We have it pretty easy, as driving jobs go. It’s a rare night when we do more than about seven hours and the work is a doddle. But you wouldn’t think that listening to some of the temporary night shift cover we get …
Last night, I rolled back into the yard only to be told by the (very apologetic) yard man that the guy who’d come back first had refused categorically to wait until they’d tipped his trailer in order to move it, drop it and hook the unit up to a different trailer. So, as his lorry was where I needed to put mine, and there were no other drivers on the premises, I had to do it. It’s not much, and I honestly don’t mind helping the yard crew out, but it was another half hour’s work in the ■■■■■■■ down rain, all because another driver couldn’t be arsed to do his job properly. What was really annoying was that he was specifically told that I’d have to do his job and his response was that he didn’t give a ■■■■ and he’d had enough and wasn’t hanging around and ■■■■ this … etc. etc. This after starting at 7pm and rolling back into the yard at 2.30am.
I’m not really after advice, just letting off steam. I haven’t got a particularly strong work ethic myself and view idleness as a virtue rather than a vice, but I’d never dump a part of my job onto a colleague unless I really couldn’t avoid it, and then I’d be extremely apologetic about it. Fortunately my regular oppo, whom I get on very well with, is back on Monday. But if the guy who was on last night wants any help next time he’s in, he can whistle for it.
Smack him, explain why and then smack him again
I assume he’s an agency driver, if he is then your company should refuse to pay him more than 6.75 hours and tell the agency not to send him again.
The problem when companies allow drivers to get away with this sort of thing is that it impacts on decent agency drivers who try to do the job right.
Companies allowing people to get away with this sort of thing is one of the reasons agency drivers in general get a bad rep.
waynedl:
Smack him, explain why and then smack him again
Not really my style (and I don’t usually work with him, thankfully). But I’ll certainly be having a quiet word if I do see him anytime soon.
tachograph:
I assume he’s an agency driver, if he is then your company should refuse to pay him more than 6.75 hours and tell the agency not to send him again.The problem when companies allow drivers to get away with this sort of thing is that it impacts on decent agency drivers who try to do the job right.
Companies allowing people to get away with this sort of thing is one of the reasons agency drivers in general get a bad rep.
No, he’s full time. He usually works days as a sort of spare driver who covers whatever needs covering (including nights). He knew this when he took the job on.
Inform your work mate that a Romanian or Bulgarian will have his job and will not moan or throw the toys out of the pram.
Rhythm Thief:
tachograph:
I assume he’s an agency driver, if he is then your company should refuse to pay him more than 6.75 hours and tell the agency not to send him again.The problem when companies allow drivers to get away with this sort of thing is that it impacts on decent agency drivers who try to do the job right.
Companies allowing people to get away with this sort of thing is one of the reasons agency drivers in general get a bad rep.
No, he’s full time. He usually works days as a sort of spare driver who covers whatever needs covering (including nights). He knew this when he took the job on.
Sorry my mistake, when you described him as “temporary night shift cover” I assumed he was probably one of the cretins who get all agency drivers a bad reputation 
tachograph:
Rhythm Thief:
tachograph:
I assume he’s an agency driver, if he is then your company should refuse to pay him more than 6.75 hours and tell the agency not to send him again.The problem when companies allow drivers to get away with this sort of thing is that it impacts on decent agency drivers who try to do the job right.
Companies allowing people to get away with this sort of thing is one of the reasons agency drivers in general get a bad rep.
No, he’s full time. He usually works days as a sort of spare driver who covers whatever needs covering (including nights). He knew this when he took the job on.
Sorry my mistake, when you described him as “temporary night shift cover” I assumed he was probably one of the cretins who get all agency drivers a bad reputation
I wish he was … as it happens, most of the agency guys we get are a good deal better than this idiot.
Given time …I’m sure it’ll bite him on the arse 
There are a few lazy ■■■■■ at our place, my mate is one! no matter how I drive, be it tare arse about or stick to 40 on single carriageways I always get the rough end of the deal.
Recently, I always end up getting stitched up, usually after running in from a night out. I’ll get either multi drop locals or a couple of drops 100 miles away, then either way I’ll get stitched up with the collections on the way home, so I’ll end up doing 14/15 hours on my night out day, run in and do 12/13.
My mate kicks his heals all day on a Lancs run, just to get a night out, then parks 130 miles from base on 13 and a 1/4 hours because he likes KFC and hates Moto Services, he won’t stop at Blyth or Ferrybridge, then if his run isn’t very good the next day and he’s off the day after, he always gets a migraine for some reason and goes home after running in, but he makes sure it takes 4.5 hours to get home he’ll take a break at Newark to drag it out, then spend an hour and a half refuelling, doing paperwork and generally fannying around in the yard all to get as close as possible (6-7 hours) so they pay him the day rate then he goes home ‘sick’.
If he does happen to stay he will poodle down to Thrapston Morrisons (1.5 hours away), he will tip there which granted can take an age (usually 3 hours) he will then be told head back and ring from spalding… He never rings up just says he ‘forgot’ or the was ‘no answer’, on the few occasions they give him a collection, he whinges and moans and does the easiest collection ever and goes home on 9-10 hours.
I don’t mind grafting I just wish others were made to do it too!
Theyre usually creatures of habit & end up doing certain things at certain times & places. All you have to do is observe the lazy git and find out their habits. Once you do that you can start to use it against them, such as when the boss calls and asks you to do a collection theres a chance the lazy git will be at a set point in their daily routine, so it wouldnt take much to say "sorry boss, Im stuck in traffic but I recon ***** will be empty near so & so by now, so they will easily be able to pick it up.
peirre:
Theyre usually creatures of habit & end up doing certain things at certain times & places. All you have to do is observe the lazy git and find out their habits. Once you do that you can start to use it against them, such as when the boss calls and asks you to do a collection theres a chance the lazy git will be at a set point in their daily routine, so it wouldnt take much to say "sorry boss, Im stuck in traffic but I recon ***** will be empty near so & so by now, so they will easily be able to pick it up.
Nice idea, I’m not like that though, I couldn’t stich someone else up just to get me home earlier. It just breaks me that my place employ people as trackers to look for empty trailers that are out on the road and put the drivers names forward to the inbound team, who allocate collections.
My mate was on 8 and a half hours the other day at base booking off, I was on 11, with an hour and a half drive to get back to the yard I got asked to collect, I said no problem but explained I wouldn’t get back to the yard till after my 11hrs rest with the collection, as I only had 13’s left. Was told to forget it, my mate still went home.
Take it from me, you’ll never get anywhere kicking off about lazy ■■■■■ at work because Ive come to the conclusion that the less you do, the more they (management) think of you! Over the years, Ive learnt to live with it.
They got rid of one guy at my place a couple of years ago. He was on 36 grand a year (basic!), every ■■■■■■■ day Id’ watch him roll in, turn on his desk top and spend 8 hours with his feet up surfing the net and drinking tea! It was literally like that! No one seemed accountable for this ■■■■ and if I kicked off about him you got a shrug of the shoulders!
We still have guys that are as idle as the day is long, they’ll go sick but then then amazingly they’ll come in fully fit for an overtime shift because its snip. I do know that the time will come though where I will have the last laugh!
toby1234abc:
Inform your work mate that a Romanian or Bulgarian will have his job and will not moan or throw the toys out of the pram.
If a TV program I saw last night is anything to go by the Romanians are to busy scamming Londoners to worry about driving lorries
it will get to you in the end as it did with me, nearly ten years in and I had to start justifying myself because of what drunk, lazy and inexperienced people had to say. I am not the best driver in the world, but I turn up every shift, look after the truck as best I can ( I have lost the odd mirror and a back light once ) but I try to do the job well, I have been the ■■■■ of peoples jokes because I tie things down, before I start off. and object to the little things creeping in that are seen as not really illegal. because yes they are. still found something else now where the boss seems to value a job well done, well for now at least, much the same as the last one ten years ago. be safe out there.
You’re on day rate…right.
take a leaf out of you’re mates book, and toss it off a bit
commonrail:
You’re on day rate…right.
take a leaf out of you’re mates book, and toss it off a bit
Yeah I am mate, but I have also only been there for 8 months and don’t fancy being at the front of the que if it goes that quiet they get rid. Apparently my mates behaviour has been noted by the planners, we will wait and see, he’s still had early finishes this week.
Like I said too, no matter how I drive I always get stitched, maybe it’s the new boy thing.
only been in my new job a month but i’m slowly working out who the lazy back stabbing [zb]s are as each week passes.
Gembo:
Take it from me, you’ll never get anywhere kicking off about lazy [zb] at work because Ive come to the conclusion that the less you do, the more they (management) think of you! Over the years, Ive learnt to live with it.
Spot on.
Employee A turns in every day without fail on time, does everything he’s asked, no trouble, no damage, totally reliable, good with customers, ideal employee.
B takes the ■■■■, might do a full month once a year, has more sickies than enough, regular damage usually unreported and denied, upsets the customers, does as little as possible when he is there, spits his dummy out and jumps up and down like a spoiled kid when he just once gets a worse run than anyone else, complete waste of space.
Guaranteed the traffic office think the sun shines out of B’s arse, because they take A for granted and give him the work because they know it will be done without another thought.
Traffic office over the moon that B happened to turn up, won’t even bother to try to get him to do something hard cos he’ll argue the toss and even if forced to do it will find a defect/traffic/delay/sickie…no i can’t understand why they don’t just sack the useless twerp, but i’ve seen variations on this throughout my whole working life…and i’ve seen those that should have been sacked years ago walk away with £30 to 40k volutary redundancy, whilst the genuine blokes who applied couldn’t get a look in.
NewLad:
commonrail:
You’re on day rate…right.
take a leaf out of you’re mates book, and toss it off a bitYeah I am mate, but I have also only been there for 8 months and don’t fancy being at the front of the que if it goes that quiet they get rid. Apparently my mates behaviour has been noted by the planners, we will wait and see, he’s still had early finishes this week.
Like I said too, no matter how I drive I always get stitched, maybe it’s the new boy thing.
Fair enough…if you’ve only been there a short while,you’ll have to toe the line a bit.
However,keep an eye on the situation…and don’t let em take the ■■■■.