After being made redundant in my last job after furlough which was in a warehouse I am thinking of returning to driving. I have a Class 1 but I mainly did Class 2 previously on the pallet network.
After taking a long break from driving will I have problems getting work? I live near Plymouth.
Any advice would be appreciated.
There is supposed to be a driver shortage at the moment how true that is im not sure as each area offers different wages and you only seem to see the same adverts for jobs each week that are genuine. I have been lucky in that the right jobs came along at the right time.
have a look around for jobs in your area seems to me that alot of places might have rules for who they employ but will take anyone from the agency. I have found a good way in is to find a company you wouldnt mind working for and asking them which agency they use. Dnnt be scared of agencies just dont let them bully you and dont get sucked in by an umbrella scheme regardless of all the rubish they tell you and the extra higher rate you will be worse off.
I dont know how much you have kept your hand in over the last 7 years but maybe get a refresher course for a day or so just to polish yoir driving and get a feel for it all again. The driving standered out there has fallen abismaly since lockdown. Seems to me you have to try and think of the most stupid thing someone could do and prepair for it.
I hope so!
Not much younger and looking for work if I pass!
Being 55 years young is no barrier to getting work , Gregory have a depot down that way so maybe a relief or casual driver position to cover illness and holidays for their full time drivers would suit you better to ease back in slowly again.
Plenty of pallet work around there too if you don’t mind ■■■■■■■ a ton pallet of stone slabs over a lawn or shingle drive with a broken pump truck.
Gregory use driver Apps to book on and off shift , arrange holidays, check your pay so little interaction with the pointy shoe planners and TM’s .
I did their Garador runs delivering garage doors all over the country, it was a Marmite job , but kept you fit .
Positives : Being left alone all week, builders merchants shut early so do you .
Ring ahead customers with an ETA .
Going to places you would never go if on general haulage ( Isolated hamlet
with a pub and pint by a roaring fire.
The load is not theft attractive .
A brilliant TM called Dave , long service and ex Military and done the job.
Negatives:Last thing Friday ringing potentially 100 customers who don’t answer their
phone to give them an ETA for the next week so calculate your driving hours
and over night stops a week in advance with leaving voicemails or text.
A large amount of deliveries but your route was planned and no going off
route .
Very heavy solid oak double doors that premier league footballers love .
The metal doors get damaged easily and get rejected by clients so you have
ring in each door with reference numbers for a credit refund.
Sent you a pm with some ideas for jobs around the area
At 55 years old, you’ll be a mere youngster. 
The average age of a driver is about 54 years, you will be fine.
Look for firms that’ll take on drivers and put them through the DCPC blue card modules, OR an agency that’ll take you on in some kind of limited capacity, whilst you get your oar back in, and used to the world of “no more gearstick” tractors, with them passing away more than 5 years ago now.
I would theorize that the lower-paying end of full time (Eg. current £12ph payers) - are more soft on entry requirements than the top-dollar outfits.
That said, I’m surprised to see no adverts actually asking for clean licences, rather than “six points OK, no DD/DR” as of yet.
“Insurance Purposes” is more about being under 25 than it is “have not driven for two years” even though one sees the latter requirement a lot in agency ads in particular…
Maybe an outfit like Freshlinc/FreshService might suit, dare I say?
The lot of a supply driver - has improved since the lockdown, with no longer a requirement to sit in the “Boiler” waiting room when dropping at Supermarket RDCs. These days, you get to sit back in the passenger seat of your cab, or even get your head down on the bunk - easily far better than the days of old… 
Harry Monk:
At 55 years old, you’ll be a mere youngster.
Had a new (to us) agency driver start at our place a few weeks ago. They sent him out with me for a day to show him the procedures at the remote depots (that’s what they said - if truth be told they simply ended up with too many drivers that day and didn’t want to send him home in case he never came back [emoji849]). He is 68 years old…
On the bright side, I’m no longer the oldest driver at our place [emoji16]
Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk
Glynno:
After being made redundant in my last job after furlough which was in a warehouse I am thinking of returning to driving. I have a Class 1 but I mainly did Class 2 previously on the pallet network.
After taking a long break from driving will I have problems getting work? I live near Plymouth.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Take a look at indeed for HGV drivers near Plymouth. There are opportunites for new drivers, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding work. Just tell them you’re a bit rusty, and they will send you out with an experienced driver for the week so that you can get up to speed again.
This job might be with the CO-OP as they have an RDC in Plympton/Postcode PL7.
uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=hgv%20clas … 8714734281
LGV Cat C+E (Class 1) Driver
Plymouth PL7
£18.50 - £23.00 an hour - Full-time
Day work, apply now: We are recruiting for our Plympton based client, one of the largest food retailers, who requires LGV Cat C+E HGV Class 1 Day Drivers. Newly qualified drivers welcome immediate starts. Guaranteed 8 hours pay per day. Long-term ongoing assignments with possible permanent opportunities following successful trial periods. You will be working 5/6 shifts per week which will include some weekends. Start times from 04:30-07:00, Monday to Sunday. Full induction training required, on site parking with subsidised canteen facility.
The role involves delivering chilled, frozen & ambient foods to our client’s own stores on a daily basis. Duties will consist of delivering to 4-6 local stores across Devon and Cornwall. All roll cages are pre-loaded onto vehicles and routes are professionally planned by an experienced transport team.
If the OP is 55 he might be better staying away from food distribution as it tends to be hard physical work. My rule is “If you eat it or drink it, I don’t haul it”.
Thanks everyone for taking the trouble to reply to my question. I’m not so bothered about being 55, it’s more the big gap in driving that I worry would put employers off.
James Richards:
Being 55 years young is no barrier to getting work , Gregory have a depot down that way so maybe a relief or casual driver position to cover illness and holidays for their full time drivers would suit you better to ease back in slowly again.
Plenty of pallet work around there too if you don’t mind ■■■■■■■ a ton pallet of stone slabs over a lawn or shingle drive with a broken pump truck.
Gregory use driver Apps to book on and off shift , arrange holidays, check your pay so little interaction with the pointy shoe planners and TM’s .
I did their Garador runs delivering garage doors all over the country, it was a Marmite job , but kept you fit .Positives : Being left alone all week, builders merchants shut early so do you .
Ring ahead customers with an ETA .
Going to places you would never go if on general haulage ( Isolated hamlet
with a pub and pint by a roaring fire.
The load is not theft attractive .
A brilliant TM called Dave , long service and ex Military and done the job.Negatives:Last thing Friday ringing potentially 100 customers who don’t answer their
phone to give them an ETA for the next week so calculate your driving hours
and over night stops a week in advance with leaving voicemails or text.
A large amount of deliveries but your route was planned and no going off
route .
Very heavy solid oak double doors that premier league footballers love .
The metal doors get damaged easily and get rejected by clients so you have
ring in each door with reference numbers for a credit refund.
Give it a frecin rest
Glynno:
Thanks everyone for taking the trouble to reply to my question. I’m not so bothered about being 55, it’s more the big gap in driving that I worry would put employers off.
Well, no. If someone will take on a new pass then why would they be bothered about someone who hasn’t driven for several years? We’ve had dozens, probably hundreds on here who have been down the same path before. I wouldn’t go on about it too much at the interview because that then seems like a confidence issue and that can put potential employers off- it’s called “Carryfast Syndrome”.
You’ll be fine. Crack on.
Thanks Harry, I’ve just got to do my cpc quickly as I waited nearly six months for my licence to come back from the dvla.
Harry Monk:
- it’s called “Carryfast Syndrome”
Which means never lifting or carrying anything 
or even doing a day’s work
Carryfast Syndrome something I’ve never had but I’m sure there’s plenty with it!
Glynno:
Thanks everyone for taking the trouble to reply to my question. I’m not so bothered about being 55, it’s more the big gap in driving that I worry would put employers off.
I had over 12 year gap before I started driving again in 2013, I was 55 then as it happens. Had to do an assessment which was the only scary bit for me as had never driven an auto, didn’t even have air park brake in previous job!. The assessor knew about the gap so was probably a bit more forgiving but I got through without hitting any kerbs etc. Went out for a day with another driver, was supposed to be a week but they were busy so let loose on my own, still there 8+ years later though only part-time now. As long as you show you’re still capable of handling a large vehicle you’ll be fine.
Suede head , did you work for Dave Johnson ?
Thanks Tallyman.