Drivers recruitment
HGV drivers with the licence verified before you ever see the CV.
We supply HGV and specialist vehicle drivers to hauliers, construction firms, builders providers, waste operators and transport companies across Ireland and the UK. Licence categories are verified and a driving assessment is done before anybody is put in front of you.
- Licence categories verified against the issuing authority, every time
- Driving assessment completed before the driver is shortlisted
- Licence conversion route mapped and supported after arrival
- Permit and visa paperwork done with you, the advertising test done for you
Inspection pit, Johannesburg workshop
Who we work for
Employers we work with
Established operators across Ireland and the UK. Transport, automotive, construction, engineering and food service.
What we place
Roles we fill in Drivers
If what you need is not on the list, ask anyway. We turn down briefs we cannot fill, so a no from us costs you a phone call and nothing else.
- HGV Class 1 (CE) Drivers
- HGV Class 2 (C) Drivers
- Articulated Truck Drivers
- Rigid Truck Drivers
- Tipper Drivers
- Concrete Mixer Drivers
- Tanker Drivers
- ADR Drivers
- Skip Lorry Drivers
- Hiab and Crane Lorry Drivers
- Plant and Low Loader Drivers
- Multi-drop Delivery Drivers
- Bus and Coach Drivers
- Yard Shunters
- Transport Planners
- Transport Managers
Trade testing
Where we test drivers candidates
These are our workshops, not stock photographs. Every candidate is trade tested on the tools before you see a CV, and before anybody gets on a plane.
Placed, not promised
Roles we have filled for employers like you
Named clients and the roles that actually started. Ask us for a reference and we will put you in touch.
How we fill it
Three routes, and we will tell you which one you need
We look at your local market before we look anywhere else. Overseas deployment is slower and more involved, so we only recommend it when local genuinely cannot deliver.
Ireland and the UK
- About two weeks from brief to a start date
- Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview
- No retainer and no monthly fee
- Thirty day replacement guarantee
International deployment
- Sourced from the Philippines, South Africa, the UAE, Bangladesh, Colombia, India and Nepal
- Permit, visa and Certificate of Sponsorship work handled end to end
- Labour Market Needs Test managed for you
- Flights, accommodation and welfare checks after arrival included
Remote support roles
- Live in one to four weeks, because there is no permit in the way
- Five stage vetting including a proper English assessment
- Employed directly by your company
- Typically 50 to 70% below the cost of a local hire
The work behind the shortlist
What we check before you see a CV
A shortlist is only worth anything if somebody did this first.
The licence
- Categories verified against the issuing authority, not read off a photograph
- Endorsements, penalties and disqualification history checked
- Digital tachograph card status confirmed
- ADR and specialist endorsements verified where the role needs them
The driving
- Practical driving assessment before shortlisting
- Reversing, coupling and manoeuvring assessed, not just road driving
- Experience checked against your vehicle type, not just a licence class
- Medical and background checks completed as part of the process
The conversion
- The conversion route for each licence mapped and explained at the outset
- South African licences exchange for Irish without a retest
- Filipino drivers sit the Irish test, and we arrange and support it
- Driver CPC completed after employment starts, with the timing agreed with you first
Recruitment trips
Come and test them yourself
Every month we are in Manila, Johannesburg and Dubai with clients, running in-person trade tests and volume interviews. Based on everything we have seen, it is the most effective way to hire.
- Meet more candidates in a day than you would in a month of video calls
- Get a better read on somebody by watching them work, not just hearing them talk
- Trade test in person, on the tools, to your own standard
- We handle all the logistics. You turn up, we do the rest
Conversion is the whole game
Everything on a driver placement turns on licence conversion, and it differs by country of origin. A South African licence exchanges for an Irish one without a retest. A Filipino driver sits the Irish test, which we arrange and support.
Any agency that will not give you the exact conversion path for the exact driver, before you offer, is guessing. We put it in writing at the outset so you know what week they can legally drive for you.
Lead times
How long it takes, honestly
Government processing times move, and anybody quoting you a single confident number is guessing. Which route applies to your role, and the current wait, we confirm in writing before you commit.
Local hire, Ireland or UK
About 2 weeks
Brief to start date. Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview.
Ireland, employment permit
Department clock
Our preparation takes days. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment publishes its own processing times and they move with demand; we tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
UK, Skilled Worker
UKVI clock
You assign the Certificate of Sponsorship; UK Visas and Immigration publishes decision times. We tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
Remote support role
1 to 4 weeks
Where the job can be done remotely, there is no permit and no queue.
Official processing times: enterprise.gov.ie for Irish employment permits and GOV.UK for the Skilled Worker visa.
Cost and cover
What it costs, and what happens if it goes wrong
Government fees are passed through at cost and the placement fee is staged across the process, none of it up front.
Replacement guarantee on a local hire
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was remote
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was in person
Retainer, startup or candidate fees, at any point
Sama Talent & Offshore Services Limited, 136 Capel Street, Dublin D01 T2C9. Licensed employment agency EA 5649, Workplace Relations Commission of Ireland. CRO 810220. Local first. Internationally ready when local cannot deliver.
Straight answers
Questions employers ask
When can the driver start driving for me?
That is the real question and it depends on the conversion route for their licence, which we map before you offer. South African licences exchange without a retest. Filipino drivers sit the Irish test, which we arrange. We put the timeline in writing so you are not left to find out.
Who pays for the test and the CPC?
Not the driver. Candidates pay nothing at any stage, for anything. Government fees are passed to you at cost and the rest sits inside the placement fee.
Do you check driving history properly?
Licence categories are verified with the issuing authority, endorsements and disqualification history are checked, and a practical assessment is done before shortlisting. A photograph of a licence is not verification.
Can you supply a group of drivers, not just one?
Yes. Fleet placements out of a single brief are routine, and deploying drivers who already know each other tends to hold better through the first few months.
What about tanker or ADR work?
We verify ADR and specialist endorsements the same way as the base licence. Tell us the product and the vehicle and we shortlist against it, so you are not sent general HGV CVs.
Tell us the role and the start date. We do the rest.
No retainer, no startup fee, and nothing is ever charged to the candidate. Call us on +353 1 903 8249, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.
Looking for work in Drivers?
You will never pay us. Not once, not for anything.
Not to apply, not to be placed, not for your visa, your documents or your training. Employers pay us. Your wage is yours in full.
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