Hello all, I’m a journalist for a (British) newspaper and I’ve been in touch with Rikki, who kindly said I could post here. I’m doing a piece about people working long hours and I’m looking at lots of different professions - doctors, nurses, desk-bound office workers - but I’d really like to include a truck driver as well. The piece is about employers taking advantage of people’s willingness to work harder than ever in the economic downturn, perhaps over fear of redundancy and whether people feel under more pressure to put the hours in. I am looking for a driver who is working particularly long hours, to talk about the effect on his or her life at the moment. I would like to do a short interview (should be no more than 10 mins on the phone). Ideally, we would like to name and photograph you, but it can also be done anonymously if need be.
If you are interested in taking part, please feel free to contact me for more information. You can email me at emine1@hotmail.com. Thanks.
i would but i doubt i am what you are looking for. my desire to work long hours has nothing to do with the recession. i just enjoy my job and have nothing better to do with my time so i work as many hours as i can get. nothing makes me happier than working 60 - 70 hours a week. well, except pay day maybe
office workers? 37.5 hours over 5 days is long hours to them? most of us here do that in 3 days out of a possible 6
Blunder Man:
OVERWEIGHT SLOB’S IN MASSIVE JUGGERNAUTS BRING DEATH AND FEAR TO BRITISH ROAD’S…THE DAILY BOLLOCK’S TELL’S IT LIKE IT IS.
Good luck getting somebody, we all know what the media do to our reputation, from past experience.
Well said…
Mr (or is that Ms!?) JournalistUK - why not do a search of these forums and see how members of your profession are generally perceived… You will soon learn why you are likely to receive a fairly cold response.
Oh - and for the record - I work the least amount of hours I can get away with… Because, basically, the job (yes, that’s job - not “profession”) stinks.
i’ll do it, on the condition that you keep my true identity out of it. otherwise they’ll be after me.
i don’t think 10 minutes will be long enough.
i like my job but the regulations are one big [zb] up.
limeyphil:
i’ll do it, on the condition that you keep my true identity out of it. otherwise they’ll be after me.
i don’t think 10 minutes will be long enough.
i like my job but the regulations are one big [zb] up.
I think you would need more than 10 minutes!! I would think about it aswell as long as i had the editing writes or it would be the usual stich up of the driver! There is more than one company taking the p… out the drivers because of the downturn
scanny77:
i would but i doubt i am what you are looking for. my desire to work long hours has nothing to do with the recession. i just enjoy my job and have nothing better to do with my time so i work as many hours as i can get. nothing makes me happier than working 60 - 70 hours a week. well, except pay day maybe
office workers? 37.5 hours over 5 days is long hours to them? most of us here do that in 3 days out of a possible 6
Still a sad workaholic i c scanny.you need 2 get out more.
I would say that the hours have fallen rather than risen because of the recesion
As drivers, most of us want to work long hours, look at what happened when the WTD was first thought of, (search the forum) you will see it is the drivers and not the employers that want to put in the hours generally.
If you want a story that affects the safety of the nation look at the lack of safe parking that is making drivers break the law just to find a place to rest.
I am looking for a driver who is working particularly long hours, to talk about the effect on his or her life at the moment.
Given that we’re legally bound to a maximum average of 48 hours per week I fail to see how you’re going to find anyone who says they work particularly long hours on a regular basis.
I would have thought that the best you can realistically hope for would be someone who spends a lot of time on POA or break, neither of which would show us in a particularly good light imo.
I wish you luck with the article but fail to see how truck drivers could take part in such an article without potentially putting themselves on the spot
tachograph:
I would have thought that the best you can realistically hope for would be someone who spends a lot of time on POA or break
I do 30 - 40 hours on Break some weeks, is that the sort of thing you meant? Nothing to do with the recession and there is no advantage taking going on either, well unless I’m taking advantage of the fact I get paid for doing nothing for that many hours.
tachograph:
I would have thought that the best you can realistically hope for would be someone who spends a lot of time on POA or break
I do 30 - 40 hours on Break some weeks, is that the sort of thing you meant? Nothing to do with the recession and there is no advantage taking going on either, well unless I’m taking advantage of the fact I get paid for doing nothing for that many hours.
That’s exactly what I meant and I’m jealous
The point being that when people read about someone doing nothing for 30 hours a week and getting paid for it can you imagine most peoples response , the genuine reasons for so much break or POA would be of no interest to most people.
Also if anyone confessed to actually working particularly long hours on a regular basis as a driver it would probably just turn into another story about how HGV drivers are putting peoples lives at risk by working long hours
I don’t doubt JournalistUK’s motives but we all know how the media and general public like to portray us and it isn’t usually good is it
scanny77:
i would but i doubt i am what you are looking for. my desire to work long hours has nothing to do with the recession. i just enjoy my job and have nothing better to do with my time so i work as many hours as i can get. nothing makes me happier than working 60 - 70 hours a week. well, except pay day maybe
office workers? 37.5 hours over 5 days is long hours to them? most of us here do that in 3 days out of a possible 6
Still a sad workaholic i c scanny.you need 2 get out more.
i agree but the work has dried right up
apart from the club track meeting at crail on sunday but thats nothing to do with work
Blunder Man:
OVERWEIGHT SLOB’S IN MASSIVE JUGGERNAUTS BRING DEATH AND FEAR TO BRITISH ROAD’S…THE DAILY BOLLOCK’S TELL’S IT LIKE IT IS.
Good luck getting somebody, we all know what the media do to our reputation, from past experience.
Well said…
Mr (or is that Ms!?) JournalistUK - why not do a search of these forums and see how members of your profession are generally perceived… You will soon learn why you are likely to receive a fairly cold response.
Oh - and for the record - I work the least amount of hours I can get away with… Because, basically, the job (yes, that’s job - not “profession”) stinks.
You are right Sir LANs-a-lot to suggest that the journalist searches this website for more information regarding how we are perceived, but while it is understandable that we feel this way from the press we receive perhaps we should be making an effort to change the opinion of the press by informing them what our PROFESSION is really like.
I believe that we would be better to try to get the press on-side by talking to them and explaining what the problems really are in this industry and not leaving that job to the pathetic attempts of the RHA/FTA and the unions who could do so much but do so little. I do agree that a 10 minute interview and a small paragraph as part of a larger article wont do us justice.
I would be prepared to meet with any journalist who was prepared to do an article which put our case into perspective and highlighted our problems in a forward looking manner.
annitram:
I would be prepared to meet with any journalist who was prepared to do an article which put our case into perspective and highlighted our problems in a forward looking manner.
Not met one that tells it as it is just tells it how they see it and everyone will just look up and say " pack it in and do a job you want to do " Reporters ,yeah ok I believe everything thats written in a paper ,
imagine how much damage would be caused if we could sue them for false information or for damaging OUR reputation through mis informing stories. accuracy would rocket over night
18 posts and it aint the weekend yet all looking Gloomy for you mate / matess.
Looks like a non starter here for you just like every other pen jocky thats writes about us.
You may have the pen but if it aint got a ball It’ll never tell the truth well I leave it there.
annitram:
I would be prepared to meet with any journalist who was prepared to do an article which put our case into perspective and highlighted our problems in a forward looking manner.
Not met one that tells it as it is just tells it how they see it and everyone will just look up and say " pack it in and do a job you want to do " Reporters ,yeah ok I believe everything thats written in a paper ,
I feel Nick that because we dont get to put our point of view over that the press will just carry on as before, you wont change their image of us by just turning your back on them. Like it or lump it unless you at least try to change the press and public opinion of us it will only get worse. I am not necessarily suggesting this is the right story to get involved in but it may be a start. We need to get across to the public how important trucks and truckers are to society and the economy and to improve our standing in society and it isn’t going to happen by burying your head in the sand. Highlighting why we work such hours as we do and explaining the problems we face needs to be a priority, and any acorn is a start point in my opinion.
