So many firms now have gone over to autos these days that I wouldn’t have thought this would be a major issue now. Can you still manage a manual box? It’s just a numbers game the more you see the nearer you are to getting the job. Knocking on doors will be more to your advantage I would guess but try, try, try everywhere! Best of luck and keep us posted!
waynedl:
Suffolk ReeferBoy:
oneleg:
it has a 2l raceline zetec with 250 bhpThat should do the job nicely
Are people still using Hyabusa engines in you sort of car ? There was a little club around our way that
used motorcyle engines and they sounded really good guess you even better power to weight ratio .
Think they’re all in SMART cars these days…
Thats pretty good , ultimate street sleeper , raise some eyebrows at the lights 
I remember seeing one of those cop shows where recovery had been called to a RTC. Recovery motor pulled up, driver gets out and is then shown putting the wrecked car on the back of the bed and strapping it down. Camera zooms out and the guy has lost both legs from the knees down and narrator then describes how he lost 'em when he was attending another RTC and has he was putting a car on the back, he was crushed by another car driver who ran into the back of his truck, cutting them off at the knees. And i’ll tell ya what, he wasn’t half moving around that truck, securing the car on. When it was on, he jumped in and roared off. Fair play, put me to shame really. IIRC he was the company owner.
kernan_d:
Have you declared your amputation on your CV? I hate the word Disability because thats what a so called able bodied person calls it. Once a potential employer see’s anything like that on a CV they will automatically file it in the rubbish bin and you’ll get a dear John letter, for two reasons as I see it :
your a risk even though you are more than capable of doing the job its a stigma in employers heads and they have sweats at the thought of H&S
Fear of been sued !! you slip getting into a cab or up onto a catwalk yet again a stigma in the head that an able bodied person wouldn’t have made the same mistake.
If you have put it down on the CV, take it off give yourself the chance of at least getting to the door. Good luck
I disagree, I would definitely have a look at a bloke who was able to overcome the loss of a leg, he’d be far more resourceful than a ‘normal’ person 
Good luck driver, hope you find work soon
Actrosman:
I remember seeing one of those cop shows where recovery had been called to a RTC. Recovery motor pulled up, driver gets out and is then shown putting the wrecked car on the back of the bed and strapping it down. Camera zooms out and the guy has lost both legs from the knees down and narrator then describes how he lost 'em when he was attending another RTC and has he was putting a car on the back, he was crushed by another car driver who ran into the back of his truck, cutting them off at the knees. And i’ll tell ya what, he wasn’t half moving around that truck, securing the car on. When it was on, he jumped in and roared off. Fair play, put me to shame really. IIRC he was the company owner.
I was working as a recovery driver when this was shown & remember it very well, sadly I can’t recall his name or the Co’ he worked for but I’m pretty sure it was in the Sheffield area.
I remember an incredible amount of POSITIVE comments about him after it was broadcast, almost everyone I came across for the next few days, customers, Police, fellow drivers etc, all were practically buzzing about this chaps strength of character & determination to carry on his life as before.
An example that should be held up to 99% of the moaners & whingers of this world.
They class me as 25% disabled in manual dexterity & locomotion due to an industrial accident, whilst it may have had a profound effect on the direction of my career I cannot say that it has had much effect on my chosen path of LGV driving. I have never mentioned to a prospective employer the extent or nature of my injuries & luckily in normal day to life it doesn’t show.
I choose very carefully the types of jobs I take on, I have walked away from all the ‘so called’ support & help organisations who patronise the disabled 'cos in my eyes I’m NOT disabled . . . Over the years there’s been a few who’ve picked up on the little pointers & I’ve had to come clean, very few of those look on me with any kind of negative sympathy !
I spent 6mths in hospital, my body was wrecked but my mind was probably improved somewhat, on my first day of freedom my GF wheeled me around in my chair & I experienced my bestest mates talking to me through her, we visited the so called injury specialist Solicitor who had taken my case for compensation & it was impossible for me to enter the premises, you really have to experience that kind of ■■■■■ to fully understand it !
It’s worth noting that some companies could well jump at the chance of employing a capable driver with such a disability, as IIRC there’s often encouragement from councils to fill quotas of disabled persons in the workplace and it’s also possible that the company could get some sort of grant.
My old boss at Nightfreight, Andy Rainbow, was an insulin-dependent diabetic and this counted towards the quota; when he set up a new depot in Stevenage, of which I was Ops manager, he employed an office cleaner with slight learning difficulties to achieve the same objective there. As a cleaner she wasn’t much use BTW but she did make a decent cuppa!
For that reason, perhaps the OP should have a word with the local Jobcentre to wise up on this, might help him open a few doors.
Good luck, and respect to you for not giving in.
newmercman:
kernan_d:
Have you declared your amputation on your CV? I hate the word Disability because thats what a so called able bodied person calls it. Once a potential employer see’s anything like that on a CV they will automatically file it in the rubbish bin and you’ll get a dear John letter, for two reasons as I see it :
your a risk even though you are more than capable of doing the job its a stigma in employers heads and they have sweats at the thought of H&S
Fear of been sued !! you slip getting into a cab or up onto a catwalk yet again a stigma in the head that an able bodied person wouldn’t have made the same mistake.
If you have put it down on the CV, take it off give yourself the chance of at least getting to the door. Good luck
I disagree, I would definitely have a look at a bloke who was able to overcome the loss of a leg, he’d be far more resourceful than a ‘normal’ person
Good luck driver, hope you find work soon
thanks for the good comment I shall make some changes to the CV and see if it makes any improvements thanks very much
newmercman wrote:
I would definitely have a look at a bloke who was able to overcome the loss of a leg, he’d be far more resourceful than a ‘normal’ person
Good luck driver, hope you find work soon
[/quote]
as above…personally i would try small family type firms.good luck.
Having being passed as fit to drive should overrule any disability, you are not less abled than you were. Therefore I’d not bother to mention it if it will not affect the way you work. We had a machine driver (who went by the name of Peg Leg) who had a false leg / prosthetic limb / whatever else it might be called. He usually drove a JCB 3CX but sometimes 360’s on various building sites. Never had a problem either.
I take my hat off to you and wish you the very best of luck.
gnasty gnome:
It’s worth noting that some companies could well jump at the chance of employing a capable driver with such a disability, as IIRC there’s often encouragement from councils to fill quotas of disabled persons in the workplace and it’s also possible that the company could get some sort of grant.My old boss at Nightfreight, Andy Rainbow, was an insulin-dependent diabetic and this counted towards the quota; when he set up a new depot in Stevenage, of which I was Ops manager, he employed an office cleaner with slight learning difficulties to achieve the same objective there. As a cleaner she wasn’t much use BTW but she did make a decent cuppa!
For that reason, perhaps the OP should have a word with the local Jobcentre to wise up on this, might help him open a few doors.
Good luck, and respect to you for not giving in.
It’s exactly this kind of attitude which puts the ‘so called’ disabled into a category that defines them as either (a) employable or (b) unemployable.
Untill we can understand that everyone, regardless of ability, has a role to play, then we can never achieve true harmony in the workplace.
I would HATE with a passion being given a job because it qualified the company concerned for some kind of sainthood award, I absolutely DETEST the system that our governments & councils put in place to encourage such small minded behaviour.
Give me a job on my merits, this is me, I want to work & I will not be your token ■■■■■■ !
It has been mentioned before about Geoff who was a driver at Norman Lewis, he lost a leg in Germany after being trapped between two trucks, he was in a bad way but recovered, and took up the post of ADR Trainer, the urge to drive was stronger and he went back on the road. I haven’t seen him for a while but a mate of mine was running with him, he had bought his own lorry by then.
another guy who used to do Austria had a leg missing and a wheelchair in his cab, although he didn’t really need it.
The best of luck and hope you find a job soon 
Hi oneleg, as someone has already sugested a trip down job centre to see whats available, maybe the citizens advise beuro (CAB) soz about the spelling 
, they often have allsorts of helpfull information available & mabe able to give you a pointer. Have you recently revamped your cv & priorotized your strenghts & experience ect, & references. Until a couple of months ago I was helping someone else on ocassions, who also has lost a leg & still driving & loading, they’ve now gone on a different route. Well done for getting yourself back on track & I hope you get work soon, & welcome 
Look at Tony Jones, it never stopped him, I heard he is still driving on a part time basis still, lost his lower leg when he rear ended a Breakdown truck at J15 M6 or near abouts
newmercman
I disagree, I would definitely have a look at a bloke who was able to overcome the loss of a leg, he’d be far more resourceful than a ‘normal’ person
your in a minority but good to see
Chas
I choose very carefully the types of jobs I take on, I have walked away from all the ‘so called’ support & help organisations who patronise the disabled 'cos in my eyes I’m NOT disabled . . . Over the years there’s been a few who’ve picked up on the little pointers & I’ve had to come clean, very few of those look on me with any kind of negative sympathy !
Fair play this is the only way todo it.
Dont think due to your situation i recantly delivered to a drinks conpany for stobarts at i think was britvic arrr yes thats it britvic at magna park industrial estate there was a guy there driving for a companie and he was a amputee as u put it. So it carnt be that much of a problem in fact he was wuite a funnie guy but he was talking to a guy at britvic. He is well known there so i take it he delivers quite regular. Pharaps if you contact them explain your facts and if possible pass your contact details to him maybe he can point u the rite direction regards
I worked for Canute in the early 90’s and they had a bloke from Bolton drive for them and he only had one leg. He used to drive a Merc EPS thingy on container work with no problems.
Just keep trying mate. all the best.
Thanks to all the great advice everybody gave me I now have three interviews lined up thank you very much
Hiya oneleg…ask about a chap [name removed on request]from bridgewater…he lost both legs at a really young age
he was school boy motorcross champion at one time…back to the story he used to run a scania out off the bridgewater area into london and he was on the ball all the time. i haven’t seen him for 25 years
but he could sure do some work… good luck pal…do you have any pals you could run to work or pick up
try and get to know some bosses get seen and they may well give you that chance.
John
If Douglas Bader can fly a spitfire and become one of the RAFs top ace’s with no legs then im sure a chap with one leg can drive an artic.
Hello mate, I saw a one armed driver at DSV in Immingham last week. I didn’t think it was allowed (shows what I know).
I have the kind of boss who would recognise your gumption if you went round the yards looking for a job. If some idiot shows you the door why would you want to work for them?
Good luck anyhow,
W