Have really enjoyed the last 7mths night driving for the green army but the work at the last few months has totally dried up. Im lucky to get a 6hr run to string out for 9hrs. Is this normal 8weeks before xmas. Getting a bit worried for my new yr possible lay off. Even the longer term drivers have said they’ve never seen it this bad.
I dont want to leave but the joke is come back as agency because their flying about getting all the good shifts while we are twiddling our thumbs.
Shouldabeenajoiner:
Have really enjoyed the last 7mths night driving for the green army but the work at the last few months has totally dried up. Im lucky to get a 6hr run to string out for 9hrs. Is this normal 8weeks before xmas. Getting a bit worried for my new yr possible lay off. Even the longer term drivers have said they’ve never seen it this bad.
I dont want to leave but the joke is come back as agency because their flying about getting all the good shifts while we are twiddling our thumbs.
What depot are you running out of?
Paying prime rate to an agency whilst regular drivers are underemployed? Recipe for disaster.
A lot of work is seasonal. Retail is normally busy about now but slacking in January. Buildings work can be quiet if too wet ot cold?
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Carlisle get a text most days asking x8 drivers to take hol or unpaid leave. Other companys are going flat out with xmas deliverys. Think I may jump ship but its been a great job till recently im not the type to sit it about all winter waiting planner to ring
Shouldabeenajoiner:
Carlisle get a text most days asking x8 drivers to take hol or unpaid leave. Other companys are going flat out with xmas deliverys. Think I may jump ship but its been a great job till recently im not the type to sit it about all winter waiting planner to ring
Well good luck in what you decide bud, if you enjoy it, stick it out and ask the planners for extra work. January will be upon us in no time and then it really goes quiet.
Hold your nerve, next week will be when it will kick off for Christmas.
Budget coming up, and we are going to shafted massively (first budget of a term, economy showing signs of dipping etc), drink will get hammered meaning everyone will be stocking warehouses up.
I worked for stobarts as a day driver the only for one Christmas when i worked their they bring in the subbies such as marshalls and challenge then you got no chance of work if that happens I must have had about 4 days of just sitting around in the café over Christmas and then got sent to work out of Tesco widnes. Their was also a case of them bring back trampers early due to their being no work and that tramper blaming the subbies they had brought in. They bring the subbies in and give them the long easy runs.
Alliepallie4:
I worked for stobarts as a day driver the only for one Christmas when i worked their they bring in the subbies such as marshalls and challenge then you got no chance of work if that happens I must have had about 4 days of just sitting around in the café over Christmas and then got sent to work out of Tesco widnes. Their was also a case of them bring back trampers early due to their being no work and that tramper blaming the subbies they had brought in. They bring the subbies in and give them the long easy runs.
It’s been exactly the same at our place over the last few weeks! Loads of subbies and agency drivers have been brought in until
Christmas. The subbies and agency drivers have been getting all of the long runs and long trunks 12-15hrs, whilst the regular drivers
have been getting the short, local runs 6-8hrs…and the permanent employed drivers are sometimes being asked to take holidays,
or even sent home after 6 hrs of waiting around…because there is no work for them.
Last week I only did 29 hrs…and it’s the same for most of the other permanent drivers. There is no chance of any overtime…yet we were all told that this is our “busiest time of the year in the shops”! Farcical! …roll on January.
Lancsdriver70:
Alliepallie4:
I worked for stobarts as a day driver the only for one Christmas when i worked their they bring in the subbies such as marshalls and challenge then you got no chance of work if that happens I must have had about 4 days of just sitting around in the café over Christmas and then got sent to work out of Tesco widnes. Their was also a case of them bring back trampers early due to their being no work and that tramper blaming the subbies they had brought in. They bring the subbies in and give them the long easy runs.It’s been exactly the same at our place over the last few weeks! Loads of subbies and agency drivers have been brought in until
Christmas. The subbies and agency drivers have been getting all of the long runs and long trunks 12-15hrs, whilst the regular drivers
have been getting the short, local runs 6-8hrs…and the permanent employed drivers are sometimes being asked to take holidays,
or even sent home after 6 hrs of waiting around…because there is no work for them.Last week I only did 29 hrs…and it’s the same for most of the other permanent drivers. There is no chance of any overtime…yet we were all told that this is our “busiest time of the year in the shops”! Farcical! …roll on January.
Do you not have a minimum amount of guaranteed hours on your contract mate?
eagerbeaver:
Do you not have a minimum amount of guaranteed hours on your contract mate?
You’re right Beaver…we do get paid a guaranteed 45 hrs. But me and many others were hoping to get some 50-60hr weeks’ in
to boost the Christmas present funds 
…no chance of that with the 80+ subbies and agency drivers that we currently have working for us.
…Are you sure you’ve never worked at our place beaver? 
Lancsdriver70:
eagerbeaver:
Do you not have a minimum amount of guaranteed hours on your contract mate?You’re right Beaver…we do get paid a guaranteed 45 hrs. But me and many others were hoping to get some 50-60hr weeks’ in
to boost the Christmas present funds…Are you sure you’ve never worked at our place beaver?
One of the few that I haven’t pal 
Play golf with your distribution director though, he has a nice Range Rover and an even nicer Lambo Huracan
eagerbeaver:
Play golf with your distribution director though, he has a nice Range Rover and an even nicer Lambo Huracan
I have seen those cars parked in the senior management parking spaces of the car park
You could of course try emailing Steve Ridley UK transport director. 
Worth considering the effects of WTD reference periods. Yes, I know many firms don’t take a blind bit of notice of them but the bigger ones who have to do compliance audits and all that crap do. If a company’s got a lot of drivers near that limit then the regulars will be put on short work whilst agency drivers do the longer runs.
Pointless BS you might say, and I’m personally minded to agree; but it is a hoop that some companies have to jump through.
Sidevalve:
Worth considering the effects of WTD reference periods. Yes, I know many firms don’t take a blind bit of notice of them but the bigger ones who have to do compliance audits and all that crap do. If a company’s got a lot of drivers near that limit then the regulars will be put on short work whilst agency drivers do the longer runs.Pointless BS you might say, and I’m personally minded to agree; but it is a hoop that some companies have to jump through.
Fair comment.
Also by making sure their own drivers are on shorter hours now, maybe management can be sure they have regular drivers available on, say, Dec 24th or Dec 27th? Or am I being a tad cynical?
Franglais:
Sidevalve:
Worth considering the effects of WTD reference periods. Yes, I know many firms don’t take a blind bit of notice of them but the bigger ones who have to do compliance audits and all that crap do. If a company’s got a lot of drivers near that limit then the regulars will be put on short work whilst agency drivers do the longer runs.Pointless BS you might say, and I’m personally minded to agree; but it is a hoop that some companies have to jump through.
Fair comment.
Also by making sure their own drivers are on shorter hours now, maybe management can be sure they have regular drivers available on, say, Dec 24th or Dec 27th? Or am I being a tad cynical?
exactly what they’re doing at our place (DHL).i was stood down 2 days this week,full pay of course,as my hours are high.making sure every driver has enough hours christmas week.
Franglais:
Sidevalve:
Worth considering the effects of WTD reference periods. Yes, I know many firms don’t take a blind bit of notice of them but the bigger ones who have to do compliance audits and all that crap do. If a company’s got a lot of drivers near that limit then the regulars will be put on short work whilst agency drivers do the longer runs.Pointless BS you might say, and I’m personally minded to agree; but it is a hoop that some companies have to jump through.
Fair comment.
Also by making sure their own drivers are on shorter hours now, maybe management can be sure they have regular drivers available on, say, Dec 24th or Dec 27th? Or am I being a tad cynical?
If I was still a manager that’s exactly what I would be doing; past experience is that relying on an agency being able to provide in the week before Xmas is dangerous to say the least.It’s not cynical, it’s good planning. I’ve been a recruitment consultant too and one thing I was glad to see the back of was the last minute mad rush in that week, often exacerbated by some drivers, not unreasonably, being unavailable for various reasons.
eagerbeaver:
Lancsdriver70:
eagerbeaver:
Do you not have a minimum amount of guaranteed hours on your contract mate?You’re right Beaver…we do get paid a guaranteed 45 hrs. But me and many others were hoping to get some 50-60hr weeks’ in
to boost the Christmas present funds…Are you sure you’ve never worked at our place beaver?
One of the few that I haven’t pal
Strong smell of something here.
Sidevalve:
Franglais:
Sidevalve:
Worth considering the effects of WTD reference periods. Yes, I know many firms don’t take a blind bit of notice of them but the bigger ones who have to do compliance audits and all that crap do. If a company’s got a lot of drivers near that limit then the regulars will be put on short work whilst agency drivers do the longer runs.Pointless BS you might say, and I’m personally minded to agree; but it is a hoop that some companies have to jump through.
Fair comment.
Also by making sure their own drivers are on shorter hours now, maybe management can be sure they have regular drivers available on, say, Dec 24th or Dec 27th? Or am I being a tad cynical?If I was still a manager that’s exactly what I would be doing; past experience is that relying on an agency being able to provide in the week before Xmas is dangerous to say the least.It’s not cynical, it’s good planning. I’ve been a recruitment consultant too and one thing I was glad to see the back of was the last minute mad rush in that week, often exacerbated by some drivers, not unreasonably, being unavailable for various reasons.
Yep. I`ll agree with all you say there. Agency will be cheaper now, and more readily available than around Xmas and New year.
have you been a bad boy , they normally give you short hours / tesco as punishment , I keep getting that , short hours / tesco , then someone shouts don’t give him that it’s what he wants 