Anyone remember mo(topgun)?
I’m at Stobarts running out of the Stoke depot, to be honest they usually always get me home at a decent time, the Friday just gone I finished at 1pm. If they plan a day where I know I’m not going to be able to get back I just turn around when I think I should and leave any collections/deliveries they’ve planned me and let them know the planning was impossible. If you’re willing to wait for hours over time and then collect your car the following day that’s up to you, but I know I wouldn’t be willing to do it.
I did 4 hours driving on a 14.5hr shift lol
Redrum:
I’m at Stobarts running out of the Stoke depot, to be honest they usually always get me home at a decent time, the Friday just gone I finished at 1pm. If they plan a day where I know I’m not going to be able to get back I just turn around when I think I should and leave any collections/deliveries they’ve planned me and let them know the planning was impossible. If you’re willing to wait for hours over time and then collect your car the following day that’s up to you, but I know I wouldn’t be willing to do it.
Simply some drivers start call to customer services and planners early and talk him who delay,not possible and planners change job,cancel last delivery and drivers do just 10-12 hours.Another drivers worry about money,not call to anyone early but after have everyone but not self.
Redrum:
I’m at Stobarts running out of the Stoke depot, to be honest they usually always get me home at a decent time, the Friday just gone I finished at 1pm. If they plan a day where I know I’m not going to be able to get back I just turn around when I think I should and leave any collections/deliveries they’ve planned me and let them know the planning was impossible. If you’re willing to wait for hours over time and then collect your car the following day that’s up to you, but I know I wouldn’t be willing to do it.
That’s more or less the same kind of story from my (or ‘Robot’s’ 
) two Stobby mates.
As I said, it stands to teason they will only set these schedules to see who is daft enough to try and achieve them…sorry doze no offence bud.
Sounds like a similar scenario I’ve encountered from time to time, usually goes like this.
Monday Conversation…
Me: “Friday finish this week please oh glorious planner”.
Planner: “No worries, you hunky beast”.
Thursday Conversation…
Planner: “Hey dip just sent your Friday work through bit tight but doable, like the wife”.
Me: “Roger that, both the jobs and your wife. Leave it with me I’ll do my best you massive bag of knackers”.
Planner: “What did you say?, Hello…Hello…Are you still there…”
Now at this point I’ve got a few options starting with working me times out erring on the pessimistic side thus allowing me to calculate that I may as well either toss it off at certain given points to run in Sat, go like the clappers to get back with the option of letting them know early that I’ll be refusing the last collection. There’s always other collections.
To be fair if I’ve been planned for a route that’s doable that’s fine if I’m planned for a pig of a shift then I’ve done something wrong in conditioning my planners to how I work.
Edit: On a side note last Friday I was in Mallorca ■■■■■■ as a ■■■■ and making a complete ■■■ of myself on Karaoke.
Dipper_Dave:
On a side note last Friday I was in Mallorca ■■■■■■ as a ■■■■ and making a complete ■■■ of myself on Karaoke.
Im planning to make a similar ■■■ of myself soon when I head off down to the Algarve for the Faro bike show, and as a bonus therell be ■■■■ aplenty in the surrounding landscape
My Friday consisted of stating at Mid day as opposed to the usual half past dark. The job was a 20 foot container ex yard with a special collection en route to load a couple of pallets of unmentionable stuff and to meet my ■■■■■■ (no dipper, not THAT sort of ■■■■■■!) Then, to Marchwood military port and sat with a few other trucks until the box was lifted off at just after 2100 hrs.
Home for midnight, bothered? no, its just the way things go sometimes. Take everything in your stride and dont get wound up.
The plus benefit of my late finish Friday is a later start on Monday.
Twoninety88:
My Friday consisted of stating at Mid day as opposed to the usual half past dark. The job was a 20 foot container ex yard with a special collection en route to load a couple of pallets of unmentionable stuff and to meet my ■■■■■■ (no dipper, not THAT sort of ■■■■■■!) Then, to Marchwood military port and sat with a few other trucks until the box was lifted off at just after 2100 hrs.
Home for midnight, bothered? no, its just the way things go sometimes. Take everything in your stride and dont get wound up.
The plus benefit of my late finish Friday is a later start on Monday.
Wasn’t you I was following down A34 near Winchester 5:30pm ish Friday with green container that had orange cat 1 ADR
No mate,I was on the M3 at that time, and it was a blue box with a white Scania, there were four other trucks with Cat1 labels on in the storage berms in the dock though.
There are some things I don’t like about Stobarts but I do think if you don’t make it known to the planners that you’re not going to put up with certain things then you deserve it. One thing I really don’t like doing (which I’ve just done) is having to chase my planner up on a Sunday to get a start time for Monday. Turns out I’ve been planned for an earlier start than I’d like tomorrow and wasn’t asked/consulted before hand. I asked nicely whether he’d be able to change it to something a little later and I was told no, I couldn’t start any later. I’ve just let him know I’ll be coming in at 5am either way and it’s ridiculous how they plan things in advance and assume without consulting the drivers. He’s just told me to ring up operations, to which I replied I wouldn’t be phoning Ops or dealing with any more work matters from this point on as I’m in my weekly rest period.
I don’t know why some drivers are too scared to say anything, especially at Stobarts. They’re so desperate for drivers they’re not going to sack you on the spot for standing your ground. There are blokes at our Depo who’ve hit bridges and still have jobs… 
Redrum:
There are some things I don’t like about Stobarts but I do think if you don’t make it known to the planners that you’re not going to put up with certain things then you deserve it. One thing I really don’t like doing (which I’ve just done) is having to chase my planner up on a Sunday to get a start time for Monday. Turns out I’ve been planned for an earlier start than I’d like tomorrow and wasn’t asked/consulted before hand. I asked nicely whether he’d be able to change it to something a little later and I was told no, I couldn’t start any later. I’ve just let him know I’ll be coming in at 5am either way and it’s ridiculous how they plan things in advance and assume without consulting the drivers. He’s just told me to ring up operations, to which I replied I wouldn’t be phoning Ops or dealing with any more work matters from this point on as I’m in my weekly rest period.I don’t know why some drivers are too scared to say anything, especially at Stobarts. They’re so desperate for drivers they’re not going to sack you on the spot for standing your ground. There are blokes at our Depo who’ve hit bridges and still have jobs…
So you’ve told him you’re not disturbing your weekly rest to discuss your work… whilst on the phone during your weekly rest, you and Stobrats deserve each other.
Grumpy_old_trucker:
So you’ve told him you’re not disturbing your weekly rest to discuss your work… whilst on the phone during your weekly rest, you and Stobrats deserve each other.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I wasn’t planned for tomorrow when I finished on Friday so I knew I’d need to find out at some point over the weekend. Phoning to ask for a start time is one thing, but I draw the line at ringing around various departments on a Sunday afternoon when it can wait. Never mind, I’ll do what you would’ve done and used your telepathic powers to read his mind and not have to make a call out of work hours.