Cab-Hopping and Cameras

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I’ve recently taken-on a new driving job, and it’s became apparent that I was misled in the interview. The foreman promised at interview that I’d get my own truck, and neglected to mention that some of the trucks (soon to be all) are, or will be fitted with driver-facing CCTV cameras.

So far, I’ve been there a month, and I’ve been cab-hopping every shift, and I discovered that some of the trucks are fitted with driver-facing CCTV cameras.

Firstly, even though at interview the foreman promised that I’d have my own truck every shift, given that I’m a tramper, but after cab-hopping for a few weeks, I asked the planner at HQ when I’d get my own truck, and he replied that nobody gets their own truck, you get a different one every shift, and that’s the way it is.

Secondly, only a few trucks at my depot have driver-facing CCTV, but pretty-much every truck at every other depot does, and it will only be a matter of time before my depot gets them too. The management wants every truck in the fleet to have inward-facing CCTV cameras. Working for this firm will be a very grim experience in a couple of years time.

I’m not being a prima donna, but I would have definitely not taken the job if I’d have known I’d be cab-hopping, and spending the week with a camera in my face, recording my every move. It’s so bloody frustrating when I turned down other jobs at the time, looking back, jobs which would have been much better than this one.

It’s safe to say that I’ll not be in this job for long, but I can maybe stick it out until something else pops-up. It’s not the best job, but it’s not the worst either, it’s just wound me up how I’m cab-hopping, and in the near future expected to accept in-cab CCTV, even as a tramper. When I took this job, at the time I had also been offered another tramping job for a local firm, which in hindsight, I should have bloody taken!

Don’t you just love the UK haulage industry!

2

your on a stay of execution where cameras are concerned,job hop till the day you cant get insurance without having a camera installed,then the final nail goes in the coffin…the last ones to get them fitted will be the cowboy outfits and all the irish,but enjoy till the inevitable happens…the old dudes will leave,the new fannies will accept it.job done within 10 years :unamused:

3

dieseldog999:
the last ones to get them fitted will be the cowboy outfits and all the irish,

I like the way you seperated “cowboy outfits” from “the Irish” :laughing:

4

same horse…different jockeys… :laughing:

5

IMO, inner facing dashcams could actually have the opposite effect to what they are intended as many more experienced drivers will leave, thus increasing the number of less experienced who need the work and can’t shop around, thus in effect increasing the number of claims being made overall by the company who were daft enough to install them.

As for tramping but swapping trucks, not sure how that works? Thought tramping was keeping the same truck all the time? Must admit it’d be a right pain having to do any nights out and having to swap trucks so sounds like you’ve found a rather dysfunctional company there.

6

Sadly the driver facing cameras will without any doubt be the norm rather than the exemption. I’m in absolutely no doubt about that at all.

I’m not saying I agree with them at all but we can all blame the likes of fors and the insurance industry for them.

At the moment we don’t have them but I’ve already been to two meetings where the subject has come up and basically been told it’s the beginning of an industry roll out!

The haulage industry is an easy industry for others to make a lot of money out of. Just look at what we’ve got to put up,with already in terms of cpc, vosa, police, cycling courses, trackers, cameras etc. people are making a lot of money out of us so if anyone on here thinks any of these things will be scraped then think again. If anything I can see a lot more coming our way soon.

7

Coolrider:
Sadly the driver facing cameras will without any doubt be the norm rather than the exemption. I’m in absolutely no doubt about that at all.

I’m not saying I agree with them at all but we can all blame the likes of fors and the insurance industry for them.

At the moment we don’t have them but I’ve already been to two meetings where the subject has come up and basically been told it’s the beginning of an industry roll out!

The haulage industry is an easy industry for others to make a lot of money out of. Just look at what we’ve got to put up,with already in terms of cpc, vosa, police, cycling courses, trackers, cameras etc. people are making a lot of money out of us so if anyone on here thinks any of these things will be scraped then think again. If anything I can see a lot more coming our way soon.

this ^^^^

These companies will buy any old tat.

It appears there are two spare sun beds going in Barbados, already reserved for the snake eyed sharp suited sales bods who comes up with the next load of pointless overpriced chinese electronic tat (which won’t ever work right) to be fitted in fleet lorries, 6 dusky maidens are waiting quietly to serve their every need, so get to it lads, get in that TO and tell them earnestly honest guv just how much they can save spy watch plan track monitor record listen to all from the comfort of their shiny chair.

8

trevHCS:
IMO, inner facing dashcams could actually have the opposite effect to what they are intended as many more experienced drivers will leave, thus increasing the number of less experienced who need the work and can’t shop around, thus in effect increasing the number of claims being made overall by the company who were daft enough to install them.

As for tramping but swapping trucks, not sure how that works? Thought tramping was keeping the same truck all the time? Must admit it’d be a right pain having to do any nights out and having to swap trucks so sounds like you’ve found a rather dysfunctional company there.

That’s the problem, cameras will send people over the edge. My old man is looking at getting back into driving, but if he knows he’ll have a camera pointing at him all day, he’ll think otherwise and stay self-employed. It will put a lot of people off, and push a lot of people over the edge, and out of driving for a living.

Well, the nature of work the firm does is mainly day and night work, but they need a handful of trampers to do the long runs that day men can’t. That’s where I come in. They’re a day and night outfit trying to put a few trampers into the mix, and it isn’t really working. They try and treat trampers like day men. The thing is, when I start my shift, all of the trucks are in the yard, but they still give you a different one every shift, it’s daft. When I say a shift, I get a truck for the week, not swapping every day, that would be madness! :grimacing:

9

No way would I have a camera spying on me. I’d rather give up the job and become a fork truck driver on a set shift pattern. I’ve unplugged the company sat nav as I find the light distracting (it also monitors speeds). Reckon I’ve just about drained the battery now.

10

The-Snowman:

dieseldog999:
the last ones to get them fitted will be the cowboy outfits and all the irish,

I like the way you seperated “cowboy outfits” from “the Irish” :laughing:

Nowt wrong with working for the Irish, cash in hand dispose of the paper tacho on Bulgarion plates :wink:
Or is that just me as a bus driver during the week :wink:

11

As you don’t intend staying there very long, I’d be tempted to put a sticking plaster over the camera lens.
This might just provoke a bit of an argument when it’s discovered giving you an early opportunity to GTFO.

12

axletramp:
As you don’t intend staying there very long, I’d be tempted to put a sticking plaster over the camera lens.
This might just provoke a bit of an argument when it’s discovered giving you an early opportunity to GTFO.

Or clean it with a Brillo pad.

13

A believe a high powered laser pointer might be on my shopping list! :wink:

14

Rottweiler22:
That’s the problem, cameras will send people over the edge.

I don’t think anything about the ones fitted in the trucks I drive, I don’t think any of the couple of hundred drivers who drive the trucks at Howdens either employed or agency care either. Certainly nobody seems to mention it and to my knowledge nobody has had anything said to them about anything seen on them.

I think there’s a lot of “flat earth brigade” going on on this forum with people imagining stuff that doesn’t happen. They’ve got better things to do in the office than watch you scratch your nads and pick your nose.

15

Evil8Beezle:
A believe a high powered laser pointer might be on my shopping list! :wink:

2 quid from Pets at Home :wink:

16

Tris:
No way would I have a camera spying on me. I’d rather give up the job and become a fork truck driver on a set shift pattern. I’ve unplugged the company sat nav as I find the light distracting (it also monitors speeds). Reckon I’ve just about drained the battery now.

Alot of experienced drivers said they would leave with the introduction of the CPC. Admittedly some did but most never and went along with it.

I bet this will be exactly the same and a lot will say they won’t have it and leave but when push comes to shove they will just go with it.

To show you how scary this technology is I’ve got a mate of mine who owns 3 trucks with these driver facing cameras in already. He has the software to not only check the trackers on his mobile phone but also link in to the cameras and watch the driver on his mobile!

17

Tris:
No way would I have a camera spying on me. I’d rather give up the job and become a fork truck driver on a set shift pattern.

So if a job at Howdens came up on £43k plus bonuses plus company pension plus company healthcare insurance came up you and the other halfwits would say you’re not interested because the trucks have cameras fitted?

Riiight.

18

Conor:

Tris:
No way would I have a camera spying on me. I’d rather give up the job and become a fork truck driver on a set shift pattern.

So if a job at Howdens came up on £43k plus bonuses plus company pension plus company healthcare insurance came up you and the other halfwits would say you’re not interested because the trucks have cameras fitted?

Riiight.

You’ve been there 1000000 years Conor. Have you been offered 43k full time yet??

19

Conor:

Tris:
No way would I have a camera spying on me. I’d rather give up the job and become a fork truck driver on a set shift pattern.

So if a job at Howdens came up on £43k plus bonuses plus company pension plus company healthcare insurance came up you and the other halfwits would say you’re not interested because the trucks have cameras fitted?

Riiight.

Is that what you’re on?

Possibly for decent renumeration I might consider it, but for a bog standard low wages job at Maritime I wouldn’t.

20

F-reds:
You’ve been there 1000000 years Conor. Have you been offered 43k full time yet??

Not sure my back is up to going permanent. Been doing full time for the last few weeks and suffering because of it. Really narks me off.