Geesh, honesty gets you nowhere sometimes

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

So I have been working for a small company in Lincoln since mid Jan this year, my first non agency job for some years now, I was elated as you can imagine.

From te start I was honest and said that I prefer not to be tramping as I have a young daughter who I prefer to see grow up rather than be away from home all the time, I conceded with him at the interview a couple or 3 nights a week out is no problem and running in on the occasional Saturday is fine, after all it can’t be helped sometimes right, I’m a realist.

So this Friday after working hard and keeping my head down te boss says he doesn’t things are going to work out in the long term because I live 20 miles away and don’t like being away, the 20 miles bit is relevant because I am expected in my own time free of charge to come in on Saturday and wash my truck (so I have been keeping it clean mid week instead when I get the chance) and the being away bit because I had five nights out and a saturday on the bounce and then didn’t want to hang around cleaning truck on the Saturday last week.

He says he is happy with the work I do etc but for above reasons doesn’t want to keep full time but would i like to do holiday cover through the year as and when required instead as he see’s my situation being a problem when things get busy.

Pretty peed off and now looking for another bloody job.

In all this week and then that’s it basically ffs.

Can’t bear to tell the wife atm, so basically told her things are really slow and one of the trucks hardly worked this last week, she know the position I took when I started was a unit extra for the company they are seeing if they could make pay, Sowing a seed in her mind so it doesn’t come as a blow basically :frowning:

2

Sounds unfair to me, you told him what was what at the interview and sounds like you have been pretty flexible but there is no pleasing some people…hope you get sorted mate.

Al

3

Hell thats not good, i feel for you mate.

I can’t tell you how to handle your lovely lady, i would tell mine the absolute truth and she would back me every inch, so maybe give your lady the chance?

Get your smart casuals on tomorrow then go out armed with current CV’s and licences and knock on some doors…the best of luck in the search.

4

Firms seem to expect you to lay down and die on command these days.

TO probably can’t afford to fill the 4x4 anymore, has debts coming out of his ears, and can’t stand people who seem to be on top of their lives, especially when they are underlings. :frowning:

5

I feel your pain, really.

It’s been this way for too long, it’s become the accepted norm; that for a lorry driver, it’s almost assumed that you will be away all week. It should never have been allowed to get like this, in my opinion (as a young driver) but it seems to be the way of things. What kind of life is it? Assuming you have a home life, and family you want to get back to. Maybe in the old days, with the whole transport cafe/digs arrangement it was an enjoyable way to spend your time, bit of camaraderie, a good laugh. But now, curtains drawn, watching dvd’s, in a ■■■■ stained layby, for an extra £20? How can anyone really wish for that, over the home life? It’s nonsense really. Everyone is so used to it, because it’s the way it’s always been. So it’s put up or shut up. I think it’s terrible really. In the days when 37 hours behind a desk with an hour for lunch each day is considered strike worthy.

It’s a big reason why I work the night trunk, as I know I get back every night. It has its disadvantages, but I don’t miss that “will I, won’t I” feeling, of being a tramper.

One of my first jobs on artics, was a basic salary + £25 a week for washing your truck (of which there was never time to do, day to day, because they ran you as close to maximum as they could) So you unless you came in specially on saturday morning, which would easily cost you more than that £25 in fuel and time, you didn’t get it.

It’s like anything, you do it once out of the kindness of your heart, then it soon becomes expected every time. Applies to everything from doing something a certain way, to running overweight etc. It’s an easy trap to fall into.

Find a better employer I guess, but good luck with that.

6

So he’s not sacking you, he’s choosing not to make you do nights out?

In a strange way that is kind of in your favour.

Would the job still be there if you could do them?

7

I see both points. And it sounds to me, like the boss is asking for something you can’t give.
But as we are all too aware. There are some people that will do the required work permanently.
Not having a pop at you buddy. It’s a pain in the derriere alright. But there is work to be done.
Good luck. And you MUST tell her indoors NOW!!! :wink:

8

sounds like he’s used you to fill a gap.
why don’t you come to a deal with him?
agree to be away all week for 6 months, see how it goes. if something else turns up more suitable in the mean time, then you’ll take it. but make it very clear, that you will give him a minimum of a weeks notice, you will work with him, not against him.
it’s worth a shot.

9

Phantom Mark:
as he see’s my situation being a problem when things get busy.

Can’t bear to tell the wife atm, so basically told her things are really slow and one of the trucks hardly worked this last week, she know the position I took when I started was a unit extra for the company they are seeing if they could make pay, Sowing a seed in her mind so it doesn’t come as a blow basically :frowning:

This is the key point, an employer needs his drivers to be flexible so that he doesn’t have to plan around an extra problem.
This has been the way of this industry since time began and it is unlikely to change.

There are plenty of other jobs which involve much longer periods away from home, as there are plenty where there is no time away.
You need to find a job which suits your chosen lifestyle and it is not realistic to expect an employer to change his job to suit you.

You must tell your wife at once, if you haven’t already.
Any decent relationship is based on trust and not telling her will undermine what you have.
I am sure she will give you her full support if you tell her the full story.

Regards,
Nick.

10

Washing a lorry for free on a Saturday. Sounds like p a dunwell

11

You told him the situation before you started. You did the right thing by him.

He expects you to spend your free unpaid time to clean his wagon on a saturday.

20 miles away is nothing, some people live 50 miles from their job.

You do a good job during the week.

Hmmm. Sounds to me like his company is approaching trouble anyway and he is going to get rid of you as a means of saving wages money. Just using those words as an excuse.

He would do it anyway even if you agreed to spend all week away.
He will probably do it to some of the other drivers in the near future.

So just let it go. Get another job (Much easier to say than do, I know) before there’s a lot more people from his place entering the jobs market.

Oh, and yes, you MUST tell her indoors TODAY that you are losing your job. If you leave it one more day she will never trust you again. Believe me, that’s how women’s minds work.

Good luck.

12

Just frustrated as I genuinely worked hard and didn’t milk the job one bit.

Got in this morning and he said the heads a leaking on my unit and I will have to use another from end of Tuesday onwards, wasn’t aware a scania 124L had more than one head but I’m no expert on truck engines, feels to me like he just wants my kit out of it, could well be reading more than there is into it.

Quite honestly been miserable as sin today and I really don’t even feel like working this week for him, no motivation at all.

Made a couple of agency calls today, looking likely I will end up back on nights with any luck in Spalding or Grantham area, fingers crossed.

I think the previous summery is most likely as Immingham has been very quiet, I was the last in so first out scenario, one of our other trucks has hardly done anything all last week.

Gonna speak with the good lady tonight, what a blast that will be, she has a horrible habbit of making you feel guilty for things out of your control sometimes :frowning:

13

Good luck mate,things always sort themselves out.

14

I know you wanna spend time with yer’ kids. But I would be tempted to say I’ll do the work. Holidays with the family will be so much better when you have them. Tell him you ARE prepared to do the nights out. He’ll come round. :wink:

15

bigvern1:
I know you wanna spend time with yer’ kids. But I would be tempted to say I’ll do the work. Holidays with the family will be so much better when you have them. Tell him you ARE prepared to do the nights out. He’ll come round. :wink:

Trouble is there are thousands of drivers up and down the country with shattered marriages, living in bedsits and pokey flats who worked away all the while, paying for houses their ex wives are shacked up in with some other geezer.

How many blokes do you speak to who don’t want time off cos they only argue the toss with 'erindors, spend all their lives in a bloody tin can sleeping in ■■■■ stinking lay bys, then once retired they end up splitting up cos they are total strangers, lives wasted for a bloody lorry drivers ■■■■ poor wages.

There has to be some work/life balance, OK you have to put the hours and work in to get some decent pay and that is a working man’s duty IMO to provide for his family, but for Heavens sake at least lay your head beside you womans for a cuddle and to sleep if only for a few hours.

16

Very true, my Mrs hated my last job, cos’ I was never there. But when I was…Well I’ll leave that to you filthy minded lot! :sunglasses: But Lincs is hardly the hub of Europe. Jobs there are harder to find than a lot of areas. I would seriously look at it again.

17

take the wife with you from time to time.