My old employer used to give an “accident free” bonus of £10 pw, which got docked if you damaged the truck until the damage was paid for. Obviously a line was drawn if your caused £1000s. I’m guessing it was to avoid them claiming on their insurance unless they really had to.
Totally unfair IMHO, If somebody dropped a goolie in the office that cost the company a few hundred, did they loose anything ? no. But it was part of the contract that I agreed to.
In fairness though mate looks like you’ve cause quite a bit of destruction.
Try & get some class 2 or even 7.5 tonne agency work, to build up your confidence, & take things easy. I also learnt the hard way as a novice that there is never a rush driving large vehicles.
I know it will mean a spending a fair amount of cash but also consider going back to a driving school & getting a few hours with them in an Artic with them to see where your going wrong & help rebuild your confidence.
Overall though driving is like riding a bike& if you fall off just get back on again & learn from your errors because everybody drops the ball from time to time
I employed a selection of drivers over a 7 year period and in that time the accident rate was frightning, infact out of the total of 14 drivers I would only recommend 2 to other employers. I personaly knew each and every driver and they were all experienced.I paid a good wages, bought the best trucks all new and always enforced the law to the letter. The problem I have since learned is down to training and training alone. The only way that standards will be raised is by testing and training your work force to the highest level. The trouble with that theory is no one invests in Road Haulage and in particular the drivers and that is why accident rates are so high. Further more No and again I mean No driver should ever have to pay for damage that he may be responcible for, what ever are employers these days like? Shame on them.
Frankly Slackeye (and i do sympathise with your situation) I think that maybe you are not cut out to be a truck driver. From what you have said I am not surprised that they don’t want you to work for them - I wouldn’t, would you in their place?
I am sure you have seen threads here about “professional” drivers where the underlying theme is that it takes a lot more than the ability to pass a test to be a good truck driver. It may be that you just don’t have the right temperament for the job. That’s not a slur on your character — it’s just that some do and some don’t.
Whatever — good luck with whatever you decide to do in the future.
Little Ennis
PRINCIPALS ARE AN EXPENCE SOME PEOPLE CAN NOT AFFORD
Principles are an expense some people can’t afford
One of the drivers at my last firm dented the air filter box (barrel/drum whatever round thingy) when he missed the pin once and the boss deducted £300 from him.
Which the driver thought was fair enough… Till he told a group of us the one night and we told him all the damage that had been done by other drivers including some of the lads included in the conversation at the time and not one other driver had paid a penny … “Why■■?” he asked coz we’d have all told him to [zb] off we all said in unison
He wasn’t a very happy bunny after that for some strange reason…
little enis:
The problem I have since learned is down to training and training alone.
You are right there, for a couple of grand any idiot could be let loose in a 40 footer, pretty scary really,
Ok so it took me 3 goes to pass my Class 1, but all in all the test is abit of a joke, reversing in a wide open yard, WOW, Come the 1st time I had to put a wagon on a bay I was terrible, wernt any other vehicles around on my training
There are also some drivers out there who rely on the sat nav too much, and follow it like the gospel,
Like the Pentons Class 2 driver who got stuck up the back lanes going from Chadderton to Stakehill,
Surely when you turned off the B road you could have noticed the road was too narrow then, let alone a mile further up
Or the Yearsley’s following the Sat Nav to Asda Chadderton yesterday, go in a right twist on the car park,
I would have helped but was on my way to the Hospital,
But that to me comes down to training, Just because the Tom says go can you go?
Santa:
Frankly Slackeye (and i do sympathise with your situation) I think that maybe you are not cut out to be a truck driver. From what you have said I am not surprised that they don’t want you to work for them - I wouldn’t, would you in their place?
I wouldn’t come to that conclusion too soon,as he says
slackeye:
i have been ok for over a year since i passed my class 2 just over 2 years ago , did loads of different jobs and never bumped anything then after i was let lose in the arctic it all goes down hill
Santa:
It may be that you just don’t have the right temperament for the job. That’s not a slur on your character — it’s just that some do and some don’t.
There is some truth in that,a “right temperament” is required when behind a wheel. It’s alright for me to say this,as I haven’t passed my truck test yet,but the principle applies also in my present line of work as a Busdriver. I’m amazed at some of my colleagues,as they have a very low to non-existent tolerance to passsengers and other road users.
K27:
There is some truth in that,a “right temperament” is required when behind a wheel. It’s alright for me to say this,as I haven’t passed my truck test yet,but the principle applies also in my present line of work as a Busdriver. I’m amazed at some of my colleagues,as they have a very low to non-existent tolerance to passsengers and other road users.
Years ago I applied for a job on the buses, problem is I hate the public so didnt follow it through
K27:
There is some truth in that,a “right temperament” is required when behind a wheel. It’s alright for me to say this,as I haven’t passed my truck test yet,but the principle applies also in my present line of work as a Busdriver. I’m amazed at some of my colleagues,as they have a very low to non-existent tolerance to passsengers and other road users.
Years ago I applied for a job on the buses, problem is I hate the public so didnt follow it through
Best move you ever did mate.
When i struggle to keep the service on time,I don’t need comments from passengers to point it out to me. I just ignore them as they are just being deliberately provocative,as they’ve had to wait longer.
I agree no driver should have to pay for damage to their employers trucks. Insurance is there for a reason, although there is usually an excess, think ours is £500, but is no excuse for the driver to pay. If you keep having accidents you may get a rollocking, but this should be sorted using a disiplinary procedure, and/or extra training.
Where i work drivers are always smashing wing mirrors. TM doesnt like it (as it costs at least £50 a mirror), but he accepts that its the nature of where we deliver to thats part of the problem. Luckily i dont have many incidents but i did mash up the back of a tail lift once by reversing into a rock, not concentrating properly. caused £500 damage, think they claimed on the insurance, but boss just squinted his eyes when i told him and said lets have a look, and told me to take it to the garage for a quote. this was on a lorry that was being scrapped/sold a few weeks later too…
i didnt have to pay a penny. didnt even get told off either although I havent really had any incidents with this firm, and i know he acknowledges that. broke off a side repeater the other day in narrow country lanes, tm just accepted it as that and we were commenting how mercedes have a nice little earner with their ridiculous side repeaters that stick out 6 inches, and that they dont manufacturer those “unbreakable” mirrors you can get for some trucks.
I’d recommend doing some dustcart work mate, I did it for a year straight from passing my class 2 test, try to get with a local council, and after a few months you will come out of it a better driver. You will be driving (and reversing) up and down narrow streets and lanes all day and you will have your workmates there to watch you around the really tight bits. You will get to some roads and think “how the hell do I get/reverse round there?” and if you can do it, you will feel a great sense of achievement, or I did anyway. just dont panic when you first start, take your time and it will come.
I had a few incidents with the council doing bin lorries, ripping off the rear light clusters, smashed mirrors, twisting bin lifts by reversing over them on a funny cambered road, drove straight over a cars bonnet head on in a narrow lane once (scary, lorry would not stop on very greasy road, no injuries though luckily) , smashed cars up with the back end overhang, the list goes on. but it taught me a lot about manouvering a lorry around impossible gaps.
To a degree, bin lorries are expected to have accidents, but the more i did it, the better i became, and in the end was regarded as a highly skilled driver
slackeye:
well i reversed nt a barrier in the arctic £3000 it cost i heard,theni bumped into a giveway sign stralis bumper smashed ,new bumper and repaint £800 then in class 2 yesterday small dent on back of rear wing and bumper £500 so i have caused havoc i deseve to be sacked dunno what ahppened i have been ok for over a year since i passed my class 2 just over 2 years ago , did loads of different jobs and never bumped anything then after i was let lose in the arctic it all goes down hill on the occasions i had bumps i was panicking first i got lost in leeds and stupidly tried to swing the arctic round in a street it was wide enough but i was panicking and hit the give way sign, i would not have minded but there was a junction 200 yrds down the road bloody stupid!and yesterday was the same i have learnt my lesson the hard way i just hope i get chance to work in the industry again lost a lot of confidence and with the job market has it is i am worried
I’m really sorry you’re having a hard time of it. No matter what anyone says driving a artic isn’t easy and ■■■■ ups do happen. Mine was leaving brake of when i put red line on and wrote 2 parked new cars off!
But you’ve got to learn from your mistakes and move on.
Any firm that docks your wages for damage isn’t worth working for so you’re probabily better out of there anyway.
I think a lot of firms are jumping on mistakes to cut the workforce at the moment it’s cheaper than redundancy.
Good luck with the job search and when you get a new job concentrate on doing it safe, forget about speed.
xrayday:
The term "Unlawful deduction of wages " springs to mind,search for that phrase,the A.C.A.S website perhaps,and depending on circumstances you could be heading in the direction of an employment tribunal,check your contract and read anything that you are asked to sign.
I agree
At the end of the day nobody was hurt, only your pride.
Sounds like this Company was out of order, you need to seek proper Legal advice asap.
Have you signed on and contacted driving agencies in your area? If you don’t feel confident with artics just stick to rigids for a while.
sorry to hear that but what company is it? im looking for a job. pm me and i will give you the name of a company that need drivers but me and the TM there dont see eye to eye
hi thanks for the replies the company was called vernon land transport only a small haulage outfit 5 arctics and about 4 ridgids so i can see why he sacked me i dont hold no bad feelings to the guy it was my first real job in the industry least i learnt a lot ,the hard way mind like you say i am going to sign with the agencies,stick to class 2 and 7.5 while i look for other work,never been unemployed so i will do anything im not proud and in time get back on the arctics ,i would love a night trunking job to be honest or work on the bins i have learnt the hard way you cnt rush about in a vehicle that size be it a 7.5 or artctic mind you tipper drivers must be another breed
If they have deducted money from your wages and sacked you without proper procedures then I would telephone directory enquiries and get the telephone number for ACAS. They are very helpful and are their to help everybody and best of all it is free.
Classic!
like you say i am going to sign with the agencies,stick to class 2 and 7.5 while i look for other work,never been unemployed so i will do anything im not proud and in time get back on the arctics ,i would love a night trunking job to be honest or work on the bins i have learnt the hard way you cnt rush about in a vehicle that size be it a 7.5 or artctic mind you tipper drivers must be another breed