1 of wincantons depots in Rotherham S.Yorks is recruiting drivers.
they initially offered warehouse enployees who had a class2 licence the chance to upgrade to class1(paid for by the comany). with little responce to this,
they now are looking to train staff with a car licence the chance to train up to class 1, (paid for by the comany) they are also intending to advertise in the press for drivers, most of the offers of training are to wincanton staff, but word is they are looking to recruite staff from outside and train them too.
The down side is they are only wiling to pay a basic salery of a little over £19k, for this you`ll have to work 240hrs (5 from 7) a month before overtime is paid, though premiums are paid nights,weekends, meals, and nights out
peirre:
for this you`ll have to work 240hrs (5 from 7) a month before overtime is paid, though premiums are paid nights,weekends, meals, and nights out
Sorry if i sound a bit thick but what do you mean?
This could be my ticket that’ll take me far away from my dead end office job!!!
GMANSCAN
Would really appreciate if you could post contact details/advert etc.
I had a look on the Wincanton website but couldn’t find anything ref these jobs.
This seems to good an opportunity to miss.
GMANSCAN
peirre:
for this you`ll have to work 240hrs (5 from 7) a month before overtime is paid, though premiums are paid nights,weekends, meals, and nights out
Not thick at all GSCANMAN, I had to think for a minute.
To qualify for overtime, you have to work for over 240 hours within the month. That works out at 40 hours a week for the 4 weeks of a month. There is a big BUT though. They can have you working 13 - 15 hour days for 3 weeks, you are then expecting to get overtime rate for all of your 4th week, they give you the week off. NO OVERTIME. ( I haven’t sat down and calculated anything, this is just as an example).
5 from 7, means working ANY 5 days out of 7. So they could have you out Sunday and Monday; Tuesday off; Wednesday work; Thursday off; Friday and Saturday working again. You will have had more than the minimum 45 hours rest and again Saturday and Sunday are considered normal working days, so no time and a half or double time for working over the weekend.
Simon, I stand ready to be corrected (my sums aren’t the best) but surely 240 hours over 4 weeks works out to be 60 hours per week not 40?
This doesnt sound like a good job,
40 or as it works out 60 hours with no overtime. what are you supposed to do with your week off? Do they allow you to work for other agencies?
It might be a way for recruiting drivers, but it seems like a slippery slope!
Maybe so Wheel Nut but for my circumstances this job although not great would be my way of actually paying for my licences.
I can’t get a loan and I have a post 1997 licence so cant even drive a 7.5t to get experience without shelling out approx £1000 (which i dont have.)
The salary they are advertising is is almost £1000 more than what I am on now and i’m gaining experience at the same time. I’m sure there will be a training bond but they normally only spread over two years after which I could look for something a bit more local with better conditions.
GMANSCAN
if its like the warehouse to wheels scheme they did at littlewoods you have to sign a contract to stay with them for 2 years or you will be liabel to pay the full cost of the training back to them when you leave.
60 hours for 19k seems a little bit of a beasting to me. it all depends on what the pay is like in that area.
jon.
jonboy:
60 hours for 19k seems a little bit of a beasting to me. it all depends on what the pay is like in that area.
Well, it’s 6.09/hour in the most basic sense. If you compare it to other jobs though where you get time and a half after 40, doing 60 hours work would get you 70 hours pay, and that then works out at only a pitiful 5.22/hour.
Paul
the site is just off the M18 junction 1
your all prity close to the answer, the opperation is 24 /7 /365, with staggered start times, so you could be working fri - tues or any combination, but its predominantly 60 hr weeks and early starts, to NDCs, intersite and back haul work is part of it, with less than a handfull of peeps working mon - fri days. if you work less than the 240hrs you still get paid the full 240hrs, but the planners /managers will see to it you do your wack, youd be expected to do the odd rotad night out, usually to scotland the fleet is predominantly 53 & 04 ERFs with comfort shifts 
with a handfull of hired mircs. to be honest they cant hire and retain drivers because the pay is considered very poor in the area, and a lot of the core drivers are looking to leave if the current pay talks are not settled SOON. and since wincanton opperate the sites in doncaster for tesco, power log / lever faberge, and the P&O site. and also the alba contract in cortonwood (rotherham) several drivers are looking at intersite transfers, they are also waiting for the new asda place to be opened near the barlbrough links (chesterfield) to see if its worth leaving.
the trianing offer looks good on paper, but personnelly the only use I`d use that paper for is to wipe my a***.
Pierre,
Would you suggest I just contact the recruitment dept at Wincanton direct?
I had a look at their website today and I have to say it’s pretty naff!!! The positions you refer to are not advertised on the site so would be grateful if you could post the advert you saw (or whatever it was.)
I just wish more companies would invest in driver training. Everyone keeps bleeting about a national driver shortage so why don’t the transport associations do something about it?
Its so frustrating. If I was to pay for my licences myself who’s going to employ a 23yr old with no LGV,Tacho experience?
GMANSCAN
GMANSCAN, try contacting Driverhire (Manchester), not far from you at Broadway, Chadderton just off J21. They paid for my class 2, ADR and Class1. The only thing I’m paying back for is for Class2 cos that was on a different funding agreement, the rest was free on ESF (European Social Fund). What could be better, Work Learn and Earn at the same time.
Make it clear to them when you go in that you intend to go through HGV training to whatever level you choose, but you need help with the funding. Show them you are serious and they should be able to help you one way or another. Richard the owner is a top bloke. I could have done my HIAB aswell but didnt fancy spending my life on building sites LOL, besides those hours are rubbish. If you want to contact them you can ring 0161 683 4333. Sorry for the advertisement, but they done right by me, and gave me a new career that I enjoy. Any help needed send me an IM.
Allrighty
Thanks Alrighty,
Will give them a bell this week and let you know what they say.
Pierre,
Do you have any more info on the source of the Wincanton Training Vacancy??
GMANSCAN
the source of the info is a internal notice pinned up around the site, as and when theyll start training anyone is still up in the air, but my guess is it wont be till jan 05 after the busy xmas period. the hope is the initial costs will be countered by the reduction in the bill for agency drivers per week which is a slightly scarey 5 figure sum
and the reduction in repair bills for accident damage caused by agency drivers.
try multimap for location - S66 8EL not far from the stockyard truckstop
they are gonna advertise in the local press sit vacs this week
GMANSCAN:
Its so frustrating. If I was to pay for my licences myself who’s going to employ a 23yr old with no LGV,Tacho experience?GMANSCAN
I’m 23, got my licence recently and gone from vans straight to Class 2 on the same agency.
I guess you might be hard pushed to find permanent work, but you might be lucky…I haven’t tried yet cos I’m happy on the agency.
I do have to travel a bit for the jobs, but that’s down to there being bugger all work in Yarmouth anyway.
The agency and their clients seem to be happy with me so far.
Wincantons Rotherham site is based at Rotherham Road, Maltby, right by the side of the M18 (Junction 1).
I did some work through an agency for them a few years back.
The work was easy enough but they do expect you to work long hours with silly o’clock starts. Also, when I went, I wasn’t shown how to use a fridge trailer. I was just given some notes and told to get on with it. Luckily one of the other drivers showed me the ropes.
My cousin was a bus driver and decided he wanted to move over to lorry driving. He went with one of the agencies that supply wincanton and he was told that plenty of work was available and that they would train him up to class 1. Six weeks in, the work is drying up and there is no sign of him doing any training.
killsville:
Wincantons Rotherham site is based at Rotherham Road, Maltby, right by the side of the M18 (Junction 1).I did some work through an agency for them a few years back.
The work was easy enough but they do expect you to work long hours with silly o’clock starts. Also, when I went, I wasn’t shown how to use a fridge trailer. I was just given some notes and told to get on with it. Luckily one of the other drivers showed me the ropes.
yup thats the place 
and the heres the note get on with it attitude is the norm.
there was an agency guy came on site a few weeks ago an a sunday afternoon, the 1st time there, convo goes like this
"Hi Im ***** from **** agy" "have you been ere before?" said the office clerk. "No" said the agy guy "Ok mate no problem, since you aint been ere before, we cant send you out in one of the core fleet ERFs until your drivings been assessed, you dont mind using one of the hired Mercs" said the office clerk. "No" said the agy guy, so after a quick licence check, hes given the keys to a loverly gleeming Merc, his delivery notes, and told what his run for the day is, with instruction on drop times etc, trouble is the Merc he been is one of the few on the yard with an ETP box, and hes never used one before :open_mouth: anyhow an hour later one of the drivers who just finishing a 15hr shift comes in and says "have you seen the clown downstairs" puzzled looks go around the office, and a quick look out the office window confirms the worse fears, he cant couple up the tractor to the trailer to save his life, (hes been at it for under an hour). so after stopping the guy, hes asked to come back to the office, it turns out, that the guy from the agency is a school teacher (who teaches geography ) and its the 1st time hes driven the in 2 years, since hes passed his driving test
no wonder the accident rate on site so far this year is 4 times higher than the whole of last year.
hench the reason for wanting to train their own drivers,
the hours are always long, but on the plus side theres no handballing now since morrisons bought safeways, just a case of open the doors and back it onto a bay
Muz123:
Simon, I stand ready to be corrected (my sums aren’t the best) but surely 240 hours over 4 weeks works out to be 60 hours per week not 40?
You are right Muz123. I didn’t think about it, or check my maths. I just expected it to be 40hrs a week for that kind of money.
My excuse is that I was tired and trying to hurry as well. Not a good combination.
theres an ad going into the sheffield star evening newspaper job ads on thursday 16/9/04 for C+E drivers with a contact phone number. and suprisingly the phones been ringing already, before the ad is in
update on the ad, it says they`re paying £18,092 - £24,300 (depending on working pattern) pity 2 or the regulars are leaving to work for tesco at doncaster 
however the ad does give a contact phone number for anyone foolish enough to want to apply 07990 531613