dinosteveus1:
Was you the only one to have a drive. When do you find out if you got the job.
I didn’t see any other interviewees there so I can’t say for sure if I was the only one to have a drive. I was invited to go out to Holland after I got the thumbs up from the driving assesment.
grahamzx6r:
sorry to upset you mate but not all the trucks are volvo’s, we have a couple of MAN’S, a quarter of the fleet are manual gearboxes, and british drivers will at some point be given a rhd volvo fm.
I didn’t realise that, Frans gave me wrong information. Not that it matters too much.
tommy t:
Seems a bit silly them using a rhd vehicle for a driving assessment, when you will be required to drive a lhd, especially if you have never driven a left ■■■■■■ before, But i suppose if you managed to drive one around for a week or so without hitting anything or falling off the road and into a ditch ect then you would get your head around it, it’s just getting used to being on the opposite side of the cab, it would be easier driving one over there than here in blighty ,i would imagine
I gave this some thought, but 1 thing i won’t do is fly, plus you can’t take your full kit on a plane, why they don’t give you the option of getting the ferry from hull and using your own motor i dunno. it’s only Holland after all
I think the objective was to see whether I could actually drive at all, as they’re taking on lots of young and inexperienced drivers and if they have problems with reversing or driving on the left in a RHD, then there’s not much point in sending them to drive a LHD on the wrong side of the road I guess the driving sorties in the first week in Holland will sort the wheat from the chaff. I agree with you about flying over, flying’s such a hassle now especially with ryanair and the like, I’d prefer to drive over there every few weeks but I’ll have to see what my options are after I’ve settled in. I’m debating how I’m going to get my stuff over there - I know I won’t need it in the first week but by the sounds of it, if I make it through the first couple of weeks I’ll be working straight away with no trip back home to get the rest of my gear. These are all thing I’m confirm with VDB when the time draws nearer.
I had interveiw on thurday no driving test just interveiw and at the end of it he took me on and said he will email me a 6 month contract to sign it and he would arange air line tickets and email them to me too does he normerly take you on at the interveiw ? i dont no weather my 18 years exp inpressed him. So how many on here got taken on on thursday?. They recon they interveiw about 60 drivers over to days my interveiw was at 1615 but did nt get out till 1750
I also had interview thurs, 9.45, about 3/4hr then had an assessment round to hopwood services, reverse etc and back to hockley chatted for about another 1/2hr then said they’d like me to fly out this sun or next, was gonna be next but changed to this sun. Think i had an assessment due to lack of experience!
ganges boy:
if u really want to know what v.d.b. r like, just ask the poor [zb] from patterson tankers, apparantley you parked your truck up on sat afternoon and, when u came in on monday, all your gear was in a bin bag or 2 where the truck had been, they told another driver to take it or find other work, they set mate against mate, lads who had worked there for 30 years together, most jacked, that saved v.d.b. a fortune in redundancies, what ive written here is fact, not heresay, a shower of [zb]. sorry to pee on your bonfire, but, thats what this company are prepared to do to get their own way, good luck mate. p.s. all this happened after pattersons sold the yard to builders, and the tanker buisness to van den cosh.
From page 1, posted March 12th!!..what a difference a few months and an internet site make!!
Good luck to all of you, its good to hear some good news for a change!
I rang them yesterday spoke to frans, seems that i’m not in the right area , but i did ask him about the possibility of perhaps using a car and the hull rotterdam ferry as im in the north west and that is the nearest port to euroland, and maybe 2 other drivers he didn’t dismiss this as a possibility and seemed open to the idea, but said to send my cv in and someone would be in touch,so ?
vdb from what i know used to speak to there drivers good company good kit,
if its the advert i think it is then its a good job for the guys that are after a tramping job
if youre young free n single go for it ,
but travel light you cant take your comforts n id question the longvegivity of the work.
not putting a downer on it just past experience.
Hi all, I was working with a van den bosch driver in Redditch on ‘timed automotive parts’ this week. He was topping up his wages by doing 2/3 days on the agencey.
He said he flew to Dussledorf from Brum and was flat out from there on in, running to the same place 3 times a week and the odd distance run thrown. He has’nt seen to much of europe only out the window. they like you to max driving hours and to keep in touch with the office via a computer , no spoken word to office (great). He stated no diversions for food and has invariably found himself spending 150 euro a week easy on food and drink, mainly motorway services in Germany. you are weekended outside a loading/discharge place always and not the best of places either. they make you fill up most days with cheaper diesel in the area all fair enough I guess.
He did mention they will take anyone on and still are and if you start mid month be prepared for a 10 week wait for your first full wage. good luck to you all it is an experience I guess and the money slightly better for 3 wks than 4 wks here, 1800 to 2100 a month clear.
he did mention forget all the cab gadgets you won’t have time, a few good books and buy a coolbox
A coolbox and sat-nav are the only things I’ve got on my list so far, I’ve hardly had a chance to stop and think about the job since the interview. Bit of an arse that they don’t have fridges in their cabs (according to frans), given the type of work they do.
mucksavaga:
Hi all, I was working with a van den bosch driver in Redditch on ‘timed automotive parts’ this week. He was topping up his wages by doing 2/3 days on the agencey.
He said he flew to Dussledorf from Brum and was flat out from there on in, running to the same place 3 times a week and the odd distance run thrown. He has’nt seen to much of europe only out the window. they like you to max driving hours and to keep in touch with the office via a computer , no spoken word to office (great). He stated no diversions for food and has invariably found himself spending 150 euro a week easy on food and drink, mainly motorway services in Germany. you are weekended outside a loading/discharge place always and not the best of places either. they make you fill up most days with cheaper diesel in the area all fair enough I guess.
He did mention they will take anyone on and still are and if you start mid month be prepared for a 10 week wait for your first full wage. good luck to you all it is an experience I guess and the money slightly better for 3 wks than 4 wks here, 1800 to 2100 a month clear.
he did mention forget all the cab gadgets you won’t have time, a few good books and buy a coolbox
Best of luck
Would be supprised as Van den Bosch is flying out of Brumm for the first time as we speak
So either he has a time machine, or he’s telling pies
Van den Bosch has never beeen flying out of Brumm before so
mucksavaga:
Hi all, I was working with a van den bosch driver in Redditch on ‘timed automotive parts’ this week. He was topping up his wages by doing 2/3 days on the agencey.
He said he flew to Dussledorf from Brum and was flat out from there on in, running to the same place 3 times a week and the odd distance run thrown. He has’nt seen to much of europe only out the window. they like you to max driving hours and to keep in touch with the office via a computer , no spoken word to office (great). He stated no diversions for food and has invariably found himself spending 150 euro a week easy on food and drink, mainly motorway services in Germany. you are weekended outside a loading/discharge place always and not the best of places either. they make you fill up most days with cheaper diesel in the area all fair enough I guess.
He did mention they will take anyone on and still are and if you start mid month be prepared for a 10 week wait for your first full wage. good luck to you all it is an experience I guess and the money slightly better for 3 wks than 4 wks here, 1800 to 2100 a month clear.
he did mention forget all the cab gadgets you won’t have time, a few good books and buy a coolbox
Best of luck
Would be supprised as Van den Bosch is flying out of Brumm for the first time as we speak
mucksavaga:
Hi all, I was working with a van den bosch driver in Redditch on ‘timed automotive parts’ this week. He was topping up his wages by doing 2/3 days on the agencey.
He said he flew to Dussledorf from Brum and was flat out from there on in, running to the same place 3 times a week and the odd distance run thrown. He has’nt seen to much of europe only out the window. they like you to max driving hours and to keep in touch with the office via a computer , no spoken word to office (great). He stated no diversions for food and has invariably found himself spending 150 euro a week easy on food and drink, mainly motorway services in Germany. you are weekended outside a loading/discharge place always and not the best of places either. they make you fill up most days with cheaper diesel in the area all fair enough I guess.
He did mention they will take anyone on and still are and if you start mid month be prepared for a 10 week wait for your first full wage. good luck to you all it is an experience I guess and the money slightly better for 3 wks than 4 wks here, 1800 to 2100 a month clear.
he did mention forget all the cab gadgets you won’t have time, a few good books and buy a coolbox
Best of luck
Would be supprised as Van den Bosch is flying out of Brumm for the first time as we speak
I’m sorry, but I cannot verify the airports as said… Only small talk at BMW on changeover but was he right on everything else rather than make apoint out of airports ? Must be, either that or you don’t work for them and have been listening to hearsay like you do
mucksavaga:
Hi all, I was working with a van den bosch driver in Redditch on ‘timed automotive parts’ this week. He was topping up his wages by doing 2/3 days on the agencey.
He said he flew to Dussledorf from Brum and was flat out from there on in, running to the same place 3 times a week and the odd distance run thrown. He has’nt seen to much of europe only out the window. they like you to max driving hours and to keep in touch with the office via a computer , no spoken word to office (great). He stated no diversions for food and has invariably found himself spending 150 euro a week easy on food and drink, mainly motorway services in Germany. you are weekended outside a loading/discharge place always and not the best of places either. they make you fill up most days with cheaper diesel in the area all fair enough I guess.
He did mention they will take anyone on and still are and if you start mid month be prepared for a 10 week wait for your first full wage. good luck to you all it is an experience I guess and the money slightly better for 3 wks than 4 wks here, 1800 to 2100 a month clear.
he did mention forget all the cab gadgets you won’t have time, a few good books and buy a coolbox
Best of luck
Would be supprised as Van den Bosch is flying out of Brumm for the first time as we speak
mucksavaga:
I’m sorry, but I cannot verify the airports as said… Only small talk at BMW on changeover but was he right on everything else rather than make apoint out of airports ? Must be, either that or you don’t work for them and have been listening to hearsay like you do
I actualy work already 17 year for van den Bosch
And actualy I do the intervieuws
Also the myth that we take everybody on, is BS, to give you an indication only approx 30-35% comes through the selection.
But i must admit we are looking for different things and are willing to take people on with the right attitude and flexibility, EVEN when they have less experience.
We work our way and to much experience (especialy if you have all the T-shirts) can be a negative ballast to train people.
We hear to often, yeah we did it years like this and why should I change?
Because we pay you to do it like this, that’s why!!!
mucksavaga:
I’m sorry, but I cannot verify the airports as said… Only small talk at BMW on changeover but was he right on everything else rather than make apoint out of airports ? Must be, either that or you don’t work for them and have been listening to hearsay like you do
I actualy work already 17 year for van den Bosch
And actualy I do the intervieuws
Also the myth that we take everybody on, is BS, to give you an indication only approx 30-35% comes through the selection.
But i must admit we are looking for different things and are willing to take people on with the right attitude and flexibility, EVEN when they have less experience.
We work our way and to much experience (especialy if you have all the T-shirts) can be a negative ballast to train people.
We hear to often, yeah we did it years like this and why should I change?
Because we pay you to do it like this, that’s why!!!
Considering English isn’t your first Language, you write with some very good understanding of it. Some of your posts crack me up, PMSL.
Do you supply ‘work’ clothes such as T-shirts, Trousers and Boots?
i applied for vdb when it first advertised on drivingjobs website, i never heard anythink but i think i it was because of my location as i live in birkenhead, so as soon as they decide to advertise for liverpool i suppose ill just have to read these posts, i would like to no the reason for picking certain parts of uk, is it airport related because if so i live half an hour away from john lennon airport and 45 mins frm manchester, maybe the guys who work there could tell me the reason?
Would it be possible please for those who are now out there to put up a list of what stuff you took out with you please as reference for other guys coming over? Also in regard to what kit there is in the trucks, fridge etc.
I’m hopefully going to take the bare essentials due to weight for baggage allowance etc, and hopefully there will be somewhere over there where I can pick up bits and pieces I will need for every day type items and tramping stuff. If there isn’t anywhere locally to equip myself it’ll have to be a case of take my stuff from here over and pay an excess I’d guess?
garnerlives:
If there isn’t anywhere locally to equip myself it’ll have to be a case of take my stuff from here over and pay an excess I’d guess?
What about checking out the price to have it shipped over by one of the parcel carriers? Might be a lot cheaper than paying airline excess. Not the first time you go over obviously in case it isn’t for you but after your first stint you could ship it during your first week back home and it will be there when you go back for your next 3 week period. Just a thought
I guess the driving sorties in the first week in Holland will sort the wheat from the chaff. I agree with you about flying over, flying’s such a hassle now especially with ryanair and the like, I’d prefer to drive over there every few weeks but I’ll have to see what my options are after I’ve settled in. I’m debating how I’m going to get my stuff over there - I know I won’t need it in the first week but by the sounds of it, if I make it through the first couple of weeks I’ll be working straight away with no trip back home to get the rest of my gear. These are all thing I’m confirm with VDB when the time draws nearer.
