OVLOV JAY:
I don’t know why this topic keeps coming up.
Oh i do i reckon!! The OP doesn;t want to do a 15 hour shift and is hoping one of us will have a nuggett of information he can tell the boss that he doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to. Its just a guess though really ! 
it gets peoples juices flowing though,does`nt it 
To be fair though Carryout you only did trunking for the bulk of your career don’t you? The world of general haulage is a very different beast.
switchlogic:
To be fair though Carryout you only did trunking for the bulk of your career don’t you? The world of general haulage is a very different beast.
I did some time on general although admittedly only a matter of months.4 and 5 am starts and no surprise that it was an argument with the guvnor about the hours,amongst other things,that caused me to walk away from the job.Such as me taking nights out on jobs where he,in his infinite wisdom,had decided that it was ok to sit in a queue for hours waiting to get loaded and tipped and then drive all over the country and/or back to the yard all in a day’s work. 
It’s that ridiculous idea of turning an ordinary working day into almost two that makes a mockery of the idea of the 9-10 hour driving limits when someone can still be driving in the evening having started work at 4 am.The fact is 15 hour days are just a way of trying to compenstate for too much time spent zb’ing about doing ‘other work’ etc when the wagon and the driver should be rolling and earning enough during a reasonable time period of work and parked up before the point where the driver starts to become a liabity on the road through tiredness.
In view of that I’d bet that an 11 hour max day,without differentiating driving from other work,would be a more efficient and safer way of working for most types of long distance general haulage operations.That and raising the ridiculous 55 mph speed limits which just means more knackered drivers plodding around europe’s motorways when they could have done more miles with more rest at 65 mph max. 
And so Carryfast again talks about something he knows nothing about as if he’s an expert. Good stuff.
Sorry Luke but I’m with curryfart on this. If Maggie hadn’t stamped out the unions we would be on £20 per hour doing 65mph for a ten hour day. And there would be no penalty to this lack of productivity. It’s not like baked beans would be a fiver a tin 
switchlogic:
And so Carryfast again talks about something he knows nothing about as if he’s an expert. Good stuff.
I wouldn’t want to be insulted with the description of ‘expert’ anyway considering that it’s the ‘experts’ who seem to be the ones who want knackered drivers plodding around the country or europe at 55 mph in the course of working 15 hour days. 
Carryfast:
switchlogic:
And so Carryfast again talks about something he knows nothing about as if he’s an expert. Good stuff.I wouldn’t want to be insulted with the description of ‘expert’ anyway considering that it’s the ‘experts’ who seem to be the ones who want knackered drivers plodding around the country or europe at 55 mph in the course of working 15 hour days.
Yep experts are just like you, people who have no idea how things work in the real world who think they know best. The only difference is you just sit at home in your pants ranting on a forum.
switchlogic:
The only difference is you just sit at home in your pants ranting on a forum.
I spent almost my entire career on general (about 40 years give or take) and most of what carryfast has posted above makes sense.
just remind us SW how long you have been driving.
del949:
I spent almost my entire career on general (about 40 years give or take) and most of what carryfast has posted above makes sense.
just remind us SW how long you have been driving.
15 years this year. And considerably longer than Carryfast on general haulage. Your point is? Are you about to launch into that ‘I’ve done more miles in reverse’ chestnut? You must have had a nice cushy job because I almost never do 11 hours or less.
I don’t mind working a 15 spread!! Just as long as I don’t have to argue with the Boss after to get paid for it!! Especially when they try the “Your on a salary” chestnut! 
(from personal experience recently)
Like Dessy 15 hour days have never bothered me. I was under no illusions when I started driving trucks, it was long hours and I knew that. Some jobs are and that’s just the way it is.
dessy:
I don’t mind working a 15 spread!! Just as long as I don’t have to argue with the Boss after to get paid for it!! Especially when they try the “Your on a salary” chestnut!
(from personal experience recently)
Did Paul knock a late? 
I too rarely did less than a 11.00 hour day and frequently had to 15 hour spreads to get the job done, no bonus points expected for that.
you also missed the “come back when the ink on your licence is dry” and “I was playing with these when you were playing with Dinky trucks”, chestnuts 
del949:
I too rarely did less than a 11.00 hour day and frequently had to 15 hour spreads to get the job done, no bonus points expected for that.you also missed the “come back when the ink on your licence is dry” and “I was playing with these when you were playing with Dinky trucks”, chestnuts
But you still reckon Carryfast and his 11 hour max working day is talking sense?!
switchlogic:
Like Dessy 15 hour days have never bothered me. I was under no illusions when I started driving trucks, it was long hours and I knew that. Some jobs are and that’s just the way it is.
The fact that you’d need to work a lot of 11+ hour/15 hour days probably says more about the operation that you’re doing than any so called ‘advantages’ which the present zb’d up bs euro hours and speed regs could provide compared to those which I’m saying would work better all round in most cases.Considering the actual daily driving time limits why is it that it’s so important to have 5-6 hours more than that added to the day .
Given most types of operation (that are worth taking like long distance full loads for example)if I was working to my regs compared to you working under the present euro zb regs I’d be willing to bet that I’d get as much,if not more,work done (miles covered) than you would and I’d be a lot more awake for more of the time doing it.
it worked well when I first started driving
12.5 spread
11 duty
10 driving
So, yes, in general I do agree.
I know it ain’t gonna happen though.
del949:
I too rarely did less than a 11.00 hour day and frequently had to 15 hour spreads to get the job done, no bonus points expected for that.you also missed the “come back when the ink on your licence is dry” and “I was playing with these when you were playing with Dinky trucks”, chestnuts
I think it mostly depends on distances between loading and tipping points and wether it’s part loads/multi drop type zb del.In my case those 15 hour spreads on zb relatively medium distance uk work eventually got met with a phone call at around 4-5 pm zb off I’m parked up for the night and I’ll get the load there tomorrow.
However if I’d have been doing the long distance full load euro work that I wanted to be doing those 65 mph max speeds and an 11 hour driving day would have got a lot more work done than zb’ing about at 55 mph for 9-10 hours max per day ever would.
OVLOV JAY:
dessy:
I don’t mind working a 15 spread!! Just as long as I don’t have to argue with the Boss after to get paid for it!! Especially when they try the “Your on a salary” chestnut!
(from personal experience recently)Did Paul knock a late?
Err! Yep! I’ve not been paid a single one up to now!! He agreed to pay one for a run in last Saturday morning! So will know for sure this Friday!!
I only took this job as I was lead to believe I would be “looked after” for the overtime! Sadly let down so far! Spoke to some old timers who said he never pays up! So I’m looking elsewhere now! Oh! And according to fat Dan! Your only a proper driver if you buff diesel tanks! Sad git!