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There’s a few companies who help you through government funding. From what I can gather you submit a load of job applications and they put you through.

Go and get a trade. People want carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tilers, plasterers etc. They're home every night at a time they choose and are paid better. I got quoted £200 on Saturday to rod a drain. That's an entire shift as a driver. Honestly I love driving, I hate people but money and work life balance. Don't do it.

I’m currently a builder, have my own company. Just hate it now, when I am home I’m just doing quotes, invoices, making sure I have work lined up. Money isn’t everything, always been interested in lorry driving but if it’s not a great industry to get involved in then I may look at something else.

isn’t bad, depends on where do you live, and depends employer

Its always been the Same. No different in my day1986. I took anything. Started off on a 4 wheeler until I found a class 1 Job on nights (didn't want to work nights) until I found a sh*t job on days and did this until I found something better. Keep at it and be prepared to move about until the right job comes up.

I’ve been a trainer for 41 years. Obviously thousands of candidates. The real problem.
New passes think they have reached the top of the game.
2 very basic theory tests & 2 even more basic CPC tests and a driving test that most new car passes would crack.
Total cost and effort roughly £3k and 3 months.
The employers invest £60k-£100k in any decent truck. They also risk their O licence OCRS (how many newbies know what that means)
When you apply for a job you are trying to sell something. YOU!
Apart from a new wet licence what are you selling?
Offer to go out with their experienced drivers for nothing to learn what they know. You paid £000’s to get a licence why not learn what to do with it.
Sorry to sound a bit harsh but I 100% know I’m right.

I was told this is where the learning starts when I passed my test 6 months ago and I now know how right that is.

Looking for Class 1 or Class 2. Job any recommendation west London area close to Heathrow.

So like most people who are saying without looking at the contract it's unclear. However you will still have a case if you have not had a disciplinary procedure carried out regardless of what your Contract Says.
In accordance with Acas Code of Practice or Employment Law the following procedure should have taken place.
1 You sre invited to an Investigation as to why you were unavailable for your shift. There may have been reasons why you could not attend.
At the Investigation it should be explained to you that you could be facing a Disciplinary Hearing.
2. If you are invited to a Disciplinary you have the right to be Accompanied by a work Colleague or Shop Steward. A meeting is set up and a disciplinary takes place. At this meeting you should be told that you may be Dismissed due to Time Keeping quite frankly after your record it's a pretty piss poor excuse. May also be a Breech of Contract.
You also have the right to appeal and this should be done with a different Manager.
Failure to...

,,

Sudbury is abit far for me 2 hour commute

And if no joy there contact Stennetts Transport at Ingham, Suffolk

Thank you but I’m looking around the Northamptonshire area

Driver shortage was created to cause panick buying as it was around the same time as change of fuel to new rather than spend millions to dispose of old petrol stock that built up over covid lock downs make a driver shortage and people panick buy it.

And panick buy they did, good old globalist run BBC did there job.

Lads ,I don't normally get involved in posts here , as I'm the other side of the fence as I run a small transport company , four trucks and three van, I have every TRL , curtain, flat ,low loaders , extendable flats , stepframe flats, even a vessel carrier trailer , and I'm having days where I can't find work for my trucks , and finding back loads even worse , just been offered Leighton buzzard to Newport for £250 and that's not covering the fuel , let alone anything else , however , in five minutes that load had gone , actually there was two and they both went (keedwells if your interested ) , the point being , there is very little work , and our game is supply and demand , and the demand is very weak , if your looking for a job and can't find one, it's cos there isn't much work , not because of agencrobley ys , or areas , just little work , my advice , stay where you are , or look for food related work , or the bin trucks, as these jobs aren't affected by the economy. Good luck...

yes i remember i work at the dunmow site. That advert was posted tonight so maybe call again or apply online

is it for new pass do you no and is it great Dunmow

according to the advert im sure its for colchester crown depot.

OK is it new pass do you no

John A Stephensons builders merchants operate similar equipment like Moffet, drop side and Hiab. They seem to keep drivers for years so might be worthy of a look.

Good luck the works dead round the midlands … also you have no experience buddy … approach company’s direct

doing exactly that matey all I get is send us cv we will ring if anything changes basically. Either way I apply for at least 10 firms a week minimum today I rang to 7 different ones all morning

actually go in to the company’s … Don’t ring them bud

alright if that makes the difference I’ll give it a shot got whole day for that 👍

Get your mpqc card then you'll be good to go.

where do you work please

Nationwide platforms, we have depots all over, where are you?

Brownhills by Walsall

we have a depot in

Good luck m8.. I passed my test, 8 months ago. I worked about 1 month, around Christmas. Let me tell you, it ain't easy reversing on a bay. Training providers, must provide, training on a bay not around cones....

Maritime will take on new pass you have to spend a week listening to their driver trainer that know nothing if I was like my trainer who got put into a manual truck and didn't know how to drive it but hey ho.

Fed Ex do as they are asking near Nottingham and openly states on their Indeed advert. I’m based near there and recently passed my Class 2, now going for Class 1 as well. And before anyone starts, did my Class 2 to build confidence and as a back up just in case my Class 1 doesn’t go to plan first time.

A Norfolk trucking firm has gone into administration after it said demand had fallen for haulage services.
Lochace Ltd, trading as the Harleston-based Bomfords Group, will begin winding down today after more than 40 years in business another one, record number of haulage firms going bump since 2020.

All agency work goes a little dead for the first couple months of the new year, I’ve been on agency for nearly 12 years mate it’s normal as nobody is booking holiday time it’ll pick up over the next couple weeks.

They're taking the PISS

feels like that and I was expecting a letter today for when I’m going back in but nothing. I’ve had to start applying just in case

When I started, passed my test, joined 2 or 3 agencies, I took everything they offered me, to start it was usually 1 or 2 days here and there, van work, class 2, class 1 last minute stuff, worked some terrible jobs, drove some terrible trucks, I even worked a class 2 job for nearly 2 years on 8.50 per hour! It all added to the 'experience' companies want. Now I have the experience I get offered good, regular work, with good rates. You just have to go for it, keep at it.

I worked for a tipper company for 2 months
They tried overloading me almost every day told me I would be working direct then when I started I was self employed then 5 of us where off work for a week as they was quiet.
Almost ignored your calls I got fed up and left in the end I would like to go back into it but there's no vacancies in London unless you have a year experience I've only got 2 months experience on class 2 with class 1 licence

I got offered the job at slam, so obviously accepted it, looks a good set up, so looking forward to getting started on my Hgv journey

Dfds pboro looking for drivers

Join an agency bro, I know guys who been on 10 points working through agencies, you might be asked to take out your own insurance as cover. You might not get a cushy gig but you’ll definitely get work pal.

One thing for sure about road transport, if you can get goods from a to b and put up with all the crap associated with doing it there are no prejudices, restrictions, or qualifications (other than passing a medical) that will prevent you. Most operators would happily consider any functional life form human or otherwise, cheaper the better. DVSA would struggle to cope with the concept of more than one head or two arms.
Good luck. Rail is bigger money. Consider the benefits of union membership. Experience sorts the rest out but it won't all be good.

Best bet is agency. Depends where you live. I live in South Wales and there seems to be more drivers than there is jobs at the moment.
TDW who are a fairly decent sized company laid 20 of us off just over a month ago blaming a decline in work from tesco. I was lucky I got a hgv job £2.50 an hour less that what I was getting paid at TDW. I know some ex TDW drivers that have years of experience are still struggling to find something.

Try Smiths Cardiff depot there looking for workers Gloucestershire so might be looking in there Wales depot

Check to see if you have C1 or not, without it you cannot do 7.5t either.

i know i cant they taken that off aswell, got you by the bollox whichever way you go. They don't care its not their livelyhood on the line

they would only take the C1 if there was a health issue and you didn’t need the minimum medical requirement for that category.

To echo what others have said family run firms. You might start out on something smaller than you’d like for less money than you’d like but it’s a foot in the door. It’s what I’ve done. 2-300 applications and found a company willing to give me a start.

What about asking at Amazon? As you've already said they know you surely they could move you up to class 1.

was in there today for training and already on it 💪🏼

I've gone to class 2 but that won't help as they all want class 1 experience.

Call Adam on 07773422297 for container work in Southampton

That's a bit of a commute. I'm applying for tramping jobs in north Kent and south Essex, I can get to Dartford in a little over an hour, which would be ok once a week and back. Not many places will let you start tramping with no class 1 experience though. Although I have class 2 tramping experience.

It kind of hinges on the insurance the company has, whether they stipulate a minimum age or years of experience, etc. Just make that your 1st question when phoning up and you'll save a bit a time. It is possible, just needs a little perseverance!

I'm in a comfy class 2 world and in 48 so not in a hurry to race on with life. I've settled for the wait n see option myself - but maybe if I was younger I'd go all out for the class 1 ticket. If you are young and child free then maybe pull all the stops out now to get into class 1. Take the lower pay and living away from home. If you settle down and have kids in the medium term you may not have the opportunity to take that plunge for many years.

that's my plan, while I'm young and kid free I want to go all out on class 1 earn as much as I can tramping and such.

Have you tried Bellis on the industrial estate? And try farralls in deeside I went there and told them the score they offered me a driving assessment.

There is no shortage. Its was pandemic and panic buying that makes it look like needed. I can feel your pain. I spent about 4k doing the training and I passed at the 4th attempt. Done adr under packages and tank for classes and no job yet. Im thinking of doing the TM soon. We are in the quiet season though.

Stay positive, stay persistent and remember that you are a class 1 driver and these companies need class 1 drivers as much as class 1 drivers need them. So no need to feel anything other than confident in what should be an conversation of equals
Good luck drive!!

BCA hire new passes if you fancy something a bit different, been with em for over a year as a newpass wouldn't do owt else

where are you based mate?

im doncaster based, but we have 2 depots in manchester & another in chester

Nice one mate I’ll have a nosey 👍

This just gets frustrating stobarts need 6 month’s experience everyone six months experience the world has gone bonkers what’s the point in the government doing free lesson if we need 6 month’s experience, hard to not lose my cool

I’ve Literally tried everywhere recently and even companies that need drivers don’t respond or if they do it’s just to say unfortunately you have been unsuccessful, think maybe Cumbria is bad for jobs as never had this struggle living down south, it’s getting on my nerves sitting at home wasting days and losing money, last time I struggled to get a job like this was when I lived in Italy.

Just lie agencies never check previous employment that’s what I did when I wanted to drive abroad just said I’d worked with companies I knew had closed down so they couldn’t check 😜 good luck

Same everywhere. My partner passed last Oct no luck wotsoever

That's right take the crap jobs to start with then in time you will realize that every other job you take is just more crap, then go for your class 1 get some experience with all the crap work that is offered to you, this will prepare you for a lifetime of crap companies, crap pay and conditions and nothing but crap on the roads as driving an HGV in the uk is utter crap, the industry is diminishing and finished beyond repair

If you live local enough to Tewkesbury try cotteswold dairy, they took me on day after my test, and they will 100% support you.
Sorry to hear that you haven’t found anything yet but don’t give up you’ll love it when you get that opportunity come through!

Where are you from

Coventry

Try WS if they have anything near you

Shipley Transport
Mark Lee Transport
PD Bannisters

They are all constantly looking for drivers, phone them or turn up. They are always looking for a reason by the way

Expect Distribution

Woodland Group at Dewsbury
Turners at Castleford - definitely will take you with no experience
Maritime is always worth a try
Stobarts at Sherburn, Logistics people are their agency

Phone company's, turn up.

I applied for a job in that area the other week, HR phoned to ask a few extra questions because they had had 95 applications, so don't just rely on websites.

Not a great time to be looking for work round here at the moment it seems

Try Nationwide Platforms in Leeds. My brother is a mentor there and they're doing assessment drives on applicants. Your recovery experience may go in your favour for low loader work.

Try Carlson vehicle transfer they recently took on a new pass and trained them on transporters