The reality of getting work as a new driver

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Say I obtain my Cat C entitlement, how easy would I find it to obtain work without the relevant commercial experience many job placements seem to desire? The adverts not stating this seem to be agencies - so would this be a better place to start?

All the training companies speak up the level of work out there and the lack of drivers available in the industry - but they are hardly going to say there’s nothing available now is there. So maybe you guys can offer you unbiased opinion, sine after all you guys are in the industry? Please.

Going forward I would of course obtain the C+E, but for the basis of this question, lets just assume I would hold the cat C only.

2

Only brokers and a few disreputable trainers will give you duff info on what the newbie job market is really like
The majority of LGV trainers will not

The job market for newbies is different across the UK but to get a realistic view please read recent posts by other newbies on here who recount their experiences

3

arcon:
Say I obtain my Cat C entitlement, how easy would I find it to obtain work without the relevant commercial experience many job placements seem to desire? The adverts not stating this seem to be agencies - so would this be a better place to start?

All the training companies speak up the level of work out there and the lack of drivers available in the industry - but they are hardly going to say there’s nothing available now is there. So maybe you guys can offer you unbiased opinion, sine after all you guys are in the industry? Please.

Going forward I would of course obtain the C+E, but for the basis of this question, lets just assume I would hold the cat C only.

Short answer : hard work, but you may get lucky.

Longer answer : most agencies will want you to be 25, have held your licence for 2 years and have 1 years worth of recent driving experience. They may turn a blind eye if they have hard to fill positions that no-one else wants to do, such as buiders merchants, skips, bin wagons, white goods deliveries, removals, Co-op food, Brake Bros, 3663, bakery deliveries etc.

You may get lucky by going door knocking at your local hauliers that run rigids but don’t pin your hopes on it. There are some members on here that passed a year ago and still haven’t found anyone to take them on but those would be extreme examples. You should certainly be preparing yourself for a lot of knockbacks and frustration. Looks like you fell for the old “driver shortage” lie when in fact there isn’t one at all. The industry is saturated with drivers and not enough work to keep them all going.

4

A lot is down to luck applying at the right place at the right time! It took me 2 months to find a job from when I passed my class c.

5

Thanks for the answers so far guys, I like the fact i’m getting ‘proper’ information here.

Is it possible do you think for a new driver to make a living jumping through lower paid jobs and temporary work through agencies and such for the first year? Say scraping £200/week doing this.

To add, i’ve done 3 years collectively as a cab driver – I know, I know, apples and oranges and all that, but do you think this would act in my favor at all or negligible? I’m 27 btw. I make pittance in this role, hence looking to change jobs but want to stay in a similar sort of industry.

6

arcon:
Thanks for the answers so far guys, I like the fact i’m getting ‘proper’ information here.

Is it possible do you think for a new driver to make a living jumping through lower paid jobs and temporary work through agencies and such for the first year? Say scraping £200/week doing this.

To add, i’ve done 3 years collectively as a cab driver – I know, I know, apples and oranges and all that, but do you think this would act in my favor at all or negligible? I’m 27 btw. I make pittance in this role, hence looking to change jobs but want to stay in a similar sort of industry.

Being a cab driver won’t help you I’m afraid.

To get a job you’ll need to really work for it, don’t expect for it to come to you, you need to go to it.

7

Hi arcon!

Welcome onto the forum mate.

I am a massive believer in being in the right place at the right time. If you have the licence to do the job and end up being that person in right place at the right time, then you will get work I’m sure about that. As DJC says though, it doesn’t come to you and you need to actually put the effort in. Depending on where you live, could mean you putting in more effort than usual, but if you’re in an area with loads of transport companies, it might not take as much effort as usual.

As for your cab driving. Well, I guess any kind of driving on the roads is better than having only just passed your test. :sunglasses:

Good luck in what you decide though.

8

arcon:
Is it possible do you think for a new driver to make a living jumping through lower paid jobs and temporary work through agencies and such for the first year? Say scraping £200/week doing this.

I went straight to Class 1 with no Class 2 experience. I was driving artics within 2 months on agency and after 6 months now have a regular job earning nearly £11 an hour.

9

DJC:

arcon:
To get a job you’ll need to really work for it, don’t expect for it to come to you, you need to go to it.

Bang on. Jobs won’t fall into your lap initially, you need to pester people. Job asks for 2 years experience, ignore it and apply anyway. You might just get lucky. Just apply for anything and everything.

I get calls all the time now offering me for work from people I applied for around Christmas time. Be persistent and you’ll get your shot one day.

10

LJA:
Hi arcon!

I am a massive believer in being in the right place at the right time.

This can count for a lot. Within a week of passing my class 1, I got driving artics for a firm I had been doing class 2 agency work with. This was only because the regular driver ended up in hospital after a crash.

11

Not easy but can be done

You could mix you cab driving with “other” driving ie do some days on agency driving the rest made up of driving the cab a member called Jennie does this why not pm her & ask

12

Luck does play a part, right place, right time, etc. but at the end of the day you make your own luck by getting yourself out there. Knock on doors, register with as many agencies as you can AND PHONE THEM DAILY ASKING FOR ANY WORK! If you wait for them to ring you, you’ll likely wait a long time. Calling frequently will show them your serious and also make your name stick out in their head when they suddenly need a last minute driver 'cause someone’s just dropped out.

Apply for anything and everything, even if you don’t like the sound of it, the hours, etc. any experience is good experience.

I was “lucky” I got the nod that a company in Bristol was always looking for drivers (I live 40mins away in Swindon) so went for it. I got the job even though I had I had only passed my cat C 6 weeks earlier and only done one shift on the bin wagons and two with Royal Mail (all last minute agency jobs).

After I started the job, I soon realised why they were always looking for drivers…they had a very high turnover of drivers as the hours were long, the work very physical and the organisation was a shambles!

“Luckily” another position I had applied for offered me a job. Again, it was a 45 minute commute each way and very early starts, but they where a good company to work for.

6 months later, I had my C+E and went down to the agencies (there were no class 1 jobs available where i was workmg). After I hit the seventh or eighth agency I was “lucky” enough to be talking to a guy who turned out to be mates with a mate. I kept in touch with him regularly over the following couple of week, then one morning when I popped in he said he’d just got off the phone with a client & did I fancy working nights ( I didn’t, but said no prob) I started a temp to perm the following week Class 2 with promise of Class 1 when perm). 3 months later I went perm. After a year I asked to switch to days and I’m now full time days on Artics and loving it.

So in short, exactly two years after getting my Cat C, I’m now full time driving Artics for a descent company on hours that suit me.

Easy? No, Luck? You decide…

Go for it and good “luck” :wink:

13

A lot has been said which is spot on. Here is another angle which will encourage you. I have just returned to driving HGV 2 after a 20 year gap and have found work straight away. I signed on with 4 agencies. Next week I am doing my class 1 with Atkins.

The 2 year and 180 days driving rule is a load of tosh in my opinion and here is why:

  • Yes there are plenty of drivers in the industry and the lovely government is piling more in, ex forces, benefits people they want rid of etc.

But the industry is awash with drivers who…

  • have a very negative attitude which is bad for the clients customers
  • won’t get up in the morning and fail to turn up
  • take days off when it is sunny
  • won’t pay for their own cpc training
  • drink or take drugs (very common)
  • speed, don’t do checks, regular tacho infringements which is a risk to the company as their operators licence states “they must control dirvers”
  • won’t work nights, weekends or spend nights out leaving scope for you to enter the market
  • can’t reverse and get their trailer into tight parking areas shops, bays etc.
  • won’t be flexible example help a customer by working late one evening etc.

There is also times of year when the rules will be simply flung out of the window. Run up to Christmas for example when there is a squeeze on drivers you may find bonuses being offered. This is likely a time when clients and agencies pay the extra insurance premium so that newbies can be taken on. The 2 year rule is only an insurance clause that enables the agencies clients to get cheaper insurance for their fleet. Each driver can have an excess paid to eliminate this clause. Another way is for you to do an assessment where you are deemed to be low risk.

Hope this helps. This is the attitude I have and think I may get work after I have passed my class 1

14

From my own experience, within a few weeks of passing my class 2, an agency placed me into a company on home deliveries, and I’m now starting my 11th week there. There is the possibility of a full time job, but I’m in 2 minds as to if I take it if its offered, or go back to a previous agency I worked for, doing class 1 (only been passed a month), could be temp to perm, various reasons for and against though.
I guess some of it could be down to luck, maybe where I live might play a part, only a few miles from Felixstowe, but don’t give up.

15

alder:
A lot has been said which is spot on. Here is another angle which will encourage you. I have just returned to driving HGV 2 after a 20 year gap and have found work straight away. I signed on with 4 agencies. Next week I am doing my class 1 with Atkins.

The 2 year and 180 days driving rule is a load of tosh in my opinion and here is why:

  • Yes there are plenty of drivers in the industry and the lovely government is piling more in, ex forces, benefits people they want rid of etc.

But the industry is awash with drivers who…

  • have a very negative attitude which is bad for the clients customers
  • won’t get up in the morning and fail to turn up
  • take days off when it is sunny
  • won’t pay for their own cpc training
  • drink or take drugs (very common)
  • speed, don’t do checks, regular tacho infringements which is a risk to the company as their operators licence states “they must control dirvers”
  • won’t work nights, weekends or spend nights out leaving scope for you to enter the market
  • can’t reverse and get their trailer into tight parking areas shops, bays etc.
  • won’t be flexible example help a customer by working late one evening etc.

There is also times of year when the rules will be simply flung out of the window. Run up to Christmas for example when there is a squeeze on drivers you may find bonuses being offered. This is likely a time when clients and agencies pay the extra insurance premium so that newbies can be taken on. The 2 year rule is only an insurance clause that enables the agencies clients to get cheaper insurance for their fleet. Each driver can have an excess paid to eliminate this clause. Another way is for you to do an assessment where you are deemed to be low risk.

Hope this helps. This is the attitude I have and think I may get work after I have passed my class 1

^^^^ Spot on. Good luck to you alder! :sunglasses:

16

I’m in a similar position having just passed cat c but without commercial driving experience. Main question I have is about the 2 years experience thing - does this apply normally even if your over 25? I.e. is it an age thing or an experience factor?
I’m not from the industry so have no contacts and not sure where to begin but the search starts tonight!
Good luck whatever you decide.

17

Bert77:
I’m in a similar position having just passed cat c but without commercial driving experience. Main question I have is about the 2 years experience thing - does this apply normally even if your over 25? I.e. is it an age thing or an experience factor?
I’m not from the industry so have no contacts and not sure where to begin but the search starts tonight!
Good luck whatever you decide.

The 2 year is an experience thing if it suites the employer if they want you they will employ you ( btw this 2 year experience is not new has been around since at least the 70’s )

Best advice is go out knock on doors make them phone call send /hand out your cv to all

I passed my CE in jan started work in april full time viewtopic.php?f=5&t=96923&p=1518011&hilit=animal…#p1518011

Have been offered 2 more jobs this week :laughing:

18

Bert77:
I’m in a similar position having just passed cat c but without commercial driving experience. Main question I have is about the 2 years experience thing - does this apply normally even if your over 25? I.e. is it an age thing or an experience factor?
I’m not from the industry so have no contacts and not sure where to begin but the search starts tonight!
Good luck whatever you decide.

I’m 24 without 2 years experience and 8 points so I’m still believing its been in the right place at the right time

19

I passed cat C on the last Friday of October 2010, a local agency who I’d driven 7.5 for had me out in an 18 tonner the following Monday. They, and a couple of other agencies, kept me in work for a few weeks. I applied for a permanent position in Dec 2010 - and got it. I’m still there.

I may have been lucky and live in an area with lots of DC’s and haulage firms but it shows it can be done. Be persistent and try and do some work for agencies (which are probably the easiest way in for new drivers) even if it’s 7.5’s or vans - they’ll get to know if you’re safe and reliable etc. and be more likely to give you work without relevant vehicle experience.

Good luck

20

"LJA:
^^^^ Spot on. Good luck to you alder! :sunglasses:

Thanks mate :wink: I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but there are loads of HGV Jobs being advertised here in West Yorkshire and my brother is in Darlington and he says there are a lot up there as well. Let the good times roll :smiley:

BTW my brother has been driving 36 years and is on here as cheekymonkey. He says he is being offered bonuses now to do supermarket runs so there must be a shortage in the north east?