A bit of knowlegde please?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

As you all know, i started a new job driving a MAN 7.5tonner last week and for the time being, im just doing 3 days a week. I dont mind because im gaining much needed experience but as its working out, im only on £6.75 p/h (which amounts to £200 p/w).

Now, this is my only source of income and i`ve asked the agency if they have any more work to fill in the other 2 days, but to no avail!

My question is, would you stay put for awhile in the hope that more money/work comes your way or, would you look for some other work elsewhere?
Oh, and i have 2 kids and a needy/nagging wife! :unamused: :smiley:

I know what i wanna do but dont want to un-necessarily shoot my self in the foot! Any advice? :wink:

2

How about asking at places you deliver at that are local to where you live? If you can avoid driving to work that’s worth an extra £30+ a week and you will already be known by your potential employers.

3

I’d stick it out for a while at least, if you prove yourself to the agency more work is sure to follow, go around some other agencies and sign on with them too, they may be able to get you some fill in, I’m assuming you have an HGV licence, so tell them you’re driving whatever the biggest lorry the firm you’re doing the 3 days at has, if you want to get HGV work, of course if you have an exclusive contract with your agency, or no HGV, that may well put the kybosh on that, but then it’s up to them to give you a decent week’s work if that is the case :wink:

What about getting some tax credits or whatever, you’ve paid in, so get your share back, if they haven’t given it all away to some poor trailer hopping refugee :open_mouth: if it’s a long term 3 day contract, you may be able to get something in writing to that effect, it may help, good luck with it all :wink:

4

Muckaway:
How about asking at places you deliver at that are local to where you live? If you can avoid driving to work that’s worth an extra £30+ a week and you will already be known by your potential employers.

LOL, unless some needy house wife or batchelor has some driving work for me after ive delivered their Bed`, i cant see any of my delivery places offering me a job any time soon! :wink:
Thanks for your input though m8. :smiley:

5

Stonehouse69:

Muckaway:
How about asking at places you deliver at that are local to where you live? If you can avoid driving to work that’s worth an extra £30+ a week and you will already be known by your potential employers.

LOL, unless some needy house wife or batchelor has some driving work for me after ive delivered their Bed`, i cant see any of my delivery places offering me a job any time soon! :wink:
Thanks for your input though m8. :smiley:

Blimey, needy housewives, you’ll be too knackered to work more than 3 days a week :laughing:

6

newmercman:
I’d stick it out for a while at least, if you prove yourself to the agency more work is sure to follow, go around some other agencies and sign on with them too, they may be able to get you some fill in, I’m assuming you have an HGV licence, so tell them you’re driving whatever the biggest lorry the firm you’re doing the 3 days at has, if you want to get HGV work, of course if you have an exclusive contract with your agency, or no HGV, that may well put the kybosh on that, but then it’s up to them to give you a decent week’s work if that is the case :wink:

What about getting some tax credits or whatever, you’ve paid in, so get your share back, if they haven’t given it all away to some poor trailer hopping refugee :open_mouth: if it’s a long term 3 day contract, you may be able to get something in writing to that effect, it may help, good luck with it all :wink:

Cheers m8, I have Class-2 license and 7.5tonne work is ideal for the experience (which i have next to [ZB] all) :wink: And the agency im with have been really good to me, with-in an hour of signing up with them, they had me going to bridgewater to pick up an 18tonner and then on the following monday, they had me start at the place im at now, so i really cant moan about it! Not alot of places would be so trusting for a newbie driver and im one of the lucky ones.

Apart from the wife nagging that the moneys not enough (dont they all! :unamused: ) I just wanna prove myself and be able to live (reasonably) comfortably without the wife goin on and on and on and on and on and…:slight_smile:

P.S, i foned the tax credits people and theyve done their calculations so that should be alittle better but i dont wanna keep taking money off the state when i`m capable of working a full week.

I know what your sayin Merc, i just have to be patient…i hate waiting though! :unamused:

7

newmercman:

Stonehouse69:

Muckaway:
Blimey, needy housewives, you’ll be too knackered to work more than 3 days a week :laughing:

LOL m8, most of them are right CHOWERS! Wouldnt touch them with yours! :wink: :smiley:

8

Stonehouse69:

newmercman:

Stonehouse69:

Muckaway:
Blimey, needy housewives, you’ll be too knackered to work more than 3 days a week :laughing:

LOL m8, most of them are right CHOWERS! Wouldnt touch them with yours! :wink: :smiley:

Your hands ain’t big enough mate :laughing:

Oh and good luck with this one

Apart from the wife nagging that the moneys not enough (dont they all! ) I just wanna prove myself and be able to live (reasonably) comfortably without the wife goin on and on and on and on and on and…

:laughing: :laughing:

9

newmercman:

Stonehouse69:

newmercman:

Stonehouse69:

Muckaway:
Blimey, needy housewives, you’ll be too knackered to work more than 3 days a week :laughing:

LOL m8, most of them are right CHOWERS! Wouldnt touch them with yours! :wink: :smiley:

Your hands ain’t big enough mate :laughing:

Oh and good luck with this one

Apart from the wife nagging that the moneys not enough (dont they all! ) I just wanna prove myself and be able to live (reasonably) comfortably without the wife goin on and on and on and on and on and…

:laughing: :laughing:

LOL yeah m8, i think that last ones going to take a while…a very looooooong while! :imp: :unamused:

10

Stonehouse69. You are doing your best to support your family, during what I know from personal experience, to be the worst recession since the BIGGIE of the 1930,s. (I was born no7 of 10, right in the middle of it). I never broke stroke work-wise right through the 50.s-6o,s-70s-80s and 90,s. If I had retired 3 weeks after I did, I would have worked for exactly 50 years.So it is well done you for doing your best in these trying times. I would suggest that you take the advice offered by Newmercman, which I fully support, and stick with the agency that you are with at present. If something more permanent comes along, at which you can earn more;Then it is time to consider changing jobs. Right now, I would be sticking with the job that I had
Insofar as the “needy” housewife is concerned, and I know that you put that in jokingly. What a man most needs at times like this,-- and I say this with all due respect to your wife,-- is a supportive wife. I am sure that she will be also doing her best. So it is Good Luck to you and your family. Stick with it. Keep gently reminding your agency about your need for more work. You deserve it.
ps.it is “knowledge” :wink: :wink:

11

Buycrider:
Stonehouse69. You are doing your best to support your family, during what I know from personal experience, to be the worst recession since the BIGGIE of the 1930,s. (I was born no7 of 10, right in the middle of it). I never broke stroke work-wise right through the 50.s-6o,s-70s-80s and 90,s. If I had retired 3 weeks after I did, I would have worked for exactly 50 years.So it is well done you for doing your best in these trying times. I would suggest that you take the advice offered by Newmercman, which I fully support, and stick with the agency that you are with at present. If something more permanent comes along, at which you can earn more;Then it is time to consider changing jobs. Right now, I would be sticking with the job that I had
Insofar as the “needy” housewife is concerned, and I know that you put that in jokingly. What a man most needs at times like this,-- and I say this with all due respect to your wife,-- is a supportive wife. I am sure that she will be also doing her best. So it is Good Luck to you and your family. Stick with it. Keep gently reminding your agency about your need for more work. You deserve it.
ps.it is “knowledge” :wink: :wink:

Thanx m8, id like to stay where i am, not many people in my position have been so lucky so im grateful for what i have. :slight_smile:

LOL, I love my wife very much and when we had the driving talk, she was very supportive and understood that i would be working long hours/sometimes nights out and assures me that she would stand by me, whatever i choose to do, so again, im very lucky to have her! After all, if it wasnt for her, i wouldnt have my 2 beautiful kids who ( like all dads) i love with all my life!
She just worries alot and its kinda hard to keep her calm! :unamused:

You and merc always seem to give good advice, which is why i always listen to what you have to say. :wink: Its good to have constructive advice from people who have seen and been through it all, dont be offended but you remind me of my grandad (god bless him), he drove for 30+ years and always had the right things to say, so thanx again.

My minds made up, ill stick it out and when it does get better, itll be because of you and merc and there will be a few pints waiting at the bar for you :wink: :slight_smile:

12

Grandad! Bleeding Grandad! I’ll have you know I’m 21 young Stonehouse, I’ve just got a few years experience at being 21 :laughing:

Just hang in there, nobody is born with experience, we all had to work at it, some may say that I’ve been lucky, I never had a problem getting the kinds of jobs I wanted, I reckon it was more down to my attitude than luck and as time’s gone on, it seems the better I do my job, the luckier I’ve become :wink:

13

newmercman:
Grandad! Bleeding Grandad! I’ll have you know I’m 21 young Stonehouse, I’ve just got a few years experience at being 21 :laughing:

Ive seen a picture of you m8, you wear 21 very well! :slight_smile: LoL, i know that you know that i was talking about your experience` when i say grandad! :wink: :unamused:

14

Stonehouse69:

newmercman:
Grandad! Bleeding Grandad! I’ll have you know I’m 21 young Stonehouse, I’ve just got a few years experience at being 21 :laughing:

Ive seen a picture of you m8, you wear 21 very well! :slight_smile: LoL, i know that you know that i was talking about your experience` when i say grandad! :wink: :unamused:

And if I get a job delivering beds in a puddle jumper I’ll be sending you a PM asking how to do it, you’re the one with the ‘experience’ in that game, see how it works, you’re almost one of us old boys now :laughing:

15

newmercman:

Stonehouse69:

newmercman:
Grandad! Bleeding Grandad! I’ll have you know I’m 21 young Stonehouse, I’ve just got a few years experience at being 21 :laughing:

Ive seen a picture of you m8, you wear 21 very well! :slight_smile: LoL, i know that you know that i was talking about your experience` when i say grandad! :wink: :unamused:

And if I get a job delivering beds in a puddle jumper I’ll be sending you a PM asking how to do it, you’re the one with the ‘experience’ in that game, see how it works, you’re almost one of us old boys now :laughing:

Ask me anything, I`m sure i can help you out! :laughing:
M8, it aint even a puddle jumper, i hit a half-foot pothole the otherday and nearly lost the front end! :unamused:

16

:blush: :blush: . I hope your old Grandad was a Handsome old ZB . Like wot I am. :laughing: :laughing:

Insofar as “Been there and dunnit” is concerned. That is correct. I even had the “T” Shirt, but some thieving ZB nicked it while I was skinny-dipping with Brigitte Bardot, at Cannes, back in the early 1960.s :frowning: :frowning:

17

id spend the 2 days off looking for more work or a less needy girlfriend :smiley:

18

Hiya…do you do regular 3 days every week IE mon …tue …wed.??why not ask another agency if you can do thurs …fri.
I was talking to a chap who was on £500 for a 5 day a week (15 years back)And was a good number. He did agency
work at weekends I know its not legal but it was up to him.
John

19

Hi mate,
be honest with the agency tell them you need more work and although you are happy
with them you will need to sign up with other agencies if they cant give you any more.
You sound like a good guy but don’t be overly loyal when it comes to agency work,sign up with more than one then it’s first come first served. I am speaking from experience after the whole redundancy,bills,mortgage etc. good luck with it all