Currently on general haulage and away Monday to Friday. I’m starting to think a change might be in order, purely based on the fact I’ve been off since xmas eve and having 3 kids under 10, makes you realise that being away from them all wk isn’t always that great.
Just wondered if anyone on here has made the switch from tramping to day work & how it worked out for you.
My one concern is that many ‘day jobs’ seem to be a rolling 4 on 4 off rota particularly supermarkets, which in some respects is worse for me when it comes to weekends.
It varies. Admittedly few are 9-5 Monday to Friday jobs but with some places it I a relatively fixed shift pattern with some possible change in start times but maybe a 2 hour time window. Others are rotating shifts. Most do struggle at weekends though. Where I am now seems to be 45 hours per week which is either 5 x 9 hour shifts or 4 x 11 1/4 hour shifts. Either way you would be home a lot more than as a tramper and probably earning or able to earn more money. The biggest difference is whether its in house or outsourced transport
Boo9729:
My one concern is that many ‘day jobs’ seem to be a rolling 4 on 4 off rota particularly supermarkets, which in some respects is worse for me when it comes to weekends.
I’ve done shift work now for 11 yrs either 4 on 4 off or 5 on 3 off and yes you work weekends but you’ll also get long weekends off, not only that having time off in the week enables you to do the school run and during school holidays day trips etc.
But supermarket work is pretty bland I’d say but generally a good safe job running straighter than straight.
I like 4on 4 off as for the money nights out are irrelevant as what get I spend best part of on food and the likes so im beginning to think about 4 on 4 off days my self service
Certainly think money will be similar, the other problem I have is that my eldest is from a previous marriage and have him every other weekend, so whether or not I can work out slightly different access with the ex remains to be seen !!
Have considered Mon to Fri trunk work but think I would be bored out my mind driving from A to B after doing what im currently doing.
Think the best thing I can do is speak to some local firms in Teeside and see what kind of shift patterns firms have.
Moved from container tramping to a major supermarket at dagenham 18 mnths ago.its a different world the pay rates are little better but with no tax relief you may end up taking less money home.dont try thinking for yourself dont question any thing .with the shift patterns theres very little social life as you will work an average on 7 weekends out of 10 .the days can often go 11/12/13 hrs so dont think you"ll see much more of the kids.it can be very physical as some general waste gages can weigh as much as 300kgs.most of the planners are in the jobs because they are cheap and unwilling at a low price,a recent 2 dropper loaded at dagenham 1st drop hammersmith 2nd drop felixstowe there must be a 100 stores between those two.the good days like most jobs are long gone its paying slightly above general haulage rates mon to fri for any 5 out 7 rolling week and people are leaving in droves and going back to general haulge mon to fri as at least there some social life at weekends.
I do supermarket work and I know of a couple of lads who gave up tramping to come and do the job, at first all was ok but after a while the job started getting them down, the same thing every day was making them bored. In the end both left and returned to tramping.
If you say trunk work will bore you out of your mind then I have a feeling supermarket work would as well.
Currently on general haulage and away Monday to Friday. I’m starting to think a change might be in order, purely based on the fact I’ve been off since xmas eve and having 3 kids under 10, makes you realise that being away from them all wk isn’t always that great.
Just wondered if anyone on here has made the switch from tramping to day work & how it worked out for you.
My one concern is that many ‘day jobs’ seem to be a rolling 4 on 4 off rota particularly supermarkets, which in some respects is worse for me when it comes to weekends.
“Been off since Christmas” one thing is for sure you will NOT get the Christmas period off working on Supermarkets and you’ll be working a lot of either full or part weekends.
I stopped tramping for fridge work for the same reasons, out of 8 weekends I do 3 weekends and a sat, the hours are long. I try to get back in 13-14 hours and do have the odd lunch time finish. I start between 3-4 and see my daughter more then I ever did. I earn about the same and I was doing weekends tramping on jobs for network rail and I loved the jobs and the lads I left behind, first 2.5 months was depressing. I’ve come through that though because even if I go home for a 9 off I still get to tuck her in and sometimes read her a story and that makes it worth it while she’s so young
My mrs has the car at night, she has a bit of freedom for a few weeks and I love mid week days off when the house is empty daughter loves me picking her up and we don’t waste cash on booze and take aways every weekend. Also get more holidays and can bank the bank hols worked so I’m getting more time off there to.
If course this is just an example of how it works but I honestly get fed up of the mon to fri now prefer the 4 on 2 off.
Currently on general haulage and away Monday to Friday. I’m starting to think a change might be in order, purely based on the fact I’ve been off since xmas eve and having 3 kids under 10, makes you realise that being away from them all wk isn’t always that great.
Just wondered if anyone on here has made the switch from tramping to day work & how it worked out for you.
My one concern is that many ‘day jobs’ seem to be a rolling 4 on 4 off rota particularly supermarkets, which in some respects is worse for me when it comes to weekends.
I did 4On/3Off and it went OK. Weekend is anywhy for Agency.
Just cover Monday if you get Bank Holiday paid,and if its paid normal do Tuesday to Friday
Supermarket work is definetely stress free in my opinion. No hassle and plenty time to do deliveries. But there can be a lot of sitting around waiting (sometimes up to 4 hours) then getting sent out to do two drops 80 miles away. Can be long shifts or short shifts,each day is different.
The shift pattern would probably suit you better for kids. Although you will be expected to work weekends,you will still be home lot more than tramping monday-friday.
Plus supermarket drivers are paid VERY well for what the job entails
As agency I have done a fair amount of supermarket shifts (Sainsburys,Co-op) and I have done Tesco as a subbie and I find them easier. But the guys who do it full time are the biggest moaning,spoilt bunch ever. They have it so easy they discuss strike action for almost every little thing they don’t like. That’s how easy they have it
Pin puled,grenade launched,fingers in ears…
I’ve done both over the years & as usual it depends on what suits you at the time. Good general haulage companies are few & far between and, in my opinion, tend to take the pish more, they’ll call it the requirements of the business. After being with any company you will end up going to the same places time & time again. With supermarkets you will get a shift pattern, usually working 4 shifts over 7 days, meaning you work every other weekend. You get plenty time off, never less then 2 days, and on my 12 week rota it included 3,4,5 & even 6 days off not counting holidays.
In my opinion supermarkets, the big ones anyway, tend to look after their drivers better. Others will be along to disagree.
Up until recently I have always done supermarket work and that is the way to go if you want more family time, the downside being working most weekends but that is the nature of the supermarket beast.
As the Snowman says it’s a lot less stressful and is more like a “normal job” as you go in do your job and go home again within reasonable hours.
In general the bigger firms are easier to work for than the smaller ones, the bigger ones tend to have purpose built bays (although this is not always the case) where it’s just roll off roll on with the cages or pallets, the smaller ones it’s more up and down on the tail lift and pulling and dragging cages around.
You will also find that every company will have its bad drops which can sometimes be a bloody nightmare to get into, for example reversing blindside into alleyways off busy main roads or reversing into the carpark through the outgate against the flow of traffic, the list is endless and I’m sure the other supermarket lads can add a few more.
Oh and just to add, you don’t need to take a sleeping bag with you if you’ve got your head screwed on
If its a Tesco you’re probably better off on agency. If you’re willing to do supermarket work then there will be all the work you want via agencies and certainly in the case of Stobarts at Tesco, Goole & Doncaster, the agencies pay a hell of a lot more than working for Stobarts.
Hauling 80 cages off 4-6 at a time and then reloading the empties either on the tail lift or a fixed scissor lift at most drops you work for your money but as mentioned, you’re not being rushed to do it.
commonrail:
so what kind of money is your average employed supermarket driver draggin
Around about 30K is a reasonable expectation, without breaking a sweat
is that gross
if so…what kinda hours/shift pattern
Gross, working say 5 on 2 off which would include a sat or sun,10 hour days, more for nights, I am talking in general/ballpark figures here, it depends on the firm
commonrail:
so what kind of money is your average employed supermarket driver draggin
Around about 30K is a reasonable expectation, without breaking a sweat
is that gross
if so…what kinda hours/shift pattern
Gross, working say 5 on 2 off which would include a sat or sun,10 hour days, more for nights, I am talking in general/ballpark figures here, it depends on the firm
so…generally speaking,there isnt alot in it money wise..its just about the hours worked v shifts aspect.
I get 4 weekends off every 10 weeks, 4 weekends will be both Saturday and Sunday and 2 weekends will have either a Saturday or Sunday working. I’ve always been a Monday to Friday man before I started this job, taken a while to get used too but it’s not too bad.
daughter loves me picking her up and we don’t waste cash on booze and take aways every weekend. Also get more holidays and can bank the bank hols worked so I’m getting more time off there to.
