Hi all,
Been looking at jobs going at Gist and Culina/Great Bear and M1 J29A. Read reviews from people that work at these places and they’re certainly mixed! Are they as bad as some people make out, or is it just a case of people who are annoyed going onto the review sites and venting whilst the happy drivers just plod on?
Thanks!
It is a shambles that one sees adverts for “Gist Recruiting” on the backs of their liveried wagons - BUT - “no details”…
So… You express an interest, get invited for interview, get told it’s £9-£18ph rates…
Then it turns out that it is £9ph PAYE days, and only £18ph limited company Bank Holiday rate…
…But you’re there by this point, so you may well indeed “soldier on”…
Personally, If I turned up at Oare only to be let down like this, - I’d find a way to make a day out of it at say, Herne Bay, Whitstable, or something. 
Tell us what the money is, and how to get that premium rate FFS - That’s all we’re there for after all! - To earn a crust in a market we keep getting told is “short of drivers”…
Well f----ng well prove it, skinflints! 
Very rarely will happy people bother about putting up reviews, disgruntled employees will always slag there former company off, ask them the real reason they left,it’s normally they couldn’t get there own way, bad time keeping, the list is endless, Please remember big companies have huge stacks of pointy shoe a-holes trying to look good towards the next rung on the ladder. Could simply be a personality clash.
Yeah as biggriffin says you dont often hear from happy people, and will far more likely read something from bitter and twisted former employees who incidentally all never have anything good to say and its always never their fault… always someone else…
From what I know of Culina (not sure why Gist have been mentioned?) is that they have their way of doing things, some of which can be quite petty, but the kit always seems good, they give new starts a go and pay fairly.
The best way is to try it yourself,but at £9 don’t fund the sharks…
n
Each of these large companies will be as good as the next one generally, but as bad as the worse pointy shoe each depot has, some depots will be fine and decently run, some won’t be as good.
The pay will be average, that’s why there are jobs advertised at such places.
All companies have their own way of doing things, if the pay is good enough to put up with whatever their quirks are, great, if it aint enough or you can’t stand the cobblers move on again.
Double standards apparent here, those companies who are being bad mouthed should have the right to reply
ie ‘‘we were overjoyed to see the back of joe soap, miserable unreliable vehicle and premises wrecker, upset most people he came into contact with including the customers the few odd days eh didn’t ring in sick’’
how come its legal and ok for a previous employee to gob off as they see fit but not for the previous employer to respond the same way with the truth, though i have no doubt those leaving bad reviews are doing so anonymously in the first place.
Thanks all for your replies. They are as I thought, that it’s ■■■■■■ off ex drivers who cannot do any wrong and are shocked that they were not worshipped by logistic companies. This would be my first driving job and it seems to me that £9 seems a bit low. Do companies like this take the mick and give low wages in return for taking anyone on? As i’m sure we all do, I want the highest return for my hard work in an industry that is supposedly 50,000 drivers short…
I want the highest return for my hard work in an industry that is supposedly 50,000 drivers short…
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Good luck with that plenty of mugs out there, 50k short what a laugh
toonsy:
Yeah as biggriffin says you dont often hear from happy people, and will far more likely read something from bitter and twisted former employees who incidentally all never have anything good to say and its always never their fault… always someone else…From what I know of Culina (not sure why Gist have been mentioned?) is that they have their way of doing things, some of which can be quite petty, but the kit always seems good, they give new starts a go and pay fairly.
Think the op mentions Gist is because they have a depot at 29a same as Culina/Great Bear
Uncleskid:
toonsy:
Yeah as biggriffin says you dont often hear from happy people, and will far more likely read something from bitter and twisted former employees who incidentally all never have anything good to say and its always never their fault… always someone else…From what I know of Culina (not sure why Gist have been mentioned?) is that they have their way of doing things, some of which can be quite petty, but the kit always seems good, they give new starts a go and pay fairly.
Think the op mentions Gist is because they have a depot at 29a same as Culinary/Great Bear
Yeah I just read it back. Even says it in the thread title 
Yeah I can’t help but feel the 50k is an exageration. Or perhaps it was true and fools like me have begun to flood the industry Glad to hear that Culina are happy to give new starts a go. There’s a job going for nights which i’ll probably put in for once CE is all over and done with. Hopefully they’ll give an alright night rate to go with the decent kit. As for petty ways… “A petty and backwards way to do things” should be the slogan of my current employers
Thomaswilliam2210:
Yeah I can’t help but feel the 50k is an exageration. Or perhaps it was true and fools like me have begun to flood the industry
I’ve been with Culina for a fortnight. culina group consists of; culina logistics, great bear, morgan mclernon, ips, CML, warrens, and robsons. I don’t understand why they use lower case in the firm names but…
What I can say is I have found them the best company I have worked for (now been driving for 5 years). Good with staff and fair pay. Proper pension and Life Assurance. Good luck if you can find better… you could struggle there 
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Should have added - I work 5+3 and day rated. I find 5+3 gives a decent break (I can be asked to do either day work or tramping) and day rate I like for budgeting. I find this rota excellent compared with Mon-Fri (same number of working days per month but 3 days off in return for working some week ends and having week days off (useful for a dental appointment and other admin not possible at w/e)). This week I had 3 days long distance with 2 nights out - then given a couple of easy days. Uniform took a week to arrive… fairly immediate considering the current trouble.
jessejazza:
… and Life Assurance
Could do with some of that! Sign me up!
jessejazza:
I’ve been with Culina for a fortnight. culina group consists of; culina logistics, great bear, morgan mclernon, ips, CML, warrens, and robsons. I don’t understand why they use lower case in the firm names but…What I can say is I have found them the best company I have worked for (now been driving for 5 years). Good with staff and fair pay. Proper pension and Life Assurance. Good luck if you can find better… you could struggle there
That’s good as I’m due to start there at the start of May 
DAF95XF:
jessejazza:
I’ve been with Culina for a fortnight. culina group consists of; culina logistics, great bear, morgan mclernon, ips, CML, warrens, and robsons. I don’t understand why they use lower case in the firm names but…What I can say is I have found them the best company I have worked for (now been driving for 5 years). Good with staff and fair pay. Proper pension and Life Assurance. Good luck if you can find better… you could struggle there
That’s good as I’m due to start there at the start of May
I worked there for nearly 7 yrs in Avonmouth and couldn’t fault them, they are a bit ■■■■ with there rules and regs and also with their monitoring of driver habits/styles but I was always good at keeping my head below the radar so to speak so was pretty much left alone as I knew what I could and couldn’t get away with. They never question you if you have to defect something or if you need a break, they’re flexible with start times if you have something on.
bald bloke:
That’s good as I’m due to start there at the start of May
I worked there for nearly 7 yrs in Avonmouth and couldn’t fault them, they are a bit ■■■■ with there rules and regs and also with their monitoring of driver habits/styles but I was always good at keeping my head below the radar so to speak so was pretty much left alone as I knew what I could and couldn’t get away with. They never question you if you have to defect something or if you need a break, they’re flexible with start times if you have something on.
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It is Avonmouth I’m starting at and I did get that impression!!
Did the depot manager look like a spitting image of Malcolm McDowell when you were there??
DAF95XF:
bald bloke:
That’s good as I’m due to start there at the start of MayI worked there for nearly 7 yrs in Avonmouth and couldn’t fault them, they are a bit ■■■■ with there rules and regs and also with their monitoring of driver habits/styles but I was always good at keeping my head below the radar so to speak so was pretty much left alone as I knew what I could and couldn’t get away with. They never question you if you have to defect something or if you need a break, they’re flexible with start times if you have something on.
It is Avonmouth I’m starting at and I did get that impression!!
Did the depot manager look like a spitting image of Malcolm McDowell when you were there??
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At this age you mean? 
I would be interested to hear if anyone on this site has a good word to say about GIST?
Happy to be proved wrong though
DAF95XF:
bald bloke:
That’s good as I’m due to start there at the start of MayI worked there for nearly 7 yrs in Avonmouth and couldn’t fault them, they are a bit ■■■■ with there rules and regs and also with their monitoring of driver habits/styles but I was always good at keeping my head below the radar so to speak so was pretty much left alone as I knew what I could and couldn’t get away with. They never question you if you have to defect something or if you need a break, they’re flexible with start times if you have something on.
It is Avonmouth I’m starting at and I did get that impression!!
Did the depot manager look like a spitting image of Malcolm McDowell when you were there??
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The depot manager got sacked for dodgy dealings just after I left so don’t know the new one, like I said keep your head down do it their way and you should be fine. Let me know if you anything else but I have been gone over 4 yrs now.