Has any one ever worked for this company ECM based at carlisle, they are advertising locally for transporter drivers for a trunking job (no nights out),
Never driven a car transporter, is it very difficult.
How hard to load are they.
Whats the problems with this type of job.
Thanks. ET
Do you mean ECM Edward?
Had an interview with them a couple of years ago, but decided it wasn’t for me at the time. They were very thorough, first a questionare about hours and locations, then an interview with the personel bod, followed by a test drive in a P cabbed Scania artic ( that peak on them takes some getting used to), then followed putting 2 cars all the way up on the top deck buth forwards and backwards, then finally an interview with the boss. All in all about 2 hours worth.
I have a mate who used to work on there, and he’s waiting to get back on at the minute, he says not bad to work for, pay fairly good, belive that any down time for the WTD is payed at an average of last few weeks earnings (he was getting about 4 weeks off per 6 month period). Only real problems he says are some pratts in the office (but their everywhere nowdays) and having to book holidays a long way in advance.
Must admit I am seriously considering it again as my current job could be either going out the window or a serious pay cut.
Yes ECM must be going dyslexic.
What I’m getting at is the job physically tough, as i am at 53 not the man I was at 40.
I would say it’s fairly demanding, but my mate has got arthritis and manages ok
Good company and excellent rates of pay Edward, The company i work for do subby work for ECM, if you get the job you do a fortnights training probs on a drawbar as they dont really have many artics left its all good tackle as you have probably saw. Since the WTD came in i know they got a big payrise, They get £9 per hour for first 4 and half hours then £14 for the remainder plus the usuall car bonus. I’ve tried to get on for them myself but they dont like standing on each others toes. As for the transporters just use your common sense mate and you will have no probs mate.
I work for one of ECMs ‘rival’ firms
Job can be physically quite tough, all cars need to be physically secured to the decks to prevent them falling off and accessing chain down points on the cars can be awkward - you’ve seen the ladders attached to the front grille of the cab.
I believe ECM use a lot of wheel strapping, as opposed to hooking straps or chains into the chassis, which you can do from underneath (easy!). By wheel-strapping, I mean putting a strap over a tyre and hooking it into the decks either end of the tyre and using a ratchet to tighten it. This obviously needs to be done on top of the deck, therefore you have to work in the limited space between the sides of the car and the edge of the deck - at height. It can be a pain getting yourself into these positions and you’ll need a good head for heights! Personally, I think wheel strapping is bloody dangerous for these reasons, and is not the best way to secure a vehicle (hooking a strap into the chassis prevents the vehicle bouncing on its own suspension when the lorry carrying it goes over a bump - wheel strapping is not as effective, something which is important when you consider that 2-3 inches is considered an acceptable clearance between a car roof and that of the deck above!).
As for the job itself, it’s a cracking number. When you’re given your allocation of cars, you’ve really got to use your noggin sometimes to work out how to fit all the cars on, and get all the decks down below 16 feet. But that’s what makes the job satisfying.
One last point on the physical side, you’ve got to be prepared to be creative as to how you enter and exit vehicles on the transporter! A pillar or other part of the physical structure can make getting out of the drivers door difficult. I often find myself climbing into the back to get out of the rear dears in cars, or with vans, going into the cargo area and exiting via the rear doors. It’s not as glamerous a job as it sometimes looks!
To sum the job up, however, I love it. You’ll find it totally unlike anything else in transport, and if you’re trunking as well, you needn’t worry about the small cabs. [/u]
Who you work for Lank?
Unable to say in a public arena…
Evil eyes are everywhere 
I see your location puts you near the Nissan plant…
Yes mate but not one of them big firms that used to run out there.
Thanks Lank, don’t fancy doing that in the middle of the night while its throwing it down, think ill stick to fridges.
You get used to it Edward, A little rain never hurts! you get all the good gear off ECM
Its not the rain old boy, its the thought of slipping and diving over the edge from 16’ up.
I am allergic to pain and go to great lengths to avoid it.
Nothing like a good challenge!! The rewards are good.
Jusy been talking to a mate of mine this morning works for a firm on contract to ECM Reckons they are making aprox £37000 for about nine and a half months work when you take into acount time off for WTD Worth the hassle Edward 
I have to confess and admit to being of a portly stature, and also to not being a fan of heights, these two combined with a large yellow streak which is a family trait, tell me that swinging about on the top deck of a car transporter is pherhaps not for me.
greek:
Jusy been talking to a mate of mine this morning works for a firm on contract to ECM Reckons they are making aprox £37000 for about nine and a half months work when you take into acount time off for WTD Worth the hassle Edward
I bet they don’t “need” the money either - they’re only doing it “to keep their hand in”!
RELIABLE SOURCE SPEEDY 
there always advertising in t&d for drivers all over but that want you to be out 4 to 5 days a week and thats what put me off going for it. dont mind 1 or 2 nights plus id have to travel to coventry
jon
greek:
RELIABLE SOURCE SPEEDY
Well there’s a surprise eh!
“My mate told me…”
Where’s the driver’s urban myths thread gone ?
I have before me an application form. 