Realy Realy Depressed

FarnboroughBoy11:
To be fair to this truckerwannabe fella it wasnt a great start was it, asking questions like “what do i set the tacho to if i wanted to drive to Mcdonalds inbetween drops??” :unamused:

“searches for the drive through button”

“well boss it said 9.9 at the drive through i thought it meant 9.9 wide and since the trucks only 8ft 2 wide i was sure i could get me and the 45ft trailer in the drive through”

I don’t normally come in this forum not being a newbie but this post was hilarious. He sounds like a lovely chap who deserves a great job. Maybe a ‘how long did it take you to get your first job’ posting would be interesting if it hasn’t been done already. I’ll start, 4 years. I was driving coaches all over Europe in that time but was too young and inexperienced to drive a truck!

switchlogic:
I don’t normally come in this forum not being a newbie but this post was hilarious. He sounds like a lovely chap who deserves a great job. Maybe a ‘how long did it take you to get your first job’ posting would be interesting if it hasn’t been done already. I’ll start, 4 years. I was driving coaches all over Europe in that time but was too young and inexperienced to drive a truck!

Go on then. I’ll play. I have come to truck driving via an inability to sit in an office in front of a computer all day long. I had been a freelance software engineer (known in the profession as EKS, Evil Kontractor Scum) for 15 years. My father used to own a small pre-cast concrete manufacturing company and I grew up working in the yard as a Saturday job and have always retained a strong affinity with industrial engineering, big machines, lorries etc.

In 2006 I took my Cat. C licence and started doing agency work taking any jobs I was offered. I suspect like everyone else, I had to go through the ‘education’ process whereby the agency slings any old crap your way and you are obliged to say, ‘yes sir massa, please may I have another’. During that period I had the odd minor bump and scrape. It took a while for the idea to set, that you must approach truck driving from the view of operating heavy plant, not driving a car, and calculate the risks accordingly. A to B is easy, it’s the squeezing a truck into a yard or a building site at the end, avoiding all the stupidly parked cars and cunningly designed ‘stealth’ street furniture etc, that takes the concentration.

However as your real world skills increase and transport managers find that you are competent and adopt a professional approach to the job, you start to find that you end up working more for a fewer, more select number of clients. Thankfully! I had some really rubbish jobs to start.

My personal most hated, being driving a 7.5 tonner for a well-known furniture store with a less than enlightened outlook upon customer relations. I had a young driver’s mate who was well practiced in the art of fobbing off clients regarding damaged deliverables and getting them to sign for sub-standard goods. After a few days, during a drop when he had actually managed to make this young woman burst into tears by basically lying to her about her rights, I decided enough was enough. I took her to one side and explained her consumer rights and told her to stand her ground. My ‘mate’ disappeared for a minute or two then put me on the phone to the customer services manager. I was ordered to get back into the lorry and under no circumstances was I permitted to speak to any of the clients again. Needless to say, I didn’t work out between us and I have vowed to never do furniture delivery work. Ever.

By that time I’d gotten enough traction with the agency that I could turn down the really crappy jobs. Their other clients were still asking for me.

Did that for a year or so, until I got knocked off my pushbike, cycling to work one morning (by a high court judge, no less). Then went back to doing some ad-hoc IT support work for a while. This year I bit the bullet and took my Cat C+E test in January. I have been driving on the agency, working full time for a single company ever since… on Cat. C.

It would appear that I have to start to try and climb yet another slippery pole to get some Cat. C+E experience. Not much is forthcoming at the moment. One agency asked the date of my test pass, and then just put the phone down on me, click! Charming. Doesn’t really bother me though, something will turn up eventually.

switchlogic:
I don’t normally come in this forum not being a newbie but this post was hilarious. He sounds like a lovely chap who deserves a great job. Maybe a ‘how long did it take you to get your first job’ posting would be interesting if it hasn’t been done already. I’ll start, 4 years. I was driving coaches all over Europe in that time but was too young and inexperienced to drive a truck!

Yeah, this thread is rather comic isnt it :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Anyway, as to the how long did it to get my first driving job (I’ll exclude the buses here :wink: ) I passed my class 1 last June and by July (actually offered the job on my 27th Birthday :sunglasses: ) I was starting my first full time class 1 job :sunglasses:

only one knock back and he’s depressed lol,i average 3 a week,but still keep trying,too many drivers looking for work,experience counts at the present time with so many unemployed.had one job was there a month had to have one of those disclosure scotland forms told me they couldnt keep me on because of something i did over 29yrs ago (liked a fight when i was younger)resulted in custodial sentence,but its not put me off.sooner or later ill get a start.

mister-t:
only one knock back and he’s depressed lol,i average 3 a week,but still keep trying,

Don’t be too harsh on him, I think we’ve all spotted the nut and it’s fair to say it aint in the tree. :wink: :stuck_out_tongue:

This guy really needs to wise up, i’ve had the “sorry you have been un-sucessfull” letters, and a fair few of the other forum members have aswell i bet, and i’ve got 25 years experiance, you just have to GET OVER IT and keep trying, somedays with driving it seems like the whole world and his brother are against you, E.G. Traffic jams, Waiting to tip, Load not ready, Breakdown, Paperwork, French on strike, Puncture, M25, i’m sure other members can think of more examples…

thehood:
somedays with driving it seems like the whole world and his brother are against you, E.G. Traffic jams, Waiting to tip, Load not ready, Breakdown, Paperwork, French on strike, Puncture, M25, i’m sure other members can think of more examples…

Oh yes, the office staff, car drivers, warehouse staff, car drivers etc :laughing:

it will make u chuckle when u chuckle in front of my face, and rip your heart out.

MORTAL KOMBAT! FINISH HIM! :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp:

What really made me laugh about this thread is he obviously has not read any other posts on here about drivers that have many years of experience not being able to get a job and what annoyed me was the way he seams to come across as the world owes him something. This idiot really has not got a clue and that not only shows in experience but also lack of intelligence in this current climate you would be a very very lucky man or woman to walk into your first interview and get the job and as a newbie you would be very very very lucky.

Look its a shame that you never got the job but pick yourself up and get looking again, apply for everything, don’t really know why I’m saying this because I really don’t think he deserves any ones advise especially as he can take such digs at Coffeeholic where if he had read any of his diaries I think he would change his mind about being a better driver passing the test doesn’t make you a good driver experience doing the job makes you are a good driver.

Your attitude stinks mate, so grow up grow a set be a man and if you don’t like any of my comments I am more than happy to pm you my address because idol threats make you look even more stupid my friend.

truckerwannabe:

Volvofh16:
Ha ha makes me chuckle

it will make u chuckle when u chuckle in front of my face, and rip your heart out.
keyboard warrior, why dont u come to my face, and say it, [zb]

Ha ha i forgot i commented on this retards topic, hes a very angry dude with the world isnt he,rip my heart out indeedy oh well nevermind,tell u what anytime u want i will come chuckle in yer face right after ive finished banging f~~~ out ur lasses back door,lol Keyboard Warrior yeh ok then now that does make me chuckle!!! Get a job man u lazy ■■■■,ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Excellent thread kept me entertained for a good 20 mins or so. :grimacing:

Well that was one entertaining read :laughing:

What really annoys me is that ■■■■■ like that give new drivers a bad name.

I was doing 7.5 work for two years starting when I was 18, driving around the Midlands. I also had to cover rounds down at the North London depot. (35 calls in Westminster = Very helpful experience :smiley: ) I’m 21 now and have my Class C test on Tuesday, even though I’ve had that experience a couple of years ago, I’m in now way expecting to just walk into a job, having spent a couple of years away from trucks. I had to work my way up in my first job to the relief driver.

I personally think everyone is a little safer without someone like that on the roads. So much for being a professional, competent driver.

I would also like to add I only stumbled over this site by accident and I’m glad I did. The information on this site so so helpful, as are its members.