Gavv8:
I’ve got 20+ years in with the brown and yellow company from Devon that begins with G and I’ve just about had enough, moral is at rock bottom the transport office have all but given up being anywhere near professional and now we’ve been told the small bonus that we get each year for not damaging the vehicles never existed according to our HR department.
They’ve handed out the traditional Christmas hampers to pretty much everyone else in the depot but apparently don’t have enough for all the drivers, we’ve worked our assets off the past few years through some of the worst times I’ve known in road haulage and it all just feels like a boot in the nuts.
I know the company doesn’t owe us anything but they continually spout about how much they value their drivers on social media and it’s just garbage, they even gave a pretty feckless manager his 15 year long service award after telling the drivers ( several of whom have well over 15 years service) that they weren’t eligible until they’d done a further 15 years service .
If I could turn back the clock I’d do anything to avoid ever joining this company.
Didn’t know they still did long time awards , last one I remember is a gold watch etc my dad got from R Royce can’t remember if that was 10 yrs / 15 yrs or what to be honest .
Y
Gavv8:
I’ve got 20+ years in with the brown and yellow company from Devon that begins with G and I’ve just about had enough, moral is at rock bottom the transport office have all but given up being anywhere near professional and now we’ve been told the small bonus that we get each year for not damaging the vehicles never existed according to our HR department.
They’ve handed out the traditional Christmas hampers to pretty much everyone else in the depot but apparently don’t have enough for all the drivers, we’ve worked our assets off the past few years through some of the worst times I’ve known in road haulage and it all just feels like a boot in the nuts.
I know the company doesn’t owe us anything but they continually spout about how much they value their drivers on social media and it’s just garbage, they even gave a pretty feckless manager his 15 year long service award after telling the drivers ( several of whom have well over 15 years service) that they weren’t eligible until they’d done a further 15 years service .
If I could turn back the clock I’d do anything to avoid ever joining this company.
Didn’t know they still did long time awards , last one I remember is a gold watch etc my dad got from R Royce can’t remember if that was 10 yrs / 15 yrs or what to be honest .
Y
I got a 40yr one from Wincanton 3 yrs ago. Ironically, I’d only done 5 yrs with them, the rest I brought with me when I was TUPE’d over to them, 5 of those were with Gregorys!
Gavv8:
I’ve got 20+ years in with the brown and yellow company from Devon that begins with G and I’ve just about had enough, moral is at rock bottom the transport office have all but given up being anywhere near professional and now we’ve been told the small bonus that we get each year for not damaging the vehicles never existed according to our HR department.
They’ve handed out the traditional Christmas hampers to pretty much everyone else in the depot but apparently don’t have enough for all the drivers, we’ve worked our assets off the past few years through some of the worst times I’ve known in road haulage and it all just feels like a boot in the nuts.
I know the company doesn’t owe us anything but they continually spout about how much they value their drivers on social media and it’s just garbage, they even gave a pretty feckless manager his 15 year long service award after telling the drivers ( several of whom have well over 15 years service) that they weren’t eligible until they’d done a further 15 years service .
If I could turn back the clock I’d do anything to avoid ever joining this company.
Out of interest, which depot are you running out of ?
The subbies are about to get a kick in the proverbial`s according to a mate with a few on for them
Cullompton, I’ve heard things about the subbies too and about goodbye letters for some drivers based at a nearby operation run by ‘G’, looks like the big ship is taking on a list.
I was out with my mate last night who has a few on for GDL, and I was telling him about this conversation, and what you said about an “operation” run by GDL looking to jettison a few drivers not too far from Cully…
His question was…why don`t they re-deploy these drivers on other contracts, especially the pallet network job @ Cully, where they seem to be short of drivers ?
If you look at their website, there are loads of driving jobs [or were] going begging, why do they continue to “lose” drivers off a job & not move them across, or have these individuals been identified as “dead-wood” and not really wanted anywhere near anything in B&Y ? #askingforafriend
Some are drivers who I know have done the multidrop side and didn’t like it, most seem to be trampers who prefer that life.
I’ve heard it’s due to the loss of a major contract from a big brand name that ‘G’ got their fingers burnt with a while back.
They do try to redeploy drivers if they can but cullompton seems to be a bit toxic at the moment so drivers are avoiding it.
rearaxle:
Thats the problem with bonuses, they can be taken away as quickly as they’ve been given.
Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk
^^^^^^^Post of the day.
Last year when fighting for a pay rise management instead offered a bonus scheme. It was a generous scheme but I wanted a permanent rise in wages as I knew a bonus can be taken away. But usual scenario…greedy drivers only saw the carrot dangling in front of them but couldnt see who was dangling the carrot!
They can be taken away yes but then you up sticks and go somewhere better. When you realise supply and demand for actual skilled drivers is huge the world is your oyster. I get a self tip bonus, fuel bonus and retention bonus plus tax free meal allowance which makes for a very favourable rate. If those things were to disappear that’s when you go looking for a new employer.
Hmmm, well I got a bottle of wine and a huge lump of cheese last Xmas and I’m an agencies driver. Looking to get licence back after quadruple heart bypass and I would go back trunking for them as its easier than some in Devon. To what I have seen there are too many drivers just moan about every job or are more interested in what someone else is doing. Do your shift speak to no-one and go home happy.
:Update.
Bonus has been paid and hampers given to all drivers so that’s good, unfortunately a manager visiting to help out from another depot has taken offence that we at cullompton get the bonus and his drivers don’t.
It matters not one jot that we negotiated this bonus before Gregory even bought the company he worked for before being taken over or that the depot he represents was a Toshiba factory at the time so he wants to take a close look at the details and renegotiate.
Luckily I know he’s a complete Fu**wit so we are going to try and make the bonus even better for us in the future.
Happy Christmas to all fellow lorry drivers and even artic drivers who don’t flash in rigids because they think they’re superior
Drivers over the years - have been their own worst enemies.
We’ve surely all partaken of the skives, the get-arounds, the “pushing the limits” - and even dare I say “Totally taking the ■■■■” when represented by a strong Union.
Silly thing is - that with one’s former “RIghts” now eroded, one wonders what the big thing about fulltime work that appeals anymore?
There will be a lot of people next tax year that would rather be earning just under the new incoming tax thresholds, rather than just above it…
Now might be a good time to consider life/work balance, rather than “how can I run myself into an early grave by working over 60 hours a week into my 60’s…”… like so many of us do…
Gavv8:
I’ve got 20+ years in with the brown and yellow company from Devon that begins with G and I’ve just about had enough, moral is at rock bottom the transport office have all but given up being anywhere near professional and now we’ve been told the small bonus that we get each year for not damaging the vehicles never existed according to our HR department.
They’ve handed out the traditional Christmas hampers to pretty much everyone else in the depot but apparently don’t have enough for all the drivers, we’ve worked our assets off the past few years through some of the worst times I’ve known in road haulage and it all just feels like a boot in the nuts.
I know the company doesn’t owe us anything but they continually spout about how much they value their drivers on social media and it’s just garbage, they even gave a pretty feckless manager his 15 year long service award after telling the drivers ( several of whom have well over 15 years service) that they weren’t eligible until they’d done a further 15 years service .
If I could turn back the clock I’d do anything to avoid ever joining this company.
the nodding donkey:
Would that be the major contract in Bridgewater?
No about 52 miles west of there.
Oh, I see.
Mind you, you should be happy, as I’m sure that with your length of service, you must be driving one of the top of the range scanias, with shiney wheels.
As an aside, I had to help one of Gregorski’s finest back onto a bay the other day, as he seemed unable to work out why his wheels kept spinning on a damp incline, and certainly didnt know which way to spin the wheel to turn and aim the trailer. No biggie, we all need to learn sometime, but what concerns me is that Gregorski sends out inexperienced drivers alone in milk tankers.
I know its bank holidays after Christmas and that, but I’ve noticed the last 4 days how utterly empty the services are. The roads are quiet too, very few supermarket trolleys even. Christmas day Strensham North and South were empty when I pulled in, yesterday a truck or two, and today, only a few trucks in Membury, and now, 9 trucks in Leigh Delamere. It seems a lot quieter than previous years.
Be interesting to see if it picks up in a weeks time, or not.
the nodding donkey:
I know its bank holidays after Christmas and that, but I’ve noticed the last 4 days how utterly empty the services are. The roads are quiet too, very few supermarket trolleys even. Christmas day Strensham North and South were empty when I pulled in, yesterday a truck or two, and today, only a few trucks in Membury, and now, 9 trucks in Leigh Delamere. It seems a lot quieter than previous years.
Be interesting to see if it picks up in a weeks time, or not.
Cobham was pretty sparse yesterday afternoon, and LFE N/B was the same late PM which seemed a bit strange even for a bank holiday IMO
Not sure how true it is, but that job 52 miles west of BW is a slimming down of the fleet, so that looks like that particular customer is preparing for a “slow-down” in the first quarter of 2023, and their customer base is a few of the very big DIY sheds which seems a bit premature as they were all screaming for stock last week, even tipping early which is unheard of normally
SWEDISH BLUE:
The brown and yellow company are the same as the blue brigade just a little bit further up the M5. Both started by Daddy and were great. Now Son’s are running them and both have lost the plot.
TBF, the B&Y mob were started by the grand-daddy over a 103 years ago, and the present “gaffer” took over when they were a 30 truck operation [I`m led to believe], so It`s actually been driven forward by the grandson to the size they are today [which is massive]…and too big for the likes of Culina to have a look at
It`s about to get a bit “twitchy bum” for the economy and by the looks of it, the lower management have been tasked with ■■■■■■■ everyone off to flush out the dead-wood & the tired and weary long termers to save a bit of dosh if redundancy needs to be sanctioned
The B&Y mob have shut a few depots recently [Thame & Minworth] which seems to have flown under the radar, so they dont mess about if something aint working
With the Thame depot closing, might just have been convenient, the lease was up, with no chance of it being renewed, the warehouse has been flattened, all part of the local car breaker now.
Gavv8:
I’ve got 20+ years in with the brown and yellow company from Devon that begins with G and I’ve just about had enough, moral is at rock bottom the transport office have all but given up being anywhere near professional and now we’ve been told the small bonus that we get each year for not damaging the vehicles never existed according to our HR department.
They’ve handed out the traditional Christmas hampers to pretty much everyone else in the depot but apparently don’t have enough for all the drivers, we’ve worked our assets off the past few years through some of the worst times I’ve known in road haulage and it all just feels like a boot in the nuts.
I know the company doesn’t owe us anything but they continually spout about how much they value their drivers on social media and it’s just garbage, they even gave a pretty feckless manager his 15 year long service award after telling the drivers ( several of whom have well over 15 years service) that they weren’t eligible until they’d done a further 15 years service .
If I could turn back the clock I’d do anything to avoid ever joining this company.
the nodding donkey:
Would that be the major contract in Bridgewater?
No about 52 miles west of there.
Oh, I see.
Mind you, you should be happy, as I’m sure that with your length of service, you must be driving one of the top of the range scanias, with shiney wheels.
As an aside, I had to help one of Gregorski’s finest back onto a bay the other day, as he seemed unable to work out why his wheels kept spinning on a damp incline, and certainly didnt know which way to spin the wheel to turn and aim the trailer. No biggie, we all need to learn sometime, but what concerns me is that Gregorski sends out inexperienced drivers alone in milk tankers.
the nodding donkey:
I know its bank holidays after Christmas and that, but I’ve noticed the last 4 days how utterly empty the services are. The roads are quiet too, very few supermarket trolleys even. Christmas day Strensham North and South were empty when I pulled in, yesterday a truck or two, and today, only a few trucks in Membury, and now, 9 trucks in Leigh Delamere. It seems a lot quieter than previous years.
Be interesting to see if it picks up in a weeks time, or not.
Absolutely dead at Cullompton, we’ve been finished and going home at midday this week.
SWEDISH BLUE:
The brown and yellow company are the same as the blue brigade just a little bit further up the M5. Both started by Daddy and were great. Now Son’s are running them and both have lost the plot.
TBF, the B&Y mob were started by the grand-daddy over a 103 years ago, and the present “gaffer” took over when they were a 30 truck operation [I`m led to believe], so It`s actually been driven forward by the grandson to the size they are today [which is massive]…and too big for the likes of Culina to have a look at
It`s about to get a bit “twitchy bum” for the economy and by the looks of it, the lower management have been tasked with ■■■■■■■ everyone off to flush out the dead-wood & the tired and weary long termers to save a bit of dosh if redundancy needs to be sanctioned
Apparently they’ve just moved the operation up the road somewhere while they find a more permanent site.
The B&Y mob have shut a few depots recently [Thame & Minworth] which seems to have flown under the radar, so they dont mess about if something aint working
With the Thame depot closing, might just have been convenient, the lease was up, with no chance of it being renewed, the warehouse has been flattened, all part of the local car breaker now.
Apparently they’ve moved the operation up the road until they find a permanent site.
the nodding donkey:
I know its bank holidays after Christmas and that, but I’ve noticed the last 4 days how utterly empty the services are. The roads are quiet too, very few supermarket trolleys even. Christmas day Strensham North and South were empty when I pulled in, yesterday a truck or two, and today, only a few trucks in Membury, and now, 9 trucks in Leigh Delamere. It seems a lot quieter than previous years.
Be interesting to see if it picks up in a weeks time, or not.
Cobham was pretty sparse yesterday afternoon, and LFE N/B was the same late PM which seemed a bit strange even for a bank holiday IMO
Not sure how true it is, but that job 52 miles west of BW is a slimming down of the fleet, so that looks like that particular customer is preparing for a “slow-down” in the first quarter of 2023, and their customer base is a few of the very big DIY sheds which seems a bit premature as they were all screaming for stock last week, even tipping early which is unheard of normally
.
