Well there’s only me, but in essence it’s run as if it were a family firm.
We’ve taken on new starts. Wether we are the cream of the jobs is always subjective, but suffice it to say, our drivers tend to stay for years, decades even. So it is possible, but in fairness, not many better companys are willing.
We pay breaks all the way through.
[/quote]
thats good to hear there are some companies like that. I know a few food companies that also take on newbies as we had one drop off at our place in Carrington last week.
Im looking at all possibilities even 7.5t. If pay is adveraging £9 an hour ideally I need to do 48 hours per week at this point in time. Im on a decent salary now but my outogings are high hence me trying to pay of stuff over the next 6 months. I cant afford class1 yet and Im not going into any further debt a this point. Im happy to wait for now and apply for weekend work even if thats only 10 hours a fortnight at minnimum wage I dont mind its experience, i`d possibly do a couple of free shifts too if it helped me keep in touch with driving 
. If the right job popped up I dont think I would turn it down but as it stands ive only applied for one position so im not overly worried. I know the manager at one of the food delivery companies so as soon as something pops up there I may have a chance and thats a very similar wage to mine now. Ideally I would like to grow some experience in the rigids then move on from there. Im going to give it till June then make a job out of looking for a job! Again from June ill start putting away for class 1 each month. I may look at hiab in the mean time to add on. I live in Eccles Manchester so theres quite a bit of work knocking about at the minute.
If it’s any help, I’m in the south if that makes a difference, I passes my C and C+E just before Christmas and have been applying for jobs the last two weeks.
Had 3 interviews and had 3 job offers on C+E, milk tankers £8.50 hour, pallet network £9.00 hour and general haulage tramping at £8.00 hour…I’m still looking.
I know I’m a noobie with no experience but I’m in a good job and can afford to wait for the right work to come along.
kev-t:
If it’s any help, I’m in the south if that makes a difference, I passes my C and C+E just before Christmas and have been applying for jobs the last two weeks.Had 3 interviews and had 3 job offers on C+E, milk tankers £8.50 hour, pallet network £9.00 hour and general haulage tramping at £8.00 hour…I’m still looking.
I know I’m a noobie with no experience but I’m in a good job and can afford to wait for the right work to come along.
thanks Kev, im in a simialr position. I am thinking now I may wait it out and save for class 1 and anything else I can thow on such as hiab and fork lift. That pay sounds low for class1. It does seem a bit of a mind field the wages bit. I know at least 2 lads recently who are earning £27k on class 2. Mind you they are working for it! but at the other end I know another lad who does class 1 and got paid £8.50 for the last few years although he has had a pay rise since. Ive just been given a small wage increase this month and that puts me on £25,500 ish. Im thinking hang fire and get all the training done now even if its another year. Like previous posts have mentioned its easier to do it now while on a good wage. Good luck on finding the right job hope it comes soon for you.
kev-t:
If it’s any help, I’m in the south if that makes a difference, I passes my C and C+E just before Christmas and have been applying for jobs the last two weeks.Had 3 interviews and had 3 job offers on C+E, milk tankers £8.50 hour, pallet network £9.00 hour and general haulage tramping at £8.00 hour…I’m still looking.
I know I’m a noobie with no experience but I’m in a good job and can afford to wait for the right work to come along.
Kev,
just curious when applying with no experience did you still send your full c.v or just the basics, qualifications, cover note ect?
not sure if its any better either way?
biker10:
kev-t:
If it’s any help, I’m in the south if that makes a difference, I passes my C and C+E just before Christmas and have been applying for jobs the last two weeks.Had 3 interviews and had 3 job offers on C+E, milk tankers £8.50 hour, pallet network £9.00 hour and general haulage tramping at £8.00 hour…I’m still looking.
I know I’m a noobie with no experience but I’m in a good job and can afford to wait for the right work to come along.
Kev,
just curious when applying with no experience did you still send your full c.v or just the basics, qualifications, cover note ect?
not sure if its any better either way?
Earnings have always been slightly lower in this part of the country and I’ve always kept my expectations low but I’ve still been taken back by the rates potential employers have been quoting, I’ve not just spent out 3.5k to earn not much more than a quid above national minimum wage.
My earnings at the moment are 25k for a 37 hour week and I’m not expecting to match that but I’d like to get close for a 50 hour week on class 1. Most people say I’m mad for my career change but sitting behind a desk is no longer for me, I want to get back out and get my hands dirty with a bit of graft.
Like I say, I’m comfortable at the moment and in no rush so can afford to be picky.
I used my full CV and just tweaked it to suit the jobs I’m applying for and removed the non relevant qualifications.
Got another assessment drive Monday so we will see how that goes.
In the South east, you wouldn’t get a driver for less than £10.00 an hour and I think I’d be pushing to get someone if I paid that low.
I would say that it isn’t just the hourly rate, you need to look at the whole package. As I said we pay through breaks, we pay a tax free lunch allowance, on ferry we pay 12 hours, several other things as well that go towards the full deal.
But £8.50 is rubbish, Ipay van drivers more than that.
I’m on pennies less than a tenner, paid straight through, in a pretty hassle free job, it’d take at least 2 or 3 quid an hour more to lure me away, and it’s a five minute drive from home.
Does anyone know what sensible rate is in the West Midlands / Midlands area is? Looking on various job websites the figures seem all over the place. I suspect the higher figures are just advertising BS to get people to apply.
Class 2 work looks particularly poorly paid really… £7.50 - £8, hardly worth it…don’t get me wrong I’m all for working hard but at that rate it is 55 - 65… hour weeks to make sensible money? No thanks.
CovGuy:
Does anyone know what sensible rate is in the West Midlands / Midlands area is? Looking on various job websites the figures seem all over the place. I suspect the higher figures are just advertising BS to get people to apply.Class 2 work looks particularly poorly paid really… £7.50 - £8, hardly worth it…don’t get me wrong I’m all for working hard but at that rate it is 55 - 65… hour weeks to make sensible money? No thanks.
I don’t mean to laugh mate, but those sorts of hours are normal, if not a bit low for what is expected in this game…
A lot of jobs will be trying to max you out on your daily hours, it’s just the way it is!
Not every job is like that, but you’ll probably find that most on this forum are clocking up over 55-60 hours a week.
48 hours is the standard working week for most jobs, and while overtime is described as “available”, it’s almost mandatory!
I can’t tell you about the wages in that area, as I’m a soft southern jessie!
Evil8Beezle:
PaulNowak:
Jealousy is such a cruel mistressI’d prefer jelly and a cruel mistress!
I like my cruel mistresses to have whips. 
Themoocher:
If I was you and I had the money I would just go straight for class 1.
A lot more work and opportunities for C+E, especially if u don’t mind working away.
Also better pay. Do a crap job for 6 months then you be able to pretty much pick n chose what companies you want work for and type of work that suits you.
With class 2 your pretty much restricted to day multi drop.You need find what you enjoy and suits your family lifestyles.
There is night out work on Class 2, but there isn’t a lot of work overall. If you’re over 21 (or 25 or whatever) there’s some more. Every conversation I’ve ever had with a potential employed goes like this.
“Hi I’m looking for Class 2 work.”
“Okay then how much experience do you have?”
“0/6 months (when I first started and looking for different work recently)”
“… Okay.”
“Oh and I’m 19/20.”
“…Ah. Sorry mate can’t have you.”
htmldude:
There is night out work on Class 2, but there isn’t a lot of work overall. If you’re over 21 (or 25 or whatever) there’s some more. Every conversation I’ve ever had with a potential employed goes like this.“Hi I’m looking for Class 2 work.”
“Okay then how much experience do you have?”
“0/6 months (when I first started and looking for different work recently)”
“… Okay.”
“Oh and I’m 19/20.”
“…Ah. Sorry mate can’t have you.”
While I’m sympathetic to your position mate, didn’t you consider this being an issue when you decided to take your HGV?
I know another pup on here who waited until he was 21, as he knew being below that age would be a serious stumbling block for a lot of employers due to insurance.
I guess you might find an employer who’s SO desperate for drivers that they’d be prepared to give you a shot and mess about amending their insurance, but what’s that going to say about the job? It’s probably going to be utter crap! 
The other pup drove for one of the supermarkets until he was 21, as it was relevant experience and kept the pennies rolling in. Probably not what you want to hear, but life’s a cruel mistress…
Where did all these cruel mistresses appear from?? Are they in vogue now?
Yes. Very often seen in Range Rover Vogue’s.
Evil8Beezle:
While I’m sympathetic to your position mate, didn’t you consider this being an issue when you decided to take your HGV?
I know another pup on here who waited until he was 21, as he knew being below that age would be a serious stumbling block for a lot of employers due to insurance.
I guess you might find an employer who’s SO desperate for drivers that they’d be prepared to give you a shot and mess about amending their insurance, but what’s that going to say about the job? It’s probably going to be utter crap!The other pup drove for one of the supermarkets until he was 21, as it was relevant experience and kept the pennies rolling in. Probably not what you want to hear, but life’s a cruel mistress…
I’m not that worried. I did have regular work (through the agency) with a company until I fell out with one of the office staff. I mentioned I did work for them to a guy at the bike shop and he worked for them too. I mentioned why I stopped and he said “Oh yeah, he’s a ■■■■■■ It was a shame because everyone else who worked there was really friendly (including the gaffers). That was subbing to one of the big supermarkets, which I didn’t mind too much because every little helps. Only issue was the waiting around. I’d rock up at 4pm and be in the wagon at 7pm. Then up to Liverpool…
But it’s all moot now. Looking for a full time job, even if it means getting forks licence (probably struggle for work doing that too :L). Going for Class 1 anyway as it’s useful to have, and driving trucks surprises people for some reason (probably my age, even though everyone seems to think I’m 24-27).
Titter
Tittering to Beaver’s comment, btw
Evil8Beezle:
I don’t mean to laugh mate, but those sorts of hours are normal, if not a bit low for what is expected in this game…
A lot of jobs will be trying to max you out on your daily hours, it’s just the way it is!
Not every job is like that, but you’ll probably find that most on this forum are clocking up over 55-60 hours a week.
48 hours is the standard working week for most jobs, and while overtime is described as “available”, it’s almost mandatory!I can’t tell you about the wages in that area, as I’m a soft southern jessie!
No issue with the long hours as such, my point really was you would be working those hours to make practically nothing @ £7.5 an hour. There is working hard and there is just wasting your time IMO… at £10+ definitely worth it.
Of course as a newbie you would expect the crap jobs for a while but not long term, not if your doing it right anyhow.
Does my box in if I hand in a timesheet with less than 70 hours on it, I’m living in it to maximise my earnings, not do scenic country walks.