In todays world of driving do all the big companies bend over to the unions or just dont apply common sense because they dont want to upset their drivers!!! I was sat at a well know depot in hampshire last night with nearly 20 other drivers waiting for a truck to do some store deliveries as all available trucks were out on the road working. ALL? Well not quite, there was a load of mercs in the car park but as usual surprise surprise all the regular drivers refuse to drive them because they have not had any training!! If this is progress then i would hate to take a step backwards and become a full time driver and have a part of my brain removed in the process. I would like to see the part in the fleet insurance that says you cant drive a truck because you are not trained! I was under the impression that if you had a licence then you were insured FULL STOP!!! 
I think you will find that " the big company " are the victims of their own pedantic, cotton wool, namby pamby making. There are companies out there who like to create paper trails. You can’t do this or that without training, and if you ■■■■ it up after being " trained " they will take great delight in disciplinary proceedings when they look out your training record, you know, the one that you signed, saying you were happy with your " training ".
used to get this all the time when we had older hire units in. “Can’t drive that, I’ve not been trained” but as soon as a new hire motor came in, they were fighting eachother to get the keys!
As a C+E licence holder I would be embarrassed to say I couldn’t drive a particular unit because I hadn’t been trained. I was trained to drive tractor units when I passed my test and they all have pretty much the same controls, give or take a clutch pedal. Those people who say that aren’t driver’s.
pete-b:
I think you will find that " the big company " are the victims of their own pedantic, cotton wool, namby pamby making. There are companies out there who like to create paper trails. You can’t do this or that without training, and if you [zb] it up after being " trained " they will take great delight in disciplinary proceedings when they look out your training record, you know, the one that you signed, saying you were happy with your " training ".
And the other side of this is after the accident, some [zb] that hasn’t been “trained”, regardless of having the correct licence, will sue the ■■■■■■■■ off the BIG COMPANY. All they’re trying to do, is avoid a multi-million pound claim from some “no-win-no-fee” ambulance chasing lawyer.
Like most people, I hate the way things have gone in this country due to H&S, and the aforementioned lawyers, and human right legislation, but let’s not forget that we, (yes, you and I, and everyone with a vote, allowed it to happen!
And let’s be honest, there’s many, many people who, if they lost a leg whilst working in BIG COMPANIES transport yard, after not having some training, and some [zb] in a suit told them they could get £250,000 compensation, with no risk to themselves, wouldn’t think twice about claiming it!
That’s the bottom line! We’ve only got ourselves to blame!
Coffeeholic:
As a C+E licence holder I would be embarrassed to say I couldn’t drive a particular unit because I hadn’t been trained. I was trained to drive tractor units when I passed my test and they all have pretty much the same controls, give or take a clutch pedal. Those people who say that aren’t driver’s.
snap, well put Coffee
trained ffs that is why you pass a test or are we supposed to go the same way as aeroplane or helicopter pilots who have to be type approved on every different make ?
most on here spend most of their time bleating about treated as professionals but are not capable of getting in to anything else apart from what they have been driving and doing the job.
professionals ? I will keep my thoughts on that one to myself
It could well be in the driver’s contract that he/ she is not allowed to drive a certain type of tractor unit unless he has been trained on it, in which case a driver would lay himself open to disciplinary proceedings if he did.
and then one wonders why UK based transport loses out to the foreigners ?
it has nowt to do with price or the price of diesel
has more to do with being so pathetic basically that its too much hassle to work with Brits
Well no, because companies who do not have these type of policies in place cannot compete on costs with eastern European hauliers either. Yes, these H&S rules can be nonsensical but they are only the tiniest factor in the reason an eastern European can take a load from the UK to Spain for £600.
Back to the original point, if your employer tells you that you are not to do a certain something, then of course you shouldn’t do it.
I work for a big company and they throw so much ■■■■■■■■ at you its unreal. There is so much red tape and swp’s you just play along with it all. I recently got my arse kicked for doing a bit of shunting at our sister site, doing them a favour as their shunt unit had broken down. I wont be doing it again the hassle i got from it 
Also got a form filled in from the eye in the sky who seen me fill ad-blue without protective goggles, give me ■■■■■■■ peace
EastAnglianTrucker:
pete-b:
I think you will find that " the big company " are the victims of their own pedantic, cotton wool, namby pamby making. There are companies out there who like to create paper trails. You can’t do this or that without training, and if you [zb] it up after being " trained " they will take great delight in disciplinary proceedings when they look out your training record, you know, the one that you signed, saying you were happy with your " training ".And the other side of this is after the accident, some [zb] that hasn’t been “trained”, regardless of having the correct licence, will sue the ■■■■■■■■ off the BIG COMPANY. All they’re trying to do, is avoid a multi-million pound claim from some “no-win-no-fee” ambulance chasing lawyer.
Like most people, I hate the way things have gone in this country due to H&S, and the aforementioned lawyers, and human right legislation, but let’s not forget that we, (yes, you and I, and everyone with a vote, allowed it to happen!
And let’s be honest, there’s many, many people who, if they lost a leg whilst working in BIG COMPANIES transport yard, after not having some training, and some [zb] in a suit told them they could get £250,000 compensation, with no risk to themselves, wouldn’t think twice about claiming it!
That’s the bottom line! We’ve only got ourselves to blame!
I suspect I would like to hazard a guess at the Hampshire Depot with a load of new mercs in the car park, but won’t post it here. pete-b is right. Working for who i work for, if you decide to drive something without having been signed off by the trainer, drop the proverbial bollock and whoops, there goes your job. 
All the company wants you to sign for is the fact that you know how to use the equipment.
It was ok a few years ago when a brand new 95 hire unit DAF arrived one night. Manager in charge of shift gave me the keys, told me to get on with it. Drove one of the very first 95’s in the country back in 1987 when the first general haulage company I worked for was lent one by the local DAF dealers for a trial.
I also agree with coffeeholic’s sentiments, that all tractors are basically the same. Over the years I have lost count of what I have driven but now we have only one choice. Its called playing the corporate game. Play or go down the road 
My experience as an agency driver, is that ALL companies treat us totally different to thier own drivers. we are expected to use whichever vehicle we are given, regardless of training, we are given a load of forms to sign, which, if you took the time to read would aske your whole shift, and if I told the TM i wasn’t trained to drive a particular type of motor, I would never get any work.
as far as i am concerned, a C+E licence means you are qualified to drive goods vehicles with a trailor. It is totally preposturous to expect training on every make of tractor unit used for “normal” C+E operations. I agree that training should be given on “specialist” equipment such as shunt units, but a bog standard unit? come on!
In the last two weeks alone I have driven a DAF 105 auto, Iveco stralis auto, Daf 95 manual, Daf 85 manual, mercedes Actros semi auto, mercedes backsaw manual and volvo FH Ishift, I got my training by jumping in the cabs and looking around, it’s not like flying apollo 11 or an airbus A380.
truckerjon:
My experience as an agency driver, is that ALL companies treat us totally different to thier own drivers. we are expected to use whichever vehicle we are given, regardless of training, we are given a load of forms to sign, which, if you took the time to read would aske your whole shift, and if I told the TM i wasn’t trained to drive a particular type of motor, I would never get any work.
as far as i am concerned, a C+E licence means you are qualified to drive goods vehicles with a trailor. It is totally preposturous to expect training on every make of tractor unit used for “normal” C+E operations. I agree that training should be given on “specialist” equipment such as shunt units, but a bog standard unit? come on!
In the last two weeks alone I have driven a DAF 105 auto, Iveco stralis auto, Daf 95 manual, Daf 85 manual, mercedes Actros semi auto, mercedes backsaw manual and volvo FH Ishift, I got my training by jumping in the cabs and looking around, it’s not like flying apollo 11 or an airbus A380.
Same here-since Foden finished we’ve had Volvos, Dafs and MANs plus demos from Scania, Iveco, Renault, Hino and Merc. Have I had “training” when driving anything other than a truck with a kite on the grille? No. I’ve looked at the gears,lights etc (will find the cruise button eventually) and driven off…
Muckaway:
truckerjon:
My experience as an agency driver, is that ALL companies treat us totally different to thier own drivers. we are expected to use whichever vehicle we are given, regardless of training, we are given a load of forms to sign, which, if you took the time to read would aske your whole shift, and if I told the TM i wasn’t trained to drive a particular type of motor, I would never get any work.
as far as i am concerned, a C+E licence means you are qualified to drive goods vehicles with a trailor. It is totally preposturous to expect training on every make of tractor unit used for “normal” C+E operations. I agree that training should be given on “specialist” equipment such as shunt units, but a bog standard unit? come on!
In the last two weeks alone I have driven a DAF 105 auto, Iveco stralis auto, Daf 95 manual, Daf 85 manual, mercedes Actros semi auto, mercedes backsaw manual and volvo FH Ishift, I got my training by jumping in the cabs and looking around, it’s not like flying apollo 11 or an airbus A380.Same here-since Foden finished we’ve had Volvos, Dafs and MANs plus demos from Scania, Iveco, Renault, Hino and Merc. Have I had “training” when driving anything other than a truck with a kite on the grille? No. I’ve looked at the gears,lights etc (will find the cruise button eventually) and driven off…
Who suggested they aren’t able to drive them?
The drivers may have just said the CAN’T drive them without their bit of training from the company.
Once again fellow drivers slagging off other drivers.
It’s the company H&S BS that is at fault!
mickfly:
Who suggested they aren’t able to drive them?
The drivers may have just said the CAN’T drive them without their bit of training from the company.Once again fellow drivers slagging off other drivers.
It’s the company H&S BS that is at fault!
Yes, I doubt this has anything to do with “trade unions”, or with the drivers being too nervous to drive them, and I was a bit surprised by some of the comments. It is normal practice for large companies to insist that a driver has been trained to drive a certain vehicle, and if they told me that I couldn’t drive a Mercedes until I had been trained on it, then I wouldn’t.
Yes, it does seem like overkill to us older drivers who are used to turning up at a yard looking for work, being slung a set of keys and being told “It’s down there somewhere. Phone us when you are empty in Milan” but that is not the way that large distribution hauliers work in 2010.
It’s never been drivers who have pushed for this H&S, it’s always been stuffed shirts, but if that’s the way they want it then that’s the way it has to be.
There have always been numpty drivers, but these days with “No Win No Fee” firms on the prowl these companies have to think in terms of the lowest common denominator and also have it all documented, so they can say that they have done everything to ensure safe working practices and have an audit trial to prove it.
I thinkt he sad thing is though it batters the good drivers down to the level of the numpties, as they find they can’t use a bit of initiative, this isn’t good for the drivers or the company.
merc0447:
Also got a form filled in from the eye in the sky who seen me fill ad-blue without protective goggles, give me [zb] peace
Absolutely pathetic that someone is paid to follow you around on CCTV and bubble you up. Worse than the Soviet Union.
I’ll wager that the logo on the side of the company fleet is different from the company running that facility. With so many transport/warehousing operations contracted out to logistics companies rather than run “in house” it is the logistic company that is picking up a large part of the bill for damaged vehicles.
I can’t remember the last time a hire vehicle was sent to the depot I work out of that had the operating manual in it as a reference so if drivers get into an unfamiliar vehicle and muck something up while trying to get going and then get a [zb] for not looking at the operating manual you pretty soon learn that you don’t put yourself in the position to be shafted.
Maybe it’s a reflection of the driver/ transport office relationship, that would be the case at my home depot.