The majority of posts on these forums generally involve negativity towards most HGV jobs. From the usual Stobart bashing to slagging off Tescos. Surely somewhere there must be decent companies to work for. I am only a newbie and to get experience I have to just take what I can get. But what should be the aim for someone who wants a career in trucking. Where should one aspire to end up?
Complaints are much more of a talking point than saying how good something is, hence why so much of the content on here appears to be negative. However, I have gathered that a fair amount of the drivers on here actually have pretty good gigs & like their employers besides the money maybe not being quite what it should.
I can’t tell you what you should be aspiring to do, it’s all a matter of taste and what suits you & you’ll figure that out in time. A lot of people talk about specialised stuff like petrol tankers, car transporters etc. being the pinnacle of the profession but it’s not for everybody. You will find something that suits you. There are class 1 drivers that have gone out to ‘live the dream’ and ended up working for Warburtons doing a bread round (for example), found it suited them and been there ever since.
Lots of glass almost empty people post here, quite why they want to drive lorries when they hate the job and everything about it so much i’m buggered if i know.
Yes there are good companies about, but you won’t learn about them here because those who are lucky enough to work there don’t want the above miserable sods to come and work there and ruin that job too.
Your work record and your reputation are everything, so keep your nose clean and learn as much as you can, take a pride in your work, look after your equipment, be reliable, don’t take the ■■■■ or sickies.
Eventually you will get a nudge/wink about something coming up thats good…drivers who work for good companies don’t recommend idiots/shirkers/wasters cos those in good jobs want them to last as long as possible…if an offer comes don’t ■■■■ about go and get it…a person who can’t be bothered to put themselves out to get a job are hardly going to be giving 100% once they’ve got it…if you don’t get an offer via another driver but in the fullness of time learn of who is a good employer in your area or chosen field, go and knock on the bloody door and sell yourself to the man, it works trust me.
Ever wondered why the more employable drivers usually end up on the lucrative work, and why those companies never ever advertise for staff?
benbailey81:
The majority of posts on these forums generally involve negativity towards most HGV jobs. From the usual Stobart bashing to slagging off Tescos. Surely somewhere there must be decent companies to work for. I am only a newbie and to get experience I have to just take what I can get. But what should be the aim for someone who wants a career in trucking. Where should one aspire to end up?
IME you tend to find that independently owned & operated Co’s look after their staff much better than the multi national conglomerates. But then again, I’ve worked for a few solo b@st#rds in my time.
The best truck job I ever had was a recycling Co’ owned & run by a family of Jehova’s Witnesses. Once we’d weeded out the drivers who took advantage of their better nature then the job became very enjoyable & a very, very good earner.
Sadly, the Co’ was so successful that the family involved did a runner from the church (the tithe got to much for 'em), retired to Devon & left it in the hands of a complete ■■■■■■■ who ruined it inside 2yrs.
Good jobs working for good people are out there, but you have to literally stumble across them at the right time.
^THIS^
Work for a supermarket direct!
benbailey81:
The majority of posts on these forums generally involve negativity towards most HGV jobs. From the usual Stobart bashing to slagging off Tescos. Surely somewhere there must be decent companies to work for. I am only a newbie and to get experience I have to just take what I can get. But what should be the aim for someone who wants a career in trucking. Where should one aspire to end up?
Chap,
You’ll find that a good deal of drivers treat driving as a second job, they are primary employed to ■■■■■ and moan and whine on like 4 year olds about anything and everything that those of us with a full grown set of testicles just put up with.
If these firms were so terrible to work for then why do the same people who do ■■■■ all but moan about them end up staying for 500 years whilst continuing to tell anyone who’s stupid enough to listen that they’re leaving or been offered a plush job with a ToplinesupercabXLmegaspace 950 with 2 nights out and 60 million pounds an hour.
They’re all full of ■■■■.
My advice? Speak only from your direct experience and if you’re not happy belt up about it and find other work.
I aspire to work for an outfit where I get paid every week, the kit works at least 95% of the time, and I’m left to get on with the job. At the moment the outfit I work for matches my needs. If something matches better - I’ll go fer it. Simples…
Tipper Tom:
benbailey81:
The majority of posts on these forums generally involve negativity towards most HGV jobs. From the usual Stobart bashing to slagging off Tescos. Surely somewhere there must be decent companies to work for. I am only a newbie and to get experience I have to just take what I can get. But what should be the aim for someone who wants a career in trucking. Where should one aspire to end up?Chap,
You’ll find that a good deal of drivers treat driving as a second job, they are primary employed to ■■■■■ and moan and whine on like 4 year olds about anything and everything that those of us with a full grown set of testicles just put up with.
If these firms were so terrible to work for then why do the same people who do [zb] all but moan about them end up staying for 500 years whilst continuing to tell anyone who’s stupid enough to listen that they’re leaving or been offered a plush job with a ToplinesupercabXLmegaspace 950 with 2 nights out and 60 million pounds an hour.
well put!
our place has at least 3 of them, utter lazy sods. place would run a lot better if they got shot of the deadwood that try to past themselves off as driversThey’re all full of [zb].
My advice? Speak only from your direct experience and if you’re not happy belt up about it and find other work.
I see Iceland wagons with “best company to work for 2012” - whatever that means.
Working there for a driver means signing up with one of the agencies that has compulsory umbrella, so you don’t get to really “work there” after all.
Perhaps they are talking about the shelf stackers - but why boast on the backs of lorries then?
I’ve not heard of a “big push recruitment drive” going on at ANY large firm - ie taking on full timers who wear the company outfit, and has nothing to do with “contractor”, “Umbrella”, “Ltd Company”, or “just plain agency”.
Nowdays you can end up with the absurd situation where a lot of bods might get “turned down when applying for the full time job”, but amazingly get offered unlimited hours on agency - at a lower rate than full timers get of course. 12 week contracts, then 8 weeks stood down? - No problem. 
People applying might be led to believe that there are “lots of actual full time jobs” when in fact there was only ever one, and that’s already been ring-fenced for the Guvnor’s nephew, or in-house lickcock - assuming they are not the same person. 
One gets the impression that the client yard only advertise an “unspecified number of full time posts” to get drivers that then “don’t make the cut” signing up with the regular supplying agencies en-masse.
Last time that happened to me (turned down for a full time job, got offered agency on umbrella) I told them “no uniform, no work”. How can anyone be “unsuitable to be given a job” but “ok to be deducted £27pw for joining the big umbrella fiddle” FFS! 
Tesco,talk to there drivers and 99% say its a cracking job!talking to a culina lad the other week and never had a bad word to say about them!sam worth brothers the same!stobart- 
our lads who are on chilled work only haven’t a bad word too say about the job,a-b trunking,Hutchinson heavy haulage- lad I know says its a cracking job,browns/ turners- last time I spoke to lad who left ours and went on for them,said long hours but nice people to work for,Wilkos-not heard any bad reports from ex- Wilkosdrivers at our place
Dhl- again happy with job,few little gripes but nothing worth mentioning,Norbert’s- never really hear agency lads who flit round our area moan about them.
Nft- lad said ■■■■ easy work( good money), mrct- lad said alright when we were chatting a week or two ago,rick best wick- again chatting too lad,very,very happy with job,nice folks
Gist- taking too lad the other week at Northallerton ( out of Barnsley I think) and said good easy work,very well paid,langdons- lad said money not brilliant but the job is alright,arla- lad said it can be hard work,multi drop ,but well rewarded for it
There’s a few of lads I’ve talked too recently.
wirralpete:
Tipper Tom:
benbailey81:
The majority of posts on these forums generally involve negativity towards most HGV jobs. From the usual Stobart bashing to slagging off Tescos. Surely somewhere there must be decent companies to work for. I am only a newbie and to get experience I have to just take what I can get. But what should be the aim for someone who wants a career in trucking. Where should one aspire to end up?Chap,
You’ll find that a good deal of drivers treat driving as a second job, they are primary employed to ■■■■■ and moan and whine on like 4 year olds about anything and everything that those of us with a full grown set of testicles just put up with.
If these firms were so terrible to work for then why do the same people who do [zb] all but moan about them end up staying for 500 years whilst continuing to tell anyone who’s stupid enough to listen that they’re leaving or been offered a plush job with a ToplinesupercabXLmegaspace 950 with 2 nights out and 60 million pounds an hour.
well put!
our place has at least 3 of them, utter lazy sods. place would run a lot better if they got shot of the deadwood that try to past themselves off as driversThey’re all full of [zb].
My advice? Speak only from your direct experience and if you’re not happy belt up about it and find other work.
My hero!
Drivers seem to moan no matter what work they’re on. It makes me wonder why the [zb] they bothered to get an HGV licence in the first place.
Almost every firm is pretty good in its own right. But there’s no point taking a tramping job, Then moaning about nights out.
It’s like buying a house next to a pig farm, Then complaining about the smell.
I prefer to work to a set of rules that suit me. No agency work, No hourly pay. Daily rate, Salary or trip money and tramping only.
That to some is like working within the devils nest, But for me it’s perfect. It’s as close as being your own boss as you can get in my opinion.
George@ASDA driver:
Work for a supermarket direct!
That would be my idea off hell.
fredthered:
wirralpete:
Tipper Tom:
benbailey81:
The majority of posts on these forums generally involve negativity towards most HGV jobs. From the usual Stobart bashing to slagging off Tescos. Surely somewhere there must be decent companies to work for. I am only a newbie and to get experience I have to just take what I can get. But what should be the aim for someone who wants a career in trucking. Where should one aspire to end up?Chap,
You’ll find that a good deal of drivers treat driving as a second job, they are primary employed to ■■■■■ and moan and whine on like 4 year olds about anything and everything that those of us with a full grown set of testicles just put up with.
If these firms were so terrible to work for then why do the same people who do [zb] all but moan about them end up staying for 500 years whilst continuing to tell anyone who’s stupid enough to listen that they’re leaving or been offered a plush job with a ToplinesupercabXLmegaspace 950 with 2 nights out and 60 million pounds an hour.
well put!
our place has at least 3 of them, utter lazy sods. place would run a lot better if they got shot of the deadwood that try to past themselves off as driversThey’re all full of [zb].
My advice? Speak only from your direct experience and if you’re not happy belt up about it and find other work.
My hero!
thanks
jessicas dad:
George@ASDA driver:
Work for a supermarket direct!That would be my idea off hell.
Yeah. Home every night. Fleet never more than 4 years old. Loads of benefits. OTE £33k for 50 odd hour weeks, discount on shopping. Easy work. Never ever pushed. Hands and clothes never dirty.
Yeah, hell! 
George@ASDA driver:
jessicas dad:
George@ASDA driver:
Work for a supermarket direct!That would be my idea off hell.
Yeah. Home every night. Fleet never more than 4 years old. Loads of benefits. OTE £33k for 50 odd hour weeks, discount on shopping. Easy work. Never ever pushed. Hands and clothes never dirty.
Yeah, hell!
Don’t full timers handle dollies inches deep in grime then, or re-patriate dirty cages in serious need of a deep clean with all that curdled spilt milk product down them that stinks like a corpse after a few weeks in summer… The backs of the trailers could use a damned good hosing out as well. FFS the only time I want to find myself slipping and sliding about on too much juice is when I’m trying to roll a marble in oil. 
Think it depends what suits you, some hate agency but it suits me. Agency is also a way into a company, I know a lot of the drivers for the company I’m usually at were recruited from the agency I work through and I notice from the sign in sheets there are 3 of us from the same agency that are almost full time in there just now. The run I’m on just now is perfect for me 12.30 start and enough unpredictability to keep me occupied
Yes there are a few very good companies to work for, but, 99% of drivers will never hear of them because they dont advertise,they dont need too. They are real dead mans shoes jobs. No I haven`t found one yet either.
Winseer:
George@ASDA driver:
jessicas dad:
George@ASDA driver:
Work for a supermarket direct!That would be my idea off hell.
Yeah. Home every night. Fleet never more than 4 years old. Loads of benefits. OTE £33k for 50 odd hour weeks, discount on shopping. Easy work. Never ever pushed. Hands and clothes never dirty.
Yeah, hell!
Don’t full timers handle dollies inches deep in grime then, or re-patriate dirty cages in serious need of a deep clean with all that curdled spilt milk product down them that stinks like a corpse after a few weeks in summer… The backs of the trailers could use a damned good hosing out as well. FFS the only time I want to find myself slipping and sliding about on too much juice is when I’m trying to roll a marble in oil.
Not at George they don’t, good little number there, just enough work to keep fit moving a few clothes dollies and rollers, no weight involved so easy running.