I think the drivers just moan about them as they have traditionally had Scania’s and now they have these cheap toys, they are buying them because with the King Trailers they are about £20k cheaper than a 6 wheeler Scania with an Andover body. I’m told that they are an automated manual gearbox, this being different from a true auto. As I’m led to believe it is the same as a manual but the computer takes care of the clutch and the gears.
As for the company, it will come down to a depot level unfortunately I don’t do much with access and have never encountered Luton.
They are a big company that is owned by Finnings who are Canadian so there is a fair amount of H&S bollox and toolbox talks how serious the depot takes / enforces this seems to vary, but I can’t imagine many depots providing a full apron, long rubber gloves and face mask to do the washing up despite what policy dictates.
They tend to not utilise their assets in the most effective way, they frown on loading machines side by side or by trying too hard to squeeze stuff on. That is the impression I get from reading their manual. When I drive for them on their wagon I compromise and do things partly their way and partly mine, when I’m on as a contractor with my vehicle I’ll load it how I want and get as much or more on my 6 wheeler than they’d do on their artic. As a result I’m pretty much left to my own devices and get to organise the drops and collections accordingly. They will spend a pound to save a penny, cut the overtime and instead of paying £150 for 10 hours overtime they’ll pay £400-500 for a contractor to come in for the day.
They’ll give you training and send you on courses although these will be in house and not really worth the paper anywhere else, on the plus side you will also gain experience in plant which you can use as a stepping stone to other work. Other plant firms or lowloader haulage outfits may be less likely to take someone on with no experience. Alternatively there is the possibility of moving up within the organisation to white collar work.
It’s a difficult time for work at the moment and a job offer is a rare thing, it took me a while to get my first driving job but it’s been relatively easy since becoming a driver.