I retired a few months back bennie but if I hadnt and Stevenage (manchester was vans and 7.5s only) had been any good for you we would certainly have given you an interview.
I’d say go with Stobbies and you will get experience. No job is ever perfect, as long as it suits you most of the time then it’s fine.
dieseldog999:
decent job and pay for a newbie.
you will run legal and be sitting around for half your shift in a rdc gulag.
worse case scenario then move on six month later with some experience.
if you wreck anything then who cares compared to the normal weekly carnage they cause.
Cheers Mr dogg [emoji41]
Gulags…[emoji38]
Pfft if I can find a dozy type to talk too it won’t be all bad I reckon… [emoji91][emoji16]
As for wrecking shizzle, erm it definitely seemed they have had their fair share of damage inflicted by the influx of hired in help, shocking to be honest and would to me atleast explain why the company have suffered so badly financially, serious case of nose cutting and face spite, I’d have that sorted in a month of I ran em.
But thats not for me that approach, I’m only out to hoover up the odd cyclist on the quiet, and maybe top off the derv with add blue once in a while… [emoji16][emoji16]
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albion:
I retired a few months back bennie but if I hadnt and Stevenage (manchester was vans and 7.5s only) had been any good for you we would certainly have given you an interview.I’d say go with Stobbies and you will get experience. No job is ever perfect, as long as it suits you most of the time then it’s fine.
No chance of you having a Renaissance?
Please… [emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38]
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It’s not too bad for a start. The best advice I can give though is not to be put off applying for jobs because you think you might not have the experience, or that ‘better’ drivers might be going for the same job.
I’ve seen plenty of jobs over the years where I’ve thought ‘I’d love that job, but I’ve got no chance of getting it’. But I applied anyway. The worst that can happen is they say no, but if you don’t apply you aren’t even giving them the chance to say yes. And every now and again, they will do exactly that. The best jobs I’ve ever had, I thought I had no chance of getting, but decided to send a CV in anyway.
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To be fair it’s better than the £7.50 per hour,including London Weighting,for class 1 permanent nights.Which is what I went out of the job earning. 
My guess is that nights v days on that isn’t optional it will possibly be both as required which would be a deal breaker for me.If it’s tramping you won’t have the commuting costs of other types of work.If it was me I’d use the low wage as leverage to try to pick and choose my own shift pattern along the lines of days only,plenty of weekend working to top up the rate and a week off per month preferably back to back so 2 weeks off in every 8.If they’ll wear that then what’s not to like.
Edit to add tramping looks like it’s only Mon-Friday.
If you want experience…
Eddie will give you some miles to get your teeth into.
Like many others here, I wouldn’t kick my slippers off for that kind of money but, if was looking to learn the job, I’d be filling in the online forms.
Carryfast:
To be fair it’s better than the £7.50 per hour,including London Weighting,for class 1 permanent nights.Which is what I went out of the job earning.My guess is that nights v days on that isn’t optional it will possibly be both as required which would be a deal breaker for me.If it’s tramping you won’t have the commuting costs of other types of work.If it was me I’d use the low wage as leverage to try to pick and choose my own shift pattern along the lines of days only,plenty of weekend working to top up the rate and a week off per month preferably back to back so 2 weeks off in every 8.If they’ll wear that then what’s not to like.
Cheers bud…
It’d be tramping, Sun-Thurs, day driving, night kipping subject to lifes elements… [emoji38]
Tbh I can’t see how I could make any extra money as by the look of it I’d be maxed each week on driving hours alone, this is where being a noob ■■■■■ as I don’t have a good enough grasp yet of all the work arounds with regards to hours, I’m just gonna stick to 4.5,break,4.5,break extend twice of needed to get home [emoji38][emoji38]
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CookieMonster:
It’s not too bad for a start. The best advice I can give though is not to be put off applying for jobs because you think you might not have the experience, or that ‘better’ drivers might be going for the same job.
I’ve seen plenty of jobs over the years where I’ve thought ‘I’d love that job, but I’ve got no chance of getting it’. But I applied anyway. The worst that can happen is they say no, but if you don’t apply you aren’t even giving them the chance to say yes. And every now and again, they will do exactly that. The best jobs I’ve ever had, I thought I had no chance of getting, but decided to send a CV in anyway.Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
Cheers Monster [emoji41][emoji41]
Yeah this man needs to grow a pair, and he will now.
As you say, what’s worst they can say…
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i personally wouldn’t go full time , when
I went back on there agency it was £11ph . Within
No time I got a phone call saying it was
Being put up to £13 ph
Mon - fri , £13 x 70 + 4 nights at £25= £1,000apx , paye,
Job is a doddle , just soft drinks ,
Nb there doesn’t seem to be a set rate on
There agency , I’m £13 ph paye , lad was telling
Me he was £12.50 ph ltd , but he knew
Of some who were £15 ph ( not sure paye
Or ltd ) & according to him some at £10.50 ph
I for one feel a lot better on £13 ph than £9.75 ph that’s
For sure
According to my calculator, someone earning £450 a week (52 weeks) would take home £19,450. This means £1,621 in your pocket a month or £374 a week.
This amounts to around 16.9% of the gross.
chrisdalott:
WhiteTruckMan:
Equivalent hourly rate my aching arse! It’s right there in front of you, 9 ph days, less than 10 for nights. The bottom line only looks good if you work every hour god sends. And no overtime rate at all. Ok, a bit more for BH, but big whoop! Unless you’re drowning in debt then keep looking. You dont hand over your right to a family or social life in exchange for a hgv license.But it’s not though is it?
If I work a 10 hour day I get paid £105
Those of us who can add up will realise that is more than £9 ph
You also get 30 mins break deduction.
£15 tax free meal allowance per shift is pretty good but the rest of it is pants. And what exactly is weighting? Is it like waiting possibly?
dreamingofoz:
£15 tax free meal allowance per shift is pretty good but the rest of it is pants. And what exactly is weighting? Is it like waiting possibly?
It’s a supplement for working in/around London to reflect higher living costs.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_weighting
A lot of companies now dont use it but offer a different per hour rate (such as recently Asda store staff on £9.18 or whatever vs Asda store staff in London going to £10.31 or whatever).
I would say crack on with it, if only to gain some good experience.
A mate of mine has been on Stobbies for years, and he does ok,.and he ain’t pushed.
When I read some of dozy’s posts I wonder if he’s working for the same firm as my mate, but he’s a bit like me, low tolerance for d/heads, and stands up for himself if he thinks the ■■■■ is attempted to be ripped out of him.
After saying that it would not be for me personally, but don’t let that put you off. 
Edit; …On other hand, I’ve just noticed you’re an Essex boy.
I worked for an Essex co for 10 years while home based in the North, up to about 13 years ago, and I was on mega bucks compared to jobs round here,…what tf happened down there to the pay rates ?
robroy:
I would say crack on with it, if only to gain some good experience.
A mate of mine has been on Stobbies for years, and he does ok,.and he ain’t pushed.
When I read some of dozy’s posts I wonder if he’s working for the same firm as my mate, but he’s a bit like me, low tolerance for d/heads, and stands up for himself if he thinks the ■■■■ is attempted to be ripped out of him.After saying that it would not be for me personally, but don’t let that put you off.
Edit; …On other hand, I’ve just noticed you’re an Essex boy.
I worked for an Essex co for 10 years while home based in the North, up to about 13 years ago, and I was on mega bucks compared to jobs round here,…what tf happened down there to the pay rates ?
Cheers Mr rob, as always [emoji6][emoji41]
Londons whats happened to Essex sadly [emoji38][emoji38]
Alas I’ve till 12pm morra to decide if I take it or not, and I’ve just told my Mrs that Stobarts only have Christmas day off…
Ain’t gone down well [emoji3525][emoji38]
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FFS £9ph and “loot the taxman” for the rest like Umbrella tries to do…
Honest PAYE headline rates - are always going to be better.
50 hours paid at that higher headline rate - means you know what you’re getting paid, week-in, week out - regardless of you being stood down to domestic duties during quiet season, during which time your pay then drops back to being without the meal allowances…
Who wants to do 50x£9ph take home less than 400 quid?
Surely you only get that “meal allowance” if you’re doing “nights out”…?
Why this reluctance of people to work for far higher hourly rates on agency?
A full time job at a low hourly rate - compounds the losses, especially if the “full time hours” is above the 35-40 that one would expect for a “standard working week” like a rail worker or postal worker - unionized - would expect to get as “standard”…
Winseer:
FFS £9ph and “loot the taxman” for the rest like Umbrella tries to do…Honest PAYE headline rates - are always going to be better.
50 hours paid at that higher headline rate - means you know what you’re getting paid, week-in, week out - regardless of you being stood down to domestic duties during quiet season, during which time your pay then drops back to being without the meal allowances…Who wants to do 50x£9ph take home less than 400 quid?
Surely you only get that “meal allowance” if you’re doing “nights out”…?
Why this reluctance of people to work for far higher hourly rates on agency?
A full time job at a low hourly rate - compounds the losses, especially if the “full time hours” is above the 35-40 that one would expect for a “standard working week” like a rail worker or postal worker - unionized - would expect to get as “standard”…
Mortgages, bills, car, food, dependants etc. If you’re semi retired or have a nice pot to get you through the lean times then agency is the way to go. I know plenty of agency drivers who love it for the freedom it gives them. When you have a family depending on you putting food on the table, you need the reliability of wage that an permanent job gives.
^^^^^^
The lad needs/wants the experience, Stobarts take on non experienced drivers, and they run their men 100% legal, so work away for a few months while looking for a good job…it’s a means to an end. 
robroy:
^^^^^^
The lad needs/wants the experience, Stobarts take on non experienced drivers, and they run their men 100% legal, so work away for a few months while looking for a good job…it’s a means to an end.
100% legal , well rob I wonder then why I
Ended up in magistrates court & the judge
Said they ( esl ) have a duty of care to
There employees & in this instance they
Failed miserably, I think the word is
When it suits them !!