Hi everyone,
I have had my licence for a number of years now, from driving in the TA and have cat c+e, though I’m looking for Cat C work.
I live in Sunderland and I have tried to get some work via agencies but they say employers only take on experienced drivers.
being a bit of a chicken and egg situation, can anynone tell me where I can get started commercially if employers only want experienced drivers?
I was also told there is a shortage of drivers but if that’s the case, why don’t they take on “rookies”
Hi Coaster, welcome to the forum.
A lot of companies request a 2 year minimum experience period, not sure why maybe insurance? it is a pain but a fence that can be cleared. There are several posts on here somewhere (Sam Millar I think) telling of how individuals, through sheer perseverance and leg work, have landed themselves work by going direct to lots of local employers and showing a really strong interest…and keeping going back! Your military experience may help here!
Being 9 million miles from Sunderland I don’t know of the driver vacancy situation up there but I would suggest you keep up with the agencies as an ‘at least’ and get on a few books. When the companies need a load shifting and have run out of drivers the 2 year suggestion seems to disappear.
I’m registered with 4 agencies here and receive work regularly from 2 of them…the 2 year thing has reared its head but there are a lot of companies out there, through agencies, who are willing to give newbies (i know you are not a newbie as such 
) a go…and remember, it is now the run towards Krimble, more stuff will need to get delivered!
Best of luck
Tazbug
I’d second that - agencies will tell you about the two year issue but if they need a driver strangely the problem vanishes. I got my C in December and E in March, signed up with 2 agencies and said I’d do anything any time - only got a few drives but then managed to get an assessment on milk tankers and then managed to get work through one agency with a firm that did other work too. I took the view that I had to get the experience and the miles on artics so worked for £85 to £90 a shift (mostly nights and a lot of 2 am starts etc), most of the shifts were over 12 hours, so they were doing well out of me. As the yard was an hours drive I’ve put in a lot of hours! Milk tanker trunk runs and parcel work in the main. I didn’t really turn down any shift even if it was a pain in the arse or the hours were daft.
Now having done that for several months I’ve been able to get an assessment with a local firm, 15 minutes away which pays £10.50 an hour for nights, and am now driving for them, again artic work, trunk runs up from Wiltshire to Widnes and Doncaster. Next week they are trying me out on days…
If you’re a bit older and have other experience it definitely counts in your favour so you need to stress that with the agency. Good luck with it.
Same boat, newly passed, still have my current job. But still temping 3/4 evenings a week. Signed upto 12 agencies as I had limited hours and days I could work. Mostly turning work down and basically picking the best work. You have to put the hours in. Insurance doesn’t seem to be a problem, picked up the keys to a brand new actros the other day.
Call companies direct, just because they’ve got a fancy website and pictures of their flagship motors on the front page doesnt mean anything, you may find you have to work for a company with a bad rep but once your on the ladder your laughing. Quite often the companies that you least suspect are the ones that are crying out for drivers. In the last week ive been told of two firms that are desperate for drivers.
When you call these people dont turn around and say i only work mon-sat etc, tell them you’ll do anything thats required, max hours, night shifts, day shifts, tramping, weekends away, anything they want. There are alot of companies that want switched on people that do as their told without question.
Have called most comp in North East today & guess what no jobs
I know of 2 drivers that have left 1 of the larger transport comp & they not replacing them also another comp a driver has left & they not replacing
No not a shortage of drivers not sure who told you this maybe a shortage of jobs
The 2 years experience at 1 time was how long you held your licence but not now they want to know how mush driving experience have you got
If I here of anything will let you know
another thing i notice is thay want the nitty gritty details… like what sort of loads, strapping methods etc…
Turned down for the co-op driving 7.5 tonners as there’s “more experienced drivers”
I’ll be trying another agency soon
Lol @ “shortage of drivers”, cracks me up every time I hear it. It’s the classic bait line they use to get that grand or so worth of money out of ya for trainig/medical/licence etc… and people are still falling for it.
Trust me, there’s no shortage of steering wheel attendants.
There’s a shortage of jobs.
And anything you end up finding - if you’re lucky -, will still be paying you peanuts.
best thing ive learnt is its more who you know than what you know, since passing in may been offered 3 c+e jobs non which i applied for and ones i had applied for all say no because of no experience.
been offered all different sorts, bulk tippers, general and containers all because i know people who already work doing them and asked there boss if any jobs so gave me chance before they advertised it
I was in a similar position a year ago, (ish). I got my C, couldn’t find any work, so went for my +E. As soon as I passed I arranged an assessment with a major, multi-national logistics and haulage company and landed a Zero Hours position.
Since then, I have spent 15 days, not including weekends, without work.
It gets a bit worrying in early Janurary, when the work is really slow, but most of the time they are giving me full working weeks and still subbing out runs to other companies. The work is good too, mostly trunks or full loads. Occasionally they send me out on night network, (multi drop, unattended deliveries), which I really don’t enjoy, but I am getting the experience that I need to move on when the chance arises.
Most of the bigger companies will have a procedure for getting new drivers into work. You just have to prove yourself.