Are you still at the same firm or like me changed jobs in the last year ?
Yup. 6 years as a PAYE employee following 5 years as an agency wallah there. Left well alone and can take liberties as long as I don’t take the ■■■■, so no reason to move tbh.
the maoster:
Yup. 6 years as a PAYE employee following 5 years as an agency wallah there. Left well alone and can take liberties as long as I don’t take the ■■■■, so no reason to move tbh.
If the boss didn’t sell up to the shower of a firm I would have been in my old job 6 years 
Now there’s only 8 of the original drivers left there now and most of them are looking to get out 
12 years ffs 
,longest I’ve been anywhere.
If some body had told me 12 years ago that I would still be there now, I’d have told them they were off their head,…I hated it then,.and it was only ever going to be temporary to something better turned up, ie another Euro job.
I came off a decent truck from last job, on to a heap of ■■■■ Renault Premium to add insult to injury, along with 600 quid a month down with being UK only…
However after endless looking around for somewhere as good as my previous job and firm, , I managed in meantime to negotiate myself a decent little number there 4 years in with half decent t s & c.s.(how tf did I last that long doing UK general )
So I’m still content to stick at it,.and fairly dare I say…happy…(despite all the un necessary agitation and nitpicking that are synonymous with modern haulage outfits that continuously ■■■■ me off 
)
A few have said to me… ‘Why not leave if they are getting on your ■■■■ with all this stuff’'…but my pov is ‘‘Grass aint always greener/better the devil you know’’.
I’d hate to be the ‘new guy’ somewhere now anyway tbh.
If I had been doing this work for either of the previous 2 firms I worked for instead of this one, it would be the absolute perfect gig…but you can’t have everything your own way.
So no plans to move so far… ■■■■ all else around here anyway, it would either be a sideways or a backward step.
.
Almost 30 years now, started off in delivery. There’s no way I’ll keep working until I get my Government pension, so 14 years and counting. 
blue estate:
the maoster:
Yup. 6 years as a PAYE employee following 5 years as an agency wallah there. Left well alone and can take liberties as long as I don’t take the ■■■■■ so no reason to move tbh.If the boss didn’t sell up to the shower of a firm I would have been in my old job 6 years
Now there’s only 8 of the original drivers left there now and most of them are looking to get out
Ah
In to my 38th year now!
Moved in August from a large-ish own account company to tramping for a small family firm.
Reasons… fed up with growing corporate culture, jobsworth “driver trainers” and inept planners plus stagnating wages. New job ain’t perfect (what job is?) but I get left alone to do it, I’m treated as a human and not a resource, own unit which is well maintained, and best of all I’m appreciated and respected.
As an added bonus; first Christmas/New Year for 16 years when I’ve been on holiday all the way through.
robroy:
12 years ffs
If some body had told me 12 years ago that I would still be there now, I’d have told them they were off their head,…I
.
Likewise. After years of client hopping at agencies I’ve been on agency 7, coming up to 8 years at Howdens so I put still at the same firm rather than agency as I only work there as i even have it in my contract I only work there. Did have chance of permanent this last year but since we got parity pay which was the main reason to go for it I decided not to due to a combination of knackered back and flexibility of being able to say no if I don’t want to work any particular nights and not having when I could take my holiday dictated by how many people had already booked it off. I know some of those that did go permanent miss that flexibility. I plan to see it out to retirement/til my back gets to the point I can’t drive trucks whichever comes first.
Retired at the end of September, at 64 years of age. No 1 thing but the accumulation of many little things.
Was at my previous job for 2+ years, not happy left at Christmas start new job in the new year, more money hopefully better job, but, who knows.
After doing 27+ years at RM I don’t seem to be able to settle for very long!!!
I changed jobs in April, my only concern right now is the 40 mile round trip every day, though that would be better solved my moving house or switching to tramping rather than moving job. A price I pay for countryside tranquillity I guess.
Been here for the last 8+ years and have no thoughts of changing ship any time soon .
Good plant - new unit every 3 years trailers all fresh everything well maintained and looked after
Good staff - great bunch of drivers , everyone will help , directions and advice . Office staff are all ex drivers and know what it takes to do the job so never asked to do anything stupid .Boss is an ex driver so knows what we are up against and has never pressures us to do anything stupid either .
Good wages - others pay more but you will do a lot more hours and mileage for it .
All in all I’m happy and no notion of moving on - that dosen’t mean I’m not keeping an eye out as to what jobs are around - if the right job for me came up with the right terms and conditions , right wages and a good well speced truck and the right work / home life balance I’d have to seriously consider it .
Still at same one, although god knows how. Was just about surviving there but now they are trying to add more micromanaging and there’s more back stabbing by a tiny number of drivers. Plus crappy management changes.
Don’t want another driving job, just want a nice office job. God knows how you find those. Seems to be even more b/s involved in some of those like diversity committees…WTF!?
Will see what happens…
trevHCS:
Still at same one, although god knows how. Was just about surviving there but now they are trying to add more micromanaging and there’s more back stabbing by a tiny number of drivers. Plus crappy management changes.Don’t want another driving job, just want a nice office job. God knows how you find those. Seems to be even more b/s involved in some of those like diversity committees…WTF!?
Will see what happens…
Pretty much what did me Trev.
Been down the office route some years ago; planner, ops manager, recruitment consultant. If you think drivers are a load of back-stabbers wait till you get in an office!
Conor:
After years of client hopping at agencies I’ve been on agency 7, coming up to 8 years at Howdens so I put still at the same firm rather than agency as I only work there as i even have it in my contract I only work there. Did have chance of permanent this last year but since we got parity pay which was the main reason to go for it I decided not to due to a combination of knackered back and flexibility of being able to say no if I don’t want to work any particular nights and not having when I could take my holiday dictated by how many people had already booked it off. I know some of those that did go permanent miss that flexibility. I plan to see it out to retirement/till my back gets to the point I can’t drive trucks whichever comes first.
Like you in the early years I have had my fair share of client hopping at agencies, and despite around 15yrs+ doing agency on the multi contract DHL Bawtry site, except for 4yrs doing the prison contract, and a smattering of the supply chain side, I ended up doing the majority of it doing the Rank Hovis job before that shut down Xmas 2018/19?, then I moved across to Worksop doing agency for the DIY mob where in November they offered me a full time position which I declined mainly due to the below average salary, my extended holiday commitments in 2021/22, and pay parity, leaving me in a similar good position as you, a decent wage and flexibility. Unless there is a massive change at Worksop I anticipate there`s work there for the foreseeable future, and the full time position offer is still on the table should I change my mind in the next few months.
I moved. Whether the driver shortage was real or not it opened up some doors and allowed me to increase pay and reduce hours so I took the jump which wasn’t easy as I was comfortable and settled where I was.
Having said that I was always borderline jacking it in at my old place, with general haulage type drive until you drop hours every week so I was always going to go at some point, it just happened that a chance arrived sooner.
Yes been at this firm for 24 years.
I’ve been in my job 16 years in May!
Yep I’m in my 15th year at my current job , it’ll probably see my days out