Like after a fatal crash what support can u expect from your company? Wld they provide a lawyer? The TM to offer support?
when do we get the truck back?
you are easy to temporarily replace, a truck takes a bit more organising
These are if you are unfortunate to be ever in this situation is where been a member of a trade union is of some use.
Depending on who your employer is but i would not hold much hope on many, alternatively seek legal advice from a lawyer get half hour for nothing.
My lot paid for a hire car. The lawyer was legal aid at the time of arrest, but they paid for the one after that.
tuckman:
These are if you are unfortunate to be ever in this situation is where been a member of a trade union is of some use.Depending on who your employer is but i would not hold much hope on many, alternatively seek legal advice from a lawyer get half hour for nothing.
If your locked up the solicitor is free.
NO COMMENT! 
they wouldn’t be interested 
mrx:
Like after a fatal crash what support can u expect from your company? Wld they provide a lawyer? The TM to offer support?
They’d arrange for a new unit to be outside for when im done… And thats not even a joke.
You can expect them to try to cover their own ■■■. If the brakes failed or whatever, then they will squirm out of responsibilities if they can. If you were 60 seconds over your hours or whatever, they will say you are a cowboy and were doing it without their knowledge.
As said, regard union membership as legal insurance.
Some years ago I did quite a lot of work around UK drivers who were banged up for drug smuggling abroad.
Some were completely innocent, others perhaps a little less so, but they all had one thing in common: they were not trade union members.
If you are arrested and taken to the police station then use the duty solicitor (he’ll be good, he does this all the time) but get in contact with your TU and get them to get someone on the case asap.
AA and RAC used to do legal protection too, but I don’t know if they cover you for truck driving.
mrx:
Like after a fatal crash what support can u expect from your company? Wld they provide a lawyer? The TM to offer support?
From what I’m told when one of our trucks( not our depot),driven by a agency driver was involved in a fatal the company lawyers acted for him,I know he came and met with them at our depot,so yes it seems ours will provide a lawyer.
All depends on the manager as a person IMO,
Under our previous regime, a driver got rear ended, he was suspended as suspected by our gaffer to be going too slow, tacho showed him doing 54mph at time of collision.
In todays regime, a woman pulled out on me and I T-Boned her, she was in a bad way, recovery was sorted and once I had done a brief accident report told to go home for the rest of the day and ring the TM later on when I had got myself together abit as I was in abit of shock, was told if I wanted the next day or rest of the week off then no problem.
All depends on the person.
I need to join a union… 
Usdaw are good mate
never been in a union
its ok saying join a union but which one is best for drivers to be in
and how do we go about it
some info would be great
wigan:
never been in a unionits ok saying join a union but which one is best for drivers to be in
and how do we go about it
some info would be great
I have continued my membership of T&GWU (now unite). they have MASSIVE experience in the road transport industry and a drivercare scheme 
. you COULD also join USDAW (bunch of self serving cowboys) or the RMT (Rail, maritaim and transport)
the choice is yours! Speak to the local officers, ask the questions and read the websites! Decide from there
Oh, and DONT go payroll… go DD if you can, that way if you move your membership stays intact!
After a particularly nasty accident ( that closed the A1 near Ferrybridge for a morning) I was arrested on scene (BBC today would probably report that bit ) after a couple hours I was de-arrested officially having given a negative breath test and a statement. The company gave no support what so ever, then police dropped charges against the other driver “due to the injuries he received” although the report said he had fallen asleep at the wheel. he then went on to sue me and the company for his injuries , the insurance company against my wishes settled out of court on the morning of the case, stating they should win but, and I quote their barrister " If they had a bad day in court the losses would be far more" - for the insurance companies is not about right or wrong just about mitigating the risk. It still rankles me today even though there is no black mark against me that the other driver made the error and got the payout, I have relived that accident so many times - at times while I am driving and a similar situation arises it still scares me, but the insurance company paid out to the guy who got it wrong, and I got [zb] all support or back up
Why does anyone need a lawyer anyway?
Let’s say you’ve run down a drunk pedestrian who ran out into the middle of a road and died under your wheels…
The legal advice given will be to basically “not co-operate with the police” in case it implicates the firm.
If you go against that advice, the firm will then try and blame you, and will attempt to cut you loose by closing ranks.
Another accident - this time involving mechanical failure for example - would have the firm try and blame the driver, rather than team up with the driver and tell the authorities that a manufacturing fault on the vehicle was to blame. I’m not sure why this is, since such apportioned blame would surely put both firm and driver in the clear straightaway?
All in all though, you can’t trust anyone who’s not part of the austerity programme - ie hasn’t had their lifestyle dropped like the rest of us.
I trust the legal profession even less than I trust banks. At least with banks you know they’re just trying to rob you, and would rather see you prosper so they can easier get away robbing you.
Lawyers just want their pound of flesh from both sides, overcharge everyone involved, and don’t give a ■■■■ about the result, except putting it off as long as possible thus maximising their fees.
“No win no fee” doesn’t in fact exist either, or there would be a long list of bankrupt law firms out there after a string of “lost cases”. In fact lost cases are claimed off on their own insurances, the final bill usually being footed by the taxpayer & insurance underwriters according to the type of case “lost”.
Trust the police, but don’t trust anyone wearing a suit is what I’m saying. 
Why trust the police?
After an accident they will be looking for as many ‘collars’ as possible, particularly if anyone other than you is ksi
The police have had their T&Cs cut like we have.
They want to be gunning for the spiv in a suit who thinks he’s in the clear in his Porsche, because he’s from a superior town and everything.
Then you’ve got a cap in hand C+E driver who’s likely in a state of shock, and the ongoing tirade of abuse coming from the Porsche driver.
Que Police turning up. Who do you think they’d rather be feeling the collar of?
Bust the Porsche guy, and one of you gets to drive the nice shiny car to the pound.
Bust the lorry driver, and you’ll have to call out your buddy with the licence to come out and take the truck away.
Then there’s wanting to get home in time for tea like everyone else, since the overtime has long since been knocked on the head.
The police are not the enemy. They’ve been infiltrated by the “recruit too many chiefs whilst laying off too many braves” crowd as much as the transport industry has. 
They bleed and die on our roads the same as we do. They deserve our hats off to them, rather than receiving abuse because one has been caught bang to rights with a 12 hour day with no breaks… 
Wish I’d have been savvy/rich enough to get some help when I was involved in a fatal. 17 years old, passed my test 3 months previous. Driving my Dads Morris Minor Van when a drunk ran into the road and into the side of the Van. Counselling ? Legal help?.. no such luck. An a******e of a copper on the scene done me for a faulty number plate light. I did get exonerated from blame, but I’d like to have kicked that git in the gooleys ! T&GWU has been around for years, my old man was in it and so was I later in life. They even used to give you a nice shiny badge to wear on your lapel.
Your Union will ALWAYS look after you more than your company.
You should all be in a union then nobody will be driving C&E for £6.50 ph or £7ph for heavy haulage
You all need to to realise that you shouldn’t be dragging others down to your “race to the bottom”, but instead be aspiring to get to the Union agreed terms and conditions, it’ll pay off in the end and you won’t shoot yourselves in the foot and you MAY improve all of our rates and conditions.
Don’t see it happening somehow when drivers are willing to work for nowt to get experience, same thing happened in the '80’s, bosses trialled you for a week then said goodbye,just to get a load moved, ring any bells?
30 years on and what’s changed apart from your hourly rate is less than it was 20 years ago 