I’m currently working as a HGV Technician and have been in this trade since leaving school 28 years ago. I am currently experiencing the effects of the wear and tear on the body that this trade gives you and I am wanting to take up HGV driving as a full time profession. I have had my class 1 since 1991 and had it revoked for 17 years due to being a Diabetic. I retained my 7.5t entitlement and when the rules changed got my class 1 back. I have approached a local Haulier who’s main business is farming and the Transport Manager who is related to a colleague said he would give me some Sunday work to see if I liked it before committing full time. After one month and numerous promises of work and calls about work I have yet to do a trip for him. Searching the job sites nearly all jobs are Agency based, so is it wise to throw in my reasonably well paid full time employment for Agency work, or do I hold out to find an Employer advertised job? Without knowing how the lowish rates of pay would work out over more hours worked I don’t know if I want to take the plunge so to speak. I enjoy driving trucks and do some loaded driving presenting vehicles for MOT etc. I do some collections of customer vehicles but that is only in a 50 mile radius of base. I do some off site work a couple of times a year for two or three weeks at a time covering around 1000 miles a week and enjoy it. I think HGV driving for me is an itch I need to scratch, but I’m unsure if the financial side will ruin it for me. Any advice is welcomed, and thanks for reading my thoughts. 
poleman:
so is it wise to throw in my reasonably well paid full time employment for Agency work
No
I agree with ROG,no.
I would think as a fitter a small firm would be glad to take you on if you agree to do some basic maintenance for them, then you could get the best of both worlds with the security of a pay packet each week/month.
Thanks for the replies, I’m telling myself the same thing but there are agencies around me advertising work full time on contracts, and I wasn’t sure if this was the system Companies where using to recruit drivers without risk. I have seen lots of Drivers I wouldn’t want to employ but with a turn over of agency Drivers you could approach one you wanted to employ direct couldn’t you?
It is becoming the industry norm for operators to “try out” drivers via agencies. It’s known as temp to perm. It’s also the industry norm for agencies to make all sorts of promises to get you on board and then forget to call you as often as they promised.
You need to dig deep into the work they have on offer. You could approach the operators direct and if they use “temp to perm” and simply ask them if they have any opportunities and which agencies they use. That way you cover yourself as much as you can.
Don’t ditch your job in the hope of getting ad hoc agency work - unless you have a reasonable financial cushion. Agency work is normally dead from next week till end Feb but this varies.
Pete 
poleman:
Thanks for the replies, I’m telling myself the same thing but there are agencies around me advertising work full time on contracts
Please don’t fall for that as quite simply, without exception, they are lying. I can’t put it any plainer.
I’m getting the picture, is it worth signing up for weekend work for the experience? or is it stay well clear territory? A local Transport Manager at a customer we do work for says there is always someone coming or going and he will bear me in mind. He runs some tall and very tall trailers that his drivers cannot operate without hitting low trees with, but that wouldn’t sit well with me! 
Drift:
I agree with ROG,no.
I would think as a fitter a small firm would be glad to take you on if you agree to do some basic maintenance for them, then you could get the best of both worlds with the security of a pay packet each week/month.
^^^^^^^^ This