Hi, I’m just about to start my new career and about to apply for some agency work.
Does anyone know what kind Of work I will be doing first of all? Obviously I have no previous experience.
Would I be doing local work or long distance driving or would it vary?
Btw I only have class 2 license
Look for pallet companies .They normally take on new pass drivers.
If you sign on with an agency then you could end up doing anything. Lots of companies just give you the keys and the paperwork and tell you to get on with it to be honest.
I was delivering anything from window frames to small packages or pallets of stuff.
Sometimes far away, sometimes local. That’s the joy of agency work my friend
A lot of waste companies will take on new passes as well if your after local work. Getting that truck on some.tight driveways will soon get you up to speed lol. My advice would be go around knock on a few waste companies doors looking presentable with your cv you might get lucky.
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jaustin123:
Does anyone know what kind Of work I will be doing first of all? Obviously I have no previous experience.Would I be doing local work or long distance driving or would it vary?
Anything and everything. One of the good things about agency for a new starter is you get to do a lot of different things and drive lots of different trucks in a very short period of time. My advice is take everything you’re offered even if it sounds crap as some of those crap sounding jobs can end up being nice little gems and because nobody else wants them there’s plenty of work. As a result you’ll get a wider range of skills quicker than someone who goes into full-time work does and you’re more likely to figure out what you do and don’t like doing. And the best bit is because you’re agency everyone expects you to be crap so if you make a mistake it doesn’t matter and your job isn’t as much at risk as it would be being permanent.
Much of it on Class 2 is likely to be pallet network stuff, delivering pallets of goods to anything from a big factory to a farm to the odd person’s house, local multi-drop for someone like a wholesaler, tippers, milk tankers doing farm collections if you’re somewhere like Leeds where Arla is, caravan transporting if you’re in an area where they manufacture them, or waste with things like hook loaders or skips but that wouldn’t be given to someone with a freshly minted licence. All depends on what kinds of companies are in your area.
Sign up for more than one agency at the start then stick with whoever gives you the most work.
I would however suggest saving up and upgrading your licence to CE as quick as possible. There’s less competition for work as everyone who leaves the army leaves with a Class 2, there’s more work and it’s both better types of work and better paying.
My work ( agency ) is 99% pop , but in last week have done a load of bark & a load of plasterboard , I’ve now got washing powder ( something else to put on my application form when applying for a new job ) , tricky double stacked washing powder , nearly rolled it comming into rowanhands srvs tonight , have to slow down a bit as came down slip road at such a rate I was going to have to use the garage pumps & wild bean cafe as a run off lane , but at least I kept company drivers opinions of agency up !!
Did it though 3 mins to spare on a 15 , welcome to the wonderful world of agency op , yee- ha cowboy
dozy:
, tricky double stacked washing powder , nearly rolled it comming into rowanhands srvs tonight , have to slow down a bit as came down slip road at such a rate I was going to have to use the garage pumps & wild bean cafe as a run off lane , but at least I kept company drivers opinions of agency up !!
Did it though 3 mins to spare on a 15 , welcome to the wonderful world of agency op , yee- ha cowboy
You disappoint me doze (but not surprise me)
You as my new mentor keep telling me I shouldn’t be rushing about, and then you go and tell me something like this.
I’m confused, I had faith in your teachings, I even chucked my magnet away ffs… 
I thought you were better than this,.I’m totally gutted,.I may even have to look for a new advisor to keep me on the straight and narrow. 
Conor:
jaustin123:
Does anyone know what kind Of work I will be doing first of all? Obviously I have no previous experience.Would I be doing local work or long distance driving or would it vary?
Anything and everything. One of the good things about agency for a new starter is you get to do a lot of different things and drive lots of different trucks in a very short period of time. My advice is take everything you’re offered even if it sounds crap as some of those crap sounding jobs can end up being nice little gems and because nobody else wants them there’s plenty of work. As a result you’ll get a wider range of skills quicker than someone who goes into full-time work does and you’re more likely to figure out what you do and don’t like doing. And the best bit is because you’re agency everyone expects you to be crap so if you make a mistake it doesn’t matter and your job isn’t as much at risk as it would be being permanent.
Much of it on Class 2 is likely to be pallet network stuff, delivering pallets of goods to anything from a big factory to a farm to the odd person’s house, local multi-drop for someone like a wholesaler, tippers, milk tankers doing farm collections if you’re somewhere like Leeds where Arla is, caravan transporting if you’re in an area where they manufacture them, or waste with things like hook loaders or skips but that wouldn’t be given to someone with a freshly minted licence. All depends on what kinds of companies are in your area.
Sign up for more than one agency at the start then stick with whoever gives you the most work.
I would however suggest saving up and upgrading your licence to CE as quick as possible. There’s less competition for work as everyone who leaves the army leaves with a Class 2, there’s more work and it’s both better types of work and better paying.
I’m sure there must be some geographic anomaly.
If you’re unlucky enough to be based anywhere near London trust me it will generally be a constant diet of local building trades supplies deliveries and often site labouring as part of that.
Or retail distribution as in multi drop with the emphasis on local and multi.
As for class 1 or 2 it makes no difference many clients will often think nothing of paying class 1, let alone 2, rates to get drivers for vans or 7.5 tonners.
Agencies are usually all about providing drivers for the least attractive difficult to fill jobs and they’ll take full advantage of the ‘experience’ bs word to do it. 
robroy:
dozy:
, tricky double stacked washing powder , nearly rolled it comming into rowanhands srvs tonight , have to slow down a bit as came down slip road at such a rate I was going to have to use the garage pumps & wild bean cafe as a run off lane , but at least I kept company drivers opinions of agency up !!
Did it though 3 mins to spare on a 15 , welcome to the wonderful world of agency op , yee- ha cowboyYou disappoint me doze (but not surprise me)
You as my new mentor keep telling me I shouldn’t be rushing about, and then you go and tell me something like this.
I’m confused, I had faith in your teachings, I even chucked my magnet away ffs…
I thought you were better than this,.I’m totally gutted,.I may even have to look for a new advisor to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Rob,
He can only advise you on rowanhands services and the woolworth fairy and how to reheat a steak dinner from the previous night
Rowanhands Services on Google maps throws up:
Exmoor National Park.
Figs Catering.
A GMAT Coach (!?)
And, a Pet Cemetery.
.
.
He never did say it was a beef steak on a Friday, did he?
pete smith:
robroy:
dozy:
, tricky double stacked washing powder , nearly rolled it comming into rowanhands srvs tonight , have to slow down a bit as came down slip road at such a rate I was going to have to use the garage pumps & wild bean cafe as a run off lane , but at least I kept company drivers opinions of agency up !!
Did it though 3 mins to spare on a 15 , welcome to the wonderful world of agency op , yee- ha cowboyYou disappoint me doze (but not surprise me)
You as my new mentor keep telling me I shouldn’t be rushing about, and then you go and tell me something like this.
I’m confused, I had faith in your teachings, I even chucked my magnet away ffs…
I thought you were better than this,.I’m totally gutted,.I may even have to look for a new advisor to keep me on the straight and narrow.Rob,
He can only advise you on rowanhands services and the woolworth fairy and how to reheat a steak dinner from the previous night
Yeh but it’s a start innit . 
He’s started to give me advice on here 
,.so I’m hanging on his every word. 
You will be given a variety of stuff Chief. Bit of advice, give the cab a quick clean (don’t be a maggot though, use THEIR tackle) & fuel the wagon up, a quick hello & cheerio and the client will think you are incredible & will be desperate to re-book you.
It’s VERY easy to fly up the money list with agencies. Once a couple of clients ask for you back it’s like taking cardboard off the homeless.
The OP needs to be aware that if they needs a regular income to keep a young family fed or pay a mortgage, due to the adhoc nature of it, agency work may not provide the consistent cash flow they need
As Conner said earlier on, try to up grade to a class 1 license as there so much choice in work at the moment. It be well worth it in the long run.
As this post is a couple of months old now, it’ll be interesting to hear back from the OP and act as a guide for others starting out, how he/she is getting on.
peirre:
The OP needs to be aware that if they needs a regular income to keep a young family fed or pay a mortgage, due to the adhoc nature of it, agency work may not provide the consistent cash flow they need
There are a bucketload of us who work fulltime and agency is a full time job. Certainly over the last couple of years the days of having a dead period of the year with a day or two work a week at the most are long gone. In many places even the “only get a bit here and there as a new starter” seems to be comming to an end too. The last 18 months increase in demand has changed a lot of things. I’d even go as far as to say for those wanting to cut down their hours in an area where there’s a lot of industry and distribution centres that you could go on agency, name the days you want to work and be guaranteed to have work for those days.
Conor:
There are a bucket load of us who work fulltime and agency is a full time job. Certainly over the last couple of years the days of having a dead period of the year with a day or two work a week at the most are long gone. In many places even the “only get a bit here and there as a new starter” seems to be coming to an end too. The last 18 months increase in demand has changed a lot of things. I’d even go as far as to say for those wanting to cut down their hours in an area where there’s a lot of industry and distribution centres that you could go on agency, name the days you want to work and be guaranteed to have work for those days.
I understand you point, however the OP needs know that the nature of agency work could mean erratic income patterns.
That why we both know that typically those who do best on agency are the young single drivers living with family, older drivers whos kids have flown the nest, theyre mortgage free, most have cash in the bank and they possibly have a spouse who has their own income, so if in the unlikely scenario agency work dries up for a short period they dont have to worry when the next wage is coming in to pay the bills and feed a young family. I too am meeting drivers who only want 3 days a week, and in a couple of year I hope to be one of them, but typically the agency keep asking them to do more days a week until they end up back doing full weeks. I anticipate that in the coming months the assignment Im on now may only want me working 3-4 days as the consumer has spent all their money on updating their homes, making outdoor spaces and kitting them out, and so retail demand in this sector is slowing, which is why the weekend work is drying up and the guys they took on full time doing Thursday - Tuesday will be moving across to Mon-Fri shifts in the coming weeks which will have a knock on effect on the work I get, so I may need to diversify and do a few shifts elsewhere
Agency work - is still a good place to let the process of “Price Discovery” take it’s course…
Some firms - you’ll not stick the job 5 minutes, because it is so awful.
Other firms, you’ll like working there, but they won’t like you, because you won’t conform in some way, Eg. refuse to work nights out, work across weekends, won’t take a shift at less than 24 hours notice, or even can’t do the 12 hour round they give you in less than 15 for reasons beyond your control (like "no vehicle available for the first 4 hours of your shift, then they expect you to do the 12 hour round, taking offence if you say ‘no’…)
Sooner or later though - you’ll find a place where you realize you can do the job, don’t mind doing the job, spend most of your actual working day driving, rather than buggering about at the office waiting, or buggering about at some remote location waiting…
…Then if the money and shifts are good for you - you carry on at that client for as long as possible, until that contract eventually ends, at which point you’d expect the agency to have somewhere else to send you by that point, rather than be too specialized with only one or two firms on their books…
Personally, I reckon the agencies based around Towns and Counties rather than “Nationwide” - are the better ones.
Typo