Class 2 multi drop, dropping off fridge/frozen produce. I get it, it’s a start and it’s the bottom.
If you were to do it all again? What would your career path look like?
Am 34 now, skint, ex con and this HGV career is realistically my last shot at it. I do look forward to it, but I also have a young family to provide for so gotta to make it work. Not shy of graft, but I know some of you have been in the game a long time. So asking you for your wisdom really? What should I be aiming for long run? Class 1 no doubt? ADR? Transporters? Containers? Livestock?
Muddy K:
What you all recommend for the long term plan?
Turn up and turn up on time and not looking like a tramp, keep a clean licence and do the job properly which is nothing harder than keep to the drivers hours so no/very few tacho infringements , don’t bend the motor, don’t have loads go over, don’t drive like you stole it wasting fuel and munching through brakes and tyres - it sounds like it shouldn’t be something that’s hard to do but it appears many drivers can’t manage even that.
Class 1 better than 2 but other than that unless you get in the really specialist stuff that’s hard to impossible to get into there’s not much in it really. Companies that pay the best are “own contract”, those who don’t make their money from transport but run their own lorries - any company that makes a profit from their transport usually only have wages as the way they can cut costs.
Would be handy just because there are more opportunities. Get some miles under your belt like your already doing. What you’ll learn now will pay dividends later on.
As Conor say’s, if you can work for own account operators, you’ll be better off in the long run. Finding them and getting on them is the tough part.
head down, work hard but make it work for you. I have done some nasty shift patterns that I really wasn’t interested in, weekends, 0200 starts, 1500 starts.
I can now pretty much decide what I want out of the job because I did the scut work early on. Moved around a couple of times in the last year, been offered more than I’ve taken and can be choosy now, finding what I want to be doing.
Local area is a close knit community, you will get a name for yourself, good or bad. The companies you want to work for, ie the smaller own account or family concerns will have drivers that will probably have heard of you in passing. Make your name known as a good guy to employ and always try to leave on good terms, never know when you may need an old employer. Try and find a specialty, trunking from rdc to rdc isnt gonna pay a premium, find a niche that will pay the premiums.
You should be looking into a job that fits into family life , as you say you’ve kids , assuming they’re youngsters they & your o/h should come first , happiness is worth far more than a few £££ , s in your pocket
If your not careful you’ll become like 99% on here who live at work , o/t , extra shifts , b/ h , they wouldn’t know what a life is like outside work , don’t let yourself fall into that trap
So first day, I turn up on time etc, 4am. Said it’s my first day, am supposed to be shadowing another driver.
They ask me to sit in the canteen kaz am a spare driver. I do as am told, and am there til 6am. Me and about 7/8 other drivers, but they all wearing Hi Vis with various different agency names on em.
So I walk back up to the transport office 2hours sat watching BBC News, I said am not an agency driver btw, it’s my first job (a different guy on the desk now). He’s like whaaat, how long you been sat in there. Am like 2 hours. He’s like sorry! No1 told me anything about it.
Anyways day 1, start late and it’s a busy day all round Manchester city centre. No driving for me as we already late. Learning how to use a tail lift and other things. Me and driver get back 4.45pm. am bloody knackered. It takes me an hour to get home after that too. Woke up at 2.15am went to bed at 7.30pm.
Today same route, and I was driving. ■■■■ me. I hate the city centre. So many idiots, tight corners. Am in an 18ton fridge and parking is a ■■■■■.
But we finished on time today, back to the depot. Am just happy I didn’t kill anyone, another crack at it tommorrow. Manchester city centre, rush hour in mornings etc. Talk about throwing me in the deep end.
But am enjoying it, and getting fit. A bit nervous about when I have to do this on my own (once training ends), but you know what, am happy.
Good to know you are actually enjoying it.
Once you’re out on your own take your time and don’t rush trying to make up time because that’s when you’ll have a bump!
After a few weeks the same drops will keep coming round, and as you look down your manifest and/or delivery notes you can picture the location. It’s great to know exactly where you’re going to park etc.
If it does go wrong hold your hand up straight away and don’t try to cover it up or lie. You will get respect for this, honesty is always the best policy.
Rothman:
If it does go wrong hold your hand up straight away and don’t try to cover it up or lie. You will get respect for this, honesty is always the best policy.
Rothman:
If it does go wrong hold your hand up straight away and don’t try to cover it up or lie. You will get respect for this, honesty is always the best policy.
Aint that the truth!
one of our long term drivers has just lost his job for lying about an incident in the yard.
That sort of work is hard going but is good experience, it was a path I desperately wanted to avoid as a newbie but had to take it when at the 11th hour a job fell through.
In hindsight that job and the 9m I was doing it (multidrop 20-25 Cafe Nero around central London runs or similar amount of school kitchens around Essex Kent) was the best start i could get.
I learnt how to drive biggish vehicles into congested cities and awkward sites, how to manage my day and learn my way around. It was good grounding and helped my prospects when looking for different work.
I never planned to do class 1, but when I was offered the training paid to become a relief driver on a lowloader I took the opportunity. It’s a handy thing to have but by no means the only way to earn good money.
Long hours, horrible hours and really hard graft might appear to pay very well weekly but the time and effort make it less well paid than it looks. Finding something that is a bit more specialist will often pay higher money although it can be hard to get a start in.
Plant work, HIab, vac ex, aerial platforms all can pay quite well.
