Getting Your Foot in the Door: How to Get Into HGV Driving?

As with any career, it always seems to be the case that young people starting their careers are coming up against difficulty when potential employers demand years of experience in the role. If you’ve just left education, you’re recently qualified as an HGV driver or you’re just thinking about taking this career path, you may find that you’re up against the same problem.

So, the question is; how do you get your foot in the door and get started in your HGV driving career without the required years of experience?

Here at Surrey and Hampshire we specialise in HGV training and are dedicated to helping you get your career off the ground. Our teams of expert instructors have a wealth of knowledge about the industry and as a result, we’ve put together some useful information to help you with your driving career.

•    Don’t be afraid of closed doors. For some reason, since the recession some agencies can be very obtuse to new drivers (they got used to there being more drivers in the system, so they felt they could be choosy – now there are around 30k driving vacancies, they’re starting to find that they can’t!) A lot of new drivers who have this problem find that the agencies are more sympathetic if they approach them CV first. E.g.  Emailing in the CV, THEN following up with a call. It’s important to realise that the agencies are trying to ‘sort the wheat from the chaff’ and they’ll do anything to get you off the phone. But if they’ve seen your CV they’re likely to be a lot more accommodating.

•    Don’t give up! Many new drivers apply for one job, don’t get the post, and then give up forever. It’s not personal; get into a routine of applying for any job you could feasibly do; the more you apply for, the better your chances of getting that first foot on the ladder.

•    Don’t be picky; you’ll get your dream job, but good things come to those who wait! You might have to drive a bit of 7.5 ton first, or do a few van delivery jobs so that companies know you can be trusted with their expensive vehicle. Don’t expect things to fall into your lap; that comes later. In the meantime focus on getting that all-important first role, and expect to be flexible.

Quality Training To Become a Safe & Confident Driver

One of the most important things about getting your career started is the training that you receive. It’s essential that you receive the best training to give you the best start and here at Surrey and Hampshire we offer the highest quality training to ensure that you become a safe and confident driver.

If you would like more information about our training services then please visit our website; alternatively, if you have any questions or queries, you’re always welcome to get in touch with us directly.