New driver, new career

Evening all. I’m 27, from south Yorkshire and I’ve passed my class 2, dcpc and now I’ve got my class 1 lessons and test in the coming weeks. I’ve been wanting to drive for years and have now finally pulled my finger out and got the ball rolling. I’m currently furniture making and have been there 7 years. It’s a good job but I’m bored of it, now it’s time for a change. I know alot of jobs need expierence for driving hgvs, but we’re do you get expierence if no one will take you on. What’s everyone story behind their first driving job?
Jamie.

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I drove a four-wheeler aged 8-9-years old back in 1952. This had been on a landfill site.
At 17-years, I was on the road for a firm with four-wheel tippers but made a change to ready-mix concrete and six-wheelers quickly. I then went on the road for Silver Roadways at Silvertown driving 24-tonne artic’s on general haulage. I went on the road for Air Products at the age of 20-years and drove their 32-tonne motors for 4-years on nights.
I always regarded a lorry as a lethal weapon that could kill or maim innocent people and made special efforts to give cyclists a lot of room. I drove safely and considerately for the duration of my career as a truck driver.
My advice to new HGV drivers is to always use the time they have to get from A to B without mishap. If the boss want you to travel faster then use you ability to care for other roads users and pedestrians in order to avoid a Crown Court Trial for manslaughter and the loss of your job and HGV licence.

My first driving job was bidvest in 26tonne daf, I use to deliver to pret a manger stores in london. I have trunking job now.

Multidrop work like p h brakes bidvest is easy work to get with no experience but very hard

jamieh1990:
Evening all. I’m 27, from south Yorkshire and I’ve passed my class 2, dcpc and now I’ve got my class 1 lessons and test in the coming weeks. I’ve been wanting to drive for years and have now finally pulled my finger out and got the ball rolling. I’m currently furniture making and have been there 7 years. It’s a good job but I’m bored of it, now it’s time for a change. I know alot of jobs need expierence for driving hgvs, but we’re do you get expierence if no one will take you on. What’s everyone story behind their first driving job?
Jamie.

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someone will always take you on…there’s a driver shortage don’t ya know! :laughing:

bidvest seems popular for newbies

And your location helps too…

jamieh1990:
Evening all. I’m 27, from south Yorkshire and I’ve passed my class 2, dcpc and now I’ve got my class 1 lessons and test in the coming weeks. I’ve been wanting to drive for years and have now finally pulled my finger out and got the ball rolling. I’m currently furniture making and have been there 7 years. It’s a good job but I’m bored of it, now it’s time for a change. I know alot of jobs need expierence for driving hgvs, but we’re do you get expierence if no one will take you on. What’s everyone story behind their first driving job?
Jamie.

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Hi, I am in the same boat. I passed my Class 1 as I wanted to try something new, now I have passed I’m struggling to get work. I applied with agencies when I passed my Class 2 and most of them said I needed 6 months experience, or if I pass my Class 1 then I could start their Class 2 work. I then passed my C+E and the agencies have said I need to have 2 years experience for Class 1 and still 6 months for Class 2. I think it doesn’t help my situation that I work full time Monday to Friday so I am only looking for Saturday runs, luckily I used to work in a Transport office for the company I work for so they have put a word in with the agency they use, but I only managed that from been in the right place at the right time.

Izzy7172

jamieh1990:
I know alot of jobs need expierence for driving hgvs, but we’re do you get expierence if no one will take you on.

Agency.

I passed Class 2 in Jan, have been in pretty constant work soon as I got my licence DCPC and Tacho cards back. Work has not all been Class 2, but have already driven 6 different Class 2 vehicles for 3 different companies.

I didn’t want to drive Class 2 or go on agency, so for me it was a case of apply to the likes of Stobart, Downton etc who will take fresh meat.

Best of luck OP on your class 1 text, and I doubt you’ll have any issue getting your arse in an artic if you’re not fussy! :grimacing:

However, please do yourself a favour and leave your current gig on the best terms you can, leaving that door open.
Whether you use it or not is irrelevant, just knowing you have free choice stops you feeling trapped with your choices… :wink:

my 1st class 2 job was pumping ■■■■! Not the best.But it got me off the Agency and a regular truck,start and finish time. I passed my class 1 and started work at Stobart. I come home clean everyday and don’t have to work to hard.True I could be paid more etc.
I live in south Yorkshire too. Where will you take your test? If u can drive in Sheffield then u can drive anywhere. Grimsby was an easier test route. I moved.

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billdor1967:
my 1st class 2 job was pumping [zb]! Not the best.But it got me off the Agency and a regular truck,start and finish time. I passed my class 1 and started work at Stobart. I come home clean everyday and don’t have to work to hard.True I could be paid more etc.
I live in south Yorkshire too. Where will you take your test? If u can drive in Sheffield then u can drive anywhere. Grimsby was an easier test route. I moved.

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I moved? imo ■■■■
predictive text

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So I passed my test on the 2nd go. With only 2 minors. One was someone undertaking me and he said i wasn’t using appropriate speed and the other was a shunt on the reverse. The instructor told me only a [zb] won’t use a shunt. I let the trailer bend too much as I put the left lock on after the initial right hand steer.
So now on to finding a job. My boss at my place of work knows I have been doing my lessons and to be fair with him he said I would be bettering myself and didn’t really say much. Lots of agency work out there which looks like I could possibly have to go into.
My friend works at tuffnels and will be putting a word in there for me tomorrow. I’ll have a look at stobart and see if they want any fresh meat. I’m based on the barnsley/wakefield/pontefract border.

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Hi mate,

Congrats on passing! Turners are taking on out of there Castleford depot not to sure if it’s to far for you but they usually give newbies a chance.

mikeycass87:
Hi mate,

Congrats on passing! Turners are taking on out of there Castleford depot not to sure if it’s to far for you but they usually give newbies a chance.

Cheers mikey, no its about 15/20mins away. I’m going down to the europort on the m62 today to see what I can find.

I can’t help with work as I’m nowhere near you but congrats on the pass and good luck with the job hunt [emoji846]

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I’ve got a driving assessment for TRG logistics on Friday morning who run the superdrug contract. So I will see what they are about and will go from there.

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Went for the assessment, everything went well. Drove the normal triple wheeled artic and had a drive in a double decked trailer. Felt massive compare to the standard one. Just need to get a grip on the reverse but I sure it will come in time. Not too sure on if I take the job or not becuase it’s not a full time position and it’s more contract work. Desicions. …

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Good luck

My first class 2 job was multi drop limping in 2000. It was for gm2 logistics delivering paper. Easy job for a first gig, lot of drops all local, easy local round. Only had one sticky moment when i almost took out an awning in Stamford. I was probably driving a bit fast for the road, but it was a good learning experience. I was loving it, i had a big grin on my face all day.

Im back to limping again, but it suits me. I get a good variety of work, a tipper one day, multi drop with a parcel courier the next, bin lorry next day, roadsweeper next day. You get the picture, i love the change i would hate working at the same place day after day. Dont get me wrong sometimes i get long runs with the same company but i always know that its temporary and i will be moving on to something else soon. I can’t see myself taking on a permanent contract in the near future. I have had some jobs that i would have committed to but they didn’t want a permanent driver. I only work 3 days per week too and theres not too many permanent gigs that will offer that. I have had a couple of weekend gigs that i would have permanently taken to, but they didn’t want a full time driver. And there was a job that i did for a few months which was driving a library class 2 van for Rothley library. The hours were 9 - 4 mon tues thurs and fri and 9 - 12 on a Wednesday. That was a job i took to. No loading or unloading, pick up the van in the morning, drive round the local villages park up for 20 mins at each. A bit boring but so easy! :slight_smile: im lazy i admit it. I hate handball when i have to do it lol. But sometimes i am the exact opposite and love working for tnt chasing my arse off and all the heavy handball. It all comes down to my mood on the day. I always give 100%and do a good job which is why companies ring the agency and ask for me by name. This job is what you make it, have a good attitude and always do your best and you will never be stuck for work.