Hi. I have recently just passed my class 2 (cat c) licence and was wondering what the best way to get experience is.
The thing is I currently have a full time fully flexible job which I dont just want to chuck away in the hope that I will get a full time class 2 job straight away, as I have bills to pay and so on lol. So was looking at doing some jobs on my days off. I joined blue arrow job agency and they said they could send me to a company called ATL (ascott transport limited). I looked up the company and they look pretty professional but the women at the agency said that she could not promise me that when I get there they dont just hand me the keys and tell me to get on with it. This then put me off but then I thought about it and thought maybe this is just what it is going to be like for my first ever job and I have just got to put up with it. From what I could research it seemed it would be a curtain sided rigid and definitely more than 18t. Am I right in thinking all this or should companies be giving you some sort of induction on your first job even if it is agency work. I kind of just think that when I get there and tell them this is my first ever time that they will kind of give me the hump.
Few more questions:
I am from Derby (east midlands). Can anyone recommend any agencies in the area that are good for new pass class 2 work?
What are peoples experiences of passing there test to getting there first ever driving job?
Is it true that agencies just care how long you have had the licence for and not actually how much you have drove?
Whats the least amount of driving experience people have encountered before getting there first driving job?
Sorry for rambling on but just desperate to get on the ladder and with me having different days of each week it seems like its going to be harder to get experience.
Any help to this post would be greatly appreciated.
Remember that doing another full time job means you have to be very careful about adhering to the weekly rest rules
Generally, doing mon to fri in a non driving job means that you can only drive for one day every other weekend because the non driving job cannot be classed as rest and that non driving job needs to be listed - in the UK a diary seems ok
Thanks. I used SG Transport Training Logistics in Derby. Top notch company which cater for all sorts of training.
Didn’t know that about the weekly rest thing so thanks for the advice. Sometimes I think shall I just pack in my job and hope for the best with agencies. Its just if it doesn’t go too plan then I cant pay my mortgage and other bills lol
We are saying on this site a lot of the time that THERE IS NO DRIVER SHORTAGE and that can be easily seen by the fact that there are virtually no full time perm jobs advertised by companies = virtually all agency jobs.
Also. if there was a real driver shortage newbies would be recruited by employers the moment they passed
Driver hire are pretty good but lower hourly rates, as are the best connection. Qs recruitment pay a little better.
You get more of an induction nowadays, I got handed the keys and told, use the force Luke. Sadly, the only way to get experience is to roll your sleeves up and just get on with it.
Best of luck my friend, congratulations on the passed btw.
Give yussen (I think I spelt that correctly) logistics a try, I worked for them not so long back (I am in your neck of the woods, coalville) they take new passes and give you an induction. I forget exactly where they are but they are only a couple of miles out of derby. Harlow bros in derby are advertising on indeed too.
If you can, reduce your hrs for a couple of months, get the experience, then look for a ful time job while going back to full time hrs in your old job through the dead zone.
Approach some of the smaller transport companies in the area mate, like us were based at ema. They are more than likely willing to give you a try especially if they don’t have to pay for your licence
Jbaz if only i could do that with my current job but there is no way they would let me reduce hours and put the hours on hold till I say lol. Thanks though. How bad is the dead zone. Like really bad or just a bit less than normal.
Ben thats a good idea. I will start searching and contacting companies. What company is it you work for at ema.
Sorry, my bad, I got the wrong impression of flexible, lol. The dead zone? You never can predict. Some years you work straight through, this year I finished work on new years eve, didn’t work till April. But to be fair, I wasn’t trying that hard, I was enjoying the break
My prediction is from the way work is atm, it shouldn’t be too bad next year.
