Right guys and Gals here goes… Ive been passed my my C licence now for 2 years, am fully upto date with CPC and have a digi-card so im ready for the road.
The thing is i work for a company that ive now worked with for 20 years, firstly I was in retail and stayed in that job for a very long time, I then decided i needed a career change so i decided to go and do my Class 2 - i had grandfather rights on my licence and fancied a changed in job. Two weeks later from passing my test and doing my CPC I was offered a Warehouse job doing FLT and shunting 7.5 tonnes vans around the yard, loading and un-loading etc etc within the same company that ive worked for the last 20 years. (The whole inital plan was at first was to give myself a kickup the backside and get out of retail and maybe go into a bit more of a mans job - sorry about the sexist punt.)
The job im doing at the moment is nightshift and I get shift allowance which bumps up my wage every month to a reasonable income so im enjoying what I do, and love working nights…
My problem is now my rota is going to include day shifts with a few nights, which is basic national wage with no shift allowance which ive got to admit im not happy about.
So ive started to look for Class 2 jobs again and the scarey thought of job security hits me again… - Where do I start■■? Ive been on job sites like Indeed and seen plenty of jobs out there for Class 2 - Do I just apply and go from there? considering ive had no on the road experience and tacho experience, I dont know a great lot about driving hours etc etc… im worried to bits, but also I feel moving on is the right thing to do.
Not an expert view but, firstly try to fit in a few shifts for an agency. (be careful of WTD, duty and break times tho. Plenty of threads about that). That should increase your on road confidence, give you experience of different vehicles and tacho heads. Dont rush it tho. Secondly keep your ear to the ground. As agency you will get to hear about jobs where you are working. As a general principle we regret what we dont do, rather than what we do choose to do. So, when youre more comfortable, go for it. No need to burn any bridges today! Good luck whatever way you go! EDIT, I mean dont quit your present job, until you`re sure a change is for you.
Agency = no job security
Full time perm jobs = very few advertised
That shows there is no driver shortage
I left a job last week that I had been in for nearly 17 years to start tomorrow driving cat c directly employed by a company that gives new starters a chance, I would say go for it because the work is out there and if you don’t you may end up regretting at least not trying. The job I have just left was done on good terms and I would suggest that’s the way to go, presumably if you’ve been there for 20 years there must be an amount of mutual respect and it’s best to keep this just as a back up plan. Good luck with it 
There are some jobs out there but you have to go & look for them most won’t be advertised
Depends where you are as depends on wages & work of course
Agree with Franglais, in so far as don’t quit your job without being sure of something being lined up.
And as animal says, jobs are often not advertised, certainly we have rarely advertised and have taken on new drivers. It may be worth knocking on a few doors.