Im starting class 2, have had a few options with great prospects initially a company transporting cars £38k a year. But rose tinted glasses the work isnt there atm. Despite a good opening day, also transporting cars daily could be .. problematic … with a curtainsider everything is relatively secure.
Went the agency route ran into a few problems a) i have an IN10 and b) the work i wamted required 6 months experience . Despite the fact i worked for yodel and parcel force for 2 years.
I now have an interview lined up with a company and spoke the boss on the phone. He seema haopy enough im.waiting on my tacho being sent in the post . Only issue is its £30k a year where most ppaces ive seen or previously been in contact was £33 -£38k
Ideal work depo to depo. Nights. But the work now is general haulage buisneses shops the auld doll down the road.
Hard to know what is better in the longrun
Newly passed need experience , also work my way up without feeling im beimg short changed it would be better suited doing something else
Ive done multi drop before but in 3.5 van or a luton i have a love hate relationship with it. And moving up to class 2 i was hoping less handballing and more money
Technically it wasn’t essentially ‘HGV’‘ I started on a Ford Transit pick up doing nights out in it ….I’m 6’1 so sleeping across the seats was an education, but it’s what ya did in those days, and I was young and very keen…albeit naive…..the Fiat Daily replacement was 3’’ longer across the seats.
Used to do a lot of Londons and South Coast ….before sat navs and before M25 when you had to drive through London, any mistakes and a Transit was easy to turn around……so by the time I got my HGV licence a few months later I knew my way around places, I then did a few months on a what was Class 3 then 16 t rigid….(day cab.across seats again but a bit more room….not much in a TK)
Then progressed… .if that is the right term to an artic.
I picked up Saturday shifts on the agency, and went from there. It was different then though. I didn’t really do any driving assessments. I was just handed keys and off I went. After a month or two of that, I was offered night trunks in the week with Homebase, a few nights here and there. This transpired into full weeks. After two or three months of that I was offered some work with a local well established haulier, where I was taken on after 10 weeks on the agency, and stayed there for 10 years.
Passed in 1999 started my hgv career in 2007 as an agency driver. My first was with the COOP
Thurrock on class 2 .Two week later they put me on class 1 at Lynx/ups Dartford first run was to
Dachser where i was trying to blind side on to a bay got kick out of lorry by a German driver who was fed up with me taking to long.
Started as an Owner Driver in 1972 subcontracting for the London Brick Company, Hand ball On, Hand ball OFF. often did Snachers ie unload yourself best i did was 9000 faceing bricks in 2.5 hours, 13 at a time was my best.
….I’m 6’1 so sleeping across the seats was an education, but it’s what ya did in those days, and I was young and very keen…albeit naive…..the Fiat Daily replacement was 3’’ longer across the seats.
to an artic.