Hi
I was speaking to a mate about a career in driving and he said the best thing to do is get yourself out and about, speak face to face and ask if companies need a driver. He said most of the time they just bin your application so you have to keep going back and keep asking. He also said you would probable not earn more than 21k as a new driver and if you are tramping, don’t expect to be back home till saturday afternoon on a regular basis as you will no doubt run out of hours on friday. Oh and he also mentioned you will be treated like ■■■■ by the TM office lol.
Not a positive start but as I will hope to gain my c and c+e in the near future as I would like to find out for myself if all the negatives are true, so can someone please help. I am trying to find a list of agencies and companies near to me so I can call and ask questions and maybe get a day out to see if it’s the right move which I’m sure it is. I live in Co. Durham.
Sounds about right, he did forget that you may be working 80 hours a week starting at any hour some office bod thinks you should then working 15 hours after getting no sleep in a layby because your company won’t pay for parking.
What work are you doing now and why do you want to leave?
Depends what part of Durham you in & what kind of work you are looking for
But what he said is about right
Stillers at Newton Aycliff pay £91 per day £101 £5.00 meal allowance night shift a bit further north Hetton le hole £400 per week or £7.oo per hr
Fowler Welch in Washington pay £7.75 ph so work it out
Remember you can often do 15 hr days/night 9 or 11 hr off then start again
Did he also tell you that you may only get 45 hr off per week ( ok sometimes longer or shorter )
Depends on your age you will have to have a medical every 5 yr for licence also cpc ( 35 hr training ) every 5 yr sometimes you have to pay for this replace digi card evey 5 yr
i’m currently a self employed kitchen and furniture painter chasing a life long desire to drive. He did mention long hours and the many ways that you could be killed 
. Best bit was they way he said the planners used to speak to him then ■■■■ themselves when he got back to base and asked them for a quick chat in the car park. He emphasis was don’t take crap and hang up if they can’t speak to you like a human being.
I’m a hard grafter but the pay is not looking that good for such a difficult job, which it is.
Still, I will go for the licences and take it from there.
some of the companies I may contact:
Elddis
Prestons
Colin Willis
Eden
W.A Old & son
Nicholsons
DHL
Agencies: not known
Can give you a few agencies
ATM
Ellddis dont need drivers but that could change
1st thing is to get licence sorted then worry bout the rest you will need a medical theory & HPT 1st before that go visit several training companies speak to them before you part with any money ask them questions but dont believe them if they say there is loads of jobs ( there are some bit you have to look for them ) have an assessment with them as well to see how you feel & which company you want to go with