"Not My Job, Mate.."

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

limeyphil:
The work ethic in some people is shameful. You only need one driver to be like that, Then every driver is a ■■■■■■.
I can’t stand by and watch someone do all the graft. But there are occasions at some places where it isn’t the drivers job, But they’ll happily stand by and watch you do it all.
It dosn’t cost anything to be decent to one another.

This and what everyone else says above and below, can’t stand to watch others working and me standing there like a spare part!

Interestingly though last two weekends have had driver’s mates who haven’t talked all shift, been on the phone or sleeping unless unloading/loading. Made it interesting for me to see if cabin fever would overcome me! :laughing:

Boy did my singing get hoarse at the end of an 11 hour shift :unamused:

Hey Kev, got your PM. Will respond ASAP. Lost bloody £10 as I couldn’t half a tip with a porter this weekend. First time ever zbing zb! His card is properly marked. Perhaps he’ll be unloading on his own next time he’s with me on one drop, preferably a 4th floor flat with a 200 piecer…see I still am fair :laughing:

C

22

I can sort of see both sides … but only if youve asked to help and been told to do nothing

On the other side of the coin when I was on the Dray I had this Drayman that came in one morning still half cut , and when he finally woke up he asked me why we had came to this drop first !
I said we didnt … its the 4th one mate :imp:

23

It might just be that the agency drivers are paid by the hour, along with the agency mates. Why chase round and halve the time/earnings?..especially when work is quiet at this time of year.

Personally I would feel guilty and couldn’t just watch. I drive for an agency but would rather get the work done than drag it out for a few extra squid!

Tazbug

24

we used to get mates with us when snow ploughing , most sat there asleep or moaned about being cold , i could have wound the window up a bit i suppose :laughing:

in the end we just went out solo

25

Constantine:
Hey Kev, got your PM. Will respond ASAP. Lost bloody £10 as I couldn’t half a tip with a porter this weekend. First time ever zbing zb! His card is properly marked. Perhaps he’ll be unloading on his own next time he’s with me on one drop, preferably a 4th floor flat with a 200 piecer…see I still am fair :laughing:

C

This is why you carry change on you constantly or pop off at a shop! :slight_smile: no way id loose out on a fiver! would cover almost how much it costs me to get to work!! :laughing: :laughing:

Sounds like a weapon i was working with before crimbo, got in the cab headphones in and fell asleep. Credit were credit is due though he was a grafter when we got to the drops. But I was pretty happy he was a sleep most of the driving time, couldnt stand him and his hissy fits! LOL

26

Hahahahahaha

I’ve learnt the hard way, the only time I have ever gone without change! I think I told you initially to do that and I didn’t follow my own advice. Yep, £5 would have paid one way’s worth of fuel!!! :smiling_imp:

Hissy fits, show them the cab door is what I say, haven’t had one yet, but they are briefed by me every shift “where the emergency exits are, who their driver is for the day and any zbing around and you will be asked to leave”…unless it is beneficial to my hourly rate increasing proportionally well, while doing nothing, otherwise we work! :wink:

C

27

Muckaway:
This was the worst example, others being driver not carrying into shop etc. It may be the mates’ job but who is so lazy to sit on their arse watching someone struggle, when two can halve the time taken?

Here’s your answer: would you rather work hard and earn less, or work light and clock more hours?

There’s one route in London where they operate a “no agency drivers” rule because they can’t be trusted to help out. After all the years on tippers, I enjoy the change and find it interesting to see the shopping centres etc from the service tunnels…and getting used to dock levellers etc :blush: :laughing:

When I was on agency, I worked for one place that some runs were with mate, and to some you were going on your own. If you had mate, your hourly rate was lower (but you were still expected to work). The same agency was also sending me to the place, when I had two driver mates, and there was strict rule: you drive, we work. I often offered my help, but declined, and I don’t blame them: they were working so well as a team, that I would just get in their way, so I was just sitting and reading my book.

Usually I had no problems with helping, except from when I was on my break: If I am on break, I am on break. Wait for me, or work on your own, if you please, rules are rules.

As for sitting in the cab and feeling guilty - I used to work on agency on this jet tankers thing. I was just driving, and the guys were following me in the van. I was feeling so sorry for them - I was told to park in the middle of a huge pond, and they were trying to ublock the drains on wind and rain while I was sitting and listening to radio…

…then I found that they are paid much better than I am and I felt all right :slight_smile: It’s like with driver mate - he helps the proffesional, and when proffesional is doing complicated work - they have time off. In that case, operating a jet tanker was a proffesional work, and I was JUST the driver.

28

JAKEY:
DO THE WORDS HUCK OFF MEAN ANY THING TO THESE GUYS WHO WONT HELP UNLOAD !!! there is no way I would have any one do that to me without him getting a face full of tarmac , end of

Anyway Steve, me and my mate are just having lunch/breakfast in Portsmouth. I think I’ll be getting an extra hour or so overtime this morning.
:smiley:

29

Went out on agency once for shop deliveries had a drivers mate and both of us unloaded at drops , got back to depot then drivers mate said see ya ive finished left me to unload all the cages back into warehouse , was a bit miffed at first , then realised I got an extra hours pay just for rolling empty cages off back , easy work when empty lol

30

I pulled that argument once.
I had 4 pallets of post-it notes to deliver to a place on the top floor of a building on the Oxford science park.
I was told ‘the trolley is there, we are on the top floor.’
My reply was ‘I’m only insured for kerbside deliveries. If you want them, you come and get them.’
After much disgruntled moaning from them, and me asking for them to sign paperwork as refused, they came and got them in the end.

31

On multi drop pallet work clients expected me to haul a ton and half top heavy and tall pallets of horse food or mix around the back of her stables on a cobbled stone surface, she saw me puffing and pulling, and just me watched quoting all the other drivers can do it.
When tipping heavy pallets of turf soil, the housekeeper was left a note for me where to dump the pallets, around the corneron a shingle stone drive in the country mansion down a narrow lane.
I said you can not as the pallet truck wheels will sink in the shingle but that fell on deaf ears.
In the end the houskeeper moved her car and i dumped them in the gap by the house while blocking off the small lane the horse stables next door wanted me to move the truck so the horses could be walked past in to the field next door even though they had room to pass.
I was asked if i was going to be long when they can see me lugging the pallets in the back of the truck.
Then a posh lady wanted heavy pallets of compost broken down and hauled over her garden fence, the truck could not fit down her lane to the country cottage, she said i would fit as she gets the bin truck down there so i will fit too.

32

A few of my mates do this double man job and the sole purpose of the second man is to take the ■■■■ out of him, it is hilarious following the tweets between drivers and the tricks they play on the sleeping recumbents. Of course they do come in handy to stand in long queues at Macdonalds or the butty bar, while the drivers gets on with unloading his truck :laughing: