Owens

Anyone here worked for Owens before? What are they like to work for?

Which depot?

Any depot? Have you worked for them before? I have heard they are good company to work for? I’m living near Llanelli

Owens have depots all over thats why I asked. The job is easy but the wages are not the best out there. I worked for them on 4 on 4 off and it was a great job, but, I struggled to pay my bills etc so had to find something that payed more. If money was no longer an issue I would go back with them without hesitation.

Cool thanks Wayne. What kind of hours did you work, what distances did you travel and do you know if they hired casual/ad hoc workers? I’m currently employed by the police but would like to drive on my days off as I’m thinking of changing careers and want a taste of it before committing.

IIRC most of the work out of Llanelli is steel coilers…running up to the west midlands.

There’s also a ‘logistics’ side to the company running dry goods around England and Wales in curtainsiders, but the company’s core business is steel and its fortunes are linked very closely to those of the south Wales steel industry.

Has its own workshop and ATF, so presumably the kit is always in good order.

Steel is only a part of the business, they do a lot more besides. Lots of bog rolls, beer cans, bottled water, books, Amazon, Rockwool and pallet force and more besides.

jaustin123:
Cool thanks Wayne. What kind of hours did you work, what distances did you travel and do you know if they hired casual/ad hoc workers? I’m currently employed by the police but would like to drive on my days off as I’m thinking of changing careers and want a taste of it before committing.

Hours could be anything up to 15, but personally I only did a few 15s due to unavoidable delays. As for distance, could be on local runs all day or as far as Nottingham. I think they have an agency they use so you could try that at first. Don’t know the name of them though. Decent bunch of guys in the depot I worked at and the planners were good to.

Long while since I worked for them, basically you won’t get rich but you won’t die of overwork either. Used to have a bad reputation for laying a lot of blokes off just before or after Christmas, not sure if that’s still the case.

Thanks everyone for your replies. They do have a recruitment day coming up so may attend and ask for some advice to see if I can do some work on my rest days

Owens do quite a bit for Amazon now, having spoken to a few of their drivers.

Their adverts always require you to have driven class one within last six months, just in case you weren’t aware of that.

Some of the lads running steel out of trostre parc,just run to neath and back.
Believe they were on day rate…not good money,but they didn’t work long hours.
I used to wave them past.

I work 4 on 4 off , work is nice easy clean work you get paid for 12 but if you work over 48hours you get paid overtime rate. Money is poor 365 after tax. You won’t get pushed and it’s a good crack with the drivers. The rumours are never true what you hear :smiley:

Bluebird3794:
Money is poor 365 after tax.

Is that every week? Or is that on your 3 day weeks?

Funnily enough I was talking to one of their drivers at Speedibake at Bradford. He’d been there less than a week, had done South Wales to Midlands, tip, reload in Manchester and tip in Bellshill. Reload in Edinburgh and tip at Reed Boardall at Boroughbridge. He was reloading at Bradford to go back to Wales. He was unhappy to say the least, hadn’t slept much and was ill prepared for being away. He was planning on jacking when he got home. Make of that what you will.

sent using smoke signals

mick.mh2racing:
Funnily enough I was talking to one of their drivers at Speedibake at Bradford. He’d been there less than a week, had done South Wales to Midlands, tip, reload in Manchester and tip in Bellshill. Reload in Edinburgh and tip at Reed Boardall at Boroughbridge. He was reloading at Bradford to go back to Wales. He was unhappy to say the least, hadn’t slept much and was ill prepared for being away. He was planning on jacking when he got home. Make of that what you will.

Perhaps somebody who should have asked more questions at the interview, nobody to blame but himself.

mick.mh2racing:
Funnily enough I was talking to one of their drivers at Speedibake at Bradford. He’d been there less than a week, had done South Wales to Midlands, tip, reload in Manchester and tip in Bellshill. Reload in Edinburgh and tip at Reed Boardall at Boroughbridge. He was reloading at Bradford to go back to Wales. He was unhappy to say the least, hadn’t slept much and was ill prepared for being away. He was planning on jacking when he got home. Make of that what you will.

sent using smoke signals

That sounds to me like a bloke who wasn’t set up for the job to be fair,
Seen it before lads set on to do nights out then say they’ve not got there gear etc etc,
In my view if your given your own unit you kit it out to go anywhere,if you don’t have your own then fair enough

mick.mh2racing:
Funnily enough I was talking to one of their drivers at Speedibake at Bradford. He’d been there less than a week, had done South Wales to Midlands, tip, reload in Manchester and tip in Bellshill. Reload in Edinburgh and tip at Reed Boardall at Boroughbridge. He was reloading at Bradford to go back to Wales. He was unhappy to say the least, hadn’t slept much and was ill prepared for being away. He was planning on jacking when he got home. Make of that what you will.

sent using smoke signals

I have only ever been a day driver but I always took the bits and pieces just in case things went wrong and a couple of times I needed them. As I always drove sleeper cabs there was room for them.

ezydriver:

Bluebird3794:
Money is poor 365 after tax.

Is that every week? Or is that on your 3 day weeks?

I know someone who works for them and there are no ‘three day weeks’ with Owens, you get paid four shifts every week, so whilst it sounds poor on the outset it actually evens out, think of it like this, you only work 6 months of the year but you get paid for all twelve :wink:

Plus I believe they offer plenty of overtime (5 on 3 off or even 6 on 2 off) with the extra shifts paying a slightly higher ‘per shift’ rate.