BillyHunt:
seth 70:
zeddman:
Radar19:
Agency lads seem to get the worse of it.At a few places I been to,the Agency guys were treat better than full -timers…
No offence m8 but alot of agency men are not up to the job thats why they are given easy work ,
Excellent, I’ve just handed in my notice to go back on agency work, happy days.
Well done 
Give it out, get it back.
seth 70:
WTF ,you sad person
Indeed, but with a little knowledge of the English language 
I’ve never had any disrespect from anybody. But I try hard not be ■■■■ to people.
I love my job. I love driving. If it goes the way it has the last 6-7 years I’ll be ok 
shame OP is so jaded
seth 70:
zeddman:
Radar19:
Agency lads seem to get the worse of it.At a few places I been to,the Agency guys were treat better than full -timers…
No offence m8 but alot of agency men are not up to the job thats why they are given easy work ,
Nice b8 m8…
Has Boss & Driver done English at Night School, or something?
My stints on agency, thankfully few (not knocking the long term agency lads here who do it by choice, just not for me), i was treated the same as the full timers.
If i disliked the work, or the attitude, which was rare, then i didn’t go back and would explain why, invariably those companies have high turnovers of full time staff whom they treat like rubbish too and pay peanuts, so hardly worth losing a nights sleep over.
Other places i’ve found as much or more respect being given, especially when they find out you’re reliable trustworthy and know your trade, had my own rented lorry issued to me at one long term job together with a regular run, and when the agency tried to send someone else in (one of the favoured) after Christmas the customer scotched that by phoning the agency and reminded them who paid the bills.
As said above, what you put in you usually get out.
I agree with that I’ve always been treated ok wherever I’ve worked but always try and be polite and do whatever needed.
bobbya:
So really what you’re saying is I’m alright Jack [zb] you, which in my opinion is the way everyone has gone now, real shame it means we are all totally screwed, well done driver!!
I’m alright Jack. I’ve got a great job that’s very easy, good hours etc because I got off my arse and worked for it. It took several jobs but I got there, why should I waste money on a worthless union card/ lose money by striking just to help those too useless to help themselves?
Small yards and agencies are more likely to treat you on a level playing field than the larger firms.
I’ve always had trouble getting work with big companies for example, as they see me as “tempermentally unsuitable” and it seems that I’m only suited for full time work at places like Nationalised Industry hive-offs such as Royal Mail, BT, or the Utility firms.
Agencies and small yards on the other hand, will give you a fair crack - because you’ve accepted you won’t be as well off with them as you might have been with that big guaranteed pay packet coming in from some large outfit.
I suggest therefore that being treated badly is an endemic thing among larger haulage firms these days.
They do perceive you as merely a piece of meat with a pound sign - because that’s all we are to them.
They see someone with “previous” as a better prospect, because they’ll bend over backwards to keep their noses clean, won’t be complicated employees, and won’t be answering back and making waves all the time - like I might do - intended or not.
Of course, this “company policy” will only continue to stand up until the public start bringing legal actions based on a yet unproven status where large firms are going out of their way to put let’s say - “under par” drivers out on the roads, with the additional liabilities that such a move involves. What is some crash victim going to do when they find out the driver has 9 points on their licence, and got the job under a “halfway house” ROA scheme, or worse - “personal recommendation to the boss” by a chump relative?
I reckon that hardly any of the truckers who’ve killed cyclists for example - had clean licences for starters! - Anyone like to step up and call me wrong here from personal experience only mind?
On an issue like this, something someone’s heard from the guy down the pub isn’t going to be a valid argument against what I put forward as a speculative argument…
If anyone has the balls to say on this public board “Yup, I killed Mr Joe Bloggs in Randomtown last year, I have a clean licence, and after initially being arrested at the scene, I got off Scott-Free…” then I’m obviously going to be folding to your re-raise straight away here. 
Of course I speculate… Things don’t change politically in the big business world - until the people at the top start getting punished for “bad policy making”. First, they have to be told that it’s “bad” and “unacceptable” which isn’t going to happen all the time we have a government that sells the public down the river to big business concerns all the time.
Who thinks that Cadbury, Leyland, Citilink, and the Utilities should have been (re) nationalised, rather than allowed to fail, or turned over to foreigners - which is probably worse still…
You elect someone as MP, they get told by lobbyists to rubber stamp some deal that allows a crooked business interest to run rings around the system, and the vast majority of their own electorate are worse off for it.
YET the prospect of voting for a complete unknown puts people off voting entirely, perhaps because they’d rather be shafted by the devil they know, rather than gamble what little they have for a real shot at real change - which is supposed to be what we elect our officials for.
pjv444:
I have been with a few different company’s through agency and full time in the last 20 years and it is disgusting the way drivers are treated and spoken to. I don’t mess about with the likes of these kind of people as iam disliked by agency’s and bosses in the past as I speak my mind and tell them straight, don’t speak to me unless you see me as a human being and not a piece of meat with a £sign.I know every other driver has experienced the lack of respect in this industry and quite honestly no matter how much or how little the pay is there is not one company better than the next, what iam saying is that there needs to be a change in attitude towards drivers and that starts with the company bosses,managers etc.
so where do we go from here to demand better conditions respect and professional drivers pay, after all how does ford,asda and Tesco not to mention building materials etc get to there stores and warehouse’s, I wonder. as a driver I don’t want to be doing this job anymore I have seen enough but what is needed is a complete shake up and change in conditions etc, but is there a union that could have the b…s to stand up and say? I rest my case. mabe we should look to the French drivers for answer’s…
Hiya mate, you probably didn’t intend to get as much hammer on your first post, but welcome to Trucknet, and don’t be put off by it 
I know things aren’t perfect in co/driver PR, but I don’t think it’s quite as bad as you say. Can’t comment on agencies, although I know a mate of mine that is constantly ■■■■■■ ed about and only( in my opinion )because he just sits back and takes it regardless.
I have worked for one firm in particular that were really good with me, and in return I would have (and did) do any job or favour they asked as I knew they looked after me. I have also worked for a particular Dutch outfit that were a bunch of ■■■■ s, so consequently I reacted accordingly to them.
It also works the other way, if a driver is a right arrogant ■■■■, his firm will react the same way to him. Standing up for yourself, as I certainly do, is acceptable but only if you do it with respect and politeness, if a driver goes in like a bull at a gate, effin & jeffin, then he deserves to be ■■■■ upon by his firm in my opinion.
On the other hand if a firm gets a good driver that ‘plays the game’ they should reciprocate, …it’s a two way thing.
Got to agree about the French, they don’t ■■■■ about and get things done, it won’t happen here as most drivers today have no balls and only complain to other drivers. one of the many reasons that I laugh at the Foreign driver haters on here.
Let’s hear your response to what has been said by everybody on here, and don’t let these nasty truckers… ( I said truckers not ■■■■■■■ s, although there are a few of them on here also ) put you off posting again .
Winseer:
I’ve always had trouble getting work with big companies
Probably because if you’re work attitude is anything like your TNet attitude you probably spend the first 4 hours of the day waffling on about something or other instead of getting to the point/getting the job done.
I feel I get treated fairly at our place and have respect as much in when I was on the sick 6 month then had my licence revoked they found a job for me in the warehouse. Mind you I get on with my job and don’t moan every 5 mins about the runs I get or the odd time I may have to run in on Saturday morning etc.
There’s plenty of drivers left our place because the grass is greener on the other side only to come back with their knackers between their legs when they realise they’ve got an easy number at our place and not rushed or pushed. The drivers who complain about no respect at our place are those who say “I’ve told em stright I don’t do London” WTF you’re a truck driver if you have a run to London crack on with it if not the entrance to the yard is there and your P45 will be following you out the gate
They wonder then when the planners start trying to stitch them up by late tips on Fridays so they end up running in on Saturdays or they get jankers for a couple of week and local work, they’re the same people who refuse to pick up a backload because they won’t get finished for 12pm on a Friday’s.
We’d all like an early Finnish every Friday but this is the transport industry it doesn’t always happen.
End of the day respect works both ways, as others have said if you go in gun ho with an attitude dictating things like what runs and truck you want, reeking of stale ■■■■ and a tramps vest then how do you expect to be treated by not just your workplace but also your colleagues and at places such as RDC’s. Not saying this is the OP case but I’ve always found you get back what you put in and I treat other folk how I expect to be treated, if I get treat like ■■■■ when I haven’t done or said ouwt wrong then I’ll give it back tenfold but I’ve very rarely had to do this.
m1cks:
Winseer:
I’ve always had trouble getting work with big companiesProbably because if you’re work attitude is anything like your TNet attitude you probably spend the first 4 hours of the day waffling on about something or other instead of getting to the point/getting the job done.
In fact I have no trouble performing the job at all, being on my own most of the time as we are in this industry. We don’t live in a meritocracy however, so a boss is more worried about a prospective employee playing golf with him, voting Tory, aiding and abetting him in breaking the law when appropriate, and being the sort of guy he can have a drink with when off duty. I just want to do the job well, go home, get paid, not talk to anyone unless spoken to. Disaster strikes when someone talks to me, and I’m unable to just abuptly answer with a single word, and walk away - which appears to work for others. I resent the fact that there is this prejudice against me as an individual instead of noticing the fact I get the job done without incident, and go the extra mile if necessary to get it done. Alas, this counts for nothing in today’s godless bullcrap society where being a monied, popular bignob counts for everything.
I shouldn’t have to become something I’m not just to get a job FFS. Expecting someone to act against their nature is a dangerous way to play anyone in this world - and eventually makes losers of all involved, one way or another.
Me “waffling on” however does result in me failing at interview stage in over 99% of all interviews I’ve attended. It’s quite expensive actually, because I nearly always get shortlisted for interview, thus incurring the expense of attending one, only to be thrown to the wolves for being a social ■■■■■■■ once there. Alas, it’s not illegal to treat people like me in this downright nasty way, thus there’s not a jolly lot I can do about being what I am.
Interestingly, people like yourself might take a dislike to me (ie they don’t know me at all in person) whereas when I meet the many drivers that I do going about this line of work - I’ve not been “spotted” by my behaviour at large as yet. It’s easy to confuse me with “one of the lads” when I’m amongst them essentially. It’s the higher-ups that I have the trouble with - not the other drivers.
It would be nice if Haulage companies could show more respect by judging people like me on my work performance - instead of personal interests that I don’t have in common with them, and are not relevent to doing the job well in any way whatsoever.
Would you want one surgeon to operate on you because he’s a shaking-handed chump who’s got a good golf handicap - or another surgeon because he’s damned good at his job, but is as abrasive as “House” to those around him?
With a decision like this, the knee-jerk one made by the daft majority would be to “go with the popular guy, and just cross your fingers he doesn’t kill you” wouldn’t it?
Never taken a dislike to you. Just wish some of your posts were a bit more direct and to the point so I don’t have to check my diary to check I’ve enough time to read it in its entirety.
m1cks:
Never taken a dislike to you. Just wish some of your posts were a bit more direct and to the point so I don’t have to check my diary to check I’ve enough time to read it in its entirety.
Well, I’ve just been knocked back from a job I was expecting a coronation for recently, and ‘my ■■■■ is boiling’ as many might say on here.
I’m sick of being unfairly treated.
You’re not the first to tell me what you’ve said in the same timeframe - so I’m giving you the respect in accepting that you’ve got a real point there. 
“You failed at interview, because you waffle on, and go off at a tangent.”
“Be youself and be damned for it” essentially.
Winseer:
I’m sick of being unfairly treated.
Are you really sure of that?
Maybe this is the problem. A lot of your posts you always come across as the victim. In my (limited) experience, this attitude reflects when you are being interviewed and questioned by potential employers.
Having a positive attitude not only makes you feel more confident, it makes you seem more enthusiastic to others and generally people will give you more of their time. Just read some of the inspiring posts from the new drivers here who have gone out and found good jobs (and not NMW ones) just by sheer enthusiasm and attitude.
Good luck with your next opportunity.
Winseer:
Me “waffling on” however does result in me failing at interview stage in over 99% of all interviews I’ve attended.
Do you take print outs of irrelevant Google Street View images to these interviews too?
Again on agency here always turned up smart and got on with the job. Had loads of respect back. Regulary get asked for by name. If needed an earlier finish or shorter run one day it was not a problem. Give me free decet ppe if i asked. Also a couple of places i drove class 2 for took me out in class 1 after i passed my test to give me extra pointers and check i was ok with it then gave me regular class 1 work on new gear. So i guess its down to what you put it is what you get back.
seth 70:
steelgoon:
ajt:
Because their [zb]they’re - not their !!
WTF ,you sad person
There we go. You’ve just given a perfect example of what I said. If you cannot be bothered to get even the basics of the language you speak correct and see no problem with it, why should I treat you as if you’re remotely intelligent?
