This post is going to seem a bit ambitious but I thought I’d give it a go…
Well I’m a new and young HGV 1 Driver and therefore finding it hard to get a job and therefore experience, Ideally I want to go and work for Sainsburys, but their yard is really tight and before I go for an assessment, I want to get some practice in.
Is anyone willing to, or know anybody who’d be willing to let me borrow an Artic for the day, for as cheap as possible (somewhere near Basingstoke), so I can reverse my arse off and get a bit of practice?
No one is going to “lend” you an artic mate. Your best bet would be to approach the people you passed your test in and ask them if you can go out with an instructor for the day in a big rig.
Silver_Surfer:
No one is going to “lend” you an artic mate. Your best bet would be to approach the people you passed your test in and ask them if you can go out with an instructor for the day in a big rig.
Ok…I don’t mind borrowing your wife for a day. If she has some money in her bank then she could pay for me to rent out a lorry? I did my training in Exeter, so going back there for a day isn’t really an option. I just thought I’d give it a go, nothing to lose. I went to another training school but that was only for an hour and just went by to quickly! How about if I done a days work for it?
I think you will find the problem is experience, aside from paying a training company or finding a bit of agency work (somewhere■■?) I don’t really know a quick answer, oh and the wife has lots of money - thats why I keep her
you sound nervous matey first thing calm down chill out a truck is a bit of tin with wheels and you are in charge of and its going to go where you put it when you are reversing top tip if you unsure cant see stop get out and look you may think you look stupid but trust me think how stupid you are going to look when you back into someones shiney motor also ask for assistance any decent driver will always whatch you but dont take there word as gosspel i.e the bang then stop .take your time aswell it aint no race if theres someone pushing you trying to get past tough make em wait if the shoe was on the other foot they would make you wait when i passed my test i went looking for trouble to challenge myself if someone said its a bit tight reverse in i would drive in trying to get myself in a tight spot you can practise as much as you want but you dont half learn quick when you are stuck . keep your money in your pocket just take your time relax an you will be fine
The thing with Sainsbury’s, is that I went for an assessment not to long ago, but you have some guy there watching you the whole time, who will only do something if you are just about to crash. Because its an assessment, you can’t get any help from other drivers or anything…it was my reversing that let me down. I know I can get into the space they use, but my problem is at the moment that I still have to think about what im doing, it’s not ‘instinct’ yet. But when the assessor’s watching me, I end up thinking about him (not sexualy), and so ■■■■ up the reverse…to put it simply I just want to do what you done and put myself in tight (yet safe) spots and force myself to deal with it. Only problem is just trying to find a job that will give me experience though.
I thought about hiring one for the day but everywhere I go, the hire companies can’t get it into their heads that I don’t need an operators licence. I found a place to hire a trailer from for only £40, which is cheap as chips I think, it’s just that tractor units are expensive to rent, and thats before paying for all the diesel I’ll use.
you are still worrying dont the bloke who is there whatching you is an assessor not an examiner speak to the man he is only human (i hope) he would of been exactly the same when he passed his test just tell him you are nervous cos you want the job and dont want to balls up i have done a bit of go n and show that driver ‘whats what cos he dont no’ and the 1st thing i always say is relax if any company is not going to take you on and not show you where you are going wrong then they aint worth working for personally i went i different route have you thought doing general haulage find a company that runs different kinds of trailers they will start you and they will show you the ropes but you will get the motor thats been parked in the corner for a while
Blissy:
Im sure if you ask him nicely Mr Vain will let you borrow his for a day or so
Mr Vain would let you borrow him and the wife before yuo got near his truck.
Lee Mat is speaking a lot of sense.
Go round the small hauliers looking for a job, be honest about your lack of experience. There are some who take on newbies and spend a bit of time to let them learn the job the way they want it done. Also most have driven trucks so understand your concerns, personally I’d rather take on a newbie that was a bit worried than a new driver that thought he knew it all.
Cheers for the reply. As I said in my previous posts, I am trying the smaller companies but none of them have vacancies, and the ones that do are still favouring more experienced people. Any chance you could move down here and employ me? lol
One thing that I’ve heard before is that some northern companies will provide a driver who lives down in the south with a unit so that a northern and southern driver can can meet half way and exchange/swap trailers…you know anything of this type of operation or have I just been fed nonsense?
When I got my license for a rigid and a year later an artic I phoned every Driving Agency in a 40 mile radius and eventually got one who who said somerfield will take on anyone and half their stores have no business having an artic within shouting distance of their back doors but it was terrific for learning.
Used to get really worried phoning in saying that cars had parked while I was tipping and I couldn`t get out but there was no need as they would say things like no again big Harry or whatever got stuck there for 3 hours last week.
I was worrying about nothing because anything I have done has been done a million times before.
You never had these assessments then though and everywhere does them so there’s no getting away from it.
You need to stop thinking everybody is watching you or it will drive you nuts even the most experienced drivers make a baws of getting on bays and take a couple of shunts at it and an assessor wont fail you for that or for being a bit nervous, nobody likes somebody marking their work.
Go onto yell.com and find as many Agencies as you possibly can and find some that take new drivers and accept any shift they offer you, Saturday night anything but remember you have picked a terrible time of the year to pass your test as most drivers consider mid January and February as their time off.
I passed mine in January and nearly chucked it but by April I was flying and the only problem I had was I had registered with too many and they where all phoning me at the same time.
Are they not giving you another go in Sainsburys as normally you would get another try unless you nearly took out a bus load of weans.
You are not being fed nonsense its changeovers you are talking about but thats just part of the job and you will need to fight some drivers to get that shift off them.
I tried the whole agency thing as well but many companies can’t have me driving for them because they have a 25 year old and over insurance policy. I’ve searched yell.com and called up all the local firms and either got ‘no jobs’ or insurance again! I can go into Sainsbury’s again and was advised to do so, but If i screw it up again then I won’t get another chance…so my dialema is to gain experience for Sainsbury’s.
To be honest what you are finding is what most new drivers find especially if they are under 25 years old. It can be really difficult to get a job, especially now that the economy has taken a downturn.
I passed my test in 1992 and quite honestly wondered why I’d bothered as I couldn’t get work and I was 27, but I kept going round the local hauliers, went to see many of them 2 or 3 times. It took a year and I got a phone call asking if I could do a few days work? I did three days for them on a 17 tonner. But it got me in there and then I was always needed to help out when things were busy. After about a year of this part time work another haulier I’d been and seen offered me a full time job.
So keep trying all the hauliers. also instead of just phoning them, go and see them especially the smaller companies and go ready for work. You never know. you can’t be in the right place at the right time unless you go to places.
Hi Adam, I see that you have already had an assessment at Sainsburys. What happened were you OK or did you get a knock back? If you were OK but are just not confident in reversing ask them for some practice in reversing. If you got a knock back and it was only your reversing that let you down, again tell the assessor you need some practice. If they want drivers they should be prepared to help as they don’t want their trucks bent.
I have just taken 3 assessments since retiring after 40 years of being the boss, the first one was difficult but I then treated the other assessors as passengers and ignored them!
Good Luck Gavin
