I’ve been looking for a bit of agency work over the winter while I’m home, there seems to be plenty about, admittedly not great pay the majority of the time, but it’s extra money while I’m off for a while. The ones I’ve signed up with ask you to do drivers hours tests etc, the placement you go to asks you to do more tests, then your off out for a driving assessment. That’s all fine, if we are professionals…but, why do some companies tell you ‘Oh, don’t bother with the walk round check’ just get a move on, by the way, you’ll need to phone the place when your an hour away! Ok, is there a phone in the cab? No, just use yours! Is this common in agency work?
This and a few other things made me dubious about setting off, the other agency guy who was there said fine, no checks no nothing, off he went. I did my checks and found a couple of faults, one being a gouge out of the tyre you could near enough fit a fist in. I refused to take it until it, and the other faults had been rectified, then I was told ‘when your here you’ll do as I say’ if you don’t you can ‘piddle off home’ ! I went home, I expect my 8 hours pay too! I’m guessing I’ll never see it though…
So, is this what drivers should expect?
Should we bow down for the sake of a few quid, driving what could possibly be an accident waiting to happen? Do we say no, shove it?
How professional are we? I’m of the opinion that ‘I’ the driver is responsible for the truck, the load, my safety, the safety of those around me, and you can guarantee that if anything goes wrong it’s the driver who gets it in the neck first!
Why would the other driver NOT check a vehicle? It’s what we’re supposed to do!
This was common in the 80’s when I started driving, but still here in 2019■■? What the hell is going on?
I’m furious and rambling now…Is this how it is?..Oh, and all for just over a tenner per hour!
Not in my lifetime I’m afraid
Shouldve got the lorry. Wrote down the faults then ran it to the nearest vosa place and told them what the transport manager of said company said to you. Im sure it would soon be nipped in the bud.
Its up to the drivers to stand up for themselves. Simply bowing down and putting your own licence at risk is not good.
Just cos someone else thinks its a good idea to stick their head in a gas oven and fire it up doesn’t mean it’s the sensible thing to do.
Do the job your way, whatever they may say at the barred window, keeping the pointy shoes safely segregated from us unwashed heatherns, just ignore.
Just take the keys and paperwork and go outside and do your job as it should be done, this weather they ain’t going to be following you around with a clip board marking you down because you checked the bloody lorry over.
If they insist…oh and the other agency bod is a half wit by the way…on you jumping in and leaving immediately without checking the vehicle over, get them to sign as such on your daily report sheet or whatever ■■■■■■■■ that particular cowboy outfit uses for paperwork, you could be some time waiting on that sig mind.
Back in the 80’s i used to check the vehicle just as carefully, bearing in mind we wouldn’t be mincing along at 55 we’d often be cruising considerably faster, and many’s the time i’ve nipped under with the standard 9/16th ring spanner plus toffee hammer and nipped up the trailer brakes before setting off.
We can do the job as lorry drivers, some might say professional, or we can do the other thing, but when the crap hits the fan and you’re involved in a serious prang you’ll find yourself very alone, and ‘‘when your here you’ll do as I say’’ idiot will have a complete memory lapse and point the finger straight at the one person responsible once out there on the road, You The Driver, whether qualifying for the title professional driver or not.
We are professional in the sense if anything goes wrong it’s all on us.
If you go the agency route always make sure you have enough rainy day money so you can tell the crappy firms to jog on.
I suspect there are quite a few drivers that have taken dodgy trucks out as they need the dough.
Not sure where you’ve been working but in 18 months I got asked very basic questions by 1 agency as part of the signup form and other wasn’t bothered.
Also never been asked by any employer to do any written tests and only had 1 assessment by COOP months after starting as their computer kept moaning.
As for the “dont bother with checks” and even telling you to take a defected truck - thats walkout time. Luckily never been there although there are a still few cowboys out there still. Most in my experience are at least on the legal side. Could be that you got sent there because everyone previous refused.
I guess like anything, there are always the dodgy few but you shouldn’t come across them very often, hopefully.
The answer to the question is not every driver is professional. I worked for a firm where drivers left vehicles with obvious defects and didn’t bother to book them with the result that the drivers taking over the defective unit or trailer had to waste time getting the defects rectified.
The management were as much to blame for not taking any action against the errant drivers.
The only time a truck driver is a professional is when he is having tea and biscuits with the Traffic Commissioner.
noisycarl:
Ok, is there a phone in the cab? No, just use yours! Is this common in agency work?
I’ve always used my own phone. I could claim “a reasonable amount” for using it but I can’t be bothered as I never use anywhere near my allowance anyway. Plus, I like having clients’ direct numbers in my phone memory, and them having mine, I consider that to be “networking” which might come in handy in the future.
Finally, I am incapable of understanding how any mobile phone works, unless it is a Nokia manufactured prior to 1996.
noisycarl:
I’ve been looking for a bit of agency work over the winter while I’m home, there seems to be plenty about, admittedly not great pay the majority of the time, but it’s extra money while I’m off for a while. The ones I’ve signed up with ask you to do drivers hours tests etc, the placement you go to asks you to do more tests, then your off out for a driving assessment. That’s all fine, if we are professionals…but, why do some companies tell you ‘Oh, don’t bother with the walk round check’ just get a move on, by the way, you’ll need to phone the place when your an hour away! Ok, is there a phone in the cab? No, just use yours! Is this common in agency work?
This and a few other things made me dubious about setting off, the other agency guy who was there said fine, no checks no nothing, off he went. I did my checks and found a couple of faults, one being a gouge out of the tyre you could near enough fit a fist in. I refused to take it until it, and the other faults had been rectified, then I was told ‘when your here you’ll do as I say’ if you don’t you can ‘piddle off home’ ! I went home, I expect my 8 hours pay too! I’m guessing I’ll never see it though…
So, is this what drivers should expect?
Should we bow down for the sake of a few quid, driving what could possibly be an accident waiting to happen? Do we say no, shove it?
How professional are we? I’m of the opinion that ‘I’ the driver is responsible for the truck, the load, my safety, the safety of those around me, and you can guarantee that if anything goes wrong it’s the driver who gets it in the neck first!
Why would the other driver NOT check a vehicle? It’s what we’re supposed to do!
This was common in the 80’s when I started driving, but still here in 2019■■? What the hell is going on?
I’m furious and rambling now…Is this how it is?..Oh, and all for just over a tenner per hour!
Not in my lifetime I’m afraid
We’re professional in the sense of doing the job as a profession, but the amount of professionalISM towards the job, is down to the individual driver, I would say you illustrated it and your mate is a d/head, and among those responsible for the main reason that conditions are like that in the job.
You did right btw, you’ve more patience than me, if that knobhead had said to me what he said to you I would have felt like chinning the ■■■■.
Maybe a better option would have been one of two, either take the truck out of the yard and ring VOSA, (not usually a grass but I’d make an exception for that arrogant twunt ) or say ''Ok sorry mate, drive the thing to the nearest MSA and hoy the keys over the hedge.
Ok maybe the first and third options are not too ‘professional’ on reflection …but you get my drift.
The way this thread is going I think it worthwhile to point out that NO ONE can take away & shoulder the blame for something which is down to the driver.
It’s your licence, when it’s taken away you can no longer work for them, or anyone else.
As I’ve been Driving this sofa since Xmas I’m beginning to get bored so may have to venture to new pastures to earn a little cash, I may find myself knocking on the doors of the various agencies in the area and and like the OP, I could find myself working at the same location as him which worries me slightly.
noisycarl:
I’ve been looking for a bit of agency work over the winter while I’m home, there seems to be plenty about, admittedly not great pay the majority of the time, but it’s extra money while I’m off for a while. The ones I’ve signed up with ask you to do drivers hours tests etc, the placement you go to asks you to do more tests, then your off out for a driving assessment. That’s all fine, if we are professionals…but, why do some companies tell you ‘Oh, don’t bother with the walk round check’ just get a move on, by the way, you’ll need to phone the place when your an hour away! Ok, is there a phone in the cab? No, just use yours! Is this common in agency work?
This and a few other things made me dubious about setting off, the other agency guy who was there said fine, no checks no nothing, off he went. I did my checks and found a couple of faults, one being a gouge out of the tyre you could near enough fit a fist in. I refused to take it until it, and the other faults had been rectified, then I was told ‘when your here you’ll do as I say’ if you don’t you can ‘piddle off home’ ! I went home, I expect my 8 hours pay too! I’m guessing I’ll never see it though…
So, is this what drivers should expect?
Should we bow down for the sake of a few quid, driving what could possibly be an accident waiting to happen? Do we say no, shove it?
How professional are we? I’m of the opinion that ‘I’ the driver is responsible for the truck, the load, my safety, the safety of those around me, and you can guarantee that if anything goes wrong it’s the driver who gets it in the neck first!
Why would the other driver NOT check a vehicle? It’s what we’re supposed to do!
This was common in the 80’s when I started driving, but still here in 2019■■? What the hell is going on?
I’m furious and rambling now…Is this how it is?..Oh, and all for just over a tenner per hour!
Not in my lifetime I’m afraid
We’re professional in the sense of doing the job as a profession, but the amount of professionalISM towards the job, is down to the individual driver, I would say you illustrated it and your mate is a d/head, and among those responsible for the main reason that conditions are like that in the job.
You did right btw, you’ve more patience than me, if that knobhead had said to me what he said to you I would have felt like chinning the [zb].
Maybe a better option would have been one of two, either take the truck out of the yard and ring VOSA, (not usually a grass but I’d make an exception for that arrogant twunt ) or say ''Ok sorry mate, drive the thing to the nearest MSA and hoy the keys over the hedge.
Ok maybe the first and third options are not too ‘professional’ on reflection …but you get my drift.
We get tilts dragged in from all across europe in varying states. Many are fine but many are far from it. We have our own workshops but getting trailer owners to agree to work can be a nightmare (getting paid even worse). Our own tilts are pretty batterd but all legal before leaving the yard, others not so, many will come in with bent legs, lights out/smashed, tyres on the limit (or worse) ect and its left to the drivers in many cases to at least get it legal for the road (tyres obviously being the exception). A box of scotch locks/ wire strippers/ terminals, roll of cable, duct tape, cable ties,socket set/spanners and the obligatory sledge hammer are essential kit…
Refusing to hook up and drag it down the road isnt an option unfortunately…
In the few years that I did agency work I don’t recall ever being told not to do vehicle checks, however I do remember seeing plenty of drivers jumping in lorries and driving off without checking anything.
Maybe that’s part of the reason drivers are not treated like professionals
rob22888:
I think it is, it’s just that many drivers don’t act in a professional manner & therefore we are looked down on as chimps and paid accordingly.
…but you get my drift. 
