hi, passed my test last week, which i am well pleased. But now finding it hard to find any work, all the work i see seems to be agency, then when you phone the company about the “vacancy” advertised they just want to take your details to go to see them for an “interview”, no work is actually gauranteed. Do they just advertise these so called vacancies just to get you on thier books? Do companies advertise driving vacancies?, or are all the driving jobs now just farmed out to agencies.
I am looking for work around the Nottingham/Derby areas, but have toyed with the idea of relocating to another area for work. If anyone knows of any transport firms throughout the U.K who are recruiting new drivers, would like to hear from you with any advice.
“Derbyshire born, Derbyshire bred, Strong in arm…thik in ed.”
“Derbyshire born, Derbyshire bred, Strong in arm…thik in ed.”
so what you doing in no mans land
around burton the agency work is vertually none exsitent at the moment. job paper tonight and 2 agencys advertising.
what class did you pass (rigid or bendy).if you dont mind the traveling you could run down to lutterworth or crick. have a look through your local papers online to see whats happening also job centre plus.
Don’t know much about your end of the world but my guess is to sign up and put your fingers in as many pots as possible, if you’re free to locate the net is the best option…companies are bound to jump at the flexibility.
Agency work has just picked up here in Sth Wales…I’m hoping it’s just a case of sticking with it. I hear of loads of jobs going all over…The big ones like Tesco, Sainsbury, the big Dairies and the like are ‘always looking’ UK wide aparently.
I’ve got no solid say so…but i’m in the same boat as you for now…just starting out, and this is the feedback i’ve got from around here. mixed vibes in the forums and in general.
Do they just advertise these so called vacancies just to get you on thier books?
Yep
Do companies advertise driving vacancies?,
Unless a new depot has opened most of the big blue chip companies don’t advertise so much. Best bet with these companies is write out a list of companies you want to target though yellow pages ect and send out a CV to all of them. The majority of companies who advertise in jobcentreplus i wouldnt touch with a barge pole.
Jaycool007:
Unless a new depot has opened most of the big blue chip companies don’t advertise so much. Best bet with these companies is write out a list of companies you want to target though yellow pages ect and send out a CV to all of them. The majority of companies who advertise in jobcentreplus i wouldnt touch with a barge pole.
Good luck!
from experience, this is by far the best method. i called a company in january looking for a job. i was told to send my CV in as they may be looking for a driver but they were awaiting decision. i sent it in, waited 2 months and called them back. they werent looking after all but they did phone me back a couple of weeks later offering me a job. no interview and no closing date. i had accepted my current job an hour before their offer and they told me that if this one didnt work out, they would still offer me a job.
take the initiative and make contact with THEM. they will recognise that and it does seem to impress them if you mention the fact that you are involved with these websites. i had to explain what Truckersworld was but the interviewer did seem impressed. im assuming it is because it portrays a good attitude towards teamwork but im only guessing. it worked anyway and yesterday they were trying to talk me out of moving back to Scotland
Well done on passing your test last week .
As said above send your cv off to companys
with an stamped addressed envelope so they
can send a reply back. Good Luck
I tell people that i’m from Nottingham, but my accent is more from Derbyshire.
supported Notts Forest through the 80’s 90’s.
Prefer the city of Nottingham to Derby (better looking women) ratio 5 to 1.
robin hood,
you might find you’ll have to take on something less desirable like tippers or skips to get a few miles under your belt, although there always seems plenty of work about up this end (sheff/rotherham) if you don’t mind a bit of travelling?
a hiab tickets always handy if you want something local
Agencies want as many drivers on thier books as possible, so they can fill their commitments to customers. I not sure if doing agency work is the best place to get experience. The customers want you to be able to jump in the truck and do the job, they don’t want to spend the time teaching you the job. If you can get to work for a haulier, you can spend a bit of time learning the job and if they are willing to take on a new guy then they are willing to ease them in a bit.
Try CV’s to large companies and visiting small hauliers in person. All you have to offer is enthusiasm and a williness to learn, but some people like that over some miserable old hand who just wants to do enough to earn the money, but doesn’t care about doing a decent job.
A good day to go round might be Mondays, because most people would hand in a weeks notice on Monday morning.
Try RH FREIGHT in lenton. 0115 9438000.
You need to speak to either Paul Pearson or Nigel Baxter. Dont let the other office muppets fob you off. these two are the main men
Good Money to be earnt… Long hours though and PLENTY of messing about.
You could also try LOCKWOOD haulage in ambergate.
TEL Steve on 01773 857272.
An extremely easy job earning decent money.
I know they both have set newly qualified drivers on in the past.
Good Luck anyway.
Rgds Jon
hi all im a newbie got my class 2 just passed hiab but to find a job or some one to take you on is mad, its easier to find an hagis in a rabbits hole and thats in wales.its a bit scary even thinkin about it with the new driver hours laws and all that,i love my driving but is it worth the hastle, they say theres a shortage of lgv drivers is it no wonder while thses companies being so fussy.
they want atleast 1-2 years experiance,plus tacho experiance sheesh,iv bin told that ash carts are exempt from drivers hours is this true if so maybe ill look in that direction for the experiance. what do you guys think
muckles:
Agencies want as many drivers on thier books as possible, so they can fill their commitments to customers. I not sure if doing agency work is the best place to get experience. The customers want you to be able to jump in the truck and do the job, they don’t want to spend the time teaching you the job.
true but at the same time, it does seem to be accepted that a lot of new drivers go to agencies for experience. it certainly worked for me anyway and the only complaints i have ever had were by choice ie i didnt want to go back so i got myself banned.
one big tip: if you do go to an agency and they send you out on a job, look over the wagon and make sure you know how to use it including tail lifts etc. the customer would rather you ask in the yard than get out on the road and get stuck at one of THEIR customers
another one: agency drivers have a bad image when it comes to leaving rubbish in cabs etc so dont do it. clean up after yourself and you wont have that problem. reputation is everything with agency work. if you impress a customer, they may well ask for you back which could mean the difference between a week at home or a week at work
More to the point they may well ask you if you want a job
for a couple of quid an hour less
do your best and dont be afraid to ask questions. new stuff appears on wagons all the time so they cant expect you to know everything especially on specially built vehicles. if you ask first, they may even point out other things to you and ask if you have used them before. i went to a job earlier this year for CCF. i couldnt use the moffett so that was taken off and i had never seen the curtains that they had. instead of having a row of ratchet type straps along the bottom, their trucks had hooks so i asked how to use them. the bloke told me and asked if i knew how to use a splitter. i said it was no problem, i knew how to drive this vehicle (Scania) but i had never seen these curtains before and that was it. he was happy and even though i didnt have a moffett (which mucked around with their deliveries since they had to compensate) i ended up being their regular driver from the agency. i did annoy their drivers though. i was the only one who opened the back up and swept it out. that is nothing to do with anyone else, i just dont like having rubbish, dust etc all over the freight area.
well thanks guys, wat a great site will be a regular on here i think,the only other thing im worried about is the tacho iv not much experiance there,iv downloaded a sample image which shows how to fill in the details,but im hoping for an 8-5 job to start which should make using the tacho a bit easier …dont you think, i know after 4 1/2 hours of driving you must take a 45 min break, how does it work if ur only doin 8hrs would that be after 4 hrs take a 15-20 min break, and because you aint doin the 9hrs allowed can that extra hour of each day be used as overtime on the weekend???im trying to get the hang of the hours before i get into any job.
thanks guys…
the driving hours regs are long and complicated especially since they chucked in the WTD.
basic rules for breaks are that you need a 45 minute break after 4 1/2 hours DRIVING
you also need a break of 30 minutes after 6 hours WORKING including driving
one can be used against the other ie you start at 8am and drive for 4 1/2 hours then you must take a 45 minute break but your times start from there now ie you DO NOT need another 30 minutes after 1 1/2 hours
at the same time, if you drive for 3 1/2 hours and do non driving work for 2 1/2 hours, you must stop for 30 minutes but you will need another 15 minutes after another 1 1/2 DRIVING to make up your 4 1/2 - 45 minutes
i would download the regs and keep a copy on paper so you can learn them at your leisure. you can always come back and clarify things here but trying to go through the whole lot would take forever on a forum. i dont have any links myself but someone will and i will be after a copy too
this link is for the WTD dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/d … 22954.hcsp
thanks again i do hope this p c dont pack in ill be lost, so in theory ish i do 2 1/2 hrs driving then do 3hrs other work another 2hrs driving then 45min break then3hrs other work then 30min break but not necassary in that order.so if your driving a tipper doing highway work e.g resurficing and you in a line of tippers either waiting to unload asfelt or get loaded with old stuff, because your on the public highway and sitting in the vehicle waiting but not moving does that count as other work or driving lol sheesh.■■? you must have a brain the size of an elephant to be able to answer these questions lol.
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Nottingham born Nottingham bred… 