You work for the one of the UK’s best established tipper operators. You’ll never have a more secure job IMO.
The most vulnerable operators are those with 2-20 trucks. If your the last driver in of three and the firm needs some cash fast then they will sack you and sell your lorry first.
Whats the difference in wages between the two jobs?
That’s the problem Hammer, I’m not on the tippers. Asked to drive a shovel for 2 weeks due to staff shortage, offered job subje t to 3 month trial. I asked to return to tippers (not fussed if it wasn’t on the same one as they’re all good motors) and told I have to wait until there’s a job going. Thank God I can drive plant or I’dve been stuffed.
Regarding money, got to discuss that as I’d need to buy a car…
Ha Ha, you’re having a laugh. A tipper firm that wants, " Someone that doesn’t rush about. "
That’s a first. 
DieselDemon:
Ha Ha, you’re having a laugh. A tipper firm that wants, " Someone that doesn’t rush about. "
That’s a first.
More of a contractor than a haulier. Supplies the JCB to dig and load tippers, dump the muck and fetch stone or whatever.
Does a bit of haulage normally muck to get to the quarry.
DieselDemon:
Ha Ha, you’re having a laugh. A tipper firm that wants, " Someone that doesn’t rush about. "
That’s a first.
This day and age, I think it’s better to work for a small poor haulier than a big poor haulier
My current boss runs 3 trucks and it is spot on. I have found that If you enjoy the job and work hard you get a lot more satisfaction doing it for a small company. Nothing beats backing into the yard on a friday afternoon and being offered a nice cold can of lager with your night out money 
small
Muckaway:
That’s the problem Hammer, I’m not on the tippers. Asked to drive a shovel for 2 weeks due to staff shortage, offered job subje t to 3 month trial. I asked to return to tippers (not fussed if it wasn’t on the same one as they’re all good motors) and told I have to wait until there’s a job going. Thank God I can drive plant or I’dve been stuffed.
Regarding money, got to discuss that as I’d need to buy a car…
IMO, you’ve made a mistake (going on the shovel) and now your tryng to put it right. Seems to me you’ll have to wait for a truck job to become available again. From what I’ve seen Smiths is a very, very rare tipper firm. There are none around here I can think of with that kind of setup. If they opened a depot up here, I’d be first in the queue.
In short its a very rare thing in this game - a job for life if you want it.
If you go to the smaller firm you’re taking a risk that you won’t jump from one unhappy situation to another. If the smaller firm run diggers what if they have a digger driver leave? You could end up on the plant for them and you’ve had to buy a car and I’ll bet you the smaller firm pays less. It makes no sense IMO.
Spoke to the retiring boss this afternoon after I loaded him. His son wants someone who’ll basically keep the truck working and find work for it ie ringing various quarries for backloads etc.
Opinions?
dew:
I’ve worked for big firms, generally I’ve found your a payroll number and nothing more. It has it’s advantages in that there’s less responsibility usually, and you can hide in a crowd a bit if needs be.I know work for a company of three. The boss, me and another driver. Your more responsible and it takes more active effort, but I definetly feel more needed and more involved with the running of things.
Personally, smaller firm every time
Copied & Pasted, just add my name to the end credit !
Not sure about job security with a large company, I worked for Tilcon which I thought was a job for life but we still got sold down the swanee. I dont suppose that I was better off financially with the small firm, and the tackle was a lot older as well, but I had more freedom plus the truck was better maintained and I could pick my work up to a point. I guess that Smiths will have a good pension scheme as well which is worth considering even though you are many years from drawing off it.
I reckon that you are just peed off at the moment (we have all been there) and if they offered you a driving job again you would stay where you are, they dont seem to push their driver’s much unlike some companies around here where they must use tacho discs the size of dinner plates and have 28 hour days instead of 24! 
Pete.
windrush:
Not sure about job security with a large company, I worked for Tilcon which I thought was a job for life but we still got sold down the swanee.
I think Smiths is different as they seem to be a family firm but are large enough to compete with the big boys. The likes of Tilcon, Hansons, Bardons etc are an inbred little club that continually buy each other and use these as opportunities to shaft employees left-right and centre.
Smiths has been around for donkeys ages, they are as solid as any tipper firm I can think of. Nothings certain in life but I’d bet on them as still being here in 25 years more than 99% of most businesses in this area.
Muckaway:
Spoke to the retiring boss this afternoon after I loaded him. His son wants someone who’ll basically keep the truck working and find work for it ie ringing various quarries for backloads etc.
Opinions?
Alarm bells ringing!!! He wanted a steady driver before, now he also wants an office bod to sort out work for the wagon too? That can be quite a job if you’re already busy driving.
Whats he paying you? More than you get now as a driver plus a bit extra for the admin side?
hammer:
Muckaway:
Spoke to the retiring boss this afternoon after I loaded him. His son wants someone who’ll basically keep the truck working and find work for it ie ringing various quarries for backloads etc.
Opinions?Alarm bells ringing!!! He wanted a steady driver before, now he also wants an office bod to sort out work for the wagon too? That can be quite a job if you’re already busy driving.
Whats he paying you? More than you get now as a driver plus a bit extra for the admin side?
I missed that post of Nathan’s, I used to find my own backloads, outside work etc and was paid a percentage of them BUT I only did it when I had no work planned. I can see you ending up office bound eventually and someone else driving ‘your’ truck, what do you think Hammer?
Pete.
Muckaway:
Spoke to the retiring boss this afternoon after I loaded him. His son wants someone who’ll basically keep the truck working and find work for it ie ringing various quarries for backloads etc.
Opinions?
Regarding your opening question, I would choose the small companies every time - but saying that, Smiths isn’t exactly huge, is it? As has already been said, it appears to be a job for life although nothing is cast in stone nowadays…
The problem I can see with you ringing around and finding work for the lorry is that there ain’t much to be had at the moment and what there is, is only what others don’t want, usually because the rates are crap. A lot of quarries work the rates out for artics and the rigids have to take it or leave it… How will you be paid? If you’re paid a percentage of the earnings, you won’t be buying a car any time soon… 
If it was me, I would stay where you are, be grateful for a job with a decent company with a decent reputation and bide your time. A driving job will come up eventually but at the moment, count your blessings! You obviously don’t need a car at Smiths - I don’t suppose you will get a wage increase to pay and run the car AND have extra in your pocket, so what’s the point?
I don’t actually think that you fully appreciate what you have now… it’ll be too late once you’ve gone!
Whatever you decide, good luck 
windrush:
they dont seem to push their driver’s much unlike some companies around here where they must use tacho discs the size of dinner plates and have 28 hour days instead of 24!
I’d be tempted to stay for that reason alone personally.
TBH I’ve probably made it hard for myself to get off the shovel; I’ve sorted (as much as you can in a quarry) the haul roads, load the lorries evenly and complaints about wet sand, badly mixed stock etc have stopped. That’s come from management, not drivers. My argument to that was if I could achieve that in a 3 month “trial” wtf have the experienced operators been doing?
Being a helpful shovel op doesn’t appear to sit well will some of the other quarrymen…Comments of “pandering to the drivers” etc etc…
On reflection, I think I’m very ■■■■■■ off with my employers as I done them a favour when they couldn’t get a machine driver, then get crapped on as “favour returned.”
Muckaway:
Being a helpful shovel op doesn’t appear to sit well will some of the other quarrymen…Comments of “pandering to the drivers” etc etc…
This worries me slightly! 
I might be thick but are you not employed to load company (and other) lorries, do the quarry men think that they are just moving and crushing stone for fun? Seems a strange attitude that they have there, dont they realise that the whole purpose of the job is to get material to the customer asap and that is down to (a) the quarry worker’s creating the product (b) the loader loading it quickly and (c) the driver getting it to the customer! Seems to me that you are all pulling in different directions!
Pete.
windrush:
Muckaway:
Being a helpful shovel op doesn’t appear to sit well will some of the other quarrymen…Comments of “pandering to the drivers” etc etc…
This worries me slightly!
Pete.
Thats how it used to happen, Pete 
Nowadays there seems to be a whole new breed of people who spend all their time mithering about what others do and how they do it, instead of cracking on, working as a team and getting the job done!
Nathan
If the management are happy, why are you bothered about what the others think? I don’t give a stuff what others thoughts are about me cos at least they’re giving someone else a rest today
‘Pandering to the drivers’ presumably means loading them when they come in, putting the right weight on and in the right place and letting them crack on? I call that ‘doing your job and doing it well’…
I say again - I don’t think you fully appreciate what you actually have! You’ve spent quite some time on here moaning about driving on some grass and getting a bollocking, getting overtaken by the racers so they can get another load, driving at the speed limit and being moaned at because of it, and generally mithering about everything you can possibly think of!
We all know that you ain’t the happiest bunny in the warren so you can bet your life your guvnors do too! I actually think they did YOU a favour, instead of the other way around! You really need to lighten up, life is good!!
Muckaway:
Spoke to the retiring boss this afternoon after I loaded him. His son wants someone who’ll basically keep the truck working and find work for it ie ringing various quarries for backloads etc.
Opinions?
You didn’t want to answer the phone on your break before.
