Hey all, I havent been around much but have come to a point in my employment, where i need advice.
I started working for a company just after i passed my class 2 in august. Although it was through the agency, about 4 months ago, i went full time with them.
The work im doing is multi-drop home delivery and at the best of times, it can be a very stressful job. The money aint bad for 7.5 tn work though.
Now, when i got back to the yard on friday, i was informed that there was news of a pay rise but not for people who were on probation…(me and a few other guys) so when i asked if it would happen after we finished our probation, the answer i got was “no, you wont be getting any extra money”.
My gripe is that, ive been working there for the best part of 9 months, have fitted in with the other drivers and work as hard, if not harder than most of the guys there! surely that should count for something right? So why am i not being treated the same? I work 50-60 hours a week (sometimes i have to go over the 15hr day just to get the job done).
Basically, when the pay rise kicks in, i`ll be earning 3% less than the other guys and doing the same amout (sometimes more) drops.
Im currently writing a covering email, along with my CV to send to another company, which is paying just abit more than what i earn now but, before i send it, i wanna ask for advice on what im doing. Am i right?
Should i stick it out? or shall i get outta dodge?
Any advice will be greatly welcomed because i dont wanna shoot my self in the foot or put my self in a situation.
Why do you need to go over 15 hours? All you have to do is calculate roughly how long it’ll take to do the last few drops and if the last one will take you over 15 then simply do not deliver it.
It is not unheard of for drivers to be doing the same job yet be on a different rate. I was a Class II driver driving a 7.5t and was on more money than the 7.5t drivers because I had the higher cat licence. Also, when I passed my Class I and handed in my notice to move to another company that was prepared to give me an artic job, the company I was with offered to pay me Class I rate just to stay with them because I was ahem “one of the best drivers we have”. They couldn’t offer me a Class I job because of insurace bull ■■■■ etc.
I left the buses 4 years ago to drive trucks, if I had stayed there then by now I would have been on £10.50 an hour yet new starts nowadays are only on £8.50 with no rise to be in line with older drivers.
What are you getting per hour just now, if you don’t mind me asking?
Totaly and utterly bang out of order mate. Walk is my advise if you cant talk reason to the Boss. Its busy right now so plenty work to be had on agency till you get your next fulltime job.
Im on Salary @ £20k but for 48hrs p/w…anything after that, i dont get any extra. So in effect, the more i work, the less i get paid (which happens all to regular).
And going back to your “over 15hrs”, Transport dont beleive in bringing goods back so you HAVE to deliver. There is an option to take to store and get couriered out but by the time they have “sorted it all out”, you`ve delivered AND gone over 15 hours…in all honesty, it BS!
Stonehouse69:
Im on Salary @ £20k but for 48hrs p/w…anything after that, i dont get any extra. So in effect, the more i work, the less i get paid.
And going back to your “over 15hrs”, Transport dont beleive in bringing goods back so you HAVE to deliver. There is an option to take to store and get couriered out but by the time they have “sorted it all out”, you`ve delivered AND gone over 15 hours…in all honesty, it BS!
You do realise that Vosa WILL throw the book at you when you get a pull! I last heard it’s a £260.00 fine for exceeding 15 hour shift! Don’t do it Stonehouse! Move on fella!
Stonehouse69:
Im on Salary @ £20k but for 48hrs p/w…anything after that, i dont get any extra. So in effect, the more i work, the less i get paid.
And going back to your “over 15hrs”, Transport dont beleive in bringing goods back so you HAVE to deliver. There is an option to take to store and get couriered out but by the time they have “sorted it all out”, you`ve delivered AND gone over 15 hours…in all honesty, it BS!
Just provoke them enough over the phone to have a go at you and record everything they say. Remember to say that you’re breaking the law going over 15 and ask what they want you to do then if you get it all on tape, play it back to them then inform them you’ll be sticking to the law from now on
Stonehouse69:
Im on Salary @ £20k but for 48hrs p/w…anything after that, i dont get any extra. So in effect, the more i work, the less i get paid.
And going back to your “over 15hrs”, Transport dont beleive in bringing goods back so you HAVE to deliver. There is an option to take to store and get couriered out but by the time they have “sorted it all out”, you`ve delivered AND gone over 15 hours…in all honesty, it BS!
Just provoke them enough over the phone to have a go at you and record everything they say. Remember to say that you’re breaking the law going over 15 and ask what they want you to do then if you get it all on tape, play it back to them then inform them you’ll be sticking to the law from now on
Which leads me to say, from the time i got my licence, up till now, ive always tried to stay in the line and have aired this greivance many times. Ive heard the "well have a look at the drops given and get your hours down" talk too many times. Ive heard from other drivers that this company has always had a bad side and nothing seems to get better, but in the same breath, i have a family so i cant make any rash decisions that will affect them.
Stonehouse69:
Im on Salary @ £20k but for 48hrs p/w…anything after that, i dont get any extra. So in effect, the more i work, the less i get paid.
And going back to your “over 15hrs”, Transport dont beleive in bringing goods back so you HAVE to deliver. There is an option to take to store and get couriered out but by the time they have “sorted it all out”, you`ve delivered AND gone over 15 hours…in all honesty, it BS!
Just provoke them enough over the phone to have a go at you and record everything they say. Remember to say that you’re breaking the law going over 15 and ask what they want you to do then if you get it all on tape, play it back to them then inform them you’ll be sticking to the law from now on
Which leads me to say, from the time i got my licence, up till now, ive always tried to stay in the line and have aired this greivance many times. Ive heard the "well have a look at the drops given and get your hours down" talk too many times. Ive heard from other drivers that this company has always had a bad side and nothing seems to get better, but in the same breath, i have a family so i cant make any rash decisions that will affect them.
Rock and a hard place springs to mind.
Is your username any relation to where you live ie Stonehouse?
My advice, DO NOT break the law for anyone, it is you that will pay the price, and the company will just get some other poor mug to deliver the goods.
As for the pay issue, well if you have another job lined up, and you hand in your notice, they might offer to make your pay up to that of the other drivers, but don’t do anything if you don’t have another job to go to.
truckerjon:
My advice, DO NOT break the law for anyone, it is you that will pay the price, and the company will just get some other poor mug to deliver the goods.
As for the pay issue, well if you have another job lined up, and you hand in your notice, they might offer to make your pay up to that of the other drivers, but don’t do anything if you don’t have another job to go to.
Good shout jon, i never wanna break the law but when there is nothing about, i have to stay put. Like i said in OP, i wanna send off covering letters and CV before making a decision, but need advice from people that have been there, IE, you ugly lot
With a family, you can’t just walk - I understand that. But if you get pulled (or WHEN you get pulled) by VOSA, it’ll be you that carries the can. Regardless of the pay rise situation (which stinks by the way) you need to get out of there before you end up with a fine for consistently and knowingly exceeding your hours - you have no defence to that one mate.
Nothing stopping you applying for other jobs in the meantime, and you could go back on the agency route too. All the best…
Some good advise given regards staying or jumping, all I will add is regarding the 15 hours, since I started working for my current employer I have hit the magic 15 hours twice and both times pulled into a lay-by and they have fetched me back, I wouldn’t risk my licence for any company or delivery !!
Are you working 15 hours then doing another long shift the following day?The reason I ask is because you are abusing your own body, this you can do a few times but if it becomes habitual you will become a very ill man I.E. no good to yourself or to any haulier. You could do a long day on Friday and have the weekend to recuperate but what kind of life is that?If VOSA get involved your employer will hang you out to dry by saying that other drivers can do the same amount of work in much less time.Think about what I and other posters are saying ,if you nod of at the wheel how will you live with yourself assuming you get the chance.
I wouldn’t mess about, if you can get another job i’d take it, your gonna get into some real ■■■■■ when you get caught going over. They wont change their ways and if you march in there giving it the charlie big bullocks your gonna get shown to the door anyway.
Darb:
Some good advise given regards staying or jumping, all I will add is regarding the 15 hours, since I started working for my current employer I have hit the magic 15 hours twice and both times pulled into a lay-by and they have fetched me back, I wouldn’t risk my licence for any company or delivery !!
i thought they could only fetch you back if youve run out of driving time and have work time left,i thought if youd done your 15 hrs that was it,switch off ignition off and go to sleep,COFFEE
Darb:
Some good advise given regards staying or jumping, all I will add is regarding the 15 hours, since I started working for my current employer I have hit the magic 15 hours twice and both times pulled into a lay-by and they have fetched me back, I wouldn’t risk my licence for any company or delivery !!
i thought they could only fetch you back if youve run out of driving time and have work time left,i thought if youd done your 15 hrs that was it,switch off ignition off and go to sleep,COFFEE
True when you’ve reached 15 hours the company are not legally allowed to fetch you back to base, the time travelling counts as other work so there’s no way you could have a legal daily rest period.
