Some hauliers use agencies, but some won’t have anything to do with agencies, or agency drivers.
[/quote]
Maritime is one of them. When I went sick the truck stood up against the wall. Everybody speaks the queens English as well! 
yorkshire terrier:
My mate who has his kids on a weekend always struggles to get back on a Friday night to pick them up, at the same firm a lady driver gets to leave at 3 pm on a Friday because she is a “single mother”, now I don’t see a difference my self.
Then you get the male managers who think because she is female they have a chance with them so treat them better than the blokes.
Also if that bloke at arla had said to the young lass what he had said about you he would probably be on a ■■■ discrimination charge.
100% agree 
That agency I was doing the tests for on Friday has a polish guy and an African guy in there doing the tests. The polish guy was ok with all the legal stuff but the questions on motorways and what counties are these towns in, Geography, he did not have a clue. The African guy had been working in Italy but had no digicard and could not answer most of the questions.
The polish guy said “I use the sat nav I no need to know this towns” lol and she accepted that and said “I will put you down as a pass”. The African guy was absolutely lost with it all, WTD, Drivers hours, Road signs, Legal stuff, bridge heights and weights, the lot. So get this she helped him through some of it then took him in another room. I had finished my test and was waiting for my documents getting photocopied. In comes the African guy and the woman and she said to him “right do you remember those answers” and he said “Yes” so she said right go away and come back this afternoon and do the test again.
I just shook my head in disgust and thought what the hell is this country coming to?
You’ve had a narrow escape mate. Arla are ■■■■■■ Added to which the trainer is a complete and utter bell end by the sounds of it.
The trainer wasn’t assessing the female’s driving. Too busy staring at her, chatting her up and admiring her assets I’d say. You were never going to get anywhere, whatever you did.
Follow some other advice on this thread and give a few other places a visit. Plenty in the Yorks area if you look.
LeedsChris:
NewLad:
LeedsChris:
Alder…those hours i gave were not working hours but actual driving.The shift can be 11 to 14 hours long.Plenty of new drivers don’t last a week because of the amount of driving involved.No agency drivers ever take up the offer of driving full time for them.But its a job which pays well, and is better than no job.Theyre based in Morley.I also know of a night trunking job in Normanton at £10.75 p/h.
3.5 hours driving per night, spend most of it asleep on the bunk.I thought 8/9 hrs driving was par for the course, I did 6 hours driving on Tuesday, felt like I’d robbed a bank when I booked off.
Maybe if you’re tramping and can climb on the bunk at end of shift, but driving for that long night in night out and then booking off and then the commute home( i only lived ten mins away though ) takes its toll after a while.I also do the school run morning and afternoon, so it wasn’t any good for me as i was only getting 5 hours sleep during the day.If you can get a full days sleep then i suppose theres no reason why you can’t drive for 8-9 hours on nights.
I haven’t been doing big drives recently because I’m based down in Kent all week, my biggest drives now are maybe one 8.5 and the rest are 5’s, 6’s and 7’s, I used to do odd nights out 15 on the outward day and a 15 on the return both with 8.5-10 hr drives, it’s a common thing in haulage, especially in fridge/general work. When I was doing that I’d be lucky to get 5hrs sleep too as I have young children, who aren’t at school yet so I have to spend time with them before going to bed, I also live 20/30 mins away from work. If you want short drives/days with no nights out your better off getting on with a supermarket or a shop like next or something.
Edit, don’t think I don’t agree with you because I do which is why I think it should be a max 12hr shift when returning to base with a minimum 12 hrs off.
Try UK Mail Leeds depot
Leeds
Unit F, Express House, Nepshaw Ln S, Leeds, Gildersome LS27 7JQ
0845 155 2552
The money isn’t great but the job is a doddle,
New motors & easy runs, not too many hoops to jump through & Leeds have lost a couple of their regular drivers recently & are (or were last time I heard) desperate, as they have been using agency drivers & will often give new licence holders a start
I do 2 or 3 shifts a week for the southern depots, (I am self employed) but I know the Leeds lads & they are alright.
They run night trunks into Birmingham, and use C&D drivers during the day.
There are worse ways to get your foot on the ladder,
Always knocking the agency! they’re not the real villains,the agencies didn’t destroy the industry, look a little more into why agencies were encouraged in the first place? Most large companies are using agency drivers 24/7, some drivers on almost permanent placement, why not take them on full time?
D’ya not?:
Always knocking the agency! they’re not the real villains,the agencies didn’t destroy the industry, look a little more into why agencies were encouraged in the first place?
Not sure I agree with that mate.
Would you care to enlighten us as to why they were encouraged then?
cheers Toddy2 
robroy:
D’ya not?:
Always knocking the agency! they’re not the real villains,the agencies didn’t destroy the industry, look a little more into why agencies were encouraged in the first place?Not sure I agree with that mate.
Would you care to enlighten us as to why they were encouraged then?
Agencies that supply drivers have to my own knowledge existed at least since the 1980’s. In those days it would be straightforward holiday cover and covering periods of longer sickness. Theses were for entire weeks though, no odd days here and there. If the company had a peak in business, they would hire another truck from a rental place and get an agency driver in. Again those were for full weeks.
Somewhere along the line since then, we have got to the point where agency drivers are used as random ‘just in time’ casual workers often called at a moments notice to cover odd shifts. Yet many of these companies employ dozens of agency drivers every day. They have direct feedback from those drivers that are forced into Mickey Mouse self employed and limited company statuses, but they choose to go selectively deaf. Nobody has to use agency drivers for regular work, it is the symptom of a badly managed company that keeps having floods of them around the place and keeps paying an agency premiums for them.
harry:
Some hauliers use agencies, but some won’t have anything to do with agencies, or agency drivers.
Maritime is one of them. When I went sick the truck stood up against the wall. Everybody speaks the queens English as well!
[/quote]
They can pick & choose. He actually specs up the trucks to suit the trampers, one was telling me they’ve got top spec volvo’s coming soon, not many hauliers pay more to ■■■ them up. Heartens me he ain’t got any EE’s in there.
Were all out of a job if they ever get rid of Cabotage by the way.
Hi alder
I have been told on the grapevine that Peckover Transport in Low Moor Bradford are setting on, pay not two good though i think £7 ph for first 3 months then goes up to £8 ph with overtime at £12 ph.
I work for Sherborne also in Bradford they pay £438 for 38 hours, they are getting new truck in August so will ask if they are looking for a driver and let you know on here
harry:
Maritime is one of them. When I went sick the truck stood up against the wall. Everybody speaks the queens English as well!
This has just moved them well up my list of companies I would like to work for.
col1957:
Hi alderI have been told on the grapevine that Peckover Transport in Low Moor Bradford are setting on, pay not two good though i think £7 ph for first 3 months then goes up to £8 ph with overtime at £12 ph.
I work for Sherborne also in Bradford they pay £438 for 38 hours, they are getting new truck in August so will ask if they are looking for a driver and let you know on here
Cheers mate and I do appreciate your help but I would not work for that. I would go and do HGV 2 for £8.50 lol if I needed a job that bad but it is the principle that if you bow down to them and work for that rate how are rates ever going to improve but I do thank you for letting me know 
LIBERTY_GUY:
Some hauliers use agencies, but some won’t have anything to do with agencies, or agency drivers.
And who can blame them. We have hundreds of drivers and a few agency drivers for cover. Even though the agency drivers are vastly outnumbered they’re currently accounting for 20% of our damage and accidents and all of our bridge strikes.
Terry T:
LIBERTY_GUY:
Some hauliers use agencies, but some won’t have anything to do with agencies, or agency drivers.And who can blame them. We have hundreds of drivers and a few agency drivers for cover. Even though the agency drivers are vastly outnumbered they’re currently accounting for 20% of our damage and accidents and all of our bridge strikes.
I’ve done work for a few that won’t take on agency drivers.
But then again, I’ve covered via agency for a few that have ‘chucked out’ employed drivers for ■■■■■■■ up.
Swings and roundabouts mate. Not a fan of agencies. But for me, they can be useful. Companies love the fact they have a ‘flexible’ workforce. Sometimes, there is a price to pay for that. Almost karma when one of their trucks is damaged as a result.
Right I am drawing a line under Agencies. Had some great PMs from a great bunch of lads on here suggesting where to apply and I am going to go for a full time job with a firm. Thank you to everyone who has given good advice and who have PM’d me
Great site this
Alder , you got a PM off me
Jim
harry …it might seem stupid BUT to be allowed to stay in Canada now (to become a permanent resident),even though you are English ,speak only English ,taught only in English you need to sit a bloody English exam.
seems to be a real stumbling block for folk as i have been informed its a lulu.,reading ,writing,talking,punctuation answer qs.
Seems the exam is meant for people that speak English as a second language and is set up that way ,so a bit o a problem for folk that have been out o school 20+yrs.
sorry for taking the thread a wee bit af course.
jimmy.
JIMBO47:
harry …it might seem stupid BUT to be allowed to stay in Canada now (to become a permanent resident),even though you are English ,speak only English ,taught only in English you need to sit a bloody English exam.
seems to be a real stumbling block for folk as i have been informed its a lulu.,reading ,writing,talking,punctuation answer qs.
Seems the exam is meant for people that speak English as a second language and is set up that way ,so a bit o a problem for folk that have been out o school 20+yrs.
sorry for taking the thread a wee bit af course.
jimmy.
A lot of foreigners can speak English better than the native English can. Just take a look at 80% of the posts on this forum for prime examples of what passes as written ‘English’ these days. Good on Canada for having the exam, imo.