That is great - thanks. I just had a look at their site and they look good. Thanks again! 
wanderingstar:
That is great - thanks. I just had a look at their site and they look good. Thanks again!
Are you going for a left or right leg limp? 
Why hand are you more comfortable with your Aldi bag in? 
Iād shop there however much I got paid!
I went into Eclipse yesterday to register and got offered 11.50 an hour but it was in Grantham which is almost an hour away and they said the government changed the law so they can no longer pay mileage so I said no.
wanderingstar:
Iād shop there however much I got paid!I went into Eclipse yesterday to register and got offered 11.50 an hour but it was in Grantham which is almost an hour away and they said the government changed the law so they can no longer pay mileage so I said no.
You should of taken the job, Get experience and gone somewhere else late or when you get better offer. 11.5 ph isnāt really bad for class 2. 1 hour drive isnāt bad when you driving 10 or 15 hours a day. Not get picky.
wanderingstar:
Iād shop there however much I got paid!I went into Eclipse yesterday to register and got offered 11.50 an hour but it was in Grantham which is almost an hour away and they said the government changed the law so they can no longer pay mileage so I said no.
Is that Brakes at Gonerby Moor? If so I could offer some additional information that might be of interest to you.
Moreno you may be right. Theyāve just phoned and said they might have something in Pinxton so weāll see.
Micky I donāt know if it is them or not as they didnāt tell me any more after Iād said no to it but if you think your info might still be of interest please do let me know. I said to them I might change my mind if nothing more local comes along.
Thanks all - really good to have your support and advice. Iām surprisingly nervous about going out into the big wide world to do my first job. Having a bit of support here really helps!!
wanderingstar:
Micky I donāt know if it is them or not as they didnāt tell me any more after Iād said no to it but if you think your info might still be of interest please do let me know. I said to them I might change my mind if nothing more local comes along.
Sent you a PM.
I got 1 placement through Smart Recruit in Notts. Turned to be Temp to Perm. Was taken on full time about 3 years ago. Smart still text me about available work.
Moreno33:
wanderingstar:
Iād shop there however much I got paid!I went into Eclipse yesterday to register and got offered 11.50 an hour but it was in Grantham which is almost an hour away and they said the government changed the law so they can no longer pay mileage so I said no.
You should of taken the job, Get experience and gone somewhere else late or when you get better offer. 11.5 ph isnāt really bad for class 2. 1 hour drive isnāt bad when you driving 10 or 15 hours a day. Not get picky.
That loss of with the change of the law makes a big difference mate. also after youāve driven a good few months, you want to be home. You donāt want to be driving for another hour plus, unpaid! Effectively reducing the hourly rateā¦ 
I know, Iām currently doing it!
Pity really, as I like the firm/people there and I know Iām their top limper! 
But I wonāt be doing it after next week, as I need to kick myself up the arse and go knocking on doors in my area with my CV and my experience, and experience is why traveled up until now. So Iām not saying donāt travel, just donāt plan on doing it for long as it will become wearingā¦
The thing with an hour to the depot is itās commuting to work is just one of those unfortunate costs (time and money) for getting to a better paid job than working in the local shop. If youāve got the choice of local work vs a distance commute for similar money then obviously the local one is usually better but for anyone starting out Iād not be put off by a bit of a commute to gain experience.
Admittedly, itās a bit odd when you drive say 12 hours and then drive another 2 out of work time, but not really sure itās that much different to doing a physical job for 12 hours a day then adding on an hour to and from work. Admittedly some of the commutes Iāve done in the past are just nuts, so maybe this explains why Iām thinking like this so donāt take anything as gospel.
As for Grantham and Ā£11 / hour, that sounds rather tempting! About an hour or so from here down the A1 and hey decent money for whatās presumably a heavy job.
Evil8Beezle:
Moreno33:
wanderingstar:
Iād shop there however much I got paid!I went into Eclipse yesterday to register and got offered 11.50 an hour but it was in Grantham which is almost an hour away and they said the government changed the law so they can no longer pay mileage so I said no.
You should of taken the job, Get experience and gone somewhere else late or when you get better offer. 11.5 ph isnāt really bad for class 2. 1 hour drive isnāt bad when you driving 10 or 15 hours a day. Not get picky.
That loss of with the change of the law makes a big difference mate. also after youāve driven a good few months, you want to be home. You donāt want to be driving for another hour plus, unpaid!
I know, Iām currently doing it!
Pity really, as I like the firm/people there and I know Iām their top limper!
But I wonāt be doing it after next week, as I need to kick myself up the arse and go knocking on doors in my area with my CV and my experience, and experience is why traveled up until now. So Iām not saying donāt travel, just donāt plan on doing it for long as it will become wearingā¦
I agree if they job is too far, not do it for too long but if your new, you have to forget the miles and do it for the experience. Very trucker at some point want to go home.
Evil what class do you have
All Iām basically saying is that a lower rate close to home, can equal a distance rate, if you take running costs and time into accountā¦
Moreno33 - Iām class 1, but in part I have to thank the place I commuted to on VAN driving for aiding my upgrade. I get coupling experience experience and my first ābenderā start thanks to that commuting gig. So Iād say do the commute if the prospects are better than local work, you just have to weigh up the proās and conās. Basically if the commute runs both classes and the local one doesnāt, itās a tick in the box for the commute, if upgrading is your goal!
Evil8Beezle:
All Iām basically saying is that a lower rate close to home, can equal a distance rate, if you take running costs and time into accountā¦Moreno33 - Iām class 1, but in part I have to thank the place I commuted to on VAN driving for aiding my upgrade. I get coupling experience experience and my first ābenderā start thanks to that commuting gig. So Iād say do the commute if the prospects are better than local work, you just have to weigh up the proās and conās. Basicallyif the commute runs both classes and the local one doesnāt, itās a tick in the box for the commute, if upgrading is your goal!
You should easily find a job when you leave. Im new driver, no experience but i start a new class 1 job next week with Gregory distribution Ltd but I got offered another job with Eddie stobert and still waiting for a reply for birds and culina. If I can get this. You should easily find a new job with the experience you have.
There are pro and con in very job. Jobs are always better local.
Antbox - thanks for the tip - I have had a look at their website and it looks professional!
My last job I was commuting three and a half hours there and back each day as I was working in Wolverhampton - but it was too far so I went from five days a week to just three days a week. On top of all the driving Iāll be doing in haulage I donāt really want to be adding ten hours a week commuting on my own buck but I do take the point that beggars canāt be choosers and if I canāt find any other way to get experience as a new start then I will have to cast my net wider.
Moreno that is brilliant - well done! Thatās very encouraging!!!
wanderingstar:
My last job I was commuting three and a half hours there and back each day as I was working in Wolverhampton - but it was too far so I went from five days a week to just three days a week. On top of all the driving Iāll be doing in haulage I donāt really want to be adding ten hours a week commuting on my own buck but I do take the point that beggars canāt be choosers and if I canāt find any other way to get experience as a new start then I will have to cast my net wider.
Mate, that commute is ridiculous, cast your net wider?
I think you need to knock harder on doors closer to home or pester the agencies more. I commute 35-40 mins each way a day, and thatās more than I can continue to tolerate.
Moreno33:
You should easily find a job when you leave. Im new driver, no experience but i start a new class 1 job next week with Gregory distribution Ltd but I got offered another job with Eddie stobert and still waiting for a reply for birds and culina. If I can get this. You should easily find a new job with the experience you have.
There are pro and con in very job. Jobs are always better local.
Iāve not heard any complaints about Gregoryās but their trucks are crap brown mate!
Best of luck with whatever you choose, itās good to have options. OK, maybe not if itās ES! (Sorry, cheap digā¦)
As for me, yes I think 6 months decent experience probably does open up a lot more doors, especially if you can show you can reverse!
So thatās me buggered! 
Iām quitting my Artic multi-drop gig at the end of next week, and I donāt have another job to go to, or not yet anywayā¦
But Iām confident I can find just as good, or better near me, and I need to give myself a kick! 
wanderingstar:
Antbox - thanks for the tip - I have had a look at their website and it looks professional!My last job I was commuting three and a half hours there and back each day as I was working in Wolverhampton - but it was too far so I went from five days a week to just three days a week. On top of all the driving Iāll be doing in haulage I donāt really want to be adding ten hours a week commuting on my own buck but I do take the point that beggars canāt be choosers and if I canāt find any other way to get experience as a new start then I will have to cast my net wider.
Moreno that is brilliant - well done! Thatās very encouraging!!!
Thank mate.
I would say to you, going to companies website and apply. knock on companies doors and not trust or wait for agencies for work but take it if they give it to you.
Evil I agree the brown is crap, thank god they not have a uniform.
Well I got my first ever driving job last night. It was hideous. Delivering tractor units overnight in a little convoy. The drive out was great fun but being driven back with the other drivers in a van was awful - mostly down to sitting on a hard seat which after two or three hours became terrifically uncomfortable and I just had to sit there as the other drivers jabbered away to each other in Polish for the whole journey. That combined with staying up all night and only getting about 80 quid at the end of it all hasnāt really made me feel great about the reality of driving for a living but like I said the actual driving bit was quite fun so Iāll keep trying for more experience to see how I really feel about it as a way of making money.
Evil8Beezle:
Mate, that commute is ridiculous, cast your net wider?
I think you need to knock harder on doors closer to home or pester the agencies more. I commute 35-40 mins each way a day, and thatās more than I can continue to tolerate.
No I meant wider than Nottingham which is where Iām looking for now for driving work. I just said that about the last job to show Iām not actually afraid of commuting if I need to, but given Iām commuting to then do more driving Iād rather keep it to a minimum for an actual driving job.
Good luck with taking a leap to find something new. Fortune favours the brave as they say!
Moreno - thanks, I think you are right. I think Iāll use agencies to get me started and get a bit of experience to take to an employer, but I donāt think itās for me in the long run.
wanderingstar:
Well I got my first ever driving job last night. It was hideous. Delivering tractor units overnight in a little convoy. The drive out was great fun but being driven back with the other drivers in a van was awful - mostly down to sitting on a hard seat which after two or three hours became terrifically uncomfortable and I just had to sit there as the other drivers jabbered away to each other in Polish for the whole journey. That combined with staying up all night and only getting about 80 quid at the end of it all hasnāt really made me feel great about the reality of driving for a living but like I said the actual driving bit was quite fun so Iāll keep trying for more experience to see how I really feel about it as a way of making money.
Itās not all that bad I have had similar work delivering hired and new vehicles, and enjoyed it, last time out I drove a rigid to Bristol, dropped it off then jumped into the hire car that was left for me to drive myself back, easiest Ā£10 per hour I have earned, if you are on agency then at least you have the option of saying āNo Thanksā but with agency work you will also have to accept that you are going to be shunted around from job to job some of which you might enjoy, others you might hate, stick with it a bit longer you might enjoy the next job they give you.
MickyB666:
Itās not all that bad
Thank you Micky. To be honest it was the Transit van that did it in for me. I loved the journey down. If Iād had a hire car to drive back solo I think I would have come home in a great mood! I will definitely stick it out to get more experience before I decide if drivingās for me or not!