Class 2 - Told the day before my test that I had a run set for me the day after in the Class 2.
Class 1 - I was basically out of work as the Class 2 was going, so that was my motivation, couldnt fault it, got a couple of days out training then thrown in on full money.
Even thought I left I cant fault the chance they gave me.
PS, any jobs going 
Got my first Class 1 job through my dad, who at the time was a TM for a bulk firm. stayed at it for 8 months then moved out on my own, still on bulk work n love it 
Passed my test with Peter Lane Transport back in 1987 and they also had an agency business running along side their transport company and they promised me work on the agency side and far play they kept true to their word and gave me loads of work straight from passing my test.
alamcculloch:
It was the agency route for me.Lots of guys on here bad mouth the agencies ,but who else will give a noob the chance.
Agreed; thatâs how I started.
If you delve a bit deeper into the agency knockers, you tend to find that a large percentage of them either never worked for an agency,have such an over-inflated opinion of their own ability,skills and earning potential that no sane consultant would touch them with a long disinfected bargepole, or are terminally workshy anyway.
There are rogue agencies, yes, and the sooner those type go bust the better; but there are some bloody awful drivers out there as well and I donât mean just in their ability to steer a lorry.
When I did my class2, there wasnât that much work in my available time slots, and to be honest I wasnât terribly bothered anyway as I was a part-time wrecker driver at that time and made better money doing just that. It was only a nessesary evil to me as I wanted to do my class 1 ultimately. Once I got my class 1, I got plenty of work, I was turning more away than I was doing, still on a part-time basis. During that time 2.5 years, I was looking for a suitible full time driving job without that much success, usual things like not enough experience ect.ect. Iâve been on my present full-time job, (which is my first), for nearly four and a half years. Iâm pretty sure that I could have got a full time job sooner but I wasnât going to sacrifice living standards to acheive it. So I stuck it out till the right paying one came along 
albion:
One of our guys was a van driver, decided to take his Class 1 off his own bat, when a vacancy came up, we moved him from the vans to the trailer. I think itâs a route worth looking at even if van driving is not your burning ambition.the two rule thing, is usually set by the insurance companies. The difference on our policy was an additional ÂŁ500.00 excess - it might be worth saying that you are prepared to pay the extra in the event of an accident, it might swing things in your favour.
unfortunatly this wont work as trucks in larger firms are insured as a whole and the 500 exess goes across the whole fleet not individual driver so every bump pays the extra 500
Passed my test 11 years ago on a tuesday saw job in wednesdayâs paper rung up went to see them on thursday and started friday,only stayed 2 weeks hated it rung tanker firm up before i left and got job there finnished 1 on friday started 2nd on monday stayed 8 years,best job iâve ever had.
im still hoping to find that luck!1 passed my class 2 4th january this year and havnt sat behind the wheel scince, still working as a mechanic at the min though.had loads of applications sent and nothing heard.had a couple of offers from agency but theve never come back to me afterwards!!even turned down a saturday at work to drive agency and never heard anything back from them 
ive been brought up with this industry so i know my way around it, but showing on paper that i just need to prove myself and get that valuble experiance behind the wheel is very hard.waiting to here from a local company that run curtainside 6wheelers that my cousins partner drives for.hopefully he might have put a word in for me!!
still going to save for my class 1 though!! 
I passed my class 1 in March this year, and wrote to every company I could find with a valid O-licence on the VOSA search site. Only 3 bothered to reply, 2 with a letter saying no thanks, and one other (funnily enough the one closest to me) phoned up one evening to have a chat. I did my first run for them this week, from Essex up to Skelmersdale, reloading in Birkenhead back to St Albans. They are a small family company, where the trucks arenât the newest, but there is a friendly atmosphere, and the attitude was âdonât worry about mistakes, we all make them, just get out there and enjoy yourselfâ. Doing some more runs for them next week.
Gary
SmashedCrabFace:
I strongly believe the best way for a newbie to get a job is to be a cheeky chappy and go knocking on doors.
^^This^^
When youâre there in person it shows willing and theyâre much more likely to take you seriously. Emails are easy to ignore and phone calls are easy to fob off.
B1 GGK:
Class 2 - Told the day before my test that I had a run set for me the day after in the Class 2.Class 1 - I was basically out of work as the Class 2 was going, so that was my motivation, couldnt fault it, got a couple of days out training then thrown in on full money.
Even thought I left I cant fault the chance they gave me.PS, any jobs going
the grass no greener?
wots up with leesâ â ?
kr79:
Biggest cowboy in the area but I got some practice in before moving to better things.
+2
Started driving a Ford D series that was older than I was. You started the wipers with a bit of string! But it taught me well. I learned how to do the job by doing the job and listening to others.
As soon as something slightly better turned up, I was out of there like a rat up a drainpipe!
A bit of luck with my first job, at a interview guy said he would take me on but with no experience he just keep me on the file for now 
After few days he rang me and said I sack one driver and I want you to work for me 
gnasty gnome:
alamcculloch:
It was the agency route for me.Lots of guys on here bad mouth the agencies ,but who else will give a noob the chance.Agreed; thatâs how I started.
If you delve a bit deeper into the agency knockers, you tend to find that a large percentage of them either never worked for an agency,have such an over-inflated opinion of their own ability,skills and earning potential that no sane consultant would touch them with a long disinfected bargepole, or are terminally workshy anyway.
There are rogue agencies, yes, and the sooner those type go bust the better; but there are some bloody awful drivers out there as well and I donât mean just in their ability to steer a lorry.
Ainât that the truth!
When booking my class 1 the instructor asked if I was local as he he could fit me up with a job straight away, I wasnât, Scarborough to Exeter!! But I stopped down there for 5 or 6 weeks in a little caravan after passing, driving for co-op via a small agency.
Came back home, signed on with an agency in hull, they did say my age might cause a few issues - 22, but it didnât. This was around 2000 and things were a bit easier than now though.
daf1691:
Even slept out in the Bedfords with no sleeper cab, just an old camping mattress across the seats!!! Like to see a newby do that now!
me and my mate used to kip in a sherpa box van with â â â â all.even kipped on the hard shoulder of the m1 onceâŚlike to see you old boys do that now 
gazwrf:
B1 GGK:
Class 2 - Told the day before my test that I had a run set for me the day after in the Class 2.Class 1 - I was basically out of work as the Class 2 was going, so that was my motivation, couldnt fault it, got a couple of days out training then thrown in on full money.
Even thought I left I cant fault the chance they gave me.PS, any jobs going
the grass no greener?
wots up with leesâ â ?
Were on bonus and people are supping from Tescoâs 