sorry paul, but I think you are winding us all up and I’m surprised people are biting!! you are taking the ■■■■ out us.
PaulLGV1:
Its 2012 and not the good old days, we have rights now and having one shower a week simply makes you unhygenic, that is not acceptable.So it seems like you old dogs are happy to accept that drivers have no welfare and should be treated like idiots. I now realise with attitudes like yours, why we are paid peanuts and have to work 65-70 hours each and every week.
I would be interested to know what VOSA would say if they read all this!
Its 2012 and I’m 28 years old, being driving class one since 2005 so hardly an old dog but I came in to the job knowing what to expect as I’d spent every possible spare day of my childhood in the truck with my dad and things are generally far easier for drivers these days than they once were.
If I were given a rigid to sleep in over night, yes I’d be ■■■■■■ off and annoyed about it, I’d probably have a bit of a tantrum to anyone who would listen but thats just the nature of the job, you didn’t plan for your brakes to set on fire, nor did they. One night of hardship will soon be forgotten about.
As for running in on Saturday morning. Again, its annoying but what can you do about it, you said you’re a tramper and that means you accept you’re not on a scheduled run and cant treat it as such. Most companies Ive worked with, have worked with me and if I wanted to be back on a Friday night, they’d try and see to it that I was but there will always be times when you have to run in on a Saturday and as long as your company aren’t forcing you to break any of the driving regulations, its perfectly legal.
I dont mean to sound condescending, but is being a ‘tramper’ what you really want to do? If it was a nice comfortable life, it wouldn’t have the word ‘tramp’ in it, would it.
PaulLGV1:
The numpty of a yard marshall got the security guard to run over with a powder extinguisher to put out the fire, without my consent.
Powder does not have a significant cooling effect (its specific heat capacity is much lower than water), so any damage caused by the extinguishant cooling brake components is likely to be minimal. Most of the damage will be caused by the fire, where the damage is compounded the longer you leave it burning.
The actions of the security guard in putting the fire out could have saved the unit or even the entire vehicle. Brake fires can be nasty and you have limited ability to observe what is happening. If you misjudge it whilst waiting, you could be held responsible in the tort of negligence, as you had foreseen the possibility of the fire taking hold by considering and then deferring the decision to use an extinguisher.
If you had stood by and more serious damage resulted, you could have been sued for the cost of that damage.
PaulLGV1:
Ok to the point, my bosses insisted that my cab be taken from me to be sent for repairs overnight so then it would be fixed for me in the morning.
It’s not your cab, it’s your employer’s vehicle. You have no right to insist on sleeping in your regular bunk when the vehicle is at the depot and can be ready for use in the morning if taken to the workshop now.
PaulLGV1:
They gave me a rigid to sleep in. After the fire to the time I dropped my trailer and got parked up in my cab then pulled my card I was pretty much on 15 hours on duty time. I had to wait another 45 mins or so after I pulled my card before they got a rigid to me.
They found you a truck to sleep in. Arguably they have gone beyond what is required - they could have asked you to make your own arrangements for the night at their expense. I doubt your contract provides an absolute guarantee of a sleeper cab for nights out, and even if it does the employer could argue force majeure, i.e. matters outside their control.
PaulLGV1:
One more question I have, if on a Friday my company cant guarentee that I will be home on the Friday evening and will have to work Saturday to get home, am I well within my rights to refuse to do the job that will put me out of hours so I would be unable to reach home on the Friday?
What does your contract say? Unless your contract guarantees you will be home on Friday night, you have no right to take measures to guarantee it.
Just think about it for a minute. Assuming that driving on Saturday will not put you outside your hours by cutting into a required weekly rest, you are demanding that your employer doesn’t use a driver they are paying for the Friday unless they can guarantee to get you home. I’d be very surprised if your contract gave you the right to say, “Sorry boss, I’m unlikely to get back to base on that run so I’m taking Friday off on full pay. See you Monday.”
PaulLGV1:
Hi all,Im new here having just joined so hi to all.
Anyway, I have a gripe with my employer. Im an artic driver for a company that has a few depots. Im a tramper and the other day I arrived at the companies main depot having been on duty for around 14 hrs and 10 mins or so. I was away from home so will be on a night out. As I pulled up at the yards gate I had to stop and I then noticed that my units front n/s brake was on fire. The numpty of a yard marshall got the security guard to run over with a powder extinguisher to put out the fire, without my consent.
Ok to the point, my bosses insisted that my cab be taken from me to be sent for repairs overnight so then it would be fixed for me in the morning. They gave me a rigid to sleep in. After the fire to the time I dropped my trailer and got parked up in my cab then pulled my card I was pretty much on 15 hours on duty time. I had to wait another 45 mins or so after I pulled my card before they got a rigid to me.
At first I refused to accept sleeping in someone elses cab and that the repairs should be done in the morning as I had just done a 15 hour shift. Who is in the right about this?
One more question I have, if on a Friday my company cant guarentee that I will be home on the Friday evening and will have to work Saturday to get home, am I well within my rights to refuse to do the job that will put me out of hours so I would be unable to reach home on the Friday?
Thanks for any advice you may give me, Paul.
Calling BS on this…Only people who do not drive lorries call a tractor unit a cab, another dreamer 
Brakes do get hot if you drive like a ■■■■■
Saaamon:
Brakes do get hot if you drive like a [zb].
Yeah they do, hot enough to catch fire, a failed wheel bearing can also cause a wheel fire 
BUT, lorry drivers do not call tractor units a cab 
I still dont see what his problem is, so you got a little late to your bed because you had to sleep in a different truck…so what [zb] happens
if you want to get home on a friday get a job where you get home every night then your garunteed a friday finish.
PaulLGV1:
Brake linings are on fire, no more than that. Using anything on brakes that hot can cause more damage. Your best to supervise the small fire and take action if it spreads.
.
This has to be the funniest thing I’ve read for a while…Don’t put the fire out,let it burn until it gets too much.
I second Newmercmans motion.
ady1:
one of our trampers recently came off a job as he was getting one shower a week
I didn’t know City Link had trampers
i thought city link used subbies to pull their trailers :S
newmercman:
Saaamon:
Brakes do get hot if you drive like a [zb].Yeah they do, hot enough to catch fire, a failed wheel bearing can also cause a wheel fire
BUT, lorry drivers do not call tractor units a cab
More likely to be described as unit or zb’ing unit in the case of break downs or catching fire or parked somewhere in the yard where it’s been blocked in by a load of others with the keys in the office. 
gogzy:
i thought city link used subbies to pull their trailers :S
They do, Eddie Stobart
mickyblue:
ady1:
PaulLGV1:
Hi all,Im new here having just joined so hi to all.
Anyway, I have a gripe with my employer. Im an artic driver for a company that has a few depots. Im a tramper and the other day I arrived at the companies main depot having been on duty for around 14 hrs and 10 mins or so. I was away from home so will be on a night out. As I pulled up at the yards gate I had to stop and I then noticed that my units front n/s brake was on fire. The numpty of a yard marshall got the security guard to run over with a powder extinguisher to put out the fire, without my consent.
Ok to the point, my bosses insisted that my cab be taken from me to be sent for repairs overnight so then it would be fixed for me in the morning. They gave me a rigid to sleep in. After the fire to the time I dropped my trailer and got parked up in my cab then pulled my card I was pretty much on 15 hours on duty time. I had to wait another 45 mins or so after I pulled my card before they got a rigid to me.
At first I refused to accept sleeping in someone elses cab and that the repairs should be done in the morning as I had just done a 15 hour shift. Who is in the right about this?
One more question I have, if on a Friday my company cant guarentee that I will be home on the Friday evening and will have to work Saturday to get home, am I well within my rights to refuse to do the job that will put me out of hours so I would be unable to reach home on the Friday?
Thanks for any advice you may give me, Paul.
one of our trampers recently came off a job as he was getting one shower a week
Didn’t no people who drive Citylink vans tramp out in them
Was just thinking the same. 
PaulLGV1:
Its 2012 and not the good old days, we have rights now and having one shower a week simply makes you unhygenic, that is not acceptable.So it seems like you old dogs are happy to accept that drivers have no welfare and should be treated like idiots. I now realise with attitudes like yours, why we are paid peanuts and have to work 65-70 hours each and every week.
I would be interested to know what VOSA would say if they read all this!
I’m seeing a contradiction in your comments. Yes it’s 2012 and we have rights but if you’re tramping all week only getting 1 shower looks like poor planing on your part. I don’t night out anymore but have done in the past. Rarely did I ever go more than 1 day without a shower be it at a services, home depot, or rarely client premises. Always got a wash as a minimum before turning in for the night.
Rover woof woof!!
Jesus wept, turn up at a depot with the truck alight, didn’t have a clue it was on fire and then complains when the security bod, who it seems does have a brain, puts the fire out.
Nip down to the nick, hand your licence in and get the hell away from trucks.
I don’t think he’s real either.
Not going well is it Paul!
Juddian:
Jesus wept, turn up at a depot with the truck alight, didn’t have a clue it was on fire and then complains when the security bod, who it seems does have a brain, puts the fire out.Nip down to the nick, hand your licence in and get the hell away from trucks.
I don’t think he’s real either.
well said.
it’s the new breed of driver. when i retire i might as well be dead, there will be no food to eat, there will be no clothes to wear. all because we have to rely on pricks like this.
limeyphil:
Juddian:
Jesus wept, turn up at a depot with the truck alight, didn’t have a clue it was on fire and then complains when the security bod, who it seems does have a brain, puts the fire out.Nip down to the nick, hand your licence in and get the hell away from trucks.
I don’t think he’s real either.
well said.
it’s the new breed of driver. when i retire i might as well be dead, there will be no food to eat, there will be no clothes to wear. all because we have to rely on pricks like this.
Tell it like it is Phil, dont hold back
i must admit i like a moan as much as the next fella but to have a go at someone for putting out your brakes■■? and yes i guess at the time i would maybe have whinged about sleeping in another cab but then decided its 1 night, extreme circumstances etc etc. as for the sat running in like so many have said before if you dont like it change jobs. i think you may be in the wrong employment as a driver as its often a case of ■■■■ happens deal with it .
newmercman:
Saaamon:
Brakes do get hot if you drive like a [zb].Yeah they do, hot enough to catch fire, a failed wheel bearing can also cause a wheel fire
A seized caliper that’s not releasing fully can do as well, although you might not feel it binding on the disc it can generate enough heat in the hub to boil the grease and then melt the hub seal, hot liquid grease then leaks onto red hot disc, whoosh bye bye truck
As for running in Saturday morning, its what I’d prefer to do rather than the frustrating stop start my way home on a Friday afternoon. I’d be parked by 4.30 pm most Friday afternoons, good snooze for an hour or two, something to eat then telly or tinternet till bedtime, then a blissfully quiet run home on a Saturday morning 