Career change to trucking - CV advise needed

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

After working in the manufacturing and process engineering sector for 25 years & suffered 6 redundancies in the process, I’ve decided “enough-is-enough” and decided to try a career in trucking (something I’ve wanted to do for a long time)

I’ve now got my Cat C and am about hit the jobsites, agencies, etc. in the hope of finding some work.

Do any of you have any tips on how to structure a CV for driving recruiters (bearing in mind I have no experience yet in actualoly driving a truck for a living!)

Chers, Nez

2

Make sure you check your spelling :wink: Haha!

Not too sure about making it work better if you have no experience to put down, just write down what licences you have in a driving section I would imagine!

Good luck though!

3

Only write down your best atributes, willing work any hours etc… maybe voluntry work for a few days to prove yourself…

Got my C training course starting on Monday, so I know how you feel :confused:

4

I’ve never known a driving job or agency ask for a CV, it’s all done with application forms. Maybe if you’re cold calling companies then you’ll need CVs but that’s not always a very productive way of getting a job. I’m not personally convinced by volunteering your services free, maybe offer to do a trial day on the basis that if there are any problems you walk, otherwise they take you on (including that day’s work). Working for free will show you as desperate or invite companies to take the ■■■■ IMO, 30 applicants all offering a day’s free work, they get a month’s free labour and hire none of them :wink:

If you’re planning to go to artic i’d suggest you get it done now and then try again, frequently people with class 2 experience find it just as hard to get artic work as it’s not taken into account so you may aswell get a class 1 and only suffer the “no experience” knockback once.

5

When I first started I found it helpful to use a bit of “artistic licence” and be a bit create-full with your “recent driving experience” :wink: :wink:

6

Thanks for all the replies & suggestions.

I’ve been asked , by a couple of agencies to supply a CV, but that maybe just as much to see if they can try & suggest other vacancies they may need filling!

That’s an interesting point about about going straight to artics. I would like to progress to Class 1 as soon as I can, but kind of figured it would be beneficial to get some miles under me on rigids first!

It’ll be a month or two at least before I could raise the cash to start my Class 1 training, so I may as well try & get some Class 2 work in the mean time.

I also spoke to a TM for a company that delivers to my local garage and he was saying that they don’t consider taking on newly qual’d “young drivers” but do consider older people who have no HGV experience as they’re generally more mature & have road sense. Maybe there’s hope yet :wink: