Hi all,
I’ve been working in marketing selling printers for years and wanted to do something with regular income and not commission based. Spent a couple of grand on my license but can’t get a bloody job!!
Live in Stevenage but don’t care where I work…pleeeeeeeeeeeeease help all the agencies are saying I need experience but how am I meant to get it without being given a chance■■?
Took redundancy to do driving now thinking I’ve made a mistake 
Hello & Welcome.
No offense to you, but if you had done your research into the industry you would realise that jobs with no experience in this industry are hard to come by.
What advice I can offer to you is just sign up with every agency you possibly can as this will increase your chances. Also, it is definitely worth dropping by local haulage firms and asking them. Lastly, go to the Eddie Stobart website, they are recruiting at all of there bases at the moment. There’s a guy on here who just got a start with them and he only got his license a month or two ago.
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Sign up to a couple of agencies and see what happens. Unfortunately you may get a few knockbacks as most companies require experience. There are some agencies that are not fussy and some times it is the only way of getting that much needed experience (I cut my teeth driving for agencies), but most companies will not let an inexperienced driver straight out in their very expensive vehicle if they don’t know what they are doing.
The two other posters talk very good sense. Unfortunately it isn’t all Yorkie bars and the open road. The cold hard reality of truck driving can be very hard sometimes.
Malc44:
most companies will not let an inexperienced driver straight out in their very expensive vehicle if they don’t know what they are doing.
The two other posters talk very good sense. Unfortunately it isn’t all Yorkie bars and the open road. The cold hard reality of truck driving can be very hard sometimes.
Some large companies, like Stobarts, who have some kind of training regime,will be your best bet.
Most of the smaller employers don’t have the resources to train a new driver and from bitter experience, far too often an “experienced” driver turns out to be trouble enough, never mind one whose only qualification is his driving licence.
A truly good driver is one who is totally reliable and honest, does the job without (stupid) question, doesn’t have accidents, doesn’t get lost, looks after the truck and doesn’t attract complaints from other road users or, more importantly, the customers.
Not only does he have all this to do, but when things go wrong, as they will always do, he can more often than not, solve the problem without costing the company a fortune.
Actually driving the truck is only a small part of the whole job and after 37 years, there are still plenty of large gaps in my knowledge.
You will need to convince someone that you are willing to learn and worth teaching.
Good luck in your search.
Regards,
Nick
You make some very good points, Nick. Who after reading your comments would touch truck driving with a barge pole? And adding to your comments. Sleeping in p**s soaked lay-bys, industrial estates etc and attempting to get a wash in a filthy motorway service station toilet room, up at the crack of dawn, long hours, blah, blah, blah. I could go on.
When it is great then truck driving is fantastic. I have had some brilliant times and working for a couple of agencies I have had some great jobs and great motors, but when it is bad then it is really [zb] . Filthy, beaten-up old bangers. Lousy companies. Lousy jobs. At the end of the day you do take the rough with the smooth, but I have to ask if manitottenhan really did his homework before embarking on getting his HGV. Obviously there are some of us out there that have diesel in our blood and have chosen our path. Although knowing what I know now I am not sure given the opportunity again, would I really do it■■?
Having a regular job where you are home every night. Where you can have a hot bath/shower. A nice hot meal and your own bed. Bit of a no-brainer really.
It’s OK to write ‘■■■■’ but the other word had to go.
The best plan is to write exactly what you want to write and then leave the auto censor to do its work. dd. 
Sorry to say driving jobs are where all the other jobs are
Have you not heard the new lately 
as unemployment has gone up again is the worst in 17 years
Good luck in finding something try all the agencies in your area even accept van jobs to prove & get some experience
You didn’t actually think you’d just walk right into work?!
You must have done some research! Far too many people think that lorry driving is the way and it’s a promised job. It’s not.
Truck driving is probably a harder job to get than most others!
i agree its very hard to get work im a newbie and have applied for loads of jobs and agencies and they all said the same thing need experience but dont give up coz iv just got a job driving class 2 there are some good companys out there
stagedriver:
You didn’t actually think you’d just walk right into work?!You must have done some research! Far too many people think that lorry driving is the way and it’s a promised job. It’s not.
Truck driving is probably a harder job to get than most others!
That is the thing a ot of people arent doing there research as they still think that at the end of it we still need drivers but the market is now flooded with them same as plumbers / electricians / gas fitters a few years back
They also think the wages are great but dont realise that they have gone down a lot over the last few years
Hey Manny! Congrats on getting your licence. While I have been driving for about 15 years now, I do understand your frustration- went through it when I got my class 1. I have been doing work for an agency called . When I registered though they tell me about a 2 year contract they had going that was open to newbies in Andover. Seemed rare! I’d try giving them a call- don’t remember their number, but just google… Good luck!
bigred_j:
Hey Manny! Congrats on getting your licence. While I have been driving for about 15 years now, I do understand your frustration- went through it when I got my class 1. I have been doing work for an agency called When I registered though they tell me about a 2 year contract they had going that was open to newbies in Andover. Seemed rare! I’d try giving them a call- don’t remember their number, but just google … Good luck!
strange that both the OP and you are using the same company specific IP 
which just happens to be in the recruitment business !
Denis F:
bigred_j:
Hey Manny! Congrats on getting your licence. While I have been driving for about 15 years now, I do understand your frustration- went through it when I got my class 1. I have been doing work for an agency called When I registered though they tell me about a 2 year contract they had going that was open to newbies in Andover. Seemed rare! I’d try giving them a call- don’t remember their number, but just google … Good luck!strange that both the OP and you are using the same company specific IP
which just happens to be in the recruitment business !
Forget Gumboots, try Gumshoe Denis 
Denis F:
strange that both the OP and you are using the same company specific IPwhich just happens to be in the recruitment business !
GODDAM’, you are good! 
The Sarge:
Denis F:
strange that both the OP and you are using the same company specific IPwhich just happens to be in the recruitment business !
GODDAM’, you are good!
not really, it tells you the IP of each poster at the top of the field on these forums and then all you need to do is a WHOIS for an IP and it will tell you where it comes from
Denis F:
bigred_j:
Hey Manny! Congrats on getting your licence. While I have been driving for about 15 years now, I do understand your frustration- went through it when I got my class 1. I have been doing work for an agency called When I registered though they tell me about a 2 year contract they had going that was open to newbies in Andover. Seemed rare! I’d try giving them a call- don’t remember their number, but just google … Good luck!strange that both the OP and you are using the same company specific IP
which just happens to be in the recruitment business !
Well spotted
Whilst I wouldn’t want to see agencies given any publicity it’s a shame there’s no way to advertise which agency this idiot works for so we could all email them and let them know what we think of this idiots behaviour 
They must be desperate if they have to resort to spamming forums
tachograph:
Denis F:
bigred_j:
Hey Manny! Congrats on getting your licence. While I have been driving for about 15 years now, I do understand your frustration- went through it when I got my class 1. I have been doing work for an agency called When I registered though they tell me about a 2 year contract they had going that was open to newbies in Andover. Seemed rare! I’d try giving them a call- don’t remember their number, but just google … Good luck!strange that both the OP and you are using the same company specific IP
which just happens to be in the recruitment business !
Well spotted
Whilst I wouldn’t want to see agencies given any publicity it’s a shame there’s no way to advertise which agency this idiot works for so we could all email them and let them know what we think of this idiots behaviour
They must be desperate if they have to resort to spamming forums
They can advertise here, but they need to send Rikki some beer vouchers.
But as a driver who wanted to work for Norbert Dentressangle on a CO-OP contract. I would just call in or ring them in Andover 
I just got a start at reed Boardall j48 on the a1 with no expierence mon fri tramping it’s a few hrs drive up on a mon and back on a fri bit they would give u a chance I dare say
I am here: maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.679012,-1.554229
GavMc P11GT:
I just got a start at reed Boardall j48 on the a1 with no expierence mon fri tramping it’s a few hrs drive up on a mon and back on a fri bit they would give u a chance I dare say
I am here: maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.679012,-1.554229
He hasnt got a licence, he is an agency trying to plug his company
GavMc P11GT:
I just got a start at reed Boardall j48 on the a1 with no expierence mon fri tramping it’s a few hrs drive up on a mon and back on a fri bit they would give u a chance I dare say
I am here: maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.679012,-1.554229
Well done