Hi, just passed my class one with Roadtrain in Thurrock. Would definitely recommend them, would of gone with PSTT but they pretty much offer the same as him with the advantage of being a hell of a lot closer. All there instructors are DSA & IAM registered and the test centre is their yard.
Praises aside Can anyone recommend a beginner friendly job if there is such a thing. Soon as I passed my class 2 I jumped straight into multi drop in London and just got stressed out with all the time sensitive deliveries, collections and having the office on my back; the 12 hour shifts with no overtime didn’t help either. In the end I just packed it in and went back to doing fork-lifting +warehouse.
I like the idea of night trunking but I have no idea if a newbie could start on that.
Quite a lot of container work in my area as I’m near Tilbury but no idea what that entails other then it involving containers. I’ve been told supermarkets are good as well but are you expected to unload yourself? Basically so I just want to ease myself into artic driving without stressing myself out.
Also should I book extra training for reversing? I can do the test reverse but I doubt I could do real world reversing without a crap load of shunts.
If you want to improve your reversing and map reading try shop deliveries,some of ours you can’t see off the road have to trust its there,Broadwalk shopping centre in Knowle Bristol virtually have to run the trailer down the wall to get in ain’t funny,but shops will get your reversing confidence,not that any other trucking doesn’t before anyone says.
Trunking between depots is good for driving confidence and as BB said fridges are worth a go,ungodly start times if your good at getting up.
harrawaffa:
Take whatever class 1 work you can get you’re not in a position to be picky.
Actually I am. I’m in no rush to get a job I will hate.
I appreciate all advice though, what about container work out of Tilbury docks can anyone recommend it? 75% of the jobs advertised near me involve that.
Thanks Rog
If I remember rightly Dipper Dave works with boxes (oh dear lol ),could be worth an ask about containers,just beware of rather strange pastimes lol ask the cat
As a newbie of 4 months I did get some reversing tuition and it was helpful. I’m still learning though. Real world is more difficult but as everyone says do it slow, get help, get out and look, take advice and don’t give a two hoots about holding others up when doing it. If you hit something it’s big hassle, holding up a yard for a few minutes is not noteworthy hassle, especially to a transport office who will be the ones making good notes against your name.
Hi
I passed last month and have gone straight onto nights. I do the newspapers out of either the Mail in Thurrock or The Sun etc out of Broxbourne/Enfield. It’s very easy work with the advantage of the road network being quiet at night. Bit of reversing practice onto bays at Broxbourne also. The only downside for me was getting used to the sleep pattern for nights! But you can normally get your head down while waiting to be loaded which helps.
Parcel work in box trailers is reasonably easy, if you have a big regional hub nearby. Big depots, lots of room to manoeuvre, no strapping or load security to worry about.
Personally I don’t think shunting is ‘safe’, as you’re moving trailers around all day with the constant risk of catching or clipping something. Good practice, though…
Fridges are okay as again there is little to worry about with load security, but it depends where they send you for drops/collections. Chilled or frozen work does tend to be larger warehouses with chiller/freezer facilities.
Curtainsiders and ambient food/drink can be hard work. Destinations can be pretty much anywhere, and strapping loads is a bit of a bind - especially if it is cold, dark, wet and/or windy.
Remember that hard work will make a man of you quicker than easy work. As has been said before, being picky as a new starter can be severely limiting, as you don’t have many options to start with. Knuckle down with whatever you can and use the opportunity to learn, even if it is harder than you’d like.
The DSA register is now defunct - as of 31st December last year. Those on the register had/still have the option of transferring their existing registration to RTITB or National Vocational Driving Instructor Register (www.lgvregister.org.uk). You will find all Roadtrain instructors on the latter register.
I only point this out before some bright spark comes along with the information about the DSA register which could then belittle the qualifications held by Roadtrain staff.
Can anyone recommend a beginner friendly job if there is such a thing. Soon as I passed my class 2 I jumped straight into multi drop in London and just got stressed out with all the time sensitive deliveries, collections and having the office on my back; the 12 hour shifts with no overtime didn’t help either. In the end I just packed it in and went back to doing fork-lifting +warehouse.
