Well done lesley for coming on to this forum and putting some things straight, however i will not be thinking of working for any company only paying £6.20 ph, i feel the job requires more than that, with the training, experiance and responablity that the driver holds ( value of the load and if we mess up we will kill someone) . If you dont see eye to my views so be it, i would work for MBT who are in Dover aswell and pays more .
Now i aint gonna get into the rights and wrongs of the rate…(it aint much good even for up north )…but i think we are gonna see a lot of this ,due to the ■■■■ the countrys in ,cos it aint like a while ago,where firms were buying top spec motors to get and keep drivers,amongst other things…now its ‘thats the deal,take it, or leave it’.attitude.and its here for a while…
zeddman:
Now i aint gonna get into the rights and wrongs of the rate…(it aint much good even for up north )…but i think we are gonna see a lot of this ,due to the [zb] the countrys in ,cos it aint like a while ago,where firms were buying top spec motors to get and keep drivers,amongst other things…now its ‘thats the deal,take it, or leave it’.attitude.and its here for a while…
Whilst I agree with that 100%, if the job doesn’t pay though, don’t do it.
My missus is a cleaner in a gym, she gets £6.87 per hour, 100% sick pay, pension, free gym and swim for family, reduced cost classes etc. So, any less than that and 100 guesses which job I’d be doing.
I get £9 / hr + time and half at the moment, have worked for less, a lot depends on the job, but at no time would I work for £6.20 per hour, no matter how it’s dressed up, espeically not driving an artic doing general work, I’d rather run a mop around a gym, eyeing up the fit totty, and getting all the perks along with it.
Thanks for your comments. I did go on the defensive but now understand that there are a few genuine people on this site.
Our Drivers are happy working for us or they would leave. We have on average 6 calls a week from Class 1 Drivers asking for positions within the Company do you think they would call if we were that bad an Employer. I work 60 hours a week in the Office then work in Licensed premises in the evenings, not because the wages are bad but because I want to. There are too many people out there that want things handed to them on a plate, if people are willing to work then they will be rewarded. How many employers have paid for their Drivers Digi Cards or CPC Training not many I know. If Drivers are self employed they would have to pay for their Medicals. Maybe its my generation but I always use “Only” in all conversations whether it be “only” £5000 for a car for example. The trucks are mostly cherished number plates so definately not dating back to 1901. I think the age of the truck is irrelevant they are all paid for and maintained to the correct requirements. The cost of living against the wages earned are enough to see my drivers through they are not forced to stay here but do so because they enjoy the work and have self respect rather than Whinging and signing on the dole or working for Agencies that promise the earth then give you two days a week of work. 
Hi Chris.
We pay for training inhouse, we have Insurance, experience comes with working and I could kill someone in my car but it does not stop me driving. I am loving this site and wish I had found it sooner. Its a shame you would not work for us I feel that we could have some great debates. 
bee chris:
Well done lesley for coming on to this forum and putting some things straight, however i will not be thinking of working for any company only paying £6.20 ph, i feel the job requires more than that, with the training, experiance and responablity that the driver holds ( value of the load and if we mess up we will kill someone) . If you dont see eye to my views so be it, i would work for MBT who are in Dover aswell and pays more .
lesleyanne:
Hi Chris.Its a shame you would not work for us I feel that we could have some great debates.
oh yes it would most deff break the day up. lol. it that a job offer . im looking for tramping night work or coming off the road and in to the office as a TM . 
Strange that I did not receive your mail. Please resend and will send you a response
skell790:
Hi Lesley,I’m interested in applying for the job of experienced Class I LGV driver.
As you have claimed an exception under the Equality Act 2010, I think I’m ideal because I only have half a brain, and as you’re only paying just over half the going rate I think I’d fit right in.
I notice that there are no age restrictions which is just great, especially as the job pays nearly ten pence an hour more than my paper round!
Yours,
Skel (age twelve and a quarter)
Sorry we have no vacancies. lol but will keep you in mind for any further openings.
bee chris:
lesleyanne:
Hi Chris.Its a shame you would not work for us I feel that we could have some great debates.
oh yes it would most deff break the day up. lol. it that a job offer
Company i work is more pay and im up north 
only small outfit 8 artics few rigid, 7.5s and van. i drive the oldest motor and its on 11 plate and all his fleet is payed for cash. not best payers but above £7 an hour plus over time and weekend rates and £25 night out and covers all courses medical if needed ( i have 10 years to go yet haha) and covering cpc. I left a well payed job of salary pay of 27k plus over time which was lots and expenses was almost 3k a month in bank but came with alot of stress, milage etc took a hit to wallet got sorted and work where i am now and im happy being out all week knowing can get over 500 in bank for graft but having a new truck makes job easier and makes me happy as enjoy what i do even after the bullcrap at end of day knowing i survived haha i dont think could work for big comapny as alway found to stressful where as family run companys i found to be more relaxed to get on with work
oh and theres some big family run companys up here that pay min wage for class 1 and work you to max and yet they keep there trucks on road because drivers willing to take the jobs on
i do like working for smaller family run companies than big (~ ur a number) companies.
But atm there are not many jobs to be had so people will take what they can get
Some jobs up here where it is normally lower paid than the south are paying more than that sorry to say
TBH not bothered about an "older lorry " as Lesley say they are well maintained dont mind using an analogue tacho or even having a manual gear stick not all companies have shinny new lorries as long as they are legal clean & are fit for the job
I prefer a gear stick anyway. A lot easier to manoevre in smaller spaces with a manual gearbox.
dar1976:
I prefer a gear stick anyway. A lot easier to manoevre in smaller spaces with a manual gearbox.
Sounds a bit gay. 
pavaroti:
dar1976:
I prefer a gear stick anyway. A lot easier to manoevre in smaller spaces with a manual gearbox.Sounds a bit gay.
And what…?
Ps you sound like a Richard Cranium
Lesley
You’ve come on here being very nice indeed, so the response I was going to give angrily has been shelved and I’m going with:
You sound like a good gaffer to work for, but at £6.20 ph I would always resent you deep down, and hold no loyalty for you whatsoever. Unless the £6.20 isn’t the full story of course.
Incidentally, and probably one for another thread, would you guys rather have £6.20ph and have your DCPC, Medical and digeridoo paid for, or £9 and have to get it all yourself?
I vote £9 per hour, obviously
Hi Lesley I agree with the above poster. £6.20 for a C+E driver who spend all week away is NOT a fair wage in 2012 by any standards, and for you to deduct money for stautory breaks is rather taking the mickey, I was getting this much driving a 17 tonner in 1990, I suspect you regard night out money as part of the drivers wage, when it is in fact payment to act as a security guard, in a space the RSPCA would prosocute you for if you tried to keep a Pig in it, with no toilet facilites, and any means of cooking is usually bought by the driver.
You have courage to try to defend the indefensible I give you that, but you state that you own all your trucks so your overheads must be lower than say ES who leases all his but still manage to pay a reasonable wage, I am retired now but I was offered a job last week paying £600 per week no nights out and that mans truck is on lease.
ST3:
Company i work is more pay and im up northoh and theres some big family run companys up here that pay min wage for class 1 and work you to max and yet they keep there trucks on road because drivers willing to take the jobs on
but your not maxed out,could be parked up after 7 or 8 hrs
Firstly I’ll apologise if this has been mentioned on a previous page, I don’t have enough signal to keep up properly with the thread 
The wages are descending rapidly in rate per hour to what they used to be a few years ago, and variable in different parts of the country too. The rate of inflation has gone up at a fast pace , so much so that the wages just don’t meet the necessary demands that every day living dictates.
What also seems to be the case, alongside the poverty wage that is offered in quite a number of instances, is that they are not only wanting to give you an extremely low wage…for a professional job, but are wanting you to also hold other licences eg, Hiab, Moffatt, Fork Lift etc, Full DCPC (even though it is required until 2014)to name a few.
All these licences add up to quite a lot of money out of your own pocket, unless you have been lucky enough to have got funding. At the same time they are not offering an increase in wage …only the bog standard basic £6/£7 ish per hour rate. Sometimes they are requesting your have not one, but two or three other licences for example as above, before they’ll even think of giving you an interveiw. They are constantly putting the pressure on to get a Driver + this + that +whatever else, and for a lowwww wage!!
This has been the case for a number of years , but I’m sure it has gone worse over the last more recent years. To say the least it’s a worrying factor for the future.
The thing is that rates for hauliers are on the floor at the moment, so wages are on the floor too. I have an Operator’s Licence for three vehicles although I only operate one. I could easily go out and get two more trucks tomorrow and put them on the same work as I’m doing, but I wouldn’t be able to pay the drivers any more than Lesley is paying, because it then wouldn’t be worth my while doing it, and if I paid the type of wages some on here expect as their right, then I would lose money every time those trucks drove out of the gate.
So why would I want to attract this sort of flak just for giving a couple of blokes a job, when those blokes would be earning far more than I pay myself in the first place?
Answer, I wouldn’t, so I don’t. 
dgjobs.co.uk/Lgv-1-Driver-fo … 31979.html
As an operator I won’t be normally drawn into taking the ■■■■ out of others wages they pay, but FFS, 6.20 per hour?
I love the trucks on their website, brings back fond memories
coombevalleytransport.homestead.com/
Some good museum pieces there.
coombevalleytransport.homestead.com/Haulage.html
I don’t do international haulage, never had the slightest interest in it, but do you still need permits to drive in other eu countries? Coombe valley have them. So if you want to drive across Europe in a v1 Volvo for 6.20 per hour you now know where to apply.