We have a great relationship with our drivers (some say we’re more of a family business!). Whether you’re an HGV artic or rigid driver, HIAB, ADR, or van driver – if you’re looking to be locally based and escape the ‘conveyor belt’ of agency work then you’re in the right place
We offer all the variety and flexibility of an agency role with the guaranteed pay, free training, and benefits of a permanent one.
It’s Backline Fact Time
More than 20% of staff have +5 years with the firm
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Free training on HIAB, ADR, CPC, and other transport skills
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Guaranteed income from consistent full-time driving work
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Drivers paid per licence and qualifications held (not per role!)
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Locally based work and steady hours to suit you
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Perfect balance of variety and job security
Discover our Platinum Drivers Scheme
We employ a dedicated team to help you build your with a career in the transport & logistics industry.
Platinum Drivers Scheme
One of the best propositions in the industry. We combine contracted employment with enhanced employee support and benefits like free private health care.
Holiday Pay
Everyone is offered a PAYE contract. When you work, you accrue paid holiday entitlement (28 days)
Free Training
All our drivers receive free, ongoing Driver CPC training to stay legal and on the road. We’ll also give you free HIAB and ADR training too.
24/7 Support
You are a valued member of the family. We make sure there’s always a human at the end of the phone to support you when you need it
Full Time Contracted Hours
Guaranteed weekly hours so you never have to worry about going short (minimum criteria applies)
Free Uniform
Premium uniforms for our Platinum Scheme drivers, plus Hi-Viz and polo shirts for field-based staff.
Apply here
When you join our Platinum Driver Scheme, you’ll receive some of the best support, development, and benefits in the logistics industry.
You get all the great benefits of being part of the Backline family such as great pay, job security, flexible work, and hours to suit you – but we’ll also give you a few other great perks such as guaranteed shift patterns and Private Medical Insurance.
What do the Platinum Elite Driver benefits include?
Over 30 years of experience has taught us that the key to finding (and keeping) the best drivers is to help find the right jobs for them./p>
When we get this right, they don’t just enjoy them – they shine!
All our staff are treated as valued members of the Backline family. It’s why we make sure that there’s always person at the end of the phone to listen, understand and provide you with support you need, when you need it.
We pride ourselves on our staff retention record. In fact, over 20% of our staff have been part of the family for five years or more. Not bad in an industry like ours!
We consider our truckers to be some of the best professional drivers in the U.K. and we treat them with the respect they deserve. That’s why when you join our team, you get great employee benefits, incredible training, and some of the best career development opportunities in the market.
What our drivers say…
“Made to feel welcome from day one. From manager to operations staff, always friendly and made sure your welfare was there at the top.”
Class 1 Driver in Plymouth, Devon
“2nd time with Backline. 1st time 6-7 years, 2nd time 8-9 years and still there!”
HGV Class 2 Driver in Exeter, Devon
“This is the ideal company to work for if you want flexibility compassion and a happy voice at the end of the phone. The staff here are switched on and really helpful. The wages are decent too.”
HGV HIAB Driver in Yeovil, Somerset
HGV 1, aka Class 1, refers to an articulated lorry; that is a tractor unit (cab) with a trailer or a rigid lorry towing a trailer above 750kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM).
We use them to transport large volumes of goods thanks to their +20-tonne capacity.
Our HGV 1 drivers perform a variety of work, including trunking loads to and from distribution hubs; superstore deliveries; palletised deliveries to commercial premises or delivery of large items and abnormal loads.
To drive a Class 1 professionally you must have a cat. C + E driving licence entitlement plus valid digital tachograph card and driver qualification card.
Typical HGV 1 Driver Jobs
Multi-Drop
Palletised deliveries and collections from industrial estates and factories (30-mile radius).
Trunking
Transporting goods between network hubs and an RDC. Typically, 10-12 hours shifts.
Tramping
Taking loads across country, sometimes spending night(s) away in the cab of the truck.
Shunting
Moving vehicles or trailers around on site or between sites without making deliveries.
Tanker
Transporting and delivering fuel, milk, beer, wine, waste, water and more.
Store delivery and FMCG
Collection of products from an RDC before delivery (like trunking).
HGV 2, aka Class 2 or cat. C refers to a rigid lorry with a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) above 7.5 tonnes.
Our drivers use ‘rigids’ for deliveries where access is not suitable for an articulated lorry.
Rigid deliveries are less bulky/heavy with a typical payload of 6 – 20 tonnes (compared to over 20 tonnes for an ‘artic’).
To drive a Class 2 professionally you need a cat. C driving licence, valid digital tachograph card and driver qualification card.
Typical HGV 2 Driver Jobs
General Distribution
Palletised deliveries to & collections from industrial estates, factories (30 miles radius).
Tanker
Transporting and delivering fuel, milk, beer, wine, waste, water and more.
Retail & Food Delivery
Deliveries to smaller stores, restaurants, hotels etc. Products are usually in cages or boxes.
HIAB
Deliveries using the lorry mounted crane (where possible). Usually on behalf of builders merchants
ADR
Delivering hazardous goods through to filling tanks with heating oil. This work can be very varied!
Waste Management
This can include chain skips, roll-on-roll-off containers, dust carts and recycling lorries.
7.5 Tonne refers to vehicles between 3,500kg and 7,500kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM).
Our drivers use 7.5 Tonne vehicles where a smaller vehicle is required for access but a larger payload than a standard van capacity is needed.
Driving a vehicle of this type professionally requires a cat. C1 driving licence, valid digital tachograph, and driver qualification card. This licence category was automatically given to people who passed their driving test in the UK before 1 January 1997, without taking a separate test.
Typical 7.5 Tonne Driver Jobs
Removals
Taking customers’ property from A to B. Heavy lifting and managing bulky items can feature!
White Goods
Delivery and collection of washing machines, fridge freezers and other appliances.
Deliveries
Delivering tyres, parcels, stock transfers, long items, bulky items and building products.
Commercial vehicles with a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of 3,500kg or less can be driven on a standard car licence (cat. B) without taking a separate test.
Our drivers use these vehicles where the items being delivered are not especially heavy, or where only a small area is being covered so multiple runs can be completed.
We also use them for time-critical long-distance deliveries.
Driving one of these vehicles professionally only requires a B driving licence.
Typical 3.5 Tonne Driver Jobs
Flatbeds/Dropsides
These deliveries usually involve building/construction materials and long items.
Vans
Our van drivers deliver a wide variety of items, from parcels to tyres and everything in between!
Luton
Typically used for removals thanks to their relatively small size, deliveries often involve bulky items.
ADR is short for “Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route”. This is the regulation covering the carriage of dangerous goods by road.
To carry hazardous goods within scope of the regulations, you must hold an ADR licence.
We provide our drivers with FREE ADR training at our in-house training facilities!
ADR is separated into nine different classes. Each one covers a different type of hazard.
| ADR class | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Explosive |
| 2 | Flammable Gas |
| 3 | Flammable Liquid |
| 4 | Flammable Non-Liquid |
| 5 | Oxidant |
| 6 | Toxic Substance |
| 7 | Radioactive Substance |
| 8 | Corrosive Substance |
| 9 | Miscellaneous |
Typical ADR Driver Jobs
Tanker
Tanker work typically involves product transfer work. It can be HGV 1 or HGV 2 and a PDP may be required.
Cylinder
Delivery of gas cylinders to commercial and residential addresses
General Distribution
Products on a pallet can vary in type and volume and can often include hazardous products.
HIAB work involves use of a lorry mounted crane. These are used for delivering items that are too heavy or bulky to handle and where a forklift isn’t available.
Our drivers use HIAB vehicles in construction, timber suppliers, block suppliers and for any company delivering large items on a regular basis.
They can be fitted with various attachments specific to the task; most commonly hook, block grab or clamshell bucket. They can be controlled with manual levers or by remote control.
We provide our drivers with FREE HIAB training at our in-house training facilities!
Typical HIAB Driver Jobs
HGV 1 HIAB
Class 1 HIAB work (including artic and wagon & drag). You’ll need a C+E category driving licence.
HGV 2 HIAB
Class 2 HIAB work. You’ll need a C category driving licence.
As one of the UK’s leading logistics support providers we have been privileged to work with many great organisations.
With multiple local branches across England, and two specialist Outbase locations in Devon and Bedfordshire, our team is uniquely placed to work in partnership with some of the most demanding businesses across a diverse range of industries.
See our full client list here.
