I was class 2 at wickes. They are part of TP and they would put anyone through there class 2 and send them out in the hiab virtually straight away resulting in lots and lots of damage. It was all under TP group transport so not sure about insurance as I imagine all fleet was under same insurance.
When I upgraded to class 1 (at my expense) I was in communication with several high managers in transport and was never once offered the chance up stepping up to class 1 for either wickes or TP.
When you pay the coin you get to choose, try this, how many drivers that you work with would you employ to drive trucks that you own?
If its more then 30% I would be surprised.
mike68:
When you pay the coin you get to choose, try this, how many drivers that you work with would you employ to drive trucks that you own?If its more then 30% I would be surprised.
0%
I’d just cry every time someone came back with another ding or dent or piece missing. My hats off to all the operators on here!
mike68:
When you pay the coin you get to choose, try this, how many drivers that you work with would you employ to drive trucks that you own?If its more then 30% I would be surprised.
Seriously out of the present crew i would employ about 80%, most of them are good competent drivers, its the lack of appreciation from the vocal tiny minority for a good job that annoys.
mike68:
When you pay the coin you get to choose, try this, how many drivers that you work with would you employ to drive trucks that you own?If its more then 30% I would be surprised.
Out of 50 odd drivers at our place, class 1s & Class 2s I’d employ less than 10/20%.
The rest are basically Monkeys who couldn’t care less if the company makes money or not & leave the vehicles in a ZB State, I’d pay them in Peanuts if I had my way. [emoji205]
Our Managing Director must get through hundreds of Hankies, because he must cry himself to sleep most nights. [emoji22]
What I meant by the tesco (just as an example) vs RDC thing was because I know some of those travis Perkins yards are tight as ■■■■ to get into and sometimes off busy roads etc, just like doing SOME tesco work or any supermarket. Therefore my point was merely that surely id see that as more relevant experience than several years of only doing RDC work.
So whilst I know the insurers have their ways of calculating things, I’d have thought someone with relevant experience would still be less of a risk than someone with more but less relevant experience.
It could also to be with the H&S ■■■■■■■■ rules that TP invent as they go along.
By the time you have your 7 years in, they reckon you will be brainwashed into believing all the ■■■■ they say as you do the job.
Ken.
desypete:
its clear someone with 7 years experience has a long track record and is more a safe bet for quality
but the problem is having 27 years myself and driving when driving was real driving ie gear boxes no sat navs etc it doesnt count for much as the morons who can not drive in autos and sat navs can earn the same amount without the brain or experience and skills the real drivers havesign of the times i know but if i was under 2 years driving and doing stores i would be very lucky to get a start let alone a job in the game, they clearly value there trucks to not end up stuck under a bridge or end up stuck down a country lane they must be looking for drivers that have brains enough to work out how to avoid such things ?
Here we go again Pete with your generalised ■■■■■■■■. 
Are you seriously saying that ANY drivers today, who are only (through no fault of their own) used and experienced in Auto boxes are all ‘Morons’ … : …Jeez H
I agree that there are many, who are both totally crap, and totally sat nav reliant…but all of them ? 
Come on Pete. Get a grip man ffs.
There are many good drivers out there today.
Yeh ok, maybe many of the 100s that there certainly are, of the lower end of the self initiatve scale dross MINORITY 
would be lost on the type of trucks that we were brought up on, but I am sure, in fact I know, that a lot of the better lads in the job today are as good as the previous generation of drivers.
You keep banding about your 27 years experience, (who tf cares btw ) well if we are starting to boast to impress I can claim 37 years, (also who tf cares 
) that’s 10 years on you Pete, so 25 years ago I could have said you were crap, useless and all the rest of the ■■■■■■■■ you tend to bring down on new drivers.
The job has changed Pete from when we started, ok not every aspect is for the better, (I will agree with you fully on that) but it has come a long way since I was sleeping across the parcel shelf of a TK, …and from when you were ■■■■■■■■ in your cab into a carrier bag. 
As for the 5 to 7 yrs thing, maybe by their own past personal experiences they have found those guys better, and maybe had bad experiences with the guys that have had less, and only by chance been the lower calibre end of drivers, because maybe because they pay crap money, who knows?..who cares?
I suspect what they are basically saying is this; We want the best drivers we can get. We don’t want pricks who hit bridges. We also don’t want drivers who wreck trucks. Ideally we want drivers with some manners and a decent degree of personal hygiene. We want drivers who won’t tailgate and bully cars out of lanes. We want drivers who will drive economically. We want drivers who will put rubbish in bins. We want drivers that will not bring our company into disrepute because they are driving a giant billboard with our name all over it.
Whether 5-7 years driving experience improves their chances is up for debate. I would argue that newer drivers are more likely to toe the line and also drivers who are a bit older and have far more experience are a better bet.
5 years experience in my view looks like the sort of ’ comfortable ’ no longer put quite as much effort/complacent zone.
Winseer:
Rowley010:
Just browsing through ads for driving jobs as I do now and again when bored on POA…Job at travis Perkins Northampton for a class 1 driver. Says they want 5-7 years experience!! Why?
Is it illegal to ask for a driver “Must be over 25” when offering a full time job advert?
That’s not a real question surely winseer■■?
martinviking:
The rest are basically Monkeys who couldn’t care less if the company makes money or not
Hate those types. Won’t crack on and get a load on/off at the end of a day to make the company extra money but complain that they don’t get paid enough.
mrginge:
martinviking:
The rest are basically Monkeys who couldn’t care less if the company makes money or notHate those types. Won’t crack on and get a load on/off at the end of a day to make the company extra money but complain that they don’t get paid enough.
Agree with that mr Ginge,we’ve a few like that at our place
mrginge:
martinviking:
The rest are basically Monkeys who couldn’t care less if the company makes money or notHate those types. Won’t crack on and get a load on/off at the end of a day to make the company extra money but complain that they don’t get paid enough.
I know what you are saying but a driver (with a brain) 's attitude towards his company is wholly determined by how good… or bad, he is looked upon and treated by his co.
A reap what you sow situation.
Unfortunately a lot of firms are too thick to realise this.
robroy:
mrginge:
martinviking:
The rest are basically Monkeys who couldn’t care less if the company makes money or notHate those types. Won’t crack on and get a load on/off at the end of a day to make the company extra money but complain that they don’t get paid enough.
I know what you are saying but a driver (with a brain) 's attitude towards his company is wholly determined by how good… or bad, he is looked upon and treated by his co.
A reap what you sow situation.
Unfortunately a lot of firms are too thick to realise this.
A bit chicken and egg though Rob isn’t it? Why should the company treat the driver well if he’s going to a lazy waster? Works the other way too just as you say.
At every job I’ve ever had (not just haulage) I’ve made it clear to the boss before I started, that they will get nothing but 100% effort out of me, I work as if its my truck, my customers, my money, and if they need anything doing differently just to ask, and if I can do it I will do it. This has always led to me being treated very well.
I see guys everyday who just punch in, and punch out, that’s fine I get it, I really do. But it doesn’t surprise me when the first thing they say to me after hello, is “jobs ■■■■■■” “office don’t know their ■■■ from their elbow” “gaffers a ■■■■■■ Yahdeeyahdah… Yawn… Same every time.
F-reds:
A bit chicken and egg though Rob isn’t it? Why should the company treat the driver well if he’s going to a lazy waster? Works the other way too just as you say.At every job I’ve ever had (not just haulage) I’ve made it clear to the boss before I started, that they will get nothing but 100% effort out of me, I work as if its my truck, my customers, my money, and if they need anything doing differently just to ask, and if I can do it I will do it. This has always led to me being treated very well.
I see guys everyday who just punch in, and punch out, that’s fine I get it, I really do. But it doesn’t surprise me when the first thing they say to me after hello, is “jobs [zb]” “office don’t know their ■■■ from their elbow” "gaffers .
When I left my last job (redundancy) I could not believe the comparison between the way my present firm looked upon it’s drivers to my last co.
To be fair the depot I work at is not TOO bad in that way, but the directives come down, or up, from the Head depot down South, so they have to toe the official line.
One of the drivers said to me ‘‘I don’t know why Mr xxxxx down South employs drivers, …cos he ■■■■ hates em’’
I adapted my work ethic accordingly after experiencing a lot of crap, which was previosly 101% on my last firm, to about 70 to 80 depending on how much grief or aggravation I got.
It aint too bad now as the job I have managed to get with the firm suits me, and on the whole I’m left to my own devices on multi drops, but every now and again I am brought back down to earth with the half hour or so cherry picked from my wages, or the odd meal voucher cost taken off my parking ticket, and other genral penny pinching little ways just enough to ■■■■ me. .
But I always come out on top in terms of ‘‘petty little victory’’ techniques which I have managed to perfect.
As I said…a reap and sow scenario.