Well, Driver-Hire proved to be a non-starter, waited 2 weeks and nothing, so signed on yesterday with Driver Provider in Skelmersdale, they were back on phone same day to offer me work for today, only 7.5t at the mo, home multi-drops for COMET, and have also phoned today to offer same for tomorrow, so they seem to be quite keen anyway.
Well, quite an experience all-in-all, bloody hard work, wouldn’t like to do it permanently, but I know I won’t be, so I can handle it for a few weeks at least Went up to Barrow-in-Furness with 20 drops, bloody hell, quite a baptism by fire, loads of narrow streets of terraced houses, cars both sides, 3" either side of the truck, reversing into roads that last week I wouldn’t have tried to reverse my Rover Metro into Then a narrow twisting little road into Millom to take another 4 drops.
I can see the value of this experience though, I know is not Class 2 work, but is sure getting me used to reversing a larger vehicle, and squeezing in to all sortsa places, so I value the experience, just don’t want it for TOO long
O well, keep ya posted if anything elsse happens, thanks one and all for your support thus far Onward and Upward (hopefully!!)
well done steve , take it easy and enjoy
yourself as you said yourself a great
experience and full of incidents that as you said
were very intresting yes multi-drop is hard work but
can help you get more experience doing different
points each day,please keep on posting as you
and your points and experience can help all of us from NEW
to OLD driver, aas the job changes all the time,
I Have heard loads of people say bad things about Driver Hire-Liverpool around here.
I am only sighed up with driver hire but might sign up for a few others in the near future.Driver hire are always on the phone asking if iam available for Cat C1 & C Work…Yesterday Fri(29/09/06) they phoned me to ask me to drive down to Bristol on Sat to load up with a load of scaffolding stay over night & drive back on the sunday…i said NO as i have my daughter over for the weekend.
If your willing to drive anything for teh agencies they seem to keep phoning you.
Thanks for that Stonesman, I hope i’m not on this TOO long before some proper class 2 work, but the experience is good nevertheless! Agy gave me more work for tomorrow with Argos, similar set-up I think, 7.5t.
BritPete, will keep you posted as to how everything turns out etc, thx
Darren, I guess Driver Hire set-ups differ from town to town, but I have still heard nothing at all from Preston, so I’ve just given it up as a bad job. Can’t understand it, they are advertising again in the locals this week, class C drivers “urgently required”
Worked from Argos at Earlestown today. Goddd!!! It’s mad Told to be there for 6am, couldnt even book maself in at the transport office till 6.45am, just jam-packed full of drivers This multi-drop lark, dunno how ppl do it for a living, I never could, can’t wait for smthg better to come along!! BUT, guess its good for me, I can get a truck into places I wouldnt have dreamed I could when I passed ma test, just dont like the feeling that my driving has to be compromised - seems like whatever I do, 2nd man moans about it, drive faster, gotta get round, gotta get back, never mind corners, go up the kerb, stress stress stress, I prefer driving with a little more attention to other road users, I know u gotta be a bully sometimes, but they seem to want you to be reckless However, wont be for long, keep telling maself that Going for a class 1 assessment drive next week
Dr Keys:
hatever I do, 2nd man moans about it, drive faster, gotta get round, gotta get back, never mind corners, go up the kerb, stress stress stress, I prefer driving with a little more attention to other road users, I know u gotta be a bully sometimes, but they seem to want you to be reckless However, wont be for long, keep telling maself that Going for a class 1 assessment drive next week
Cheers for now
Steve
Worked with blokes like that…
You are the driver, you decide what’s what, if he don’t like it tuff… Just do your job and enjoy it, it will get easier - oneday
Worst 2 days of my life doing that job - never again. Too many drops to complete without breaking speed limits, full-time drivers are mental in my experience.
The one that was on with me drove like tommy makkinen and he was considered slow by the rest
If you ask me, the double manning thing is just an incitement to run bent
Worst 2 days of my life doing that job - never again.
Yeah, know what u mean, asked agency today if i have to do multi, can i go back to Comet, they said every1 wants to go there, they havnt any work at the mo, no1 wants to do Argos, and I said Im not bloody surprised!!! Im not gonna take this beyond this week, tellin agy that i want proper class 2 next week, or else will just have to find smthg on my own.
O well, spoke too soon!!! Sent into Argos again yesterday for 6am, waited over an hour and a half, only to be sent back home again, not needed Havnt had any more from agency since then.
I notice today that 3663 are advertising for class 2 shunters/cleaners, its not really what i wanna do, but it pays quite well, £400pw, am getting tempted, anyone have an opinion on that?
yeah i went for an interview about 2 weeks ago for 3663(SCARISBRICK).
you start for 6am and finish when you finish…your on a salary for 48 hours per week as far as i can remember but if your the new starter you have to work every Sat & have thurs & Sun off instead…ooo yeah & you have to collect Cash at drop offs & if it is short it comes out of your own pocket.
Darren:
yeah i went for an interview about 2 weeks ago for 3663(SCARISBRICK).
you start for 6am and finish when you finish…your on a salary for 48 hours per week as far as i can remember but if your the new starter you have to work every Sat & have thurs & Sun off instead…ooo yeah & you have to collect Cash at drop offs & if it is short it comes out of your own pocket.
Yeah Darren, this is Scarisbrick too, but as I say, it is for Shunters, not delivering, thats why I was sorta half and half about applying, cos half of me wants driving exp, the other half needs money!!!
Darren:
if you need the money go for it until something better comes along.
I take it the shunting is on the night shift while the trucks are getting loaded.
Dr Keys:
O well, spoke too soon!!! Sent into Argos again yesterday for 6am, waited over an hour and a half, only to be sent back home again, not needed Havnt had any more from agency since then.
Steve
Make sure you get paid for the day m8, the agency I work for charges the client a minimum of 8 hours and as far as I know they all do.
As far as 3663 are concerned look at it this way, any class 2 experience is better than none and you would be in the right place for a delivery job should a vacancy occur.
Hitch, yeah you’re right, I wouldnt risk anything, and have told them so already.
Tachograph, have been for a couple of interviews today anyway, hoping they might come to smthg, both with plant hire companies, no exp necessary! I gather I get paid 4 hrs only if sent home, but agency playing silly buggers anyway, phoned me up this morn with a job, I said great, what is it, they said to go to a warehouse to load vehicles all day, told em to sod off, its driving job or nothing. If I start takin those sorta jobs, will end up being all they ever give me I reckon
Went up to Barrow-in-Furness with 20 drops, bloody hell, quite a baptism by fire, loads of narrow streets of terraced houses, cars both sides, 3" either side of the truck, reversing into roads that last week I wouldn’t have tried to reverse my Rover Metro into 
Then a narrow twisting little road into Millom to take another 4 drops.
However, wont be for long, keep telling maself that 
Havnt had any more from agency since then.