I recently passed my class 2 licence yay! Understand that most companies want experience, and won’t take on newly qualified drivers. Agency work is the answer 
I was called by an agency promising council work. Drove 40 mins to the agency office. Promised work at the council, etc. A week later nothing. They said they would call me in for induction etc. Phoned them To chase up, it’s now filled.
I phoned another agency about a job they had advertised, newly qualified welcome. The first person answering the phone didn’t know what I was talking about. They transferred me. The next person, despite me giving me the specific job no said they couldn’t find it and said they would call me back. They didn’t.
Are there any good agencies out there? Have I just been unlucky?!
No you’ve not been unlucky.
You have however just received your induction into the world of agency working.
Always advertising jobs that don’t exist to get drivers to sign up with them - ten they can go to clients saying they have X amount of drivers on their books. Keep at it because sooner of later you’ll get a call when they’re in a bind and that’s when to make a name for yourself.
I signed up to an agency back in 2011 and have still never received a call.
Aaaaaaah ! Thanks for that mate.i see now. I am a bit naive when it comes to agencies. I have never dealt with one before. I am too trusting.
Their all the same. Just don’t do any FREE assessments book onto as many agency’s and take 7.5t work if it’s offered, it’s a foot in so they know you can do the job .
Remember your not as big as your licence no matter how much experience you have .
This is my opinion (correct me if you think I am wrong) I don’t believe they is vacancies to fill for the adverts… Big agency up here always after skip drivers and they name the company, I for a fact no they is no actual job because I know the 3 drivers at this company…
Just a back up for a rainy day…
They is some companies that will give you a start, it’s just finding them! I think I was exceptionally lucky!
Keep searching kid
The comments above are well justified and many agencies are disrespectful in the way they treat drivers. But remember, unless they place drivers in work, they have zero income. So obviously they have work and are filling it otherwise they’d be out of business.
Full time, permanent is the way forward. Too many newbies go to the agencies believing it to be the most likely way of getting work and end up disappointed. Better to spend time researching local operators, whether they be own account or hauliers, and go and bang on their door. It takes determination, not to mention a fair bit of nerve. But this is the way to secure employment. Long gone are the job adverts. IRO half my own staff have “banged on the door” and secured permanent work.
Another thing to bear in mind is your own presentation. Make sure you’re dressed smartly, but casual. How you present yourself to the potential employer is how you present yourself to their customer. Careful how you sell yourself. Make sure you’ve got all your licences, cpc etc with you. Carry hi-vis and boots in your car (which should also be clean - it demonstrates how you will look after their vehicle to a point). Always carry a night out bag (even if you “know” you’ll be back the same day - it doesn’t always go to plan). We have drivers who drop our name into the conversation and that does no harm. Carry your test report sheet with you if it’s good (below 5 faults). Frame it if it’s a clean sheet! Dont sell yourself short.
Accept virtually anything. It’s all experience. Once you’ve got a job it’s relatively easy to get another. But dont move every few months otherwise a clear pattern emerges.
Good luck all, Pete 
I got my first C job by doing a couple of weeks on an agency. It was a well known food/tobacco service provider who struggled to get drivers (even agency), so it seemed obvious to me that it would be a fast track to gaining experience.
After 12 weeks limping they took me on full-time. Since then I have passed CE and only ever had full time perm artic jobs with large companies. Interestingly enough, I have now chosen to go back to limping. It wont be for a long period because I believe that a full-time permanent job will always be better, however I have two years experience now, and along with a good LGV CV and a clean license I can pretty much pick and choose my job.
The agency I am with is one of the biggest, and I always get 5 or 6 days a week work. So yes, there ARE good agencies but YOU have to do whatever it takes to make yourself employable. It’s no good moaning about your lot in life. Get your arse around to all the local hauliers and sell yourself. Smart clean and presentable with all your gear in the boot of the car.
Explain to any prospective TM that you need a chance and will repay any opportunity given with hard work and loyalty.
I am in fairness earning more money than I have at any of my previous full-time jobs, and work Mon-Fri.
But you need to be ultra reliable and professional with regards to your attitude to build a profitable and trusting relationship with your agency. On occasion I will night out for them and do a few late starts, but because of my ’ team player ’ attitude, I ALWAYS get decent regular work.
YOU MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK IN THIS GAME. Sermon over.
Thanks for the advice everyone much appreciated.
Try signing up to reed and cv library agencies list jobs on these and you will get them emailed every day,I have had 4 offers in 4 weeks new driver also , took one for the last 4 weeks which turned out to be hell turned down 2 cos I thought the hellish job would be ok, going for an assessment driving mixer on weds,I have signed up with 4 agencies now 2 have found me work 1 promised me work the next day and she keeps saying that the last keeps saying they will phone back but never do , keep trying there is work out there
You have to be aware of what you are getting into before signing on for agency work as it does not suit everybody. I have been working through a couple of agencies for just over 8 months and on the whole it has been okay however I find that they are often ‘economical’ with the truth, last minute cancellations, last minute changes to bookings and periods when no work is available (especially Jan, Feb) are quite normal so if you don’t like being messed about then it might not be for you.
However you also have to careful when dealing with firms - one local firm was prepared to take me on as a newbie for £7.50 an hour, working nights regular… … … okay it’s a foot on the ladder and there is a certain amount of risk involved for the employer but I personally think a wage that low is exploitation.
The agencies (mostly) work for me as I don’t need to rely on a regular income but if I was younger with a family and mortgage to pay I definitely would be looking for full time employment with a decent company.
Class2newbie:
I recently passed my class 2 licence yay! Understand that most companies want experience, and won’t take on newly qualified drivers. Agency work is the answer
I was called by an agency promising council work. Drove 40 mins to the agency office. Promised work at the council, etc. A week later nothing. They said they would call me in for induction etc. Phoned them To chase up, it’s now filled.
I phoned another agency about a job they had advertised, newly qualified welcome. The first person answering the phone didn’t know what I was talking about. They transferred me. The next person, despite me giving me the specific job no said they couldn’t find it and said they would call me back. They didn’t.
Are there any good agencies out there? Have I just been unlucky?!
Not worth the paper it’s printed on. And yes, they’re all the same I’m afraid.
Peter Smythe:
Full time, permanent is the way forward. Too many newbies go to the agencies believing it to be the most likely way of getting work and end up disappointed. Better to spend time researching local operators, whether they be own account or hauliers, and go and bang on their door. It takes determination, not to mention a fair bit of nerve. But this is the way to secure employment. Long gone are the job adverts. IRO half my own staff have “banged on the door” and secured permanent work.
To back this up, I recently went to a local haulier and explained I’m looking for ad-hoc work for the next few months until the kids all start school properly. At that point I’d be looking for full time work.
The boss was happy to throw me shifts in line with my availability; starting on vans and 7.5 tn. Working up to C class hopefully after next week… 
So yes, I’d definitely recommended door knocking locally.
Thanks everyone, all great advice and taken on board.
I was just disappointed, I believed the agency, and was really excited to start work.
Anyway, I have been getting busy, and knocking on local firms doors, asking any driver I see, and applying for every job going. It hopefully has paid off, as I have an assessment this week for a local firm. If successful, it will be a full time, permanent job. A job I really want 
Knocking on doors is back in fashion because it never went away, i got this present job by doing so and that was 35 year after passing me test…in fact thinking back over my driving life i’ve only ever got one job via an advert, that was in the 80’s the job was crap and i jacked it after 3 months, that probably taught me all i needed to know about jobs being available and why they are 
, all the rest have been via inside info or banging on the door, employers like initiative.
Agree with Pete Smythe’s post above, but will add get yourself a CV knocked up, all on one page and avoid terms like reliable or team player or other ■■■■■■■■ so make it your CV not something take from the bloody internet, if you’ve never taken a sickie and have a full work record and can prove it say so, some places (where i work) you won’t get a job without a CV, doesn’t matter if it contains no driving experience cos they’re increasingly looking for reliability and honesty these days and those who don’t take the ■■■■ via sickies.
Be prepared to take a shift pattern you don’t want, we all have to get our feet in the door any way we can, not prepared to invest a bit of yourself to reap the benefits won’t get you a good job.
Oh and yes all agencies are the same, within their admin ranks you will find liars and con men galore.
Pretty much. Some can be a bit more decent, but most of it is ■■■■■■■■. Keep trying different agencies and be willing to do anything unless you don’t need the money.
This is just part and parcel of how an agency runs. There is never a guarantee that they will get you any work, and if they do, don’t expect it to be your ideal job.
I joined two agencies as soon as I passed my Class 1, and I chose the agencies based on their shop-window look. Snazzy, high-end websites, with hundreds of jobs listed, amongst buzzwords of “urgently needed”, “blue chip client” and “premium rates”. In four months I was offered a Class 2 night shift, for a whisker above minimum wage, a driver’s mate for a small supermarket, for minimum wage, and finally, a truck washer, also for minimum wage.
The agency people will beg, lie and deceive to get you to fill one of their shifts. They’ll advertise an all-singing, all-dancing job, with buzzwords like “blue chip client”, “guaranteed hours”, “choice of shifts”, “brand-new vehicles”, “premium hourly rates”, and when someone rings them up to enquire about the said job, they tell them that they have to “register” with them to be put forward. When they’ve got you hooked, they unload the dog s***. If they really want a job filling, they will lie to you and tell you that it’s likely to be the only thing they’ll have for you that week, so that you feel like you have to take it. It’s not a nice position to be in.
The only way you can be in a good position with an agency, is if you take control, and are willing to say no. If you’re desperate, and you show it, they’ll have you!
Council work ie dustcarts/highways etc is short notice start/cancel unfortunately. Around this time of year they’re either trying to spend their government allowance (if they don’t they get that unspent part cut from next year) or they don’t have the money and are waiting for the coming years’ cash. Everyone knows councils do some barmy things (no money for potholes but give grants to local dramatic groups) so add agencies to the mix and you can see where the messing about comes from.
I worked for about 8 years for 3 agencies but only 1 at a time, before i signed up i found out where i wanted to work went to the agency in there signed up and would never work anywhere else. When they find out you would rather sit at home than work anywhere they tend to keep you in the same place, I aways had enough work and never had quite times. For a new driver it may be hard to do this when you have bills to pay but I don’t think they are any different to some firm out there and I will do it again should the need arise.
I passed my class 2 in July last year and instantly signed up to several agencies. Having chased all of them many times and waiting for phone calls that never came the only response I actually got was from a job I applied for directly (Warburtons). As it happens I start there tomorrow.
In my albeit limited experience, it often seems better to approach companies directly and see where they stand on recruiting new drivers. I’ve had a few companies tell me they would consider new drivers (mostly multi-drop) and others saying to get in touch once I have had a bit more experience on the road.
Whatever path you choose, don’t be disheartened, just keep pestering and show willingness and eventually something will come up 