There are a growing number of employers in the haulage industry trying out this scam.
A lot are asking drivers to sign a new contract that states the driver will pay any excess on the insurance policy ( usually £250 ) for damage caused by the drivers neglect.
There is a certain company who at the moment shall remain nameless that is trying to implement this rule as well as other rules that are completely in my view illegal.
The have to go to certain places ( can’t say what for or you will know the company ) but the only way in to this place is by going through a bus lane, They have told the drivers if they go through the bus lane and get a fine that the driver will have to pay it but there is no alternative route to this place they have no choice they have to go through the bus lane. ( fines have been issued in the past ).
Also sometimes they have to enter a seven and half ton limit to load or unload with a moffat the drivers have been told that they will have to pay the fine if they get one for being in the seven and half ton limit.
I always thought the law said plate says 7.5 tons nothing over that weight can go in only emergency vehicles but 7.5 tons except for access then 44 tons can go in if delivering or collecting from customer if they are in the weight limit.
Also the boss gives them there taco card and tells them if you run out of time use my card now I know that is illegal and carries a prison sentence as well as loss of O Licences and company closed down.
So to sum up if the driver has an accident then the driver has to pay the first £250.00 and if going into a restriction driver has to pay fines but if they want you back it is ok to break the law seems to be double standards to me.
I always though that is why a haulage company has insurance against accidents so it gets sorted out I am sure you cannot stop the money out of a drivers wages it is illegal they can only stop tax national insurance and any court linked monies not is you have had an accident I am sure that is theft and they can be taken to court by the driver to recover the money.
I think I might need to go and see my local ministry depot and bring this to there attention but trouble is how many drivers will I be putting out of work, ( I know I know I know I )i hear you all loud and clear but I want to know can they stop money out of there wages or not.
Don’t really want to go to ministry it is no fun being unemployed and just to be clear I don’t work through ill health so it is not me but a good mate of mine, Have told him best thing he can do is look for another employer.
Never understood the logic of companies expecting drivers to pay for accidental damage, be it through paying an insurance excess or whatever. The lorry is a tool for doing the job. In what other profession are you expected to cough up and pay for accidentally damaging equipment? Just have a system for sacking drivers that do it too often.
Never heard of this until recently then heard of an outfit who run out of Marchwood in Southampton who make drivers pay a certain amount towards damage. Perhaps times are changing because companies are fed up with the amount of damage being caused by Eastern Europeans and the impact it’s having on their insurance. I know we’ve had a lot of damage caused by them from agencies so now we’re trying to get permanent drivers on board.
You are allowed to enter a 7.5 ton limit road for access but only if there is no other road available(no matter how long a diversion) and it is for as short a distance as possible on said limit road. I may be wrong here,other guys might be a bit more accurate re law but thats my understanding.
As for entering a bus lane,if its a 24hr lane then you are NEVER allowed in it,even for deliveries.
Any company wanting you to sign to make you pay fines is at it. They know you are not supposed to enter a bus lane but rather than tell the customer “sorry,cant be done” they accept the order,then place the onus on the driver to accept the consequences of breaking the law. What they should be doing is saying if you get a fine,we will pay it. Not the other way round.
I worked for a company that dealt with containers and I was doing a house move to Edinburgh. From parking up to moving would be about 10 hours so I shut the curtains for a snooze. Woke to a parking fine as unit was sticking out a bit onto road. Company paid fine without a problem. That’s how it should be. But they can take money from your wages if you have signed to say it is ok. By refusing,the most they can do is not give you any more work.
But never the less,any company that says “here,use my card if your out of hours” should be reported and shut down. Thats my opinion.
Before long they will be saying if you make a wrong turn you must pay for the excess diesel you use
Every thing is turning against the driver but instead of having a something written in the contract that like 3 accidents that were your fault and your out,they make every driver do this.
I’m sadly hearing about this more and more these days.
I’ve heard of several companies who’ve asked for excess to be paid for damage. Not something I agree with but there are drivers out there who don’t seem to care until it hurts their pocket.
As for the other stuff, if a delivery can only be done by going through a bus lane, then surely something is wrong and maybe they need to see if there is a permit they can get to deliver there or charge the company for the fines to deliver to their premises as everybody else who goes there must be in the same position.
The same with a 7.5tonne limit, the sign will normally state except for access or loading or words to that effect, if it doesn’t say it then its due to weak structure such as a bridge.
The spare tacho card? well sounds like a right bunch of cowboys who need closing down quick.
mikeshe:
Never heard of this until recently then heard of an outfit who run out of Marchwood in Southampton who make drivers pay a certain amount towards damage. Perhaps times are changing because companies are fed up with the amount of damage being caused by Eastern Europeans and the impact it’s having on their insurance. I know we’ve had a lot of damage caused by them from agencies so now we’re trying to get permanent drivers on board.
It’s easy to use the EE and agency drivers as scapegoats, but I’ve known plenty of full time British drivers who damage trucks on a regular basis and don’t really give a toss.
bigmiler:
There are a growing number of employers in the haulage industry trying out this scam.
A lot are asking drivers to sign a new contract that states the driver will pay any excess on the insurance policy ( usually £250 ) for damage caused by the drivers neglect.
There is a certain company who at the moment shall remain nameless that is trying to implement this rule as well as other rules that are completely in my view illegal.
The have to go to certain places ( can’t say what for or you will know the company ) but the only way in to this place is by going through a bus lane, They have told the drivers if they go through the bus lane and get a fine that the driver will have to pay it but there is no alternative route to this place they have no choice they have to go through the bus lane. ( fines have been issued in the past ).
Also sometimes they have to enter a seven and half ton limit to load or unload with a moffat the drivers have been told that they will have to pay the fine if they get one for being in the seven and half ton limit.
I always thought the law said plate says 7.5 tons nothing over that weight can go in only emergency vehicles but 7.5 tons except for access then 44 tons can go in if delivering or collecting from customer if they are in the weight limit.
Also the boss gives them there taco card and tells them if you run out of time use my card now I know that is illegal and carries a prison sentence as well as loss of O Licences and company closed down.
So to sum up if the driver has an accident then the driver has to pay the first £250.00 and if going into a restriction driver has to pay fines but if they want you back it is ok to break the law seems to be double standards to me.
I always though that is why a haulage company has insurance against accidents so it gets sorted out I am sure you cannot stop the money out of a drivers wages it is illegal they can only stop tax national insurance and any court linked monies not is you have had an accident I am sure that is theft and they can be taken to court by the driver to recover the money.
I think I might need to go and see my local ministry depot and bring this to there attention but trouble is how many drivers will I be putting out of work, ( I know I know I know I )i hear you all loud and clear but I want to know can they stop money out of there wages or not.
Don’t really want to go to ministry it is no fun being unemployed and just to be clear I don’t work through ill health so it is not me but a good mate of mine, Have told him best thing he can do is look for another employer.
Thanks in advance.
Why is it “a scam”? You have stated here that the drivers are made fully aware of all this right from the start so that does not make it a “scam”. If the drivers are stupid enough to accept those terms of employment then they’ve only got themselves to blame when the company starts issuing them with fines and deducting accident damage from their wages. There is no “scam” here, they knew what they were getting into. Let me guess, the same people are the sort that would move to the end of one of the runways at Heathrow and then complain about the noise, right?
Left hand down!:
Let me guess, the same people are the sort that would move to the end of one of the runways at Heathrow and then complain about the noise, right?
Lol,too true. The number of drivers who work for a company for years but moan about them and their policies always baffles me.
rob22888:
Never understood the logic of companies expecting drivers to pay for accidental damage, be it through paying an insurance excess or whatever. The lorry is a tool for doing the job. In what other profession are you expected to cough up and pay for accidentally damaging equipment? Just have a system for sacking drivers that do it too often.
Because a lot of drivers don’t give a flying s*** about other peoples property and have no respect for the tools they are using so they have to have something in place.
We have the 250 excess thing. Its only for bigger damage not stupid minor stuff.
rob22888:
Never understood the logic of companies expecting drivers to pay for accidental damage, be it through paying an insurance excess or whatever. The lorry is a tool for doing the job. In what other profession are you expected to cough up and pay for accidentally damaging equipment? Just have a system for sacking drivers that do it too often.
Because a lot of drivers don’t give a flying s*** about other peoples property and have no respect for the tools they are using so they have to have something in place.
We have the 250 excess thing. Its only for bigger damage not stupid minor stuff.
If an employer has drivers who don’t care about damaging the companies vehicles surely the right thing to do is get rid of the drivers not penalise every other driver by expecting them to pay the companies business costs.
bigmiler:
I always thought the law said plate says 7.5 tons nothing over that weight can go in only emergency vehicles but 7.5 tons except for access then 44 tons can go in if delivering or collecting from customer if they are in the weight limit.
You can only contravene a 7.5t limit if the plate “Except for Access” accompanies the sign. No plate, no access.
Also the boss gives them there taco card and tells them if you run out of time use my card now I know that is illegal and carries a prison sentence as well as loss of O Licences and company closed down.
Don’t really want to go to ministry it is no fun being unemployed and just to be clear I don’t work through ill health so it is not me but a good mate of mine, Have told him best thing he can do is look for another employer.
Thanks in advance.
Don’t go to the ministry depot, go to the traffic commissioner.
For paying fines, if its the drivers fault then they should be made to pay it. I got one recently going through a width restriction lane in London, it was a fair cop as I didn’t react to the signs until I was right on top of it. It was passed on from the company to the agency and it will be winging its way to me soon. I’ve seen drivers trying everything to worm their way of paying their fines.
They cant deduct accident damage from wages unless there is a signed agreement between the company and employee. This will probably be written into the general employment contract. Ive had it at a place i previously worked and it was because drivers were attempting deliveries to places trucks simply dont fit. The idea was to make drivers think twice before driving somewhere unsuitable. The knock on effect was drivers refusong to do drops unless they had indemnity from damage for certain drops.
The tacho card needs no explanation - we all know the score with that. The only thing I would ask is it it’s a rumour of have you actually witnessed it?
I don’t see how any bus lane can completley block access to a property.
rob22888:
Never understood the logic of companies expecting drivers to pay for accidental damage, be it through paying an insurance excess or whatever. The lorry is a tool for doing the job. In what other profession are you expected to cough up and pay for accidentally damaging equipment? Just have a system for sacking drivers that do it too often.
Because a lot of drivers don’t give a flying s*** about other peoples property and have no respect for the tools they are using so they have to have something in place.
We have the 250 excess thing. Its only for bigger damage not stupid minor stuff.
If an employer has drivers who don’t care about damaging the companies vehicles surely the right thing to do is get rid of the drivers not penalise every other driver by expecting them to pay the companies business costs.
Its only penalising if you trash the truck - You trash your own car and you lose your excess so its not really that bad.
I have had threats in the past to have money taken out of my wages for damage[minor damage I might add]my reply was and still is try it and I will take legal action,as one other driver pointed out that’s why they have insurance
- You trash your own car and you lose your excess so its not really that bad.