My problem, new driver

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello,

Just wanted to share with you my little sory and wanted to see some comments about it and advice how to avoid it.

I am a new driver I’ve passed my Class 2 in January 2016. I’ve been loking for job over one month (Every agency, every advert online etc.) Finally I have found job. I have been asked to go to one of company (agency job) and there’s little story of how it goes.

I turned up around 6:15, easly found the place and went to the reception. I have introduced myself and been told to wait for another driver (double maning) Another driver turned up after 5 minutes. He didn’t say nothing, he went to the office asking what route he have got for today and who will be driving with him. He been told that it’s me - agency guy. Straight away he start mouning, swearing, winging about " why I have to drive with agency driver, why don’t you give me someone experienced, why this why that and keep going. I have stood there for 5 minutes listening this like noone even notice Iam there. After another 2 minutes he ask me if I wanna drive first or second. I said second. We went to the truck and he wanted me to do previous check - so I did. Than after around 15 minutes he came back and we sit inside a cab. I just asked him: ‘’ Sir, if you don’t mind if I will ask some questions sometimes just to make sure I am doing everything correct because it is my first time as a driver and first time at this job’’ His answer was: ‘‘■■■■■■■■ hell I can’t work like this’’ And he just left the cab - just like this. After 5 minutes lady from office came back to me asking if I can drive with another driver. I had no problem with that. We took the VAN and went straight away to do deliveries. I felt unwanted and discriminated as a new driver. All day in a VAN went perfect we finished before time and I sign out went home. Next day agency phoned to me and said that they don’t want me anymore because I refused to drive class 2 vehicle. :astonished:

Can someone make some comments about it… is it normal? I feel like failer because of someone didn’t wanted to drive with me from the start and ofcourse again - I have no job again. And it is now 2 months trying to get anywhere. There’s completely no work and every agency keep telling me that it will pick up… it will pick up… I am unemployed since I have passed Class 2.

2

Sounds like the guy they put you with was a complete knob tbh,and by the sounds of it he may of been the one who told his office that you refused to drive class 2 just to get rid of you tbh.
Every place has a resident ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ for you he ended up being put with you.
All you can do is explain what went on to the agency and forget about it,either that or hunt the miserable bloke down and kill him…

Probably best not to though.

3

Did you actually call the other driver “Sir” ? :smiley:

4

As a brand new driver you will encounter a few issues. Firstly, try for a moment to put yourself in the other persons shoes. The other driver primarily wants to get their job done usually as fast as possible. If you are new to the company, it is inevitable that you will ’ slow the other driver down a little '.
Drivers in my experience, much prefer to drive themselves rather than be driven. So couple a bit of apprehension with a potentially longer days work, and then throw a pinch of “It’s my first time” into the mix, and you will be up against it unless you get paired with an experienced, trusting and patient driver.

The idiot that you got paired with sounds like a poor driver in my view. It may be prudent to ’ embellish ’ your driving experience a little for your next opportunity. Something along the lines of " I have been driving 7.5 tonners for a while, so I thought I may as well do class 2 ".

This would in my view ’ settle ’ a prospective co driver, and make the day a little better. We have all been where you are pal, and you just have to bite the bullet and work your way up the food chain.

Best of luck.

5

I didnt ask him for much… I didn’t act like noob. All I wanted from him is to show me program for previous checks because they did use tablets and he had to log on. I could not log on for him… He didn’t want to drive with me from the start. If he wanted me to drive first he could just say - drive first. I wanted to drive second just because I could watch a bit… and i thought that if theres an option it will be better for me. Yes, I called him Sir because I wanted to remain calm just to do not punch him or something… stayed polite and friendly. Well looks like I was unlucky but anyway I don’t care and I do understand that this can happened from the start theres a lot of different people around but on the end of the day I am a driver too… how can he say what I can and what I cant or if I am bad or not if we didn’t even drive a meter. I hope theres just few drivers like this and looking forward to meet some better ones willing to help newbie. I have to start from somewhere :slight_smile:

6

Plenty of 7.5t work out there maybe you should give that a go. It’s ■■■■ work and long hours and they tend to ask for too much but it is experience. It’s also easier to get then class 2 work.

7

I see it is plenty of driving jobs but everywhere I call they say that it is quiet, that it have to pick up, that I dont have experience or they just don’t call me back. Some of companys blame insurance, some want 2 yrs experience straight away. I just applied for another company and have interview on saturday for full time job but like I said I have no experience but right attitute. Have you got any advice how to deal with it how can I make them want me to train a bit or at least consider?

8

Just got to keep cool Brother. You will get continuous knock backs, and be on the end of plenty of lies and broken promises.

Determination and perseverance will win the day. I am starting to gain a decent amount of experience now, worked at a few firms, driven almost every make and current model wagon, and when I started at my current firm (only 3 months ago), on my first day I was given a transit van to deliver with.

A little frustrating for a CE driver. Cracked on with it for the day, and the following day I was in a brand new Merc Actros unit.

May have been an ’ attitude test ', who knows? But I know that a pleasant, relaxed and determined attitude pays dividends.

9

Thank you everybody for all your possitive comments and I will stay cool and don’t give up. Iam not scared to start something new. I’ve been there ones allready driving vertical platforms and it was the same. I have got my C+E next month as well :slight_smile:

10

Sometimes newbies cant win, if they jump in and act like they know it all, then they get the cocky little [zb]. If they want to pick someone brains to add to their limited experience, its I’ve not to nurse maid you :unamused: :unamused: :unamused:

My job don’t require double manning, but if it did then I’d love the chance to bore at length a newbie with my expeirence :smiley:

Good luck with your future job hunting :wink: .

11

You did all you could do,it was him being an arse.

Reminds me of the last time I had someone double manned with me,but it was the newbie who was a cheeky thuker,within 15 mins of being on the road he tried to change the radio station,tried to change the heating settings and went to light up a ■■■…
I told him straight that all were forbidden,my cab my rules :smiley:

But I wasn’t an arse about it and said it in a friendly way.

12

Other driver sounds like a bit of a cry baby prima donna to me which is quite probably why he gets paired with agency all the time- I doubt none of the full timers want to ride with him and have made it known to the office. I’d take the point up with the agency that you didn’t refuse to drive class 2 but other than that I wouldn’t lose much sleep over it.

13

Sorry to hear of your crap experience. Let the agency know. Will they listen though? I hope so. Good luck.

14

Sounds like you’ve had a lucky break not being required to go back there :wink: file it under experience or B 1 N and move along to the next job. You’ll be ok.

15

Goldilox:
Sorry to hear of your crap experience. Let the agency know. Will they listen though? I hope so. Good luck.

Wasting his time here fella, as an agency driver he has no rights whatsoever. Ok, the government web pages make it look as if you have all the same rights as a full timer but you try making a stand or demanding your rights, basically the phone will never ring again regardless of the fact you are 100% right.

16

Name and shame…

17

It reminds me of my first and only day for an agency. Turned up at the depot at 6:20, so I could do what I needed to do before the shift started at 7:00, and the first think the transport clerk did when I introduced myself was throw me a 100-page document on how to correctly do the job, and she said she’d be back to sort me out in an hour. Two-and-a-half hours passed, before she said that she couldn’t send me out, because I wasn’t on the agency’s payroll yet, and they can’t send drivers out who aren’t on a payroll!

Then, to make things worse, the only things I was offered in the space of a month, was a temp to perm Class 2 nights, a driver’s mate, and wait for it, a truck washer! They said they were going to pay me for the 3 hours I was waiting around, but when I asked for my P45, they said I didn’t need one, because I still wasn’t on the payroll! They even hinted that couldn’t get any work because I didn’t accept any jobs!

Agencies are swines, but you definitely got unlucky with that driver! Chances are he’s been there a while, and knows how little he can get away with doing. Having a new agency driver there just pushed him out of his comfort zone. He’s probably close with one of the management if they took his allegations seriously, and he’ll have twisted and turned it to make you look like the villain.

Sadly, Truckbling is right, complaining will get you nowhere with an agency. The firm probably made a right ruckus about the situation to the agency, about “how your driver refuses this, and refuses that…”, so even if you were to beg and plead, there still isn’t any guarantee of your phone ever ringing again, even though it wasn’t your fault at all.

Try the directly-employed route, believe me, there are jobs out there! :slight_smile:

18

Thanks guys. It is nice to see there is a lot of friendly truckers :slight_smile: I just went to another agency and forgot about it and as one lad on top said - I ll take it on chest as experience :slight_smile: I had another job today. This time very froendly company, easy 7 hours job. Just one drop and go back. So I have done my first full shift and it was no problems at all. Nice brand new MAN automatic gearbox. Nice long drive and back to depot. I was so excited :slight_smile: Hopefully I ll get some experience soon. Iam very happy and proud of becoming a truck driver :slight_smile:

19

Great stuff, well done!
The idiot you got last time sounds like a total tawt.

20

Forget that idiot, it sounds like he has anger issues, and is he safe to drive if the toys are thrown out of his pram .
If he gets worked out over this, how is he with customers and road rage .
How did he start out and learn the industry, nobody helped him or answered his questions.
The bloke is a complete Muppet, move on.