AndrewG:
The only ones telling a co. to stuff it in a case like this will be the cr@p ones who cant drive for fear of not earning any money, this is a way to weed out those useless ones…
Bit harsh!
Who’s to say that this company won’t turn round to a very experienced driver who has had an accident and no matter what the circumstances just say ‘Your at fault’ thanks for the grand!
If they have a very transparent process and are fair then fine but given it’s like a get out clause for them I’d be wary!
Like most drivers I’m not out to crash/cause damage but it happens, nature of the beast, but who draws the line at what constitutes negligent in any damage claim ?
I’d always believed that it was illegal to dock wages for accidents etc. But if the company offers an ‘accident free’ bonus on top of a reasonable wage then that sounds good.
coaster:
Been looking into employment with a company who has a policy that if any drivers cause ANY damage that they are deemed at fault, the first £1000 of the cost of the infringement will be deducted from their wages.
Absolutely no way would I work under that condition.
It’s asking a very modestly paid employee to take on entrepreneurial risk for no entrepreneurial reward so no can do.
I would dump the whole lot at a convenient location for me and write off the few days wages. They can whistle for their insurance claim forms too.
But… some drivers contribute a lot more to a company’s bottom line than others so a weekly, monthly or annual bonus to reward or incentivise this is welcome in my books.
We have a weekly bonus for damage, loss, on time arrival, proper hours management, good CMR’s and so on and overall I have no complaint as we are paid better than most when we collect which is almost always.
It does make you jump out for an extra looksy when manoeuvring on a wet dirty night or check for chains on ferries when otherwise you might not and the list goes on.
As AG said above I have put my hand in my pocket on occasion for things like a mirror glass or restacked pallets and taped up cartons before backing on the bay after an over sporty run in to ensure I collected which I think is fair enough overall.
Conor:
TBH it comes as no surprise that more and more companies are doing this as there appear to be more and more drivers like my mate who are quite happy to damage trucks in ways that can easily be avoided and just shrug it off as one of those things whilst their boss is left with yet another £200/£300 repair bill for whatever bit of the truck they’ve ripped off that day.
Its so bad at the firm my lad works with the local multidrop boys at that despite having only been driving 4 months since passing his test they gave him the newest rigid on the fleet because he did the least damage.
there is a very young lad at fagan and whalleys of padiham, who received a phone call to come back to the yard! " what have I done? " nothing replied the gaffer! Fearing for his job he just received the newest truck on the fleet as he drives it the way FAGAN AND WHALLEY wants him to drive it. Like an old timer, not thrashing it, top fuel mpg, cruise control and SENSIBLY. the old timers are up in arms.
AndrewG:
not uncommon to see a driver paying for a light lense ect to keep his bonus intact.
I did that in a previous job van driving, you used to get £250 a year bonus if no damage to the van so when I smashed the mirror glass I bought a new one off ebay for less then £15 so I still got my £250 but minus my expense.
Another question? Is that £1000 per year or month or incident? If you’re hit while parked 2 or 3 times will you be docked 3 grand from your basic wage?
Find out all details before going any further. If they’re not forthcoming I’d assume they’ve summat to hide. If they are happy to explain all they could well be ok.
coaster:
Been looking into employment with a company who has a policy that if any drivers cause ANY damage that they are deemed at fault, the first £1000 of the cost of the infringement will be deducted from their wages.
This could be damage/loss of equipment from the vehicle or damage to the vehicle through anything deemed as neglect etc… is this common practice for companies?
Usually around £500 for vehicle damage, though legally the employers cannot just take it from your wages, but they do this and seem to get away with it, though there are still some companies who pay their own insurance excess in the event of a own driver fault accident, as said best avoid those who will charge you, what next will they want you to pay their insurance and pay for the Diesel too?
I’m not sure it’s as open and shut as that, but if their deductions take you below minimum wage, they’re committing an offence. Sports direct (I think) were done recently because the charge for the minibus taking them to work took them below minimum wage.
that was amazon
i have a £500 for damage if its the drivers fault, but only one big damage, i had one drive right a 11 month old transit off £16500 + vat i paid for it, he jumped a red light, insurance paid me out £8k i still owed £12k
so through his crap driving it cost me £4k he paid the excess at £500
Yesterday I had the misfortune to have a bollard jump out at me whilst performing a rather tight blindside, I know this will shock some but yes I’ve made a balls up.
Anyway damage although fairly minor, consisted of a bent bumper, light bracket, damaged led, light cluster needed replacing.
The sheer paperwork involved was immense and an investigation will no doubt follow.
More damage to me pride than the trailer but at some point I shall be dothing my cap, bending over and begging for mercy (bit like at home but without the safe word).
5 1/2 hours labour + parts should see a hefty bill but as I was not privy to the quote or the chance to offer my labour to reduce costs I don’t expect to be charged.
A light ■■■■■■■ by the office manager is prolly on the cards though, perhaps even retraining.
All in all what puts me off hitting stuff is pride in my job and the bloody faff, financial penalties wouldn’t put me off taking a job if it was the ideal job.
coaster:
Been looking into employment with a company who has a policy that if any drivers cause ANY damage that they are deemed at fault, the first £1000 of the cost of the infringement will be deducted from their wages.
This could be damage/loss of equipment from the vehicle or damage to the vehicle through anything deemed as neglect etc… is this common practice for companies?
Usually around £500 for vehicle damage, though legally the employers cannot just take it from your wages, but they do this and seem to get away with it, though there are still some companies who pay their own insurance excess in the event of a own driver fault accident, as said best avoid those who will charge you, what next will they want you to pay their insurance and pay for the Diesel too?
I’m not sure it’s as open and shut as that, but if their deductions take you below minimum wage, they’re committing an offence. Sports direct (I think) were done recently because the charge for the minibus taking them to work took them below minimum wage.
that was amazon
i have a £500 for damage if its the drivers fault, but only one big damage, i had one drive right a 11 month old transit off £16500 + vat i paid for it, he jumped a red light, insurance paid me out £8k i still owed £12k
so through his crap driving it cost me £4k he paid the excess at £500
in 11yrs of trading he is the only one
Why did you let the insurer palm you off with only £8k when you could have put the HP down as an ongoing liability, and claimed the remaining payments as well?
…If you couldn’t do that - no one would ever buy a van on HP again - would they?
The wages act 1984 o think it is … they can make deductions from your wage for any agreeable deduction mutually agreed between employer and employee … nearly all bus companies do it for training say 1200£ if u leave in first month after training and reduces pro rota … until a set period normally 12 months.
In the 80s my dad worked for a guy with two lorries,he came back one night and in the process of parking up tapped a car which should not have been parked there,next day the bossman asked my dad for his insurance details,as he wanted to claim off my dads insurance,my dad said do one ,bloody cheek,even in this day and age they still try it on with drivers
Any damage to trucks where I am comes out the profit shares they give to all employees at the end of the year so it’s in our own interest to drive carefully especially when the excess on the insurance is 2.5k for any damage.
Drivers are their own worst enemy if they accept conditions like that…tell the company its their responsibility to insure their vehicles to cover any damage…not the driver…i dont blame the companies in one sense, if theyre forever getting minor damages to their vehicles via driver negligence…which would affect their no claims, or an its too small an issue to claim because of the excess…One company i worked for had to take it on the chin, their repair bill was over £300 grand a year…not claimed on insurance.
though legally the employers cannot just take it from your wages
they can if its in your contract
Just because it’s in the contract doesn’t make it legal.
Actually it does (for the vast majority of deductions - and damage to a vehicle would be included).
From the Acas website:
One of three conditions has to be met for an employer to lawfully make deductions from wages or take payments from a worker. The deduction or payment must be:
required or authorised by legislation (for example, income tax or national insurance deductions)
authorised by the worker’s contract - provided the worker has been given a written copy of the relevant terms or a written explanation of them before it is made
consented to by the worker in writing before it is made.
though legally the employers cannot just take it from your wages
they can if its in your contract
Just because it’s in the contract doesn’t make it legal.
Actually it does (for the vast majority of deductions - and damage to a vehicle would be included).
From the Acas website:
One of three conditions has to be met for an employer to lawfully make deductions from wages or take payments from a worker. The deduction or payment must be:
required or authorised by legislation (for example, income tax or national insurance deductions)
authorised by the worker’s contract - provided the worker has been given a written copy of the relevant terms or a written explanation of them before it is made
consented to by the worker in writing before it is made.
Next paragraph.
A deduction must not reduce your pay below the National Minimum Wage rate (except a limited amount for accommodation). This applies even if you have given your permission for it.
worked for a guy in the 80s that tried this on ,so its not new (tried to keep away from the yard as long as I could so I didn’t sign but when push came to shove I walked ,he expected us to run round the clock but not to have accidents.)…anyway I for one have worked for companies with this bonus schemes ,mpg,idleing paperwork all ok. …if every thing is equal no worries but if its worked out as fleet average its all bs ,most of the fleet ran interstate at lighter weights ,I was on up north running gravel,/mountains full weight no APU and an older truck /engine and temps were MUCH lower so needed to idle over one winter I lost over $1000 just on this ,I think we all lost on the paperwork bonus (was 3 monthly) a date wrong or a mistake on the trip envelope all gone ,the company couldn’t understand that once you lost it why drivers just handed in trip envelopes stuffed with paperwork leaving it up to the office staff to sort out. just my ramblings jimmy.
Captain Caveman 76:
Next paragraph.
A deduction must not reduce your pay below the National Minimum Wage rate (except a limited amount for accommodation). This applies even if you have given your permission for it.
I have no idea why you are quoting from a Northern Ireland government website. It appears to paint an incomplete picture anyway since the gov.uk website explains it thus:
A deduction can’t normally reduce your pay below the National Minimum Wage even if you agree to it, except if the deduction is for:
tax or National Insurance
something you’ve done and your contract says you’re liable for it, eg a shortfall in your till if you work in a shop
repayment of a loan or advance of wages
repayment of an accidental overpayment of wages
buying shares or share options in the business
accommodation provided by your employer
your own use, eg union subscriptions or pension contributions
" what have I done? " nothing replied the gaffer! Fearing for his job he just received the newest truck on the fleet as he drives it the way FAGAN AND WHALLEY wants him to drive it. Like an old timer, not thrashing it, top fuel mpg, cruise control and SENSIBLY. 
the old timers are up in arms. 
