Hi all,
bit of background, i’m working at an IT company in Wakefield at the moment but i am being made redundant in March but am unable to get a job until April 10th. So after talking to my dad and a couple of his mates who are Class 1 drivers i decided to get into the driving industry. Long story short i passed my Class 2 test last Friday and have my Class 1 booked in for 18th March.
Would it be possible to contact agencies and ask for an odd day or two on the weekends just to get experience so its easier for me to get a job after April 10th? Is this sort of thing common? is it legal? would i have to pay tax on this as it would be classed as a 2nd job?
DannyM271091:
Would it be possible to contact agencies and ask for an odd day or two on the weekends just to get experience so its easier for me to get a job after April 10th? Is this sort of thing common?
Yes it’s quite common for people to do HGV weekend work while doing another job in the week, though this is the quiet time of year for agency work.
DannyM271091:
is it legal?
Yes it’s legal.
In any week that you drive in-scope of EU regulations you must comply with the weekly rest requirement, It depends on what hours you work Monday to Friday but generally you’ll be able to legally do one weekend shift every second week.
DannyM271091:
would i have to pay tax on this as it would be classed as a 2nd job?
Mate if you breath someone somewhere will want you to pay tax 
So yes you will pay tax on your extra earnings.
Thanks for the response mate 
This is going to sound like a stupid question but how do i find agencies? I live in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
This is exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 2 years. I am an IT manager in a local school and Saturdays and Bank Holidays I drive for a local agency. The way it works I am quite lucky. Saturdays start times are normally 01.00 - 04.00 and finish between 10.00 - 14.00. My school job is a little bit flexible which means I can normally get a 45h weekly rest in most weeks, which leave me available to drive most Saturdays. My only advice is to keep a timesheet of all work you do, IT and driving, so when you do get stopped you can prove you are sticking to Driving Hours and WTD. Sorry about your redundancy and good luck mate.
DannyM271091:
This is going to sound like a stupid question but how do i find agencies? I live in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Look in your local paper or yellow pages, it’s not my area so I can’t help but hopefully someone will be along before too long to suggest agencies in the Wakefield area.
Class 2 talstaff
Class 1 Taskmaster or driven logistics
All gave me regular work, weekends only
Jimmy McNulty:
Class 2 talstaff
Class 1 Taskmaster or driven logistics
All gave me regular work, weekends only
Cheers mate, just sent the enquiry forms off
If you’re working weekends, before accepting any shifts try:
-
Get in from work at say 6pm, grab food, shower and try to sleep immediately.
-
At say 1am, get up after probably 4 hours sleep, dressed etc then out the door and drive 20 miles. Stay out until 4pm doing something stressful and head home. You’ve done your 15 hour day.
That’s what its likely to be like for a new driver on agency weekend cover as they’ll want to use you for the jobs no one else wants and are dire emergencies at stupid o’clock.
There’ll also be no one to help you in the yard with new truck types or problems unless your dad fancies calls at 2am.
Not trying to put you off, but the reality is very different to normal driving jobs or even jobs for more experienced drivers, as you are purely a number and a tickbox to an agency. They dont care if you’ve had 9 hours sleep. As a new driver, many companies wont accept you due to insurance, so you’ll likely get the true crap.
You can of course say no, but then you’ll be dropped too the bottom of the pile.
Oh and yes, you get taxed. The other thing to watch out for is tax rates. I believe PAYE will be 40% on second job or they might try to get you on LTD or Umbrella - you dont want either of those as they complicate it further.
Been there, done it, got all the traumatic memories.