Hi all, happy newbie here, passed my class 2 with 4 minors on thursday. I used WJ Driver Training academy in Stoke, highly recommend them for anyone in the stoke/stafford/cheshire area
While I wait for my License, CPC card and DIGI card, could anyone recommend a good sat nav at a reasonable price? (It took me 2 years to save up for my class 2 training so money is quite tight)
Also, I was advised by my instructor to try and avoid multi drop jobs if possible, however looking at jobs in my area most places that will accept new drivers are exactly this type of job. Is there certain multi drop companies (ie, bakers/food distributors/vehicle parts) that are better than others? I’m happy to pay my due and work the crappy jobs, but I would prefer my first job not to be too crappy.
Would you recommend signing up to an agency? going self employed has been advised to me too, would this be too much hassle for a new starter?
Summary;
Sat Nav advice: cheap but good quality
Type of company to avoid
Agency good or bad
Self employed or wait until experienced
thanks for reading
Firstly well done
secondly go direct to a firm and ask for job and if you have to go Agency PAYE or not at all
Don’t go self employed yet till 1, you’ve got experience 2. you’ve got some money in bank
Sat nav advice? Copilot truck and google maps. Agencies? Depends how desperate you are for work, I would stay paye, Ltd is more trouble than it’s worth.
General advice: go for class 1 if funds allow. Rigid work is 95% multi drop and multi drop is w@nk. That being said, I got a gig for a few days on rigid last week working for a local steel merchant (yes rog, it was) doing nationwide deliveries (4 or 5 drops a day) but jobs like that are few and far between. It’s more likely you will get sent on parcel or pallet work doing 40+ drops a day. Believe me, it’s not fun 
Congrats on the pass! May the force be with you 
Thanks for the advice fella’s, unfortunately I need to stay class 2 for a few months until I can afford the class 1 fee’s (although I may get lucky and find a company that will put me through it 
yeah right)
I have a windows phone for the next 3 months until my contract runs out, NEVER get a windows phone as the app store it awful
You can still run google maps on windows. Probably the most handy tool you can get for multi drop. If you’re staying class 2 for a bit, at least you will be earning to save for ce. You may find someone willing to upgrade you. You have a better chance of that than finding a firm willing to put you through the rigid, at least you’ve met them half way.
Good luck with the job here hunt, hope something turns up soon for you.
Shame the op is in stoke as he could fill my place so I can take my CE sooner
But my firm is in Southampton
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Congrats on passing mate.
I was in the same situation as you when I passed cat c in May. Here’s what I did.
Firstly I got registered with an agency and they found me work more days than not, crap pay tbh but good for experience and finding out how different firms work etc. One of the jobs they got me was for Bookers doing multi-drop out of their Sheffield branch, it was hard work but I don’t mind that and it was all experience. So as I was leaving on the Friday after doing a week there the delivery manager said I’d done a good job for them as when I got back I emptied my truck of all the cages and processed all of the returns etc and generally tried my best to do a good job.
So I’m looking on indeed for jobs later that night and a Job for Bookers Derby is on for an 18t driver 45hr contract £11ph. I rang the Sheffield delivery manager and he personally recommended me for the job and after 4 weeks experience I got my first job!
As I said before it can be hard work and some of the drops are pretty crap but on the flip side I start at 7 and most days im done for about 3ish, it’s job and knock and you still get paid for 45hrs so in real terms I’m averaging about 13ph. It suits me and my family fine so I’m happy and so is the Mrs and kids.
So moral of the story is your probably going to have to go agency route to start with but do a good job for all the companies you get work with and you never know.
I bought a tom tom 6000 and it’s been ok so far but a word of advice, don’t put your truck weight as over 7.5 tonne in any sat nav as you’ll end up working 18hr shifts! It won’t direct you down any 7.5 weight limit roads even though your drop is down that road and it’s except for access, Bloody nightmare!
Good luck mate, I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Baggers75:
Congrats on passing mate.
I was in the same situation as you when I passed cat c in May. Here’s what I did.
Firstly I got registered with an agency and they found me work more days than not, crap pay tbh but good for experience and finding out how different firms work etc. One of the jobs they got me was for Bookers doing multi-drop out of their Sheffield branch, it was hard work but I don’t mind that and it was all experience. So as I was leaving on the Friday after doing a week there the delivery manager said I’d done a good job for them as when I got back I emptied my truck of all the cages and processed all of the returns etc and generally tried my best to do a good job.
So I’m looking on indeed for jobs later that night and a Job for Bookers Derby is on for an 18t driver 45hr contract £11ph. I rang the Sheffield delivery manager and he personally recommended me for the job and after 4 weeks experience I got my first job!
As I said before it can be hard work and some of the drops are pretty crap but on the flip side I start at 7 and most days im done for about 3ish, it’s job and knock and you still get paid for 45hrs so in real terms I’m averaging about 13ph. It suits me and my family fine so I’m happy and so is the Mrs and kids.
So moral of the story is your probably going to have to go agency route to start with but do a good job for all the companies you get work with and you never know.
I bought a tom tom 6000 and it’s been ok so far but a word of advice, don’t put your truck weight as over 7.5 tonne in any sat nav as you’ll end up working 18hr shifts! It won’t direct you down any 7.5 weight limit roads even though your drop is down that road and it’s except for access, Bloody nightmare!
Good luck mate, I’m sure you’ll be fine.
How would a sat nav have you doing an 18hr shift?..I have a cheap ebay one from a bloke called chris…And yes it does’nt recognize weight limits accept for access.But thats what the old mk1 eyeballs are for…I have mine set at 44t though…But still it does’nt come up with 18hr shifts
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Yeah…I wasn’t exactly being serious over the 18hr thing. It was just a bit of a joke to point out to the op my experience of the sat nav taking all around the houses to get to some drops…
Baggers75:
Yeah…I wasn’t exactly being serious over the 18hr thing. It was just a bit of a joke to point out to the op my experience of the sat nav taking all around the houses to get to some drops…
Fair enough mate.My sense of humour is sometimes lacking…But i get the point of it taking you all around the houses.
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