oldsid:
I,m sorry for being slow but I dont understand your point. I,m not being funny I sometimes fail to see the obvious
I think the point is that if they can’t operate their own trucks at a profit, it is highly unlikely that an OD will be able to make any money under the same regime.
Regards,
Nick
Wheel Nut:
oldsid:
Wheel Nut:
oldsid:
Yes I agree. At the end of the day its about changing the goalposts and exploitation of peoples enthusiasm, in a nutshell who,s going to work harder , a man with money and an ego invested or a man with an ego and nothing to lose. I feel sorry for whoever jumps in as Ive run my own business for twenty odd years and employed half a dozen lads, its tough out there and the minute you change places you are out in the cold, and its a lonely place to be, it takes a special sort of person and as Ive said before drivers in the main arnt it and thats where the exploitation will come in. they will be like a fish on a hook or an addict to a dealerWithout getting personal, most of the posts about drivers miffed with Stobarts are actually about drivers miffed with their planners, what makes any of the prospects think the planning will improve because the drivers now have to earn a profit instead of being given a wage
I,m sorry for being slow but I dont understand your point. I,m not being funny I sometimes fail to see the obvious
I see now ta
Sorry oldsid, just that I read more on these forums than most, so tend to follow the stories. A lot of the prospects for ownership at stobarts also complain that the planners cannot run a ■■■■ up in a brewery.
ncooper:
oldsid:
I,m sorry for being slow but I dont understand your point. I,m not being funny I sometimes fail to see the obviousI think the point is that if they can’t operate their own trucks at a profit, it is highly unlikely that an OD will be able to make any money under the same regime.
Regards,
Nick
I went the long way around to make that point , well made by you
[quote="MO(Topgun)"seems only stobarts are there to kick and be in the wrong by some really narrow minded driver"s who are probably jealous if the truth be known[/quote]
not so mo, i worked for stobarts and they werent the best to work for by a long shot!, lets see trucks and trailers dont show you the tramper who has to empty his cab out on his last day WHILST on the bay at tesco middlewhich because hes out of hours and still has to drive the van the night man brought down back to the depot? (a regular one that was but hey i was young and naive)
the dirty cab after my two days off because 5 other scruffy gits had used it and abused it and being told by the ops manager to ‘clean it on your break’ (another regular one)
the gobby planner who gave me verbal abuse from crick because i had the nerve to drive from burton to crick solo (which was what the planner in newton le willows had told me)
i wouldnt touch them with a barge pole now and this is from someone who was a fan of the company to the point i was in the club!.. 
as it has been posted, it doesnt take a brain surgeon to work out if stobarts dont think having a one man one truck scenario is financially viable then how they hell do they expect a green behind the ears driver make it pay?..
one thing i have to thank stobarts for is making my mind up to go on tankers!..
Find it quite amusing,this new dodge/con that the Chuckle Brothers are trying out on their “adoring” workforce.After over 30 years in the transport business you do become aware of what works and what dosen’t and this “scam” certainly dosen’t,well certainly not for the “mugs” that take up the “offer”. It really is just a sign of the times as the corperate screw tightens even further and competition from the other large “Logistics Suppliers” increases for the large slugs of Supermarket/manufactures tonnage that is available. Stobarts will probably have finally realised that a large part of their transport operation is totally uneconomic at the rates they’ve quoted to get the work in the first place.it’s taken some time mind as they’ve been ■■■■■■■ jobs up for years !! However,in the Boardroom on flashes the light bulb and hey presto, if we can “persuade” some of the “mugs” in our employ that we are offering them the keys to “eldorado” we can unload a lot of the ■■■■■■ work(keeping any good traffic for ourselves !).Not only that but we can make a margin on everything to do with operating the tractor,Fuel/maintainence/tyres/insurance/vehicle hire.and best of all a percentage of a ■■■■■■ rate is nearly as good as a % of a decent job so they can keep on quoting lower and lower for Tesco traffic as long as there is enough “mugs” to run it. Oh! and they can save the subsistance payments and employers NHI so there is a lump of profit to hand back to Tescos there then,and hand it back they surely will !! Nice work if they can get it but it will be a total disaster to any “mug” that takes up the offer,especially at the rates Stobart operate for. You have been warned,but it will be highly amusing to watch this space in the future I’m sure !! Bewick.
well put bewick,
indeed would be nice to see if the drivers still get stobbies generous meal allowance…yep me neither…
wirralpete:
well put bewick, indeed would be nice to see if the drivers still get stobbies generous meal allowance…yep me neither…
I’d overlooked the meal allowance “wp” even more bunce to hand back to Tesco’s !!! Once you become an “OD” everything is down to you and don’t think for one minute that subsistance and meal allowance will be written back into the crappy rates they’ll be paying,oh no,and oh! I bet the terms of monthly payment are knocked back another month from those enjoyed by the main contractor---- bingo—instant positive cashflow for the Chuckle Brothers bank account, want paying sooner Son ? that’ll be a 5% discount off what we’ll pay you then !! The mind boggles if anyone takes them up on this “offer”. Bewick.
Bewick:
Find it quite amusing,this new dodge/con that the Chuckle Brothers are trying out on their “adoring” workforce.After over 30 years in the transport business you do become aware of what works and what dosen’t and this “scam” certainly dosen’t,well certainly not for the “mugs” that take up the “offer”. It really is just a sign of the times as the corperate screw tightens even further and competition from the other large “Logistics Suppliers” increases for the large slugs of Supermarket/manufactures tonnage that is available. Stobarts will probably have finally realised that a large part of their transport operation is totally uneconomic at the rates they’ve quoted to get the work in the first place.it’s taken some time mind as they’ve been [zb] jobs up for years !! However,in the Boardroom on flashes the light bulb and hey presto, if we can “persuade” some of the “mugs” in our employ that we are offering them the keys to “eldorado” we can unload a lot of the [zb] work(keeping any good traffic for ourselves !).Not only that but we can make a margin on everything to do with operating the tractor,Fuel/maintainence/tyres/insurance/vehicle hire.and best of all a percentage of a [zb] rate is nearly as good as a % of a decent job so they can keep on quoting lower and lower for Tesco traffic as long as there is enough “mugs” to run it. Oh! and they can save the subsistance payments and employers NHI so there is a lump of profit to hand back to Tescos there then,and hand it back they surely will !! Nice work if they can get it but it will be a total disaster to any “mug” that takes up the offer,especially at the rates Stobart operate for. You have been warned,but it will be highly amusing to watch this space in the future I’m sure !! Bewick.
I feel quite superior that Dennis Smith and I are in total agreement on this, & me, a mere driver and he who has walked the walk for many years with a rather successful business model 
MO(Topgun):
why not be a owner driver for stobarts,if someone wants to do it let um,……seems only stobarts are there to kick and be in the wrong by some really narrow minded driver"s who are probably jealous if the truth be known
I have no feelings about Stobart one way or another and I would still think this scam was a bad idea regardless of which company was putting it forward.
To sum it up in quite a basic way then-
If it was worth doing they wouldn’t be offering it.
got to admit I’m with bewick on this one.
oldsid:
Mike-C:
oldsid:
Take this as advice or dont but1]They will use your naivety to their advantage
2] The first time you are in genuine need of a helping hand watch them dissapear into the woodwork
3]Count how many times they say “Its your wagon” or “welcome to the real world”
4]Hold you over a barrel more than they can now because they own you more than when you could walk away, all you have done is firmly shackle yourself to them, its not brainsurgery!!
Thats exactly how i see it Sid.
Another thing that suprises me, is how are they shedding jobs and then advertising for more workers (even on a self employed basis), i thought the work had to really not be there before they could get shut of you, or they had to offer you alternatives?
If Stobarts think that one man on one truck (i.e tramping) is not paying i’m struggling to see how one man will make it pay for himself. I thought they relied on economies of scale.
There’s a reason that one man bands are going to the wall slowly as are smaller hauliers, maybe Stibarts have just found the answer to reverse that trend? I’d doubt it.Yes I agree. At the end of the day its about changing the goalposts and exploitation of peoples enthusiasm, in a nutshell who,s going to work harder , a man with money and an ego invested or a man with an ego and nothing to lose. I feel sorry for whoever jumps in as Ive run my own business for twenty odd years and employed half a dozen lads, its tough out there and the minute you change places you are out in the cold, and its a lonely place to be, it takes a special sort of person and as Ive said before drivers in the main arnt it and thats where the exploitation will come in. they will be like a fish on a hook or an addict to a dealer
The “sort of person” it takes is one that is too blinkered/stupid/thick (delete as appropriate, however no deleting necessary for Ady1 as all apply) to see past the end of their noses and notice that there are far easier and more profitable ways of earning money in trucking than running your own.
Bewick:
Find it quite amusing,this new dodge/con that the Chuckle Brothers are trying out on their “adoring” workforce.After over 30 years in the transport business you do become aware of what works and what dosen’t and this “scam” certainly dosen’t,well certainly not for the “mugs” that take up the “offer”. It really is just a sign of the times as the corperate screw tightens even further and competition from the other large “Logistics Suppliers” increases for the large slugs of Supermarket/manufactures tonnage that is available. Stobarts will probably have finally realised that a large part of their transport operation is totally uneconomic at the rates they’ve quoted to get the work in the first place.it’s taken some time mind as they’ve been [zb] jobs up for years !! However,in the Boardroom on flashes the light bulb and hey presto, if we can “persuade” some of the “mugs” in our employ that we are offering them the keys to “eldorado” we can unload a lot of the [zb] work(keeping any good traffic for ourselves !).Not only that but we can make a margin on everything to do with operating the tractor,Fuel/maintainence/tyres/insurance/vehicle hire.and best of all a percentage of a [zb] rate is nearly as good as a % of a decent job so they can keep on quoting lower and lower for Tesco traffic as long as there is enough “mugs” to run it. Oh! and they can save the subsistance payments and employers NHI so there is a lump of profit to hand back to Tescos there then,and hand it back they surely will !! Nice work if they can get it but it will be a total disaster to any “mug” that takes up the offer,especially at the rates Stobart operate for. You have been warned,but it will be highly amusing to watch this space in the future I’m sure !! Bewick.
Spot on. My thoughts exactly.
So if you are an owner driver for the green machine and you get offered better work else where do you get to take your nice shiny new tractor unit stobart insurance fuel tyres etc off to the other company?
kr79:
So if you are an owner driver for the green machine and you get offered better work else where do you get to take your nice shiny new tractor unit stobart insurance fuel tyres etc off to the other company?
NO. Obviously.
Points that have been raised include the vehicle that you do NOT own but will be responsible for. As a real owner driver you have the option to shop around for what you need to purchase and this gives you a great deal of freedom. Under the Stobart deal you probably have to pay them for what you require at their prices.
Another factor is when your/their vehicle goes into the workshop for maintenance/repairs. Will the vehicle be treated like all the rest of the fleet or will “theirs” take precedence? Will they “borrow” bits off “yours” to get “their” vehicle back on the road quicker?. Where will it be maintained, somewhere convenient for you or them? will you have sole use of it or can they use it as well? and the list goes on.
As has been said, like most large organisations, the questions they ask themselves is “what’s in it for us?” If their is nothing then there is no change.
Rob K:
kr79:
So if you are an owner driver for the green machine and you get offered better work else where do you get to take your nice shiny new tractor unit stobart insurance fuel tyres etc off to the other company?NO. Obviously.
Well how are you an owner driver then?
kr79:
Rob K:
kr79:
So if you are an owner driver for the green machine and you get offered better work else where do you get to take your nice shiny new tractor unit stobart insurance fuel tyres etc off to the other company?NO. Obviously.
Well how are you an owner driver then?
We’ve been through this 100 times already.
kr79:
Rob K:
kr79:
So if you are an owner driver for the green machine and you get offered better work else where do you get to take your nice shiny new tractor unit stobart insurance fuel tyres etc off to the other company?NO. Obviously.
Well how are you an owner driver then?
I think you own the tyres but not the unit 
Do they charge you for the uniform?