Just read through this post, i work as a multi drop driver for 3663 at Stowmarket and i love the job, yes it is hard work, and some drops are a pain but its not that bad. They, in my opinion are a good company to work for, very good money, very rarely do over 45 hours a week, pension, healthcare, 25 days holiday, up to 70% discount on all the food they do, plus loads of other offers for things like theme parks, restaurants, eyecare etc. Very rarely are customers grumpy to me, quite the reverse in fact as you get to know most of them quite well! and i rarely have to take lunch to work with me as i always get given loads of freebies!
In fact, i left long distance work to come here, id much rather be doing some physical activity, and getting home after 9 or 10 hours than sitting at the wheel in the same position for hours at a time, sat in motorway traffic jams etc, then having to go from a driver to security guard whilst sleeping in the same truck all night, in some boggy pee stinking layby or service area!!
Oh, and no waiting in horrid smelly RDC waiting rooms. And with all the work we seem to have, its pretty much one of the safest jobs around at the mo i reckon!
Sorry for going slightly off topic but you mentioned how it is one of the safest jobs around, I keep hearing all this talk of recession and unemployment but the company i work for doing general haulage is flat out, in fact we constantly have 15+ agency drivers in. Just can’t seem to find enough drivers as they are always looking for full time staff and no it’s not a bad company to work for.
I can’t even recall a quiet week come to think about it since the first couple of weeks after Christmas 2010 when it always seems tto drop off for a short whilst in most companys i have worked for.
Any drivers out there struggling to find work?
Back on topic, one of the advantages i see with 3663 was that most of the goods were ready picked for the drivers which we didn’t have when i worked for a food service company, which caused a hell of a lot of time just wasted looking for goods which may not even be on the truck.
Like i said in an earlier post, these type of jobs can be great or sh*t even in the same company just depending on the route you get.
I have a feeling 3663 may be somewhat better at least than the company i worked for.
Oh I saw one of their drivers yesterday handballing a load of stock out of a cage and in to a co-op shop in Blackpool and he didnt look happy at all and was a one man job aswell by the look of it … made me think twice about moaning when im on a Spar job at least that is all wheeling the cages in to the shop mostley …even though some times the shop has a step or a ramp to go up … I only had one Spar where I couldnt take the cages in because of the floor cracking uh that was hard work I find the biggest problem with them jobs is getting parked without some idiot parking behind your tail lift when your trying to unload but i have now got the hang of the look I nead to give them for them to realise that im about to drop a gage on their bonnet
gixer:
Hi mate,
I work for 3663 at royton and i love it!! I only past my test last year and was sent there by my agency at weekends while i was still doing my week job in a factory. only done about 5-6 weekends then I applied for a job and got it, which i think is pretty good that a large company are willing to take on new drivers. Yes it is a hard job but for new drivers looking for full time job to get experiance and earn £24500 per yr what a way to start. Yes it is early starts but as soon as you get your own route you can zap round and get done early normally before dinner. 1 other plus point is it’s job and knock. You have route hrs and if you can do it quicker you still get paid however many route hrs the route is, if it takes you longer cos of traffic ect you get paid what ever hrs you do as long as you don’t take the ■■■■ every day. Everyone is paid basic 48hrs a week (5 days) but i can normally do my weeks route in around 40 . Good pension sick pay ect.
Anyhow gl mate and hope it works out for you.
P.s if you are doing pizza hut, kfc ect which i do you can onlt expect 5-6 drops per day.
i was at royton workin 4 days a week normally taking home 400 pluss a week more if i did an extra day an yea it can be a heavy job but once u get into a routine its a doddle
LGV Class 2 Drivers - 3663 FIRST FOR FOODSERv
Job Ref No. :
40504026
Location :
hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
Hours :
40 hour(s) per week
Salary :
£29,500 per annum (basic + fixed allowances)
Work Shifts :
More information available upon request
Employer :
3663
Duration :
Permanent Position
Closing Date :
12/09/2008
Job Description :
Our LGV Drivers do more than a ‘driving job’. It’s about ensuring our customers get the best impression of 3663 possible. You are the ‘face’ of our business, not just our delivery driver. It’s all about making a good impression with your appearance, manner and the look of your vehicle. Ensuring goods are delivered in a first class condition, completing all necessary paperwork and above all, leaving everyone you meet with a really positive impression of you and 3663. This is a demanding, but rewarding, role involving manual handling and multi-drop deliveries.You should therefore be confident to drive and deliver to outlets throughout London and the surrounding area. Your normal working hours will encompass weekend working. You must hold a current LGV licence.
How To Apply :
The benefits of working for 3663 include: healthcare, pension plan, childcare vouchers and 25 days annual leave pro-rata. To apply, please forward your CV to: Pav Bhandal, Senior HR Assistant, 3663, Dorcas Road, Banbury, Oxon, OX16 4XJ or email your details to 3663.co.uk No agencies please.
Job offer. I wouldn’t moan about the wage. Granted it is out of date but the wage looks good
I’ve done 3663 (now Bidvest) Royton on agency. One of my first ever class 1 runs was with them 12 years ago. TEN drops in Birmingham! I had a ‘drivers mate’ which helped with the unloading. Took me 17 hours all in They had to send a driver to come and get us when my 15 ran out. I felt real bad until I found out there was a minibus going all round the country picking up drivers whose hours were up . I got paid time and a half after 8 hours which made up for it.
I’ve recently been back there, again through an agency. My first job was a trip up to Falkirk. Backed on the bay for an hour while they unloaded it and then back to Royton. Cracking job. Then the agency decided to push their luck, and like a soft lad I let them, for a while. Class 2 work (at a reduced hourly rate). Did around 3 days with Bidvest, averaging 3 or 4 drops.I REALLY believe the job is dangerous. At times I was pulling on pallets weighing perhaps 3/4’s of a ton, balancing on the end of a tiny tail lift trying to spin the pallet round. Then handballing the lot off, not always on your own, sometimes a few feable assistants would help. Awful times!
Good money if you work for them direct, as has been mentioned. And if you are a newbie then maybe worth a go. They have a big turnover of staff so I hear.
lifting /carrying/handballing is a learned skill in my own experience , or , as one old salt taught me when i was starting out, "don t work hard son, work smart "also , there is NO LEGAL MAX WEIGHT re what u are expected to lift / refuse 2 lift , the desision has 2 be yours!!! cos its your body you are going 2 (potentially) WRECK , IF , PARTICULARLY IF U ARE A YOUNG GUY starting out, every day u wake up feeling dreadfull , the job is wrong , and , believe me(ok i know u prob. wont) , it does catch up with you! i"m proof of that. i "d say , give everything a go, u can if necassary ,walk away .and funnily enough the earth doesn"t stop turning.
Anyone got experience of working for 3663? I hope to have an interview with them soon for my first “full time” driving job. Although I’ve had my licence almost 2 years now, all my driving work has been odd days via an agency, during which I’ve done multi-drop, RDC/pallets and even a day driving the bin wagon
If you like moving about heavy cages of fresh and frozen food and delivering to pubs and restaurants and silly o’clock starts then you’ll love it. If you don’t, you’ll hate it!
I used to do DBC which is basically the same, schools, factories, prisons, canteens and Cafe Nero shops. 4am starts but once you got things sussed you could generally get it down to a fine art. I took the job a someone let me down last minute on another and needed that important first starting full time job. If you can crack a multidrop food round it will be good experience, and may make you more appealing to other employers.
Worked for a similar firm in direct competition with them, early starts, long hours lots of hard graft handballing everything. If they send you to Cornwall in the peak summer months even longer days due to traffic. If you get 25 drops your having an “easy” day usually between this and 40 drops.
However if you get a regular route after a while it gets easier as you know what your doing with route, parking, where you can leave deliveries in the wee hours, routine etc, your days get shorter (until summer again anyway). it keeps you fit thats for sure
One saving grace for the job is in the summer months in the resorts the scenery can be breath taking
Thanks for all the comments. Seems this particular 3663 depot (Banbury) don’t do the schools, pubs etc. They just deliver to the likes of KFC, Burger King etc. Most of them in London and almost all of them large palletloads - typically 4 or 5 drops. A lot of it is still hand-balled from truck to storage, and they do still do the silly o’clock starts (to avoid the morning rush hour into London).
Anyway, the pay is pretty good, mainly because they have to pay well to get/keep drivers. I had an interview this morning where the interviewer told me quite candidly that his drivers were effectively labourers who also drove LGVs. They’re going to let me know in a few days one way or the other.
Even if I do find the work is too demanding, it will at least keep the bills paid while I look elsewhere
Hi mate,
I work for 3663 at royton and i love it!! I only past my test last year and was sent there by my agency at weekends while i was still doing my week job in a factory. only done about 5-6 weekends then I applied for a job and got it, which i think is pretty good that a large company are willing to take on new drivers. Yes it is a hard job but for new drivers looking for full time job to get experiance and earn £24500 per yr what a way to start. Yes it is early starts but as soon as you get your own route you can zap round and get done early normally before dinner. 1 other plus point is it’s job and knock. You have route hrs and if you can do it quicker you still get paid however many route hrs the route is, if it takes you longer cos of traffic ect you get paid what ever hrs you do as long as you don’t take the ■■■■ every day. Everyone is paid basic 48hrs a week (5 days) but i can normally do my weeks route in around 40 . Good pension sick pay ect.
Anyhow gl mate and hope it works out for you.
P.s if you are doing pizza hut, kfc ect which i do you can onlt expect 5-6 drops per day.
I find the biggest problem with them jobs is getting parked without some idiot parking behind your tail lift when your trying to unload but i have now got the hang of the look I nead to give them for them to realise that im about to drop a gage on their bonnet 
. Good pension sick pay ect.
They had to send a driver to come and get us when my 15 ran out. I felt real bad until I found out there was a minibus going all round the country picking up drivers whose hours were up 
. I got paid time and a half after 8 hours which made up for it.
Worked for a similar firm in direct competition with them, early starts, long hours lots of hard graft handballing everything. If they send you to Cornwall in the peak summer months even longer days due to traffic. If you get 25 drops your having an “easy” day usually between this and 40 drops.
