Is this bonus scheme legal?

[saaamon]

MrMiddleton:
Unfortunately as drivers we are just tools to do a job. We get ordered to do the unreasonable by a stroppy divorced ex 7.5t driver / manager who did a crash course in how to be a [zb] to people more qualified then himself and when it can’t all be done because there are other vehicles on the road that make a thing called traffic they simply get someone else in who is foriegn, speaks little or no English, accepts £6ph and cannot drive like an adult and knows nothing but selfishness, ignorance and salted ham rolls.

The transport industry is renowned for the highest movement and turnover of staff with drivers moving around all the time jumping from job to job to find the cushtiest work i.e. little work as poss and £600pw. If there was not so many illicit hauliers and slave driver companys being allowed to operate and people were offered Careers not just Jobs then stability and human rights follows suit. I myself have little experience compared to all you older boys but I can say that I refuse the 40k a year to be a work horse / slave that comes with no contract saying I work there, no uniform, no pension, muddy office floor, and payroll office that hit and miss when they like etc etc. But take the 32k a year being an Employee of a reputable well established multi national company. Where you have an office, departments that you can talk to, a happy workplace where you do your job and go home at the same time and dont go bursting blood vessles at truck stops and wingeing about how lifes [zb] and how they can “poke their job ya kno wat i mean mate”.

My view is work is what you make of it. Why get a job somewhere if your not happy? Why drag your feet? I spent months writing letters to all the major players like Royal Mail, DHL , FedEx, BP, Total, Tescos, Sainsbury’s, Eddie Stobart’s, Morrisons, TNT etc asking them if they wanted to offer me a career and in return they get commitment and loyalty. If you work for [zb] you get [zb]. Dont brass yourself off to 2 bob hauliers. If you want respect and security go see a Company that’s not got a Transport Manager in trainers and a T-Shirt smoking in his office [zb] to his mums ■■■■■. Dispite the current debabate of there being no jobs out there I disagree, If you have got the internet and know how to work it, know how to speak to people then sky’s the limit.

Very well put that man!.

[mike68]

A bonus encourages a driver to cut corners IE: Vehicle checks, load security, speeding, drivers hours.

Part of the legal undertaking of an ‘O’ licence is to comply with the above. As another poster pointed out V.O.S.A seem obsessed with stopping foreign trucks, and not filthy U.K trucks with bits of scrap hanging off the back.

I speak from experience of bulk tipper work which was paid as a percentage of the load value. I had a quick look at the tyres and lights and off we went, flat out everywhere 90% percent of all the trailers had defects it was a case of take it or don’t get paid. Don’t expect V.O.S.A to do anything it’s gone on for years.

[8_legger]

Having worked on both bonus and hourly pay i personally feel that bonus if a more fair way to be paid as long as exceptions are taken into account like if the vehicle breaks down the an average pay is used rather than been paid basic. I never felt the need to do anything illegal as a good wage could be earned from a relatively easy day and if everything went well in a day i could do an extra load. On average it worked out a £9.50-10.50- an hour for an average week then every now and then you would get a really good week of around £12-13 an hour.

As for hourly pay i found that the laziest driver got paid the most because he intentionally dragged the day out, therefore causing a very negative attitude within the company, and at the end of the day is that really whats best? for one you are making the company less profitable thus reducing the chance of a pay rise.

Maybe i’ve been lucky and dropped on a good company that paid by bonus.

Oh and for all the ones that say i would have been running ragged on bonus, I set the cruse control to 40 on s/c and 50 on d/c and motorways and always had my breaks legally not while i was tipping.