im now fully qualified to start driving as a class 1 driver, thing is I’ve been to a few yards near me and they all state that I must have 2 years experience. How does anyone get any experience if companies won’t take on any newly qualified drivers?
Dress in you’re best smart/casual clothes knock up a C.V and go around and sell yourself, take anything you can get you have to start at the bottom and work you’re way to a good job which if you’re lucky will come in the next couple of years.
Its up to you, you have to have a positive attitude and be willing to have a go its a good time to be a driver right now a bit of nous can land you a nice number, lots of companies require 2 years for there insurers, very large companies don’t have that problem as they self insure, the Supermarkets D.H.L Wincanton ETC.
You could try the agencies they might put you in somewhere for an assesment, don’t expect miracles you have to keep plugging away, you may be qualified in the eyes of the law, the reality is you have passed a rudimentary test there is much to learn, the correct attitude and you will succeed.
Tell us where you’re based other members may have local knowledge.
All the best.
mike68:
Dress in you’re best smart/casual clothes knock up a C.V and go around and sell yourself, take anything you can get you have to start at the bottom and work you’re way to a good job which if you’re lucky will come in the next couple of years.Its up to you, you have to have a positive attitude and be willing to have a go its a good time to be a driver right now a bit of nous can land you a nice number, lots of companies require 2 years for there insurers, very large companies don’t have that problem as they self insure, the Supermarkets D.H.L Wincanton ETC.
You could try the agencies they might put you in somewhere for an assesment, don’t expect miracles you have to keep plugging away, you may be qualified in the eyes of the law, the reality is you have passed a rudimentary test there is much to learn, the correct attitude and you will succeed.
Thanks Mike. I’m fortunate enough to still have a job at the moment so it takes the pressure away of needing a job straight away as such. I will keep trying and hopefully hit the jackpot some day soon
All the best.
Tucker9037:
mike68:
Dress in you’re best smart/casual clothes knock up a C.V and go around and sell yourself, take anything you can get you have to start at the bottom and work you’re way to a good job which if you’re lucky will come in the next couple of years.Its up to you, you have to have a positive attitude and be willing to have a go its a good time to be a driver right now a bit of nous can land you a nice number, lots of companies require 2 years for there insurers, very large companies don’t have that problem as they self insure, the Supermarkets D.H.L Wincanton ETC.
You could try the agencies they might put you in somewhere for an assesment, don’t expect miracles you have to keep plugging away, you may be qualified in the eyes of the law, the reality is you have passed a rudimentary test there is much to learn, the correct attitude and you will succeed.
Thanks Mike. I’m from Ballymoney in N.Ireland
Thanks Mike. I’m fortunate enough to still have a job at the moment so it takes the pressure away of needing a job straight away as such. I will keep trying and hopefully hit the jackpot some day soon
All the best.
Tucker9037:
im now fully qualified to start driving as a class 1 driver, thing is I’ve been to a few yards near me and they all state that I must have 2 years experience. How does anyone get any experience if companies won’t take on any newly qualified drivers?
You’re now qualified to START LEARNING to drive Class 1 mate, and that’s the point…
Yes some firms won’t touch you, and from my experience that seems to be the smaller better firms who don’t have to struggle to get drivers. But a lot of the bigger players don’t require 2 years. This is also more true with limping, as while a firm may require their FTW’s to have 2 years experience, they may take a limper when they need one who has possibly only 6 months experience…
What you need to accept mate, is that you have to start from the bottom and work your way up!
100% mate. I’m happy to begin at the bottom. It’s like any good job I guess it takes time, experience and knowledge to progress to the better jobs. I’m happy to even start with the worst company ever haha.
Have you tried exaggerating or lying…or both. 
Look after numero uno mate, whoever said Honesty is the best policy was a bloody idiot.
(and he maybe has a Class 1 licence and never used it 
)
robroy:
Have you tried exaggerating or lying…or both.
Look after numero uno mate, whoever said Honesty is the best policy was a bloody idiot.
(and he maybe has a Class 1 licence and never used it
A bit tricky when the dates are on your licence…
robroy:
Have you tried exaggerating or lying…or both.
Look after numero uno mate, whoever said Honesty is the best policy was a bloody idiot.
(and he maybe has a Class 1 licence and never used it
Thing is mate I have drove class 1 fuel tankers for the army but as I’ve only recently got my CPC and also a lot of companies here in N.Ireland would be reluctant to take on ex army for various reasons, and it’s not everyone you can tell in N.Ireland about being ex army for security reasons.
Tucker9037:
robroy:
Have you tried exaggerating or lying…or both.
Look after numero uno mate, whoever said Honesty is the best policy was a bloody idiot.
(and he maybe has a Class 1 licence and never used itThing is mate I have drove class 1 fuel tankers for the army but as I’ve only recently got my CPC and also a lot of companies here in N.Ireland would be reluctant to take on ex army for various reasons, and it’s not everyone you can tell in N.Ireland about being ex army for security reasons.
Tell them you drove tankers abroad for a foreign co who no longer trade (so they cannot get verification) show them you know what you are talking about by telling them all the aspects of tanker work during the conversation…aka blagging it.
(did you get a ADR cert in the Army?)
My mob have just drop the 2 year stipulation on the agency ads as peak is approaching. It will go back up to 2 years experience in January. They do the same thing every year.
Well as long as you have a pulse our lot will take you on…
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Evil8Beezle:
What you need to accept mate, is that you have to start from the bottom and work your way up!
Trust me don’t be naive enough to believe this bollox.
Robroy’s comments regarding the real world show just some of the reasons why you should never believe that starting at the bottom and taking all the zb is a guaranteed way into better work later.The more likely scenario being that you’ll be seen as a mug and your options limited by being stereotyped as being prepared to accept zb work while younger drivers with actually less experience will blag their way or just be lucky enough to get into the better jobs.On that note ‘experience’ in this case just means experience of knowing the better work from the zb.With those with the ‘experience’ thinking that they’ve got a god given right to leave the zb for the mugs who are naive enough to take it.
robroy:
Tucker9037:
robroy:
Have you tried exaggerating or lying…or both.
Look after numero uno mate, whoever said Honesty is the best policy was a bloody idiot.
(and he maybe has a Class 1 licence and never used itThing is mate I have drove class 1 fuel tankers for the army but as I’ve only recently got my CPC and also a lot of companies here in N.Ireland would be reluctant to take on ex army for various reasons, and it’s not everyone you can tell in N.Ireland about being ex army for security reasons.
Tell them you drove tankers abroad for a foreign co who no longer trade (so they cannot get verification) show them you know what you are talking about by telling them all the aspects of tanker work during the conversation…aka blagging it.
(did you get a ADR cert in the Army?)
I couldn’t blag it mate I’m too honest for my own good lol. Yeah I got classes 1,2&3 ADR with the army
Carryfast:
Evil8Beezle:
What you need to accept mate, is that you have to start from the bottom and work your way up!Trust me don’t be naive enough to believe this bollox.
Robroy’s comments regarding the real world show just some of the reasons why you should never believe that starting at the bottom and taking all the zb is a guaranteed way into better work later.The more likely scenario being that you’ll be seen as a mug and your options limited by being stereotyped as being prepared to accept zb work while younger drivers with actually less experience will blag their way or just be lucky enough to get into the better jobs.On that note ‘experience’ in this case just means experience of knowing the better work from the zb.With those with the ‘experience’ thinking that they’ve got a god given right to leave the zb for the mugs who are naive enough to take it.
You need to get out more mate! 
Or you need to realise I’m not talking about a 5 or 10 year apprenticeship bellend, just that you can’t walk straight into the best jobs as you won’t get a second glance when others have a few years experience on you! 
Tucker9037:
I couldn’t blag it mate I’m too honest
That was my attitude too when I started out.Realistically with hindsight I think it didn’t help my career prospects at all.Which just leaves the question of maybe finding a balance between not actually lying your way into a job.But by the same standard don’t be a mug by allowing employers and ‘experienced’ drivers to use the lack of experience to unfairly hold back your progress in the job or to accept jobs below a reasonable level for the licence.
Evil8Beezle:
you need to realise I’m not talking about a 5 or 10 year apprenticeship bellend, just that you can’t walk straight into the best jobs as you won’t get a second glance when others have a few years experience on you!
If that was right it would be impossible for younger drivers starting out later to ever get into better jobs than someone older who started out in the job earlier.
As I said it’s easy to get stereotyped as a mug who’ll accept the zb and that’s then where you’re likely to stay to some level.On that note if someone wants to get into class 1 tanker work then starting out doing zb 7.5 t or 18t local multi drop distribution work for example won’t make it any easier getting into that job if/when the so called ‘time’ comes to ‘move on’.Just as 5 years as a class 2 council driver made it no easier to move on in my case.
Carryfast:
Evil8Beezle:
you need to realise I’m not talking about a 5 or 10 year apprenticeship bellend, just that you can’t walk straight into the best jobs as you won’t get a second glance when others have a few years experience on you!If that was right it would be impossible for younger drivers starting out later to ever get into better jobs than someone older who started out in the job earlier.
As I said it’s easy to get stereotyped as a mug who’ll accept the zb and that’s then where you’re likely to stay to some level.
Are your years starting to get the better of you mate? This thread is about 2 years experience, it’s in the title!
So all I’m saying is that some newly qualified drivers need SOME experience. You’re the one who deludedly thinks I’m talking beyond that…
Plus it wouldn’t ring true with what I’ve done, I’ve got a pretty good gig now, but I couldn’t have walked into that without SOME experience as they would have told me to get on my bike…
So go on, hit me with another misguided and presumptuous dig mate?
Evil8Beezle:
Carryfast:
Evil8Beezle:
you need to realise I’m not talking about a 5 or 10 year apprenticeship bellend, just that you can’t walk straight into the best jobs as you won’t get a second glance when others have a few years experience on you!If that was right it would be impossible for younger drivers starting out later to ever get into better jobs than someone older who started out in the job earlier.
As I said it’s easy to get stereotyped as a mug who’ll accept the zb and that’s then where you’re likely to stay to some level.
Are your years starting to get the better of you mate? This thread is about 2 years experience, it’s in the title!
So all I’m saying is that some newly qualified drivers need SOME experience. You’re the one who deludedly thinks I’m talking beyond that…
Plus it wouldn’t ring true with what I’ve done, I’ve got a pretty good gig now, but I couldn’t have walked into that without SOME experience as they would have told me to get on my bike…So go on, hit me with another misguided and presumptuous dig mate?
I was only referring to my own experience when starting out.Nothing to do with your example. 
In which case as I said Robroy is closer to the right advice than you are.In which case two years ‘experience’ of doing the zb that no one else wants will mean just that nothing more when the time comes to move on.
Tucker9037:
im now fully qualified to start driving as a class 1 driver, thing is I’ve been to a few yards near me and they all state that I must have 2 years experience. How does anyone get any experience if companies won’t take on any newly qualified drivers?
My son who is aged 21 passed his Cat C 6 weeks ago and his Cat C+E last Friday. The day he passed his C+E he went to the agency I work at and was offered work on class 1 even though the ink on the pass certificate was still wet and he’d not yet driven a lorry other than lessons and tests.
A firm he emailed when he passed his Cat C offered him an interview on Thursday and he starts work on Monday.
There are jobs out there, just keep trying.