I passed my class 2 with PSTT back in late February, a couple of weeks later, licence came back so got in touch with a local agency for work.
I had 2 weeks worth of work in a 7.5 tonner (it’s a start, need to start somewhere!) for a local furniture company, and then lockdown hit, and that was it for work. Agency lost 80% of its work (apparently!) and the only thing he could offer me was nightwork as a milkman.
Not what i want to do at all, but bills need to be paid (he knew it wasn’t what i wanted, and agreed with me that it was a bit poop, but if i want it it’s there) so i agreed (partly a tactical play - prove myself by taking the poor jobs and just getting on with it, with the hope that when things return to 'normal, i’ll be higher up the work list) and there started around 2-3 months of midnight to 4am starts, delivering milk to 300 homes a night, though oddly enough i only drove 3 times in that time as they kept changing the round i was on preventing me from learning the rounds. Anyway, thats not the point here.
A terrible job with poor managers and communication, i got fed up of it after 2-3 months, so was going to ring the agency and say sod it, i’m done with this, but they rang first to say theres a class 2 18 tonner temp to perm role going, fancy a chat with the boss? Absolutely. After a rather informal chat with the boss on site, i started work a few days later, and have been there nearly 2 months now, becoming permanent in a week or so.
Decent pay, overtime pay, decent hours, hardly any nights out, HIAB training paid for and now qualified (yesterday as it happens), Class 1 to be paid for, allocated vehicle etc.
So for a totally green driver, who’d never really driven an 18 tonner, or strapped up, or used a hiab, near enough zero experience, and i somehow managed to get a decent job without issue, proves even in these strange times it can be done. TBH i’m still surprised i managed it, with so many experienced drivers out of work, but i’m not complaining.
I suspect it was a combination of things - a decent agency, (to sell you to them) coming across well to people (agency and interviews) plus saying the right things - telling them what they want to hear works wonders!
Some of the places we deliver to in this job are down some thin nasty unsuitable for HGV lanes, can’t open the doors sometimes, mirrors in and squeeze down, (i did have to reverse a mile down a lane like this due to a numpty) , a ■■■ papers clearance on certain maneuvers, on 3 points, shunting back and forth to bring the rear end round to clear the corner, it’s done wonders for my skills as a driver, (im still not perfect, never will be, but after a couple of months of bum clenching maneuvers, confidence and competence has grown massively.)