Don’t give it up Gasmonkey if you don’t want to. Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that.Tipper work is unique.They don’t mess about. Well,tippers and skips it seems to me. It could have been A LOT worse. A few months back a tipper driver forgot his handbrake.He got out,pressed the button in the chipper cab to unhook the tipper,and his tipper went sailing down the hill,smashing the cab to bits. Poor bloke.Keep at it,that’s what I say. 
Nobby_Clarke:
Don’t give it up Gasmonkey if you don’t want to. Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that.Tipper work is unique.They don’t mess about. Well,tippers and skips it seems to me. It could have been A LOT worse. A few months back a tipper driver forgot his handbrake.He got out,pressed the button in the chipper cab to unhook the tipper,and his tipper went sailing down the hill,smashing the cab to bits. Poor bloke.Keep at it,that’s what I say.
Oh no, not good. Well I’m feeling very disheartened with it all. I sold my '67 Mustang to help finance the licence. Seems like it was all a waste of time and 1500 quid. Maybe I’m not cut out for it and should go back to an office job 
Really don’t fancy general haulage either. And on top of that it’s practically impossible to get a class 2 job with no experience. I have 8 days experience and got the sack on the 8th day so that’s not going to help!
Everyone has stages of self-doubt at some point. It’s like any other job. The days it goes well it’s the best job in the world.The days it doesn’t it’s the worst job going. I admire you for giving tippers a go. Things like food,tarmac,or concrete must be the most difficult loads to work with.At least what I transport doesn’t go off or set. maybe do a spell on a 12 or 18 ton box?. I’m assuming you’re on an agencies books.
Don’t you bloody dare give up after 8 days and one sacking! 
There are plenty out there that have been sacked lots more times than that! 
So stop feeling sorry for yourself and realise that you haven’t got enough experience yet to know if you’re any good, or whether you enjoy it. OK you don’t fancy general haulage, but how do you know, you haven’t tried it yet. Get out there and sign up with lots of agencies and then badger them for a start. You will get a start as soon as they realise you’re not going to stop asking! 
You can also go knocking on doors at the local firms, and while there are positives to that, the one negative is that you’ll be tied to one type of work without being sure whether it’s the right thing for you. And as that seems important to you, i’m advocating the limping option for the moment…
Sorry but I don’t believe your other half’s argument about it being to physical, he probably just being over protective and worried you will show him up at work! So show him and go apply to another skip company… Or if you REALLY DO want to break his balls apply to his firm anyway! 
Nobby_Clarke:
Everyone has stages of self-doubt at some point. It’s like any other job. The days it goes well it’s the best job in the world.The days it doesn’t it’s the worst job going. I admire you for giving tippers a go. Things like food,tarmac,or concrete must be the most difficult loads to work with.At least what I transport doesn’t go off or set. maybe do a spell on a 12 or 18 ton box?. I’m assuming you’re on an agencies books.
Yes, I’m sure you are right. All jobs have good and bad days. I had some awful days on 7.5t with Hermes, it was back-breaking but I always enjoyed the ride back from Skegness to Peterborough and I did stick it out for 18 months (not sure how lol).
I am signed up with 6 or 7 agencies but they seem to sign you up with all these promises of fake jobs and then you never hear back from them. I had an interview lined up last week for a company delivering glass and half hour before I was due to leave I got a text from the agency saying the interview was postponed as the Manager wasn’t in, and heard nothing since. One of the agencies gave me regular 7.5t work with Hermes so I sent a message to the TM at Hermes earlier and she said she can offer me class 2 temp work, mostly 4 days a week including every Saturday (which I don’t really want to do) and some Sundays. At least it would be building up class 2 experience and a bit of money coming in. I think class 2 there isn’t so heavy as half of it is forklifted off. Going to see her tomorrow.
Evil8Beezle:
Don’t you bloody dare give up after 8 days and one sacking!
There are plenty out there that have been sacked lots more times than that!So stop feeling sorry for yourself and realise that you haven’t got enough experience yet to know if you’re any good, or whether you enjoy it. OK you don’t fancy general haulage, but how do you know, you haven’t tried it yet. Get out there and sign up with lots of agencies and then badger them for a start. You will get a start as soon as they realise you’re not going to stop asking!
Sorry but I don’t believe your other half’s argument about it being to physical, he probably just being over protective and worried you will show him up at work!
Ok ok Evil! I won’t go back to an office yet. Going to Hermes tomorrow morning, they can give me a few days a week and it will all be experience.
My impression of general haulage is pushing and pulling heavy cages of stuff around! (forgive my ignorance if this is incorrect!) I have had 3 ops on my shoulders in the past so I am not all that strong.
Haha more like he’s embarrassed in case I mess up again and get the sack lol, I see his point though. Its not a happy place to work though.
Like I say my confidence has taken a battering so perhaps best to stick with something I know for the time being.
Like I say,don’t give it up if you REALY don’t want to. You might have to make some short-term sacrifices to land the job that you want. Good advice from Mr Beezle as usual too
It’s fair to say that quite a bit of general haulage is physical, and probably the majority of class 2 agency work is likely to be. I think you should give tippers another go then, as I’m sure there is more than one firm near you that needs drivers…
Sadly anyone with an injury or inability to do a bit of donkey work is going going to struggle with Class 2 work, and the only real way to avoid it and get more opportunities is to take your Class 1. I appreciate that this is yet another load of cash, but the work is generally a lot easier.
Best of luck, just believe in yourself & don’t give up so easy…
Evil8Beezle:
It’s fair to say that quite a bit of general haulage is physical, and probably the majority of class 2 agency work is likely to be. I think you should give tippers another go then, as I’m sure there is more than one firm near you that needs drivers…Sadly anyone with an injury or inability to do a bit of donkey work is going going to struggle with Class 2 work, and the only real way to avoid it and get more opportunities is to take your Class 1. I appreciate that this is yet another load of cash, but the work is generally a lot easier.
Best of luck, just believe in yourself & don’t give up so easy…
Blimey, I struggled reversing a tipper, can you imagine me in an artic? lol 
- the carnage!
Thanks, I will do my best.
GasMonkey:
Blimey, I struggled reversing a tipper, can you imagine me in an artic? lolThanks, I will do my best.
I’d suggest you don’t yet know how good you are at reversing a truck, as so far you haven’t been relaxed and confident enough to do it to the best of your abilities… All Newbies need a certain time to settle in, and that varies person to person. Just make sure you’ve given yourself a chance, as if you give up without trying properly, you’ll be thinking about it for the rest of your life!
Hi newbie myself and waiting for my first chance although starting my class 1 training next week. I m sure I saw the town Rushden mentioned in one of your posts so there are a couple of options you have if you do fancy tipper or skip work or even on a sweeper you could always apply at Mick George always looking for drivers not a bad firm from what I ve heard and take on new drivers. Then I also know muller wiseman are looking for class 2 and will take newly passed drivers as I have been offered that that’s 8-10 drops of cages so a bit manual
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I went from passing my test, to driving a 12 tonne for three days and then on to milk tanker artics. Once you get used to it, it’s just like driving a car. Best thing I ever did for experience was shunting, doing that over and over again to learn your angles.