Driving jobs as a new comer

[JackAttack2002]

Im trying to get a job and trying to get a driving job however I'm struggling. I'm 23 years old.
I tried to get into a forklift driving job got my counterbalance license last year in December however no luck as they want experience and agencys have been no help either.

I've also been looking at 3.5 tonne food delivery jobs and royal mail but not Amazon. No luck as well.

Had a job in a big warehouse as well for a week but specific place didn't seem like a very friendly work environment.
Had been a self employed car detailer for 2-3 years but my buisness didn't work out. Before that I've had a cleaning job at Norse which diddnt even last 1 month as I was just using it as a fund raiser for my business. and I also had a seasonal royal mail sorter job. So I think my CV is all over the place showing I've been switching jobs alot

Is driving jobs even still worth it as they all seem to be taken over by gig jobs such as Amazon flex and Uber eats. Not saying gig jobs are bad because it's good side money but not good for full time income.

What types of driving jobs would you recommend for a beginner or how do I start?

Edited by JackAttack2002 on Friday 21st November 23:47

Edited by JackAttack2002 on Friday 21st November 23:48

[Pebbles167]

Bus driver? They'll provide the training, pay is reasonable.

[Tisy]

FLT CB ticket usefulness depends on where you are located. If you're in the arse end of Cornwall, Wales or Scotland then probably not so much, but anywhere with big RDCs and warehousing nearby should be able to keep you in work. The solution to the "you need 2 years experience" agency problem is to lie. It's not difficult to fabricate a story about how you've been driving them around moving pallets of feed on your dad's farm since you were 12 years old. Once you get a couple of weeks under your belt without stacking it (pardon the pun) then your phone will never stop ringing and you can sign up with other agencies who will be the main supplier to other clients.

How come the 3 years of being a car detailer didn't work out? What's the story behind that? That's a licence to print money if you're good at it as customers will always return if you impressed them on the first job. You'll certainly make infinitely more at that than you ever will driving a van or FLT as the latter are all NMW jobs + a few pence. Doing it for 3 years and not having a solid customer base by that point means you must be doing something very wrong.

Edited by Tisy on Saturday 22 November 00:36

[wazztie16]

Supermarket delivery? Bus driver is a good shout. I've done both, in that order, and if you are the right sort of person/have the right mindset you won't go far wrong.

Edit - would imagine supermarket will be crying out for drivers coming up to Xmas. I know the HSC for the big green supermarket are at Bulwell, just in case that's any use to you?

[Jamescrs]

As others have said they always want bus drivers and will train you so that may be a way in.

I was speaking to our handyman at work just this week who used to do HGV and he says it's not worth it anymore, he claims the driver shortage mentioned in the media a couple of years ago is a load of rubbish and the issue is companies won't pay drivers a decent wage so they are all leaving, it's not a lack of qualified drivers.

[The Mad Monk]

Jamescrs said:

I was speaking to our handyman at work just this week who used to do HGV and he says it's not worth it anymore, he claims the driver shortage mentioned in the media a couple of years ago is a load of rubbish and the issue is companies won't pay drivers a decent wage so they are all leaving, it's not a lack of qualified drivers.

Then market forces will kick in and companies will have to pay sufficient money to attract drivers.

Otherwise their goods will not get delivered.

[croyde]

Yeah the wages.

I drove and rode for a living during the 80s and I was averaging about £300 a week IN THE EIGHTIES.

Over 40 years later and you wouldn't get much more.

As to jobs, the supermarkets always seem to be looking for drivers for their delivery rounds.

I applied for Ocado via Instagram and got a call back the next day.

I couldn't accept it though as even on a 40 hour week, the take-home wouldn't cover my rent.

[aterribleusername]

The Mad Monk said:

Then market forces will kick in and companies will have to pay sufficient money to attract drivers.

Otherwise their goods will not get delivered.

That's just not happening though. Thanks to the watering down of the HGV license test requirements there is a steady stream of newbies coming through who are useless but willing to work for peanuts to get a foot in the door. This is holding wages back massively. Agencies have lots of drivers on their books but no good ones so companies just work through them until a decent one slips through and gets snapped up. They're greatful to have a permanent position so accept crap wages and it starts again. I've got a Class 2 with Moffett and would earn more stacking shelves in a supermarket! Even the supermarket home delivery van jobs pay more per hour but they seem to only ever offer 30hr weeks with you expected to fight for extra shifts so a steady wage isn't really there. It's only the fact I despise being indoors all the time that keeps me out on the road. My place has just started pay 'negotiations' for next year and the starting point is 0.3%. Wages are crap and will stay that way.

Everyone can 'drive' so it's seen as a low skilled job and pay is set accordingly, despite the higher licenses attracting much greater responsibility and penalties if things go wrong.

[croyde]

aterribleusername said:

Everyone can 'drive' so it's seen as a low skilled job and pay is set accordingly, despite the higher licenses attracting much greater responsibility and penalties if things go wrong.

That's bad, isn't it, especially if you have a HGV or PSV licence.

Always wondered why London bus drivers are paid less than tube drivers. Driving a great big double-decker through London traffic has got to be the greater skill with a lot more likely to go wrong.

[JackAttack2002]

Tisy said:

FLT CB ticket usefulness depends on where you are located. If you're in the arse end of Cornwall, Wales or Scotland then probably not so much, but anywhere with big RDCs and warehousing nearby should be able to keep you in work. The solution to the "you need 2 years experience" agency problem is to lie. It's not difficult to fabricate a story about how you've been driving them around moving pallets of feed on your dad's farm since you were 12 years old. Once you get a couple of weeks under your belt without stacking it (pardon the pun) then your phone will never stop ringing and you can sign up with other agencies who will be the main supplier to other clients.

How come the 3 years of being a car detailer didn't work out? What's the story behind that? That's a licence to print money if you're good at it as customers will always return if you impressed them on the first job. You'll certainly make infinitely more at that than you ever will driving a van or FLT as the latter are all NMW jobs + a few pence. Doing it for 3 years and not having a solid customer base by that point means you must be doing something very wrong.

Edited by Tisy on Saturday 22 November 00:36

Thanks on the advice. I was getting good customer reviews. i mainly did valeting and applying sealants then towards the end i offered machine polishing. for the effort i was being paid well i was probabbly earning 15 phr after costs. for a machine polish could be making 200 plus a day.
however i diddnt get many customers and i probabbly only made about 2000 a year. also i was up against the wheather and certain times like christmas and january i saw no sales what so ever.
mainly competing with scratch and shines most people diddnt want to spend 30 - 50 for a car wash and most car guys do it them selves unless they are busy. only thing maybe that could be more profitable is if i did more machine polishing.

so the reason why i stopped was because of the lack of customers and i used to get loads of anxiety about the up keep and anxiety about doing a good job.

[JackAttack2002]

Pebbles167 said:

Bus driver? They'll provide the training, pay is reasonable.

thought about it. the only thing is i think the preasure of dealing with customers and the thought of someone might judge my driving puts me off a bit. though im possibly making lame excuses.
admitly i like busses keeps the citys less congested for people who need to get to work or pop to the shops.

[maccboy]

How about trade plating? I did it for 4 years and really enjoyed it. Lots of different vehicles from all over the country. Could be from anywhere to anywhere! Some long days but visited places I'd never been to!

[Kawasicki]

Durability test driver for car company?

[JackAttack2002]

wazztie16 said:

Supermarket delivery? Bus driver is a good shout. I've done both, in that order, and if you are the right sort of person/have the right mindset you won't go far wrong.

Edit - would imagine supermarket will be crying out for drivers coming up to Xmas. I know the HSC for the big green supermarket are at Bulwell, just in case that's any use to you?

thank you. i did apply for some. but i did the assesment after the application and failed the silly thing. it was expecting me to know policys and how to handle customers before ive done any training.

bus driver i think the preasure of being confronted and dealing with all of those customers would put me off. not sure if thats because of my autism.
however would be something im interested in i might get used to it.

[JackAttack2002]

croyde said:

Yeah the wages.

I drove and rode for a living during the 80s and I was averaging about £300 a week IN THE EIGHTIES.

Over 40 years later and you wouldn't get much more.

As to jobs, the supermarkets always seem to be looking for drivers for their delivery rounds.

I applied for Ocado via Instagram and got a call back the next day.

I couldn't accept it though as even on a 40 hour week, the take-home wouldn't cover my rent.

thank you I diddnt know you could apply for jobs on instagram.

[Red9zero]

JackAttack2002 said:

Pebbles167 said:

Bus driver? They'll provide the training, pay is reasonable.

thought about it. the only thing is i think the preasure of dealing with customers and the thought of someone might judge my driving puts me off a bit. though im possibly making lame excuses.
admitly i like busses keeps the citys less congested for people who need to get to work or pop to the shops.

Do bus drivers deal with customers any more ? All I ever see is people tapping their phones on a screen when they get on the bus.

[Tisy]

If your local bus cos. are like Arriva up here in Northumberland where my neighbour used to work, the shifts are horrible. It's any 5 days out of 7 and can be mornings, afternoons or lates, with mornings starting at 4am and lates finishing at 1am. New recruits are always rota'd for firday, saturday and sunday nights to deal with all the piss-heads wanting to fight you whilst the old boys who are 'in' with the planner get all the cream shifts and runs and hardly any weekend shifts. Driver turnover is very high. Those starting from scratch stay for exactly 2 years until the training tie-in ends, then they leave to drive tour coaches or do their C and C+E to drive trucks instead. But none of that stops Arriva from threatening you that you'll have to pay for all their training if you leave even though the tie-in has expired, and they also refuse to give you a reference when you move on.

From the permanent driver ad they have up :

Pay Rates:

Trainee Drivers

• Monday to Friday: £13.25 per hour rising to £13.55 after 12 months and then rising again to £15.40 after 24 months.

• Weekends: £13.70 per hour rising to £14.00 after 12 months and then rising again to £15.85 after 24 months.

• Bank Holidays: £30 in additional bonus paid per shift.

Fully Qualified PCV Drivers

• Monday to Friday: £13.55 per hour, rising to £15.40 per hour after passing probation.*

• Weekends: £14.00 per hour, rising to £15.85 per hour after passing probation.*

• Qualified drivers with at least 2 years but driving experience in the last 5 years will start on £13.55 p/h basic, otherwise the starting rate will be £13.25 p/h

--
You can earn that just driving class 2 (C) trucks on pallet deliveries monday to friday and you're usually home for teatime.

[Pebbles167]

Red9zero said:

Do bus drivers deal with customers any more ? All I ever see is people tapping their phones on a screen when they get on the bus.

Anecdotal evidence from a mate who drove for First and says that he had to try and tame drinkers, lunatics and yobs occasionally around Bath and Bristol.

I'd be more interested in doing Coach driving to be honest. Can't imagine Dorris and friends kicking off on the way to Stone Henge.

[JackAttack2002]

maccboy said:

How about trade plating? I did it for 4 years and really enjoyed it. Lots of different vehicles from all over the country. Could be from anywhere to anywhere! Some long days but visited places I'd never been to!

i would like to do that. my step dad told me not to apply for it and get a propper job were im employed. and it will be hard to find out how to get back according to him. not sure if you have to use public transport to get back but google maps shows you routes for public transport. i dont mind public transport.

[maccboy]

The company I did it for repaid all public transport expenses. Great experience going everywhere in all sorts of vehicles. The hours can be long and there will be plenty of mileage!