U wha how much do you earn with the HGV licence job and how much do you spend on the taxi every week?Surely you'd get a proper loan if you have a job instead of the shite deal from Ebbs.Seems like the hard way to get by instead of working the taxi full time.
Why do you need two driving jobs?Is there only a certain amount of hours you can legally put in behind the wheel?
HGV is agency work so some weeks full time (5 days @ 8 to 12 hours a day) other weeks just a day or two. Doing it that way because I haven't been in a truck for years so want to get experience in different roles. As I am already self employed I can invoice as self employed (€15.50 to €17 per hour depending on each contract and time shift starts).
The ebbs deal won't be there next year, they said they only had 6 or 7 left to sell off. I won't be driving taxi to earn as long as I can get agency work. The taxi is there as a back up for now. If the game gets back to some sort of normal next year then I might go back to full time. Have to see if I can stick the truck driving out. Heavy work compared to driving taxi. Pulling cages and pallets around. The muscles are waking up again and dropped a few pounds already. I am 50 now and I have to make meself do it everyday and as a taxi driver learn to keep my mouth with gobshites in the transport companies on power trips.
When I have seen out the ebbs contract I will trade the wheelie in for a newer one and get my own plate. If I get a full time HGV role down the road I will drive the wheelie into the ground as a private car. As I have explained in another thread it suits my situation. Yes it is expensive but less than I was paying as a renter. As for getting a loan that isn't an option as my credit rating is shot. Still paying off old debt settlements and five years before my credit rating is restored.
I’d be looking to do some agency work soon, I know ism do the self employed payment.
Yea they do. Around €15.50 per hour for rigids. €13.50 on the books so I would say if you factor in the holiday pay and PRSI they are getting the better deal. But they dock an hour break whether you get it or not. That pissed me off.
I was out with Musgraves and doesn't matter how good you are of a driver, you have to go out on route training with one of their own drivers. The musgraves drivers are on salaries so other than the statutory breaks they want to get finished as soon as possible. So the couple of days I was out they let me drive for 4.5 hours and then took over and didn't stop for a break. I suspose from their point of view I slowed them down as they had to show me how to do all paperwork and use the electronic scanner etc. So a free coffee from one of the Spar shops and eat your sandwich in the cab driving between drops. Other than that they are sound lads and Musgraves has a good reputation as an employer and it seemed to be true. Gas thing is I applied to them and many others directly and received a lovely email saying "Thanks for the application but at this time we have decided not to proceed any further with your application." Then a week later I am driving their trucks around as an agency driver. 
I’ve a artic licence from years back, wonder what the rate is to drive one of them. Thanks for the insight into it, it it only musgraves they do agency work for it is it a few other places?
Artics are on the higher end of the range. €13.50 to €16 per hour depending on the company. There are a few agencies, ISM is just one of them. Musgraves is one of the better employers out there. Good conditions and they run their fleet by the book unlike other some other operators.
To find jobs just type "HGV driver jobs Dublin" or "Artic HGV driver jobs" into a google search and you will get results from Indeed.ie, Jobs.ie, Irishjobs.ie Simplyhired.ie.They all list HGV jobs sometimes the same ones form all employers and agencies.
If you are a bit rusty I would suggest getting some practice somewhere. If you can't do that for free then ISM and Airport driving schools will let you go out with an instructor. Its about €185 for an 2 hour session. The agencies will assess you driving before putting you on the books and then most of the contracts will do the same. It's nothing personal its all about their insurance policies.
