What are your experiences, would you be let out on your own as a newly qualified driver, i.e your cat C and CPC, or would you need someone experienced with you?
ram_1979:
What are your experiences, would you be let out on your own as a newly qualified driver, i.e your cat C and CPC, or would you need someone experienced with you?
More often than not - there are the keys … GO 
ram_1979:
What are your experiences, would you be let out on your own as a newly qualified driver, i.e your cat C and CPC, or would you need someone experienced with you?
Operators checklist.
- Does he/she have a licence? Check.
- Does he/she have a pulse? Check.
Here’s your keys and your run sheet. See you in 15 hours time 
Advised - No
Unheard of - No aswell
First day be in yard for 4am here’s key run solo to Avonmouth docks spent the week on local runs nights out in maritimes yard then Friday run back to our yard with 20ft box for drop on Monday morning in Portbury Docks.
Class 2 - got sent to place down the road to load and had to figure out how to chain down concrete, then go off to drop somewhere. Had the assessment drive about a month later.
Class 1 - sent to factory at night to pickup the truck and trailer where no one had any idea about trucks and was only driver. Had to take it to Birmingham and back twice.
On agency its even more fun as some days you don’t even meet anyone.
Same as everyone above first day got a job delivering to clothes stores at night, Zara i think they were called, agency just gave the adress where the lorry was there were keys on the wall noone there and had to travel 30miles just to get it loaded then got list and adresses of the stores couple hundred miles away and off you go 
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I was thrown in the deep end on BOTH Cat C and C+E!
Cat C: Was given the keys to a tatty old Scania curtainsider, got loaded up with pallets for twelve drops throughout Stockton, and then sent out without any instructions on how to use the tuck-under tail-lift, and had to figure out on how to use it on my own. Got moaned at by the nightman when I returned late because the pallet of beer I collected was an urgent delivery to Norway and had to be on his trunk that night!
Cat C+E: Was asked to bobtail to Killingholme (again on my own) and then collect a ferry trailer for a 21.00 delivery to Trafford Park that night (this was only last Wednesday).
First Class 2 shift driving - Don’t worry about addresses or anything - Your drivers mate knows where it is and what do to (He didn’t even have a car licence)
First Class 1 shift - “There’s the keys, unit is outside, pick up one of the empty trailers” Trailer swap at Amazon Tilbury, then a trunk run up to Rugby for Hermes and a run back to Gatwick - All solo.
Cat C , tatty M reg leyland 18t t Burton delivering kitchens for the dark purple kitchen company in West Sussex
Cat C+E was easy as it was only a merry go round run to collect loads from one of our customers so I had been there many times in 26t rigid
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To avoid going out on your own the first week, get employment directly with a company that takes on new drivers or find an agency that supplies drivers to employers with a constant all year round requirement for drivers and that take on new drivers. Demand a week’s training with their driver trainer so that you get used to doing manual entries on the digital tachograph.
My first day I was accompanied by another driver and we shared the driving, next day they sent me out on my own, a few hiccups on the way but so far no major balls ups.
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What about crashing or some major incident on your fisrt day, it must have happened?
Never been out with another driver alway ran solo only had 1 driving assessment which was recently
Alway given keys then go
Just take your time relax & enjoy if in doubt about anything ask
Class 1
Turned up hello I’m the new driver catches keys that were tossed
Fort William for Cowie
Turned out to be Corpach ( BSW Timber Mill )
Had never been on a weigh bridge b4
How the ■■■■ do u open the roof
(Walking floor)
Didn’t know I had to beep the shovel driver when at my weight
How does this PTO turn on etc
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First Class 2 shift (on agency), arrived at client (Bibby), was told, “Just grab the next rigid that comes in”. Never been out on my own, no clue about how curtain-siders worked. Fortunately some kindly driver going off shift saw me looking cluelessly at the truck and gave me a five minute tutorial. Driving that truck out of the depot was one of the most terrifying moments I’d ever had. 
Of course there’s been plenty more terrifying moments since then
Zac_A:
First Class 2 shift (on agency), arrived at client (Bibby), was told, “Just grab the next rigid that comes in”. Never been out on my own, no clue about how curtain-siders worked. Fortunately some kindly driver going off shift saw me looking cluelessly at the truck and gave me a five minute tutorial. Driving that truck out of the depot was one of the most terrifying moments I’d ever had.
That must have been a while ago - now Bibby have you filling in life story, can’t go anywhere until full licence checked online and you’ve done an induction - might be a very quick one if your experienced mind
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The thing is, it’s not about the licence. You’ve passed the test, you can do it. So, newly qualified or experienced, all the same at the start of a job with a new firm or different type of job.
It’s about the job. What does it entail, how do I operate this piece of kit I haven’t seen before, what do I do if “This” happens, or “That” happens. How does the paperwork work. What’s this Hand Held Terminal thing?
A multitude of different things that have nothing to do with the actual driving bit.
This is the sort of stuff that would worry me, tbh, not the driving part.
My first job (Agency, 7.5t, yeah yeah, I know) I got stymied by a fold under tail lift. Was banging it on the floor wondering why it wasn’t folding out, didn’t realise I had to horse it out meself
Ok, I found out later how it worked.
My first time driving a small lorry after 30 years layoff I was a bit lost. But it wasn’t the driving, it was the job.
Plumbers supply, from taps to shower bases, piece of ■■■■. 30 drops a day ffs.
What’s the plan, Boss?
Oh, so I just drive to these addresses, knock on the door, hand em a package, get em to sign, and that’s it?
Yeah, only it ain’t, is it .
Customer not in, no parking within half a mile, wrong part supplied, wrong customer phone number, can’t find part on the truck, loading crew wrongly numbered the package, customer not in but, on the phone, says “I’ll be there in 5 minutes” but they aren’t. You wait 15, what now? just ■■■■ off? what’s the procedure?
But that’s just multi drop.
A newly qualified driver should have no fears about going out on his own, doing the driving. It’s the job that’ll ■■■■ you up.
ram_1979:
What about crashing or some major incident on your fisrt day, it must have happened?
No incidents on my first day other than making a massive pigs ear of reversing on to a straightforward bay but second day went to a company yard in Newport didn’t realise I was driving into a dead end then blew a tyre on a low wall when trying to manoeuvre out.
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Palletways give three days training which I found invaluable (the problem was what came after 
).