while it seems you do have to pay a lot of stuff, to somebody earning 45k a year i dont think the things you've listed are going to cause you much concern. ok so 3k to get the license, fair one thats a big chunk. but spending 150 quid every 5 years renewing licenses is hardly wallet busting, neither is 500 quids worth of training every 5 years. even i could put money aside over the course of 5 years to pay for those things, seen as i knew they were coming - and i was on 45k a year.
yes its dangerous and responsible, and im sure you know where im going with this, but its not as dangerous as getting shot at in afgahn, or fighting fires. and they definitely dont get paid 45k a year. my next door neighbour has been in the RAF Regiment for a good 15 years, he gets paid barely half that. hes been to iraq twice, afgahn twice, and had to deal with a broken marriage because his job kept him away so much. id say hes worth 45k more than a lorry driver is.
and on the subject of paying for things to earn a living, one of my mates is STILL in training to be a surgeon. he started when he left college, we're now 27. the NHS give him 700 quid a year to pay for the courses, tests and training he HAS to go on. problem is those things have actually cost him, and other doctors, 11 grand so far. so your 650 quid every 5 years is hardly comparable. sorry.
im not trying to be rude, but those are the numbers. please dont take offence. its not your fault, or my fault, that soldiers and doctors get ripped off, but when you compare them to these tanker drivers, i think its pretty disgusting.