eagerbeaver:
Doom. The final frontier… These are the voyages of the starship ‘Bellend Bros’, their mission-to seek out brave new noobies. To explore negativity, to boldly moan like no man before.
eagerbeaver:
Life isn’t difficult to understand, and neither are people. Its all about the correct attitude.There are [zb] loads of LGV driving jobs around. Dress smart, show some effort, some respect/manners, and a glimpse of intelligence and you wont be out of work until you retire.
Driving an artic back and to is a piece of ■■■■. Easiest money I have ever earned. Plenty of good employers around, the secret is that the best ones don’t NEED to advertise. Get your shoes on and get knocking on doors.
SHOW SOME INITIATIVE !!
I knew I was going wrong somewhere! 
All I do is moan and ■■■■■ all the time, and no one wants to be friends with me! 
My employer thinks i’m a pain in the arse, always gives me the crap jobs and I’m on terrible money. It’s almost like he wants me to leave!
But I can’t leave, as I’m well know for being a moaning git, and all the best/good firms won’t touch me with a barge pole. It’s just not fair as I see lots of other drivers getting head hunted by other/better firms, but no one seems to want to head hunt me!
It’s just not fair and I don’t understand why! 
Haha…you cant beat a bit of ’ Detailed sarcasm '.
Behave yourself Evil.
eagerbeaver:
Behave yourself Evil.
Not a chance! 
ORC:
Define “good”…everyone’s idea of the perfect employer is different.A firm that runs a clean, modern, up to date fleet and insists on doing everything by the book down to incredibly meticulous detail might be regarded as a ‘good’ company. However, it can be a right pain having to do all the form filling and H&S nonsense that many would prefer to avoid.
Another company might have a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude to some, which to others means the freedom to do their own thing without having to worry about their employer breathing down their neck all the time.
Some companies insist on driving a set route without deviating which will suit those who don’t want the bother of planning their own navigation, but will frustrate others who want the independence to make their own decisions.
I suspect the only common thread among most of the haulage firms is that the wages are a bit rubbish. Driving because you want to, not because you expect to make a good living from it.
You’ve summed it up pretty well! If I were a newbie like the OP I would try to get in to one of the larger firms such as Wincanton where they do everything by the book, don’t push you and will show you how to do absolutely everything the ‘correct’ way. They even show you the correct way to access and exit the cab then get you to sign a method statement saying you understand it! Now, to those of us that have been driving for years all this H&S stuff is insulting, I certainly feel insulted I’m not allowed to use my own common sense. In fact I even feel insulted I’m not trusted to use the gearbox anymore but all this stuff is probably a good thing to a newly qualified driver these days.
I currently work for the former as described by ORC by default, I was there before they took over the contract but am looking for a job with the more relaxed type company that will actually respect my experience and knowledge and let me get on with it.
Micky what people have neglected to tell you is that being a brand spanking new driver you are likely to have to resort to agency work. You might be lucky and get a good agency but you are more likely to start at the bottom and be “persuaded” to do the crap jobs no one wants. You will be OK until xmas and then get little or no work. I agree with the newbies who have just gone with stobarts or Reed Boardall as at least you are getting legal stuff to drive and can rely on a full time wage all year. Some agency drivers will tell you they get £14 per hour or even more but they are temp jobs and its OK getting that for part of the year but no good if you are laid off for 3 months. This industry is hit and miss and I have been on Agency work for 3 years. The work load can change in a day from busy as hell one day to suddenly being no work the next. I jacked in with my agency two weeks ago and have been searching for a full time job. The agency has been trying to lure me back with promises of good contract work that I like to do but I ain’t falling for it, I am done with these leaches. 
ORC:
Define “good”…everyone’s idea of the perfect employer is different.
You’ve summed it up pretty well! If I were a newbie like the OP I would try to get in to one of the larger firms such as Wincanton where they do everything by the book, don’t push you and will show you how to do absolutely everything the ‘correct’ way. They even show you the correct way to access and exit the cab then get you to sign a method statement saying you understand it! Now, to those of us that have been driving for years all this H&S stuff is insulting, I certainly feel insulted I’m not allowed to use my own common sense. In fact I even feel insulted I’m not trusted to use the gearbox anymore but all this stuff is probably a good thing to a newly qualified driver these days. I currently work for the former as described by ORC by default, I was there before they took over the contract but am looking for a job with the more relaxed type company that will actually respect my experience and knowledge and let me get on with it.
That is the way I was thinking, learn it and do it by the book gain some experience and maybe then in years to come, when I have enough experience and wisdom behind me, try to build a good working relationship between employer and employee based on a bit of trust so they will ‘let me just get on with it’ a little more or alternatively like one of the earlier posts suggested I can find a smaller family run firm who don’t mind taking a little time to show me the ropes.
Wincanton are located quite close to me, it is on my list of places to drop in and visit, however it does state on their website that they only want experienced drivers (one year), I am still going to pay them a visit as IMO it doesn’t hurt to ask, the worst they can do is say no although if I like the set up they might have to say it more than once as I might not take the first ‘no’ as a definite answer.
I find the best people to work for are the small family run company’s, we have 3 wagons and we work our socks off… BUT what we receive at the end of the week is well worth it! I don’t even know how he makes out with what he pays 
I was looking at another job but I’d be silly to leave where I am, with big company’s you are just a number…
Sorry to hear of your redundancy mickey, get your c+e test done first & either pass or fail , get straight ontog work , either with a company, or agency to gain experience & keep a wage coming in. You will find a better job all in good time , at least its coming the right time of the year for work .
MickyB666:
Thanks for the great replies, it has given me a lot to think about and I am now seeing things from a different perspective - Cheers!I think I need to work out what it is that I want from an employer and take it from there, my initial thought is to go for the safe option with the ‘by-the-book’, well structured, up-to-date and well planned firms - which ones are those?
Think about what you can offer the company, & what the company can offer you !
Work out just what type of work you want to do, & what your expectations are, & what you need to be earning to survive.
Some companies will try pushing you to the limits by pushing extra trips on you after youve been there a while, some are continually phoning every few minutes. Others are happy for you to just get on with it. So.e are just never happy .
V40LLY:
Who are they■■? I’m curious to know!
ME ,im on on good money and work for a good firm you prick ,why loiter round the newby 
.
bonnie lass:
Sorry to hear of your redundancy mickey, get your c+e test done first & either pass or fail , get straight ontog work , either with a company, or agency to gain experience & keep a wage coming in. You will find a better job all in good time , at least its coming the right time of the year for work .MickyB666:
Thanks for the great replies, it has given me a lot to think about and I am now seeing things from a different perspective - Cheers!I think I need to work out what it is that I want from an employer and take it from there, my initial thought is to go for the safe option with the ‘by-the-book’, well structured, up-to-date and well planned firms - which ones are those?
Think about what you can offer the company, & what the company can offer you !
Work out just what type of work you want to do, & what your expectations are, & what you need to be earning to survive.Some companies will try pushing you to the limits by pushing extra trips on you after youve been there a while, some are continually phoning every few minutes. Others are happy for you to just get on with it. So.e are just never happy .
Why are you encouraging him to plough more money into gaining another worthless qualification (C+E). Why?
Although, it would give him more choice where driving jobs are concerned, he’s virtually going to be no better off financially or status-wise than someone who flips burger’s in McDonald’s!
I’m guessing that that Mickey resides in the vicinity of the M65 corridor, where the rates of pay for HGV drivers are notoriously low!
You mention that this is “coming the right time of year for work”; that’s true, but in the first 3 months of every year, the industry is traditionally quiet. If you’re an agency driver, you’re sat at home scratching your derrière, hoping to hear from them as all the extra money you earned during the busy Christmas season is getting depleted.
This poor Mickey is probably becoming very disillusioned, listing to imbecile’s like you, who are so daft and stupid to think that your job as a dirty lorry driver, is desirable.
You may as well have told Mickey to have thrown his savings down the gutter, it wouldn’t have been wasted any more than what he’s already spent on this rubbish!
seth 70:
V40LLY:
Who are they■■? I’m curious to know!ME ,im on on good money and work for a good firm you prick ,why loiter round the newby
Because you earn only a couple of £’s more than minimum wage, p/h? (guess)
Seth, you are a . I’m sure that’s clear to anyone on this forum, who has a shred of intelligence.
V40LLY:
bonnie lass:
Sorry to hear of your redundancy mickey, get your c+e test done first & either pass or fail , get straight ontog work , either with a company, or agency to gain experience & keep a wage coming in. You will find a better job all in good time , at least its coming the right time of the year for work .MickyB666:
Thanks for the great replies, it has given me a lot to think about and I am now seeing things from a different perspective - Cheers!I think I need to work out what it is that I want from an employer and take it from there, my initial thought is to go for the safe option with the ‘by-the-book’, well structured, up-to-date and well planned firms - which ones are those?
Think about what you can offer the company, & what the company can offer you !
Work out just what type of work you want to do, & what your expectations are, & what you need to be earning to survive.Some companies will try pushing you to the limits by pushing extra trips on you after youve been there a while, some are continually phoning every few minutes. Others are happy for you to just get on with it. So.e are just never happy .
Why are you encouraging him to plough more money into gaining another worthless qualification (C+E). Why?
Although, it would give him more choice where driving jobs are concerned, he’s virtually going to be no better off financially or status-wise than someone who flips burger’s in McDonald’s!
I’m guessing that that Mickey resides in the vicinity of the M65 corridor, where the rates of pay for HGV drivers are notoriously low!
You mention that this is “coming the right time of year for work”; that’s true, but in the first 3 months of every year, the industry is traditionally quiet. If you’re an agency driver, you’re sat at home scratching your derrière, hoping to hear from them as all the extra money you earned during the busy Christmas season is getting depleted.
This poor Mickey is probably becoming very disillusioned, listing to imbecile’s like you, who are so daft and stupid to think that your job as a dirty lorry driver, is desirable.
You may as well have told Mickey to have thrown his savings down the gutter, it wouldn’t have been wasted any more than what he’s already spent on this rubbish!
Firstly I have not encouraged Micky to plough anything anywhere!
It is not a worthless qualification, it is YOU who said its another worthless qualification.
Most newbies climb the ladder of progress. As more experience is gained, better opportunities are his choice.
There are variable wage differences in different parts of the country.
It is better to be in some sort of work straight from redundancy, without a lapse into the ranks of unemployment. If he can’t get straight in with a company ,then he is bettef off to at least be gaining experience with agency work. This does not mean that he can’t get a job when a chance arises. There is a good chance of making progress & getting in with a company Before Christmas, and he would have gained a bit of experience to boost his job application , & his confidence. Nothing wrong with that .
There is no need for anyone to feel disillusioned,
Your second to last paragraph has probably insulted most of the users of this forum, as its
fair to say a huge majority of us on this forum are truck drivers !!
the last paragraph , you sound like Micky’s mother!
( No offence meant to you or your mother Micky ).
You asked me a question dipstick, and I answered it.
Care to respond? Or is looking in the mirror too painful, and you chose to overlook it…
Evil8Beezle:
V40LLY:
I like to explore the negativity amongst my counterparts. Anyone, who has the opposite opinion to mine, gets slagged off.I still can’t understand why you want to defend the long hours, low pay culture for what is; a responsible job. You can’t kill people by accident, whilst stacking the shelves in Tesco, can you!
I don’t think you do explore negativity amongst your counterparts or peers, as every post you make is deliberately negative and tries to paint the industry in the worst light possible. Yes there are some drivers is certain parts of the country that earn only a little more above the minimum wage, but that is supply and demand i’m afraid. There are also drivers making 1.5 to 2 times the minimum wage, so I get a little tired with you constantly saying you could get the same money stacking shelves. I agree that the industry is underpaid and undervalued for the responsibility we have, but again that is supply and demand.
As for the long hours, yes you can complain about those, but at the same time you could argue that the hours are there if you want to make more money. You don’t have to work 60 or 70 hours, week in week out if you don’t want to. There is a certain amount of personal choice in that, with different jobs with varying shift patterns to suit the individual.
I’m going to make the assumption that you have always been a driver, and don’t know the realities of a lot of other peoples jobs. You just see the best bits that make you envious and bitter towards others, and for that i feel sorry for you… I worked previously in IT, and I can assure you that you don’t have a clue about how stressful that can be at times, but I’m guessing you just think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. It isn’t!!!
So can you please stop taking out your disappointment and anger with how your own life has turned out, and stop trying to ruin other peoples lives. No one on here thinks they are going to earn a fortune driving trucks, just an honest living that keeps a roof over their heads. Yes the industry is in a crap state, and pay should be high, but no other driver on here is directly responsible for that, so why take your anger out on them?
I’d suggest you try to look on the bright side of things a bit. Yes you have a job (other don’t) Prospects are slowly starting to look up, as there seems to be more vacancies advertised, and in turn (with a bit of luck) wages will start to reflect this. However they are never going to be amazing, as at the end of the day driving is (at best) considered a semi-skilled job that the majority of people could do. So if you’re looking for a cushy easy number that pays mega bucks, you sadly picked the wrong trade and industry. And if you didn’t work that out before you became a driver, who’s fault is that?
You may have missed it, but i did actually agree with 1 (only one!) of your previous posts. Where you told a youngster that driving wasn’t a good industry to choose a career in. But the way/tone you chose to do it in left a lot to be desired, as there was an aggressive and bitter undertone to your post. So feel free to give your opinion, but how about dropping the attitude and bitterness? You may end up a happier person… (just a though)
However, if you choose to continue to be aggressive, condescending, splenetic, and generally think you’re better than everyone else. Then you’re going to continue to ■■■■ heads with people on this forum, and I’d ask you to consider to yourself why that is…
MickyB666:
Wincanton are located quite close to me, it is on my list of places to drop in and visit, however it does state on their website that they only want experienced drivers (one year), I am still going to pay them a visit as IMO it doesn’t hurt to ask, the worst they can do is say no although if I like the set up they might have to say it more than once as I might not take the first ‘no’ as a definite answer.
Please don’t take this the wrong way but It depends how desperate for drivers they are. Where I am they have taken on 2 brand new class 1 drivers to my knowledge one of them is pretty much useless and has failed all 4 of his driving assessments and has done all sorts of damage but he’s still here albeit on the ‘sick’ at the moment. The driver trainer is going mental because he should never have been offered a job but as I said they’re desperate. I say apply for everything, sound sincere about how much you really want the job because your eager to learn blah blah blah and you might just get lucky…
eagerbeaver:
Life isn’t difficult to understand, and neither are people. Its all about the correct attitude.There are [zb] loads of LGV driving jobs around. Dress smart, show some effort, some respect/manners, and a glimpse of intelligence and you wont be out of work until you retire.
Driving an artic back and to is a piece of ■■■■. Easiest money I have ever earned. Plenty of good employers around, the secret is that the best ones don’t NEED to advertise. Get your shoes on and get knocking on doors.
SHOW SOME INITIATIVE !!
And thats exactly the way to do it.
Good employers do not advertise, they take on recommendation and sift through those who have the nous to cold call (politely, you might just pigeon hole the boss who can see first hand how you would approach the customer) and as said use a bit of initiative.
Invariably, but by no means set in stone, own account transport has better terms and conditions than hire and reward.
Where there’s muck and and hard graft there’s often brass, conversely the easiest hire and reward jobs often pay poorly, with pay being made up by a combination of working the two week’s worth of hours in one and night out pay…which some here still insist in counting as part of their take home pay, it isn’t.
You’ll have to take whatever you can get at first, do it well, learn your trade, take a pride in what you do, skill yourself up, don’t take the ■■■■ don’t take sickies even if every bugger else there does, sometimes newbies land on their feet but it’s very rare.
As you skill up if you have the right ethics you’ll find yourself increasingly in demand, not only from employers but other good drivers on good (or specialised operations) companies, ie those who don’t advertise who often pay well over the odds, tend to recommend or encourage applications from other drivers who are going to benefit the company they work for and help make the good job last.
Last but not least, don’t chase the bling motors, the old saying all flash no cash is still a valid one.
Juddian:
eagerbeaver:
Life isn’t difficult to understand, and neither are people. Its all about the correct attitude.There are [zb] loads of LGV driving jobs around. Dress smart, show some effort, some respect/manners, and a glimpse of intelligence and you wont be out of work until you retire.
Driving an artic back and to is a piece of ■■■■. Easiest money I have ever earned. Plenty of good employers around, the secret is that the best ones don’t NEED to advertise. Get your shoes on and get knocking on doors.
SHOW SOME INITIATIVE !!
And thats exactly the way to do it.
Good employers do not advertise, they take on recommendation and sift through those who have the nous to cold call (politely, you might just pigeon hole the boss who can see first hand how you would approach the customer) and as said use a bit of initiative.
Invariably, but by no means set in stone, own account transport has better terms and conditions than hire and reward.
Where there’s muck and and hard graft there’s often brass, conversely the easiest hire and reward jobs often pay poorly, with pay being made up by a combination of working the two week’s worth of hours in one and night out pay…which some here still insist in counting as part of their take home pay, it isn’t.
You’ll have to take whatever you can get at first, do it well, learn your trade, take a pride in what you do, skill yourself up, don’t take the ■■■■ don’t take sickies even if every bugger else there does, sometimes newbies land on their feet but it’s very rare.
As you skill up if you have the right ethics you’ll find yourself increasingly in demand, not only from employers but other good drivers on good (or specialised operations) companies, ie those who don’t advertise who often pay well over the odds, tend to recommend or encourage applications from other drivers who are going to benefit the company they work for and help make the good job last.
Last but not least, don’t chase the bling motors, the old saying all flash no cash is still a valid one.
This whole quote should be saved lol! All newbies should read this 
I’m happy with mine (maritime), but by reading up on them here you’d get the conclusion it’s like a concentration camp.
I’m left alone, they trust me to do the job without breathing down my neck, they don’t end up condescending if an infringement crops up and are generally accommodating. I was talking to one of our drivers the other day however who says don’t bother if you want to book days off for a long weekend or at short notice, don’t bother with this that etc. as they’ll shoot you down. Incidentally this guy thinks the world owes him a favour, drives like a ■■■■, treats other people like dirt & chucks all his litter right out the window. Go figure.
If you want them to do you a favour then don’t make life difficult for them.
Getting into the company with no experience though is a rarity. I was really lucky with the way I did things, I got 9 months experience on rigids before switching to Roadways which didn’t have any issues with new drivers & then less than a year later it was bought out by maritime.
DJC:
Incidentally this guy thinks the world owes him a favour, drives like a ■■■■, treats other people like dirt & chucks all his litter right out the window.
Does he have a plate saying “V40LLY” in the window?