Supporting Our Team – and managing the driver shortage

10th January, 2022

There are now daily headlines referring to the driver shortage not only in the UK but throughout the world. The government has been writing to retired drivers to entice them back to work and the rules around various testing regimes have altered to speed up qualifying: you can read about the government changes here.

As a road haulage company in Suffolk, we are lucky to have a great team of drivers.

Valuing our Team

Magnus Group Ltd has always believed in recruiting from within the team. We give our employees the opportunities that they deserve. It is with pride that we can announce that two of our team have recently qualified to Class 2, and Class 1.

Igor Gomes-Costa has been part of the Magnus transport team for many years, driving our Class 2 vehicles.  We have recently supported Igor by giving him paid time off work, and financing the training and test, to become a Class 1 driver.  We are very pleased that Igor wanted this opportunity and welcome him to the Class 1 driving team.

Eddie Barham joined Magnus as a warehouse operative but he has always wanted to become a driver. Once the testing facilities had the capacity once more, we sponsored his training and test. Eddie is now a Class 2 driver. Whilst the transport team is over the moon to welcome him to the team, the warehousing team are disappointed to be losing him but wish him well on his new venture.

As well as supporting our own team to gain qualification and progress their careers, we were pleased when Luke Startup approached Magnus asking about employment as a driver. We have sponsored Luke to become a Class 2 driver.

 

A big congratulations to all three for achieving their qualification. (We are still waiting to grab Eddie for a photo!!)

If you are looking for a career change, and are thinking about becoming a truck haulage driver, this brief guide will help explain your options. If you are interested, it’s always best to check out the latest guidance and rules on the government website.

What does HGV Class 1 and HGV Class 2 mean?

A Class 1 HGV licence allows you to drive a vehicle that is 7.5 tonnes and above, with a trailer that detaches. These vehicles tend to be used for long routes.

A Class 2 licence allows you to drive an articulated lorry, or what is often referred to as a rigid. These vehicles tend to be used for shorter journeys, around towns.

What is a CPC qualification?

You need a Certificate of Professional Competency before you can take the test to become an HGV driver. After you have a CPC, you must keep it up to date by doing regular training hours. It needs to be renewed every 5 years, or every year once over 65 years old: check out the government website for specific details.

Can anyone apply?

If you have a CPC, a full driving licence and are over 18 years old legally yes. Some hauliers may have a higher age limit due to insurance reasons so it’s worth checking that out.

How long does the training take?

Once you have your provisional licence, CPC and have taken a medical, the actual driving training takes five days. A period of supervision may follow once on the job.

Both Class 1 and Class 2 are fantastic qualifications, and can give you different employment options.

 

Magnus Group, a haulage, warehousing and freight forwarding logistics company, is based just outside Ipswich, Suffolk.  Ideally placed to serve the Port of Felixstowe with direct road links to the Midlands, the North and London.  If you would like to know more about our warehousing, transport or global forwarding teams call us on +44 (0) 1473836600 or email on commercial@magnusgroup.com.

We advertise our driver jobs on our company website. If you would like to join our team, follow our LinkedIn company page and check out our website.

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Categorised in: ,