Tris:
I don’t hang about, and if I do get done earlier I ring up and I’m found other stuff to do anyway, so it seems like I can’t win. The only times I’m slowed down is when whoever is unloading holds me up.
And there lies the problem !!
I have done this job a while now mate, and I learnt a long time ago a couple of important things. You can ‘win’ by the way.
The more you ‘crack on’ the more they expect you to do, and when you do that they expect the same tomorrow, and more, and so it goes on. That is why some of the ‘crack on’ guys on here end up doing the job like some kind of an endurance test, not seeing that they are being put on.
Remember they only push you if you let them.
The way you counteract this is to set your own pace, I don’t mean ■■■■ about or hang the job out either, just do the workload at a sensible pace at the hours set and agreed on to do it.
As for the guy unloading holding you up, call me old fashioned but I would be maybe giving him a hand, it’s less stressful than sat behind him chomping at my fingernails, and raising my blood pressure, so I can ‘crack on’ to do the extra job I have been set.
Anyway I’m wasting my time, you won’t read this as you have ■■■■ ed off …but we all know you haven’t really …have you now
Thruxton:
Been registered with two agencies for well over a month and not had a single job from them… They reckoned that they had more work than drivers.
So don’t hold out hopes that agencies are the way forward
I’ve often found with agencies you have to keep pestering them or they tend to put you at the bottom of the list. I phoned my latest one twice a day for 8 days and it worked, got full time work from them.
Tris:
I don’t hang about, and if I do get done earlier I ring up and I’m found other stuff to do anyway, so it seems like I can’t win. The only times I’m slowed down is when whoever is unloading holds me up.
And there lies the problem !!
I have done this job a while now mate, and I learnt a long time ago a couple of important things. You can ‘win’ by the way.
The more you ‘crack on’ the more they expect you to do, and when you do that they expect the same tomorrow, and more, and so it goes on. That is why some of the ‘crack on’ guys on here end up doing the job like some kind of an endurance test, not seeing that they are being put on.
Remember they only push you if you let them.
The way you counteract this is to set your own pace, I don’t mean ■■■■ about or hang the job out either, just do the workload at a sensible pace at the hours set and agreed on to do it.
As for the guy unloading holding you up, call me old fashioned but I would be maybe giving him a hand, it’s less stressful than sat behind him chomping at my fingernails, and raising my blood pressure, so I can ‘crack on’ to do the extra job I have been set.
Anyway I’m wasting my time, you won’t read this as you have [zb] ed off …but we all know you haven’t really …have you now
I have some sympathy with the OP, I jacked it in after my 1st week and had no plans to drive again until I got a call asking me to cover for someone who’d double booked himself, was just a simple one off trunk as a favour but things kind of took off from there, now if I want work its there.
25k isn’t bad and you know the salary before hand? 25k / 48 weeks / 60 hours is £8.68 an hour bearing in mind if you don’t log any poa etc you can only max at 48 problem solved.
there are a whole lot of people on a great deal less than 25k as a new driver!
Tris:
That’s why I’ve already come to the conclusion that agency work is where I need to be. Might not be the security Id ideally like, but at the end of day it’s the money that matters.
You’re not doing too well are you ? Getting the licence was the easy bit, its all gone wrong since then ? One thing you are consistent about is having an answer for everything except for the current predicament you find yourself in ?
You took a job for 25K, its not enough or the hours are too long for it ? You’ve chosen the wrong career, you’ll go agency, you’ll do transporters ? You’re just all over the place, with what appears to me…without a clue. Here’s a tip, fathom out what you want to do and then aim for it and try get it.
Bugger, this is where I’ve been going wrong for so long?
I’ve done quite a few of the different jobs in the industry, and got a few miles under my belt, and still haven’t a bloody clue what I want to do.
But, like truckman020 put, I won’t put up with the crap that seems so common in the industry.
I started a new job a few weeks ago, was told it pays blah, and normally it’s around 10hr days (plus breaks possibly…)
Anyway, weather was crap so things didn’t go great, can’t hold that against them, until on the Friday, I’d already done 4 of my drops and was parked outside number 5 (which were around 1.5hrs drive away from our base) when I went to sleep on the Thursday - this was a day run btw - so 9am the shutters were up and I was unloading, anyway, 6.30pm I’m pulling into the yard - with no major delays at any customer - and was told I still had to fuel up and wash the truck down, so the ‘day’ run I set off on Thursday was going to be HOW LONG?
Anyway, that was enough for me, fueled truck, washed truck, handed keys in and said “Thanks for the opportunity but I don’t think it’s for me”
the thing is though it depends on what you are doing, when delivering for B&Q with 5 drops I have seen me on the first run take over 13 hours but once I knew where they all were and where to go etc didn’t take much over 9 which in transport is good.
I always expect at least a 12 hour shift no matter what they say. but what I don’t get is why take the job? what is the issue? to me it seems like not being paid overtime which I know a good few companies that don’t now. I still say 25k for a newbie is decent money just search on here and see how many have not got jobs or cant get a chance.
Trouble is some new drivers think gaining the lorry licence means they are now lorry drivers and entitled to the best jobs short hours right pay new lorry all the caboodle from the off, those who’ve been around a while (realistic) know all too well it can all come your way in due course but you have to take what you can get at first and learn/earn your way up…
Even when they’ve been doing the job 20 years some drivers never get that elusive step up onto the higher rungs, it might be their fault it might be just bad luck and they might be perfectly happy doing what they are anyway.
Only a very few start at the top, and it’s usually cos someone has given them a foot up the ladder by pulling a string or two.
Took me 13 years before i got me first real break into the money, and that was going back to driving news vans at night, only got that because i happened to service the car of someone who worked there and he put a good word in for me, you just never know when your luck will change.
I had a similar issue. First C+E job, DHL £95.50 a day based on 10hrs. After a couple of weeks of always doing more then 10 i figured it would never happen, they said “Swings and roundabouts” some days you will do less then 10. Happened once or twice during the 3 months i was there the whole time im checking job sites and asking around looking for better.
Found my current job now where we are paid hourly and im happy now. I found i was just getting bitter at DHL being the mug doing 10+ all the time whilst a select few (Long termers to be fair) did under 10 probably every day.
I meant though when i went for my current job’s interview instead of saying i have just passed it was me saying i currently drive for a name everyone knows. Just said location was the reason i was applying for the new job.
Not to sure why you seem to be expecting the big bucks for your first number.
Tris:
That’s why I’ve already come to the conclusion that agency work is where I need to be. Might not be the security Id ideally like, but at the end of day it’s the money that matters.
You’re not doing too well are you ? Getting the licence was the easy bit, its all gone wrong since then ? One thing you are consistent about is having an answer for everything except for the current predicament you find yourself in ?
You took a job for 25K, its not enough or the hours are too long for it ? You’ve chosen the wrong career, you’ll go agency, you’ll do transporters ? You’re just all over the place, with what appears to me…without a clue. Here’s a tip, fathom out what you want to do and then aim for it and try get it.
Bugger, this is where I’ve been going wrong for so long?
I’ve done quite a few of the different jobs in the industry, and got a few miles under my belt, and still haven’t a bloody clue what I want to do.
But, like truckman020 put, I won’t put up with the crap that seems so common in the industry.
I started a new job a few weeks ago, was told it pays blah, and normally it’s around 10hr days (plus breaks possibly…)
Anyway, weather was crap so things didn’t go great, can’t hold that against them, until on the Friday, I’d already done 4 of my drops and was parked outside number 5 (which were around 1.5hrs drive away from our base) when I went to sleep on the Thursday - this was a day run btw - so 9am the shutters were up and I was unloading, anyway, 6.30pm I’m pulling into the yard - with no major delays at any customer - and was told I still had to fuel up and wash the truck down, so the ‘day’ run I set off on Thursday was going to be HOW LONG?
Anyway, that was enough for me, fueled truck, washed truck, handed keys in and said “Thanks for the opportunity but I don’t think it’s for me”
Tris:
That’s why I’ve already come to the conclusion that agency work is where I need to be. Might not be the security Id ideally like, but at the end of day it’s the money that matters.
You’re not doing too well are you ? Getting the licence was the easy bit, its all gone wrong since then ? One thing you are consistent about is having an answer for everything except for the current predicament you find yourself in ?
You took a job for 25K, its not enough or the hours are too long for it ? You’ve chosen the wrong career, you’ll go agency, you’ll do transporters ? You’re just all over the place, with what appears to me…without a clue. Here’s a tip, fathom out what you want to do and then aim for it and try get it.
Bugger, this is where I’ve been going wrong for so long?
I’ve done quite a few of the different jobs in the industry, and got a few miles under my belt, and still haven’t a bloody clue what I want to do.
But, like truckman020 put, I won’t put up with the crap that seems so common in the industry.
I started a new job a few weeks ago, was told it pays blah, and normally it’s around 10hr days (plus breaks possibly…)
Anyway, weather was crap so things didn’t go great, can’t hold that against them, until on the Friday, I’d already done 4 of my drops and was parked outside number 5 (which were around 1.5hrs drive away from our base) when I went to sleep on the Thursday - this was a day run btw - so 9am the shutters were up and I was unloading, anyway, 6.30pm I’m pulling into the yard - with no major delays at any customer - and was told I still had to fuel up and wash the truck down, so the ‘day’ run I set off on Thursday was going to be HOW LONG?
Anyway, that was enough for me, fueled truck, washed truck, handed keys in and said “Thanks for the opportunity but I don’t think it’s for me”
You’re also not doing to well either, are you ?
Nope, had more jobs in my last 10yrs than most full families ever have combined
I’m just thinking about this… Everybody is saying about the o/p having a cheek expecting this and that for his first job. It’s good in a way that a lot of young lads do expect a decent rate and conditions, that is maybe why there is not a lot of young lads coming into the job,…they have more sense! and not only that, but have the balls to refuse some of the ■■■■ that they are expected to do.
When I was a young lad (during the war like Uncle Albert ) I had to put up with sleeping across the seats in a pile of mechanical crap, after been sent 300 miles to London pre sat nav and pre M25 days, if I had the sense and character I have now I would have told them to ■■■■ right off. I know for a fact having 2 lads myself that they simply would not do that today.
So good on these lads for standing up for their own welfare and actually ‘expecting’ a decent rate of pay and conditions. If no young blood comes into the industry it can only be good for the driver, as the powers that be will then HAVE to clean up their act to get people attracted to the job, in terms of pay and 15 hour bloody days for instance, where we end up doing 2 weeks work in one compared to other jobs.
waynedl:
Nope, had more jobs in my last 10yrs than most full families ever have combined
Oh right, thats good ? Good man
I’m not sure if it’s good or not to be honest.
My attitude is crap, and it’s cost me a lot of jobs, but I’d never change who I am.
I’ve had a couple of bosses over the year who ‘get me’ and I’ve stayed there until I was made redundant (both jobs), but mostly, my attitude / lack of willingness to bend over and be abused prevents any job lasting more than a few months
Nope, had more jobs in my last 10yrs than most full families ever have combined
[/quote]
Hi Wayne.you obviously have had a good reason for leaving the many jobs you’ve had and I assume you always hoped for a better one.
Just out of interest,looking back over those jobs,have you ever thought " I probably should have stuck with that one ",or have they all been total rubbish ?
Regards. John.
old 67:
Nope, had more jobs in my last 10yrs than most full families ever have combined
Hi Wayne.you obviously have had a good reason for leaving the many jobs you’ve had and I assume you always hoped for a better one.
Just out of interest,looking back over those jobs,have you ever thought " I probably should have stuck with that one ",or have they all been total rubbish ?
Regards. John.
[/quote]
Truly, I’ve had some good jobs, I’ve always been a bit spontaneous, and it can literally be at that 1 second that I flip and that’s it. Keys are over the counter and I’m off.
I’m also more moody if I’ve not eaten, so if delayed somewhere and then get grief before I’ve had chance to eat, then I snap really easily.
As much as there’s been some jobs I’d love now, I never regret anything I’ve ever doen, it makes me who I am and I’m happy to be me. Even if I’ve put myself in some really tricky situations financially over the years.
!!
…have you now 
and had no plans to drive again until I got a call asking me to cover for someone who’d double booked himself, was just a simple one off trunk as a favour but things kind of took off from there, now if I want work its there.