First good luck tomorrow hope it goes well for you, i am not as learned as the rest who have given you advice but i can agree with all that has been said, because even though i dont yet have my class 1 i have been offered work of all types and although some of the kit is past its sell by date it is a step on the ladder.
Smaller firms seem more willing to give a truck to anyone one chap sends new drivers to portugal and spain as first jobs in scania 450s and volvos as old as the timber they carry but they make it ok and even though the drivers trash them he is undetered by this he sends them out time again, i know this cos ive put a lot of the bits back on, and he pays good coin, but i have done a lot of gv9s on his kit.
and i have been offered work of all sorts with small firms when i get my class 1 so i can see what the others are saying that if you put your self about there is a job with your name on it all the best and hope that you get the job you want sooner rather than later good luck.
goofball:
went to unilever today… yes were interested in hiring drivers, how long have you had your licence… 3 weeks… oh how we laughed and laughed…the insurance stipulates that we cant take you on…try again in 6 months
Hard luck matey. Just a thought here, and you’ll have to make a judgment at the time, but if you get asked the “how long” question why not try a cheeky reply like “not long enough to pick up bad habits as I can show you on the assesment drive.” You may get your foot in on your personality. But it a judgment as to how that sort of quip will go down. If it has been relaxed up to then OK if a bit more formal then maybe not.
JUST GOT BACK HOME… WENT FOR THE INTERVIEW AND SUBJECT TO AN ASSESSMENT DRIVE THAT COULD STILL GO WRONG … THEN IT COULD BE MINE…NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET…
In 1987,on spec I phoned Exel Logistics to see if they would take on a newly qualified driver(I was thinking of taking my class 2 test).No,was the answer.A few months later I took my class 2 test,saw Exel advertising again,rang them up and at my interview was asked if I had any mates looking for a job as well.They were desperate as they had won some new contracts and had to find the drivers to fill them at a time when there was no “driver shortage” as such but they were in a hole.
In 1999 I took my class 1 (c+e)was told by the company I worked for that they could n’t use me for class 1work as their insurance policy didn’t permit it.About 4 weeks later a job came up for a class 1 driver,they didn’t have anyone else to send so guess who went?Haven’t looked back
goofball:
any idea what will be asked of me on the assessment and how long it will last
30 mins drive just to make sure you aren’t constantly over revving it (very easy to do with modern trucks), abusing the gearbox, or running over pedestrians toes with the trailer wheels.
Rgds, Jonathan
Ex Trade Plater
Ex C+E Instructor
Ex O/D
RoSPA Gold
goofball:
any idea what will be asked of me on the assessment and how long it will last
I can only tell about the assessment that I did. Started by picking up a unit, filling in and inserting a chart and doing the daily checks, ( If you are not familiar with the unit ask to be shown where the necessary points like dipstick, washer bottle, clutch fluid bottle and water level indicators are), then had to go and pick up the trailer for the drive itself. Remember the procedure and stick to it. Check the trailer out, ask your assessor to call out the lights from the back of the trailer, and if you find a fault ask to have it defected because he may have the bulb in his pocket. From then it was about a 40 min drive around a mix of town and country. Make sure you know and stick to the speed limits 'cause that will blow it for you every time. then back the yard park up the trailer, the dreaded reverse, if you need to shunt do so, finish the chart and maybe some pointers.
The whole exercise was about an hour and a half in total and I made a point of saying up front that I had been away from trucks for some time and that I was a bit nervous. From then on my assessor helped to put me at ease and we spent some of the drive talking about building work of all things. I doubt they will be looking for perfection and a safe, steady drive with no problems with attitude (don’t get into any road rages) , be formal and polite untill you’re told otherwise, and hand positions were NOT an issue. All that aside try to relax and enjoy the drive and I’m sure you get an offer.
Finally take protective footwear, HVJ, gloves etc and good luck.
done the assess and i commite a few minores and one serious at a round about …pulled out too soon…oh dear…got offered the job though but will have to do 3-4 days refresher course with them to bring me back up to speed…reversed very slowly and completed it…now the next big step is handing in my notice on my present job…
Oh well done goofball… see, what did we say??..LOL
Okay, so youve got to do a refresher, but hey… they are gonna pay for that though aint they??..
Main thing is you got the job…
I can imagine handing in your notice is gonna be the big step… but I bet you’ll be grinning, when you walk out!!
I hope that once i have handed in my notice on my old job that ther will be no looking back…and the right desiscion…well if all goes well i will be in a permanent posistion in 4 weeks…
my thoughts on all this is away from all the gloss and hype of hgv driving that exsists out there and the money that they say can be made… I have to say to any new driver that there is a lot of bumps ahead and having that licence is not a passport to the future untill you turn it into one yourself by hunting down that job as some one earlier had posted… and believe me it is a hunt…
Since passing class 2&1 finding work has been a rollercoaster ride of downers…consisting of
six multi nationals saying no to new drivers
Four big agencies that never rung yet say they have lots of contracts
emails that have gone unanswered
letters sent that never seen a reply
but when i look back at it now i think
december i passed and three weeks later a job offer…and to think i had never driven a truck before but it all started when i accidentaly came across this page and decided to change my carear in life at the age of 40…
And the only upps on this rollercoaster was you guys whom gave me a boost every time i tuned in…thanks to you all
I dont know if you have any PPE, but I got my safety boots and drivers trousers from Yeomans army stores and gloves from the gardening department of B&Q. The firm supply my hard hat (for the docks they wont serve u if u dont have a hat on) and hi-vis vest and I assume all firms would.
Just think in 6 months time you’ll be able to ring those companies that turned you down and say thanks but no thanks.
I had a thought on the 3-4 days “refresher course”. It’s more likely to be an induction into the company way of working so relax, enjoy and ask as many questions as you need to.
30 mins drive just to make sure you aren’t constantly over revving it (very easy to do with modern trucks), abusing the gearbox, or running over pedestrians toes with the trailer wheels.
, be formal and polite untill you’re told otherwise, and hand positions were NOT an issue. All that aside try to relax and enjoy the drive and I’m sure you get an offer. 
