hgv driving when i first started, was not a big deal. walk into a transport yard,any jobs going, yes or no. if yes sit down with the transport manager and show him the licence, ok got a load up north going monday got to be there bla bla. if you wernt no good that was your lot. to sum it up today it’s like applying for M.I.6. what do you new drivers think about the applying game now, 2-3 interviews ,dsa test’s ,cpc test’s then the assessors test ,then if you get over that lot you have got to put up with the spotty traffic clerk.
It was the same for me when I started, just had a chat with the boss, then went out and got the job done, after a while you become a ‘face’ in your local area and easily walk into another job, well as long as you’ve got a good reputation 
I’ve been on one roadtest prior to getting a job, that was at my current firm in Canada, it was a bit unnerving to say the least, my first time with a Fuller box in nearly 10yrs, luckily I never played any tunes and the job was mine, they did a very thorough check on my references too, I had to get a criminal record check, have a drug and alcohol test and jump through some other hoops too, but that’s the law over here, everyone has to undergo pre employment screening, all very different from turning up on the off chance and being handed a set of keys and some notes 
newmercman:
It was the same for me when I started, just had a chat with the boss, then went out and got the job done, after a while you become a ‘face’ in your local area and easily walk into another job, well as long as you’ve got a good reputationI’ve been on one roadtest prior to getting a job, that was at my current firm in Canada, it was a bit unnerving to say the least, my first time with a Fuller box in nearly 10yrs, luckily I never played any tunes and the job was mine, they did a very thorough check on my references too, I had to get a criminal record check, have a drug and alcohol test and jump through some other hoops too, but that’s the law over here, everyone has to undergo pre employment screening, all very different from turning up on the off chance and being handed a set of keys and some notes
I remember my dad doing a couple of trips for Cadwalladers, when he went to Oswestry for an interview he rang and said to mum pack a case and get me to meet him at the M56/ M6 (We lived in Warrington ) he got the job and was going to France now !!! He,d pick the car up when he came home
newmercman:
It was the same for me when I started, just had a chat with the boss, then went out and got the job done, after a while you become a ‘face’ in your local area and easily walk into another job, well as long as you’ve got a good reputationI’ve been on one roadtest prior to getting a job, that was at my current firm in Canada, it was a bit unnerving to say the least, my first time with a Fuller box in nearly 10yrs, luckily I never played any tunes and the job was mine, they did a very thorough check on my references too, I had to get a criminal record check, have a drug and alcohol test and jump through some other hoops too, but that’s the law over here, everyone has to undergo pre employment screening, all very different from turning up on the off chance and being handed a set of keys and some notes
ok newmercman. best gear box i had was the eton on a erf , get the old girl going then as you know no clutch, mind you when i first went out it was playing rod stewarts maggie may. crb checks ,one of the firms i worked for , if you didnt have a crim. record they umd and arded. how times change. how’s canada?
I was working in a HGV garage on a course when i was unemployed and one of their customers had a little cargo.I asked him was there any chance he would get another wagon and give me a start.He did and im now driving this
Unfortunatly not for the same bloke hes no longer alive.But i thank him for giving me the chance to get into haulage
My first wagon 
Boatchaser:
newmercman:
It was the same for me when I started, just had a chat with the boss, then went out and got the job done, after a while you become a ‘face’ in your local area and easily walk into another job, well as long as you’ve got a good reputationI’ve been on one roadtest prior to getting a job, that was at my current firm in Canada, it was a bit unnerving to say the least, my first time with a Fuller box in nearly 10yrs, luckily I never played any tunes and the job was mine, they did a very thorough check on my references too, I had to get a criminal record check, have a drug and alcohol test and jump through some other hoops too, but that’s the law over here, everyone has to undergo pre employment screening, all very different from turning up on the off chance and being handed a set of keys and some notes
I remember my dad doing a couple of trips for Cadwalladers, when he went to Oswestry for an interview he rang and said to mum pack a case and get me to meet him at the M56/ M6 (We lived in Warrington ) he got the job and was going to France now !!! He,d pick the car up when he came home
that was how it was boatchaser, if you hit a firm at the right time and they had one loaded (uk or over the water) you were on. after one trip ( if you got back, some did not) the firm would know if you were up for it.
BIGRIG:
I was working in a HGV garage on a course when i was unemployed and one of their customers had a little cargo.I asked him was there any chance he would get another wagon and give me a start.He did and im now driving this1 Unfortunatly not for the same bloke hes no longer alive.But i thank him for giving me the chance to get into haulage0My first wagon
there you go bigrig u got the chance to show what u can do,not all these 2-3 interviews and ra ra. there’s the motor jump in and i will show you i can drive,job done.
I was lucky with my job application. Job advertised on the job centre website, rang and spoke to the TM, went for a chat that afternoon. Filled in their form and a 10-15 min chat and had the classic “I have more people to see”. Fair enough I thought, I’ll ring them in a few days if I haven’t heard a yay or nay. Time passed and phone calls made to be told they hadn’t decided yet. I gave up and thought that was their way of saying no kindly. Got a phone call a few weeks later asking me if I was still interested (as a new Class 2, still driving 3.5t sprinters, I most certainly was). Another 15 min chat to go over the details of the job and was asked if I wanted the job. It was a definate yes and was relieved to be given a start after so long of trying and getting knocked back. Luckily the company run an artic on a trunk run twice a week and was given the keys to it a week after passing with the advice of “see how you go”. It came back in one piece and I’ve since been offered it again so I’m building up CE experience without changing employers.
The company have my view on employing people, and thats a proper interview with the TM, check his cv and an casual chat and see how he gets on. You could pass an assessment, wtd quiz, crb check etc etc and turn out to be a complete lazybod who’s cab happy but as you passed their “selection process” then thats all that mattered.
Mark28:
I was lucky with my job application. Job advertised on the job centre website, rang and spoke to the TM, went for a chat that afternoon. Filled in their form and a 10-15 min chat and had the classic “I have more people to see”. Fair enough I thought, I’ll ring them in a few days if I haven’t heard a yay or nay. Time passed and phone calls made to be told they hadn’t decided yet. I gave up and thought that was their way of saying no kindly. Got a phone call a few weeks later asking me if I was still interested (as a new Class 2, still driving 3.5t sprinters, I most certainly was). Another 15 min chat to go over the details of the job and was asked if I wanted the job. It was a definate yes and was relieved to be given a start after so long of trying and getting knocked back. Luckily the company run an artic on a trunk run twice a week and was given the keys to it a week after passing with the advice of “see how you go”. It came back in one piece and I’ve since been offered it again so I’m building up CE experience without changing employers.The company have my view on employing people, and thats a proper interview with the TM, check his cv and an casual chat and see how he gets on. You could pass an assessment, wtd quiz, crb check etc etc and turn out to be a complete lazybod who’s cab happy but as you passed their “selection process” then thats all that mattered.
way to go mark28 as i said the proof is in the pudding. once u r in it takes 2 mins. to see if u r a nob or if u know what u r about. if u look at blokes walking around a warehouse (i.e. forklift’s flying about and the way they walk around them when they are loading or unloading) will tell u they know a bit about the transport game .thats b 4 they jump in the artic. cv;s are crap to go for a job get in the tm 's face not some bird’s face at hr department who wont know what was an artic was till one hit her and they told her when she came awake in hospital.
About 92’ I met a bloke in a pub once, i’d seen him in there drinking with a couple of his lads before and i knew he owned about 7 lorries, 3 on tippers and 4 doin swiss.
So i asked him if he needed a driver, he told me to meet him at his yard sunday morning and we’ll have a chat. Odd i thought sunday 
. So got to the yard sunday morning about 8, he wasn’t there, a lad turned up and said aaah so your the lad following me to swiss, had to go back home and get me gear and passport 
as i’d never done the continent til then… Needless to say first impressions, i only stuck it for about 3 months…
everything today has to go through an agency I found this out when I got made redundant in 2002 I had worked as a bank messenger in the city of london for 12 years lovely job but all things come to an end so I started looking round for a similar job and found that the job market had changed dramatically I had often got a job over the phone when I was driving or when I was a butcher the normal conversation would end with “see you monday and we will see how we get on with each other” I found in 2002 I had to register with an agency for every job I saw advertised you could never talk direct to a firm, I did start temping for an insurance firm as a maintenance man when their guy was off I told the facilities manager to ring me direct instead of going through the agency to save her money but she told me they had to go through the agency otherwise I would not be insured, every job now even a students part time job has to have app forms filled out ,I know for a fact where I work now people get a job by how the interview goes not by what they know or are good at so we often end up with managers who are very good at b–s-----g and know nothing about the job bring back the old days, fred m
i’ve been pretty lucky really , i started with smaller companies to get the experience & the references will speak for themselves , but now companies have people who think up interesting interviews & assessment for no other reason than to justify the wage the company gives them . the biggest company i worked for was ANC parcels & that was a chap coming down from stoke to yeovil quick chat as i drove round town & a few questions , i had a bit of savvy & had a good look at their web site & basicly answered their questions regarding the job off to a tee, got the job no problem.
wouldn’t like to go through the stobart saga though
A friend of mine applied to Asda to do home deliveries. He was eventually invited to a second interview where he then had to go through 2 hours of role playing. He, along with some of the other people got up and walked out. The man doing all this with said he knew it was ridiculous but the company demanded it and there was nothing he could do.
I’ve got no experience on this topic and don’t know how to go about it ! I was working for BRS workshops and as it was closing down and worked was getting farmed out I was asked if I could cover a drivers job that was vacant for a couple of weeks till they could get somebody set on ! Although the firm has changed titles to Exel now DHL after 34yrs I’m still here, I do ask now and again if they have got a replacement for me and get a puzzled look back 
I guess I’ve been lucky, I’ve never been out of work and don’t know how I would fair applying for one. 
stay as long as you can mate the job matket no matter what job you are looking for is very slow even in london