Hi folks,
Passed Cat C just recently. Booked in for Cat C+E next week.
Not desperate to find work as will stick my current job until Licences have been paid off.
Apart from the Indeed’s and the reeds which appear to be the bigger players are there any other agencies I can try with confidence for occasional work to gain some experience…
My preference is long distance with no handballing
Audidoody:
Hi folks,
Passed Cat C just recently. Booked in for Cat C+E next week.
Not desperate to find work as will stick my current job until Licences have been paid off.
Apart from the Indeed’s and the reeds which appear to be the bigger players are there any other agencies I can try with confidence for occasional work to gain some experience…
My preference is long distance with no handballing
Indeed isn’t an agency, it’s a job advert site.
With big agencies that have multiple branches throughout the country, it partly depends on the local market as to whether they are good or not.
It also depends what you want from the agency. Some agencies will have clients with regular all year round work, others will give you the run around.
I was recently offered work with start times between 10pm and 1am, which is probably the worst start times going. The best thing is to speak to 3 or 4 local agencies and see if any of them can suggest anything that is going to give you regular work, working the days and start times that you want to do.
Ok so I have never worked for an agency so I’m a bit confused about how to gain experience and how it all works working through an agency. I thought passing the tests would be the hard part but I think I may be wrong 
Would it be better if I asked if anyone could recommend a good agency in and around the Dudley area
On google maps Poundland RDC and Lidl RDC (Regional Distribution Centre) are shown in your area. It might be worth contacting them directly for Class 1 work. Use google to find their websites.
google.co.uk/maps/search/bi … 284,12.75z
pertemps are a big nationwide agency. There’s a branch in Dudley. Try registering with them when you have your three cards…driving license, CPC, tacho card.
pertemps.co.uk/find-a-job/? … ob-results
Then register with at least two more agencies in your area. You want an agency that has a lot of HGV work and has big clients/distribution centres that it supplies drivers to.
I signed up with Driver Hire, Pertemps and Proman and I’ve had non stop work offers for class 2 or 7.5t at class 2 rates (someone told me to state if doing 7.5t or van get paid class 2 rate and they agreed no problem.)
Ok great I shall approach a couple of them named above once I pass the mod 4 next week 
Am I wrong in thinking once signed up they will either phone or text looking for availability which is taken on a 1st come 1st served basis??
As I’m working shifts already I’m assuming I can squeeze a couple of days driving in on my days off which I’m assuming I can only work 56hrs per week between my full time job and the odd driving jobs, some weeks I do 14hrs and some weeks 47hrs
If I was you, I’d be creating accounts with a suitable CV on the following, as it lets advertisors contact you if they have work for you
Then I would go register with the following - There’s nothing wrong with signing up to multiple agencies. Without beating a dead horse, figure out if you want to be PAYE, Ltd Company or something else and only sign up if they will do the version of employment you want.
Some DriverHire + HRGO locations will only sign up drivers if they go via their own umbrella company - Which most want to avoid generally
Each agency office/branch is generally run independently, so what is good in say Kent, might be crap in Manchester etc
Ok so as advised I have signed up with number of agencies and some just haven’t bothered getting in touch at all, granted alot of them respond to the initial enquiry but this is my experience, once they know I’m full time employed they wrap the call up, once I’ve explained that due to health issues heavy lifting and multi drop is a no-no, again the call wraps up…
So The Best Connection literally had a 2min call and the gent asked me to call back when I have Class 1 licence 
Pure Staff and Wright Staff have got me to register as though I am now an employee but I have not been offered work as yet
All of indeeds and per temps seem to be 1-2years experience
I have emailed a couple of local companies to see how the land lies but I’m a bit deflated at the moment and thinking the cancellation of my class 1 test last week may be a sign that its gonna be a difficult and long road ahead