I’ve noticed that a lot of drivers here seem to have little or no idea of haulage beyond the little bubble they live in.
Which raises the I avoids question, why?
Because they’ve little or no experience of anything beyond what they do/ have done.
Personally I know very little of haulage beyond what I’ve done myself so I thought a thread showing (telling) some of the differences between out roles might be interesting ( I stand to be corrected)
I’ll start if you like.
I currently drive an 8 wheel tipper on for a small local family run firm which speak use in recycled aggregates, road planing and muckaway
I also do heavy and light recovery for a local garage.
Prior to this I drive an artic on blocks for 2 different local firms
Have done limited general haulage (tauts and the like)
I also did a little bit on a fridge ( weeks not years)
So I have little or no experience of heavy haulage, containers, European work, RDCs, Supermarket work and I’ve never worked for a large organisation such as Stobarts or similar or any of the other millions of variations of haulage out there.
Your turn
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
Carryfast:
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
have you ever done agency work cf?
stevieboy308:
Carryfast:
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
have you ever done agency work cf?
Yes,admittedly not for long,but long enough to know what it was all about.It was total zb which is why I was glad to be able to walk away.
I don’t know what agency work is like now - I’ve not been on an agency for the last three years - but I’ve done:
Curtainsiders
Tippers
Flat beds
Steel haulage
Low loaders and abnormal loads
Extendable trailers
Fridges
Removals
Roping and sheeting
Vacuum tankers
Milk tankers
Tramping
Supermarkets
Multidrop
Wagon & drag (for Chep pallets)
Home delivery on poxy little vans
Parcels
… oh, all sorts. All on agency. It was - and may still be - a great way to get lots of experience of different aspects of haulage.
Carryfast:
stevieboy308:
Carryfast:
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
have you ever done agency work cf?
Yes,admittedly not for long,but long enough to know what it was all about.It was total zb which is why I was glad to be able to walk away.
So basically your limited experience allows you to generalise and say that what you have experienced is the norm for all agency temps?
dar1976:
Carryfast:
stevieboy308:
Carryfast:
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
have you ever done agency work cf?
Yes,admittedly not for long,but long enough to know what it was all about.It was total zb which is why I was glad to be able to walk away.
So basically your limited experience allows you to generalise and say that what you have experienced is the norm for all agency temps?
Let’s just say if you know of an agency where it’s ever been more likely that you’d be offered long distance full load European freight work,as opposed to local multi drop or building deliveries I’d be ( extremely ) surprised.
Carryfast:
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
One of the best, most interesting jobs I have had was on agency, I ended up working for the USAF for 9 months, loads of different kit to use, proper training before to used it. They didn’t use it because they couldn’t fill vacancies they found it a very good way to check driver out before offering them a job, I was offered a full time job complete with a proper civil service pension, but had my eyes on other things. I also got to do a few other jobs I wouldn’t have done when I’ve been on agency. Also most of the F1 teams use agency drivers to get the trucks to the circuits.
As for distance European work being as good as it gets, how many years of euro work have you done to know that it’s really is that good?
Maybe for some Euro work is their ideal job, but not for others, for others local supermarket work and being at home every night is as good as it gets, spending weeks away in Euro land would be their idea of hell.
Carryfast:
stevieboy308:
Carryfast:
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
have you ever done agency work cf?
Yes,admittedly not for long,but long enough to know what it was all about.It was total zb which is why I was glad to be able to walk away.
i’ve done on agency,
cornershop deliveries, multi drop, pretty much every type of tail lift
building merchant
flats
extending flats
containers
fridges
curtainsiders
tankers
demounts
furniture
days, nights, weekends, tramping
local, national, central london etc
pretty much every make of truck and all the different gearboxes
maybe you should you should’ve stuck at it a bit longer or maybe they didn’t think you were up to it 
and for the thread, i’ve also done tippers, blowers, vac tanks. i’d like a go at heavy haulage, car transporters and european, but they’ll require being away, and being away doesn’t appeal to me at the moment, so it ain’t gonna happen.
Oh yes, and also:
HIABs
Demounts
Containers
nearly forgot supermarket work! my 1st ever driving job. that was though a small agency that had 99% of it’s work out of the one rdc, i also once did a night pallet hub trunk for them. but i didn’t leave there with the idea that all agency work is like that just because that was all i’d experienced at that time
muckles:
Carryfast:
dar1976:
That’s where agency / freelance drivers are better off.
A variety of work for a variety of employers with a variety of different setups.
I’ve done a lot of different work on rigid and bendy’s and still don’t know it all.
There’s things I’d still like to do… Heavy haul, containers, European, multi car transporters, and others.
That’s the contradiction in the idea that agency work provides experience in a large variety of work when the fact is agency work is mainly just the choice between local multi drop,supermarkets,or local building deliveries.IE all the zb no one wants and which employers have to pay a premium to agencies to find drivers.With the exception of very specialised heavy haulage sector the main difference that seperates a decent job from a zb one is the distance work between the large population centres as opposed to working within them and ratio of actually driving as opposed to time spent loading and tipping at numerous drops and collection points.IE distance European full load work is really as good as it gets and everything else is just lots of aggravation and/or boredom for the same,or even less,money in real terms.
One of the best, most interesting jobs I have had was on agency, I ended up working for the USAF for 9 months, loads of different kit to use, proper training before to used it. They didn’t use it because they couldn’t fill vacancies they found it a very good way to check driver out before offering them a job, I was offered a full time job complete with a proper civil service pension, but had my eyes on other things. I also got to do a few other jobs I wouldn’t have done when I’ve been on agency. Also most of the F1 teams use agency drivers to get the trucks to the circuits.
As for distance European work being as good as it gets, how many years of euro work have you done to know that it’s really is that good?
Maybe for some Euro work is their ideal job, but not for others, for others local supermarket work and being at home every night is as good as it gets, spending weeks away in Euro land would be their idea of hell.
Firstly I think there is/was a difference between Euro tramping as opposed to the type of full load UK-Euro-UK type express work which I was describing.IE the former isn’t much different to UK tramping just that it means working over a larger radius.
While the latter is/was more like a the long distance uk trunking work,which I eventually settled into and liked,but over longer international distances and more day driving instead of nights with some nights out but also time at home between runs.It was those jobs which were probably the cream of the industry and correspondingly very difficult,if not impossible to get into and certainly never found on agencies.While such ground based euro long haul express work has now mostly been taken over by the european air freight sector.
Tramping, odd nights out, day and night work
Recovery
Curtainsiders
Containers
Box trailers
Tail lift
Fridges
Tippers
Extendable trailers
Removals
Vacuum tanker / gulley sucker
Supermarkets
Multidrop
Wagon + drag - both draw bar and a-frame including demounts
Home delivery on poxy little vans
Parcels
Busses
Coaches
Taxi minibusses
Motorcycle courier
I’ve worked for agencies, small firms and big firms. I’ve been PAYE, Self Employed and Unbrella’d
Well it would help in the ■■■■■■■ rain I spose 
as I see it you can only do what comes your way, what annoys me is the way employers and agencies just throw drivers at trucks with little or no knowledge of the job in hand. its not the drivers fault if hes only been on skip work and is sent to load a boat or a flat load that needs roping and sheeting like a Chinese puzzle, most drivers would help and advise but still bemoan the fact the new/agency guy knows nothing to his mates in the yard. I have done a lot of things and not been afraid to ask but get really annoyed when telling someone something you only get half way through and they say oh yea I know that when they obviously don’t.
I used to work with a guy that used to say…‘I can drive anything from a sewing machine to a four-engined bomber!!!’ Apparently he could also weld ‘wood to water■■?’ Quite funny…good old days!!!
Ive done service buses, coaches (round London and Europe and National Express), first truck driving job was IRL - UK tramping then did a few years on agency in London (Tesco, Sainsburys, London Waste, G2G, Leggetts, Clipper, Arla Foods, Parker Knoll, Gist/M&S, Keystone/McDonalds, Wickes, Wincanton/Iceland plus a few Ive forgotton) then HSF bouncing day and night doing multidrop between Holland/Belgium/UK/Ireland and then past 6 and a half years at Virginia tramping all over Europe from Norway and Sweden in the North to Portugal in West and Greece and Hungary in the East and I’m quite proud of my driving career so far. So much so Ive done everything I want to do and want to give up driving. What I’ve learnt, dont do a job you hate and all jobs have their good and bad days. Past couple of days here in Hungary have been every bit as bad as bad days on agency or bus driving. And I really enjoyed my time on agency and will probably do it again. The experience was great, loved driving different vehicles everyday doing different work. I dont think any one job is better than any other, its just what suits an individual best. Some people would hate European work with a passion, some hate agency. Each to his own. Think the the only things Ive not done are car transporters and low loaders/heavy haulage. I think.
