Hi,
Well firstly must say this is the best trucking site bar none. Brilliant info for newbies,hotheads…lol,and experienced guys. Im just asking out of curiousity a few questions that i know on here i can ask .I say that because ive always been able to ask anything and i mean anything,no matter how silly or whatever,i always get an answer that doesnt make me feel an idiot,which is the great thing about this site. Well,Ive passed my class 2 about 8 months now,crapped myself bigtime first,then see you guys driving the bloody huge 44 ton things and thinking what a prat i was when you guys have to put that bloody thing in spaces id be scared of to put my rigid in. anyway,ive had a few jobs,lately been working for the council driving bin wagons. Now i no what the word FEAR means. God,ive been dropped right in the xxxx, no training then,bosh will you be ok today,i know youve been waitin for training but were so short and bla bla bla…God ive reversed down streets i wouldnt put my car in ,ive amazed myself,every time ive looked at refuge drivers ive thought…god that suits me,easy life ,local,no pressure…(yeah right).Well what im trying to say is that the job is looked upon as easy when in reality it can be really tough. Id love to take my class 1 but the horror what you guys have to do scares the pants off me. Like…if i take a wrong turn,or a bridge is too low,at least i can turn around eventually.What the hell would i do with one of your wagons.I take my hat off to everyone in this game,its certaily not as easy as it seems, and i think that we should all realise that without the job we do,noone would get anywhere.
When I passed my “C”, my first agency job was on the “Gully Suckers”. I thought I’d really hate it. But the guys I worked with were among the most genuine, big hearted, lads I’ve come across.
My next agency job was driving the council’s mobile library. This was a 12m rigid with near maximum overhang — and given the service it provides to the elderly/infirm/immobile down here in East Sussex, the route included villages I still would consider “no go”! The onboard librarian would say “this is where we turn round” — I’d still look at those places now and think “oh yeah, really?”
When I got C+E, the agency jobs offered tended to be the night post trunking runs or “perishable” RDC work. I enjoyed collecting the produce from the farms/packers, but I had “personal” problems with the RDC’s (respect is a two way thing!).
So I stuck to the C work (on C+E rates) as I found this more interesting (and probably a better learning curve). Doing local work can take you to interesting places, right on your doorstep, that you’ve never been to before.
If I needed to go back on agency, I’d still go for the rigid work. Some C+E drivers will always say it’s like driving a “big car”, others will admit they can be far less manoeuvrable than an artic!
but I had “personal” problems with the RDC’s (respect is a two way thing!).
Not related to Rob K are you? 
Ken.
spaceman:
(respect is a two way thing!).
i couldnt agree more. if i am not treated with respect, i give pure attitude which is probably why i have doubts about my future in my current job