Long story short, I’m looking for agencies who have clients offering class 1 night trunking and accept new passes. I’m currently based in the Bristol/Avonmouth area, but I live in a van so it’s no skin off my back if I have to relocate to Birmingham for a wider pool of opportunities. I guess I wouldn’t mind applying to the companies directly either, so any suggestions are welcome (feel free to PM me if you don’t want to publicly mention them)
If you’re in Avonmouth I suggest you apply directly to Asda, Tesco, Culina etc. Loads of firms in the area. Agencies are probably best avoided if you’re a newbie. Most places will want you to do an assessment, nowt to be worried about, it’s all part of learning. Good luck!
Cheers - I’d gone for an assessment via agency a while back with the chilled/frozen distributor with the white Actros fleet but didn’t pass because I spent what felt like ten minutes doing the bay reverse (bc I’d only ever done the driving test reverse before instead of something realistic) and they make you wait three months before you can try again so I’m a bit apprehensive about anything involving store deliveries at the moment 
Do you know if any of the parcel companies or any newspaper distributors take newbies on?
We were all like you once,youngun.Everything comes with experience.You need to have luck in finding someone decent to give you a start then it’s up to you.
‘If’ it helps…
Stobarts will 95% give you a go chap, full time with a regular wage so may help give you one less thing to worry about while being newish, or if like I were, wetter than an otters pocket [emoji57]
Their very fair with new passes, so just be honest an tell em your low in confidence with regards to manoeuvres and you may get some good luck,.
Can’t promise it but it’s well worth a punt.
They’ve plenty jobs round the Midlands, Lutterworth an the like and they use they’re own agency too, if that’s preferable.
Either way best of luck fella [emoji482]
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John Hackling seem to have an advert up consistently for night trunk. (Swindon or Bourton on the water)
In Yate you have Tuffnells, TNT, David Hathaway, Dynamic Storage and more probably that run night trunks.
mrginge:
In Yate you have Tuffnells, TNT, David Hathaway, Dynamic Storage and more probably that run night trunks.
Dynamic Storage 
Remember maneuvering is a hell of lot harder in the dark, not all night trunkers just chauffeur the vehicle from point A to B.
I too suggest you go and apply directly, if you show promise its in a company’s own interest to train you up on any weaknesses you have, but they won’t want the bother with someone on agency who the chances are they might never lay eyes on again.
Have you tried Gregorys or XPo they are looking for drivers.
mrginge:
In Yate you have Tuffnells, TNT, David Hathaway, Dynamic Storage and more probably that run night trunks.
DPD must be running trunks from Emersons Green aswell as Avonmouth on your doorstep
Stobarts get a lot of stick, but as a new driver I couldn’t recommend them enough
toonsy:
mrginge:
In Yate you have Tuffnells, TNT, David Hathaway, Dynamic Storage and more probably that run night trunks.Dynamic Storage
Touched a nerve ay? 
Never worked for them or dealt with them so no judgement from me.
Thanks for all the suggestions folks, plenty of doors for me to get knocking on, I’ve indeed not had much solid luck with agencies so far so I may as well bite the bullet and try direct (and good point Juddian about maneuvering in the dark)
Not to sound harsh but if you spent ages trying to reverse in the daytime on an assesment then night trunks might not be a good idea.
Many times with night trunks you arrive at a place and it can be a madhouse with trucks and shunters moving about everywhere, not to mention itll be dark and the possibility of it raining. You also have the 5,000,000 watt spotlights and maybe a blindside reverse onto a bay.
Course you might also just do a simple trailer swap at a services but they arent all like that. Im not having a go or anything because up till a few years ago I was lucky if I was still in the right yard after id finished reversing!
Can I ask why you want night trunks specifically?
The-Snowman:
Not to sound harsh but if you spent ages trying to reverse in the daytime on an assesment then night trunks might not be a good idea.
Many times with night trunks you arrive at a place and it can be a madhouse with trucks and shunters moving about everywhere, not to mention itll be dark and the possibility of it raining. You also have the 5,000,000 watt spotlights and maybe a blindside reverse onto a bay.Course you might also just do a simple trailer swap at a services but they arent all like that. Im not having a go or anything because up till a few years ago I was lucky if I was still in the right yard after id finished reversing!
Can I ask why you want night trunks specifically?
That’s not harsh, it’s a fair point. To add a bit more colour to the assessment reverse, I’d done all my lessons and test with a slightly shorter trailer that had only two axles and a 4x2 tractor unit (it was the only configuration the school had and I’d got on well with the instructors during my class 2 so I didn’t think to look elsewhere for class 1), so the assessment was my first time driving a triaxle trailer with the tailswing, and a 6x2 unit, and my nerves keep getting to me under test conditions so I was really pressuring myself to not screw up (and avoid wrecking anything in the yard) 
When the assessor then asked me to do a blindside reverse into a yard bay after the ten minute benny hill warehouse bay reverse, I nailed the blindside in one brief attempt which surprised the both of us, I think it was a bit like when you feel like you’ve surely already failed something the pressure then vanishes (but made failing the assessment all the more frustrating because I felt like I’d at least demonstrated potential especially since they knew it was my first time properly reversing )
I was mainly focusing on night trunks because I’m quite nocturnal and really don’t mind the then-quieter repetitive bland trunk roads, so I felt like it may be less overall pressure (self-inflicted or otherwise) as an initial job to get me fully accustomed with regularly driving a large vehicle (I’m not implying I’m a danger on the roads, I just don’t have a very confident personality in general cause I’ve always been introverted and am still fairly young to this game called life )
mrginge:
toonsy:
mrginge:
In Yate you have Tuffnells, TNT, David Hathaway, Dynamic Storage and more probably that run night trunks.Dynamic Storage
Touched a nerve ay?
Never worked for them or dealt with them so no judgement from me.
I’ve collected from there. Once. That was enough
You could try Gloucester - if thats not too far?
Arthur Spriggs were looking for a night Driver… and Were recruiting for Class ones anyway.
Cotteswold Dairies are recruiting for class 1 drivers. The work is Semi nocturnal as you desire - moving Milk.
There was an agency advert last week for NIGHT drivers in Gloucester…alas cant remember the agency though - sorry.
XPO have been looking for Night drivers out of Wainwright road in Worcester…
Good Luck.
Where is all this lack of confidence coming from I don’t just mean you there seems to be a lot of it going around
Just go and do the job you will make mistakes we all did and some still do, that’s all part of learning even if you do a bit of damage it’s not the end, it’s a lesson learned, every day is a learning process no matter what you do
lightning:
You could try Gloucester - if thats not too far?
Arthur Spriggs were looking for a night Driver… and Were recruiting for Class ones anyway.
Cotteswold Dairies are recruiting for class 1 drivers. The work is Semi nocturnal as you desire - moving Milk.
There was an agency advert last week for NIGHT drivers in Gloucester…alas cant remember the agency though - sorry.XPO have been looking for Night drivers out of Wainwright road in Worcester…
Good Luck.
Nah Gloucester isn’t too far, I’ll have a look into those companies too 
Bigtruck3:
Where is all this lack of confidence coming from I don’t just mean you there seems to be a lot of it going around
Just go and do the job you will make mistakes we all did and some still do, that’s all part of learning even if you do a bit of damage it’s not the end, it’s a lesson learned, every day is a learning process no matter what you do
I’d say it may be a generational thing, but there seem to be people twice as old as me just coming in to the industry with similar confidence issues 
Personally I feel the lack of experience behind the wheel of a truck doesn’t help, there’s only so many hours people can afford for lessons and a test, and with all the insurance particulars and surveillance nowadays we can’t just easily tag along in a mate’s wagon for a shift and see how they drive it, plus all the [zb] that comes with a modern unit nowadays and their price tag, and the increasing number of impatient muppets in cars tearing around the roads like a race track, and wagon drivers getting the blame by default if there’s an accident involving a truck, it feels like there’s a lot at stake. Plus it feeling like most companies will just hand you the keys and say get on with it rather than spend a few hours on induction to show a newbie the ropes, like, I could have a guess at how to open and close a curtainsider but I’ve not been shown or taught it, and driving schools only cover what little is needed to pass the driving test and initial CPC