Take the piss?
Hmm not sure that is how I’d look at it.
Unless they do take themselves far too seriously, (and I suspect they do 
) and expect him to do a ‘‘sackcloth and ashes’’ scenario, what else is he going to do but enjoy his time off which is essentially a paid holiday?
As for rubbing their noses in it, …in what?
They obviously can see nothing wrong (or ott) in what they do.
So that is just exactly what I would do…but that is just typical of ME, everyone is different.
Take their money, they’re idiots.
If they sack you take them for unfair dismissal, they’re idiots.
I love nothing more than making these people look like ■■■■■… I’m a ■■■■ myself for it. Ended up, costing me my last job. But to be fair, they were worse ■■■■■ than me! Hence the reason I’ve learnt that if you actually like the job, as the fella says he does, it does no favours winding them up!
I have a mate who’s a senior manager at a moderately sized general haulage firm who’s been told to “terminate” the employment of drivers the owner dislikes! HR are nervously on board, as HR are there to keep the verdicts at not guilty, not to ensure the welfare of actual human beings!
If I even make retirement, I’ll be giving it big licks to every polished shoed, tie wearing know it all I come across as I’m being wheeled out the transport office. But as I’ve got at least another 30 years, I’ve gotta keep some powder dry.
Still a little wink and a tap on the nose as you go off onto 3 weeks paid leave never hurt anyone 
I’m also in a job I like, and I also work for a bunch of ■■■■■ …maybe apart from the lad who runs me, and one of the female managers, as for the rest it’s a fire and piss situation.
I try and keep the balance right by it not preventing me from giving any less than 100% in my work to keep that job I like…it’s just how I work,.and I aint stupid.
I just deal with all the background (unneccesary) aggravation and b/s by keeping my head down and I do my best to try and beat them with their own stick, and try and win, but also try and appear to lose for good measure…sure now and again I’ll kick offover it, but that is just me, can’t help it, I have to have my say.
So there aint much you can teach me on that mate.
You say ‘winding them up’ …I do stand by what I said that if they can see nothing wrong or ridiculous in the way they are dealing with this, they should not be offended (nor surprised) that this lad is taking full advantage of an extra paid holiday, and telling all his mates.
They can’t have it both ways.
My friend, it’s the differences in opinion that just about gives us motivation to post in here! I’m in my mid 30’s now and have just stuck my flag in where I think the line in the sand is. Your mast is slightly longer than mine, but I’ve always enjoyed living in the shadows!
I hope the OP keeps us up to date. A lad at my place only got a written for ripping a diesel pump out the ground, so I’ve asked if that’s the bar set…. But they’ve always seemed to hold the average ones to a higher standard…
Ripping the fuel pump is an act of stupidity and an internal matter. Deliberately pulling a card, and pulling it several times is planned, repeated, deliberate and a criminal offence.
They aren’t and shouldn’t be seen and treated the same.
there are always favorites. a mate of mine got sacked for knocking over a guard rail about a foot off the floor set in concrete about inch thick in the yard with the n/s front corner of the unit. a week later another driver pushed down a 6 foot chain link fence on a customers site and carried on going despite the shouts and the noise. 2 weeks after that he crossed a solid white line coming out the dartford tunnel and spun a car didnt get sacked for that either.
So driving without due care and attention, causing a few hundred grands worth of damage, isn’t an offence? good to know. Who’s pulled their card repeatedly and deliberately? The OP has at the very minimum sought to abide by the rules, by informing and seeking permission to keep running with his expired card. Which is more wrong? The fact someone in his office has said it was fine, sets a very dangerous precedent. Someone who is just genuinely dumb is one thing, but a dumb person who thinks they know what they’re on about is quite another.
If you read any grievance and disciplinary policy throughout the land, they all say “we will treat everybody in a fair and consistent way”.
My comment isn’t about comparing apples with oranges, its about how some people are held to a higher standard than others.
Since when have you heard of being convicted of WDC in the yard!!!
Mistaken error versus deliberate criminal act. You will recall my original post was about a proper investigation. Being given advice may be mitigation and of course, they might also expect to join the disciplinary roller coaster
I see what’s occurring here now brother, you’ve made assumptions.
All good, but just to clear things up for ya to make your judgement more balanced… the incident I referred to, was in a public fuel station in a duel carriageway, causing hundreds of litres of diesel to spill over the forecourt, and the offender driving off without passing along insurance details… I’ll say no more, as it wouldn’t be fair on the chap involved.
Moving back to the reason were having this grown up debate. The OP notified his line manager, and was given the green light to proceed. He even went to length of downloading a dead card! Perhaps he could’ve got the permission in writing, but that’s considered hostile in my experience. As you deem he’s committed a calculated, deliberate criminal offence, then fair enough, you’re entitled to your opinion and I respect it.
so I’m a criminal now? Like I said, because of the stress I put evthg in the same pot… lost/stolen/damaged/expired and wrongly assumed that grace period of 15 days applies to all. It was an honest mistake not a deliberate act, as I was doing printouts eery day and obeying tacho and WTD rules.
If you’re going to be negative and distort the facts, excuse yourself from this topic, all I need now is someone telling me I’m a criminal.
to clarify for all, I notified my manager by text but she left for holiday next day and didn’t seem bothered to forward my text to anyone in the office, there was no follow up. And because of that, I also assumed I was legal.
at the investigation interview, I was presented with DVSA document that states its my sole responsibility to renew digicard.
it is your responsibility, however you forgot or what ever reason to replace it in time. you notified your manager who told you carry on. if they thought there was an issue then they should of stood you down until a replacement tacho arrived.
the impression i got was you have been hauled over the coals for driving without one not for failing to renew it. sorry if that was wrong
did you get paperwork saying why you were suspended. if its for failing to renew your tacho thats one thing… if it was for driving with an expired card then showing you some print out of a website saying you are responsible for renewing your card is pointless and meaningless
What happened had you been caught at the roadside is an offence- a criminal offence. Why it happened doesn’t reduce from that, but may be seen as mitigation.
Following on from your mitigation, perhaps you were so distracted by other things, perhaps it would have been worth thinking if you were really fit to drive?
I’d be amazed if this was t done to death during at least one CPC and then induction. Either way, naughty but as I put originally, they should do an investigation.
You’ve been honest at the investigation part of the process, right? It is your ultimate responsibility to ensure you’ve not let your card expire, and then to continue using. All of that is without question, and you should be punished accordingly…
However, one of the most important responsibilities of holding an operators licence, is that a robust system in place to stop these sort of things from even making it to TNUK! Your transport manager has likely had their collar felt, and you’re last in line following a diligent investigation. ■■■■ ups are rarely caused by one factor alone, and you were all to blame in some way, shape or for..
Anyway, what’s the sanction you’ve received… we’ll all chip in to send you a Prison bible so you can atone for your sins! 
no one told me to carry on, no one acknowledged the text and their position from the beginning of this fiasco is “we don’t need to acknowledge or remind you of anything, its your 100% responsibility to renew digicard on time”.
Disciplinary on Monday, if i get locked up send me some cheese so I can enjoy myself as Phil Leotardo
suspension and upcoming disciplinary is solely for driving with expired digicard. printout they gave me is from “DVLA Corporate version”
Good luck with the disciplinary hearing 
Let us know how you get on
Jeez …leave the lad alone ffs.
All you lot are doing is making him worry more
I stand by my original post ‘‘Winner winner chicken dinner’’ full pay for x no of weeks 
, …
I’d just be now coming into land from Lanzarote if it was me, not fretting on trucknet.
They can’t hang you, what is the worst outcome?..and if you get a fine pay it at a tenner a week already funded by your firm,.and then get a start at one of the many available jobs…again ''Winner wine…ah you know the rest.
Chill out man, don’t let these guys wind ya up..
It’s only a job !
