I couldn’t care less if the load gets robbed or the diesel in the tanks as long as they don’t come near the cab or me.
Docking for breaks is perfectly reasonable. If I can get away from the lorry on my break, I’m gone. Stretch the legs etc etc.
Sure if you ran into an msa, ok walked slowly and begrudgingly into an msa, you wouldn’t see the truck. Not my problem.
I used to do the same if forced to take a 24 away from home.
Park up, find a cheap b&b for the night and live like a normal person.
Tracker on the lorry, all locked up, not my problem.
If paid for the breaks I would stay with it. Money for jam really.
muckles:
Not many factory jobs you can sit doing nothing, eg while on a bay and other people are loading or unloading the vehicle.
Good point. As the OP says, lots of waiting time; and if that’s a regular thing it may explain the one hour break deduction.
Fact remains that a certain amount of break is a legal requirement. You wouldn’t expect to be paid your breaks if you worked in a factory or on a building site, why should a lorry driver be treated any differently?
If you are “salaried”, then NOT being paid for your breaks means you are on a higher hourly rate than you thought…
5x11 hour shifts for £550 a week pay would suggest £10ph if you are paid for your breaks.
If you are NOT, then you are being paid that same £550 but for only 50 hours - meaning you’re now on £11ph - 10% more… 
The firm gets it all back though - by deducting your break always from OVERTIME rate first. 
If an agency pays a “guaranteed 8 hours” - then it’s best to be knocking off at exactly the 8 hour mark, since it renders it impossible to be “docked for meal break” that shift… 
Ok, knocking off after 10 minutes and getting paid for 8 hours is better - but who is going to let you do that more than once in a blue moon? 
Don’t know about anyone else but, in general, I’m finding the amount of time sitting to get tipped/loaded is reducing and runs are getting longer.
Yes I understand the principle of ‘you’re not being productive argument’ but the industry is struggling for drivers so paying breaks would at least be a start. In my other life I pay right through, whether a machine breaks down and the team is sitting around scratching their collective 'nads or not, the way I see it they are there and available, not ‘free to dispose of their own time’, so they should get paid, strangely I never have a problem getting good staff.
Doing 5x11hr shifts and knowing that you’re only going to be paid for 51.15 of those 55 hrs is a bit of a bummer. On the other hand I’m on a run this week that is getting me back those ‘break’ hrs so its swings and roundabouts. Maybe its me but I don’t see being stuck clockwatching in a tin box as a break.
what difference does it make? i work in an office my hours are 0800-1730 with an hours lunch, yes its salaried but the contract has the hours lunch deducted from my working week.
ok from your comfy office chair, how often do you go for a ■■■/comfort break at a time of your choosing/need, things that simply aren’t an option for most drivers nowadays otherwise they get someone sitting in their office on the phone asking why they’ve stopped, especially if its a company that insists that all breaks be taken in one of their (or a customers) depot/hub.
chicane:
ok from your comfy office chair, how often do you go for a ■■■/comfort break at a time of your choosing/need, things that simply aren’t an option for most drivers nowadays otherwise they get someone sitting in their office on the phone asking why they’ve stopped, especially if its a company that insists that all breaks be taken in one of their (or a customers) depot/hub.
One office I worked at despite being on salary you had to clock in and out if you left for a break, eg cigarette or coffee. This time would be taken off the hours you were contracted to work. But even though you had to clock in and out, those that spent a lot of time out of the office soon attracted attention and if it seemed excessive they would be having a chat with the boss.
Other office jobs I had you’d soon be spotted if you spent excessive time away form your desk and again you’d be having to explain why to the boss.
chicane:
ok from your comfy office chair, how often do you go for a ■■■/comfort break at a time of your choosing/need, things that simply aren’t an option for most drivers nowadays otherwise they get someone sitting in their office on the phone asking why they’ve stopped, especially if its a company that insists that all breaks be taken in one of their (or a customers) depot/hub.
I’d suggest that many drivers, if they actually cared to think about it, actually have as much if not more “private” time at work than most folk in offices do, and it’s usually a lot more flexible. Those who smoke can often get away with it by opening the window and lighting up; sure it’s illegal even in a lorry cab (unless you happen to be Harry Monk) but you can’t do that in any office that I know of. Satellite tracking has admittedly made it more difficult for drivers to get away with having a crafty fifteen minutes nap but many still do it; if your cab phone rings you don’t have to answer it immediately, and as for nipping for a pee or a dump, well when you got to go, you got to go and although I’ve admittedly had to clench me cheeks occasionally if I’ve got caught in slow traffic or a queue I’ve never actually embarrassed myself.
As muckles says it’s not always as easy as you might think in an office. Same applies to warehouse work etc, you’re soon on the gaffer’s carpet if you persist in nipping off for crafty “■■■” breaks in the gents because your mates have to cover for you. I repeat, being a driver does not necessarily mean that you’re either hard done by or have extra rights over other workers; unfortunately there seem to be a few on here who still think we are some sort of superior breed to whom the normal conventions of employment do not apply.
Don’t get me wrong, driving LGVs by far the easiest (if tedious) work I’ve done and among the best paid so the break thing is a very minor niggle.
chicane, i dont smoke and probably used the toilet more when i was driving! no i dont get asked why i have nipped to the loo but do get a lot of emails to catch up on upon my return so tend to make it short and sweet.
chicane:
Don’t get me wrong, driving LGVs by far the easiest (if tedious) work I’ve done and among the best paid so the break thing is a very minor niggle.
Fair enough; for me it ain’t tedious but then again I’m doing multi-drop work to regular customers (farmers round rural Wales) so I look at it that I’m paid to drive round and enjoy the scenery.
alamcculloch:
That rate is probably par for the course in the area.If you are hanging around a lot you could maybe do an Open University course or practice a musical instrument (perhaps not the pipes though.)
Deffo NOT the ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ tho !
Last place I worked at didn’t stop breaks for regular staff but did for agency
chicane:
The unpaid breaks irritate me, OK if you have a driver that hangs it out but otherwise they are a legal requirement beyond the control of the driver so why should they be unpaid? t other than that he hourly rate seems reasonable for the work/area.I feel the same about unpaid breaks, we have no choice therefore it should be paid.same with the misery of £3 per hour when trunking. Fly me home and back please + pay some security guys.
L’amiral:
I feel the same about unpaid breaks, we have no choice therefore it should be paid.same with the misery of £3 per hour when trunking. Fly me home and back please + pay some security guys.
Perhaps you should come and work in the UK, the minimum wage is over twice that now.