Hanson have 4 of their own trucks at our quarry they were given 90 days notice last week and the TM came yesterday and told the drivers to clear the cabs and go,a bit harsh eh. Does anyone know if this is countrywide or just central region.
The tm at work,her husband works out of wigmore quarry and they have been laying off aswell.
Tonyb
pursy:
Hanson have 4 of their own trucks at our quarry they were given 90 days notice last week and the TM came yesterday and told the drivers to clear the cabs and go,a bit harsh eh. Does anyone know if this is countrywide or just central region.
It’s countrywide mate!
pursy:
Hanson have 4 of their own trucks at our quarry they were given 90 days notice last week and the TM came yesterday and told the drivers to clear the cabs and go,a bit harsh eh. Does anyone know if this is countrywide or just central region.
As far as I’m aware there aren’t any company owned Hanson trucks round here. However, Hanson have shut 4-5 quarries round here in the last few years, with the final two on their last legs. 
I believe there are only 6 contract/o-drivers in North Wales and 3 of them are owned by one firm! 
Is work tough for you down you’re way Pursy or are things holding up? 
Hammer. The four Hanson trucks are parked up here so that is helping and March has been a bit better than January and February but I dont think we are out of the woods by a long shot.There seems to be even more crushed brick and road planings being delivered to what sites are still open.If I could get a good price for the 2 8ws I run they would be gone and the drivers too, as it is I will try and run em a bit longer.Hows work up with you is it picking up a bit with the better weather?
pursy:
Hammer. The four Hanson trucks are parked up here so that is helping and March has been a bit better than January and February but I dont think we are out of the woods by a long shot.There seems to be even more crushed brick and road planings being delivered to what sites are still open.If I could get a good price for the 2 8ws I run they would be gone and the drivers too, as it is I will try and run em a bit longer.Hows work up with you is it picking up a bit with the better weather?
Hi Pursy,
Whats the payload on the MAN 8 legger you have, got someone who is looking to replace an 8 and is considering one like yours.
Dave.She weighs around 11.68t full of fuel ,it is a nice truck to drive ours is spoiled by a baulky gearchange that Aquila at Worcester and MAN have so far failed to fix ,she should be in for a day next week so that they can put some parts on,but it is trial and error.so far fuel has been around 7.1mpg compared with the 450 CAT at 6.7 and Pauls ex Scania 420 at 7.6 I am told it will improve more so lets hope eh.
Cheers for the info Pursy, just passed it on, they are having a think, then going to decide between one like yours and a DAF.
Dave.
hammer:
pursy:
Hanson have 4 of their own trucks at our quarry they were given 90 days notice last week and the TM came yesterday and told the drivers to clear the cabs and go,a bit harsh eh. Does anyone know if this is countrywide or just central region.As far as I’m aware there aren’t any company owned Hanson trucks round here. However, Hanson have shut 4-5 quarries round here in the last few years, with the final two on their last legs.
Is work tough for you down you’re way Pursy or are things holding up?
Hanson are spending a lot of money round here, just put in a brand new shiny tar plant
Denis F:
hammer:
pursy:
Hanson have 4 of their own trucks at our quarry they were given 90 days notice last week and the TM came yesterday and told the drivers to clear the cabs and go,a bit harsh eh. Does anyone know if this is countrywide or just central region.As far as I’m aware there aren’t any company owned Hanson trucks round here. However, Hanson have shut 4-5 quarries round here in the last few years, with the final two on their last legs.
Is work tough for you down you’re way Pursy or are things holding up?
Hanson are spending a lot of money round here, just put in a brand new shiny tar plant
“ALLEDEGLY” at kingsdyke,they have just done a deal with wincanton to sub out 100 loads a day to them,good news for my driver.andy.
pursy:
Hammer. The four Hanson trucks are parked up here so that is helping and March has been a bit better than January and February but I dont think we are out of the woods by a long shot.There seems to be even more crushed brick and road planings being delivered to what sites are still open.If I could get a good price for the 2 8ws I run they would be gone and the drivers too, as it is I will try and run em a bit longer.Hows work up with you is it picking up a bit with the better weather?
Hello Pursy, things have picked up a little bit. January was woeful and February not much better. In those two months I earned about 75% of what I would normally have earned in ONE month, never mind two! 
This week in particular, has been much better but I’ve already been told there is nothing for next Monday so it looks like its back to square one.
I think you’ll be waiting a long time for 8-wheeler prices to rise, seems to me that you can’t give them away at the moment. Hopefully, will pick up for us all sooner rather than later, fingers crossed.
At least it sounds like Aggregates are trying to solve the problem of too many trucks not enough work. I operate a mixer for Premix in Dorset. We are being done out of work by independants, who can run in from 30 miles away cheaper than we can run to a job 3 miles down the road, Aggregates supply the independants so are reluctant to compete and reduce the price of concrete just incase they lose that contract, they won’t cut the old out of contract trucks ‘just incase there’s a sudden upturn in work’, these of which are still being transferred to busy plants whilst we sit in the yard and do nothing with H.P hanging over our heads. Probably one of the biggest road building contracts is now taking place in the town but we can’t supply it, it’s cheaper to run it from the plant 12 miles up the road, and this downward spiral all began with a mass haulage rate cut of nearly 10% with the answer like it or lump it! I would be keen to hear from any owner driver/franchisee who has ‘thrown his keys back’ as to what penalties he incurred.
We supply chippings to a Premix plant and they always seem to be losing work to Topmix.
Our Quarry had 11 8 wheelers in March and we are down to 5 now and still they sit and wait for work. They have cut the production hours and still the stockpiles grow. Should have been an MP eh.
German firm Heidelberg has put its UK cement division Hanson up for sale for a reported £1 billion.
According to the Daily Mail Heidelberg-Cement is understood to have started sounding out potential bidders at the start of the month and has appointed Frankfurt-based Commerzbank to handle the sale.
Heidelberg bought Hanson Global for £7.8 billion in 2007. The firm employs 6,500 people in the UK and has 350 sites.
The purchase left Heidelberg with debts of £5.3 billion, which have become more difficult to service with the severe downturn in construction.
The firm is owned by the family of Adolf Merckle, the German billionaire who committed suicide in January.
It announced this month its intention to sell £1.7 billion of assets to help pay back the banks.
Hanson UK is expected to be broken up instead of being sold to one bidder. It has four divisions - aggregates and asphalt, concrete, building products and cement.
troberts0:
At least it sounds like Aggregates are trying to solve the problem of too many trucks not enough work. I operate a mixer for Premix in Dorset. We are being done out of work by independants, who can run in from 30 miles away cheaper than we can run to a job 3 miles down the road, Aggregates supply the independants so are reluctant to compete and reduce the price of concrete just incase they lose that contract, they won’t cut the old out of contract trucks ‘just incase there’s a sudden upturn in work’, these of which are still being transferred to busy plants whilst we sit in the yard and do nothing with H.P hanging over our heads. Probably one of the biggest road building contracts is now taking place in the town but we can’t supply it, it’s cheaper to run it from the plant 12 miles up the road, and this downward spiral all began with a mass haulage rate cut of nearly 10% with the answer like it or lump it! I would be keen to hear from any owner driver/franchisee who has ‘thrown his keys back’ as to what penalties he incurred.
I work mainly for Tarmac (not contract) and have been getting very little. What little I do get is only because mine is a 6 and all the contracts are 8’s. Most of the 6-wheeler loads are taken on 8-leggers unless access makes this impossible, when the likes of me step in 
. I’m scratching around for bits and bobs and it did pick up slightly in April but since then I’m lucky to get a day a week from Tarmac.
However, I have to say that it is fair enough as far as I am concerned, I’ve got no real ties to tatmac - I’m just a subby. The contract lads have the HP and the colours etc. However, there are 40 contracts 8x4’s in our area and AT LEAST 15 have no finance and many are 02’ or older. I’m a bit mystified why some of these are not stood down (like I am) and the lads with the big HP given the work. I guess they are hedging their bets incase it upturns. If it was me I’d be more than annoyed that my 1500quid/month HP truck is standing while a ratty old V-reg gets a load even though its got no finance.
In answer to your final question, none of the lads round here have cut down (yet), although they’ve been steady-ish and none have ‘thrown the keys’ in.
pursy:
We supply chippings to a Premix plant and they always seem to be losing work to Topmix.
Our Quarry had 11 8 wheelers in March and we are down to 5 now and still they sit and wait for work. They have cut the production hours and still the stockpiles grow. Should have been an MP eh.
Pursy, you should think yourself lucky they haven’t subbied out the concrete plant work. In our quarries virtually ALL this work has been handed over to bigger firms, even though they’ve got contract trucks (and subbies like me) doing nothing!
I presume these ‘businesses’ have had their special scissors out, trimming the rates but you would have thought the quarries would have kept the work for their own trucks? After all, they are happy to put 4tonnes of tar on an 8-legger and pay him NINETEEN tonnes when there is a four-wheeler sat doing nothing. Seems no sense in it to me…but then again what do I know! 
Hope it improves for you Pursy, your situation sounds grim but the only way is up! 
Reading all this I am glad I sold my mixer in October last year, got out at bang on the right time… 
Coddy:
Reading all this I am glad I sold my mixer in October last year, got out at bang on the right time…
Imaculate Mercedes Axor 2633 for sale, walnut dash, dvd player, 49000 on the clock, baryval mixer (not that that’s a good thing) euro 3 no Ad-blue and no work, £40000 on H.P, VALUED AT £28000 if I’m lucky, go on, you know you’re tempted!!! You definately made the right decision my friend!