Fed Up ..................

[crushed_ice]

Just thought id have a moan, not posted much before so hope you guys dont mind my whinging…

Had my class class 1 now 9+ years and psv 11+ years, been on the artics for for the past 8 years and ya know what ? …Im ready to jack it all in !

I’m sick and tired of waiting around at RDC’s, sick and tired of ignorant warehouse staff, who, when you take your papers in, completly ignore you or look at you as if your some kind of alien with green skin… I had a fifteen hour shift last Monday and I drove for 2 hours and 25 minutes !!! I was close to pulling my flaming hair out…not that I have much left you understand Ive had tons of driving jobs and I’m beginning to think that every firm is exactly the same. Seriously considering looking for something completely different

Bet you guys feel the same at times ?

Is there such a thing as a 8-10 hour day EVERY day in this chosen profession of ours ? If there is I wish somebody would point me in the right direction because ive searched high and low to no avail.

Heres a thing as well, in all the years ive been driving I have NEVER had a night out, and never will ! its the first thing I ask when applying for a position, sod that

Lastly I’m so fed up with hearing drivers moaning about this 48 hour week (by the way this is my personal opinion, I know drivers views vary greatly on this subject) why moan ? I think its the best thing since sliced bread, well done Europe. The point is that we should be working less hours but getting paid a ■■■■ sight more money for doing so, but seemingly lots of drivers actually think working 60-70 hour weeks is much better than working 48 for the same money (if we can get it that is) thats where the real issue is getting more money, NOT Europe taking our choice away to work long hours…jeeez.

There I feel much better now…

If any one knows of that elusive 8-10 hour day I constantly search for, for gods sake let me know ! Any where in the Mansfield area.

Thanks for listening ■■ reading !

[scanny77]

why complain? what other job would pay 15 hours for less than 3 hours work? i would love to sit at RDCs every day chatting to other drivers rather than the drivel that is available here. the job i have just started is 10 - 12 hours and up to around 7 drops which isnt too bad but i would rather be trunking. i know our profession isnt as glamourous as it could be but it aint all bad. i have no problem whatsoever about being paid to drink coffee. look at the good points too

[gurner]

I do Class one on milk tankers, doing farm collections.
No RDC staff, no waiting and 8-9 hours a day, start at 06.30 and am usually home by 15.30.
Maybe you could look into that, i dont know whats in your area but there must be someone doing the milk collections

[crushed_ice]

look at the good points too

Each to their own but sitting around drinking coffee and chatting to drivers is NOT my idea of a “good point” its so ■■■■ boring, Id much rather be at home doing soemething productive.

Like I said I’m struggling to find any good points of late.

[mrpj]

I wouldn’t want to spend 12+ hours a day sitting around doing nothing which is why I am put off doing Supermarket work. I know you still get paid but I couldn’t handle that sort of work every day.

[crushed_ice]

I do Class one on milk tankers, doing farm collections.
No RDC staff, no waiting and 8-9 hours a day, start at 06.30 and am usually home by 15.30.

Hey Gurner thanks for that mate, sounds bloomin ideal, I will look into that

[mrpj]

Gurner:
I do Class one on milk tankers, doing farm collections.
No RDC staff, no waiting and 8-9 hours a day, start at 06.30 and am usually home by 15.30.
Maybe you could look into that, i dont know whats in your area but there must be someone doing the milk collections

Bear in mind decent jobs like this probably have a queue a mile long for them, although I stand to be corrected.

[andyroo]

I recently quit with a haulage firm doing multi-drop pallets after a week cos it was 12 hours every day and I couldn’t handle it, but today I’ve been offered a job (and took it) with a local timber merchant. 38.5 hours a week, 8 til 4.45/4.30 on friday. A reasonable hourly rate and any overtime at time and a half. This is class 2.

In short I think the best place to look is away from haulage and toward Builders Merchants for this kind of day work, although you might find it hard to get class 1 work in this area.

[Lucy]

mrpj:

Gurner:
I do Class one on milk tankers, doing farm collections.
No RDC staff, no waiting and 8-9 hours a day, start at 06.30 and am usually home by 15.30.
Maybe you could look into that, i dont know whats in your area but there must be someone doing the milk collections

Bear in mind decent jobs like this probably have a queue a mile long for them, although I stand to be corrected.

You’d be surprised…a lot of people get put off by the part-loaded tanker/ country lanes/ domestic rules/ early start/ 7-day rota combination.

Sounds like your best bet to me tho, crushed_ice. Also, don’t dismiss supermarket work completely…they never keep their own vehicles sat about the same lengths of time as the rest of us, and they are some of the few to actually stick to the 48hr thing in it’s purest form. Just a thought…

Oh, and welcome to TruckNet UK!!!

[mrpj]

Lucy:

mrpj:

Gurner:
I do Class one on milk tankers, doing farm collections.
No RDC staff, no waiting and 8-9 hours a day, start at 06.30 and am usually home by 15.30.
Maybe you could look into that, i dont know whats in your area but there must be someone doing the milk collections

Bear in mind decent jobs like this probably have a queue a mile long for them, although I stand to be corrected.

You’d be surprised…a lot of people get put off by the part-loaded tanker/ country lanes/ domestic rules/ early start/ 7-day rota combination.

Sounds like your best bet to me tho, crushed_ice. Also, don’t dismiss supermarket work completely…they never keep their own vehicles sat about the same lengths of time as the rest of us, and they are some of the few to actually stick to the 48hr thing in it’s purest form. Just a thought…

Oh, and welcome to TruckNet UK!!!

Interesting that does surprise me, also why would someone be put off by domestic hours I thought they were more convenient?

[crushed_ice]

Thanks for the advice Lucy

[Lucy]

mrpj:
Interesting that does surprise me, also why would someone be put off by domestic hours I thought they were more convenient?

Because it can mean you end up doing a lot more!!! Bear in mind it’s perfectly legal to do 13 days straight on domestic…which is fine so long as you only have to do overtime when YOU want. Can make for some pretty hair-raising rotas, too. It’s something you’d only want to get into with a decent firm that respects is drivers, so check who has the milk contract in your area, and what their reputation is like before taking the plunge.

Unfamiliarity with the different rules scares some people, too…there are even more “driver’s tales” about Domestic Hours than there are about EC ones!!!

[gurner]

Yes you would be surprised, we have drivers come and go a fair bit.
Its a big culture shock when you have been used to driving up and down motorways all the time and reversing onto a bay while they tip you.
As for the early start bit, 06.30 to me in lorry driver terms is a lie in !!
Part loaded tankers, like anything just take some getting used to a few changes of underpants and its sorted
The main differences of course, are, country lanes in a 44tonner, farms arent the easiest of places to manouvre (spelling?) in, but the good thing is we dont go out blind, we would be shown the farm before hand, how to get to it, where to reverse etc etc.
I nearly threw the towel in the first week, coutry lanes, tight farms, cow ■■■■, milk slopping tankers, certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but then i went home and looked at the plus side of it, i was starting at 06.30, its job and finish, home id say average 15.30, some days can be as early as 14.00, never later than about 16.30 and thats only if something has gone wrong, this may not be the same on all milk tanker jobs tho !
Domestic rules are a piece of cake, and much less to think about, 11 hours a day, drive for 10, dont need to stop just keep on moving !
And no requied weekly rest, now bearing in mind its only 9 hours a day, i have worked straight through some weeks and enjoyed the overtime and i still dont feel tired, not like when i was on containers doing 75 hours a week sleeping in laybys, 15/16 hour days, no thanks, not for me anyway.

[johnny]

sitting around at rdc’s for hours on end, now isn’t that something that the unions should be getting their teeth into?
every year the union chief will be sitting in the office with the company bosses, chocolate biscuits and tea or coffee talking about how much extra they will be paying the drivers this year, the bonuses, shorter hours, the pension contributions for the 100 or so drivers that take out the goods that you bring in every day, but they forget about the hundreds of union members that visit the rdc’s every day and have to sit around waiting to tip out.
sitting around with barely a decent toilet, no canteen facilities, treated like you have brought in the plague or venerial disease for every worker.
if your in a union then make it known about how you feel, find out which union represents the drivers there and ask what they will do for you if you join up?
chances are you’ll probably get an answer machine to talk to cos they’re all sitting about drinking tea and coffee that the members have paid for.

ps, if your looking for driving work with regular hours then you need to look at working for a company that delivers to places that work regular hours.
you don’t see furniture shops open after 6pm or before 9 am.
high street deliveries can be a pain but at least the hours are 9 till 5 ish.
you could try a parcel company on a 7.5 tonner or transit type van, don’t try courier though.
look at own account operators as has been suggested, builders merchants etc or car deliveries but watch the bridge heights.

[mrpj]

Lucy:

mrpj:
Interesting that does surprise me, also why would someone be put off by domestic hours I thought they were more convenient?

Because it can mean you end up doing a lot more!!! Bear in mind it’s perfectly legal to do 13 days straight on domestic…which is fine so long as you only have to do overtime when YOU want. Can make for some pretty hair-raising rotas, too. It’s something you’d only want to get into with a decent firm that respects is drivers, so check who has the milk contract in your area, and what their reputation is like before taking the plunge.

Unfamiliarity with the different rules scares some people, too…there are even more “driver’s tales” about Domestic Hours than there are about EC ones!!!

Thanks for the info, I see what you mean, there seems plenty of scope for exploitation under thoses rules.

[liberace]

Their are jobs out their Crushed_Ice, it’s just a matter of finding them.

Started a new one a few weeks ago and I know what you mean about RDC’s. Where no one knows and no one cares. I would not go back to doing them now. For instance, I got two quid taken off me this morning in a game of darts and had a 45 at my 3rd drop this afternoon, playing football with the lads that load me (steel toecaps don’t go down too well). Best thing is, it’s about 10 hrs a day as well. Ok, the money isn’t great, but it’s enough for me to live on and have a bit put by. It did take some finding though, so start to have a scout round, you never know .

[gurner]

Its perfectly legal to do more than 13 days asell, my record is 19
There is no required rest period at all, its simply just no more than 11 hours in a working day and no more than 10 of that driving, its as simple as that!

Oh and as for the rota, most places i know of are usually 6 on 3 off, or 5 on 2 off etc, im lucky that i get 4 on 2 off for 5 weeks then 5 on 2 off for 2 weeks, then back to the start.

P.S Milk collections are 365 days a year, meaning if your rota’d on you work it, and that includes christmas day !

[gurner]

Lucy:
. Also, don’t dismiss supermarket work completely… .they never keep their own vehicles sat about the same lengths of time as the rest of us, and they are some of the few to actually stick to the 48hr thing in it’s purest form. Just a thought…

Oh, and welcome to TruckNet UK!!!

I beg to differ !Been there done it, got the t shirt and got ■■■■■■ off with spending hours and hours (and i mean hours) waiting for a run cos the warehouse were behind or any other excuse.

[crushed_ice]

Thanks for all the encouragement guys, much appreciated.

[kitkat]

Just thought id have a moan, not posted much before so hope you guys dont mind my whinging…

why not we’re all allowed to have a moan

I’m sick and tired of waiting around at RDC’s, sick and tired of ignorant warehouse staff, who, when you take your papers in, completly ignore you or look at you as if your some kind of alien with green skin…

So why wait Most rdc’s give you a booking in time . Give them half hour over that time, then tell them your pulling out.They will soon get the message.

I had a fifteen hour shift last Monday and I drove for 2 hours and 25 minutes

What are your contracted hour’s .No one can force you to do 15 hour shift’s

Bet you guys feel the same at times ?

We all feel the same as you every now and again,but it does pass

Is there such a thing as a 8-10 hour day EVERY day in this chosen profession of ours

I work for DHL and if i want i can do 8 hour shift Mon-Thur,and 7 hour on Friday.Is there a depot near you. If so go and phone them and see if anything is going.

Heres a thing as well, in all the years ive been driving I have NEVER had a night out, and never will ! its the first thing I ask when applying for a position, sod that

I have done the odd few night’s out on Agency,but since i went full time ( 8 years ago) i ain’t done one.

Lastly I’m so fed up with hearing drivers moaning about this 48 hour week

As said earlier,driver’s privilage to moan.I agree with you on the more money part.But alot of companies ain’t paying POA,so forcing their worker’s to do overtime.But what we want is the choice to work or not to work, and not to be told what to do by some person(s) from brussell’s.What you need to think about is this,you want to work 8-9 hour shift which is your choice.And as long as you and your family can live on that then that is great.But that might not be the right thing for the guy standing next to you.His family might need the overtime to get by and to make end’s meet.That’s why we should have the choice mate,and not be told.

Just a thought m8,i alway’s find that a break is as good as a change.If you have any holiday’s due, why not take some time out and have a good couple of week’s off.If you still feel the same at the end of your holiday’s, then fair enough it will be time for a move.Good luck and i hope it all work’s out for you.