I have just started my 1st artic job after a few years driving rigids. After my first week of the expected shinanigans (reversing madness and gearbox crunching misdemeanours) I am a bit miffed.
The job is driving bulk haulage tippers carrying loads of chicken litter from farms all over Scotland to a power station where they burn it. Sounds fair enough - apart from the hen ■■■■ right?
But here’s where things seem a bit off to me:
We are expected to go pedal to the metal all the time regardless of speed limits. Of course they can’t tell you to speed, but they can push you and push you cos you’re not going fast enough.
We are expected to drive to our legal tacograph limits. Especially on nights out, where we can be sent to the far north of scotland and drive till we reach our 15 hour daily limit (if we are within our 9/10 hour driving limit) then take out our chart on the farm and work on to load ourselves at night and the set off again as soon as our alloted daily rest is up. The day I had an 18 hour day, finishing at midnight and then set off at 6 next morning.
Our working week is usually 70 to 80 hours.
The TM wont pay for truckstops because we aren’t hauling anything worth stealing (unless you have a chicken-■■■■ fetish, anyone? )
Now I don’t go much over the speed limit regardless of what the TM says. It’s my license on the line and if he doesn’t like it, he can shove his job and that’s that.
But as for the working hours, I’m not sure. All my previous jobs have been local daytime deliveries or removals where, on a night out, you do your 12 hour day and then park up at the nearest available truckstop for a well earned shower and hot dinner and pint. So I don’t know whether this is the norm.
What do you guys make of it? Thinkin of jackin it. But is the grass always greener?[/list]
I drive a bulk tipper. We only work on the card. If I am loading/tipping the card is in. If i choose to park in a truckstop/MSA i am not paying. You may have nothing worth stealing on the lorry but how many times can he afford to lose a tank of diesel. Tell him to shove it where the sun dont shine.
You know for a fact as well if anything were to happen he would wash his hands of it and deny ever telling you that. Dont do any work related to that vehicle with the tacho removed, we need our rest… I agree, tell him to shove it!!!
you are only allowed to work 15 hours a day 3 times a week and 13 the other2 days you can work a sixth day at 13 if need be but compensation as to be made up.
working 18 hours a day is no good for your health never mind illegal.if he makes you do that then a phone call to the commisioner is required.
if you get caught doing this you could lose your entitlement to drive hgv’s.
I’ve done this week, 15 and quarter hours monday, 10 and half Tues, 10 weds, 13 and half thurs, 12 and quarter friday (61 and half total). Thats about average for the last 7 or 8weeks to be honest and I’m pretty tired all weekend. So without having to shovel ■■■■ its bad enough; your health is more important than that ■■■■-taking boss!
You could try working to the law and when he complains and threatens to sack you tell him if you get the sack your first stop is the ministry.
You might find by standing up to him he will back down or maybe it’ll get worse, but he cannot make you work over your hours. Breaks are at the drivers request, if you feel you need to stop work after 12 or 13 hours then you stop, it’s a road safety issue.
agree with every one on this thread jack it in lostpup,there are better jobs out there.i know one driver who lives next to me and he carries dead animals horses,sheep etc and because they are classed as working for the goverment they are exempt from tacho rules and regulations.this means he can work all hours god sends if its required.that company might be the same but i would still jack it in.
We are expected to drive to our legal tacograph limits. Especially on nights out, where we can be sent to the far north of scotland and drive till we reach our 15 hour daily limit (if we are within our 9/10 hour driving limit) then take out our chart on the farm and work on to load ourselves at night and the set off again as soon as our alloted daily rest is up. The day I had an 18 hour day, finishing at midnight and then set off at 6 next morning
Id tell him to stick that up his [ZB]! For what its worth, I think the sooner reduced rests got banned the better, I hate this 9 hours off garbage. But what do they numbnuts in power go for? The other extreme and the bleedin WTD at 9 and a half hours a day! Better we go back to 8 driving and a 12 hour day, and 12 off a day, the job still got done. The bloke youre working for sounds toss to me Pup, and the others that are doing that garbage for him.
Get out! If the ministry find out you’ll get hit hard. I remember 6 months back when I was on containers I nearly got caught up in a so-called scam that many drivers were doing at the container ports. Not mentioning any company names of course, but two big container companies were using the other work and rest modes for driving (apparently if you don’t exceed 20mph you can get away with “other work” Sounds like urban myth to me) and using rest mode for waiting on pad for container lifting etc. The ministry got to hear about it and set up camp on Trinity and Landguard for a few weeks and nailed literally hundreds of drivers doing this by looking at their cards.
I’ve certainly been guilty of the rest mode whilst sitting on the pad (haven’t we all?) but not the other work mode.
A similar thing happened not so long ago at LIDL. Drivers were backing on to the bays, setting rest mode, then going on and unloading their wagons. Came back out 45 mins later and pulled off away down the road. Ministry man says lets have a look at your chart; sees 45 minute rest on it and says, "so who unloaded the wagon " Errrrr… Gotcha.
There you go. Defo get out of that. Imho, 9hrs ACTUAL rest isn’t enough, ie. between finishing driving and recommencing. Maybe it’s cause I’m getting old or just like the bunk in my FH but I do look forward to a good 10hrs proper sleep !!
Rob, I asked about this very thing in the taco forum, running about the docks on other duties, and I didnt get a 100% definate answer.
So, if I read it right, thats what those 2 big firms drivers got done for was exactly that? As for break on the pad, guilty as are most box jockeys! iM going to have a rethink after what youve posted here though.
Again, like everyone has previously said, your licence is whats at stake.
My personal attitude is to look after No. 1. I’m trying to get my head round all the laws, and not to break any of them.
I know my licence is my livly hood for the next 40 years, so if anyone tells me to break the law, they know where they can insert their truck!!
My current problem is drivers mates getting funny with 45 min breaks, as all the other drivers drive on the rest setting. Last week, I did do the naughty and misused the rest mode, then later wasn’t on the ball, and clipped an overhanging roof!! Ooops
Mat G:
My current problem is drivers mates getting funny with 45 min breaks, as all the other drivers drive on the rest setting. Last week, I did do the naughty and misused the rest mode, then later wasn’t on the ball, and clipped an overhanging roof!! Ooops
Give me a solo run any day!!
ok itr may just be me but i thought that when on rest it still would show up that the vehicle was moved etc so therefore how can that get around the rest period and still driving ■■?
My personal attitude is to look after No. 1. I’m trying to get my head round all the laws, and not to break any of them.
I know my licence is my livly hood for the next 40 years, so if anyone tells me to break the law, they know where they can insert their truck!!
Can’t get away with driving on rest break doh, because the speed and mileage trace shows on the tacho! You’re looking at a hefty fine when your charts go for analysis (if they do) or when the Ministry pay an unannounced visit or even if you get stopped at a VOSA check. You’re going to find yourself in a large pile of trouble and grief before too long
it also shows a different trace compaired to the drive mode, the officals will point this out to the said driver when his tacho report comes back.if they ever get one.
Well I did it. I told my boss today that I was packing it in. He asked why and I told him. He didn’t argue, he just told me I didn’t need to work a weeks notice if I didn’t want to. Me thinks he wanted shot of me quick so he could get someone else in who would do the work without giving him any grief.
So, tomorrow (Tuesday), is my last day. On Wednesday morning I have an appointment at Driver Hire and in the afternoon I have an interview for a class2 job at a local car-accessory distributor. The rest of the day will be spent going round as many haulage firms as I can find whoring myself in the hope I can get a job - but not bulk haulage or tippers!!!
)
but i would still jack it in. 
Gotcha.
I was also guilty of it 
Not on boxes at the moment so no problems there now.
