alan:
KranKee. My who is a Nurse was recently given paid training to gain a second Nursing discipline, one or two others, also on paid secondment, left the health trust after training.
It seems that pay back & tie in agreements are almost impossible to uphold in court, or so the story goes, also an unreasonable agreement, signed or not, is not enforcable.
Michael Mouse:
It was reference a payback period for PCV driving but the theory still applies.
I saw it at the time and I agree entirely. Although if Monthly paid, then the employer withholding pay could cause a problem, as could references when seeking future employment.
I am well aware that the 'bus industry has real problems with turnover (perhaps justifiable in the way they treat their staff) and often only ‘qualify’ their drivers in Automatics so as to deter them from going off and driving coaches.
A bus licence is a automatic licence, a full stick licence is refered to as a coach licence.
The reason is that other than the few who operate route masters etc, most buses are automatic or on some of the very old ones semi automatic.
The only modern buses on a manual box are mini buses & many of these are fitted with automatic boxes.
Dont worry about the bus industry, thats completely different. They train their own staff with their own buses and trainers. Your employer is paying an outside company to train you, which as you know, is quite expensive! However, when I was put through my test with Dairy Farmers of Britian, I only had to do 2 years at a decending rate ( Reducing equally each month for the 2 years ). 4 years takes the mick, even if they are rasing your pay!!! I would ask them to reconsider as no employer can financialy constrain you to your employment. Any more than 2 years desending, then I would tell them to sling their hook and go and get it yourself!!!
You could always do what i did sign up for two years as that is normally the norm get fed up a few months in (Long Story) & leave. Luckily they owed me nearly 2 years of holidy pay & honoured it so i was quids in & technically in my mind got my class 2 free.
Welcome Minimerc
You have some great driving experience but the DSA are not looking for that (although it will help you) so please try this for some pre training tips and the on test safety questions are on it too trucknetuk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=23857
hi guys… i was briefly on the old forum, but now have found this new one and i am dead impressed with it.
firstly the introductions…
Minimerc…named after my short wheel base Mercedes Artego 815 7.5ton with Tailift, that i negotiate the tight confines of Inner London in. bless her, she is speed unlimited, and tugs around 2.5 ton pallets of ceramic tiles all day!
occasionally i get to open her up on favoured long runs, yesterday we went to Stourbridge, but tomorrow its back to Vauxhall Bridge Road with an early morning drop, back to the yard(Enfield) and off to the City and out to Dartford in the afternoon.
I did ask for some advice on the old forum a while back and for those of you who helped me out…thanks…and you’ll be glad to know i took it. It was along the lines of …“8 years in and around London, in a 7.5t am i mad ?”
I have managed to convince my company that the weights we carry and the amount of runs we do a day, we would be better off with a 18 tonner on some of our big work. They have finally agreed to purchase me one, and put me through my Class Two.
I sailed thru my Theory and hazard perception back in early September, and have had my assessment drive in a Volvo 18 tonner with a local trainer, who has said i need around 14-18 hours and i’ll be ready.
so it is booked for the second week in January, and “fingers crossed” i should be changing my sign in to Midimerc!
My other passion, which takes me more miles in the car than i do in the lorry each week, is Speedway, so hopefully i can combine my work with my sport when i get out onto the big roads!!
Only one question still baffles me that maybe you guys can help with on here… after passing my class two test, i have to sign up to my company for four years… if i leave in the first two years, i pay back the entire training fee of £989, if i leave the after year two and before year four, i pay back half of it…is this the norm?? i expect some kind of a “period of service to pay back” but what kind of time do other companies usally go for?
Are they paying you more when you drive your 1st heavy goods?
ah yes…around £2,500 rise
Do you like what you do?
yes, but i want to get out more on the longer runs
do you see yourself there in 4 Years time?
thats the hardest question because the lease on our warehouse has only two years to run, so i made sure if they re locate and i can’t travel the distance, then it isn’t my fault and the agreement is cancelled. i have had that written into the clause.
they are all the questions you need to ask yourself and the company!
good luck in what ever you choose!
i plan to be taking my Class one within the next three years, but paying for that myself.
Thanks for taking the time to answer…it is helpful to know that someone thinks the company are being too far fetched.
Hello and welcome to the new n improved TrucknetUK, Minimerc. (Its difficult to improve on perfection)
I hope we’ll be hearing more from you.
We are always interested in how a London driver stays sane, for example, or are you a nutter anyway ?
Keep us up to date with your C licence progress as well.
Best of luck but, a payback period that commences after 2 years and extends to 4 years. In my experience, payback normally starts reducing after the first month or so, and normally expires in something like 18 months to 2 years,
£989 for 14-18 hours? Even adding in a couple of hours pre-test practice, and post test travelling, then deducting the test fee, that equates to £41 per hour (ish). I’m inclined to think that your employer is doing you no favours at all. Even deducting your own hourly pay, that is still over £30 per hour. (I presume you will be paid during your training?)
I would suggest an anonymous enquiry to the Driving School about their rates. Employers are encouraged to invest in training, not view it as a gravy train.
I’ve heard of London Weighting, but this deal seems to be ‘Gold Plated’
KranKee. My who is a Nurse was recently given paid training to gain a second Nursing discipline, one or two others, also on paid secondment, left the health trust after training.
It seems that pay back & tie in agreements are almost impossible to uphold in court, or so the story goes, also an unreasonable agreement, signed or not, is not enforcable.
TrucknetUK, Minimerc. (Its difficult to improve on perfection)