eagerbeaver:
They put the money UP to £11.25 per hour a few weeks ago at the Carrington depot (former BTS)
Unfortunately for them though Green group 5 mins down the road at Trafford Park are now paying £13 per hour for Mon-Fri days
#holdyournerveandstopworkingforscraps
Any ideas or heard anything on grapevine about Green Group? Agency are offering it at £15 no hols, £13.50 accruing hols and assure me “ill only ever do a night out if I ask for it!”
One of my best pals works there Alfa. Mon-Fri days 06.00 start and they get their own wagon (a craptos unfortunately) but it’s nice as a day driver to have your own vehicle. £13 per hour and easy work. My mate runs up to a quarry off the 556 near Northwich and loads bags of sand which he then delivers to B&Q’s, TP, Wickes sites etc. Reckons it’s a complete piece of ■■■■ & they get spoken to with a bit of respect.
Tempted myself tbh…
Thanks for Info, currently drive actros and one of few that actually likes it. More space than most I’ve driven, it has however claimed the screens of 2 tablets that fell from top locker though after the suspension couldn’t cope with running over a fallen leaf
eagerbeaver:
They put the money UP to £11.25 per hour a few weeks ago at the Carrington depot (former BTS)
Unfortunately for them though Green group 5 mins down the road at Trafford Park are now paying £13 per hour for Mon-Fri days
#holdyournerveandstopworkingforscraps
Any ideas or heard anything on grapevine about Green Group? Agency are offering it at £15 no hols, £13.50 accruing hols and assure me “ill only ever do a night out if I ask for it!”
One of my best pals works there Alfa. Mon-Fri days 06.00 start and they get their own wagon (a craptos unfortunately) but it’s nice as a day driver to have your own vehicle. £13 per hour and easy work. My mate runs up to a quarry off the 556 near Northwich and loads bags of sand which he then delivers to B&Q’s, TP, Wickes sites etc. Reckons it’s a complete piece of ■■■■ & they get spoken to with a bit of respect.
Tempted myself tbh…
I’d go and work with you’re mate, his job sounds sorted
It appears Owens (Carrington) have ended their game of ‘chicken’ New rate has appeared out of the mists of time itself.
£13.50 per hour days. It appears we do indeed have a collective of sturdy spines, at least in the North West. Simply wonderous how the wage has gone from £10.25 to £13.50 in a matter of weeks folks.
HOLD YOUR NERVE DRIVE…These haulage companies need us far more than we need them
I guess they’ve finally figured out the good old days of churning through an endless stream of Eastern Europeans fresh off the ferry have come to an end. Only took them 7 months.
I worked for Owens for about 6 months. 4 on 4 off. It was a good shift pattern and a easy job, but the very low pay saw me leave. The Bridgend depot were a good bunch.
OwenMoney:
HGV Class 1 Driver - Days 4 on 4 off £128 per day
HGV CLASS 1 DAY TRAMPER - MON-FRI £36 643
HGV CLASS 1 DAY DRIVER TUES-SAT £10.75 - £13.00 an hour
HGV CLASS 1 NIGHT DRIVER - 4 ON / 4 OFF £ 485 per week
All these on Indeed posted by Owens . Fill your boots. Same old same old . Crap money, Crap hours, Crap facilities in the UK.
They’ve just had another pay rise (2nd this year) new rates that I know of…
4 on 4 off days £485 (salaried so this is an averaged out pay structure, in other words you get this every week regardless of whether it’s a 3 day or 4 day week) Extra shift £138.50
4 on 4 off nights £525 (salaried) Extra shift £150
Not 100% sure on the hourly paid so don’t quote me on this but I believe nights is £12.50 and weekends/BH’s are £15 I think days are £11.75 (not sure of the O.T rate)
Tarmaceater:
Owenski drivers probably sat on the Black Sea beaches now enjoying a nice cold one of the Amber Nectar.
I do concur with DC , they got what they deserved and now no bumski on the seatski . And save a fortune on side panels and paperwork to write out the bumps and scratches on insurance forms so paper saved , save the planet to keep Gretaski Thunderburgerski happy.
Funny but true Toby. I bet if they factored in the cost of all the replacement panels and down time it would have cost them more overall than if they’d just offered reasonable money in the first place and used natives.
I really don’t see it being anywhere near as simple as “Native” = Good Driver and Eastern European = Bad, I thought that stereo type had long gone, along with the one suggesting foreign drivers are any happier driving for crap wages than homegrown ones?
The stereotype will never go because it’s 100% true and is unlikely to change any time in the future. I’m not suggesting that natives are driving gods - far from it. But the truth is that while 99% are thick as [zb], most manage to bring the truck and trailer back with the same amount of panels it left the yard with, and don’t require a wrecker and heavy crane to remove it from getting wedged down a rural rambler’s trail.
The two examples of flip flop driving at my previous employer namely taking a 15 foot 1 trailer under a 13 foot 3 bridge and the other having to get towed home as they had put the truck into a field trying to screw it around to avoid a very very low and narrow bridge on Hoyle Mill Road at Kinsley, were done by chaps as English as a cup of tea.
I have always thought that the Welsh and Polish accents were very similar. The none Welsh will understand where I am coming from. It that back of the throat guttural sound they both have.
Anyways back to the point, Owens have ALWAYS paid ■■■■■ wages, but they have always managed to find drivers, as there a lot of unemployment with the pits, steel production etc gone from those areas. However times changed and new industries opened up and there was more demand for drivers. The East Europeans filled the gap nicely, but now that have returned home to better lives, that gives an opportunity to the young Welsh lads to live the dream and get behind the wheel of an Owens truck.
Owens may well miss the East Europeans, but do remember my first comment about the similar accents. Am sure those young Welsh lads will adapt just nicely.
LIBERTY_GUY:
I have always thought that the Welsh and Polish accents were very similar. The none Welsh will understand where I am coming from. It that back of the throat guttural sound they both have.
Anyways back to the point, Owens have ALWAYS paid [zb] wages, but they have always managed to find drivers, as there a lot of unemployment with the pits, steel production etc gone from those areas. However times changed and new industries opened up and there was more demand for drivers. The East Europeans filled the gap nicely, but now that have returned home to better lives, that gives an opportunity to the young Welsh lads to live the dream and get behind the wheel of an Owens truck.
Owens may well miss the East Europeans, but do remember my first comment about the similar accents. Am sure those young Welsh lads will adapt just nicely.
I’ve heard some waffle in my time but Jesus…
Nope, there’s no other way to put it other than you’re talking out of your arse, please stop.
Jimmy McNulty:
The two examples of flip flop driving at my previous employer namely taking a 15 foot 1 trailer under a 13 foot 3 bridge and the other having to get towed home as they had put the truck into a field trying to screw it around to avoid a very very low and narrow bridge on Hoyle Mill Road at Kinsley, were done by chaps as English as a cup of tea.
Plenty of our lot are thick as [zb] as well, I’ll be the first to admit it, but the flip-flops outnumber our lot 10:1. Against my advice, the gaffer at the place I work at has taken on a Latvian driver as “he’s a good lad”. I knew it would only be a matter of time and even wanted to bet money on it but he wouldn’t take it. Been here 2 weeks and had to go to EMA Swissport for the plane. Told him not to follow his satnav as the postcode pin is in the middle of Jury’s Inn hotel car park, so drew him a map and another one in the dirt on the back of his white trailer as he was leaving the customer “yes, yes, I understand where to go” he says. Made it clear to go past UPS, Royal Mail, all the cargo planes, then at the end of the line of trees turn right. So what does he do? Follows his satnav which takes him up to the set of lights on the 453 towards the passenger terminal and then turned into Jury’s Inn hotel car park and promptly got it stuck because there’s nowhere to turn round without taking out a bunch of low trees.
Jimmy McNulty:
The two examples of flip flop driving at my previous employer namely taking a 15 foot 1 trailer under a 13 foot 3 bridge and the other having to get towed home as they had put the truck into a field trying to screw it around to avoid a very very low and narrow bridge on Hoyle Mill Road at Kinsley, were done by chaps as English as a cup of tea.
Plenty of our lot are thick as [zb] as well, I’ll be the first to admit it, but the flip-flops outnumber our lot 10:1. Against my advice, the gaffer at the place I work at has taken on a Latvian driver as “he’s a good lad”. I knew it would only be a matter of time and even wanted to bet money on it but he wouldn’t take it. Been here 2 weeks and had to go to EMA Swissport for the plane. Told him not to follow his satnav as the postcode pin is in the middle of Jury’s Inn hotel car park, so drew him a map and another one in the dirt on the back of his white trailer as he was leaving the customer “yes, yes, I understand where to go” he says. Made it clear to go past UPS, Royal Mail, all the cargo planes, then at the end of the line of trees turn right. So what does he do? Follows his satnav which takes him up to the set of lights on the 453 towards the passenger terminal and then turned into Jury’s Inn hotel car park and promptly got it stuck because there’s nowhere to turn round without taking out a bunch of low trees.
I thought of working for Owens when I moved to South Wales in 2015 but they stated you had to have driven an HGV in the previous six months. I hadn’t driven one since 2013 despite passing my driving test in 1979 so I didn’t fit their requirements.
Jimmy McNulty:
The two examples of flip flop driving at my previous employer namely taking a 15 foot 1 trailer under a 13 foot 3 bridge and the other having to get towed home as they had put the truck into a field trying to screw it around to avoid a very very low and narrow bridge on Hoyle Mill Road at Kinsley, were done by chaps as English as a cup of tea.
Plenty of our lot are thick as [zb] as well, I’ll be the first to admit it, but the flip-flops outnumber our lot 10:1. Against my advice, the gaffer at the place I work at has taken on a Latvian driver as “he’s a good lad”. I knew it would only be a matter of time and even wanted to bet money on it but he wouldn’t take it. Been here 2 weeks and had to go to EMA Swissport for the plane. Told him not to follow his satnav as the postcode pin is in the middle of Jury’s Inn hotel car park, so drew him a map and another one in the dirt on the back of his white trailer as he was leaving the customer “yes, yes, I understand where to go” he says. Made it clear to go past UPS, Royal Mail, all the cargo planes, then at the end of the line of trees turn right. So what does he do? Follows his satnav which takes him up to the set of lights on the 453 towards the passenger terminal and then turned into Jury’s Inn hotel car park and promptly got it stuck because there’s nowhere to turn round without taking out a bunch of low trees.
Sadly we have English drivers at our yrd tht follow the satnav to the very letter.
It gets very interesting when we go to sewer treatment sites in some backwater lane in hick country and inevitably I usually get the call of “Im lost” or “Im stuck in a field”
An absolute steadfast refusal to acknowledge the laughable rates of pay over the last ten years and more, no mention of the prevailing attitude towards drivers, namely “If you don’t like it pal, you know where the door is, watch it does’nt catch you on your way out” because we’ve got a whole load of Eastern European bods ready and waiting to fill that seat.
It says it all that the head honcho was never a driver, traffic planner yes, driver no, still thrashing around avoiding the real issue, namely poor pay, blaming everyone and everything else for the current situation.
Well Mr Owen, hear this, the game has changed in a very short space of time, IR35 being the straw that broke the camel’s back, your mates have all gone back to Bucharest and they ain’t coming back, all those five year contracts you signed based on your business model of an inexhaustable supply of cheap agency drivers has just blown up in your face.
It’s been a long time a comin’ but the game is finally up.
" We have looked at increasing our wages for drivers but the driver base isn’t where it needs to be so we’ve had to look elsewhere” added Ian."
What sort of corporate gobbledygook is this?
Put your money up to £20/hr and you’ll find your 150 driver shortage is solved within a couple of weeks.
““We have looked at increasing our wages twice and If 150 HGV drivers walked through those gates today, we would hire them on the spot, the reality is we can not compete with these supermarkets”
■■■■■ to be you. That’s a free market economy for you, chaps. Survival of the fittest and now that all your cheap flip-flops have gone home and the natives are slowly waking up and growing a pair by not working for peanuts anymore, bottom-feeders like you are having a taste of your own medicine.
“and there is a significant shortage pool [of drivers who are prepared to work for our crappy pay rates] that everyone is competing for.””
" We have looked at increasing our wages for drivers but the driver base isn’t where it needs to be so we’ve had to look elsewhere” added Ian."
What sort of corporate gobbledygook is this?
Put your money up to £20/hr and you’ll find your 150 driver shortage is solved within a couple of weeks.
““We have looked at increasing our wages twice and If 150 HGV drivers walked through those gates today, we would hire them on the spot, the reality is we can not compete with these supermarkets”
■■■■■ to be you. That’s a free market economy for you, chaps. Survival of the fittest and now that all your cheap flip-flops have gone home and the natives are slowly waking up and growing a pair by not working for peanuts anymore, bottom-feeders like you are having a taste of your own medicine.
“and there is a significant shortage pool [of drivers who are prepared to work for our crappy pay rates] that everyone is competing for.””
Edited for accuracy.
You wouldn’t need anywhere near £20 a hour that’s the sad thing about it.
£14-15 a hour and decent overtime and terms and conditions and you would have 150 drivers tomoz to walk through the door.
£10 a hour flat rate. I belive the word drivers are saying now is JOG ON BAWBAG.
If they are so desperate, someone local looking for work should send them a CV. With a cover letter -
Hello, I am looking for work and my min rate of hourly pay will be £15ph this is non-negotiable, I can speak English, understand a map, bridge heights, and can start tomorrow, if this is of interest to you please call me on…
If they are that desperate, they will call and pay you!
