So i passed my HGV licenses back to back therefore no driving experience at all. It’s been a month now and still no luck in finding my first driving job.
Issue is, most jobs require a minimum of 12 months experience. How am i going to get experience if companies and agencies require 12 months?
I’ve registered with 2 agencies so far but heard nothing. The paper work you’ve got to fill in is ridiculous.
A question i’ve also got to ask is, is there a low demand/jobs for HGVs in a certain period? if so, what is it? Jan to March? will it pick up after and give people like me a better chance of finding my first job?
I need a bit of help and direction please. I mean if its the low demand period i’m in then i can may be wait and not rush or stress over it and be more understanding.
I honestly thought i’d get a job immediately on passing judging the amount of jobs advertised but i was wrong. Badly wrong.
Would love to know how you guys got your first HGV job, the low demand period hence unemployment and what i need to do.
You want to be targeting the big companies, the likes of Stobart, Gregory, Culina, Maritime etc. New passes are not a problem to them provided you can pass the assessment.
Yes this is a low demand period, most companies are quiet this time of year. Things do improve by Easter.
Go plant road sweepers will take on inexperienced class 2, its a rubbish job but just do it for 6 months to tick the ‘experience’ box I did 1 month there and kept looking and got a start somewhere else so I left, and when you move on you may have to bite the bullet and do class 2 work but make it known you have class 1 and sooner or later someone will leave through the hgv industry revolving door and you will move up the ladder
robroy:
What area are you in.
Tried Stobarts ? They train up new drivers afaik.
Or you could lie to the agencies, they’ll sure as hell tell you plenty if you get on with them,.
Big +1…
When everything had 3 pedals and we tied things on, I lied my arse off, ‘yeh. I’ve done A frames to Morocco, tilts to Moscow and 22 drops down Londons back streets’. I hadn’t been much further than Basingstoke but most of them bought it and I gotta ride.
Tell 'em you’ve been doing a few things for an owner driver who’s sold up because of ill health.
robroy:
What area are you in.
Tried Stobarts ? They train up new drivers afaik.
Or you could lie to the agencies, they’ll sure as hell tell you plenty if you get on with them,.
Big +1…
When everything had 3 pedals and we tied things on, I lied my arse off, ‘yeh. I’ve done A frames to Morocco, tilts to Moscow and 22 drops down Londons back streets’. I hadn’t been much further than Basingstoke but most of them bought it and I gotta ride.
Tell 'em you’ve been doing a few things for an owner driver who’s sold up because of ill health.
Stobartski will hire you.
Good luck.
Lie? how can you when they will require proof and references?
Stobarts only have tramping and night shifts at the moment. Can only do days with no tramping.
robroy:
What area are you in.
Tried Stobarts ? They train up new drivers afaik.
Or you could lie to the agencies, they’ll sure as hell tell you plenty if you get on with them,.
Big +1…
When everything had 3 pedals and we tied things on, I lied my arse off, ‘yeh. I’ve done A frames to Morocco, tilts to Moscow and 22 drops down Londons back streets’. I hadn’t been much further than Basingstoke but most of them bought it and I gotta ride.
Tell 'em you’ve been doing a few things for an owner driver who’s sold up because of ill health.
Stobartski will hire you.
Good luck.
Lie? how can you when they will require proof and references?
Stobarts only have tramping and night shifts at the moment. Can only do days with no tramping.
Last 2 jobs I’ve had prior to the one I’m in now, both firms ceased trading…use your imagination.
Maybe I ain’t the best guy to advise you on this, and it’s last ditch resort… but I would have no scruples whatsoever about lying to an agency.
Transport is a ruthless dog eat dog/everyman for himself industry, if you don’t lie others may, and they get the job. …whoever said ‘Honesty is the best policy’ was a ■■■■ idiot.
robroy:
What area are you in.
Tried Stobarts ? They train up new drivers afaik.
Or you could lie to the agencies, they’ll sure as hell tell you plenty if you get on with them,.
Big +1…
When everything had 3 pedals and we tied things on, I lied my arse off, ‘yeh. I’ve done A frames to Morocco, tilts to Moscow and 22 drops down Londons back streets’. I hadn’t been much further than Basingstoke but most of them bought it and I gotta ride.
Tell 'em you’ve been doing a few things for an owner driver who’s sold up because of ill health.
Stobartski will hire you.
Good luck.
Lie? how can you when they will require proof and references?
Stobarts only have tramping and night shifts at the moment. Can only do days with no tramping.
Last 2 jobs I’ve had prior to the one I’m in now, both firms ceased trading…use your imagination.
ibby730d:
Lie? how can you when they will require proof and references?
“So who have you worked for previously?”
“Well after I passed my test I did a bit of ad-hoc for Anderson plant hire. They went bust so I went to Robsons haulage and did a week or so for them. He’s sold up now. He retired and moved to Australia. Did a bit of curtainsider and flatbed work for him. Usually pallets of slabs getting delivered to (insert city here).”
Its easy. Just sound like you half know what you are talking about. You only need to show them you are a decent person and get them to give you a chance.
Thats the hard bit. Once you have the chance the easy bit is dont side swipe a car and crash into a snack van when you leave the depot!
ibby730d:
Lie? how can you when they will require proof and references?
“So who have you worked for previously?”
“Well after I passed my test I did a bit of ad-hoc for Anderson plant hire. They went bust so I went to Robsons haulage and did a week or so for them. He’s sold up now. He retired and moved to Australia. Did a bit of curtainsider and flatbed work for him. Usually pallets of slabs getting delivered to (insert city here).”
Its easy. Just sound like you half know what you are talking about. You only need to show them you are a decent person and get them to give you a chance.
Thats the hard bit. Once you have the chance the easy bit is dont side swipe a car and crash into a snack van when you leave the depot!
I’ve only just passed last month. Won’t i get caught out if i say ive got 12+ months experience but when they look at dates at the back of my license they will be like ■■?
Registration papers ask for passed dates and they take photocopies of license.
Deer in headlights if they start looking at my passed dates.
imo demand for agency is low Jan-March because less people take their holidays among the full timers during this period, and therefore therer are less “planned” duties to be tendered out to agency.
The level of “last minute cover” will be roughly constant all year around however, and perhaps signing up with one of these 2nd rate “last minute only work here” agencies - might be the way to go?
Plenty of firms want to hire those that don’t actually need training, it is true - BUT it has to be said that there are several large firms that WANT to encourage recent passes to sign up with them, albeit for less money than can be got elsewhere in the industry.
…They want this - so they can bring up the freshman driver in the way they want to see, bearing in mind that increasing amounts of a driver’s duties these days - is NOT “Driving” any more.
Paid Assessments - are the things to watch. If said paid assessment happens to just be a “re-test” and testing your ability to drive well, without making ■■■■ ups all over the place - then seek out work at those firms offering such. Forget the yards that just throw a set of keys at you, and expect you to be a driving god of 50 years standing already!
They won’t teach you experience - will they?
Avoid Courier firms then, lean towards “supply chain” firms like Kuhne & Nagel, GIST, and other supermarket supplier outfits, including Fowler & Welch if they have a depot near you.
Winseer:
imo demand for agency is low Jan-March because less people take their holidays among the full timers during this period, and therefore therer are less “planned” duties to be tendered out to agency.
The level of “last minute cover” will be roughly constant all year around however, and perhaps signing up with one of these 2nd rate “last minute only work here” agencies - might be the way to go?
Plenty of firms want to hire those that don’t actually need training, it is true - BUT it has to be said that there are several large firms that WANT to encourage recent passes to sign up with them, albeit for less money than can be got elsewhere in the industry.
…They want this - so they can bring up the freshman driver in the way they want to see, bearing in mind that increasing amounts of a driver’s duties these days - is NOT “Driving” any more.
Paid Assessments - are the things to watch. If said paid assessment happens to just be a “re-test” and testing your ability to drive well, without making ■■■■ ups all over the place - then seek out work at those firms offering such. Forget the yards that just throw a set of keys at you, and expect you to be a driving god of 50 years standing already!
They won’t teach you experience - will they?
Avoid Courier firms then, lean towards “supply chain” firms like Kuhne & Nagel, GIST, and other supermarket supplier outfits, including Fowler & Welch if they have a depot near you.
You might just have to take ANY driving job the agency(s) can get you even if it is 7.5T or van work (presuming you weren’t driving before) so that they can see you are willing and able. Ring them each afternoon to ask what they have and expect an early morning phone call for when another driver has ‘cried off’.
Once you are working regularly for one agency ( possibly one employer via them) you can start pushing for Class 2 then Class 1.
Worked for me, (fresh to driving after 30 years in bars and shop management). Went from zero experience to a full time job in about 3 months.
It was challenging and knackering at times but I got a massive variety of experience in that time.
Good Luck
I wouldn’t try and wing it, you defiantly don’t sound confident/arrogant enough to pull it off (no disrespect mate). Me like many others here having winged and bullshited our way through various jobs, BUT, did it before H/S and all the other gestapo organisations had got up to speed on how to catch us easily lol
Got to ask, if you’ve got the opportunity to take a start at Stobbies even if its shifts you don’t want you’ve only got to do six months or more to then move on ■■
As my old man kept telling me (and it does ring true 30 years on) ‘’ We all have to do jobs we hate from time to time…‘’
