Ok I know what you are all going to say,but 18 months ago my night heater packed up and after much asking,pleading and begging I finaly took a stand today and refused any more nights out until it was repaired this resulted in me getting my marching orders,im self employed so have no leg to stand on but my question is was I right or wrong in any of this?
18 months■■? After 2 days then no more. words fail me you must be crackers 
At this time of year, you are mad. Winter then I’d understand, but not now it’s warming up
Your choice of username makes me think you might have plenty of built in insulation anyway, so what’s the problem? 
That’s the problem with self employed.
I drive for an own account operator, defected the night heater and it was down the main dealer being fixed the next day ready for my next shift
No quibbles, no arguments, if it’s broke they fix it, and no comebacks as the handbook says report ALL faults no matter how minor.
fatty01:
Ok I know what you are all going to say,but 18 months ago my night heater packed up and after much asking,pleading and begging I finaly took a stand today and refused any more nights out until it was repaired this resulted in me getting my marching orders,im self employed so have no leg to stand on but my question is was I right or wrong in any of this?
Well, if they refused to fix it 18 months ago, I would of been running the engine all night to keep the cab warm, end of.
weeto:
Well, if they refused to fix it 18 months ago, I would of been running the engine all night to keep the cab warm, end of.
Me too, I could have cost them £1,500 in fuel by now rather than a £100 night heater repair.
It’s astonishing that any man expects another man to be cold all night for 18 months when that man has earned him a hundred times more than the night heater repair would have cost.
Good luck to the replacement driver
As above with idle slightly high to use more fuel. I once worked fo a German outfit that left us in Spain for 6 weeks. The fuel bill for each truck topped £1,000 running them for a\c , funny how following year we all had top boxes!
Yes I am mad for putting up with it this long but im so laid back about things plus I’ve had 12 very grim months in my personal life and I’ve desperately needed the job,there was no point leaving the engine running the cab heater didn’t work either so I only had the warm flow of air when the lorry was moving.
Just continue to work for one of the other companies you work for.
mucker85:
Just continue to work for one of the other companies you work for.
the trouble is I’ve worked soley for him almost 12 months.
Most night heater faults can be fixed in less than 15 mins, during that 18 months the truck must have been in the workshop many times and should have been fixed.
Mine failed when I was up the road for a week and after one very cold night the boss booked me a night in a Travelodge for the next night, following morning he sent me to the nearest DAF dealer on my route and it was fixed whilst I waited, took around 10 minutes to replace the glow plug and clean both filters.
I doubt you are going to get it repaired now, it is almost summer by which time the boss will have decided you have managed two years without one, so it isn’t on the top of his priorities. He is only keeping the lorry 5 years anyway, no use spending money unless you have to! 
Sod that.
weeto:
fatty01:
Ok I know what you are all going to say,but 18 months ago my night heater packed up and after much asking,pleading and begging I finaly took a stand today and refused any more nights out until it was repaired this resulted in me getting my marching orders,im self employed so have no leg to stand on but my question is was I right or wrong in any of this?Well, if they refused to fix it 18 months ago, I would of been running the engine all night to keep the cab warm, end of.
That sounds a bit like the “sit in a traffic jam you could easily have avoided, because the radio doesn’t work, and it wasn’t fixed when I defected it”.
(Works best when they’ve got to come out and get you, because you’ve run out of hours sitting in traffic)
I’ve worked in places where a walkout occurred over a broken driver’s seat too! 
“You only truly control something in your life if you have the power to destroy it, and are prepared to do so.”
A working night heater is EU law. Many years ago Leggets boss ,Linney had all the night heaters taken out of a new batch of Scanias. Then he had to pay for them to be put back in because of EU rules.
I haven’t got one in mine and it’s brand new. I wear a hat and wrap up in the duvet. Saying that…If I had one it would be welcome.
fatty01:
mucker85:
Just continue to work for one of the other companies you work for.the trouble is I’ve worked soley for him almost 12 months.
don’t shout too loudly or you might get a visit from the tax Gestapo.
harry:
A working night heater is EU law. Many years ago Leggets boss ,Linney had all the night heaters taken out of a new batch of Scanias. Then he had to pay for them to be put back in because of EU rules.
Can you please verify this with the relevant regulation?
fatty01:
Ok I know what you are all going to say
as a self employed driver! 
you should of booked in a hotel! then took it to said muppet, for expenses! 
you answered your own in your first ten pal 