Easy or Hard?

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

In general how easy or hard in your opinion is it to find work when you are a new driver?

Currently at very start of process, waiting on medical with doctor 1st of Feb then forms sent back to DVLA

I have been looking around here and there for vacancies but not much to be fair as pretty pointless atm.

Realistically will it be very hard to find employment or is there quite alot of vacancies for new drivers?

I am based near Glasgow. Also if anybody could offer any advice as best places to look or any tips to try and find employment when the time comes would be much appreciated

Cheers :wink:

2

I’m also waiting to arrange my medical and I have the same questions myself really, except based in Coventry.
Seems like there are a ton of jobs advertised online but they all demand a certain level of experience - anything from 6 months to 2 years. :open_mouth:

3

CovGuy:
I’m also waiting to arrange my medical and I have the same questions myself really, except based in Coventry.
Seems like there are a ton of jobs advertised online but they all demand a certain level of experience - anything from 6 months to 2 years. :open_mouth:

I am guessing the best bet might be to sign up with as many agencies as we can and take it from there. Happy to be corrected if wrong.

My biggest concern with agencies is , will they guarantee regular weekly work? If i could manage to get at least 3 shifts a week to start with would be happy with that. Need to start somewhere

4

At this time of year it may be hard. It depends on several factors.

For example, in a very busy region I am getting 3 shifts a week with 10 years experience. You would be further down the food chain.

Register, get some shifts but it most certainly will never be garunteed.

5

you can be sure of this

when there is a real driver shortage, companies, not agencies, will be in touch with LGV training companies and taking on drivers on a full time permanent basis from the moment they pass

until that happens there is not a general shortage of drivers across the UK although certain areas may be struggling at certain times of the year

that seems to be a pretty good barometer in my experience

6

You will find work, it will be easier to find if you are prepared to put the effort in, knocking on doors, handing out CV’s and accepting the less desirable jobs but the work is out there if you are prepared to look.

Ignore the ‘experience required’ section and apply in person - they can only say no and you never know unless you ask.

One of the more common routes into employment for new drivers is via the agencies - who often have work for new passes.

Good Luck.

7

It’s true that a large majority of firms only want drivers with experience, some claiming that insurance is the reason behind it, some others saying that it’s just internal policy. What firms actually specify as required experience can vary a lot, I’ve seen a minimum of 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and even 5 years for a local bulk tipper firm! Generally speaking, I find the bigger the company, the less experience they ask for, probably because they have less to lose should there be an accident. A small, family-owned haulage company would be in serious trouble if an inexperienced driver hits a low bridge, totalling the truck and trailer. To them, it’s just not worth the risk.

I’ve seen quite a few that say you must have HELD your licence for more than 2 years, and that’s it. What does this mean? You must have passed your test more than two years ago, but not necessarily have had any experience in a driving job. In that case, my dad’s held his CE for 24 years, but never had a driving job, and he could get a job that people who’ve been driving constantly for 18 months couldn’t. Sometimes it’s silly.

Agencies could be a good way to go, just to start off with, as a lot are starting to advertise that new drivers are welcome. Like it’s been said though, agencies don’t guarantee regular work, they often have dry spells. One week you could have 55 hours of work, the next week 10 hours. An agency I went with said that because I didn’t have much experience, the opportunities would be drastically limited, but there still would be opportunities, that’s the main thing. The agency turned out to be tosh, but that’s another story, the point is that a good agency will always have some openings for new drivers, and chances are, you’ll get some hours with a major supermarket chain, or something like that.

Although it must be said, there are directly-employed jobs out there for new drivers, you just need to drop-on, and dare I say it, be lucky. Everybody needs to start somewhere! Just make up a CV, and a good cover letter, stating your intentions to get into the trade, and your ambitions, find some local haulage companies, then fire and forget! It could just end up on the right person’s desk, at the right time!

Good luck with all of your training and job searching :grimacing:

8

Thanks for info lads

Appreciated :wink:

9

Wondering what roles you would likely to be offered as a newbie?

Multi drop or long distance?

Thoughts anyone?

10

As a newbie, it’s usually crappy multi drop or food service work.

TAKE ANYTHING. Experience gained whilst being paid for it.

11

ROG:
you can be sure of this

when there is a real driver shortage, companies, not agencies, will be in touch with LGV training companies and taking on drivers on a full time permanent basis from the moment they pass

until that happens there is not a general shortage of drivers across the UK although certain areas may be struggling at certain times of the year

that seems to be a pretty good barometer in my experience

It’s more a regional thing Rog. Where’s there’s a area with a lot of haulage like where I’m based you tend to find a shortage of drivers.

Paul

12

Tommy7437:
Wondering what roles you would likely to be offered as a newbie?

Multi drop or long distance?

Thoughts anyone?

I started out agency for ASDA (through a subbie) and then went direct after a year. I did Bidvest (3663), containers and general trunk work.

13

When I started, it was working through agencies. Most of the work was food service (3663 (now Bidvest), Brakes, Woodwards, etc.) It’s 7.5/18/26t rigid multidrop (typically 10-15 drops per shift in my experience), and physically hard work as the customer’s contract is usually for delivery to the kitchen/fridge/freezer, not just to the outside door, so lots of handballing of heavy boxes of frozen chips. It’s also typically early start times (4am is common).

This is the sort of work that most newbies start on, because most drivers don’t want to do it (although I’m sure there are some that love it…)

IMHO, the advice you’ve already been given is good. Look around, go and visit companies (make sure you look presentable, have a CV (and, if possible, a customised covering letter) to hand and go equipped to be able to start work immediately), take what you can get, even if it’s not the best or easiest work, and do it to the best of your ability. Get yourself a reputation as someone they can trust to get on and do the job, and you’ll start getting asked back.

Unfortunately, now is not the best time to be looking around agencies, but once things start to pick up, they will have work for newbies. When push comes to shove, most companies would rather have a truck out on the road earning money driven by a newbie than have that truck sitting in the yard and a load undelivered.

If you sign up with agencies, keep pestering them to ask whether they have something available. They might have just received a call from a client asking for drivers, and you call up at just the right time so that it gets offered to you rather than them having to go look up their list of who’s available.

14

I would advise taking both C & CE as this will open more door for you ( know it did for me )

I have never done multi drop work most has been 3 drops weather be small van or arctic

Best advice is go round knocking on door as has been said talk to the T M or boss if possible it may take time but you will get there you just have to look

A lot of the jobs you see advertised are agency ( most of which are the same job )

15

animal:
I would advise taking both C & CE as this will open more door for you ( know it did for me )

I have never done multi drop work most has been 3 drops weather be small van or arctic

Best advice is go round knocking on door as has been said talk to the T M or boss if possible it may take time but you will get there you just have to look

A lot of the jobs you see advertised are agency ( most of which are the same job )

Trust me, once i get my licence i will be f@@king banging on doors never mind knocking :grimacing:

16

elmet training:

ROG:
you can be sure of this

when there is a real driver shortage, companies, not agencies, will be in touch with LGV training companies and taking on drivers on a full time permanent basis from the moment they pass

until that happens there is not a general shortage of drivers across the UK although certain areas may be struggling at certain times of the year

that seems to be a pretty good barometer in my experience

It’s more a regional thing Rog. Where’s there’s a area with a lot of haulage like where I’m based you tend to find a shortage of drivers.

Paul

That’s true, there seems to be lots of work in Yorkshire, particularly West and South. I imagine it’s because of all of the distribution centres springing-up. Even so, it can vary in parts of regions, as I was told by a source that East Yorkshire has too many drivers and not enough work.

It’s also true that multiple agencies advertise the same job. Looking on a job website, there are half-a-dozen agencies all advertising for the same job within a well-known, national haulage company, with links to a major supermarket chain. It seems every agency has their fingers in the pie, no matter how big or small.

17

I take it you don’t have a hgv licence yet? That should be your main focus first. If you want to be a driver then everything after your test/tests should fall in to place, like every thing you will start at the bottom and work up from then, it’s like anything in life you have to prove your worth. Good luck, with all these new rules and regulations it’s hard to keep up at times! It’s going to be a long process and if anyone tells you different then it’s lies!

18

irishexpat:
I take it you don’t have a hgv licence yet? That should be your main focus first. If you want to be a driver then everything after your test/tests should fall in to place, like every thing you will start at the bottom and work up from then, it’s like anything in life you have to prove your worth. Good luck, with all these new rules and regulations it’s hard to keep up at times! It’s going to be a long process and if anyone tells you different then it’s lies!

Yeah thats correct m8

I will take anything thats going and i mean anything to get started. Only concern like many newbies when the time comes is worry about getting no work at all but that goes for many in all different walks of life i suppose

19

For a fresh Newbie, probably the easiest way to start out, is to walk into one of the many scumbag lying agencies!

Ensure you’re armed with Drivers Regs & WTD knowledge though (so you can pass their tests) and ask for the crappiest work going, where every other driver has learnt not to touch it with a barge pole, and hence the firm is desperate enough to accept newly qualified bumpercar drivers! :grimacing:

And if you don’t fancy that, make an effort to knock on doors! :smiley:

20

Tommy7437:

irishexpat:
I take it you don’t have a hgv licence yet? That should be your main focus first. If you want to be a driver then everything after your test/tests should fall in to place, like every thing you will start at the bottom and work up from then, it’s like anything in life you have to prove your worth. Good luck, with all these new rules and regulations it’s hard to keep up at times! It’s going to be a long process and if anyone tells you different then it’s lies!

Yeah thats correct m8

I will take anything thats going and i mean anything to get started. Only concern like many newbies when the time comes is worry about getting no work at all but that goes for many in all different walks of life i suppose

Concentrate on getting yourself the license then, I was lucky as my grandfather and father where both drivers so come from a haulage back ground, I only had to mention there names and was sorted! Like I said if it’s what you want then go for it, but you have a lot to learn if you know nothing about the job, good luck! And this driver shortage myth, don’t buy it! If there was a shortage men/woman wouldn’t be on here looking about work.