How is it looking for jobs round your way? I can say that just lately things round here look very poor compared with last year! The local rag used to have a page of driving jobs on a thursday not so long back, for the last few weeks it’s been barely a gnats nacker over a column. Is the the driver shortage put to bed? Was it only ever a myth? Or is it just my area thats gone quiet?
Thouhgt the same thing myself Mal.
The Express + Star used to have 3 or 4 columns of jobs at this time of year.
So did the Brum Evening Mail.
Perhaps the regulars ( Index, Argos )etc. have cancelled Xmas 
Strange that the normal companies are not screaming out for drivers, through agency etc. with the " Sign up now and get a £… Xmas Bonus "
Either that, or advertising rates have gone up 
Cheers,
NIALL.
Round Immingham and Grimsby there are still jobs to be had, but saying that, it is the usual ■■■■■■■ outfits that have them, the halfway decent ones dont have to advertise, they go by word of mouth.
I have had all sorts of weird and wonderfull pay schemes related to me this last couple of weeks, had a job offered at £300 a week plus 5 nights out at £17 per night driving a scania with 874.000 k on it and looked it, when I laughed in his face he said “there were no proper drivers now and we are all soft” proper drivers I suppose being the ones who drive anything for nothing, but im not 25 anymore and I wont.
I do wish they would offer an hourly rate and o/t after 40 instead of coming up with all these rip off schemes.
Job & finish (never less than 12 hours)
Salary = as little as we can pay for as many hours as we can get
Annulised hours=This is a gaffers scheme if ever there was one
A low basic plus a percentage of what the truck earns= (in a lot of cases not all) a complete con
And I am sick of being told WE GIVE you x amount of pounds for a night out, they dont GIVE ME anything I earn it for looking after the load and the truck, and why do some employers still regard night out money as part of the wage, it is not.
Guy i dont know if its too far for you but i had a guy who runs an agency for mastercare at Newark almost pleading with me to go work for him.
£8 days £12 sat £16 sun all man tga xxl auto box dont know about o/time but if your interested let me know i,ll pm you his number.
The situation seems to be simlar here. Not so long back they could fill a whole page with driving jobs, now you sometimes get no more than one or two jobs in the whole jobs section, and even then they are more often than not agencies giving typical examples of potential jobs to entice you to join, not actual jobs that they have and you have a physical chance of actually doing. But like Guy says, there does seem to be a few jobs going, but it mainly seems to be a matter of directly contacting companies on the off chance, if you wait for a job to appear in the paper now, you’re in for a very long wait, especially if you’re only a Class 2 driver.
I hear a rumour that mastercare are to buy a load of rigids and 7.5 tonners as everything at some point will be passing through the Newark place also they will be buying a load of new trailers double deckers so there will be jobs a plenty in the near future.
Niall:
Perhaps the regulars ( Index, Argos )etc. have cancelled XmasNIALL.
index are no more,argos are cutting back on staff.
nothing around here either,what with littlewoods closing at new year .most companys are only taking agency because when it drops off after xmas they aint got to keep um
jon
I think you’ll find all the driving jobs advertised Here
simon
saints.co.uk/index.htm
allport.co.uk/scm/print.asp
arlafoodsjobs.co.uk/new_app_ … pplication
betzweb2.web.willibetz.de/btzca … erben.aspx
i think the problem with argos and the like is internet shopping i buy nearly everything on the net now and a lot of other people do the same its killing of the high street. my mate was on the agency for tk maxx at whitwood promised work all the way to xmas now he has been dumped by them with them saying " all our stores are full and no ones buying anything ".
where i live at rothwell leeds im luckey cos im surrounded by whitwood normanton stourton and wakefield j41 so theres plenty of work and i dont think they are many jobs advertised but loads of agencies adverts. but i think if you went and seen the firms you would get a start cos they always need drivers.
the firms longs of leeds and macfarlanes plus stobarts are always after drivers oh and irlams they are all big employers round here… BIG BUT the money is crap.
im like a lot of drivers i want a decent rate plus overtime after 8 hours not these stupid all hours or salried i mean apprently butts at ossett are on salary for 11 hours a day but they always work over 11 so in the end you are working for free.
there are some firms that think you should drive for them and be grateful you can but stuff that they can poke it times have changed i want a decent rate plus a decent truck nowadays you do have a choice where you work and what you do. i had it at bedfords last night with them phoning me at 17.50 asking me how much time i had left when they know full well i started at 7am and i told no time cos when i get back to the yard in 10 mins im going home they didnt like it but what could they do 
longs was another favorite for that phoning when you are just about to go home sending you back down the road when i had told clare id be home for dinner 
and mac’s they are the same max hours for no money never want you to go home .the job has changed and its in our favour.
ok rant over i can get of my high horse now 
Thanks jammy but I start for Hanley’s/Innovate monday, Fair money, good tackle, what more could a trucky want?.
Thanks for those that replied. Maybe things are slacking off a little. I need to stop worrying about it anyway, I aint even got me ■■■■■■■ license back yet!
jessicas dad:
and mac’s they are the same max hours for no money never want you to go home .the job has changed and its in our favour.
What do you mean ■■? The money should be irrelevant Alex, you’re getting a brand new Topliner, what more do you want? 
Sadly, that sums up 99% of MacFarlane’s driver’s to a tee.
I found a recent copy of Commercial Motor (8 Oct edition I think it was) in the wagon I’ve had this week and was having a read through it. I saw on the letter’s page about a company from either Derbyshire or the Midland’s area moaning that there weren’t any decent driver’s about anymore and was pleading for a class 1 man to come and work for him. He claimed to be offering excellent money (iirc) and then quoted the money on offer underneath - £6.50/hr . Er, can someone point out where this guy’s problems are stemming from please or did Commercial Motor miss the ‘1’ off the start of the figure?
If I still had the mag and article I would definitely reply to it.
Its not that the brit companies are not advertising…the polish agencies are contacting a lot of brit companies offering to supply drivers at a lower rate than they normally pay…my boss received an offer of polish drivers…and turned them down…a lot dont… when you do actualy see an advertisement for drivers the rates offered are so low that i wouldnt give them the time of day…but i must admit to phoning some of them …just to put them in their place…i often get the reply…we cant afford to pay more…and they cant up the rates for the job…or they will go out of business…good job too…but just shows what a mess this industry is in…and theres no one to sort out this mess…everyone is on their own…as thay say…the fittest survive
Rob K:
…a company from either Derbyshire or the Midland’s area moaning that there weren’t any decent driver’s about anymore and was pleading for a class 1 man to come and work for him. He claimed to be offering excellent money (iirc) and then quoted the money on offer underneath - £6.50/hr……If I still had the mag and article I would definitely reply to it.
Any suitable reply would, of course, contain the words ‘peanuts’ and ‘monkeys’, I think…
But going back to the topic, there’s nothing at all round here (North Staffs) at the moment - and I believe this area is considered a ‘good’ one for HGV jobs with the plethora of distribution centres and what-not. Wednesday is jobs night in the local paper and there was nearly as many coach driving jobs as HGV jobs advertised this week - agencies included.
truckyboy:
Its not that the brit companies are not advertising…the polish agencies are contacting a lot of brit companies offering to supply drivers at a lower rate than they normally pay…my boss received an offer of polish drivers…and turned them down…a lot dont… when you do actualy see an advertisement for drivers the rates offered are so low that i wouldnt give them the time of day…but i must admit to phoning some of them …just to put them in their place…i often get the reply…we cant afford to pay more…and they cant up the rates for the job…or they will go out of business…good job too…but just shows what a mess this industry is in…and theres no one to sort out this mess…everyone is on their own…as thay say…the fittest survive
Good point Bob, we are on our own M8, and being sold down the river, many think we aint, but time will tell!
Deaks:
But going back to the topic, there’s nothing at all round here (North Staffs) at the moment - and I believe this area is considered a ‘good’ one for HGV jobs with the plethora of distribution centres and what-not. Wednesday is jobs night in the local paper and there was nearly as many coach driving jobs as HGV jobs advertised this week - agencies included.
Thats what I mean Deaks, I reckon it is very quiet in Staffs rigfht now!
SimonRS2K:
I think you’ll find all the driving jobs advertised Here
simon
Guy Rope:
Thanks jammy but I start for Hanley’s/Innovate monday, Fair money, good tackle, what more could a trucky want?.
Dancing girls and free beer would be nice 
:):)…
Mal:
Deaks:
But going back to the topic, there’s nothing at all round here (North Staffs) at the moment… (snip)Thats what I mean Deaks, I reckon it is very quiet in Staffs rigfht now!
Sure is Mal… everyone was advertising earlier in the year round here - Strongserve, ANC, Exel/Sainsburys, Irlams, Asda, Prima, Donwtons, you name 'em, they’ve been in the Sentinel on a Wednesday night. I can’t understand it at the moment. Hopefully it’s gonna get better soon - I’m getting ready for a change before too long.
I heard a rumour that Bowmur, where jobs were allways available, has now got a waiting list! If that rumour is true, I know why, they have a lot of Poles driving for them, and they clearly love the job and are there to stay! I wonder just how much work would be about if there were no East European drivers available? I have a feeling we have seen the beginning of the end of any driver shortage there might have been!