Reading through posts on here as to wether there are jobs for newbies and are they any good , I felt the need to post .
After passing my C license I got a job for a family firm and when 2 months later I passed my c+e I got to drive their artic . It was only once a fortnight covering the regular drivers 45 hr break but at least I was out in the artic , unfortunately it was down to London and back with the only reversing being to back onto the bay back at depot . At the end of last year I applied to a local haulage firm and got a job with them the vast majority of work being shunting between 2 sites all this having made clear that although I’d had my license a year I hadn’t really driven a lot . Anyway in the last couple of months I have learnt so much about the reversing and spaces that an artic can turn in that I now realise what I was doing going to London and back was an absolute doddle .
My point being that there are reliable haulage firms prepared to take on new drivers principally being they can train you to drive the way they want .
So don’t give up hope all experience behind the wheel counts .
Couldn’t agree more. I passed my cat C last year and over Christmas found a job with a small local firm that was expanding their operators license. I already had my C+E booked and passed just before I was due to start, even though I’m on an 8 wheel tipper he’s planning to expand into artics later in the year and as his only driver with the license and his others happy where they are, I’m first in the queue for a go in it.
I never expected to be so lucky finding work and despite the training companies telling me there was loads of jobs out there I still expected to have a hard time. I’ve been welcomed and treated as an equal despite being the newbie and was impressed with how keen they were to get me trained up and part of the team. The boss even said if I realised tippers weren’t for me after a few months there’s no problem and he’s happy to let me gain some experience and try a different branch of the hgv tree.
The good employers are out there!