companies think that €500 to a truck driver who works longer hours, you drive for 8 but can be out a lot longer, with way more responsibilities is going to encourage people to drive HGVs.

Even if you get €800 it's not a enough for the hours and stress of driving a large vehicle.

donkey balls

I've worked in the transport&Aviation sector for nearly 30 years, And no day is the same as the previous days. Transport is like the emergency services 24/7/365 you have to factor in breakdowns road closures delayed at delivery points etc.

Plus the hours can be long upto 15hrs a day but normally around 12/13hrs is the normal, Some companies pay an hourly rate others a day rate of pay regardless of how many hours you do,(Generally lads on the day rate get hammered with work )

Technically there is a driver shortage but as an other poster mentioned its more to do with the wages. Lads like myself and mates got shafted during the last recession more or less forced to work for lower wages and these were major companies we worked for at the time who could afford to pay a decent wage but choose not too. Quess what we did we upskilled and got jobs elsewhere either in the industry or somewhere totally new.

And these same companies are crying for staff the crowd i did agency work for during 08 crash, Were so desperate they ran adverts on radio/Social media/papers & on their company trucks.

Your age wouldn't be a problem but experience could hamper you as most places use to require 2 years driving experience on Irish roads.

Costs wise you would need to do the theory test first then get a medical done then apply for the learner permit. Lessons i reckon are around €120 for two hours (I did my bus test during CV19 as i was bored outta my head at the time think the driving test fee was €120)

Do some research ask companies do they take on new drivers etc, I was fortunate enough to start driving at 23 and once you had a full licence the companies global policy had me covered.

pegdrums

cheers for all the comments folks. Between here and other forums and threads I’ve been reading don’t make it sound an appealing option, mainly how the hours would affect childcare. We’ve neither family here so need a fairly strict routine which truck driving doesn’t have.

many aspects of the work appeal. Starting at low wages isn’t great but it would improve.

I’ll have to stay shackled to the desk for now.

thanks again, very helpful