Top Tips for HGV Drivers to not feel Lonely on the Road

So you’ve finished your driving course at the LGV training centre, and you’re about to set off on a long haul mission to the back of beyond. It’s going to be five days and you’re wondering how you’re going to cope without your usual home comforts and family interaction. To help ensure you stay as connected as possible here are some tips to help combat loneliness on the road.

•Touch base

A 5-minute phone call doesn’t take a large chunk out of your day, so make the effort to stay in touch. Complaining about being lonely works both ways – you need to actively ensure you’re doing everything you can to stay in contact. If you’ve got a smart phone or laptop with you there are loads of ways of staying in touch. Why not try – 

• Whatsapp – you can send photos, videos, and messages for free using wifi
• FaceTime – this free app on your iPhone allows you to connect with family and friends using the video facility on your phone so they can see you and you can see them
• Skype – free and easy. Use with a camera or simply use it like a phone
• Text message – if all else fails, a few text messages now and then wouldn’t go amiss and it will let your family know you’re safe and sound

Talk

Stay in contact with fellow drivers (mates you made at the LGV training centre and new ones on the road) when you can. Plus, when you stop off for breaks, make sure you get out of your cab and have a chat with someone. Whether that's the café owner, or fellow drivers – a bit of verbal interaction can help ease that feeling of isolation. And remember, all other long distance drivers will probably be feeling the same – or will have felt it at some point so they'll get where you're coming from if you just need a chat.

 Read

If you can’t interact with anyone, divert your attention to something else and read a good book. This is a great way to stop yourself thinking about issues in your own life and get absorbed in another world altogether.

Watch a Film

Likewise with the book above – forget about your own worries and lose yourself in a film. If it’s a good one, hopefully by the end of it you’ll have forgotten what you were worrying about in the first place.

Exercise

It may sound like a bit of a random one, but if you’re feeling down and a bit lonely, a bit of exercise could help boost your mood. If you’re on a break, don’t stay slumped in your cab, get out and stretch your legs. A little walk – or a brisk run – will get the endorphins going and help to bust those blues out of the water.

Being away from your loved ones can be hard work, but if you establish good habits from the off, you should be able to stop any feelings of loneliness in their tracks.

Training to be an HGV Driver? Here’s what to look for…

So you’ve crossed the first hurdle and you’ve decided you’re going to train to be an HGV driver. Give yourself a pat on the back! Making that first definite move to changing your career is often the hardest part – especially if you’re already midway through your working life and have family and other responsibilities to think of. But here’s the good bit – there are some really great HGV training centres across the UK so if you make the right choice and choose wisely you’ll be in safe hands when it comes to your training. So before you choose, what should you look out for?

First off, as with any educational institution, it’s always wise to check out their credentials. Reputable HGV training centres should be able to answer ‘yes’ to a number of the following (if not all)… They should be associates of the RHA (the Road Haulage Association), and members of the FTA (Freight Transport Association). Furthermore, HGV training centres should be regularly inspected by awarding bodies to ensure they are following correct procedures, and training people to the right standard.

Alongside all this, you should also ask to check out their pass rates of previous candidates. If a training centre is training people and getting a poor pass rate, it says something about the quality of their training. As well as the pass rate, consider the location of the training centres, and the number of training centres they own/run.

Training for a new career can be hard work, and it will take a considerable amount of time. You’ll need to study, pass tests, and be assessed. With that in mind, it’s wise to consider the location of your training centre. The closer to home, the better. You’ll save money on travel costs, and be able to fit the training in around your work and life more easily.

There are many HGV training centres around the country, and while many will work hard to train you to the best of their ability, some will work extra hard to take things even further. Look out for HGV training centres which have attached recruitment centres so that they can help you find work once you’ve gained your licence. This can ease the whole ‘job hunt’ process considerably, and should make finding work that little less painful.

So, there you have it – everything you need to think about when choosing your HGV driver training centre. One final thing to think of though is just how long your potential training centre has been training for. If it’s only been open for a few years, it may not have the level of expertise that some of the older centres have – but that’s not always the case. Before you sign up to training of any kind, always make sure you check out the institution beforehand and make sure their credentials are up to scratch. This, after all, is the most reliable way of ensuring you’ll get training that’s top-notch, accredited, and destined to get you on the road.