Striking it lucky (Jobs)

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

I know there’s plenty of moaning about Newbie jobs on here like crap agency work or the lack of it, and the hellish sounding food service runs for the likes of Bidvest P&H etc , though some do enjoy that type of work.
But what I’m wondering is if after passing be it class 1 or class 2 work are there any Newbies that have got a job either agency or full time and struck it lucky and thought or knew that this is the job for them, or was at least a good first start that they enjoyed and learned from?

Sorry if a bit rambling just being nosy I guess :slight_smile:

2

I started off in a P&H type job,still doing it 11 years later now in class 1…nowt wrong with a bit of graft,it’s what separates you from those that on here don’t like to risk breaking a nail :smiley:

3

Not sure my job is hard enough to chip my nail varnish? :smiley:
Although I almost sprained my wrist last week getting a bit vigorous with my handle, I almost couldn’t wind the legs up afterwards! :wink:

4

Passed class 2 then 6 months later got job on council driving recycling wagon did that for 3 years loved it apart from when it was pouring with rain
won’t do it now though as all the driver does is sit there driving where as i had to get out and load as well kept me fit though

5

While I personally would probably not be much use at that type of job (foodservice)! I can certainly see the attraction good money for class 2 work from what I’ve seen/heard and if regular runs just crack on and home early for some I bet!
if I do get my licence I’d like to get on tippers or maybe skip type work and certainly not bothered about me bloody nails. on the flipside of that I also have a steady job at present so wouldn’t want to go agency or the unknown I guess. but if some drivers Like xiChrisxi can find good jobs, or more to the point ones they like to start with it can’t all be bad surely!

6

I passed Class 2 last year and done nothing with it for six months as I had a cushy job. At the start of this year I done my Class 1 and after a few months on agency I got a start with the company I work for now driving bulk tippers and tankers. The work isn’t for everyone as it’s handling Category 1, 2 and 3 ABP but we’re paid well, all the kit is spot on, we work out of scope and the we’re just left to crack on with minimal contact from the office. Been tramping for six months and love it but the option is there to switch to days or nights should my circumstances change. I feel I’ve been pretty lucky and I’ll be here for the foreseeable future.

7

harrawaffa:
Category 1, 2 and 3 ABP

That’s Animal By Products people! :laughing:
And you can keep it, but if the money is good, go for it pal! :smiley:

8

Evil8Beezle:

harrawaffa:
Category 1, 2 and 3 ABP

That’s Animal By Products people! :laughing:
And you can keep it, but if the money is good, go for it pal! :smiley:

As I said not for everyone haha. As an animal lover I thought I’d have an issue with it morally but I’m completely indifferent apart from when a cattle wagon rumbles into the abattoirs yard and you know you’ve got a couple of their cousins in your trailer. I can’t look the cows in the eye.

9

Paaa A bit of mucky straw ( can also be classed as ABP I believe?) won’t hurt ya! Jobs like that don’t tend to be too bad from what I’ve seen, may want to hold your nose at some point but usually with waste or tanker work as Evil has said u don’t have to much to do with the load especially with auto rollover sheets for bulkers etc or tankers connecting hoses ain’t bad really I reckon!
Bit different in the Knackers wagon maybe man handling Red rum or Daisy into the back though they most probably use winch’s or forklifts to be honest, not dignified granted but not hard either :wink:

10

I’m starting on bidvest soon but did a couple of shifts on agency for a company delivering fax machines. Not a bad job and I’d have taken that but not a solid contract or hours so had to go with security. I think agency is one way to get work quick but it has to be the right time of year and you have to have no current job so your available. I tried getting weekend work but it was like rocking horse ■■■■ so ended up using my holidays to work mid week.

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11

They call it ABP now? lol. First job I had after leaving the Army was working in North Yorkshire for a firm called ‘Yorkshire Maggot Farms’ :grimacing: … used to drive all over Yorkshire collecting dead farm animals not fit for the food chain (checked by vets though to ensure it wasn’t anything like BSE etc.) The stench in the warehouse where they were skinned and cut up was horrendous at first, but you got used to it and it was also a great cure for a hangover for some reason.

12

RB84:
Paaa A bit of mucky straw ( can also be classed as ABP I believe?) won’t hurt ya! Jobs like that don’t tend to be too bad from what I’ve seen, may want to hold your nose at some point but usually with waste or tanker work as Evil has said u don’t have to much to do with the load especially with auto rollover sheets for bulkers etc or tankers connecting hoses ain’t bad really I reckon!
Bit different in the Knackers wagon maybe man handling Red rum or Daisy into the back though they most probably use winch’s or forklifts to be honest, not dignified granted but not hard either :wink:

You’re spot on. Very easy work the most exertion I have to do is climb up onto the trailer and have a look in to make sure they haven’t over filled it. The worst of it is the smell of Cat 1 material never in my life had I been woken up by a smell until I started doing this but I know now to keep all windows shut when parked up. I do feel sorry for the tipping staff at the rendering plants numerous times I’ve watched in my mirrors as they’ve cracked the locks on the back door and subsequently been peppered with blood and body fluids.

13

andy_s:
They call it ABP now? lol. First job I had after leaving the Army was working in North Yorkshire for a firm called ‘Yorkshire Maggot Farms’ :grimacing: … used to drive all over Yorkshire collecting dead farm animals not fit for the food chain (checked by vets though to ensure it wasn’t anything like BSE etc.) The stench in the warehouse where they were skinned and cut up was horrendous at first, but you got used to it and it was also a great cure for a hangover for some reason.

The firm I work for have a fleet of 7.5t that do that exact work but that’s a far dirtier job. I try to avoid that side of the plant seeing them skin the animal then dump it in a mincer using a pole up the backside once was enough for me.

14

harrawaffa:

andy_s:
They call it ABP now? lol. First job I had after leaving the Army was working in North Yorkshire for a firm called ‘Yorkshire Maggot Farms’ :grimacing: … used to drive all over Yorkshire collecting dead farm animals not fit for the food chain (checked by vets though to ensure it wasn’t anything like BSE etc.) The stench in the warehouse where they were skinned and cut up was horrendous at first, but you got used to it and it was also a great cure for a hangover for some reason.

The firm I work for have a fleet of 7.5t that do that exact work but that’s a far dirtier job. I try to avoid that side of the plant seeing them skin the animal then dump it in a mincer using a pole up the backside once was enough for me.

Does require a bit of a strong stomach but did enjoy it apart from when I had to take out the creeder cox bolt gun and drop the likes of a 500lb Sow to put it out of it’s misery. Even then. the first hit wasn’t always a good hit and when they go ballistic in a confined pen, you’re earning your money trying to get out.

15

Done a bit of work on farms, Worst noise I ever heard has a Boar having their teeth cut that squeal goes right through ya! Did a bit on a Dairy farm and I was bagging up some corn when the Knackers van came for a cow with a bad leg looked over to see her being dragged down to it behind a tractor :open_mouth: !
I work in a waste transfer station now so I guess dead animals and waste don’t bother me but I can see why some people wouldn’t touch it with a 10ft cattle prod :laughing: But if you get over the stigma’s the jobs are normally very straight forward as been said, and not normally silly oclock starts, in my experience!

16

My first few shifts have been for a supermarket RDC. Found them great, everyone helpful, clean wagon, and even pictures and instructions of each unloading point and how to get to each supermarket.

17

Looks like various parts of the Industry can give you a good start then, just depends on what’s your work preference and what your willing to do :slight_smile:

18

Which one spaceman? Are u on agency?

19

I’d say your always better trying a few different jobs after you pass.

At the end of the day how do you know what good feels like if you’ve never worked on a job you found awful for some reason? Personally I’d rather earn a little less and work for a good firm on a job and shift that suits me but everyone will have a different perspective.

I’d also spend some time reading posts on here to get a good benchmark on what’s normal and what’s taking to ‘mick’ so you know when to say good bye to a firm taking advantage of a new driver.

20

When I decided to drive for a living. I’d been a manager in retail for 18 years, then went into a different line of food. Got made redundant, and decided to have a go at doing what I’d wanted to do since I was about 8.

I did non-food, on vans for a few weeks, but didn’t fit in them, broke my back. They put me on 7.5s, was very similar to food service, but loads more fiddly lines, and no tail lifts, get it to the back of the motor, than deliver it on a sack truck that was so crap, it wasn’t even the one we sold to our customers.

Passed my class 2, did a bit of holiday cover, then shared a truck with a fella (we shared 2 between us) and eventually got my own outright rigid. Enjoyed the job, even when I was in London. Put mega hours and miles in. Then the goalposts started moving. I used to be the first man in Monday morning, but could be finished by 11 or 12 on a Friday, then they started using it as an overgrown 7.5, and I’d be doing stupid drops, where the motor didn’t fit, and bloody lots of them.

I’d already got my class 1, (but I’d done it just because I could, had no real itch, begging me to scratch it)

Then I ended up where I am now. Tramping, weekends, love it to bits. Takes me something like 7 minutes to get there. Work is straightforward, you’re not overstretched. All 110% legal. Good, well maintained kit.

When I look back at my last job, they were an absolute bunch of half-arsed cowboys.

I got my very first brand new truck 2 months ago, and I’ve even taken up tank polishing, my only gripe is the fact that all and sundry drive my motor on my days off.

I can quite confidently say that if I had my own 100% exclusive motor, this would be my dream job. It would take one hell of a pay offer, and my own motor to even contemplate leaving.

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