Who would you rather drive for? a big worldwide company or or a family firm? I know the family firms are scarce these days but seem to have a better grip of how the transport game should be run.
Easily Small family firm …treated like a person and with respect not a means to pay for the bosses new range rover , house etc
I’ve only ever worked for small family firms on class 2 and vans. My experience is on the whole they are a complete nightmare 
Cons:
-Too often I’ve had to go beyond what I’m paid to do
-will work you as hard as possible
-hearing ‘times are hard’ weekly while boss buys nice big 40k camper van
-nigh on impossible to get time off and if you get it off you’re made to feel guilty.
Pros:
- boss takes your side over the public/customer
-not watched via tracker unless taking the ■■■■ - some will look after you to an extent e.g I lost my wallet and my boss gave me £300 cash for the week, I didn’t have to pay him back.
Just my experiences anyway
plus 1…corporate don’t care,you are just a number ,family take more interest in their employees …simpleees
norb:
plus 1…corporate don’t care,you are just a number ,family take more interest in their employees …simpleees
Is that such a bad thing? Easy to get time off and can keep ‘under the radar’ if you don’t ■■■■ about
I work for a lovely family firm and long may it continue 
I work for a family firm. My boss drives or stays at home if its quite there’s me, his brother and his mum does the phone, wages, admin etc. he’s been going near on 30 years now and I’ve been there 8. I couldn’t imagine working for a big national firm, in some ways it would be nice to be unnoticed somewhere. If something goes wrong something breaks it would be nice to go home and not really need to worry instead off spending an eve or a dinner break trying to sort things out. It’s nice to feel a part off the business though, my trucks mine it’s got my name on it not a number. If my car goes in for service my boss offers me his work car to use, when I needed my first mortgage I needed to earn a couple off grand a year more to get it they gave me a pay rise and even sent a reference into the bank so I’d get it. When works slack ill be washing lorries, sweeping the yard anything instead off being sent home. There are some down sides to it, when things go wrong I feel I have extra responsibilities to help sort things out, if I do something wrong theres no hiding I get spoken to in a way I probably wouldn’t somewhere else at times, he’s very old school lives by his own laws and its his way or no way but you couldn’t work for a fairer bloke. If ever I was in the ■■■■ I know he’d help I doubt mr stobart would give to ■■■■■ if my car broke down or I needed a lorry to move house with or I needed an hour off to sort something out. When the time comes that I get the boot or he wraps up ill be looking for another family firm that I can hopefully feel a part off.
tango boy:
I work for a lovely family firm and long may it continue
+1
…although the lovely family firm I work for now has a net worth of over £50million… but still a lovely family firm nonetheless.
Ive driven for big firms and easily got suspended for silly things due to procedure? would like to work for a family or small firm and get a bollicking off if in the wrong. Seem to be hard to find nowadays
I have worked for a family firm on and off for the last 23 years, first stint 10 years, this time 2 and a half years ish, and 8 years in between doing summer holiday relief, and done some big Co’s as well.
would never work for them again to much BS and KPI’s to deal with, had 3 years of that on and of, I am left to do the job how I want to do it, as long as the delivery gets done on time! and if it is late, its more likely to be the fault of the planners of the firm we sub for!! as usual.
you certainly get more respect for working hard with a small family firm.
Karl86:
I work for a family firm. My boss drives or stays at home if its quite there’s me, his brother and his mum does the phone, wages, admin etc. he’s been going near on 30 years now and I’ve been there 8. I couldn’t imagine working for a big national firm, in some ways it would be nice to be unnoticed somewhere. If something goes wrong something breaks it would be nice to go home and not really need to worry instead off spending an eve or a dinner break trying to sort things out. It’s nice to feel a part off the business though, my trucks mine it’s got my name on it not a number. If my car goes in for service my boss offers me his work car to use, when I needed my first mortgage I needed to earn a couple off grand a year more to get it they gave me a pay rise and even sent a reference into the bank so I’d get it. When works slack ill be washing lorries, sweeping the yard anything instead off being sent home. There are some down sides to it, when things go wrong I feel I have extra responsibilities to help sort things out, if I do something wrong theres no hiding I get spoken to in a way I probably wouldn’t somewhere else at times, he’s very old school lives by his own laws and its his way or no way but you couldn’t work for a fairer bloke. If ever I was in the [zb] I know he’d help I doubt mr stobart would give to [zb] if my car broke down or I needed a lorry to move house with or I needed an hour off to sort something out. When the time comes that I get the boot or he wraps up ill be looking for another family firm that I can hopefully feel a part off.
I would say you have landed on your feet, more pro’s than con’s 
I hope long may may it continue
saints transport in colnbrook are a family firm and from what i have heard from their drivers is not good,apparently martin carroll the owner was beaten up a few years ago for calling one of his scottish drivers scum,this was after the guy had driven from scotland overnight,dont know if it is true or not,but i had a run in with carroll and have to admit the guy is a pxxxk,so is his son by all accounts,when i was there a guy called simon was great though, treated all drivers with the utmost respect as well as the others in the office
Drift:
Karl86:
I work for a family firm. My boss drives or stays at home if its quite there’s me, his brother and his mum does the phone, wages, admin etc. he’s been going near on 30 years now and I’ve been there 8. I couldn’t imagine working for a big national firm, in some ways it would be nice to be unnoticed somewhere. If something goes wrong something breaks it would be nice to go home and not really need to worry instead off spending an eve or a dinner break trying to sort things out. It’s nice to feel a part off the business though, my trucks mine it’s got my name on it not a number. If my car goes in for service my boss offers me his work car to use, when I needed my first mortgage I needed to earn a couple off grand a year more to get it they gave me a pay rise and even sent a reference into the bank so I’d get it. When works slack ill be washing lorries, sweeping the yard anything instead off being sent home. There are some down sides to it, when things go wrong I feel I have extra responsibilities to help sort things out, if I do something wrong theres no hiding I get spoken to in a way I probably wouldn’t somewhere else at times, he’s very old school lives by his own laws and its his way or no way but you couldn’t work for a fairer bloke. If ever I was in the [zb] I know he’d help I doubt mr stobart would give to [zb] if my car broke down or I needed a lorry to move house with or I needed an hour off to sort something out. When the time comes that I get the boot or he wraps up ill be looking for another family firm that I can hopefully feel a part off.I would say you have landed on your feet, more pro’s than con’s
I hope long may may it continue
Yeah I’ve not done to bad. He took me on because he was fed up with drivers not looking after stuff and not wanting to do things his way, I was wet behind the ears at 18 and easily moulded I suppose lol. Some days I could think off a million different places I’d rather be but the pays good and all though he acts like he don’t like me I know I’m appreciated. It’s not the most glamerous at times no big v8 top line with plenty off chrome but I don’t think the grass would be much greener else where.
Shows he trusts you 