ok peeps having just passed ect I have an agency interview next wednesday for weekend work but its in 7.5 tonners. However its experience and it will get me used to being on the road. My question is this.
Is there anything I should know??
The area covered for delivery is the south manchester area.
im thinking the interview is around 1.5 hours am I going to get grilled on the south manchester area geography?
Should I be asking anything in particular?
any help appreciated.!!
thanks guys 
Don’t panic, it’s pretty much a shoe in. If you’re half decent then the job’s yours. They won’t grill you for sure about anything least of all your knowledge of an area. Be honest and if it takes more than 20 minutes to interview you then I’ll eat my hat. It might take 90 minutes to fill in their forms.
Chill
don’t worry, never had a proper interview. It is mostly filling the forms in and a simple test on driver hours and road signs and not all agencies bother to check your results. A good opportunity to let them know if you have any preferences and to ask them what kind of job you can realistically expect from them.
remember, interview is a two way street, you also interview them 
As said, a basic test on tachograph rules, it maybe a multiple choice of questions, and possibly a test on a daily pre trip walk around check, and what to do with defects and so on.
They may ask what type of work, for example tail lift deliveries, multi drops, local or distance, night work, and so on.
Bring your passport and proof of address, and some utility bills to prove you live there.Tax information will be needed such as the National Insurance number.
At this stage of the interview, no driving will be required, unless they have told you .
Arrive in good time to allow for delays and finding a car parking space. Good luck, if they need you, the job is yours, start the next day.
As above, and their requirement for you is to have a basic grasp of driver regs and for you not to dribble.
Although the dribbling part is optional! 
This thread may also help a bit…
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=133471
biker10:
ok peeps having just passed ect I have an agency interview next wednesday for weekend work but its in 7.5 tonners. However its experience and it will get me used to being on the road. My question is this.
Is there anything I should know??
The area covered for delivery is the south manchester area.
im thinking the interview is around 1.5 hours am I going to get grilled on the south manchester area geography?
Should I be asking anything in particular?any help appreciated.!!
thanks guys
wow thanks for all the help fellas much appreciated especially the two last links to previous posts ive just realized how little I know on wtd and driving hours. After a little read of the links pdf link I reckon I could put a day together lol possible a week. Im getting a bit confused on hours over several weeks/average ect but after this post im getting back onto reading. The interview is next Wednesday so I have some time left. I also need to learn how to use a digi card/tacho!! not leaving it late much am I!!
This sites been a God send though cheers at least I have time to pull my finger out my rear. If I get that sorted I will go over the main motorway links for Manchester just in case but the above topics are more important.
Better push on!!
if its time for the agencies to be hiring again,then being able to walk and chew chewing gum is about the basic requirement.unless your completely off the wall,then your started unless theres a good reason for not starting you.
your only going to be a bum in a seat and a number for them,having a limp and your own flashing earpice will work for you also.just expect to get the worst job and worst shifts till they find out just how much dung you can absorb.most of the work wont start till feb once the company drivers start filling in their holidays etc.sign with 2 or 3 and itl always help you.that way if you wreck something bigtime,your toe is in the door elsewhere.they will have absolutely no loyalty towards you at all unless there stuck for someone and you answer the phone.
ok im getting it lol. Mrs is laughing at me im running out of fingers to count 
in a nut shell I reckon I can only do 2 shifts a month as I would have to compensate every other week in order to pay back hours not rested. Not sure if an agency would be happy with that but might as well go and sign up
Read the small print of their T&Cs carefully too and make sure you cross out any damage waiver clauses. Most agencies are up to this trick now, getting you to sign for automatic deductions of £500 from your wage for any “alleged” damage you’ve caused. I had it with a place a few months back who could get me in at a place right on my doorstep but despite my own business T&Cs they weren’t interested unless I signed their £500 damage waiver. Needless to say they got told where to shove their clause.
Carl Usher:
Read the small print of their T&Cs carefully too and make sure you cross out any damage waiver clauses. Most agencies are up to this trick now, getting you to sign for automatic deductions of £500 from your wage for any “alleged” damage you’ve caused. I had it with a place a few months back who could get me in at a place right on my doorstep but despite my own business T&Cs they weren’t interested unless I signed their £500 damage waiver. Needless to say they got told where to shove their clause.
thanks Carl Usher its a really good tip, I will be looking out for that. Lots to learn
I need to do more studying but for now am i right in thinking I need a record of my hours worked at my current Job and I need to carry this info with me when in the truck? and if im doing say 30 total hours of “truck work” Including breaks,driving,other do I keep a manual log book or does it have to get inputted in the digi machine?
biker10:
I need to do more studying but for now am i right in thinking I need a record of my hours worked at my current Job and I need to carry this info with me when in the truck? and if im doing say 30 total hours of “truck work” Including breaks,driving,other do I keep a manual log book or does it have to get inputted in the digi machine?
Officially you should keep a log of non-driving work elsewhere, but…
Up to you whether you want to wing it 
but bear in mind if you’re involved in a crash and there are fatalities they’ll probably find out you’ve been working elsewhere and you’ll get hung out to dry if it’s discovered you haven’t had sufficient breaks/rest periods.
Carl Usher:
biker10:
I need to do more studying but for now am i right in thinking I need a record of my hours worked at my current Job and I need to carry this info with me when in the truck? and if im doing say 30 total hours of “truck work” Including breaks,driving,other do I keep a manual log book or does it have to get inputted in the digi machine?Officially you should keep a log of non-driving work elsewhere, but…
Up to you whether you want to wing it
thanks Carl, thats it isnt is sods law thats happens and i`m well screwed lol
Your start time on the work record book must be the same time when you put the digital tacho card in to start the shift.
But sometimes manual entries are required.
For example , they tell you to start work at 6 am, but your Lorry is not back from a night shift or in the garage.
You get in the lorry at 9 am, card in ready to go, enter menu, then scroll manual entry, yes to that,enter start time of 6 am with crossed hammers mode.
toby1234abc:
Your start time on the work record book must be the same time when you put the digital tacho card in to start the shift.
But sometimes manual entries are required.
For example , they tell you to start work at 6 am, but your Lorry is not back from a night shift or in the garage.
You get in the lorry at 9 am, card in ready to go, enter menu, then scroll manual entry, yes to that,enter start time of 6 am with crossed hammers mode.
thanks Toby, that makes sense, im just going through a PDF I found dont know if its any good but i`ll give it a go. Also found a couple of you tube vids I think
Just to add, never feel pressurized to take a defective vehicle on a public road, it’s the driver that is responsible if stopped to end up in court.
Some managers will say it’s an urgent load, but run with a nail or bolt in a tyre and they will repair it on return to base .
A reputable firm will fix it there and then.
Some may rush you by constant phone calls to rush you, say to them, you will arrive in the legal speed limits and ignore comments of how quick the regular drivers do the runs.
With a pallet that can weigh a ton or more, use the lorry suspension to raise and lower the back or front, and use gravity to make it easy to pull heavy pallets on to the tail lift.
If it runs away, don’t try and stop it, let it go.
Not worth being injured or killed for.
toby1234abc:
Just to add, never feel pressurized to take a defective vehicle on a public road, it’s the driver that is responsible if stopped to end up in court.
Some managers will say it’s an urgent load, but run with a nail or bolt in a tyre and they will repair it on return to base .
A reputable firm will fix it there and then.
Some may rush you by constant phone calls to rush you, say to them, you will arrive in the legal speed limits and ignore comments of how quick the regular drivers do the runs.
With a pallet that can weigh a ton or more, use the lorry suspension to raise and lower the back or front, and use gravity to make it easy to pull heavy pallets on to the tail lift.
If it runs away, don’t try and stop it, let it go.
Not worth being injured or killed for.
ok will take note, I have heard you can end up with some right trucks! agency I am at next week delivers fridges/freezers in a 7.5tonner so hopefully not too bad but im sure a bit of heavy lifting involved. Thats all saying I will get the work. First im sorting out how to use a digi tacho card as fast as I can.
Carl Usher:
biker10:
I need to do more studying but for now am i right in thinking I need a record of my hours worked at my current Job and I need to carry this info with me when in the truck? and if im doing say 30 total hours of “truck work” Including breaks,driving,other do I keep a manual log book or does it have to get inputted in the digi machine?Officially you should keep a log of non-driving work elsewhere, but…
Up to you whether you want to wing it
Didn’t that just happen to a firm in Cornwall? They were taken to the cleaners by the TC.
If you have an office job just use analogue tachos to record work days, name date, write office over reg and record hours, that’s what I used to do when I had both. Trying to enter digi entries for this could take ages and easy to get it wrong.