Hi all, well it never rains but it pours. (I never really understood what that saying means but I know when to use it.) My dilemma is this:- I spent all last week from 8am to 6pm every day out in the Midlands area looking for work and have had the same experience as nearly all the other newbies out there. very frustrating, loads and loads of rejections from agencies and firms alike, 2years,C+E only, and all the rest, you know the script. Even had some agencies saying they would find me work and taking my C.V. but not actually getting me to fill in their forms and signing up with them. “we can do that when we get you in for the first job” they said. Then today, I had one agency who actually took me on their books. Filled in all the forms, photocopied my documents, bank details, the lot. They told me that I can go out on Weds or Thurs this week with one of their drivers; not paid of course but never mind. Just for me to see the way around the tacho, loading, unloading, vehicle inspection at the start of the journey, and all the other stuff we are not taught when we do the course teaching us how to pass the class C test.After that they said they will be able to find me some work,slowly at first but more and more fairly quickly, so they say !!! All well and good, at least it leaves you feeling better and walking a little taller even if you don’t believe it all word for word.
Then this afternoon I was offered my first full time driving job. But, didn’t you know there was going to be a but, it’s with Go Plant, a firm of roadsweepers, not ■■■■ at all and the things I would be driving are very small, smaller than 7.5 tonners but I was assured that they count as class C. The pay is shocking too. On the plus side I have very few overheads and with overtime which is available,I could not only manage but probably save a bit too, so I could go for my class 1 with Peter or Rog fairly soon. also the guy told me that although I would be working full time he would be happy to have me on on a temp contract so I could take a few weeks of here and there to go visit my wife in our house in France which is a big plus, and even possibly do a month on month off, which as well as a love of driving, is one of the main reasons I decided that I wanted to become a trucker in the first place.so my question is this; do I go for the agency,who even though they have been the most promising so far, are still nonetheless, an agency and might just be giving me a load of flannel. Or do I go for the unsexy roadsweeping job, ( do tiny roadsweepers, even though they are technically cat C, count as experience as far as other prospective employers think, they are exempt from tachos as well so no experience with that or loads or all sorts of other stuff I would eventually get with agencies. Sorry to ramble on, this has been my longest post by far but c’mon all, let me know what you think, What to do, what to do what to do■■? 
Rich
richvanho:
Hi all, well it never rains but it pours. (I never really understood what that saying means but I know when to use it.) My dilemma is this:- I spent all last week from 8am to 6pm every day out in the Midlands area looking for work and have had the same experience as nearly all the other newbies out there. very frustrating, loads and loads of rejections from agencies and firms alike, 2years,C+E only, and all the rest, you know the script. Even had some agencies saying they would find me work and taking my C.V. but not actually getting me to fill in their forms and signing up with them. “we can do that when we get you in for the first job” they said. Then today, I had one agency who actually took me on their books. Filled in all the forms, photocopied my documents, bank details, the lot. They told me that I can go out on Weds or Thurs this week with one of their drivers; not paid of course but never mind. Just for me to see the way around the tacho, loading, unloading, vehicle inspection at the start of the journey, and all the other stuff we are not taught when we do the course teaching us how to pass the class C test.After that they said they will be able to find me some work,slowly at first but more and more fairly quickly, so they say !!! All well and good, at least it leaves you feeling better and walking a little taller even if you don’t believe it all word for word.
Then this afternoon I was offered my first full time driving job. But, didn’t you know there was going to be a but, it’s with Go Plant, a firm of roadsweepers, not ■■■■ at all and the things I would be driving are very small, smaller than 7.5 tonners but I was assured that they count as class C. The pay is shocking too. On the plus side I have very few overheads and with overtime which is available,I could not only manage but probably save a bit too, so I could go for my class 1 with Peter or Rog fairly soon. also the guy told me that although I would be working full time he would be happy to have me on on a temp contract so I could take a few weeks of here and there to go visit my wife in our house in France which is a big plus, and even possibly do a month on month off, which as well as a love of driving, is one of the main reasons I decided that I wanted to become a trucker in the first place.so my question is this; do I go for the agency,who even though they have been the most promising so far, are still nonetheless, an agency and might just be giving me a load of flannel. Or do I go for the unsexy roadsweeping job, ( do tiny roadsweepers, even though they are technically cat C, count as experience as far as other prospective employers think, they are exempt from tachos as well so no experience with that or loads or all sorts of other stuff I would eventually get with agencies. Sorry to ramble on, this has been my longest post by far but c’mon all, let me know what you think, What to do, what to do what to do■■?
Rich
All you need to say on your CV is that you have Class 2 experience and if they ask what it was just say refuse and waste vehicles. Not lying really are you? 
■■■■ doesn’t pay the rent - get sweeping those roads!
The experience may not be especially relevant to truck driving generally, but every little helps.
All the best, Pete 
richvanho:
T The pay is shocking too. On the plus side I have very few overheads and with overtime which is available,I could not only manage but probably save a bit too, so I could go for my class 1 with Peter or Rog fairly soon.
Rich
How you going to go with Rog when he is not a provider or trainer 
But what is the dilemma here you have been offered a full time job simple as that go for it if pay not that good you may qualify for working tax credit
Hay animal, Am I a dumbo or what, I meant John from flair or Peter. they both seem to get very good press on here. 
Rich
richvanho:
Hay animal, Am I a dumbo or what, I meant John from flair or Peter. they both seem to get very good press on here.
Rich
Hi Rich,
Yes, it’s a tough one, but a bird in the hand…
I would take the sweeping job, but ask the agency if you can go out on a weekend instead, to shadow one of their guys. Careful if you actually get to drive and use your tacho, as even though it is unpaid, you might have a problem in the unlikely event you were stopped. Just bear it in mind.
If you get on well with the agency and some paid weekend work came in, you could still drive a weekend day each fortnight (as you undoubtedly know), providing you pay that 24 hours back as a weekly rest en bloc, tacked on to another rest of at least 9 hours, by the end of the 3rd week.
Then if the agency work increases in line with your experience, you may be able to give your notice with the road sweeping job and drive big trucks full time.
Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you.
Sorry Loadsof, (funny first name that) but I don’t understand why driving on the w/ends would be a problem as the roadsweeping work is not on tacho, they are exempt apparently. Am I not understanding something here?
richvanho:
Sorry Loadsof, (funny first name that) but I don’t understand why driving on the w/ends would be a problem as the roadsweeping work is not on tacho, they are exempt apparently. Am I not understanding something here?
Not tacho’d but still covered by WTD for mobile personnel.
As others have said. Take full time over agency but keep looking for other options if you aren’t keen on the stigma attached to waste redistribution lol.
Take the road sweeping job, its a driving job if nothing else. Dont worry about tachos noboby uses them anyway.
richvanho:
Hay animal, Am I a dumbo or what, I meant John from flair or Peter. they both seem to get very good press on here.
Rich
You haven’t familiarised yourself with Johns’ history then… 
44 Tonne Ton:
richvanho:
Hay animal, Am I a dumbo or what, I meant John from flair or Peter. they both seem to get very good press on here.
RichYou haven’t familiarised yourself with Johns’ history then…
oh god.
on a side note, as much as i’m sure 44 tonne was taking the ■■■■, don’t let John’s past endeavors put you off.
A friend of mine who as got a degree in engineering got offered a job as a road sweeper driver, that was 10 years ago now. He is now one of the best paid drivers there is.
Granted because of his background in engineering means he can fix the sweeper he now goes all over the country has a specialist sweeper operator doing airport runways and major road works.
Go for it, you never know where it will take you
I am here: tapatalk.com/map.php?1k4aun
It’s not theirs anymore,
This is our England now.
Paaaaarrrrrrttttttttyyyyyyyy
Sam Millar:
44 Tonne Ton:
richvanho:
Hay animal, Am I a dumbo or what, I meant John from flair or Peter. they both seem to get very good press on here.
RichYou haven’t familiarised yourself with Johns’ history then…
oh god.
on a side note, as much as i’m sure 44 tonne was taking the ■■■■, don’t let John’s past endeavors put you off.
I don’t think the people who handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds to companies John was involved with only for it to disappear never to be seen again would be quite as forgiving as you Sam. Maybe if you’d lost your money you might feel a bit different about it?
Hi mate welcome to go plant might not be proper trucks buts beats agency work and at the minute and the way things are looking your not gonna get a better paid class 2 job and it’s really easy just try to stay awake lol. How long have you been there and we’re are you based ?
I’m neil DN03 MFV I’m in Nuneaton and work around cov Leamington rugby it takes time to settle in but they will soon get you plenty of work, I know the pays works weird but It’s not shocking you will work it out £500- £600 pw can easily be done but good luck see you around oh and no tacho…
LoadsOfHorses:
I would take the sweeping job, but ask the agency if you can go out on a weekend instead, to shadow one of their guys. Careful if you actually get to drive and use your tacho, as even though it is unpaid, you might have a problem in the unlikely event you were stopped. Just bear it in mind.
richvanho:
I don’t understand why driving on the w/ends would be a problem as the roadsweeping work is not on tacho, they are exempt apparently. Am I not understanding something here?
dar1976:
Not tacho’d but still covered by WTD for mobile personnel.
Sorry to be dumb but I’m still not getting this because if the only problem is number of hours worked then the guy told me that driving hours, even without tacho, are only counted when you are travelling to the job and back and all the time you are “sweeping” it only counts as machine operator so driving hours should not be too high, therefore w/end work should not be a problem.
Remember; I’m only an egg, so I’m more than happy to be put right on this.
Phoned the boss today and told him I can start Monday, I love this forum, I was expecting people to be all snotty about driving roadsweepers that don’t have a tacho and don’t look big enough to be cat C, but every reply has said go for it and then I remembered all the people writing on here are truckers and not something that rhymes with that. Not a snob among you. Big hello to Sketchybob, I’m going to be based at Ibstock. Monday in the head office doing induction, health and safety and such, then from Tuesday out on the road with a trainer till they give me the all clear to go out on my own. They said it will be about a week. I’m really excited about it now. So Sketchy; or do I call you Neil?, we will be covering roughly the same area so we are bound to meet up soon, looking forward to meeting face to face with my first fellow trucknet member, where are you based?
Ibstock is my depot but I park my sweeper on my drive in Nuneaton (cost me nowt to travel to work) but its such an easy laid back job and the guys in the office are sound they just drop me a voice mail message each night to give me my work for the next day.
When I first started I was sitting there thinking the same as you especially when they told me the hourly rate but it makes sense in the end, even I’m surprised how much I earn some weeks I was a self employed bricklayer before taking my class two and wouldn’t go back to it now,
Just put with the training it much better when you get your own work and racking up the hours , I think the company record is something like 230 in a week.
But say hello call me either Neil or sketchybob, see you around
230 in a week? Are these road sweepers made by DeLorean?
Congrats on the job though, sounds like a nice wee number.
Hard to explain but doubt it will happen again it was a few years ago when the building trade was booming. But you can make it pay well and some days are harder/longer than others, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but neither is multi dropping or tramping but when work is offerd you at least gotta give it a go 