Hello All,
I come from a family of truckers and enjoyed growing up around trucks. I wanted to get behind the wheel as soon as I could. I passed my Class 1 when I was 19 and drove for my dad’s company until now when he’s decided to call it a day. The trouble I have now is I cant find a job for a driver under 21 with 1 years experience. Anybody have any suggestions as what I could do? or know any companies in Birmingham that will take young drivers? I have a years experience driving in London and delivering palletised goods to bestway’s etc… I’ve seen jobs advertising with minimum driving experience of 6 months/1 year which I have!
I’d appreciate everyone’s thoughts! I’ve tried a few agency’s but being under 21 is the problem
Juddian:
Take on dad’s contracts and start up yourself?
Bold move for a young un, but with dad’s guidance to help you could make it work.
That’s something i’m considering but it’s the mean time. I hear that its 9 weeks minimum to get an operators licence but that’s probably the ideal place I’d like to be in running my own trucks
I would try small family firms, we tend to be more flexible. Youngest I’ve taken on was 23 and a good driver he is. Larger firms can’t move out of the corporate line even if the TM is sympathetic.
Once had offered a 21 year old a job and he turned it down because sometimes he’d have to drive a van (on Class one wages). So he was on agency delivering to a supermarket rdc instead of driving round Europe, getting put up in hotels and a job where 99% of the customers treat you like part of the team and the office leave you alone. Each to their own.
Juddian:
Take on dad’s contracts and start up yourself?
Bold move for a young un, but with dad’s guidance to help you could make it work.
^ This.If he’s a CPC holder that will save even more time assuming you haven’t got one yourself.If not get that out of the way first while sorting out the start up capital angle.The latter having been what stopped me when I reached exactly the same conclusion regards the pecking order and ‘experience’ bs that applies too often to young drivers in the job.
Juddian:
I wonder if that tipper fatal in Bath hasn’t put the mockers on younger drivers with insurers even if they considered them before, can’t have helped.
Luckily in this case he’s obviously already got some history driving with his dad’s insurers ? so just stay with them hopefully using that history as leverage.
Our insurers ask for another £500.00 on the excess for under 25s, which I don’t thi.k is that much.
I always say if the insurance is given as a reason why, offer to pay the 500 if it’s your fault accident. We haven’t asked for that to be clear, but it might help remove an obstacle. I think some emoyers expectthe insurance implications to be greater than they are and have never actually found out what it would cost.
albion:
Our insurers ask for another £500.00 on the excess for under 25s, which I don’t thi.k is that much.
I always say if the insurance is given as a reason why, offer to pay the 500 if it’s your fault accident. We haven’t asked for that to be clear, but it might help remove an obstacle. I think some emoyers expectthe insurance implications to be greater than they are and have never actually found out what it would cost.
I remember the first permanent job I got back in the mid 90s and was also under 25. The guy said it cost him just £500 extra back then so it seems to be a standard thing thats stayed the same for the last 20 years.
I agree with the small firms route - the experience would normally be 2 years not sure many would class 1 year as experienced (obviously its better than zero).
this may be the block your hitting which is stupid but I know a whole load the same, god knows how the 18 year old scheme will pan out.
Conor:
I remember the first permanent job I got back in the mid 90s and was also under 25. The guy said it cost him just £500 extra back then so it seems to be a standard thing thats stayed the same for the last 20 years.
It doesn’t cost £500 extra on the premium, it puts £500 on the excess (from £500 to £1000), with my insurance company anyway.
Conor:
I remember the first permanent job I got back in the mid 90s and was also under 25. The guy said it cost him just £500 extra back then so it seems to be a standard thing thats stayed the same for the last 20 years.
It doesn’t cost £500 extra on the premium, it puts £500 on the excess (from £500 to £1000), with my insurance company anyway.
The bit I don’t get is that no one with any sense is going to risk losing any no claims bonuses for a £500 or probably even a £1,000 claim anyway. While if it was just the premium surely any new driver would accept a £500 reduction in the basic pay rate to compensate the operator.In my experience it’s more an issue of closed shop bs pecking orders among the existing ‘experienced’ driver pool.As a way of reserving the best jobs for themselves,or at least those ‘in the know’ ,at the expense of new/less experienced drivers who get left with the zb jobs.At which point all the ‘insurance’ excuses suddenly disappear.
Do you or your family have any contacts in the haulage industry who know you’ve got experience and would be willing to take you on.
Also like the other have said, going on your own might be an option, it’s in your blood, again you must have contacts and hopefully at your age you haven’t got too many other costs like house and family to worry about. Although still not an easy option, but might work.
JSingh:
Hello All,
I come from a family of truckers and enjoyed growing up around trucks. I wanted to get behind the wheel as soon as I could. I passed my Class 1 when I was 19 and drove for my dad’s company until now when he’s decided to call it a day. The trouble I have now is I cant find a job for a driver under 21 with 1 years experience. Anybody have any suggestions as what I could do? or know any companies in Birmingham that will take young drivers? I have a years experience driving in London and delivering palletised goods to bestway’s etc… I’ve seen jobs advertising with minimum driving experience of 6 months/1 year which I have!
I’d appreciate everyone’s thoughts! I’ve tried a few agency’s but being under 21 is the problem
Can you persuade the old man to reduce his Input to just being the operators licence holder and continue the company for a while with just you driving and earning .
It’s a going concern so far easier than setting up for yourself. In a yr or two he can go entirely as you can get the operator licence and buy him out !
If the OP didn’t want to go down the operator route, then Gregory Distribution at Minworth might give him a job on fridges or walking floors. I know that Gregory’s south-western depots will take on (and even train) young drivers if they seem to have their wits about them.
Juddian:
Take on dad’s contracts and start up yourself?
Bold move for a young un, but with dad’s guidance to help you could make it work.
That’s something i’m considering but it’s the mean time. I hear that its 9 weeks minimum to get an operators licence but that’s probably the ideal place I’d like to be in running my own trucks
You could run under your dad’s licence? Be his employee? He needn’t work I guess.
Thank you all for your advice! My dad has already surrendered his licence but I will be applying for my own, I have got a few contacts to get work straightaway so that’ll be good but in the mean time i’ll try a few smaller firms and see where I go from there. Thanks again!
While if it was just the premium surely any new driver would accept a £500 reduction in the basic pay rate to compensate the operator.In my experience it’s more an issue of closed shop bs pecking orders among the existing ‘experienced’ driver pool.As a way of reserving the best jobs for themselves,or at least those ‘in the know’ ,at the expense of new/less experienced drivers who get left with the zb jobs.At which point all the ‘insurance’ excuses suddenly disappear.