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DB junior Driver

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Pawsonmark@yah

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Hi
I've applied for a Junior driver position at DB Freight today.
Is this basically a depot driver and if so is the opportunity to become a mainline driver once qualified there?
I'm already in a talent pool for another company to become a mainline driver so I don't want to go through the whole process again just to be a depot driver.

Thanks in advance
 
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YingYing

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It does (or it did when I had my interview) lead to mainline driver. It's their way of easing you into the role.
 
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MA8141

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23 Jun 2019
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You begin as a yard driver and then progress into the mainline role once a vacancy arises, no time frame on that. You are trained to a mainline rules standard.
 
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Atishyou

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It depends on location and if any 'tripping' between yards, crossing the mainline, is required.

If junior driver, you do a shorter rules course (not quite full mainline rules, if no crossing mainline). If trainee driver, you're straight into mainline driving.

Junior driver, as has been covered previously on here, is basically a yard driver. Moving locos and wagons around, shunting trains together and preparing them for onward journey.

As has been said above, there's no timeframe for you to move to mainline. Some of the JDs I know have been moved up immediately, whereas others have been JDs for a few years.

It's all good experience.
 
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Loco94

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10 Aug 2019
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70
Pawsonmark@yah said:
Hi
I've applied for a Junior driver position at DB Freight today.
Is this basically a depot driver and if so is the opportunity to become a mainline driver once qualified there?
I'm already in a talent pool for another company to become a mainline driver so I don't want to go through the whole process again just to be a depot driver.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Hi there, a junior driver role will lead to mainline when a vacancy arises it’s no if’s or buts it’s very much a progression role however timescales vary from place to place, you do the exact same course as a mainline trainee which includes pts, traction, driver prep, full rules etc, the only difference being once you’re done at training school and head off for handling a junior is required to do 75 hours, 40 being shunt and 35 being mainline, a mainline trainee has to do 150 hours and a simulator course both have more assessments at certain stages, if a junior gets made up within a certain time frame after qualifying which I believe is 6 months they can use the hours they did during their handling to come off the overall 150, if you are required to do tripping as previously mentioned you’re classed a junior driver mainline and competent to drive a short mainline route to complete your task, if no tripping is ever involved you’re classed as a junior driver yard only, but they train you exactly the same during training school, it’s very much a preparation for mainline unlike some company’s who take on depot drivers where they struggle to get made up as they don’t want to loose them from the yard, DB is quite the opposite they train you ready for when it comes up, the role is usually prepping locos, moving them around yards and onto fuel points, relieving drivers to stable locos and trains etc, but yeah a junior will have done a minimum of 35 hours mainline driving during their handling so they know what to expect when the day comes they get made up, hope this helps
 
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