Hi
I’ve recently joined the forum after lurking for a while as a guest so thought i’d better introduce myself
I passed my LGV 2 back in 2007. I intended to change my career, and it wasn’t a decision i took lightly at the time. I’ve always been a hardworker and when my boss found out about it it gave him a bit of a fright and the upshot was in the end i got a higher paid and better position within the company. As a result i’ve never used this qualification and haven’t driven a truck since i parked up immediately after my test!
Now 5 years later things have changed a lot in my work and life, i’ve survived one lot of redundancies in '09 for which i should be thankful as other folk have not been so fortunate but recession or no recession a ■■■■ job is what it is and i’ve got to the point where i can’t stand to do what i do now.
From reading this forum i know the best way is to get out there and put myself about a bit.
I signed onto a few agencies since April and was upfront with them about my lack of experience and have had no offers yet which i kind of expected though to be honest with the 2 years thing. Also i am still working full time so if i was handing out the assignments at the agency office i probably wouldn’t offer me work over a jobless person either out of principal
I’ve got a number of transport firms local to me that i am planning on going to see and make speculative applications.
I am curious to know what peoples opinions are of the best way to approach transport firms cold calling looking for work, suit or smart casual dress?, best questions to ask? is it better to ask for the ‘transport manager’ rather than HR dept? etc. I am very aware i don’t want to become an annoyance to them and jeopordize any chance of a future job
My last question is this- I feel i will need some refresher training to get back up to speed, is this a good/bad idea at this stage with nothing concrete on the horizon jobs wise? i’m not rolling in money so don’t want to be parting with a few hundred quid just to be sat around waiting another 6 months for a job oppurtunity and then doing the same again, but equally i don’t want to get caught with my proverbials down if i got a call tomorrow to go for an assesment drive next week and fluff it.
Well you’ve held your license for five years, so you can tell some white lies to get some immediate work by saying that you worked for so and so but unfortunately they’re now out of the game…
It is up to you though and you need to play your cards right otherwise you could turn up and not know a thing that they’re talking about and be sent on your way without training.
SaintAndy:
My last question is this- I feel i will need some refresher training to get back up to speed, is this a good/bad idea at this stage with nothing concrete on the horizon jobs wise? i’m not rolling in money so don’t want to be parting with a few hundred quid just to be sat around waiting another 6 months for a job oppurtunity and then doing the same again, but equally i don’t want to get caught with my proverbials down if i got a call tomorrow to go for an assesment drive next week and fluff it.
I can see what you’re saying but personnally I’d do a days refresher as holding your licence for 5 years, even with no experience, should elicit some opportunites.
SaintAndy:
My last question is this- I feel i will need some refresher training to get back up to speed, is this a good/bad idea at this stage with nothing concrete on the horizon jobs wise? i’m not rolling in money so don’t want to be parting with a few hundred quid just to be sat around waiting another 6 months for a job oppurtunity and then doing the same again, but equally i don’t want to get caught with my proverbials down if i got a call tomorrow to go for an assesment drive next week and fluff it.
I can see what you’re saying but personnally I’d do a days refresher as holding your licence for 5 years, even with no experience, should elicit some opportunites.
Agree with this, would be worth taking a refresher. I don’t think that they’re too dear anyway.
SaintAndy:
I signed onto a few agencies since April and was upfront with them about my lack of experience and have had no offers yet which i kind of expected though to be honest with the 2 years thing.
You do need to be honest as in answering questions truthfully…
… you do not need to volunteer information that may reduce your chances of getting a job.
I am curious to know what peoples opinions are of the best way to approach transport firms cold calling looking for work, suit or smart casual dress?
I went with a shirt and tie but smart casual trousers and a fleece.
is it better to ask for the ‘transport manager’ rather than HR dept? etc.
Perhaps the smaller operations where you get a chance to meet and impress the boss will be best.
I am very aware i don’t want to become an annoyance to them and jeopordize any chance of a future job
Better to be remembered as a persistent sod than forgotten altogether.
Many thanks for the replies I have taken all of them onboard.
First and foremost I’ve booked a refresher course for this Monday with a local trainer to dust off some cobwebs. After seeing some of the stories of peoples first shifts on here who have passed and taken up jobs not long after their test i felt i’d be a waiting disaster after no driving in so many years.
Enjoying reading everybody elses stories so thought i’d update my own.
In my spare time i’ve been brushing up on the WTD, tacho hours etc (all 56 pages of it)
Monday I did an LGV refresher course, first time in a lorry in 5 years and it showed for the first 10 miles or so. general driving wasn’t too bad just struggled with roundabouts- and gears! the truck i was in was a Scania with the 4 over 4 gearbox whereas i’d originally learned in a Renault with 4 next to 4 slap over box (which i have to say i preferred) so another learning experiance. Overall i enjoyed it though and although maybe not quite up to test standards i feel confident i could get through a driving assesment with a few hours more tutorage.
The instructor gave me plenty of useful tips and even recommended a few agencies that had been good for new drivers.
So onto the agencies; I signed onto (yet another) agency yesterday and all seemed quite well, blitzed their theory test and after the mountain of paperwork they were making the right noises and even said they may get me an assesment with a local company they’re recruiting for (taken with a very large pinch of salt)
The payment details concern me though- it seems i would be paid through a third party who are an ‘umbrella’ company. now i don’t know the in’s and out’s of these arrangements but a quick scan of the paperwork suggests they take 4% administration fee to transfer wages to your bank and for me that’s just not on so at the moment i’m not sure if i will follow them up should the offer come.
Is this a normal practice with agencies and i’m being paranoid, or is it best to just steer clear?
SaintAndy:
Enjoying reading everybody elses stories so thought i’d update my own.
In my spare time i’ve been brushing up on the WTD, tacho hours etc (all 56 pages of it)
Monday I did an LGV refresher course, first time in a lorry in 5 years and it showed for the first 10 miles or so. general driving wasn’t too bad just struggled with roundabouts- and gears! the truck i was in was a Scania with the 4 over 4 gearbox whereas i’d originally learned in a Renault with 4 next to 4 slap over box (which i have to say i preferred) so another learning experiance. Overall i enjoyed it though and although maybe not quite up to test standards i feel confident i could get through a driving assesment with a few hours more tutorage.
The instructor gave me plenty of useful tips and even recommended a few agencies that had been good for new drivers.
So onto the agencies; I signed onto (yet another) agency yesterday and all seemed quite well, blitzed their theory test and after the mountain of paperwork they were making the right noises and even said they may get me an assesment with a local company they’re recruiting for (taken with a very large pinch of salt)
The payment details concern me though- it seems i would be paid through a third party who are an ‘umbrella’ company. now i don’t know the in’s and out’s of these arrangements but a quick scan of the paperwork suggests they take 4% administration fee to transfer wages to your bank and for me that’s just not on so at the moment i’m not sure if i will follow them up should the offer come.
Is this a normal practice with agencies and i’m being paranoid, or is it best to just steer clear?
It’s normal, and like all agency scams it’s easier for them - someone else does the bookwork. They will tell you you are better off under the umbrella system, but, it’s not necessarily the case. I know drivers that swear they are (I’m not always convinced) and I know drivers that wouldn’t touch umbrella companies with a long stick thing. (me for a start).
Ultimately though, you may have to go along with it to get in. But you need to be very careful what you’re paid - check it’s correct to the penny and if it isn’t, chase it up. No exceptions. Don’t do inductions for free either, unless they sign a contract guaranteeing you a job at the end of it. Personally, I wouldn’t do a free induction on any terms, though plenty will. I don’t see why I should pay to do a job for them.
The umbrella company will effectively take your profit out of the jobs you do…so you are very wise to be sceptical. Maybe look into self employment - it can be a better alternative but doesn’t suit everyone.
Sorry to sound so dismal but, sadly, you can’t believe a word agencies say…
If I were you and there’s redundancies in the offing I’d stay put for a while in order to collect the lump sum then if it takes a while to get going you’ll have that cushion to keep you fed etc.
Well, either through luck or sheer persistance I finally got my break!
I have been on a two week shutdown from my full time job (have to go back tomorrow ) and been doing the rounds and signed onto quite a few agencies who usually gave the same responses- brilliant test scores- we’ve got a new contract with so and so you’d be ideal- and the classic “we’ll be in touch”.
So there I was on Friday afternoon coming home on the ferry up out on the deck so my gran could smoke a ■■■ and I kept hearing a noise from her handbag which was her phone. It was my dad who’d took a call from an agency asking if I could work in the morning- I told him phone them back tell them yes. evidently they’d both tried calling my phone but my coverage just off Dover is none existant.
All the way home now i’m wondering just what i’ll be doing, and wondering what I could do wrong!
When I got home my dad had left the written details for me, it was a local firm but a big one based in an RDC.
I reported for duty at the transport office at 5.30am as instructed and taken through the induction process by the TM. At this point I thought I would have to have a quick assessement drive but I didn’t. I was given my route for the day- cages 10 drops all within the local area and luckily I was familiar with most of them but I brought a sat nav which helped me home in on the ones I wasn’t. The induction took an hour and a bit in total.
With keys and paperwork in hand I went into the yard and found my lorry, an Iveco Eurocargo and step into the cab for the first time. It’s a nice clean lorry, 2 years old so not falling to bits quite yet. Now i pray that i’ve remembered how to operate the digi tacho but thankfully despite appearing complex it’s quite idiotproof. I do the daily checks and move off for the first time. It’s and auto and dead easy to drive. my furthest drop is about 40 miles away and i’ve got loads of time to get there so I head off taking it wasy and sure enough arrive just in time for opening.
I was told in the induction that these cages were heavy but I didn’t realise until I made the first drop quite how heavy they were manouevering them is easy enough on flat ground but any slopes they became a handfull.
I also had to pick up cages to return to the depot which wasn’t so bad but as I was loading/unloading and driving the paperwork got a bit on top of me but I soon put myself right and got into a routine with it.
Some sites proved trickier than others and the answer from the depot people was usually the same “the weekday drivers normally reverse in” which is great for them but i’m not really experienced enough to have the confidence to do it yet.
About half way to drop 6 I check the tacho and 3hr36 has elapsed for driving time and knowing the next town where I have two drops I will certainly be over 4.5hrs when I leave so I pull into a layby and take my 45mins break
I arrived back at the depot a full 2hrs beyond what the timesheets had predicted so I apologised to the TM for being late he just laughed and said “don’t pay attention to those times too many people get in a panic about them and start making mistakes”. Apparently I was only an hour down because of the induction and would almost certainly had to have waited at the first drop for them to open. He went onto add that 8 drivers who left before me had not got back yet- it happens. The TM seems a genuinely good bloke and asked me if I could do Monday which I had to turn down, I explained my situation to him that at the minute I can only do weekends and he said I could probably do next saturday again.
Totals for the day were 5.5hrs driving and 4hrs other work. If I had to do the same thing again today though I reckon I could shave an hour off other work now that I know what i’m doing.
So to all the other newbies I can only repeat what has been said on here many times- don’t give up, keep putting yourself about and sooner or later a chance will come and you have to make sure when it does that your name is in the hat. Yes agencies promise the earth and don’t deliver, but make sure you’re signed up to as many as possible and keep your bases covered.
You have done the hardest bit, got the lorry back without any damage and empty as well. Get some hours booked on the DCPC and while doing it, keep your ears open, there will always be other drivers who have heard of a job, just left a job, looking for a job or have a job. It is a free market, the strongest will survive
Normally I wouldn’t promote the CPC this soon but it will give you a chance to brush up on the new to you tachograph and WTD rules
You also have a distinct advantage in that you are still happy to drive a rigid for a while without wanting an artic before the ink is dry on the C licence
Artics do appeal to me but given it’s took me 5 years to go from passing the C test to doing my first days work (ok 4.5yrs were my own fault for not really trying) I doubt it will be any time soon.
In the cold light of today- I felt like I actually enjoyed yesterday. I need to challange myself a bit more though, yesterday I was far too inclined to drive in and reverse back out where as really I feel it should be the other way round if possible.
) and been doing the rounds and signed onto quite a few agencies who usually gave the same responses- brilliant test scores- we’ve got a new contract with so and so you’d be ideal- and the classic “we’ll be in touch”.