Speaking to a driver outside B&Q Garth Dee in Aberdeen recently and he stated that he had been driving for the same firm for 36 years. Can you beat that? I can’t.
I started to drive properly in 2006 and have driven full time and through agencies for the following in no particular order:-
Caledonian Logistics, John Davison Pipes, John Bell Pipes, Oak mist, C & W Contractors, HIS, Mondi, DHL, Belhaven, Sheffield Insulation, Fleming Build base, Ramage, Coop, NISA, Patersons, Home bakeries, Pringles, Hardstaff, B& Q, M&H Logistics , Viridor, Yule & Dodd’s, Homebase, Argos, & my all time favourite HM Forces. A total of 26, 27 as of Monday 10th of Sept a new start with, well that’s a secrete.
right here goes not in any order
first choice logistics (they wern’t)
maidens of telford
culina logistics
brakes( agency)
fowler welch (agency)
swains (agency )
combe valley
0
1975 Swifts Service, Duston, Northampton.
1987 Transfleet.
1988 Federal Express, Crick then Rugby till 1994 (redundancy).
1994 Tesco, MK, then Brackmills.
1997 Concord roadshows.
2000 emigrated and stopped driving till November 2001.
2001 Stones industries. 2001 St Anns Transportation.
November 2005 self employed long haul.
April 2006 Foodliner.
In little over a year ive worked for (all except ball trucking on agency);
British Home Stores,
Bentons Haulage (Land Rover)
Ball Trucking (British Sugar, Cadburys & Hoyer)
RGF Logistics (Land Rover)
Steve Benton Transport (Stobarts)
City Link (1-day shunting)
Tesco (Hinckely & Fradley)
All good experience and enjoyed each position I’ve held. Love the freedom and flexibility of agency work.
I past my class 2 in march 2005 then drove for:
Redhead International until sept 2007
Gwyn Davies Recycling until Dec 2007
and have been at Farsley Transport since Jan 2008
Suprisingly, Ive only worked for a handful of companies before turning to driving. I got into driving after working for Wincanton in the warehouse, 1st as a temp xmas worker picking orders, then full time doing a long list of jobs in the warehouse both manual & admin. During this time I put myself through driver training, & did both CPCs but did no driving jobs. The admin role got me a temporary (12 month) job doing the fleet admin while the regular job guy was sick. When he returned, I was given the role of dispatch clerk in the tranport office. Again still no driving role, even though by this time my licence had been gathering dust for 2 years. After far too much office politics I eventually got out of the office and behind the wheel. The company gave me some driver training via a mentor who went out with me for a week before I was finally let loose alone 9 months before the depot closed.
The number of companies I`ve worked for in over 10 years on agency is a very long list, 1 or 2 have been 6-9 months regular work, others have been single days, but its been a variety of general haulage, food & supermarket distribution
1997-'99 Sheehan Plant as a plant op (did 5 months at CITB college)
1999-present Smiths Bletchington. Shovel driver for 2 years, got class 2 and did 11 years and now shovel driving again until they find a replacement and I go back to tippers.
Apparently, my job and lorry is taken now despite me agreeing to do shovel job for 3 months. Severely ■■■■■■ off and considering going on for one of the hauliers we use, or doing class 1.
from 2002-2007 kts logistics. van driver and warehouse, gaining my class 2 in 03 and class 1 06 2007-2009 imr transport, and 09 onwards cc & rj emerson ltd.
dts:
Speaking to a driver outside B&Q Garth Dee in Aberdeen recently and he stated that he had been driving for the same firm for 36 years. Can you beat that? I can’t.
There’s a driver on Shirley’s Transport that’s worked there since the '70s, he now drives the silver DAF.
I have worked for these companys
London carries (interforward/ Bibbys) Heywood
Pipe tube Bolton
Dodds Warington
CCS Wigan
Since changing to HGV’s, I think I already I had the ‘change job on a whim’ experience from being PSV - worked for all but 3 in Manchester I think.
I’ll try and remember everyone I’ve worked for on agency, but there’s not been that many full time jobs to be honest, mostly agency. In no order and some more than once.
I know I’m missing some out, but there’s been lots of agency work, odd days, can’t remember them all - will add to list if I remember others, but there’s been a few 
.
Allied Bakeries
DHL airport
Kuehne and Nagel airport
Circle express airport
Allport airport
Ware transport airport (FT twice)
Servisair airport
Northwest Paper
Robert Horne Paper
EM2? Paper - think it’s called EM2? Warrington based paper deliveries
DSV / Warehouse one
Mansfield Recovery - Denton
DHL Next / Marks and Spencer
DHL Brighthouse
DHL Costa
Ennis on tipper 8w
Quinns on tipper 8w
Kuehne and Nagel B+Q Wag + Drag
Kuehne and Nagel B+Q Home deliveries
Kuehne and Nagel Whitbread
Fraikin Marley / Hunter
Archbold (FT twice, subby once)
Hotpoint
Roadways (FT)
Flex Direct (FT)
Maritime (FT)
Turners (FT)
Macintyre
Lanes for Drains
Christian Salverson
Link Logistics / Farmfoods - both agency, then fulltime
Crowfoot Carriers (FT)
Stobart
Brakes Bro’s
H Yearsley
Ryder
can’t remember name of company but Ribena markets thing events
And now M&H Logistics (FT)
MKG Distribution, based in Wolverhampton.
Lynx Express. 1st stint.
TNT Newsfast.
United Freight Distribution. (UFD)
Lynx Express. 2nd stint.
UPS. Transfered to them when they bought Lynx.
The AA. Seasonal recovery driver.
GCN Scotland Ltd for about 4 months through an agency.
Nightfreight for about 5 months through an agency.
Bullet Express. Been here for 5 yrs now.
Wm Armstrong Ltd (Carlisle)
Priddys Transport (Basingstoke)
Egertons Recovery (Carlisle)
ASD Metals (Carlisle)
Cobley Transport (Thatcham)
Babcock Defence (Minley)
Cobley Transport (Thatcham)
CSL Transport (Minley)
Wincanton (Newbury)
Canute Group (Carlisle)
ATL Logistics (Carlisle)
here goes
88-89 yorkshire rider (bus driver)
89-94 waddingtons games
95-96 taylor barnards
96-96 sissons transport
97-98 brian yeardley continental transport
98-01 grampian maclennans
01-02 sewells distribution group
02-04 gerry jones transport
04-05 self employed
05-07 the AA (recovery)
07-08 kuehne nagel (Tadcaster brewery)
08-08 sensible transport (henstridge, somerset)
09-09 leeds motorauctions
09-10 viamaster transport
10-10 van den bosch transport
10-11 tef transport
11-1 week ago, maritime transport,( ■■■■■■■ never again)
now on agency
MPW Trucking
Continental Tyres
Hays ( Data express )
Contraplan International
Draycote Continentale
Montgomery Transport
Rugby Cement , now Cemex
Lightloads Leamington Spa
Maxi haulage Leamington
Howard Tenens Wellesbourne
too many agencies to list
Square Grip Bedworth
LCH generators Bedworth
Cowan Bros Felixstowe
B J Myers Purfleet
Brit European Zeebrugge
C4 Logistics Coventry
ARL logistics Coventry
Paul Martin Transport Coventry for 10years
PIC Coventry
currently on agency in BHS Atherstone
T.Brady & Son (Ellesmere Port yard, 18 months)
Ralph Turner (Heywood, 1 year)
J.H Davies (Widnes, 7 years)
Tesco (Middlewich, 5 1/2 years)
MCD (Runcorn, 1 year)
Olympic Oils (Speke, 3 months)
Clarks Transport (Widnes, 3 1/2 years so far)
Plus a bit of agency after I passed my test
1967-1971 Toms Transport Romford
1971-1973 Kestrals
1973-1975 J.C.Transport
1975-1977 Bill Puxley
1977-1980 Chris Hudson
1980-1984 Fairclough
1984-1988 Laceys
1988-1997 Elstrans
1997-1999 London Bourough Havering
1999-2005 Elstans
2005-till this afternoon retired
C10HOO:
Wm Armstrong (Longtown) Ltd (Apprenticeship, got class 2 at 18)
Priddys Transport (Later became QTR Transport)
Egertons Recovery (Casual)
ASD Metals (Casual)
Cobley Transport
Babcock Defence
Cobley Transport
CSL Transport
Wincanton
Canute Group
ATL Logistics (First Class 1 job)
Egertons Recovery (Casual) What years as 2 of my brothers worked there Mark and Neil. Mark has just returned there.
I was with a guy today who drove for a local firm for 40+ years. My ‘record’ for four jobs was just 8 years, 1 year, 22 years and 5 with the last firm before reundancy.
Pete.