Here is an illustration of a meeting with the manger as I understand it:
robert1952:
Here is an illustration of a meeting with the manger as I understand it:0
Well done Robert.
buses:
Right,so i dont miss any info ill give you the low down.I have been at my company since october 2013. 1 year and 5months.
Now when i started i was told start time for me (nights) 6pm-12midnight…
But as this was my first actic job i took the bad with the good ie started between 6pm-2am.So it then went solid midnight starts which wernt great but i was gaining experience etc.
Now its gone back but wilder…8 one day,then 2am,then 9,then to 1am back to 8pm
With all the above said,Have i got a right to accuse them of duty of care ?
He wants to talk about this tommorrow as i started at 9pm and was done for 1151am!
I have had interviews else where but wasnt suitable but im still looking.
Cheers
For anyhelp anyone could advise.
Where you offered a free Health Assesment before you commenced your post ? Have you had any since ?
Trukkertone:
the 2 things I would worry about are ,
Not having a regular sleep pattern which could lead to driver fatigue while on duty,
Not being able to schedule regular meal times
The erratic mealtimes go with the job.But there is a limit to erratic sleep patterns where the consequences could vary from at best feeling a bit knackered.To at worst being woken up by the wagon rolling off the road or into something or someone ahead possibly resulting in a long jail sentence or being sent directly back to sleep for good.Bearing in mind that there is no guarantee of the body providing any warning in the latter case. 
I’m on the Op,s side on this due to sleep patterns, it takes half a second to nod off at the wheel, in that short time, you have travelled further than you think.
Today, imagine you have nodded off for three seconds, and see how far you got in that time, by using a measuring point, in that time a lot of damage can be done.
His start times are too erratic.
The body works in a rhythm of sleep patterns in one and half hour cycles, it is measured by REM, not the band, but in rapid eye movement.
Loughborough University are the sleep boffins.
With the dreaded head nodding, no amount of caffeine will keep you awake to be safe at the wheel.
The unfair terms of contract act 1977 has been ruled by the high court to apply to employment contracts. A six- hour window for shift starting time, which in practice seems to be generated by ‘Ernie’ the Premium Bond random number machine, would be considered ‘unreasonable’ in any reasonable interpretation.
Second thoughts: I would be keeping very accurate records about start and finish times. You have no idea what long term health issues may develop as a result of this yo-yoing for sleep and eating patterns. You are probably already experiencing, to put it politely, irregular calls of nature - this is not good. Your employer is forgetting the Health considerations of elf and safety, if you develop some health problem in the years to come which could be attributed to this issue then he is likely to end up in the dock.
just call in one night saying you aint slept and wont be coming in. due to irregular sleep patterns and being unsafe to drive.
I am days, I don,t start before 5am. If I do I just feel tired, usually with a headache, and I was concerned about falling sleep at the wheel. Started working to the 5am rule in 1997 when I was on general haulage, just had a polite word with the manager, he said no problem we can work round that. Nowadays I am in the lucky position to just refuse, as I work agency and the need for a wage is not desperate, where as lads with financial/family commitments may get pressured in to working hours that they are not happy with. On the flip side there are drivers who love early starts.
Used to know a fella who worked for TNT at Accrington he started work at 11.30pm and finished around 9.30am, he loved it, I thought he was mad or a vampire…
Yes this game can be unpredictable and you have to be a bit flexible but the op has a bad job here.
I know blokes who tramp and start at 7am Monday morning then there start times for rest of the week can be from midnight till 9am and most of them look knackerd eat at wrong times and don’t have any plan to there life but convince them selves that it’s just normal.
I start between 4am and 7am and generally finish 11-12 hrs later,to me that is reasonable
6 hour start time window 
Ram it
yorkshire terrier:
I start between 4am and 7am and generally finish 11-12 hrs later,to me that is reasonable
^ This
But ironically instead of that type of simple type of hours regime which enforces a reasonable start window and therefore sleep patterns and a civilised max day limit we’ve got the EU imposing umpteen bs rules that stop trucks when they should be moving and which make drivers keep moving when they should be parked up sleeping. 
Tell boss hog your busy .
You are entitled to representation at the meeting.
Take 3 wise men.
Get 2 mates to go with you, and take gold, frankincense, and myrrh pretend to be wise!
robert1952:
Here is an illustration of a meeting with the manger as I understand it:0
Not sure where you are based, but you would be surprised how many companies would take you on despite not having served the magical 2 years with a dodgy operators.
The hours you’ve quoted you are being asked to start are a total joke, it seems to me your boss is testing your patience to see how far he can push you, do let him do this to you.
Take a look at Turners website, they have jobs available all over the country, and I know for a fact they take anyone with a pulse.
They might not be an ideal employer, in fact they are far from being ideal, but at least you should get more civilized start and finish times.
Do yourself a favor and leave this joke of a job asap.
Cheers for the advice
Had my meeting yesterday.
Had my diary which showed my start times for the last year and he agreed the start times have been wild.
I said i wasnt able to dispute the start time as im asleep when the txt comes threw…4pm etc.
I give 100% and all i ask is some kind of pattern.
I carnt finish at 7…go bed at 10…wake up at 5pm as im available from 6pm to then find out im in at midnight because im awake for 7hours then expected to do 13 hour plus too.
I never moan about owt ive kept my head down and done the job.No sick days and all i ask is just a fair pattern.
Ive left it with him to sort but im still looking as i carnt see it getting fixed.Other drivers have had same issue so ive heard.
cheers for the advice people.
Yet another ■■■■ place to drive for. They’re all at it, bullies!
Don’t waste your time with em my friend. If it’s not working look for something better.
Until then. Under no circumstances reduce your daily rest, always take the statutory 11 hrs. Also upon 13hrs duty pull up, regardless and night out. Refuse to be collected as it’s illegal.
That should keep them on their toes until you get something else.
Good luck!
People moaning about a 6 hour start window. I used to get phoned up on a Sunday to tell me what time I had to be at my first drop for. May have been a 3am start, may have been a leisurely 8am start. Then I would be tramping. Sometimes parked up at 5 and not starting until 9 am due place not opening, then same eve running until midnight on way to somewhere else. That was tramping. I’m not saying it was right, buts that how it was. Duty of care? No, don’t be daft. Only thing is if they have bust their start times they gave you on the contract.
As for being daft. If people are citing duty of care for varying start times wildly in a 7 day week then no airline would fly. I’ve had reports at 1am, work 12 hours, report 8pm, 10 hours, min rest, report 1pm for a 16 hour augmented crew trip, the report 9 pm following night. All in a week, carrying 500 passengers, legally (?!!). Just the way it is I’m afraid. It boils my potatoes. Just to show you how wildy off the mark you are for standing a chance with duty of care.