TruckingTechnician:
Im in your area, same problem, I work for a big yellow company at the moment doing 7.5 T home delivery for a big blue company.Its not class 1, but im getting used to moving large vehicles (its a 33ft demountable body truck), tacho rules, working times, planning routes, breaks, and weekly rest periods etc.
Im with an agency, as the big yellow company couldnt give me part time work, but theyre desperate for drivers here.
Places like that, where the deliveries are 2 man, are a good place to start for new drivers. The company can pair you with a more experienced driver while you learn the ropes.
Those demountables are quite large 7.5 tonne vehicles by all accounts, so putting those through all sorts of residential streets is excellent experience.