Next time you feel the confidence going just ask yourself a couple of questions.
who does the truck belong to & who pays the insurance.
Will I give it 100% to try to ensure I do not hit something.
If yes then then.
Why should I give a zb if despite trying my best I still get it wrong, after all it’s not my truck or insurance.
I take the attitude that provided I make every effort to try to ensure I drive as safely as I can, then no one can expect more of me. And if I get it wrong once in a while tuff, thats life.
I have a very good accident free record, I often get out & I never have any problems with asking if in doubt.
But at the end of the day I am driving someone else’s truck on their insurance into places they have asked me to go.
i am an impatient driver sometimes but i am very careful. my driving record is fairly good. i have only ever hit 2 cars. one was not my fault and the other took a mirror off with the overhang cos she parked on the corner of a very tight staggered crossroads. i did knock a sign down in london last year but didnt scratch the truck. my front tyre caught the post and knocked it over so it didnt touch the wagon itself.
this could all end up changing anyway.
1, they dont pay any different for class 1 or 2.
2. i dont want to carry a bag of maps in my car every day so i will be requesting secure lockers for all drivers on site
3. the transport office guys havent got a clue about the job
4. i will take a major pay cut by taking a job with them (i made over £700 gross by working the bank holiday week monday to saturday) and i will get used to the decent pay from the agency
5. health and safety only applies when it suits them
i get impatient at traffic lights when they are red with sod all coming but i do drive carefully. especially compared to some of my new colleagues
as for what i want. i have had enough of being messed around. i want a job with my own regular unit to save me shifting my stuff every night. i cant be bothered with getting stuck on rigids now. i want to stay on class 1s. i have had a taste of them and i like them. i still need a bit more practice but i am getting the hang of it. if they cant offer me what i want, there are plenty of other jobs around so it is only a matter of looking and talking to drivers
scanny77:
as for what i want. i have had enough of being messed around. i want a job with my own regular unit to save me shifting my stuff every night. i cant be bothered with getting stuck on rigids now. i want to stay on class 1s. i have had a taste of them and i like them. i still need a bit more practice but i am getting the hang of it. if they cant offer me what i want, there are plenty of other jobs around so it is only a matter of looking and talking to drivers
So why you bothering with this
scanny77:
this could all end up changing anyway.
1, they dont pay any different for class 1 or 2.
2. i dont want to carry a bag of maps in my car every day so i will be requesting secure lockers for all drivers on site
3. the transport office guys havent got a clue about the job
4. i will take a major pay cut by taking a job with them (i made over £700 gross by working the bank holiday week monday to saturday) and i will get used to the decent pay from the agency
5. health and safety only applies when it suits them
It seems to me you are unsettled so are nit picking at everything you can why not just leave if its so bad
You say they pay no differently for Classes 1 and 2. Is that because they are paying a Class 1 rate across the board or because they are not paying a premium for Artic drivers? If it’s the first, it seems a little unfair to judge them for that…they must just respect all drivers’ skills equally.
Obviously if it’s the latter that’s a different thing… but few firms who employ drivers for both types of vehicles and expect them hop between the two make such a distinction.
Are you often running to the same places? Even true “tramping” firms only have a limited number of customers, so you’ll eventually find that you rarely need the maps…plus you’ll need the support of the other drivers if you want to push through a potentially costly change like providing lockers when you’ve only been there five minutes.
I know that I’ve chosen not to use lockers in the past when they’ve been provided, as one person’s definition of “secure” isn’t necessarily another’s, and the better the provision the greater the outlay you’ve to convince the firm to make. Is there a Driver Rep you can work with? If so, that’s your best way forward - and would also avoid making yourself unpopular by “stepping on the toes” of existing manager/driver contact arrangements.
That’s transport. I’d learn to live with it if I were you!!!
Bear in mind that taking any full time job will probably result in a pay cut compared to agency work. The reason agencies pay well is because they cannot guarantee you security and your own motor etc…and you can’t have it all.
Again, that’s transport for you. It’s an old fashioned industry. Not that that’s a good thing, mind. If you have genuine concerns then HSE are your people, but again make sure you won’t be screwing up an existing Drivers Rep System by not utilising it…these arrangements only work if all the drivers respect and utilise them, and no-one will thank you for undermining them.
Good luck, whatever you decide…we’re always here to help and advise.
The problem with agency work (unless your contracted) is that it’s not allways regular (as I’m sure you know). As for everything else, you’ve got to start somewhere . Get yourself the experience, then the decent motors. The problem is:
Decent motor & bang whilst your learning = Major [zb] headed your way, 'cause someone’s stuck their neck (and wallet) out for you.
[zb] motor and bang whilst your learning = Oh well, he’s just passed his test. Got away with it if your very very sorry .
Carrying bags of maps is par for the course on agency, that’s why I had SatNav. Can you ask where your going the following day and take the appropriate maps?
If you don’t like the firm, then why not ask the agency to place you somewhere new/go get yourself a job.
If your on about the health and safety related to your post, then I reckon they’ve done you a favour.
Lastly, DON’T GET OVER CONFIDENT. TRUST ME, IT’S NOT GOOD.
they pay £7.34 P/H for the class 2 job that i applied for. the same rate applies to all drivers with the exception of bulk drivers who have a cushy life and more money (although i wouldnt do it) since they can only carry one delivery at a time.
my limited experience of sat nav has put me right off them. last week i had to go to Birmingham double manned and put my faith in the other drivers sat nav. it couldnt find a particular address so i had to pull in at Warwick MSA and take a cheeky look in a map. on top of that, i like to see where i am going, not be given instructions to turn off at a junction that i am passing
i do actually like the job but i dont like (and will voice my opinions) getting messed around.
i applied for a class 2 job. at the interview, my class 1 licence was mentioned and we agreed that when i was ready, i would start taking artics out.
i started the job and within a couple of days, was put on a class 1 run which i flatly refused to do due to the fact that i hadnt driven an artic in almost 6 years. i could have done the job but it would have been totally irresponsible on my part
the following week, i was informed that i was no good as a class 2 driver if i have a class 1 licence and i am unwilling to drive artics (i lost my rag due to the insult ie i AGREED to do class 1 at the interview)
they sent me out a couple of times with a driver on artics and then i was on my own.
since then i have been taking artics out and volunteering for shunting on saturdays. now i am gaining confidence and starting to like artics, i want to drive them permanently but they are putting me more on rigids again.
i was supposed to be driving an artic today but that got changed so i moaned about the fact that they put pressure on me to drive artics which i gave in to and now i am driving rigids again.
the runs are not set at all. the customer base is pretty regular as in out of 5 weeks, i have been to one particular customer 4 times. the area we cover is quite big. severn bridge right across to essex/kent and up to wolverhampton, northampton and everywhere south from there. going out without maps is a rare thing so i have to carry around 35 ish to cover the entire area just in case my run has been changed since i went home the previous night.
although the job itself is satifactory, i will not sign their contract (when the time comes) until i have read it carefully and negotiated anything i am unhappy with. they have upgraded me to artics and that means more doors are open so i will be looking around again to see who is paying what. in the meantime, i am working around 60 hours a week to make as much money as i can while i am still on agency pay. wherever i go from there will mean a pay cut but its always worth keeping an ear on the ground to find out what the local drivers are getting and who is looking for drivers. i stand by what i had printed in Commercial Motor, we are in the unique position where we can pick and choose. i see no reason why i should take a job that i dont like for whatever reason. even if it means relocating within the uk again
I meant to reply to this sooner, but time escaped me…sorry!
Ok…(Deep breath…)
Unless things have changed drastically in the 18 months since I moved home (which they may have, I don’t know), that’s not a bad pay rate for Southampton at all.
First rule of transport for Newbies - “When you’re ready” invariably means when they think you’re ready…no firm will risk damage to a vehicle by sending out a driver who they don’t feel is up to it, the rest is just down to confidence…which you only get by going out and doing the job…as you have discovered.
If it were any other way then, let’s face it, I doubt you would ever have gone for it…
The more you moan, the more they’ll mess you about. Moaning is to drivers what swimming is to ducks. You know and I know that you are doing it out of a strong sense of principle, but to any Traffic Office you will simply come across as “one of the whingers” - a label which never does a driver any favours. You might get away with it when you’ve been there 10 years, but not after 5 minutes…at the moment you are simply making a rod for your own back.
Carrying maps goes with the job. Unless you can decide to like Sat Nav (which I know I can’t, but some can) the you’d best start getting used to it. The only way to avoid it is to get a job where you have “your own” truck, and in these days of tight margins and the WTD that will probably mean tramping - although even then you need to shift them if the truck goes to service etc.
You don’t hear mechanics complaining about having to carry their tools, do you? Or chippies? or plumbers? No. Your maps are the tools of your trade, and transporting them is part of your job.
I see every reason for sticking out a job you don’t like. To do your time and get the experience that you need in order that you can pick and choose. When the likes of CM talk about it being a “driver’s market” they are talking about experienced drivers, not newbies.
Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not being harsh for the sake of it…people with drive and principles like you have are exactly the sort of breath of fresh air this industry needs, and I’d hate to see you fall at the first hurdle…BUT…
You have to accept that you are starting at the bottom of the ladder, just as a newbie to any industry has to, and until you have earned your “stripes” no firm will take your complaints seriously.
A lot of those complaints are about things that are the same the industry over, no matter what job you go for…when you have spent some more time in the job then you will know which battles you stand a chance of winning and which are a waste of energy and therefore simply undermining your credibility.
My advice right now? Get your head down, do what the rest of us have had to do and learn what transport is really about, then start setting the world to rights. Otherwise you are helping no-one and seriously hindering your own progress.
A lot of people start driving trucks and then get a rude awakening, and the same is true going from Class 2 to Class 1 - I know if I’d known the half of it when I started I may well have thought twice, and when I upgraded to artics I got an even bigger shock - the look on my face when I first realised that not only could I work 15 hours in a day with a 9 hour break, but that I would be doing just that…well, suffice to say it was a picture.
Knuckle down, find your feet, and decide whether this is really the right career for you…then start taking on Goliath. It would be a shame to see someone with energy like yours end up failing and leaving altogether because you’ve tried to run before you can walk.
I’ve run out of cliches now, so I’ll get off your case… …but please believe me when I say that I am saying all this because I am on your side, however it may at first appear!
as a career choice, i have no doubts at all. this is what i was born to do. i even chose to take an artic today instead of a rigid to get a few more miles under my belt. i had a row with a supervisor yesterday and i told him he wasnt doing his job properly but i have still found myself on the same truck on monday. i know i moan at them every day but i have not failed to carry out a single task given to me. i have even dropped the idea of being shown how to manoevre and opted for figuring it out myself. i still dont bring the unit round in time and that has always been a problem for me but i will get it eventually. they are on about bulk training me now
as for the money, i would say that £7 is average for a rigid driver in this area. an artic driver should be looking at £7.50 upwards however, in my humble opinion, a class 1 job should always pay more than a class 2 job unless other aspects (HIAB, ADR etc) are involved
