Assuming no tramping / nights out… just wondering what the average is like for how many hours you work each week… and do you get paid for all of them or do some places deduct £ for breaks/poa etc?
Place I’m at just now, contracted for 45 hours, but probably work an average of 48-49. Paid straight through start-finish. Ideally, I’d like to do my 45 and disappear home, but the few hours OT each week does top up the wage nicely (decent OT rate) - even though I’d happily live without it.
Are there decent paid & low hours driving jobs out there, or am I dreaming?
Chris1207:
Assuming no tramping / nights out… just wondering what the average is like for how many hours you work each week… and do you get paid for all of them or do some places deduct £ for breaks/poa etc?
A RHA survey several years ago came to the result that the average working week in haulage was 55hrs.
There are low hours driving jobs out there but they pay what you’d expect for a 40hr week, around £20k. They’re usually builders merchant type work. Most deduct for breaks or will deduct at least one 45 minute break but pay anything else. I don’t know anywhere that doesn’t pay POA.
Total hours this week total 32 (had to divert off M4 the other night, which bumped it up!!), clear over 2.2k every month. Covering a shift tonight, might be able to string it out for 4/4.5hrs, paid 9.5 @ 1.5. Bored ■■■■ less every night, have been asked to change to days as soon as the new units/trailers start arriving, fancy a change tbh but it works out another 15-20hrs/week more for same money. No drama there really but working nights atm, I get all the daylight hrs to do what I want/need to do without booking a day off for appointments etc
I know UPS pay £28k for a 45 hour week which is really good. That’s doing 7pm to 4am. I think the 2am to 11am shift pays a bit more. This is the feeder drivers driving the wagon and drags. Seen it advertised quite a bit recently.
Contracted to 37 hours a week in 10 hour shifts, one 45 min break is deducted regardless of how long you have, unless you only need less then the lower amount is taken off. I ask for a couple of extra shifts a week so do around 48 ish.
It’s dependant on what you call a decent wage & what you’re willing to do for it. The transport industry being what it is, it’s difficult to be able to guarantee a certain amount of hours will be worked. You cannot legislate for hold ups, breakdowns, accidents ,weather etc. I did some work, through agency, for pollock Scotrans last year. Talking to a full timer he was paid for 10 hrs a night, truck up to Kirkcaldy, drop trl & collect from Glenrothes. Round trip usually took us 7.5 to 8 hrs, this includes filling up & a 45. He was on £450 a week salary. If your happy doing the same thing every shift its fine, I lasted 2 weeks.
I’m guaranteed to be paid 45 hours, but only do about 35-40 on average. Jobs a doddle, clock out after 5 hours some days. Only £24K though with some weekends involved. I took the job for more time at home & although I get that in abundance, I am craving that extra wonga I used to have.
In my experience so far, if you want to earn good money it’s not often you can have it both ways. It’s either long hours or unsociable hours.
BillyHunt:
It’s dependant on what you call a decent wage & what you’re willing to do for it. The transport industry being what it is, it’s difficult to be able to guarantee a certain amount of hours will be worked. You cannot legislate for hold ups, breakdowns, accidents ,weather etc. I did some work, through agency, for pollock Scotrans last year. Talking to a full timer he was paid for 10 hrs a night, truck up to Kirkcaldy, drop trl & collect from Glenrothes. Round trip usually took us 7.5 to 8 hrs, this includes filling up & a 45. He was on £450 a week salary. If your happy doing the same thing every shift its fine, I lasted 2 weeks.
I had an assessment for that job at Pollock’s on Wednesday, once he said how much it paid, I said no thanks and walked away.
How common is it to work 4 days a week?? A mate of mine says he drives up to scotland, has an overnighter and comes back, then does it again and that’s his week. Says he takes home £500+ a week.
Is this feesable or is the £500+ a week a bit exaggerated??
Chris1207:
Assuming no tramping / nights out… just wondering what the average is like for how many hours you work each week… and do you get paid for all of them or do some places deduct £ for breaks/poa etc?
A RHA survey several years ago came to the result that the average working week in haulage was 55hrs.
There are low hours driving jobs out there but they pay what you’d expect for a 40hr week, around £20k. They’re usually builders merchant type work. Most deduct for breaks or will deduct at least one 45 minute break but pay anything else. I don’t know anywhere that doesn’t pay POA.
ARR Craibs dont pay POA after 8hrs. So if your down the docks waiting for 2 hrs for a boat to come in after your basic, you aint getting paid for it. Plus generally crap payers as well. AFAIK all their drivers had to pay for the DCPC themselves.
bagz:
How common is it to work 4 days a week?? A mate of mine says he drives up to scotland, has an overnighter and comes back, then does it again and that’s his week. Says he takes home £500+ a week.
Is this feesable or is the £500+ a week a bit exaggerated??
I don’t know about the pay your mates on but getting, what in effect is 4 on 3 off, is fairly unusual. I only know because when I’ve seen adverts offering “shifts to suit you” they never let you do it.
Part of the problem with this industry is that most drivers don’t get a reasonable wage for a week’s work … they get a reasonable wage for a week and a half’s work. I’ve put in 65 hours this week, with no POA and one night out … for that I’ll pull in about £550. Not a bad wage for a week, but a pretty crap wage for nearly two weeks! The irony is that I’m sure my gaffer thinks I’m hanging the job out to make more money (mostly because the other driver is one of these idiots who thinks tacho regs and speed limits don’t apply to him), but if it was up to me I’d take a shorter working week and less money any day.
