shytalk:
Totaly illegal, you are a company representative =driver…there on there behalf…not yours you are paid a wage to drive and other duties loading unloading, waiting time is there problem not the drivers, ring in of course but its down to the company to kick the customers arse and get things moving…charge demurage after a specific time…it works with container shipping lines. if the driver is there on time for his slot why should you have to wait for hours ? if your late to your pick up or drop they soon kick off…
But if you don’t let them know you’re waiting they don’t know they’ve got a problem!! All they’re asking is you ring them to let them know
Do you not feel that every 20 minutes is a little excessive though?
Yep, phone the office if you are delayed 20/30 minutes, then I would ring in after about an hour & a half.
My place ask you to ring on arrival, if there a vehicles in front or you can’t be tipped for a while they ask you to let them know, they provide cab phones in most vehicles although if there isn’t on the provide a mobile, I prefer to use my mobile, I get unlimited minutes anyway and I can used my headset.
They ask us to “keep them informed” I just tell them I’ll ring when I’m on bay or in an hour whichever is sooner. They don’t particularly like it but I take my brakes while waiting usually to help get the job done, so I’ll be on the bed getting some kip.
martinviking:
Can’t understand drivers with ‘I’m not using my own phone’ attitude !
Most of us have got a company phone or our own phone or Smart phone on contract, with free minutes. If the office don’t answer I just email one of the planers, that way, there’s electronic evidence that you did all you could to contact the office. (Costs me nothing ! Except a few ‘Free’ minutes ! that ultimately the company paid for anyway !) You could always go in the Dole !!!
So your telling me that if your company don’t provide you with a phone to make calls about THEIR business, you use your own because you have free minutes?
Well then I think you must be on another planet.
No wonder the industry is going ■■■■ up with the likes of you subsidising a haulage companies profits.
I have unlimited minutes on MY phone, and with the exception of one of our agency’s clients, who I bill a set charge per day, with the agency’s agreement, I call NONE of our other customers if there is no phone.
Jesus. Next you’ll be paying for the bloody diesel for the truck.
Truckbling:
Totally illegal unless it is written into the contract of employment. They can not make deductions from your pay without your written consent.
No doubt there will be a long queue of drivers willing to sign up to this one. They only get away with it because drivers let them.
I think you should name and shame the company.
Absolutely spot on. Deductions cannot be made unless written permission is given.
What the company will be hoping, is that nobody will question the notice, thinking that all of their drivers are too thick to challenge it.
Juddian:
On the other hand, maybe the company have asked drivers to keep them informed of delays and as usual a ■■■■■■■■ of muppetts can’t be arsed.
With some people the only thing they understand or are interested in is their pocket, the well being and future of the company they’re too thick to see matters to everyone including them, the threat of the pocket being hit will wake most up.
Very difficult to deal properly with unreasonable often depressed arses, you can’t have a normal discussion with them they usually hate the job but won’t leave, they do the rest of the workforce no good and cost the company serious money, yes we know the reasonable company should weed them out asap but the plonkers somehow manage to behave themselves till they’ve been employed long enough for job protection legislation to kick in then they start the stress related sickies…bloody useless people.
Are you a gaffer ?
I’m not but I agree with him. Drivers are their own worst enemies. Was talking to a planner in our office a while back and he was telling me you’d be amazed at how many drivers think its ok to sit at a customer for 2 hours and more without saying a thing, sometimes when their next drop is only 5/10 km down the road. This sounds like its trying to scare drivers into action to me.
And just to add I imagine like many our company has agreements with many customers to pay for waiting time. But this must be notified at the time so the customer can try and hurry things up. If the driver doesn’t tell anyone the waiting time obviously isn’t paid for. We all work for the same thing, pay at the end of the week. So its handy if we all help each other.
Juddian:
On the other hand, maybe the company have asked drivers to keep them informed of delays and as usual a ■■■■■■■■ of muppetts can’t be arsed.
With some people the only thing they understand or are interested in is their pocket, the well being and future of the company they’re too thick to see matters to everyone including them, the threat of the pocket being hit will wake most up.
Very difficult to deal properly with unreasonable often depressed arses, you can’t have a normal discussion with them they usually hate the job but won’t leave, they do the rest of the workforce no good and cost the company serious money, yes we know the reasonable company should weed them out asap but the plonkers somehow manage to behave themselves till they’ve been employed long enough for job protection legislation to kick in then they start the stress related sickies…bloody useless people.
1
Juddian:
[I don’t read it as every 20 minutes, i assume it means 20 minutes after arriving at a drop if no action then phone in.
Sounds entirely reasonable to me.
.
Still agree with you
Juddian:
thehairyarsedtrucker:
Juddian:
Are you a gaffer ?
Nope just another hairy arsed driver who happens to have a very good job, and appreciates it, and tries his best like anyone with an ounce of sense to make sure the job lasts.
I’d never make a gaffer, couldn’t put up with the childish petty wingeing of so many.
You my brother
Tried shop stewarding, you just end up in dispair at you colleagues attitudes
martinviking:
Can’t understand drivers with ‘I’m not using my own phone’ attitude !
Most of us have got a company phone or our own phone or Smart phone on contract, with free minutes. If the office don’t answer I just email one of the planers, that way, there’s electronic evidence that you did all you could to contact the office. (Costs me nothing ! Except a few ‘Free’ minutes ! that ultimately the company paid for anyway !) You could always go in the Dole !!!
So your telling me that if your company don’t provide you with a phone to make calls about THEIR business, you use your own because you have free minutes?
Well then I think you must be on another planet.
No wonder the industry is going ■■■■ up with the likes of you subsidising a haulage companies profits.
I have unlimited minutes on MY phone, and with the exception of one of our agency’s clients, who I bill a set charge per day, with the agency’s agreement, I call NONE of our other customers if there is no phone.
Jesus. Next you’ll be paying for the bloody diesel for the truck.
Ken.
Here we go !
Obviously, I am responsible for the decline in the Haulage Sector !
If you read the post, I stated that “Most of us have a ‘Company phone’ as well as our personal phones”
I do use my phone occasionally but on the whole I use their phone.
The point I was making, was the fact that some ‘Drivers’ can’t be bothered to contact the office with these delays, making it even more difficult to run an already busy office. I like to try & organise my day to suit me, not be a pain in the arse by not letting the office second guess where I am.
Yours Faithfully, from
‘The Planet Viking’
Oh !
I did nearly buy diesel for the truck once !
I’d forgot to fill up before I left the yard but I managed to get back on fumes.
The problem with this isn’t that the company want people to phone in when they’re delayed, that’s a perfectly reasonable request.
The problem is the threat to stop money from drivers who don’t co-operate, what they should be doing is starting disciplinary action against people who are too dumb to comply with the request.
Having said that I also think 20 minutes is a bit soon to expect people to phone in, on a few occasions I’ve spent that much time just trying to sort out a problem with goods in people, but I suppose it depends on the type of work you’re doing.
tachograph:
The problem with this isn’t that the company want people to phone in when they’re delayed, that’s a perfectly reasonable request.
The problem is the threat to stop money from drivers who don’t co-operate, what they should be doing is starting disciplinary action against people who are too dumb to comply with the request.
Having said that I also think 20 minutes is a bit soon to expect people to phone in, on a few occasions I’ve spent that much time just trying to sort out a problem with goods in people, but I suppose it depends on the type of work you’re doing.
My place pay a bonus £10 per day for performance, it’s used quit a lot against people who don’t do the job as asked (park right outside the offices, incorrect paperwork, missing paperwork, driver abuse of the vehicle shown on isotrack, damage to vehicle) the list is pretty endless, I havr never been threatened with it, I just get on with the
job, I can see why some get threatened with loss of bonus and yes its in our contract that it’s performance based.
tachograph:
The problem with this isn’t that the company want people to phone in when they’re delayed, that’s a perfectly reasonable request.
The problem is the threat to stop money from drivers who don’t co-operate, what they should be doing is starting disciplinary action against people who are too dumb to comply with the request.
Having said that I also think 20 minutes is a bit soon to expect people to phone in, on a few occasions I’ve spent that much time just trying to sort out a problem with goods in people, but I suppose it depends on the type of work you’re doing.
My place pay a bonus £10 per day for performance, it’s used quit a lot against people who don’t do the job as asked (park right outside the offices, incorrect paperwork, missing paperwork, driver abuse of the vehicle shown on isotrack, damage to vehicle) the list is pretty endless, I havr never been threatened with it, I just get on with the
job, I can see why some get threatened with loss of bonus and yes its in our contract that it’s performance based.
A performance bonus is another way to go about it, losing a performance bonus is a lot different to what the OP’s talking about.
There are probably several ways of getting drivers to phone in when delayed, but none of those ways should involve making a driver pay for the waiting time.
If it’s the Bradford firm I’m thinking of, I was unfortunate enough to work for them once.
They have a fairly quick turnover of drivers because they are such a shower of ■■■■■■■■■ it is beyond belief what tricks they pull and any protests were met with the answer “It’s general haulage - what do you expect?” Actually it was a shambles and the traffic office was run by ■■■■■■■ most of whom could only drive a 7.5t and never seen anything past the M62 corridor. How are you supposed to have a kip and still phone in every 20 mins? All the motors had trackers anyway but they couldn’t be arsed looking at the screen.
Best thing they ever did was tell me to leave!
Our company rule is or was 60 minutes but to be honest ive never phoned in on 60, the only time i phone in is if there is a risk of failure to another drop. Anyway all my transport office got made redundant last year we are now called ‘‘driver coordinators’’ not drivers anymore, need to look after yourself in regards to customers these days.
Customer is king at my place, central planning would happily let you sit there all day bored out yer ■■■■ as long as you don’t fail.
Something has happenend at this firm and this is why this rule has been introduced, IMO.
Probably numpty drivers not calling in and the guvnor has got the hump over it.
