Sorry guys, but its no good blaming the drivers for the lack of rates, they dont set them. In the transport industry there has always been competition ( look at WBS, Hiltons, Hayes, Wincanton, Stobarts, all been around forn a long time, and because theyre the big boys, they dictate the rates…if you have 100 trucks, you only need to make for eg £100 profit per truck, if you have 5 trucks, you have to make 5 times the profit, so many jumped on the band wagon, and saw eastern bloc drivers as another way to cut costs, like servicing, pattern parts etc.
The other side of the coin are the drivers themselves, when things get tight, we look for other avenues to make money…so m,any went to holland, germany, scandinavia, where the overheads were higher, but wages weere higher too, and drivers lived in their trucks…the same way that EE drivers are doing today…the very ones that get blamed for the fall in rates. There are many businesses that take advantage of the lower wages, in the building trade we have heard of electricians, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, all being offered the work they used to do for £1000 a week, now for £350…of EE trades men looking for work and telling bosses, i will work for half the money you pay your workers, and i am just as skilled, can you blame the businesses for not taking advantage…the same in Transport ■■..Its all about profit, and they thought all their xmases had come at once once they arrived, they live cheaper than us, are prepared to live rough, 5/6 to a house, it also cuts costs, farmworkers too, living in cold damp caravans,m and being charged for the privelage, BUT, they are earning far more than they did at home, and are sending their money home, to buy homes they never owned but now do, businesses have also been bought…we never did that when we worked abroad, as our families lived here, just the same, and we sent money home, to pay our mortgages, look after our families, lived rough in the truck, can you see the similarities ■■..and that was way before the EE joined the EU.
I work for a Greek/Turk boss, we run on BG plates, he looks after the drivers better than any boss…he pays our BG drivers 1800 euros inn the bank every month, the same as the Romaniens. I am the only english, and i get £2000 in the bank every month…plus he buys the coffee and baguettes…but he looks after his drivers in other ways too. he gets them loads home, then gives them a week off…he allows me 1 month off, and no one uses my truck , all uk road taxes are paid in advance, we all run 100% legal…the bonus is i can knock the parking in the services with impunity, because they deserve it for their greed.
I hope i have managed to re-educate some of you as to why its not all down to Foreign drivers, they are only doing what many of us did years ago, to give US a better standard of living…IF drivers in the UK had a backbone, they would fight back the way we did…but theyre too far up theirmn own whotsits to even care, Im alright jack the ones who include their night out money in their wages, and say,I take home a good wage ■■?GGrrrrr
Form a union, join a union…and join the revolution, thats the only way to improve things, as a collective…you cant do it on your own…although for many years…i have tried…but at the end of the day, i dont take Jack sh** from no bosses or companies BUT i give a fair days work for a fair days pay.