Getting a full time job - how? (class 2)

[carryfast]

the maoster:

Carryfast:
Same challenge applies as Maoster in that case.You’ll obviously have no problem with showing all of these bs numerous available ‘decent’ work opportunities on the numerous job sites and agency ads out there.Yeah right.

I’ve never looked at a job site or looked at an agency ad. Because I’m a normal person who’ll actually get off my arse and create opportunities as opposed to expecting to be spoon fed everything in life good things tend to happen to me.

Perhaps if you weren’t so “woe is me” and learned to wind your neck in a little when dealing with people you just may find similar doors opening for you!

Tell us more about how you,as an employee applicant,would magically ‘create’ a job opportunity,as opposed to an employer advertising a situation vacant.As opposed to the job sites etc in question inconveniently showing the reality of what’s on offer posted by actual employers generically.

Just as the job ads in the local newspaper were the usual go to place before the internet existed.Which is how I didn’t end up among Maggie’s millions in 1980 at least and even owner driver work in most cases still requires contacts like forwarders etc to provide the sub contract ‘opportunities’.

On that note it would be fair to say that the uk road transport industry is infested with crap work and too many drivers looking for too little of the good stuff.With all the resulting elitism and arbitrary favouritism and excessive competition for the limited amount of attractive jobs and others being left with the scraps,that brings with it.

[southwestsam]

Lots of agency bashing here - there are a couple good ones out their but there is a lot of ■■■■ about too just ask about locally people will be able to give you heads up

Sent from my moto e5 plus using Tapatalk

[jimmy_mcnulty]

Carryfast:

Jimmy McNulty:

Carryfast:

Jimmy McNulty:
Mr carryfast your job hunting views are ridiculously skewed I don’t know if this is just you or if it’s due to regional bias as where I am class 1 distance is widely available and I’d know where to look if I wanted longer runs on class 2. As above you could finish a distance job here Monday and be into another Tuesday or even Monday afternoon

How is saying no thanks to handball/local multi drop zb work ‘skewed’.As opposed to just wanting to drive a full loaded truck over a 4.5 hour distance run get tipped load up with another full load and drive for another 4.5 hours back or to somewhere else.

Same challenge applies as Maoster in that case.You’ll obviously have no problem with showing all of these bs numerous available ‘decent’ work opportunities on the numerous job sites and agency ads out there.Yeah right.

I’m not finding a job for you but like I said maybe where you are there isn’t a lot of mid distance work.

As oppose to Yorkshire/North West/Midlands where you can get nearly anywhere and back in a shift. There is also a bigger manufacturing presence.

Maybe you should look at the parcel firms or see what’s happening at the airports

Ironically I don’t need you to find me any job because I was medically retired around 20 years ago after around 15 years of class 1 night trunking much of that with a well known parcel firm after they bought out my previous employers ( mixed parcels/pallets ).

What I do know is that Tufnells are advertising for virtually the same type of work for double the money that I was getting.Having also made it clear in the ad that drivers aren’t expected to be involved in any loading/unloading which is a luxury which for me went when the firm was bought out.Anyway to save you the bother I’ve posted a randomly chosen few jobs from a few pages of typical class 2 work around west yorkshire which of course is an area I know well although I’ve always lived in Surrey.

indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20dr … 40c3ebd102

indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20dr … 19acfecd3c

indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20dr … ac85953522

Although to be fair I did find this which might give some credibility to the geographic thing.Which seems to be saying away on nights out all week.Which I’d still probably go for if I was the OP and if he’s based up Norf.

The problem probably then being the lottery of being chosen from the other 150 + applicants.

indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20dr … 4219536291

Meanwhile this is the type of job ‘opportunities’ which we’ve typically got to put up with and it didn’t take long to find it.I’m guessing no big queue for that at any wage.

indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20dr … 80496e4c52

You just have to phone or turn up at McDowells whether they are advertising or not and you will get a job, there isn’t 150 applicants banging down their door. Same goes for a few of the others, probably harder to get a start on class 2 than 1 mind you in Yorkshire.

[juddian]

Carryfast:

the maoster:

Carryfast:
Same challenge applies as Maoster in that case.You’ll obviously have no problem with showing all of these bs numerous available ‘decent’ work opportunities on the numerous job sites and agency ads out there.Yeah right.

I’ve never looked at a job site or looked at an agency ad. Because I’m a normal person who’ll actually get off my arse and create opportunities as opposed to expecting to be spoon fed everything in life good things tend to happen to me.

Perhaps if you weren’t so “woe is me” and learned to wind your neck in a little when dealing with people you just may find similar doors opening for you!

Tell us more about how you,as an employee applicant,would magically ‘create’ a job opportunity,as opposed to an employer advertising a situation vacant.As opposed to the job sites etc in question inconveniently showing the reality of what’s on offer posted by actual employers generically.

Just as the job ads in the local newspaper were the usual go to place before the internet existed.Which is how I didn’t end up among Maggie’s millions in 1980 at least and even owner driver work in most cases still requires contacts like forwarders etc to provide the sub contract ‘opportunities’.

On that note it would be fair to say that the uk road transport industry is infested with crap work and too many drivers looking for too little of the good stuff.With all the resulting elitism and arbitrary favouritism and excessive competition for the limited amount of attractive jobs and others being left with the scraps,that brings with it.

Its a long term thing this lorry lark, unless you were bestest mates of or the son of a shop steward or similar in a dead mans shoes job, there as no way on this earth of getting a start there as a newish driver.
So what you did instead was learned your trade, met and made a small network of competent like minded drivers, so when one f you landed a decent number and a job came up, then that driver already in place could safely recommend one of the team, knowing that the recommended wouldn’t be a clown who’d spoil the ship.

Lorry world is, or was, smaller than one might imagine, people who take care and look after kit and drive professionally get noticed by other drivers and gaffers alike, those good employers and those who work for them don’t want Smashit Scarper and Sick Note coming to work in a good place, because before you know that good place isn’t any more and then one of the ESDHWINSKIS takes the job over and it’s buggered.

Those who can’t be arsed to up their game, or look after kit, wreck stuff, sickies, awkward belligerent arses etc, ain’t going to find themselves recommended for jobs, they won’t be able to produce a truthful CV that a good gaffer can’t ignore.
Why exactly should the good gaffer want those people, unless you want to become Liverpool in the 70’s, 80’s, when the union told the company who they could employ next…how’s that working out by the way lads?

The few good jobs have to be nurtured, and those who manage to get in have to do their fair best to make it pay, if it pays for the company it’s going to last and pay for them too.

One thing is certain, good employers paying high rates won’t be advertising any time soon, nor will they normally be interested in being the trial employer whilst the new pass learns to drive a lorry or even find out if he/she wants to be a lorry driver once reality kicks in, it’s up to each driver to make the best of themselves to promote their own job prospects.

[carryfast]

Juddian:

Carryfast:
On that note it would be fair to say that the uk road transport industry is infested with crap work and too many drivers looking for too little of the good stuff.With all the resulting elitism and arbitrary favouritism and excessive competition for the limited amount of attractive jobs and others being left with the scraps,that brings with it.

Its a long term thing this lorry lark, unless you were bestest mates of or the son of a shop steward or similar in a dead mans shoes job, there as no way on this earth of getting a start there as a newish driver.
So what you did instead was learned your trade, met and made a small network of competent like minded drivers, so when one f you landed a decent number and a job came up, then that driver already in place could safely recommend one of the team, knowing that the recommended wouldn’t be a clown who’d spoil the ship.

Lorry world is, or was, smaller than one might imagine, people who take care and look after kit and drive professionally get noticed by other drivers and gaffers alike, those good employers and those who work for them don’t want Smashit Scarper and Sick Note coming to work in a good place, because before you know that good place isn’t any more and then one of the ESDHWINSKIS takes the job over and it’s buggered.

Those who can’t be arsed to up their game, or look after kit, wreck stuff, sickies, awkward belligerent arses etc, ain’t going to find themselves recommended for jobs, they won’t be able to produce a truthful CV that a good gaffer can’t ignore.
Why exactly should the good gaffer want those people, unless you want to become Liverpool in the 70’s, 80’s, when the union told the company who they could employ next…how’s that working out by the way lads?

The few good jobs have to be nurtured, and those who manage to get in have to do their fair best to make it pay, if it pays for the company it’s going to last and pay for them too.

One thing is certain, good employers paying high rates won’t be advertising any time soon, nor will they normally be interested in being the trial employer whilst the new pass learns to drive a lorry or even find out if he/she wants to be a lorry driver once reality kicks in, it’s up to each driver to make the best of themselves to promote their own job prospects.

Doesn’t that just confirm what I’ve said.So by your logic the poor new driver starting out gets lumbered with all the zb work because others in the know form a small clique who think they have a god given right to take and hold onto all the good stuff and the employers go along with it.

While we also end up with a situation in which the better jobs want drivers who’ve got their ‘experience’ some where else you know like like driving a building deliveries wagon or zb retail multi drop etc etc or if they are really lucky a job on the council.Then when those drivers go for the good stuff they are told sorry that experience ain’t good enough for our needs ( more like you’re not considered good enough for us ) and we only employ mates of mates on that basis anyway,so zb off.

Meanwhile potential new young drivers rightly get more and more disillusioned by all this if not hear the reality on the grape vine before they even start and say to hell with the whole corrupt scam and look for something else instead.

From what I’ve seen often competing with forced out of retirement ex truck drivers like me for car driving work at the local garages and fleet movement firms for one example and who can blame them.

[carryfast]

Jimmy McNulty:

Carryfast:
Although to be fair I did find this which might give some credibility to the geographic thing.Which seems to be saying away on nights out all week.Which I’d still probably go for if I was the OP and if he’s based up Norf.

The problem probably then being the lottery of being chosen from the other 150 + applicants.

indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20dr … 4219536291

Meanwhile this is the type of job ‘opportunities’ which we’ve typically got to put up with and it didn’t take long to find it.I’m guessing no big queue for that at any wage.

indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=hgv%20dr … 80496e4c52

You just have to phone or turn up at McDowells whether they are advertising or not and you will get a job, there isn’t 150 applicants banging down their door. Same goes for a few of the others, probably harder to get a start on class 2 than 1 mind you in Yorkshire.

Blimey the ad reads ok. Certainly when compared to the example I provided of the usual stuff on offer around here and even the rest of the ‘opportunities’ which I posted up there too.

[the_maoster]

Carryfast:

the maoster:

Carryfast:
Same challenge applies as Maoster in that case.You’ll obviously have no problem with showing all of these bs numerous available ‘decent’ work opportunities on the numerous job sites and agency ads out there.Yeah right.

I’ve never looked at a job site or looked at an agency ad. Because I’m a normal person who’ll actually get off my arse and create opportunities as opposed to expecting to be spoon fed everything in life good things tend to happen to me.

Perhaps if you weren’t so “woe is me” and learned to wind your neck in a little when dealing with people you just may find similar doors opening for you!

Tell us more about how you,as an employee applicant,would magically ‘create’ a job opportunity,as opposed to an employer advertising a situation vacant.As opposed to the job sites etc in question inconveniently showing the reality of what’s on offer posted by actual employers generically.

Just as the job ads in the local newspaper were the usual go to place before the internet existed.Which is how I didn’t end up among Maggie’s millions in 1980 at least and even owner driver work in most cases still requires contacts like forwarders etc to provide the sub contract ‘opportunities’.

On that note it would be fair to say that the uk road transport industry is infested with crap work and too many drivers looking for too little of the good stuff.With all the resulting elitism and arbitrary favouritism and excessive competition for the limited amount of attractive jobs and others being left with the scraps,that brings with it.

Seriously mate everything you’ve written is word soup. Like everything you post it’s half arsed gibberish, a weird kind of stream of consciousness diatribe.

It all boils down to your victim complex and the fact that you’re bone idle and for some bizarre reason think that the world owes you something. I’ve got news for you, it doesn’t, deal with it .

[carryfast]

the maoster:

Carryfast:
On that note it would be fair to say that the uk road transport industry is infested with crap work

It all boils down to your victim complex and the fact that you’re bone idle and for some bizarre reason think that the world owes you something. I’ve got news for you, it doesn’t, deal with it .

I certainly wouldn’t be applying for that local job which I posted assuming I was 21 again if that’s what you mean.While also doing a great job of confirming exactly what I said assuming you can actually read which seems doubtful so far.

On that note the tramping job certainly doesn’t say only the bone idle need apply.

[grandpa]

ETS:
Sooo so so sick of agencies with their constant lying, not paying 100% of what was promised, cancelled shifts etc. - anyone who’s been through that route know the story.

Been trying to get a full time job or at least an interview but even got a response from any of the places I’ve sent my CV+cover letter to, mainly via indeed.crap who keep spamming my email with “offers” but no one ever as much as acknowledges my applications…I’m too shy and not that desperate to go knock on doors, besides my CV isn’t that impressive with 0 prior driving related experience. HGV driving 8 months, that’s it.

I was feeding some feint hopes for the current place i’m at but considering there are less than 10 drivers there who are on a perm contract I don’t see it happening as there are agency drivers who’ve been at the place way longer than me and no mention of a full time position.

Me being picky about the kind of work I’m willing to do doesn’t help either

Right now it seems my only option is to wait for my credit card to arrive and see if it’ll have enough of a limit to cover a class 1 course + test. Class 2 work has brought me nothing but disappointment and mediocrity but at least it got me into the “world” of trucking. Then again, thinking about it class 1 is an extra £1-2 per hour and it’s a more difficult task to drive + maneuver an artic. At a £1500 cost that’s an extra 750-1500 hours or up to 30 weeks of steady 50hrs a week work just to pay back for the training (/wo interest) and that’s if I don’t go Stobbart which I’ll probably have to as there’s no way I’m going back to agency once I get my full license.

For what it’s worth sending out resumes (not CVs) doesn’t work and especially with limited experience as it simply exposes that inexperience even more.

Agencies have contracts, just like companies and they put their long term drivers on the best contracts; the newbies get the odds and sods that no one else wants. It’s a bit like the jobcenter who advertise those jobs no reasonable human being would touch with a bargepole!

I’m probably a voice in the wilderness as I had no problems with agencies years ago and I don’t suppose they’ve changed much. I think the mistake often made is that people tend to treat agencies as a regular employer, which is what they’re not, but can be if approached the right way. The way I did it is to initially take whatever was available and over a couple of weeks you’ll find the one you like. A quality personal business card to the transport manager after you finish the shift (they’re not expensive), together with a smile and thanking him for the available work and reminding them that you’re available the next day. Stand out from the usual crowd and you will be remembered. It just takes time, with no accidents, a pleasant personality and do the job well, which is all a company are looking for and very soon the employers will begin to ask the agency for you by name and your reputation will grow, as will the amount of quality work.

I’ve never done class 2 so I can’t comment on that, but if you go class 1 concentrate on the multinationals and supermarkets who employ 24/7 and don’t waste your time on profit margin general haulage. You are not going to replace old Fred who’s been there 20 years and is on sick for a few days. Initially, in the first few weeks be flexible and if means getting out of bed at 2am for that desperate delivery no one else will do, do it and you will be remembered for it. I’m sure many will disagree with all this, but that’s the way I used to do it and will be using the same approach shortly. Sincerely, good luck with it whatever decision you make.

[grandpa]

Seriously mate everything you’ve written is word soup. Like everything you post it’s half arsed gibberish, a weird kind of stream of consciousness diatribe.

It all boils down to your victim complex and the fact that you’re bone idle and for some bizarre reason think that the world owes you something. I’ve got news for you, it doesn’t, deal with it .

I’m glad someone else noticed. I thought it was just me.

[lolipop]

Grandpa:

ETS:
Sooo so so sick of agencies with their constant lying, not paying 100% of what was promised, cancelled shifts etc. - anyone who’s been through that route know the story.

Been trying to get a full time job or at least an interview but even got a response from any of the places I’ve sent my CV+cover letter to, mainly via indeed.crap who keep spamming my email with “offers” but no one ever as much as acknowledges my applications…I’m too shy and not that desperate to go knock on doors, besides my CV isn’t that impressive with 0 prior driving related experience. HGV driving 8 months, that’s it.

I was feeding some feint hopes for the current place i’m at but considering there are less than 10 drivers there who are on a perm contract I don’t see it happening as there are agency drivers who’ve been at the place way longer than me and no mention of a full time position.

Me being picky about the kind of work I’m willing to do doesn’t help either

Right now it seems my only option is to wait for my credit card to arrive and see if it’ll have enough of a limit to cover a class 1 course + test. Class 2 work has brought me nothing but disappointment and mediocrity but at least it got me into the “world” of trucking. Then again, thinking about it class 1 is an extra £1-2 per hour and it’s a more difficult task to drive + maneuver an artic. At a £1500 cost that’s an extra 750-1500 hours or up to 30 weeks of steady 50hrs a week work just to pay back for the training (/wo interest) and that’s if I don’t go Stobbart which I’ll probably have to as there’s no way I’m going back to agency once I get my full license.

For what it’s worth sending out resumes (not CVs) doesn’t work and especially with limited experience as it simply exposes that inexperience even more.

Agencies have contracts, just like companies and they put their long term drivers on the best contracts; the newbies get the odds and sods that no one else wants. It’s a bit like the jobcenter who advertise those jobs no reasonable human being would touch with a bargepole!

I’m probably a voice in the wilderness as I had no problems with agencies years ago and I don’t suppose they’ve changed much. I think the mistake often made is that people tend to treat agencies as a regular employer, which is what they’re not, but can be if approached the right way. The way I did it is to initially take whatever was available and over a couple of weeks you’ll find the one you like. A quality personal business card to the transport manager after you finish the shift (they’re not expensive), together with a smile and thanking him for the available work and reminding them that you’re available the next day. Stand out from the usual crowd and you will be remembered. It just takes time, with no accidents, a pleasant personality and do the job well, which is all a company are looking for and very soon the employers will begin to ask the agency for you by name and your reputation will grow, as will the amount of quality work.

I’ve never done class 2 so I can’t comment on that, but if you go class 1 concentrate on the multinationals and supermarkets who employ 24/7 and don’t waste your time on profit margin general haulage. You are not going to replace old Fred who’s been there 20 years and is on sick for a few days. Initially, in the first few weeks be flexible and if means getting out of bed at 2am for that desperate delivery no one else will do, do it and you will be remembered for it. I’m sure many will disagree with all this, but that’s the way I used to do it and will be using the same approach shortly. Sincerely, good luck with it whatever decision you make.

I agree with what you say I was on Agency for 4 years always earned well without getting into debt. Did nearly 3 years via the Agency for a well known High St company before being handed an application form. After 17 years permanent with them I retired.
Previously it was one job after another moving onto something better each time,it was not always grass being greener on the other side,BUT I was not expecting to get the “cream” jobs straight off it was a case of moving up the ladder as “new” drivers started.

[carryfast]

Grandpa:
For what it’s worth sending out resumes (not CVs) doesn’t work and especially with limited experience as it simply exposes that inexperience even more.

Agencies have contracts, just like companies and they put their long term drivers on the best contracts; the newbies get the odds and sods that no one else wants. It’s a bit like the jobcenter who advertise those jobs no reasonable human being would touch with a bargepole!

I’m probably a voice in the wilderness as I had no problems with agencies years ago and I don’t suppose they’ve changed much. I think the mistake often made is that people tend to treat agencies as a regular employer, which is what they’re not, but can be if approached the right way. The way I did it is to initially take whatever was available and over a couple of weeks you’ll find the one you like. A quality personal business card to the transport manager after you finish the shift (they’re not expensive), together with a smile and thanking him for the available work and reminding them that you’re available the next day. Stand out from the usual crowd and you will be remembered. It just takes time, with no accidents, a pleasant personality and do the job well, which is all a company are looking for and very soon the employers will begin to ask the agency for you by name and your reputation will grow, as will the amount of quality work.

I’ve never done class 2 so I can’t comment on that, but if you go class 1 concentrate on the multinationals and supermarkets who employ 24/7 and don’t waste your time on profit margin general haulage. You are not going to replace old Fred who’s been there 20 years and is on sick for a few days. Initially, in the first few weeks be flexible and if means getting out of bed at 2am for that desperate delivery no one else will do, do it and you will be remembered for it. I’m sure many will disagree with all this, but that’s the way I used to do it and will be using the same approach shortly. Sincerely, good luck with it whatever decision you make.

How do you jump from the correct conclusion that it’s the agency that decides who does what to it then suddenly being the clients.

You obviously didn’t read my example in which the client requested that I’d be put long term on a decent job which I liked.But the agency decided otherwise obviously because of the exact issue of internal politics and pecking orders which you’re defending.The fact is there should be no bs pecking orders let alone the problem of a transport industry disproportionately infested with so much zb work and not enough good stuff.The result being an industry starved of new applicants and/or those it’s got often rightly walking away disillusioned with the whole thing.

On that note there is a limit to the patience of anyone lumbered with the fact that Jobcentres and Agencies are full of work which as you rightly say no reasonable person would touch with a barge pole.In this case often to the point of questioning why this particular career if the down sides reach the point of outweighing the good sides.The main,if not only,good side of the job,being the basic premise that driving an HGV will create plenty of opportunities to get out and about on the open road and without breaking your body acting as a human handling device doing it.One of my laughable recent experiences in that regard was attending an agency’s office regarding a typically bs advert for non HGV work and seeing a big glossy picture of an artic on an open,I think foreign,road in the office ( the obvious inference being fooling new hopefuls that there might be the chance of international work on offer ) and then later seeing an advert posted by the same agency for you’ve guessed it class 2 local building delivery work.

[juddian]

Carryfast:

Juddian:

Carryfast:
On that note it would be fair to say that the uk road transport industry is infested with crap work and too many drivers looking for too little of the good stuff.With all the resulting elitism and arbitrary favouritism and excessive competition for the limited amount of attractive jobs and others being left with the scraps,that brings with it.

Doesn’t that just confirm what I’ve said.So by your logic the poor new driver starting out gets lumbered with all the zb work because others in the know form a small clique who think they have a god given right to take and hold onto all the good stuff and the employers go along with it.

While we also end up with a situation in which the better jobs want drivers who’ve got their ‘experience’ some where else you know like like driving a building deliveries wagon or zb retail multi drop etc etc or if they are really lucky a job on the council.Then when those drivers go for the good stuff they are told sorry that experience ain’t good enough for our needs ( more like you’re not considered good enough for us ) and we only employ mates of mates on that basis anyway,so zb off.

Meanwhile potential new young drivers rightly get more and more disillusioned by all this if not hear the reality on the grape vine before they even start and say to hell with the whole corrupt scam and look for something else instead.

From what I’ve seen often competing with forced out of retirement ex truck drivers like me for car driving work at the local garages and fleet movement firms for one example and who can blame them.

For crying out loud CF, we were all new drivers at some point, we didn’t walk into top rate jobs we had to earn our spurs.
So because snowflake syndrome is now fashionable, the new lads have to be offered the cream straight from their 4 days lorry driving apprenticeship…give me a break

The good new lads, just like we did back in the day, will find their feet and get on the better work, some won’t, just like it’s always been, those good lads won’t be offering their plum jobs up on a free for all either.

[grandpa]

How do you jump from the correct conclusion that it’s the agency that decides who does what to it then suddenly being the clients.

You obviously didn’t read my example in which the client requested that I’d be put long term on a decent job which I liked.But the agency decided otherwise obviously because of the exact issue of internal politics and pecking orders which you’re defending.The fact is there should be no bs pecking orders let alone the problem of a transport industry disproportionately infested with so much zb work and not enough good stuff.The result being an industry starved of new applicants and/or those it’s got often rightly walking away disillusioned with the whole thing.

On that note there is a limit to the patience of anyone lumbered with the fact that Jobcentres and Agencies are full of work which as you rightly say no reasonable person would touch with a barge pole.In this case often to the point of questioning why this particular career if the down sides reach the point of outweighing the good sides.The main,if not only,good side of the job,being the basic premise that driving an HGV will create plenty of opportunities to get out and about on the open road and without breaking your body acting as a human handling device doing it.One of my laughable recent experiences in that regard was attending an agency’s office regarding a typically bs advert for non HGV work and seeing a big glossy picture of an artic on an open,I think foreign,road in the office ( the obvious inference being fooling new hopefuls that there might be the chance of international work on offer ) and then later seeing an advert posted by the same agency for you’ve guessed it class 2 local building delivery work.

Carryfast, I read what you say, but if I took any notice their might be the possibility I’d catch the same verbal diarrhea you have. It’s a wonder anyone ever offered you a job, they must have been bloody desperate.

[carryfast]

Juddian:
For crying out loud CF, we were all new drivers at some point, we didn’t walk into top rate jobs we had to earn our spurs.
So because snowflake syndrome is now fashionable, the new lads have to be offered the cream straight from their 4 days lorry driving apprenticeship…give me a break

The good new lads, just like we did back in the day, will find their feet and get on the better work, some won’t, just like it’s always been, those good lads won’t be offering their plum jobs up on a free for all either.

That’s the same logic as saying that only a few selected customers with a club card can buy cream at the supermarket to put on their strawberries or trifle.Everyone else can only have skimmed milk or nothing.What could possibly go wrong.

As opposed to the supermarket will have to order in more cream on the shelves so that everyone who wants/needs it can have it.While if not enough customers are buying/want all the milk then the supermarket will just have to reduce its bleedin stock of the stuff.Not try to force those who’s face doesn’t fit when they walk through the door,to buy it.To which your idea is let’s add the insult of calling the ‘wrong’ customers snowflakes to the injury of telling them that they can put milk on their strawberries or trifle or go somewhere else.Which probably explains why even the Polish here would rather deliver cars for the local garage or work for uber driving a taxi if not go home for better work.Than drive a zb hiab truck around the local housing estates delivering bricks,sand and bleedin scaffolding for the whole of their career.While the chosen few moan about too long away from home living in a truck.

[winseer]

When I first tried out Agency, I ended up with Blue Arrow who charged me £27 for a payslip which they assured me would leave me better off. I was £27 per week worse off of course, and most of the time - I was only getting one or two shifts per week to boot, meaning that £27 deduction was something like nearly 20% of my wages… Time spent here 6 months.

Then I moved to Extrastaff who paid me gross with no deductions at all - but the taxman caught up with me, and I ended up paying WI taxes with no rebates. Time spent here 1 year.

I then settled for SMS Drive Force, an agency outlet for Mainstream-booked drivers. These mucked me about little, and the hourly rate could have been higher than it was - but the work was regular. I stayed there for 4 years, so it couldn’t have been that bad.

I tried Manpower, but they seemed unreliable in the end with no work other than their main client. Good whilst it lasted, but not reliable enough for a full time wage needed each and every week. Time spent there - <six months.

I am now at Staffline, whom I’ve not had any problems with, other than turnover of the actual agency staff leading to a few missed messages here and there. I don’t blame them for that though.

The main “lie” I got from those agencies I was with at first was that there was “always loads of work, ongoingly” which often turned into “The work has dried up at our higher-paying clients straight away, because your pecking order is too low, BUT we’ll always have some NMW shifts for you at some skinflint outfit - which we’ll give you 50-60 hours per week at, if you’re mug enough not to realize what a con that represents…”

The main tips I’d give to those wanting to avoid the pitfalls of agencies are:

(1) Tell them what your minimum working rate is - and STICK to it. This means turning down shifts that are outside your comfort zone pay-wise.
(2) Insist on PAYE so you don’t end up paying their stamp for them.
(3) Refuse to join any umbrella/salary sacrifice scheme, although by this point - that should be obvious from all the horror stories one reads on this very site on this issue.
(4) Insist on 24 hours notice for a shift unless it is at a premium rate of pay. You should have a life outside of work - so stick to it!
(5) Don’t take assignments over 45 minutes commute away from where you live. That range extends at night of course, because there’s less traffic congestion…
(6) Switch your phone off whilst travelling into work. It is the agency’s job to cancel you before you set off, and many agencies have a policy of a minimum set of paid hours - should you be cancelled by the client upon arrival at the workplace.
(7) Get your assignments via email rather than by phone text (Both is OK, but never accept “text only”) A stand-in member of staff - is more likely to have access to your email address for updates to your starting time - than access to your mobile number to send you a text asking you to come in later/earlier. Also, insist on not letting the agency move your start time by more than 2 hours either way. There’s nothing worse than about to leave for work @ noon for a 13:00 start, only to be put back to 21:00 meaning your now going to turn up for work “jet-lagged” which is not safe!
(8) Always try to have at least one face-to-face meeting with agency admin staff per week, even if it is just when you hand your timesheets in.
(9) Everyone and his dog wants the proverbial “9-5 monday-friday shifts”. If you make yourself available for the more awkward start times - then guess what? - You’ll get more regular work, and more OF it.

Full time job? - I took a job at Brakes after being put in there three years on agency, and it was for the same money, but with guaranteed regular hours. I wouldn’t want to do the same now though, as it would involve a paycut, and being obliged to work some shifts that don’t agree with me at all, such as Monday-Friday am starts… I’m quite happy where I am, choosing the hours and days I want to work then. It will probably be some time before a job comes along offering me full time at something better. Since the start of this year, the fewest shifts I’ve had in a week is three, and the most is five. I’ve had one effective unplanned “Night out” because of a breakdown which I got paid for. No Complaints! My main problem at present is how to keep my earnings down so I don’t keep breaking into 45% tax as I was temporarily doing whilst working two jobs over Christmas at the premium rates… The worst thing that could happen to me government-upheaval wise isn’t “Brexit” or lack thereof… It is the Labour talk of “abolishing Zero Hours Contracts” which puts agency people like me in the position of “accept a full time job for lower pay, or no full time job at ALL”. No thanks Labour!

Those people who have had the worst experiences of agency work - will likely be those first starting out, and later just those who are not really flexible enough to get on with agency.
Be available Nights and Weekends - and it is plain sailing however. Works for me!

[winseer]

The £650-£950pw one sees in these “Indeed” adverts - is "What you get for working 12-12-12-12-12 Monday-Friday upto 15-15-15-13-13-13 working across a bank holiday weekend. The hourly rate could be as low as £9-£10ph here described in the advert as “Significantly higher than NMW”.

Don’t go by the gross pay - go by the hourly rate.

The difference? - Rush Rush Rush - vs being able to afford yourself the luxury of driving safely, because you know you’re being paid by the hour, where rushing gives you an effective pay cut…

[juddian]

Carryfast:

Juddian:

That’s the same logic as saying that only a few selected customers with a club card can buy cream at the supermarket to put on their strawberries or trifle.Everyone else can only have skimmed milk or nothing.What could possibly go wrong.

As opposed to the supermarket will have to order in more cream on the shelves so that everyone who wants/needs it can have it.While if not enough customers are buying/want all the milk then the supermarket will just have to reduce its bleedin stock of the stuff.Not try to force those who’s face doesn’t fit when they walk through the door,to buy it.To which your idea is let’s add the insult of calling the ‘wrong’ customers snowflakes to the injury of telling them that they can put milk on their strawberries or trifle or go somewhere else.Which probably explains why even the Polish here would rather deliver cars for the local garage or work for uber driving a taxi if not go home for better work.Than drive a zb hiab truck around the local housing estates delivering bricks,sand and bleedin scaffolding for the whole of their career.While the chosen few moan about too long away from home living in a truck.

I give up with you CF, but now you’ve got it down to customers and those serving the customer, we are getting somewhere.

Drivers are not the customer, the company employing drivers is the driver’s customer, as such the customer has the choice to buy exactly what they want, piled high and sold cheap which often results in buying several times due to the purchase breaking (the employers fleet/buildings) or being unfit for use in the first place.
The more discerning customer who invests heavily in their fleet and operation isn’t going to ruin his operation buying untested unproven drivers, he buys once after sifting through what’s available out there.

There is no queue for the better jobs as such, there is no list of who’s turn it is, those paying well will always, if they have an ounce of sense, cherry pick.
They don’t always get it right by cherry picking of course, because people selling themselves don’t usually let on they can’t go a week without hitting things or they have a bad attitude and will ■■■■ the operator’s customers off or they’ll be on the sick…and the latter is the big problem because proper companies pay sick from day one and the usual suspects can’t help themselves taking the ■■■■.
And that is why those with existing proven work histories are the ones most likely to get taken on by the better operators, someone who’s checkable CV shows none of the above traits is most unlikely to suddenly morph into a liability
The new and younger drivers will have to do what the rest of us did, start where they can, skill themselves up look after the kit and stay accident free, specialise is a good move onto something requiring more nous than just attending a steering wheel, and once they have proved what they are capable of they will find that good employers won’t be able to get them in the door quickly enough.

[carryfast]

Juddian:
I give up with you CF, but now you’ve got it down to customers and those serving the customer, we are getting somewhere.

Drivers are not the customer, the company employing drivers is the driver’s customer, as such the customer has the choice to buy exactly what they want, piled high and sold cheap which often results in buying several times due to the purchase breaking (the employers fleet/buildings) or being unfit for use in the first place.
The more discerning customer who invests heavily in their fleet and operation isn’t going to ruin his operation buying untested unproven drivers, he buys once after sifting through what’s available out there.

There is no queue for the better jobs as such, there is no list of who’s turn it is, those paying well will always, if they have an ounce of sense, cherry pick.
They don’t always get it right by cherry picking of course, because people selling themselves don’t usually let on they can’t go a week without hitting things or they have a bad attitude and will ■■■■ the operator’s customers off or they’ll be on the sick…and the latter is the big problem because proper companies pay sick from day one and the usual suspects can’t help themselves taking the ■■■■.
And that is why those with existing proven work histories are the ones most likely to get taken on by the better operators, someone who’s checkable CV shows none of the above traits is most unlikely to suddenly morph into a liability
The new and younger drivers will have to do what the rest of us did, start where they can, skill themselves up look after the kit and stay accident free, specialise is a good move onto something requiring more nous than just attending a steering wheel, and once they have proved what they are capable of they will find that good employers won’t be able to get them in the door quickly enough.

In this analogy it’s actually the job ‘advertiser’ who’s trying to ‘sell’ their job to a prospective applicant.While it’s the applicant who chooses whether to accept ( ‘buy’ ) the job from the employer.So here we are with loads of job sites filled with loads of zb work which no one with any sense wants and job advertisers moaning about a driver shortage.

Which explains why even the East Euro immigrant workforce are either going home disillusioned,having seen the reality of what’s on offer here,if not competing with retirees for car driving jobs.On the correct premise that the whole UK transport industry has mostly now descended into a,boring for anyone who actually likes driving places,local multi drop or building materials delivery operation,often involving drivers and their spines being used as human forklifts.With what’s left subject to your elitist face fits driver recruitment ideas,conveniently painting anyone who’s face doesn’t fit as incompetent fools,unless you personally decide otherwise in them being part of the right clique.

Which seems to match what the OP is moaning about.IE too little decent work on offer and too much crap.To which your answer is no problem just apply even more onerous,let alone unfair, recruitment policies to what decent work that might be out there.On the basis of all new drivers are fools,( but who can still conveniently be trusted to drive and park a 26 tonner in a crowded housing estate and drop a tonne of bricks into someones garden with a crane,surrounded by parked cars,without damaging anything ),and can stay on that for the rest of their career unless you decide otherwise.That’ll fix it.

[commonrail]

It’s not…what yer know
It’s who yer know

As we go about our lorry driving careers,we make friends.
Some of those friends,might secure the best paying,jobs in the area…and put you a word in.
Other friends may arse lick their way up the corporate ladder…and be in a position to do you a favour.

It’s taken me 12 years,to get the lucky break
Better late than never.