Hi all!
Just looking for people’s input and experience of tanker companies.
I’ve been offered a job with Hoyer, happy with that, but I made the mistake of reading the reviews on job sites and it’s certainly making me think. I know people are more likely to write bad reviews than good ones most of the time as there’s the incentive to let the world know how bad a job is 
I’m just wondering if there’s anyone there that can offer a balanced opinion.
Btw this is my first tanker job and no experience, no PDP currently…and this is based in Grangemouth.
Thanks for any replies in advance.
G.
The one thing that I always think if when it comes to Hoyer is losing pay for delays on the road.
I dont know how much but its the one thing that always springs to mind when I think of them.
Sometimes you have to walk before you can run, this is your path into tankers, seldom in a specialist part of the industry do you get a start as a newby at the top of the industry, like all of us its getting your feet under the table prove yourself and move up as and when, whether within said company or moving on with learned skills.
The few times Hoyer have come up here it’s shown that drivers can earn well, but that shift patterns (thinking mainly fuel here) can be pretty dire, if you can cope with the shifts you can earn a decent wage and learn the game, i understand they don’t suffer fools gladly which is sensible far as i can see with tanker work.
They are a contract haulier in a competitive sector, i doubt if any of the other contractors are much different, it’s in the diminishing world of own account that the best terms can be found…sadly some drivers lack the nous to realise when they have good packages and seem to be doing their best to ruin those last remaining premium jobs so they too will probably end up being handed over to some contractor or other in due course.
Hoyer don’t appear to have a massive turnover of staff, so must be doing something right.
I personally wouldn’t leave my present job and go work for them (purely for the shifts, the money is decent enough IMHO), but then if i left my present job and started again as a newby i too would have to start at the bottom once more and work my up to a decent package of shifts/pay.
I have no idea if they have driver facing cameras, or if that’s an issue for you.
As for reviews, i’m yet to work with anyone who’s left a specific review about a company they left, maybe try and read between the lines of those comments and work out if you would employ the person leaving the review yourself.
Thanks for the replies.
Toonsy, what do you mean by losing money due to hold ups? This is a new sector for me so not entirely sure how it works compared to my present work.
Yes, I realise I have to start at the bottom as the new boy…a hard concept at my age but something I will deal with. Shift work is just another acceptance if I want to work with fuel tankers at this time.
Don’t know if they have Driver facing cameras but I’ve been told by one of their ADI’s that they check the tacho info stringently and regularly. My present company has just started to introduce Driver facing cameras to newer units ( I believe there’s a thread here about it) I’m not sure how I feel about it, I can see both sides of the argument, but do feel intruded upon if my unit had one fitted.
As for the reviews…I try to read between the lines
gregm171:
Thanks for the replies.
Toonsy, what do you mean by losing money due to hold ups? This is a new sector for me so not entirely sure how it works compared to my present work.Yes, I realise I have to start at the bottom as the new boy…a hard concept at my age but something I will deal with. Shift work is just another acceptance if I want to work with fuel tankers at this time.
Don’t know if they have Driver facing cameras but I’ve been told by one of their ADI’s that they check the tacho info stringently and regularly. My present company has just started to introduce Driver facing cameras to newer units ( I believe there’s a thread here about it) I’m not sure how I feel about it, I can see both sides of the argument, but do feel intruded upon if my unit had one fitted.
As for the reviews…I try to read between the lines
I went from earning over 1K a week as an Ops manager for a meat processing plant in 2008 to earning 24K a year for driving class 1 in my first driving job.
I had a team of many and then I became a member of a team of a few and was just a dogs body and treated like dirt by the customers of the haulage company…Thankfully my manager knew eventually just what I was capable of and responded well…We were singing from the same sheet, but it took a while and it was hard to take the ■■■■, especially as I had savings and did not need the job…But I wanted to drive to know what it was like.
I did it full time for 18 months and then semi retired and now pick and choose.
I have a massive respect for those that do it full time, as it is something I could never do and the thought of tramping leaves me bone cold.
I have done many things in my many careers and always started at the bottom, I have enjoyed it all and every day has been a learning day, as it should be in life…I love different in every way and relish the challenge it brings, the day I stop learning is the day I turn up my toes.
I wish you all the success in what it is you are doing and hope you shall relish it all, as though it was a new ■■■■■ that needed taming 
Tude:
I went from earning over 1K a week as an Ops manager fa meat processing plant in 2008 to earning 24K a year for driving class 1 in my first driving job.
I had a team of many and then I became a member of a team of a few and was just a dogs body and treated like dirt by the customers of the haulage company…Thankfully my manager knew eventually just what I was capable of and responded well…We were singing from the same sheet, but it took a while and it was hard to take the [zb], especially as I had savings and did not need the job…But I wanted to drive to know what it was like.
I did it full time for 18 months and then semi retired and now pick and choose.
I have a massive respect for those that do it full time, as it is something I could never do and the thought of tramping leaves me bone cold.
I have done many things in my many careers and always started at the bottom, I have enjoyed it all and every day has been a learning day, as it should be in life…I love different in every way and relish the challenge it brings, the day I stop learning is the day I turn up my toes.I wish you all the success in what it is you are doing and hope you shall relish it all, as though it was a new ■■■■■ that needed taming
Cheers for that Tude!
Yes, I’ve come into this industry via engineering, and made a shed load more money than I do now - with a 37hr week. So it was one helluva shock to the system when I started my first fulltime driving job!
Learning is good and I know I have much to learn with this new direction, but look forward to it! 
gregm171:
Thanks for the replies.
Toonsy, what do you mean by losing money due to hold ups? This is a new sector for me so not entirely sure how it works compared to my present work.
I think you don’t get paid if you get delayed in traffic but cant remember how long for or even if it still happens. Will have a look into it.
Edit: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=163610&p=2645635&hilit=Hoyer#p2645635
Its only a small confirmation but still. Best thing to do is go and find out I guess.
toonsy:
I think you don’t get paid if you get delayed in traffic but cant remember how long for or even if it still happens. Will have a look into it.Edit: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=163610&p=2645635&hilit=Hoyer#p2645635
Its only a small confirmation but still. Best thing to do is go and find out I guess.
Tbh I don’t remember seeing anything about that in my contact 
Hardly seems fair! Not as if I’m going to intentionally drive into traffic to be held up!
gregm171:
toonsy:
I think you don’t get paid if you get delayed in traffic but cant remember how long for or even if it still happens. Will have a look into it.Edit: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=163610&p=2645635&hilit=Hoyer#p2645635
Its only a small confirmation but still. Best thing to do is go and find out I guess.
Tbh I don’t remember seeing anything about that in my contact
As I say mate it might not be a real thing now, they may have done away with it, it might be a certain depot etc etc but it always something I think of when someone says Hoyer.
That and rancid shift patterns 
Many pay schemes you end up penalised for delays, if you ain’t making progress you aint delivering so your bonuses are suffering, its nothing new.
I can’t see them actually deducting pay for being stuck in a traffic jam, there is more to this story.
toonsy:
That and rancid shift patterns
Oh thanks for that one 
Juddian:
Many pay schemes you end up penalised for delays, if you ain’t making progress you aint delivering so your bonuses are suffering, its nothing new.I can’t see them actually deducting pay for being stuck in a traffic jam, there is more to this story.
Yes, I dare say there is!
There is a few bonuses to be made, maybe there’s penalties clauses there.
If that was employed in my present job, being stuck waiting at many delivery sites, I wouldn’t make money…and my boss would have more to buy more nags!
gregm171:
toonsy:
I think you don’t get paid if you get delayed in traffic but cant remember how long for or even if it still happens. Will have a look into it.Edit: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=163610&p=2645635&hilit=Hoyer#p2645635
Its only a small confirmation but still. Best thing to do is go and find out I guess.
Tbh I don’t remember seeing anything about that in my contact
I dont know if Hoyer is like this but other firms are.
e.g.
You have a base rate of say 24k that you will get no matter what.
But you make all your bonuses by getting deliveries done quick and without accidents.
So, if you get stuck in traffic you will struggle to make your bonuses. So, they dont exactly penalise you for being stuck in traffic. But the traffic does impact your earning potential.
Personally, I think in the fuel delivery game you shouldnt encourage people to rush but it is what it is. Same is true for transporter jobs I believe.
Don’t let it put you off though, can earn decent money on tankers.
As for reading reviews… They are very biased.
People tend to leave reviews of jobs if they had a bad experience or hate it.
People who get on with it or are content with the job dont tend to leave reviews.
adam277:
So, if you get stuck in traffic you will struggle to make your bonuses. So, they dont exactly penalise you for being stuck in traffic. But the traffic does impact your earning potential.
Yes, that was my interpretation of it.
adam277:
Personally, I think in the fuel delivery game you shouldnt encourage people to rush but it is what it is.
Yes, again I completely agree with you. To me it’s madness to encourage rushing around with a potential bomb!
adam277:
Don’t let it put you off though, can earn decent money on tankers.
Thanks for that, and I won’t!
adam277:
As for reading reviews… They are very biased.
People tend to leave reviews of jobs if they had a bad experience or hate it.
People who get on with it or are content with the job dont tend to leave reviews.
Yep, completely agree! It’s just good to hear other people’s opinions and experiences.
Fuel tanker bingo. “Potential bomb” checked off.
Waiting for “instrument of death” now
Nothing to do with you OP, its just something I often hear with fuel tankers
When people say that they lose pay for being stuck in traffic, the way it works is that they pay you an ‘expected job rate’, so if they expect a job to take 4 hours, they will give you 4 hours pay for it. If it takes longer, then tough luck, you’re out of pocket. They do allow leeway of 15 minutes if I remember correctly. They also don’t count time dealing with breakdowns etc, but you have to report them straight away.
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Hi Greg, can’t be a lot of help but I did know a Hoyer driver that worked out of Grangemouth a few years ago. He was extremely happy with the job and especially the pay and conditions.
EG One of his shifts was leaving Grangemouth early evening and one petrol delivery near Dundee. That was his evenings work and he said most of the shifts were that way.
Agree there is more to the getting held up in traffic nonsense and pay being deducted.
jakethesnake:
Hi Greg, can’t be a lot of help but I did know a Hoyer driver that worked out of Grangemouth a few years ago. He was extremely happy with the job and especially the pay and conditions.
EG One of his shifts was leaving Grangemouth early evening and one petrol delivery near Dundee. That was his evenings work and he said most of the shifts were that way.
Agree there is more to the getting held up in traffic nonsense and pay being deducted.
Thanks for the info.
Yes, from the contract offer, pay and conditions seem fair to me! That’s why I was wondering what all the negative comments were about. Was wondering if there was more to it than disgruntled ex- employees.