windrush:
Chris Webb:
There are some drivers on here and FB who can’t bring theirselves to write the word “Tarmac”. Are they really that bad?It sticks in my craw spelling the word as well Chris! They aren’t good, compared to how things ran under Tilcon they aren’t fit to lick their boots. Best thing about it was that the group Tilcon were in actually took tarmac over, yet the new regime ran it under the ‘Tarmac’ banner as it was a more recognised trading name. First thing they did was move the central area offices from Ballidon to Halesowen, all the office staff were given the chance to move down there but none wanted to go so they asked them to spend a few days there teaching the new staff how to do their old job. When that was over they were being made redundant! Obviously the staff told them to sod off, so when the new regime took over on January the first none of the hauliers were paid for a couple of months as nobody could work out the rates per mile etc!
Another example, a lad from Scotland landed at the weighbridge one day with a new Volvo six wheeler. He had been working for Tarmac in Glasgow (I think?) on the owner/driver scheme feeding concrete plants with aggregate and they told him he would have to get a fresh truck as the other was getting old. He asked if his work was safe and was told yes so he purchased the new truck…and Tarmac promptly sold the plant to Agg Industries so he had no work and a new truck to pay for! Tarmac told him there was work in Derbyshire so he left his family in Scotland, rented a flat in Ashbourne, and spent a year at least working from Ballidon and going back home at weekends! A friend of mine on Tyneside had a similar thing happen, he ended up in South Wales for two months.
A ruthless bunch with no respect to anyone, it got so I was rarely in Ballidon because they would send trucks up from Shrewsbury etc to do the work. They got several lads to buy trucks via the scheme and then dropped the 17 tonne minimum haulage on six wheelers and knocked a few other things off as well, I had been made redundant by then partly because of how things had changed. I don’t think that Mick (Malmic on here) was too impressed with how they treated long serving hauliers either, we all knew from other folk what it would probably be like but I think it was even worse than they thought! Best thing about them was the road surfacing gangs, I couldn’t fault their workrate.
Pete.
It’s a pity that all the hauliers didn’t get together and have a go at them Pete,but I suppose it was a “take it or leave it scenario”. So were they short of haulage out of Ballidon,having to use Salop companies? And if you got say a 12 tonne load,were you still paid for 17 tonne on a 6 -legger? Did it mean that anybody with a 6 wheeler that was unable to put 17 tonne on had to get another vehicle?
The cheeky sods,asking Ballidon staff to train Halesowen staff and then making them redundant,I have heard of some ruthless companies but Tarmac take the biscuit,why don’t they realise that without hauliers they would be goosed,and should treat them with more respect.
No wonder some blokes like yourself can’t say the Ta*mac name. 