Carryfast:
As I said it’s the OPs choice who and what to believe.
Bearing in mind the irony of your case at best actually proving mine, as to the arbitrary nature of the career progression regime which applies within the industry.
The OP can believe that UK driving ‘experience’ will count for anything if trying to progress to international work if he chooses.
As opposed to sheer who you know and right place at the right time luck.
It’s more a case of not giving up at the first knock-back, as you did. I didn’t know anybody in road transport when I passed my HGV test and I got plenty of knock-backs but I refused to give up and eventually I was in the right place at the right time.
As the South African golfer Gary Player said “The more I practice, the luckier I get”.
robroy:
SeaOcean:
robroy:
How times (and drivers) have changed.
When some of us were younger away tramping, sure we (or some of us anyway 
)prioritised in finding somewhere for a shower on a night out, and we definitely went looking for good food, …
But the priority for a good night out wasn’t a [zb] gym, 
…it was a good bar, the nearest shady ‘den of eniquity’ , that had a bit of …'entertainment ’ with a couple of strippers…
. 
happy days.
Same with my two lads,.they told me they had joined the local Rugby Club social club,.when I told them that I also used to go there in my 20s,.I was put right down with a …
‘‘Yeah Dad, but you would have been in the bar, we joined for the gym facilities’’
To be fair I’m not the most sociable person. But I do think social media changed things. Even strippers don’t need to go to clubs any more. They can do Onlyfans from their homes. I live in a shared house and one of my house mates is a chubby girl who does Onlyfans. She works 2-4 hours a week which earns her enough to pay for all her expenses including rent and weed !
Things change very fast
I know the far end of f/all about ‘Onlyfans’ mate, but I’m getting the vibe that it is a ‘service’ provided by women, for sad assed male loners who sit and perv over a screen with only one hand free…Am I anywhere near?
Going out with a few mates, or a few drivers who have just happened to park up together (as you did in those days) is/was just a bit of harmless fun…as long as the girl is ok with that, so I fail to see how the two scenarios are comparable.
Things have changed sure, but not always for the better,.and especially in this [zb] job.
lol no I’m just making the point that social media has changed everything to the point that even strips clubs aren’t as popular since most many women prefer to work from home. I don’t really care about what people do in their life though as long as they’re not harming anyone.
learn basic ■■■■■■■■ because that is what you will be fed WITH.
learn the basic professionally telling of lies, also deciphering the truth.
they are waiting for you, you should have been there yesterday. classic you can not learn it its experience.
also no need to speak any foreign language ,if your going to load they know you are coming.also unloading
,
just be your self and have that bit of bullish Englishness about you if you are ENGLISH.
also the most used and favorite is FU… OFF they all understand it ,and you dont want to understand what they say to you.
GOOD LUCK.BE YOUR SELF THE BEST ADVICE.
tmcassett:
I can’t actually help you with your desire to be a truck driver and head off round Europe. For clarity, I am a class 1 driver myself but have never done continental driving as I have only been in the industry for 11 years and quite frankly it has never been of interest to me.
But a couple of bits of info for your benefit - Ignore any advice, opinion or stories from Carryfast, a man who was desperate to do the same as you but in the heyday or Euro driving of the 80’s & 90’s and yet failed miserably (Seemingly impossible in those days). As have been evident when he posts on here everytime the subject comes up, instead choosing to blame everything but his terrible attitude and even worse work ethic for why no employer would go near him and coming up with the laughable excuse that the entire HGV industry conspired against him and that his face didn’t fit.
This forum is filled with experienced guys who have vast amounts of knowledge in this area - either from a past life or more recent times and I see some of those have already replied to you, so take their advice and ask questions as they will be able to help with things like where and how to get a start. My own take on it would be, find local companies or even further afield to you that do this sort of work, visit them, get your face known, make your intentions clear. Maybe they won’t have anything for you at that moment but be persistent and you increase your chances. Basically be proactive.
Oh for sure. That’s why I came here. I wanted to be around a community of truckers to gain some knowledge from their experience. I did a google seach and I landed on this forum. I really appreciate every comment. I genuinely do.
SeaOcean:
I will consider an Eire passport if I find it really difficult. There might be an easier way though. I’ll see what happens.
These will give you a job if you have a Class 1 licence.
alcaline.uk.com/about/careers/
I know it says “Two years experience” but I personally know someone who started there recently who passed his Class 1 about six months ago. If you rock up and seem to be made of the right stuff then they will soon waive this. DAMHIK.
peggydeckboy:
learn basic [zb] because that is what you will be fed WITH.
learn the basic professionally telling of lies, also deciphering the truth.
they are waiting for you, you should have been there yesterday. classic you can not learn it its experience.
also no need to speak any foreign language ,if your going to load they know you are coming.also unloading
,
just be your self and have that bit of bullish Englishness about you if you are ENGLISH.
also the most used and favorite is FU… OFF they all understand it ,and you dont want to understand what they say to you.
GOOD LUCK.BE YOUR SELF THE BEST ADVICE.
They kept telling me “Should have been here an hour ago/or yesterday” They never told me what I missed an hour ago or yesterday for that matter.
Harry Monk:
SeaOcean:
I will consider an Eire passport if I find it really difficult. There might be an easier way though. I’ll see what happens.
These will give you a job if you have a Class 1 licence.
alcaline.uk.com/about/careers/
I know it says “Two years experience” but I personally know someone who started there recently who passed his Class 1 about six months ago. If you rock up and seem to be made of the right stuff then they will soon waive this. DAMHIK.
There ya gan.Carryfast.
Chance of a lifetime…Came around at last! 
Better late than never eh?
Sort yer passport and fill yer boots.
Here’s how I got my first continental gig. At the time I’d done about six weeks of UK work. This was in east Kent.
I put all my night-out gear in the car, holdall, passport, driving licence etc and set off to drive around every local transport company which did continental work. I was determined that I wasn’t going to give up until I got what I wanted.
The very first place I called in at, in the early afternoon, I said I was looking for a job. So they took me into the office and the TM had a chat with me. He was a bit negative about my lack of experience, but then he said “If we did have a job, how soon could you start?”
So I said “now”.
Well, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He said “Now?” so I said “Yes, I can start right now”
So ten minutes later I was on my way out of their yard in one of their trucks on my way to Manchester. I tipped in Manchester at 08:00 the following morning, they brought me back empty and the next evening I was on the ferry out of Dover for a delivery and collection in France, only about 40 miles from Calais. So I got back to Kent late afternoon and that evening I was on the Sally Line ferry out of Ramsgate on my way to Italy.
You just have to go for it. Be confident but not arrogant. If you show a good attitude, they’ll take a chance on you.
peggydeckboy:
learn basic [zb] because that is what you will be fed WITH.
learn the basic professionally telling of lies, also deciphering the truth.
they are waiting for you, you should have been there yesterday. classic you can not learn it its experience.
also no need to speak any foreign language ,if your going to load they know you are coming.also unloading
,
just be your self and have that bit of bullish Englishness about you if you are ENGLISH.
also the most used and favorite is FU… OFF they all understand it ,and you dont want to understand what they say to you.
GOOD LUCK.BE YOUR SELF THE BEST ADVICE.
You sound like you’ve the people skills of Carryfast
tmcassett:
I can’t actually help you with your desire to be a truck driver and head off round Europe. For clarity, I am a class 1 driver myself but have never done continental driving as I have only been in the industry for 11 years and quite frankly it has never been of interest to me.
But a couple of bits of info for your benefit - Ignore any advice, opinion or stories from Carryfast, a man who was desperate to do the same as you but in the heyday or Euro driving of the 80’s & 90’s and yet failed miserably (Seemingly impossible in those days). As have been evident when he posts on here everytime the subject comes up, instead choosing to blame everything but his terrible attitude and even worse work ethic for why no employer would go near him and coming up with the laughable excuse that the entire HGV industry conspired against him and that his face didn’t fit.
^ The irony.
Carryfast the man who literally broke his back through being kicked in the teeth by the industry that he chose to make a career in from day 1.
Who said zb em if they won’t give him a truck to drive across Europe he’ll jump in his car for his holidays and drive that as far, or further in many cases than many supposed ‘international’ drivers, who often didn’t go much further than France and Benelux.
As opposed to a local shop delivery driver who has stated as having no interest in and probably wouldn’t know how to drive anything further than Dover without a sat nav.
Or for that matter dealing with all the different languages from Scandinavia to the Balkans.
Harry Monk:
Here’s how I got my first continental gig. At the time I’d done about six weeks of UK work. This was in east Kent.
I put all my night-out gear in the car, holdall, passport, driving licence etc and set off to drive around every local transport company which did continental work. I was determined that I wasn’t going to give up until I got what I wanted.
The very first place I called in at, in the early afternoon, I said I was looking for a job. So they took me into the office and the TM had a chat with me. He was a bit negative about my lack of experience, but then he said “If we did have a job, how soon could you start?”
So I said “now”.
Well, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He said “Now?” so I said “Yes, I can start right now”
So ten minutes later I was on my way out of their yard in one of their trucks on my way to Manchester. I tipped in Manchester at 08:00 the following morning, they brought me back empty and the next evening I was on the ferry out of Dover for a delivery and collection in France, only about 40 miles from Calais. So I got back to Kent late afternoon and that evening I was on the Sally Line ferry out of Ramsgate on my way to Italy.
You just have to go for it. Be confident but not arrogant. If you show a good attitude, they’ll take a chance on you.
Thank you so much Harry. I love your attitude and mindset. It’s truly inspiring. I will definitely work towards getting my class 1 and then do whatever it takes to do continental work.
tmcassett:
SeaOcean:
I’m going to be a truck driver soon (currently training for class 2) and as a side hobby, I want to learn a new language. My ultimate dream is to become a class 1 driver and drive across Europe. So I figured why not learn a language that will serve me best as a truck driver; French, German or Spanish?
I suppose it will depend on which country I’ll be delivering to most. I don’t know the answer to that, so I’m just asking based on your experience which of those three languages is more likely to serve me best as a truck driver.
I can’t actually help you with your desire to be a truck driver and head off round Europe. For clarity, I am a class 1 driver myself but have never done continental driving as I have only been in the industry for 11 years and quite frankly it has never been of interest to me.
…
This forum is filled with experienced guys who have vast amounts of knowledge in this area - either from a past life or more recent times
So, further than that, advice given on another thread to go get a job with a Dutch company, by an ex-euro driver is no longer valid, unless the OP has an EU passport.
But would be good advice if SeaOcean has Irish grand-parents or what ever.
I personally, did a lot of UK work before running into Europe. I was full time Euro until last year, when I semi retired.
My first Euro job came about 1989 through a mate who recommended me. He got his start through a mate, again after years of UK work.
My UK start came only after repeated phone calls and yard visits. I knew no-one in the game.
Equally Ive known (A long time back) an 18 year old with no HGV licence get a start across the water, but those were different times. Currently there are probably fewer Eu driving jobs than before so the well known "got chucked the keys and told to go" are far fewer. Most decent companies to-day will go through a lot more checks than past times. I dont doubt Harrys story but Ill bet that wasn`t yesterday, and would happen very rarely today. Nothing wrong with going prepared to start but it is rare. Nothing wrong with being keen and going knocking on doors (if you can get past the entry-phone)
Jobs come in all sorts of ways. No one “right” answer.
Where are you SeaOcean?
Maybe someone near you who could tell you what to look out for locally?
Maybe suggest which pub to drink in?
Or more likely which gym to go to!
mrginge:
Just to add people will say the only EU work left for UK companies is tour work where they can be gone for months but as a tip try and look out for the trucks with “Angles morts” stickers and UK stickers on the back (Ones with GB if they go over the water still should have replaced them so might mean they have not been over in some time). I do plenty of 1 week trips and up to 3 weeks a couple of times a year.
That’s actually a great tip
Haa switchlog ,you do no like my post ,well if yourself have done ex number of years on different uk and European companies AS A DRIVER and you never come across any of the things i wrote, you must have been very lucky or a self owner driver .
.anyway as for the young lad living with a stripper ? ,hes not even got a class 1 he has no chance of getting on European in the next 2/3 years ,SOME one tell him the truth.
as him to ask BUZZER what his chances are. i never knew any driver who spoke any FORIGN language at all
you do not need it.
peggydeckboy:
i never knew any driver who spoke any FORIGN language at all
I know some who struggle with the English language. 
> Harry Monk:
> I know some who struggle with the English language.
So true Harry - it never ceased to amaze me how often I had to interpret for foreign drivers speaking English to ‘Ingerlish’ Drivers who didn’t understand them.
Before learning any language where you need to go, the trick is to learn their grammar, they may have a full a vocabulary of English words but use them according to their own grammar.
For example: English “Are you alright??” - Cornish “Alright are ee??” or “Awrite Arrgh EE” for short - still means the same.
The beauty of the English language is that you can throw all the words up in the air and whichever way they fall it still makes sense, you just have to learn to listen and understand them. Once you have mastered that, then start on their language.
Turkish=Yok Para" - English=“no money”
etc. etc.
SeaOcean:
Harry Monk:
Here’s how I got my first continental gig. At the time I’d done about six weeks of UK work. This was in east Kent.
I put all my night-out gear in the car, holdall, passport, driving licence etc and set off to drive around every local transport company which did continental work. I was determined that I wasn’t going to give up until I got what I wanted.
The very first place I called in at, in the early afternoon, I said I was looking for a job. So they took me into the office and the TM had a chat with me. He was a bit negative about my lack of experience, but then he said “If we did have a job, how soon could you start?”
So I said “now”.
Well, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He said “Now?” so I said “Yes, I can start right now”
So ten minutes later I was on my way out of their yard in one of their trucks on my way to Manchester. I tipped in Manchester at 08:00 the following morning, they brought me back empty and the next evening I was on the ferry out of Dover for a delivery and collection in France, only about 40 miles from Calais. So I got back to Kent late afternoon and that evening I was on the Sally Line ferry out of Ramsgate on my way to Italy.
You just have to go for it. Be confident but not arrogant. If you show a good attitude, they’ll take a chance on you.
Thank you so much Harry. I love your attitude and mindset. It’s truly inspiring. I will definitely work towards getting my class 1 and then do whatever it takes to do continental work.
As opposed to cold called numerous firms around the country through the whole decade of the 1980’s and most of the 1990’s to be told at best no vacancies.Or at worst a class 2 driver can’t drive a 38t gross drawbar outfit, UK class1 experience doesn’t count for international work, and finally you’ve got the job how much notice does your employer need you’ll be running out of the depot here in Dover all over the continent.
At which point I decided it sounded too good to be true I’ll wait until I get an actual destination for my first load before handing in my notice.Which my guvnor would have foregone anyway in view of the offer.
No surprise a phone call within a few days sorry the offer of international has had to be withdrawn you’ll have to start with us on UK work running out of Northampton instead.
It doesn’t matter to me who you choose to believe me or Harry.At best we’re both telling the truth Harry’s experience was just an exception proving rules.Good luck with whoever of us you choose to listen to but trust me German won’t be of much use to you in Martigny let alone Milan.
So you weren’t prepared to commit to the age old practice of proving yourself on U.K. work at a company before being sent out and it’s all other people’s fault? At Virginia I had to prove myself on U.K. work before they sent me further afield and I simply accepted that as normal practice, which it is. And you only have to do that once, once you have that on your CV companies will generally happily put you straight on international work when you choose to swap jobs, provided your references check out. My first European job was HSF and I had to go with another driver for a week before I was let loose on my own, again just normal practice, esp since I’d not driven LHD before.
peggydeckboy:
Haa switchlog ,you do no like my post ,well if yourself have done ex number of years on different uk and European companies AS A DRIVER and you never come across any of the things i wrote, you must have been very lucky or a self owner driver .
.anyway as for the young lad living with a stripper ? ,hes not even got a class 1 he has no chance of getting on European in the next 2/3 years ,SOME one tell him the truth.
as him to ask BUZZER what his chances are. i never knew any driver who spoke any FORIGN language at all
you do not need it.
I don’t like or dislike it. Just disagree. I’d say you and I have very different outlooks and personalities which is probably the answer. Have a good evening.