Today Laughfarge/Tossmac had a clamp down on drivers EPIC cards at Clitheroe, No card, no load!!! The first time in Two years that anyone has asked for the cards. Most of the drivers cards had expired because the Northern region Transport manager 
had forgot to rebook the said drivers on a course 
After i rang Mr C5555er up in Febuary this year explaining that my card was going to expire! the reply was what the F^%K do want me to do about it?
What a joke these āskills cardsā are. Iāve done it twice and both times neither instructor had ever driven a tipper, dumptruck, loading shovel etc. I doubt they even know the difference between a crusher and a screener. The quarry industry used to get itās managers from those who started as belt-men, shovel drivers etc and then rose through the ranks. Now the managersā offices are infested with people who worry more about the type of safety glasses youāre wearing as you walk to the weighbridge window than actually keeping the aggregate going out of the gate.
Rant over.
Muckaway:
Now the managersā offices are infested with people who worry more about the type of safety glasses youāre wearing as you walk to the weighbridge window than actually keeping the aggregate going out of the gate.
Rant over.
This ^^^^^.
During the heavy rain the last 2 days I was expecting larfmac to issue a directive demanding we all wear armbands whilst on site. Its really getting beyond a joke now!!
The course/lecture/snooze fest isnāt even tailored to the company theyāre preaching to. Got bored senseless twice over hearing about safety when a technicianās sampling your load of tarmac. Despite it being pointed out āwe donāt do black topā āwe donāt have tarmac bodiesā we donāt have lab technicians" etc, we were told āitās part of the course.ā
A classic example why itās so pointless. To get the skills card you do multiple choice test paper. For tippers you do part one and mixers, parts one and two. Bear in mind I have never driven or even sat in a mixer, yet I filled in part two and now I am qualified to operate one.