passed last week, got an interview tomorrow at Reed Boardall. looking forward to it, does anyone know what to expect? will they take me for an assessment drive? what is the assessment like? first job interview for 20 years, so a bit nervous!!!
Hi Rick, from my understanding they will ask you to reverse into a parking bay, between two trailers, just get it somewhere close and do a shunt to line it up then its out on the road for a short while. Just tell them you trained with Tockwith Training on a full sized artic and they will give you the job, they know us obviously.
If you want a couple of goes at reversing our new volvo globetrotter 90 degrees between two vehicles before you pop down to see them let me know, i’m in the yard tomorrow. Here’s one I took earlier!
cheers! I might just do that!
How did the assessment go?
Yeah Rick, how did it go? Maybe he is out trucking already!
yep, got the job! its a bit of an intimidating place having run my own small business for 20 years and this place is massive! i’m sure i’ll get used to it!
Hope you’ve got plenty in the bank to pay for any damage you’ll be accused of doing. 
Hope you read your contract carefully.
not sure if the company will suit me or me them, but he was quite clear on how and when they charge for damage. i will read the contract carefully, but at the end of the day, it’s full time, permanent employment for someone who passed their test last week. at least im not sat on the dole, struggling. If i dont like it, i’ll stick it til i’ve got enough experience to find someone else to work for. when you say ‘accuse’ have you had a problem in that regard?
What I want to know is why everyone is avoiding asking the most obvious of all questions…
When did you leave Status Quo 
Left hand down!:
Hope you’ve got plenty in the bank to pay for any damage you’ll be accused of doing.
Not sure I understand this ? Why should he have to pay for damages for anyone?
Is this normal to pay for, what to me, are mistakes that happen?
Surely companies absorb this cost. If not every driver in this country would be looking for insurance cover for their day job!
Apparently they do! I don’t like the idea, but most companies want 2 years min experience and they’ll take new drivers.
He even said at the interview ‘no one else will touch you’!
He did say it’s what happens in the yard, pulling of the trailer without dropping the legs or ripping off the suzies or driving off with trailer brakes on and wrecking the tyres. He said if it’s on the road and someone else is involved the insurance takes care of it. He also said not to get stuck trying to turn round in a farm yard instead of looking for a turning place. Basically, don’t do anything daft! I’ve heard good and bad reports about the firm, my first impressions are you are just a payroll number. You take breaks on their terms, but they don’t run bent and is picked the shifts I wanted. They are there to make money and they are giving me a start in the industry. I’m going with an open mind, I’ll soonhave a better idea.
Reef:
What I want to know is why everyone is avoiding asking the most obvious of all questions…When did you leave Status Quo
Ha ha love it - its like the other day when someone called Michael Douglas posted.
tmcassett:
Ha ha love it - its like the other day when someone called Michael Douglas posted.
Was he the Bass player?
Reeds aren’t that bad to work for, keep your head down, crack on and you’ll be okay.
thanks for that! to be honest, it was a bit overwhelming! i’ve spent the last 20 years employing 15 staff, now i’m taking orders in a big firm.
i like the look of the company, they like it clean and tidy, the kit looks very well looked after, and top quality. i dont mind hard graft, and if they want me to pay for damage, they want it to stay that way. ive been driving everything except artics for over 25 years and not damaged anything for silly mistakes, so why start now? i worked in factories before i started on my own and it always feels like this when you join a big firm. if i’m honest, i had a lad who was really good at first, i bought him a transit st and he crashed it over and again, in the end i took his bonus off him to repair it. still didnt learn, he wrote it off!!
They offered me a job but I turned it down
Maybe speak to “Jonnytruckfest” he worked in the office there
rick parfitt:
You take breaks on their terms.
Wait…
What?!
In reply to your other bit, you really do need to read your contract carefully about the damage liability and wage deductions. I think you’ll find the wording disagrees quite considerably from what you’ve been told.
If he’d said to me “no-one else will touch you” at the interview I’d have got up, thanked him for his time and then walked out. What an arrogrant prick. 
Left hand down!:
rick parfitt:
You take breaks on their terms.Wait…
What?!
In reply to your other bit, you really do need to read your contract carefully about the damage liability and wage deductions. I think you’ll find the wording disagrees quite considerably from what you’ve been told.
If he’s said to me “no-one else will touch you” at the interview I’d have got up, thanked him for his time and then walked out. What an arrogrant prick.
Exactly. No one else will touch you? Ha ha more like no one else wants to work for you.