I’m coming up to a year with Class 2 - in that time I’ve done probably 40-50 shifts total all through agency. Mostly HIAB which I’m good at and enjoy. Some palletised (good at but don’t particularly enjoy), skip which was quite good and one shift on plant with someone showing me the ropes (chains).
Had a couple of incidents - nicked a car on a tight reverse into a building site, caught the stabiliser leg on a speed bump (no one told me I had to manually raise the suspension after disengaging the PTO & I didnt realise) and got grounded reversing off a steepish incline (no damage but had to get recovery out to lift rear axle and put wood underneath).
Worked for 8 companies - two of them have offered me a job.
How was your first year?
I went from works 7.5t and fire truck test driver to class 2 Council driver.
The latter involved everything from driving a 16 tonner multi lift on tipper and/or bulk refuse and/or plant haulage.To driving vans or 7.5 tonners or 24 tonner gritters.Interspersed with yard labouring.
Hated it most of the time but naively thought that it would be a stepping stone to driving a drawbar outfit across Europe within a year or two.
Four years later I was still stuck there to say disillusioned and extremely ■■■■■■ off would be an understatement. 
Looking back with hindsight early 1980’s recession it could have been much worse.
Later in time I did some distance bulk pallet delivery work, but unfortunately more often local Hiab building deliveries, for a short period on agency during a layoff from night trunking.It’s anyone’s guess how anyone could possibly prefer the latter. 
Good Q…
‘During the war’ ok, 1983 when I passed.
I did various jobs for agencies around Portsmouth and Southampton. Most of it was class 3 multidrop, some class 2 distance and the odd class 1 night trunk for Carryfast and Kiplings Cakes.
I eventually got a full time job on a small Southampton based container firm. I was chuffed to bits becasue the yard was full of Volvo F10s. Obviously when I started on the Monday, I was handed the keys to the only F86 left in existance. I was somewhat deflated by that. Anyhoo, I did what was wanted and didn’t have any mishaps.
The closest I came to grief was taking a corner with a 20 foot container full top to bottom with Mackeson for export into Southampton docks. As I hoofed it round a bend on the A35, I saw the N/S wheels on the lead axle of the 20 foot skelly I was pulling, come up in the air at 40 mph. Apparently because the speed limit is 40 mph that doesn’t mean you can corner it at 40 mph.
Lesson learned.
On a technical level my first year was a bit of a disaster with the amount of things I hit, and many would argue my whole career has been but then I did work insane amount of hours for good old Nolans at the time. Most of my larger bumps have been at the tail end of rather long ‘shifts’ 
Edit- but in my defence Nolan’s and others kept me around, Seamus at Nolan’s sacked me once, so I rang up to office to ask his brother Noel for a lift back to Wales and I just heard him shout ‘he’s F**KING WHAT?!’, slammed phone down and next thing I knew a car came racing into workshop, Noel and Seamus had a shouting match and Noel came over and said ‘pick up NT123 and ■■■■ off to Rosslare’! 
Oh yes as I was saying they kept me around as I’m super easy going, do what I’m told and 98% of time I’m at deliveries or collections on time no matter how hard I had to work to get there!
Absolutely flat out, I’ve been busy in previous careers but never this busy.
Been driving a chain lift and hook loader skip wagons, and its been a blast and put in the miles too…
My 1st year on rigids was rubbish 
I worked on council dust carts
caught a couple of cars is tight streets ,I was driving either a 1990 G Sed ack or a 1996 P Cf
As a retired hgv driver now at 38 years old.
When i first started class 2. In my first year. Dragged a fiesta up a delivery ramp with tail bar. Reversed a car 200 yards up road with tail bar.
That was year one. In my 12 yeats after that drove everthing with wheels and never had an incident. It takes a bump to make you more aware.
I wouldnt worry about it. In fact theres a few guys out there and i bet one of them on her knows how good i was at swinging scoffolfing bins about amd landing the legs with a 2nd man. Edinburgb based.
Anyway. Just crack on drive. Do what you do best the rest will follow.
passed my Class 1 October 1979 (no fannying about having to pass class 2 or 3 in them days) got a start with National Carriers in Leicester…driving some real rough motors 
left after 3 months got a job at Staffordshire Farmers Lutterworth…one day there was enough for me…then a mate told me to try Carryfast in North Kilworth…never heard of 'em! but Malc the TM gave me a job and after a few weeks of driving box vans,i was handed the keys to a magnificent SedAtki 400 artic unit…Woohoo! i was king of the road 'kin loved that motor (YRP 64S),and stayed there for over 6 years,until they shut the depot down.
