A young lad from Kirkliston has become the youngest person in the UK to pass his class C HGV driving test.
Robbie Smith, 18, is following in the footsteps of his proud father, who founded and operates Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd in the capital. He left school at age 15 and says that he always wanted to join the family business.
Unbelievably, Robbie only had two days of training before passing the test. He was hampered by the fact that the learning vehicle was off the road for its MOT.
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At the time of taking his test he had no idea that he would be the youngest person to pass if he were successful. Robbie says that he has always been interested in lorries from a young age and hopes that this is the start of a career that could see him travel Europe by driving HGVs across the continent.
On his achievement, the apprentice HGV driver said: “I left school at 15 to join the family business. I’ve always been really interested in driving and my father is a HGV Driver as well.
“I’ve been learning all aspects of the job and now it’s my chance to step up and play my part as a driver. I only had two days training as the learning vehicle was off the road for an MOT.
“I wasn’t aware I was the youngest until the examiner told me when I’d passed, I was just delighted to achieve my goal. Everyone at work has been great.
“All my colleagues and family within the business were really supportive with advice and encouragement. Since I left school at 15 I have been involved with lorries up until I’ve been able to drive, following all the different drivers tips and advice gave me the confidence to drive them.
“Although I’ve passed, I'm still learning everyday. I’m looking forward to sitting my class C+E test one day which could lead to me driving around Europe in the future.”
A very proud dad, Duncan Smith, 41, who is the director of Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd says that this achievement is true to form after Robbie passed his driving test shortly after turning 17.
He beamed: “Robbie has always been really keen to learn to drive. He passed his car test pretty quickly and was desperate to pass his HGV when he turned 18.
“I didn't expect him to pass two months after his 18th birthday though! Everyone is really proud of him passing at such a young age and with only managing two days training as well.
“I think I was just as nervous as him waiting for him to come back to the test centre. He's a hard working lad and will do really well in his career as a HGV Driver.”
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