A road paved with potential; why former recruiter Alex Footman became an HGV driver.

Alex Footman wasn’t always behind the wheel of a truck, this time last year he worked in recruitment sourcing drivers for contract clients. It was while sat at his desk, looking at the driver’s salaries, that he realised he would rather be on the open road, earning more money.

‘I had nothing to lose by giving it a go’, explains Alex.

Inevitably COVID slowed down Alex’s career transition and his test was delayed from November last year to April this year; ‘I funded the test myself and was frustrated by the delay when I was keen to get going. I changed training companies in the end and then things got back on track. I passed first time, my job at BJS is my first Class 1 driver role and I have loved every minute.

In my interview it was really me seeing if I wanted to pick them thanks to the current driver shortage. Sarah Riaz, now Transport Manager at Construct IT, was a client of mine when I worked in driver recruitment and my Aunt works in HR at BJS, so I had insight into the company from friends and family before I joined and knew it was where I wanted to work.

BJS has a great reputation for their clean trucks and the way they treat their drivers. I knew I wanted to settle somewhere right from the start of my career and for me that meant somewhere I could work hard and still have a life outside. Obviously, some long days and weekend shifts are inevitable and come with the territory, but BJS certainly seems to have the balance right and respects their drivers as individuals.’

A typical day for Alex looks something like this…

• 5am

My alarm goes off and I start to get mentally ready for the day, I’ll check my route and update my Sat Nav over breakfast. I try to have something healthy that will keep me full, oats or Weetabix – driver’s can sometimes struggle with their weight because of the nature of the job and I want to avoid lay-by bacon sarnies.

• 6am

I shower and change and head to work. I pull my truck and unit out and park my car in that bay. Keeps things neat and organized for when I get back to the yard that way.

• 7am

I head to the office and grab my paperwork. I do my vehicle checks and update them on the app which sends all the data to the office.

I put notes in to sat nav and always double check with Google maps before I depart; checking the company name and access to avoid any issues on route or arrival, then I make my way to my first job.

• 8am – 12

While driving I keep an eye on my breaks to ensure I remain legally compliant as I make my way to site. I plan my meals around breaks to keep my energy levels up.

• 12-6

My afternoons vary depending on how far the job was from the yard; if it was a collection or delivery and how many drops were scheduled. Usually, I pick up a return load to take back to the yard - it’s a good way to optimize the trucks to not have them running empty and, at BJS Haulage, 75% of what we bring back is put in to the warehouse and pick and packed over night ready to go out on the Home Delivery vans the next day. It’s a slick operation!

• 6pm

I’ll sign out in the office and head home ready to do it all again in the morning.

 ‘If ever you were tempted to have a go at being a driver now is definitely the time because there is such a shortage of Class 1 HGV qualified people in the country at the minute. A lot of the Eastern European drivers that were here and working in the UK left due to Brexit and the fact their jobs weren’t classed as ‘skilled workers’ so they were not permitted working visas to stay. Given the situation now I reckon the government might want to change their mind on that…

 The other change which has massively impacted the industry was the IR35 changes implemented in April this year when responsibility was transferred to large and medium companies. The reform brought private sector IR35 in line with the public sector (where the reform was implemented in 2017). It meant big hauliers couldn’t take on self employed drivers so a lot just called it a day.

 Although there is a lot of grumbling in the sector about tax changes and legislation and the whole culture of being a truck driver, I think this is mainly from some of the old timers. I think for younger people or those looking to join the industry fresh – they wouldn’t know any different – and the salaries and opportunities out there at the moment are worth considering. I’m really enjoying it – if you moan about your job in any sector then you’re probably in the wrong job!’

 If you would like to find out more about a career as a driver with BJS have a look here…

 https://bjshaulage.com/

https://bjshomedelivery.com/opportunities