Around this time of year, it’s a great time to have a heavy vehicle licence in your pocket and a year or so of experience up your sleeve. As the nation’s wind-up for the Christmas season goes up a gear, the demand for drivers starts to get desperate. Good for drivers.
However, landing one of these jobs is not as simple as walking on in to the recruiter’s office, asking everyone to stand aside, proclaiming at the top of your voice that everything will be alright because you have a heavy vehicle licence and you’re not afraid to use it!
Quite the opposite in fact…
Do a quick search for “HR Driver” jobs going on any of the major employment websites and for a moment you might question whether you actually typed in “HR Driver”! Those old stereotyped images people might have about what a truckie looks like couldn’t be further from the truth from what is a 21st century heavy vehicle driver (although you’ll still see the odd Bonds singlet/Stubbies shorts wearing truckie if you keep your eyes-peeled).
These days employers need to get more value out of their drivers and rely on their drivers more as they are often the first and last physical contact the company will have will the customer.
So what does the modern professional heavy vehicle driver look like? Well, we don’t know what he or she looks like but we can tell you that recruiters can spot one a mile away because they:
- Are responsible
- Are highly organised
- Show high attention to detail
- Have an excellent work ethic
- Are able to think outside the box
- Have excellent time management skills
- Are reliable
- Are always punctual
- Are great communicators
- Have a flexible approach to work
- Can easily adapt to change
- Have excellent customer service skills
- Are always presentable
- Have a focus on safety
In addition to these personal traits, the modern professional heavy vehicle driver will also have:
- a forklift licence
- a heavy vehicle licence higher than what the job requires (or has no issue driving smaller vehicles)
- an MSIC card
Ultimately, good truckies come from people who inherently possess those personal traits BEFORE they get their heavy vehicle licence. Remember, when it comes to securing a great driving job, recruiters aren’t always looking for the best, but they are always looking to avoid the worst!
So next time you’re applying for a driving role, keep the above in mind. If you’re looking to compliment your existing heavy vehicle licence with a forklift licence then check out your options here, or if you think up-grading your existing heavy vehicle licence to give you a little more flexibility when it comes to applying for a driving job (smart move!) then check out our heavy vehicle licence courses.