Ah they didn’t say I was unqualified just that the client was looking for someone with fridge and DD experience and since I only had fridge xp I wouldn’t be a suitable candidate for the position but in my head it sounded just as bad as unqualified bc as you say there’s little difference between the two types of trailers esp. since we’re talking about a rigid sided one in this case…I;ve done 1 shift with a DD way back actually was my 1st ever on class 1 
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Top man, this experience or must have experience thing gets on my goat by employers, i know it’s down to insurance but how do companies expect how any new drivers can make a new start in the road haulage game?
If a company said to someone they can’t hire them with no fridge experience they could easily train them how to use it,then there is plenty of drivers at RDC’s that would help out with advice if they needed further help.
It’s a familiar story; experience is fairly near the top of everyone’s pile these days, but it’s not everything, this is why there’s still a role for door-knocking: someone presenting as both experieinced, competent and motivated enough to get out from behind the internet, can make a good impression and get a chance with an employer, when those who do nothing more than log onto Indeed will not.
Plus there is a ridiculous number of “HGV entitlement holders”, any one vacancy will be getting upwards of 100 applicants. Partly due to the fictional “driver shortage”, partly due to these “bootcamps” churning out new passes.
Yes, agencies are still the way-into many full time jobs, “try before you buy” being the reason, because there’s a big difference between “a driver you want to employ full time” and these “HGV entitlement holders”
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But how do you know if a prospective employer is worth it? Like the ad I posted last week for £12 per hour on class 1, imagine going there in person (if there was no ad) and telling them how excited you’d be to work for their company only to then be welcomed aboard with a £12 per hour take-it-or-leave-it offer…
Your can-do and willing to do the extra mile attitude will surely evaporate in an instant, as mine would 100%
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Bottom line, it’s an employers market, so them “being worth it” isn’t a issue: If one guy doesn’t want the job there’s plenty of others who will take it, even if it is only to get experience.
Anyone not in work would be daft not to take a job that might be offered, and then look for something else while they’re in work - it has always been easier for someone in work to get a different job, than for someone who is unemployed to get a chance of that job. That was true when I left school in the 1970’s and is still true now.
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Most places nowadays won’t even buzz you in unless you already have an appointment with someone.
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I done willing and extra mile for £11.45ph. Best decision ever as I left after 2 months to my present employer after gaining enough to fly through an assessment.
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Buzz you in? 
I’m talking about places where you walk in off the street, straight into the yard and ask A.N.Other driver, or the guy in the weighbridge, to point you in the direction of the TM
Like all transport companies have security and barriers
How times have changed for some people
I know it’s not full on new pass but Turners of Soham and Goldstar are both taking on with min 6 months experience. Both tamping and cab hopping days.