18 months On From Cat C

Well folks I thought I would put a little input in to the newbie section as I have gained so much from looking in here when I first started.

A bit of my background,
I have wanted to be a wagon driver since I was about 8 years old. They have always fascinated me by the way the drivers ‘threw’ them around compared to granddads in their cars. When I was 16 I was getting into all sorts of trouble and needed to get out of my home town so I joined the navy and spent 19 enjoyable years doing it.

In 2007 I decided to spend some of mine (and the wife’s) hard earned dosh and blow it on getting my class 2, this was in November. As i was waiting for my licence back from DVLA, with the provisional entitlement, I applied for a Digital tachograph card and received it within a week or two. Then my licence came through and I booked my course and passed my test first time. As soon as I got my licence back I was knocking on agencies doors registering with them. To start with I registered with about 4 but heard nothing, for one I went and did a day’s work (unpaid) with one of their senior drivers to see what I was like but never got another job from them (and still haven’t until this day as I wasn’t willing to do all the driving and ■■■■■■■ and dumping of milk trolleys while he stood there checking the skirt out and smoking his rollies and I told them that at the end of the day, i expected a bit of help if i was doing it for nowt and he was getting paid for it)

Now comes the bits about getting a job…… to start with I had to prove myself as a competent driver (your licence doesn’t mean you’re a competent driver, it means you can pass a test) so I started on the 7.5t puddle jumpers. After about 4 weekends of doing this (I was still in the navy at this point but had a very understanding boss that gave me time off to have my weekly rests) I was itching to get in a big boys toy and I had a phone call asking if I could start at 8 that night to do a trunk for a company and I agreed to do it as it was a Friday night and my chance to break into the big time. Since that day I have stuck with the agency that got me that job and now (according to them) I am one of their more reliable drivers.

I took my C+E in june last year, because I was going to a medical board about my knee (I got kept in for 12 months then a review), in preparation for getting discharged, and passed first time again. When I passed and got my licence back I went to all the agencies I had registered with and told them all about it and showed them my licence. I expected the work to come flowing in but it didn’t, plenty of class 2 work and a few class1 jobs but not as many as I liked. I was getting a bit pee’d off and started taking it out on everyone around me, I guess it was a mild type of depression, I had just done something I had wanted to do all my life (getting my licences) and it was all for nothing. Then I got the breakthrough that I needed. The main agency I work for was stuck for an artic driver (the cheeky ZB’s rung me and asked me if I knew anyone that could do a job for a few days up the road) and I reminded them I had mine and was available all week. So I got my lucky break and the work started to trickle in, then it picked up speed and the recession hit. I was taking anything I got offered, be it van work, 7.5t, class 2, just to stay in with the agency.

Onto the middle of 2009 and I was looking at another medical board so was sending CV’s off, I was doing at least 5 a day when I could to all the major companies you see every day on the motorways of Britain and got not a lot back, not even acknowledgements or when they did reply it was ‘thanks but no thanks, not enough experience’.

Anyway I found out at the start of July I was finally being discharged (I did not want this, the recession is in full swing and drivers are being laid off daily with a hell of a lot more experience than me) and started to get fed up again but my wife gave me a kick in the arse, said print a fistful of CV’s off and fill the car up with petrol and go round until you have no CV’s left and hardly any petrol, it’s harder to say no thanks to your face. Off I went the following day, I must have been to between 50-100 companies in a 50 mile radius and it was all ‘no thanks/were laying off drivers/not enough experience’ and I was getting thoroughly ■■■■■■ off again. So I just kept going back every few days and I finally managed to wangle an assessment, which I had this morning for a medium sized company, and I now have a start time of 0800 tomorrow morning as a casual driver.

One thing that was mentioned today was that I had on old but tidy trousers and polo shirt (I don’t care if they get covered in oil) and my boots had been polished. I was also clean shaven and 10 minutes early for the assessment. These small details go a long way. If you think about it, would you employ someone who is a scruffy git or someone who looks smart and ready to do the job and give a good company image?

The point of this is to let all the newbies know, don’t give up, knock on doors, keep harassing them until they get fed up with you and give you a job so they will only see you 5 days a week instead of 7. Keep plodding on and if you get fed up just think about how much it will all be worth in the end when you land the job through yet more hard work and perseverance. It might not be the ideal job you want but it’s a job in the trade you want and things can only get better. It’s easier to find a better job when you are in one than when you are sat at home.

Good luck out there folks and keep smiling

Excellent post
If more put up a similar posts in this thread then I can use a link to it as part of the newbies welcome and add it to the LGV TRAINING TIPS thread.

Nice post Gibsla, and a positive post for all new drivers out there.

Do you mind if i share mine as well in this topic? Maybe all the newer drivers who have just landed jobs could do a similar post in here, it may give the new passers some hope and keep them plugging away. As you said, this section of the site also gave me some great advice when doing my class 1.

Mine started in December of last year. Trucks have been a massive part of my life. My dad has been in the industry for nearly 40 years. He started driving them on the road at the age of 14 (yes, 14) for the Fairground that was based at the bottom of his road in Tilbury. In fact, the first thing he ever drove was a unit with 2 trailers, which just the thought of scares the hell out of me

Anyway, i used to go out with him when i was a nipper, it used to excite me going out in an artic and travelling around the country, and made even better when he was given a brand spanking new F reg Iveco with bunk beds so i could go on overnights with him.

Anyway, i left school not knowing what to do with my life. I passed my car test and started driving vans, and stayed doing that until this year. In November 2008, i thought that if i was going to be a driver, i may as well go as far as i can and step up to Class 2. I passed my Cat C in the December of the same year. This was slap bang in the middle of the recession, and really not a good time for a newbie to to try and get work when there were so many more experienced drivers out there looking for work.
With the help of my dad, who knew all of the local companies, and even a few personally, we made a list of people to send my C.V to. I have no idea how many C.V’s i sent out, but out of all of them i got a reply from one, just ONE company, saying they didn’t have any jobs at the moment but would keep me on file should a vacancy arise.

In April i still had no Class C driving work, i had pretty much forgotten all of my training, and if i was given an assessment by someone i would probably have failed in a major way, so i decided that while i was waiting about, i would book my Class 1 to give me 1. a refresher and 2. more chance of getting work as i would hold both licenses. So, with a loan from my nan, i went ahead and booked my training and test.

I failed my first test and i beat myself up about it, wondering if i had chosen the right career path, and if i had the ability to do it. I went for a second test, but i didn’t tell my dad, or anyone about it, and i passed with 7 minors. Not great, but it’s a pass and i now have the license.

The training company i used also did a bit of work for a company called Continental Express, pulling trailers out of Harwich Docks, running them back to their base, and then running emptys back down to Harwich. Kev, they guy who taught me, offered to take me out to get experience of driving fully loaded. The day i passed my test, which i did in a wag and drag because i had already passed in that wagon, so was familiar with the gear box and was easier for me to pick up without having to learn a whole new gear box etc, we were driving back from the test centre, and he asked me to drop him off at Boreham services. he then told me to go back to the yard on my own, drop off the W&D, and pick up his tractor unit. His view was that when i started driving, i would have to get used to different gear boxes on my own, so i may as well start now. It also made me feel that he trusted me with his truck, and that i was a safe driver.
After picking that up, idrove to Continetal Express in Waltham Abbey, where we picked up an empty trailer to take to Harwich, and we picked up a full one to take back the depot. So that was me getting trained in a fully loaded, 44 tonne artic, and i had W&D experience. I just couldn’t fault him at all.

Of course there are 2 ways of looking at it, you could say i was doing work for free, but you could also say i was getting free training (which was the way i looked at it). I did 3 nights of this, which was 6 trailers in all, and something to put on my C.V.

I was actually offered a job by Continental on the back of this, shunting in the yard, taking trailers between the 2 depots they had in Waltham Cross and Waltham Abbey, but driving from Chelmsford to there and back everyday was not really affordable, and i had to turn it down. So that was that, i was a newbie looking for a work, and i was given a foot in the door that i couldn’t take.

I was back to square one, sending out CV’s to all the local companies, i didn’t have the 2 years required experience everyone wanted, i was taken on by an agency who didn’t phone me once. Great.

Then, i started to think outside the box. The haulage industry is a lot bigger than just general haulage. There are many different areas, and i hadn’t given them a second thought. My dad now does agency work 3 days a week for Arla foods, he wants to ease off abit and start living his life a bit more after years of being on he road non-stop, going round europe, having nights out etc. In Arla’s yard at Hatfield Peveral, Turners run milk tankers out to farms to collect milk, and i hadn’t even thought about tanker work in any way shape or form. So, armed with a C.V, i went down and dropped one off. I was lucky here, they guys at Turners knew my dad from Arla. They didn;t have any work at that moment, but when a vacancy did arise,they asked my dad if i was still looking for work, which i was, and he rang me and told ne i had an interview there the following sunday.

I went in, had an assessment, and passed. They said that by taking on a newbie, they could train me the way they want their drivers to drive. Result.

I started the week after, on 5th July 2009. and now, nearly 4 weeks later, i am trained up, out on my own and left to get on with the job, with them knowing i am trained in the way they want.

So, basically to all you newbies, dont go for one single type of work, look around at the many different areas of driving. You are starting a new career, you cant expect to be getting the job you want, you have to start wherever you can to get a foot in the door, and work your way up (if you want a certain type of driving job). Dont be afraid of hard work, be prepared to do anything, and just keep plugging away. I absolutley love the job i have, and i hadn’t even thought about that area of driving, so you never know, you might even suprise yourself.

ROG:
Excellent post
If more put up a similar posts in this thread then I can use a link to it as part of the newbies welcome and add it to the LGV TRAINING TIPS thread.

Good idea, come on newbies, let’s have your experiences and try and help eachother out

Well ever since Ive been young Ive always wanted to be a lorry driver (and I blame my dad for taking me to the workshops at the weekend when he was still in the Army!!) and there was an old Army lorry parked up and I kept on saying I’d buy it when I was younger.*
Ever since that day I wanted to be a lorry driver, even took geography on my GCSE exams in the mistaken belife that it would help
Probably about 4 years ago I took my first 2 attempts at the class 2 test and failed them miserably so after the second attempt I sort of gave up.
In the mean time I was sacked from my job as a station announcer on the railway and ended up taking a job as a trainee bus driver thinking that I’ll do the job until something better came along - well for 2.5 years it didnt and back in Febuary I decided to take another attempt at the class 2, well a mate of mine - Adam Mc on this here site - gave that me that kick up the arse to go and do it
Much to my pleasure I passed the test this time with only 1 minor fault, and I know exactly where I went wrong - I fluffed a gear change up
I carried on driving buses with a few half hearted attempts at finding a class 2 job in between shifts when I decided that time had come to take the class 1.
So I duly booked the course with Zenith, and the day had come for training to start, well on the fourth day I had the test and I set out with the examiner getting more and more nervous and not helped by a gully emptier thingymabob parked at the side of the road in an awkward place to pass on the way back to the test centre…
Thinking that I had failed I braced myself for the impending fail, I was, to say the least, surprised to hear I had passed, first go at that!!!
That was at the start of June - by the end of July I started a new class 1 job with Norbert Dentressangle with the only driving experience I have is driving buses
I was thrown in at the deep end a bit when the very first artic I got to drive was with a 16ft tall double deck trailer

DAF95XF:
by the end of July I started a new class 1 job with Norbert Dentressangle with the only driving experience I have is driving buses
I was thrown in at the deep end a bit when the very first artic I got to drive was with a 16ft tall double deck trailer

Well done stu I know how hard you worked for it…good luck at ND.

Data Academy:

DAF95XF:
by the end of July I started a new class 1 job with Norbert Dentressangle with the only driving experience I have is driving buses
I was thrown in at the deep end a bit when the very first artic I got to drive was with a 16ft tall double deck trailer

Well done stu I know how hard you worked for it…good luck at ND.

Cheers Rick
In case you were wondering I got thrown in the deep end with this :-

Certainly beats driving these though :-

Well I guess it would be rude of me not to…

When I was young, 8 or 9 I got taken to Truckfest at peterborough, dad had won tickets and it was a trip out, I was overwhelmed at the vehicles and really enjoyed looking at them, then when I got home started playing with all the toy lorries I had got when I was younger. There ended the interest in trucks, it lasted one day.

When I left school I dipped my toes in various industries, worked at Barclaycard which I think most people in Northampton have done for some part of their life, or so it seems Didn’t like the whole office setup and crap that comes with working with many women all moaning and ■■■■■■■■ from there I went into car sales, which I did for a couple of years, now anyone that knows me will know I’m not the stereotypical sales type person i.e I’m not a ■■■■, [although I’m sure people will question that statement ] I’m not a cocky, in your face type person which sales people tend to be, however my original employers wanted people who were approachable who would be able to sell due to their people skills, which I apparently have/had.

Anyway did that for a couple of years as I said then got to the two year itch which there is in sales apparently, where you either jack it in there and then or you stay in the industry for pretty much forever. To be honest I’d become sick of the sales lifestyle the back biting the stealing of customers etc, I knew it was a dog eat dog world and I did the same but there gets to a point where you think, this isn’t me, this isn’t what or who I want to be. Decided to knock it on the head, didn’t know what I wanted to go into, knew it wasn’t office environment, knew it wasn’t sales, I’m useless with diy/ making stuff so wouldn’t be engineering course then job or any route like that, then I just randomly had a conversation with a transporter driver who was delivering to us, he said get into driving, its a crap lifestyle or can be and the money is crap, or can be but mark my words you’ll be a lot happier than you are now…

Got home spoke to the other half, saw a job advertised with agency as a drivers mate, thought the logical thing to do is see what I think to life on the road as a drivers mate before I take the plunge and spend the cash as the last thing I want to do is spend the money then find out I don’t like it So worked at Panasonic for a few months decided within the first week of being there I was going to do it, started there in June by November 08 I had passed my C, with Sterling first time one minor how the hell that happened I’ll never know anyway passing in Nov with recession coming into swing no one would touch a newbie, so stuck out on min wage at Pana until Feb 08 when Wincanton took over the full running of the site and got rid of agency drivers and mates, right what do I do now… filled my time with some odd days on agency and spent a week with Mr Bilton on the bricks which I really enjoyed, by that time I’d decided the only way to get employed driving would be get my C&E as there is more chance maybe if you widen your employability skills [which is why I also did my hi-ab at the start of the year too, although that didn’t bring any work my way] got the C&E booked test was on 29th April 09 again passed first time the first time may have been a fluke, I’m sure the C&E test there must have been a brown envelope with donations from TNUK turn up at the examiners place

In terms of jobs, I landed a temp ongoing 7.5tonne job at Barhill Cambridge at DHL which was 100 mile round trip a day which was utter madness but it was a job and it was money and it had to be done, got this job just before my C&E training started. I’d been applying to everyone when I passed my C test going in to see local companies handing C.V over getting the normal responses, being 22 doesn’t help either, its more barriers it puts up for you to break down, I applied for jobs all over the uk, wigan, hull, pompey, london, bristol, etc etc as I was willing to work anywhere for money for the family and to use my license nothing came from any of them, but as my old mate andy bilton says ’ positive mental attitude will get you there eventually, never give up’ which I never did do, even when I felt like giving up, you can’t that’s the quitters way out, and quitters never prosper.

So got the DHL job, passed my C&E, wanted to put that to use. Applied for jobs that were being advertised, phone companies on the off chance, didn’t really have time to go knocking on doors as was out at work most of the time, then one Thursday I saw a one line ad in the local job paper, for Norberts wanting drivers. Rang up seven or eight times the following morning engaged each time, finally got through, was asked for my details, I thought it would be a ‘we are compiling a list of suitable candidates and will call you if you are lucky’ call, but it wasn’t the lady said you seem to tick the boxes, clean license, no accidents etc arranged an assessment for the following week, I went to the Data Academy day which I used to brush up my reversing technique seeing as I’d not reversed an artic apart from on my test, which was a great confidence boost to me [Thanks again Rick and Team Data] went to the assessment, didn’t even have to reverse just backed it in straight, had an interview, got call on the next day which was Friday saying you’re starting on Monday please. Very shocked but very grateful.

The moral of it all as everyone has said is just keep plugging away, don’t take no for an answer and NEVER GIVE UP, ever. If you can, get your C&E if you don’t have it as it will open up more opportunities for you, now with it being ‘summer’ time get you hi-ab basic lifting course it’ll only set you back 150quid but there might be the opportunity to make that back quickly on the merchants site through agency as its holiday time, also think outside the box a bit with everything if you show initiative it will stick in people’s minds.

I will reiterate this point as it is key:

NEVER GIVE UP

Although now armed with a few years worth of licence, it’s not that long ago that I started out.

I was working for my family in a small timber yard, running the office, driving the forks & 7.5t and generally doing whatever was needed to push the groaning old business into the 20th century just as everyone else was leaving it. I made massive progress there but also had massive arguments about it too, I had results but they were still reluctant to change. One day a massive row brewed up and I decided there and then I had to leave before I did something I’d regret, I had no trade and not muh enthusiasm for doing anything similar. I’d often fancied getting my class 2 licence so I went through the process and came out with a shaky first time pass.

To be honest I was naieve and thought the job I wanted would be given to me because I just wanted it, I went to see people and was offered one or two but they didn’t appeal so I stayed put. I was registered with an agency or two and waited for the phone to ring, it didn’t and I didn’t ring them. One day I did gt a call from the agency, someone new was going through the files and called me for a chat and promised that she’d fine some part time work soon. That weekend I had a shift and I was now earning back some of the cash I’d outlaid. I had a few more shifts and was offered a temp to perm job through the agency which I turned down because it was 4.30am starts.

A month or so later I was offered a job driving a horrid old ERF 17tonner that had a HIAB, this was what I wanted and I leapt at the chance and jacked the job with the family which shocked them something rotten. Whilst working out my notice I couldn’t contact my new employer and started to get worried, I left my job on he Thursday lunchtime and had a weekend away booked before starting the new job on the Monday. That afternoon about 4pm my phone messages were returned (whilst I was away in Warwickshire) the bloke I had agreed to work for had quelched on the deal and now couldn’t hire me as I had no HIAB ticket which he had agreed to organise.

Whilst I could have gone cap in hand to my family I felt that it was not the right thing to do and phoned the agency who had finally given me work, amazingly they offered me the temp to perm starting on the Monday at 5am. That was the biggest stroke of luck I’ve ever had.

DO NOT think for a minute that a job is going to fall in your lap, the likelihood is that it will be difficult and arduous to get a start but once someone has opened the door slightly things might become easier.

I was unlucky enough to find myself out of work a couple of years later with some good experience, I made my own cards with my contact details and experience on and went round for a few days banging on doors and talking to people. This resulted in my current job of 2 1/2 years and a few more offers too.

There are still some jobs about, but you’ll have to look hard to find them.

Gulp, nice posts chaps, so here we go…

I’m the black sheep of the family, my sister, mum, dad all have degrees and university educations, but although I’m quite bright I am not all that good at sitting in classrooms twiddling pencils and passing exams. So I left school at 16 with a few bad grades and looking for something to do with my life.

I ended up in the printing industry where I learnt my trade and was on a decent wage for a few years. Back in 2006 I took a year out of work and went over to France to clean out and start rebuilding an old barn I had bought. I came back to top up my bank balance and found the print industry in a bad state. I managed to get a job at my old place driving a Transit and delivering to trade and customers.

I wasn’t earning as much money but it was great, no hassle, the odd call from production but otherwise left to my own devices, I loved it and meeting truckers at other factories and chatting to them made my mind up.

I had to learn to drive trucks.

I tried a few searches in Google and like a lot of people on here signed up with Sterling LGV.

I did my medical, got my Provisional Licence and passed the Theory Test and all was going well until I started the actual driving course, it was a disaster. It was documented on here at the time so maybe it is in the archives somewhere.

So after a few weeks of contemplation I contacted Bill Hughes in Loughborough and after a chat or too we met for an assessment drive. Success.

What a nice bloke and a good chap to learn from, he was vey patient, took his time explaining the controls and the handbrake, although I was nervous he was always reassuring. So, I booked my Cat C course with Bill and it was great, I had my ups and downs like most folks on here but I passed first time!!

I found myself a job driving 7.5 tonners and started to save up for my C+E since agency work for new passes at Cat C wasn’t forthcoming.

Whilst doing my Cat C I had seen a nice artic trundling around, it was a DAF CF with a triaxle trailer and Data Academy written on the side. Fancying a change from the Volvo FM’s of Hughes Driver Training I rang them up in December 2008 and spoke to Rick. I arranged an assessement and was impressed, John the instructor was great, he not only guided me around Leicester in the wee beastie but I actually learned from him at the same time, I felt as though I had had a driving lesson afterwards.

The course was booked for February, and it snowed all week. Rick was a gem though, we had lots of trouble with the weather and the trailer icing up and he decided to reschedule my course at his expense for March. Diamond Geezer.

March came, the test day came, another 1st time pass.

I really can’t thank Rick or Bill enough for their training.

So, armed with C+E I trundled around the agencies and odds and ends started to roll in, Leicester was a bit of a damp squib workwise, I got a bit of Cat C work for ESPO and some 7.5T work but nothing else. I managed a bit of Cat C+E at Crick and struck lucky with an agency in Peterborough and another in Northampton. So I’ve managed 3 out of 4 weeks in July driving artics. I’ve gradually improved my skills a bit and thanks to some extra hours with Rick my reversing is coming along.

I had an assessment at Norbert Dentressangle which I passed and I started on Monday 3rd August and will be doing C+E Night Trunking after the induction.

What is really amazing from my viewpoint is that I really enjoy driving artics, I get a great deal of pleasure from guiding them around roundabouts and twisty roads, watching the wheels of the trailer and the headboard.

I’ve learnt so much in the last 3 months, a lot of it from fellow truckers, so hats off to the more experienced chaps, every C+E chap I’ve asked a question to has been friendly and helpful, what a great job and a great community on the road.

Cheers to you all and hopefully in years to come I too can pass on my acquired knowledge to the newer drivers and help keep the comradeship going.

Both myself, DAF95XF and Garnerlives have been really lucky in finding work, it isn’t going to happen as quickly for everyone but even if I was still struggling with agencies I wouldn’t change it for the world.