Just a word of encouragement for all you newbies out there struggling to find work. Here’s my story.
Im based in the North East and I passed my Class 2 in February and signed up with 5 agencies right off the bat. Some offered me nothing but a couple kept chucking me 7.5t Ikea shifts that no one else wanted. Proper hard back breaking graft, furniture multidrop, 20 plus drops but I had to feed off the scraps. After a few weeks other doors opened for me. I managed to get class 2 shifts at Palmer and Harvey and latterly Brakes. Again real hard graft. I was covering sick for someone at Brakes and was told that because of my attitude and willingness to work there was a real chance of a full time job in the near future.
Then, out of the blue I got a call from a local company I’d sent a CV to a month earlier asking if I was interested in a full time job, Class 2, national multidrop, minimal handball, a couple of nights out a week for £20+k a year! I was stunned to be honest. He asked me to come in for an interview and within five minutes he told me I had the job! So I am now driving a brand new 26 tonner all over the country. No hassle over delivery times from customers and no hassle from the office and plenty of time off. Compared to all the above mentioned jobs that I’ve done which are enough to put you off trucking for life it is like a breath of fresh air.
So my advice is you have to sign up with as many agencies you can. Take whatever they offer you. Put cv’s out left right and centre, have a positive attitude and don’t be shy of hard graft and things WILL work out for you!
CMB82:
Just a word of encouragement for all you newbies out there struggling to find work. Here’s my story.
Im based in the North East and I passed my Class 2 in February and signed up with 5 agencies right off the bat. Some offered me nothing but a couple kept chucking me 7.5t Ikea shifts that no one else wanted. Proper hard back breaking graft, furniture multidrop, 20 plus drops but I had to feed off the scraps. After a few weeks other doors opened for me. I managed to get class 2 shifts at Palmer and Harvey and latterly Brakes. Again real hard graft. I was covering sick for someone at Brakes and was told that because of my attitude and willingness to work there was a real chance of a full time job in the near future.
Then, out of the blue I got a call from a local company I’d sent a CV to a month earlier asking if I was interested in a full time job, Class 2, national multidrop, minimal handball, a couple of nights out a week for £20+k a year! I was stunned to be honest. He asked me to come in for an interview and within five minutes he told me I had the job! [emoji38] So I am now driving a brand new 26 tonner all over the country. No hassle over delivery times from customers and no hassle from the office and plenty of time off. Compared to all the above mentioned jobs that I’ve done which are enough to put you off trucking for life it is like a breath of fresh air.
So my advice is you have to sign up with as many agencies you can. Take whatever they offer you. Put cv’s out left right and centre, have a positive attitude and don’t be shy of hard graft and things WILL work out for you!
Very inspirational! I’m just starting out myself so stories like this are great to read. I have applied for work at my local Brakes depot. How did you find them?
CMB82:
Just a word of encouragement for all you newbies out there struggling to find work. Here’s my story.
Im based in the North East and I passed my Class 2 in February and signed up with 5 agencies right off the bat. Some offered me nothing but a couple kept chucking me 7.5t Ikea shifts that no one else wanted. Proper hard back breaking graft, furniture multidrop, 20 plus drops but I had to feed off the scraps. After a few weeks other doors opened for me. I managed to get class 2 shifts at Palmer and Harvey and latterly Brakes. Again real hard graft. I was covering sick for someone at Brakes and was told that because of my attitude and willingness to work there was a real chance of a full time job in the near future.
Then, out of the blue I got a call from a local company I’d sent a CV to a month earlier asking if I was interested in a full time job, Class 2, national multidrop, minimal handball, a couple of nights out a week for £20+k a year! I was stunned to be honest. He asked me to come in for an interview and within five minutes he told me I had the job! [emoji38] So I am now driving a brand new 26 tonner all over the country. No hassle over delivery times from customers and no hassle from the office and plenty of time off. Compared to all the above mentioned jobs that I’ve done which are enough to put you off trucking for life it is like a breath of fresh air.
So my advice is you have to sign up with as many agencies you can. Take whatever they offer you. Put cv’s out left right and centre, have a positive attitude and don’t be shy of hard graft and things WILL work out for you!
Very inspirational! I’m just starting out myself so stories like this are great to read. I have applied for work at my local Brakes depot. How did you find them?
I found the people at brakes really nice and helpful. But I believe they ask too much of you as a driver. I was on the palletised goods side frozen and chilled. (which they tell me is easier than doing the cages) I had between 8 and 10 drops a day. The main problem was that you were expected to strip the pallets down and sack barrow the goods into the kitchens which meant that you could be at a drop for up to one and a half hours which led to most days being between 10-14 hour shifts. Plus you always had customers complaining saying “where have you been you’re supposed to be here before 9!” etc as if I had just been tootling along on a nice Sunday drive or something when the reality was I’d been sweating my ■■■■ off for hours on end doing the kitchen staffs job for them!
Carrying your satnav around in the box? That novelty will soon wear off, and if you’ve got time to read DVSA books, you’re doing something wrong. But saying that, I can’t see your specs lasting long [emoji6]
So I am now driving a brand new 26 tonner all over the country. No hassle over delivery times from customers and no hassle from the office and plenty of time off. Compared to all the above mentioned jobs that I’ve done which are enough to put you off trucking for life it is like a breath of fresh air.
