hello to all, i have recently regained my hgv 2 licence after an 8 year break due to a heart attack in 2004, ive done the medical, 9 min treadmill test and waited quite a few weeks for the dvla to return my licence so now i am looking to get back into the industry, i have got a digi tacho card and have applied to a few agencies and downloaded my cv onto the internet, i would appreciate any advice on how to get back working as i am struggling at the moment, many thanks.
Dont come bac into it a lot has changed
TBH not a lot of work out there at all
A read of this
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=92810&p=1347138&hilit=Lonewolf#p1347138
BTW it is now know as Cat C 
The rules changed in 2007 so make sure you are up to date with them
eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex … 013:EN:PDF
businesslink.gov.uk/Transpor … 1111_3.pdf
Happy reading 
not having a lot of joy at moment is the haulage business in serious decline, it used to easy 8 years ago now its all phantom agency jobs that dont exist, where are all the real jobs ■■?
ianf7771:
not having a lot of joy at moment is the haulage business in serious decline, it used to easy 8 years ago now its all phantom agency jobs that dont exist, where are all the real jobs ■■?
They will re-appear when the recession is over and there are more jobs than people to do them … that’ll be a few years then …
In the meantime companies are reluctant in many cases to take on full time permanent drivers unless they have guaranteed long term contracts (for years) so they take on temp agency drivers instead to fill gaps in their current contracts
I did say but if you think about it really if you have been made redundant then so have plenty of drivers
Yes most of the work is agency as they can pick you up & drop just as quick
Have you not heard what has happened to this country & all the jobs
oh well looks like christmas is cancelled…
I have been made redundant twice in 2 years, the last time was Nov 2011 till - Aug 2012 in that time i applied for over 100 jobs had around 25 interviews and was offered 6 six of those jobs varying vastly in quality, working hours/shifts and pay, even having a few more tickets than most people have, it was extremely difficult to get a full time perm job, which i now have, not the best job or best paid, admittedly but most importantly at this stage of the game a guaranteed monthly salary, which is why i bypassed agency work altogether even though i was offered more work than i imagined.
You will just have to do as i did and play the numbers game, apply for everything you are qualified for, be it van courier or 7.5ton bed delivery handball work, one day you will strike lucky as i did, its the everyday fruitless job searching that gets you down, i used to spend 8 hours a day on the web or cruising industrial estates looking for viable leads, persistence is the key.
My JCP advisor Sylvia used to laugh at me, she said you have more qualifications than all of the people that actually work here. That my friend is how bad things have become. Good luck with the search.
its not all bad news when i had my heart attack in 2004 my wife trained to be a nurse so now qualified and working atleast we have a decent income, so i dont need a massive income just something would be nice, ive even offered to volunteer with haulage companies to try and get a foot in the door but keep hitting brick walls but never mind i wont give up got nothing to lose.
ianf7771:
ive even offered to volunteer with haulage companies to try and get a foot in the door
To work for free with another driver is ok but to work for free and take paid work off another driver is not ok - in my book
yes i agree, i would only work as a co driver for a very limited period and if i didnt work out i would be on my way, i am just trying to get on in life but not at the expense of others.
i,m also returning to hgv after a few years away cant wait to be honest i wont be put off i live in manchester plenty of companies round here to go to or agencies with long term work i,m doing class 1 and a.d.r in the new year
pfh70:
i,m also returning to hgv after a few years away cant wait to be honest i wont be put off i live in manchester plenty of companies round here to go to or agencies with long term work i,m doing class 1 and a.d.r in the new year
But remember come jan/feb there will be little work on agency & a lot of comp are not taking on maybe some also most want at least 2 years experience although not all a lot of new & experienced drivers out of work
Do you need your initial cpc or do you have grandfather rights 
as this can also play a factor
You also might find a lot has changed with regards driving ( mainly car drivers )
Do you know who you are going with to do Cat CE as it is now & has been for a while ( I know most still call it class 1 ) please avoid brokers
i have grandfather rights for c.p.c i,m going with a company called l.g.v enterprise in Manchester i did my class c with them they are pretty good i,ve phoned a few places already regarding work including stobarts they said call back when ive completed c+e test in the past ive done agency work,trade plating,worked in the waste industry done multi drop and bulk drop i know i,ll be a bit rusty but nothing is going to stop me i have the added bonus of already being work so i can sit and wait to get my break
every time you look online there are page after page of jobs for h…g.v drivers in manchester there is lots of work true there is a lot of agencies the industry has changed a great deal and is constantly changing it will never be like the good old days but at the end of the day its what we sign up for we know what to expect from the start thankfully we know have forums like this where people can get all the help and advice we need on all subjects h.g.v or l.g.v. No job is ever plain sailing any more but as a driver we know we are going to face traffic every day stroppy r.d.c clerks moronic motorists in cars and vans our friends v.o.s.a and various other obstacles what really irritates me is we seem to be persecuted for doing a job no one else seems to want no other industry is regulated like this 
pfh70:
every time you look online there are page after page of jobs for h…g.v drivers in manchester
As there are in my part of the UK and many other parts but on closer inspection many are repeats of the same jobs or are simply non existant jobs which are designed to get drivers to sign up with agencies
How many real full time permananet jobs are there where you contact the companies directly ?
i can afford to wait i,m in full time work as i say i will take 3 days a week on agency till i get a break or i,ll keep pestering companies till they listen so i,m not really bothered if it takes 6 months or so i,m also going for my p.c.v license in september 2013 apr so i dont limit my employment potential i also want to relocate from manchester soon as tired of it here want a fresh start so hopefully it will be a clean sweep nexy year
pfh70:
i can afford to wait i,m in full time work as i say i will take 3 days a week on agency till i get a break or i,ll keep pestering companies till they listen so i,m not really bothered if it takes 6 months or so i,m also going for my p.c.v license in september 2013 apr so i dont limit my employment potential i also want to relocate from manchester soon as tired of it here want a fresh start so hopefully it will be a clean sweep nexy year
Assuming you only had B to start with …
Passing C+E manual and then D auto you will get all these in manual … B+E C1 C1+E D1 D1+E C C+E D D+E
B+E will remain for as long as you have a current B licence but all the rest will be subject to a valid medical
i want to go for category d for my p.c.v license in response to an earlier post today alone i,ve phoned 6 different companies within a few miles of me 3 of which will not only take me on but after a 3 month probationary period will pay for my c+e test subject to me signing a retaining contract so all is well with the world happy days trucking ahead i hope 