Ever wondered why the average driver’s age seems to be getting older?
It illustrates how awful drivers’wages have become. If you asked the average office worker to work silly hours at night they simply wouldn’t do it. Factor in ■■■■■ money and they wouldn’t tolerate it…I know of several under 21’s that earn more money than that in 9-5 tea making jobs
Why do drivers put up with it? 
Because we have no balls…! Minimum should be £11/hr all classes I think
Pimpdaddy:
Because we have no balls…! Minimum should be £11/hr all classes I think
i agree, with the licences, and knowledge we need along with responsibility of driving something soo large on busy over crowded roads.
im on £10.50 ph for the first 48 then 1.5 after. i would not drive for less, ive spoken to a driver from a yorkshire haulier who is on mim wage ( £6.20 ) i told him i would refer work for mcdonalds for that, Atleast in mcdonalds you can climb the ladder to manager unlike trucking.
Yeh, but “manager” at McCrapalds is £7.20 or something pitiful isn’t it?
Even the Area manager for the whole of the wesern hemisphere is probably still on less than a tenner…
Not far from me there is one of the many ‘pallet’ companies, these pay their Artic Drivers £6.50 P/H for the first 9 hours then it goes up to £9 P/H. Most of their Drivers stay out, even if they are only a few miles from base, just for the extra £20 per night.
It’s all bollox now, the Eastern Europeans have helped kill this Industry.
If the add states “Competitive Pay Rates”, then it’s pretty much guaranteed the rates are going to be pee poor.
Yorkysays:-:
Not far from me there is one of the many ‘pallet’ companies, these pay their Artic Drivers £6.50 P/H for the first 9 hours then it goes up to £9 P/H. Most of their Drivers stay out, even if they are only a few miles from base, just for the extra £20 per night.
It’s all bollox now, the Eastern Europeans have helped kill this Industry.
It ain’t the fault of the East Europeans Yorky but the politicians that let them in. The UK was the only EU country that didn’t have an East European safety net.
berewic:
It ain’t the fault of the East Europeans Yorky but the politicians that let them in. The UK was the only EU country that didn’t have an East European safety net.
I take your point berewic, but you’ve devalued it by trying to support it with a piece of fiction.
There were four member states that had no employment restrictions for the new member states in 2004. They were: Cyprus, Sweden, UK/NI and Ireland. 
And as a proportion of the total polpulation (although less in absolute number), Ireland got more.
A firm i used to work for were paying £7.10p/h for first 40 hrs, then after 5 months probation it went up to £7.25p/h for first 40 hrs. I was desperate for work so i did it till i found something better. Now on a tenner an hour, start 6am, earlier if i wish, mostly 2 drops a day in the same town, then back to depot. Drop my empty, pick up a full trailer, secure the load, lock up go home. Usually done for 2pm, but some days i do end up wth a 12 hour day.
I am salaried - £26k p.a. and contracted to do 47 hours a week (although I actually end up doing a bit less than that most weeks) which works out to £10.60 per hour. That’s a Class 2 rate - other drivers who only do Class 2 get the same money - but I drive Class 1 or 2 depending on what needs doing on the day (company put me through my Class 1 test three years ago). Hard work on the rigids though - 10-12 drops a day, typically 300-400 kilos each and usually has to be carried into private houses (normally upstairs) 20kg at a time, so there’s a fair amount of physical work. It doesn’t bother me that the Class 1 work only pays the same as it’s much less demanding 
Roymondo:
I am salaried - £26k p.a. and contracted to do 47 hours a week (although I actually end up doing a bit less than that most weeks) which works out to £10.60 per hour. That’s a Class 2 rate - other drivers who only do Class 2 get the same money - but I drive Class 1 or 2 depending on what needs doing on the day (company put me through my Class 1 test three years ago). Hard work on the rigids though - 10-12 drops a day, typically 300-400 kilos each and usually has to be carried into private houses (normally upstairs) 20kg at a time, so there’s a fair amount of physical work. It doesn’t bother me that the Class 1 work only pays the same as it’s much less demanding
Brakes or 3663 (sorry I mean bidvest)
waynedl:
Brakes or 3663 (sorry I mean bidvest)
Don’t think they do many deliveries into private houses? It’s pretty much all trade/catering establishments, isn’t it?
Roymondo:
waynedl:
Brakes or 3663 (sorry I mean bidvest)Don’t think they do many deliveries into private houses? It’s pretty much all trade/catering establishments, isn’t it?
Possibly, not sure, only lasted a day with Brakes on the Class 2’s, I’m not lazy but god that’s hard work to very unappreciative clients = sod that.
Fresh Direct? Not sure.
Was the wages that made me say Brakes, they often advertise 26k around here, which is excellent money, especially for Class 2 - not that I find that makes any difference.
I often encounter Brakes at schools, the drivers are mostly fairly young and they run quite a lot.I dont think that I am suited to it either.
I drive for Baxter healthcare - although I’m actually employed by DHL.
Where I’m at, we get £80 a shift job & finish. The shortest shift is four hour’s, the longest works out at about nine, maybe ten.
The hardest part is opening the curtains, then believe it or not, we’re expected to close them again before we all scoot off home.
Six days a week with two days off.
Oxford if anyone’s looking, they’re not adverse to newbies either. So far they’ve taken on three and only one has turned out to be near useless, the other two are doing just fine.