All, passed my C+E test with 5 minors (4 driving & 1 shunt). Had the examiner do a debrief and was informed that my driving is very good and I should go out there end enjoy my new license. The main question would be is how does a newely qualified driver get his first job. Tried a number of firms by direct approach and told that’at the present time there are no vacancies’, could this be true or are they just politely telling me ‘no exp no job’. Sainsburys wants 2 years exp so does Tesco. As I work for a well known bread delivery co driving anything from 7.5T to 13T I’m not going to leave them and go to an agency to hopefully get a one or two days a week in this climate. Any advice from the forum would be appriciated as I’d like to use the C+E license.
FYI - I used Coates LGV for my C+E and to be frankly honest I’m very impressed, the instructor was very good and I have passed my thanks to the company. However the ‘boy’ who took me to the test as my instructor was unavailable needs an attitute adjustment. All he kept saying was ‘when you fail on this or this’ even at the test centre he just kept blabbing on about me failing, so I just told him to can it as he was making me jittery. That is something that no instructor should do, give the student some courage make him feel that all is OK and not put him down before the test.
Read it, interesting reading. Had something similar when I was waiting for the truck to turn up to do some refersher driving. Apart from that all went OK. Had an email from Pertemps with the ‘Urgent’ LGV1 drivers needed. Called them and the usual storry of you need 2 years exp before we can employ you…Insurance purposes. Sounds like a load of crock to me.
To be honest mate I’d stick out with what you’re doing job wise at the moment to be honest, I know you’ve spent the money to upgrade to C&E, but if no one will take you on, or at best a couple of days a week as you said, then stick out with what you have for now then when things pick up take it from there. Of course apply for real jobs with real companies who advertise, see if you get any luck with that, but the most important thing is don’t make any rash decisions, I know it sounds stupid, but we’ve all done things we thought at the time were worth doing, later to find we should have stayed as we were as it’s not what we thought it might be, and in these ‘dark days’ the last thing you want to be doing is making a daft move.
I realise everything I’ve just said is total common sense, and it doesn’t help with finding a C&E job but sometimes things just need to be said no matter how straightforward they are
hi paul.im in the same boat as you mate,passed my c with 2 minors and ce with 3 minors,it seems that even if you are fairly confident with your driving,we just cant get passed that 2 years experience their looking for.But on the up side we have the license now and unless we do anything stupid,we will have it for the long term.just have to sit and wait it out i suppose.recession cant last forever
Must admit that the 2 year bit seems daft, my instructor kept telling me that my driving is spot on and the examiner mentioned that also. All we newbies want is to be given a chance to prove ourselves and earn a living. One agency that I signed on with when I passed Cat C placed me straight away with a client yet the others especially one of them were so negative it was unreal, now that Agency has been taken over and that branch closed down. Poetic justice I suppose. Saw a Ad in the local press for C+E drivers with an Agency(Rapier), they are still looking for drivers for Sainsburys but that 2 year rule keeps creeping up, they won’t even entertain putting you forward unless you have that exp. According to them the Sainsburys test is so ‘tough’ that only experienced driver can pass it.
paulhavers:
Read it, interesting reading. Had something similar when I was waiting for the truck to turn up to do some refersher driving. Apart from that all went OK. Had an email from Pertemps with the ‘Urgent’ LGV1 drivers needed. Called them and the usual storry of you need 2 years exp before we can employ you…Insurance purposes. Sounds like a load of crock to me.
i passed my c+e 10 days ago i have a mate who is an owner driver he has just put me on his insurance
cost him £200 so all this rubbish about cost is just a get out for firms who dont want to let a newbie
out in a truck they own everyone has been a newly qualified driver at some stage so please give a new
boy a chance you never know we just might make a good driver!
Just keep trying, usually the openings are with the crap jobs that no-one else wants to do, multidrop or bins or sewage tankers or something that pays crap money. Unfortunately there are now more experienced drivers chasing those jobs too. You just need to get a bit of work, to get some experience that will push you up the ladder a bit and open some doors.
You need to go and speak to people, beat down people’s doors and not just rely on job ads in the paper (remember them?) If you get someone who isn’t keen because of your lack of experience, offer to do a driving assessment with one of their drivers.
Try smaller firms who might not automatically draft in an agency to replace or hire drivers.
Do the leg work, be presentable and turn up places wearing Hi-viz and boots, speak to the transport office and leave them a card with your name, number and available skills on it, I made my own on the PC looked smart but not too flashy then laminated them. I was surprised how many calls I got after I had landed a job, some of them were several months later. In fairness I was expereinced in a specialised field rather than a newbie, but my efforts were not wasted.
Thanks guys, always knew that the insurance thing was a lot of crock. On my days off next week I’ll be beating down some doors, have a few places in mind and was given another agencys name by a different Sainsburys driver who recons that this agency has more drivers there and are ‘much’ better. Something has to come up one of these days and no giving up till it does.
Slight update on my job search, called a few agencies today and kept hearing the same thing over and over again. 2 years exp is required by our clients, when informed that the 2 year insurance is just a ‘get out’ clause all told me that this is what the clients want and we have to abide by it. Seems that they don’t trust newbies with their tucks because we might ‘break’ them. Having said that I’ve seen other drivers who supposedly been on the road for ages drive like maniacs and in my opinion shouldn’t be behind a wheel of a three wheeler let alone a lorry but they have 2 years exp. So the usual practice of knocking on doors directly will be stringently followed from now on. I find it amazing that the examiners have passed us to be competent drivers and no one will let us behind a wheel surely if you’re not good enough to drive you’ll never pass the test. Do I have to resort to bribery to get a job…?
Thanks Rog, I think I’ll have to use plan X. Camp outside a few places till they get sick of me being there and give me a job. When I was in the Army (long, long time ago) I could have got my license but being young and stupid I wanted to drive a Tank, fat use it is to me right now . Will have to keep plugging away and sooner or later (with luck sooner) something will come up.
. Will have to keep plugging away and sooner or later (with luck sooner) something will come up.
