the company i work for, they pay their lorry drivers by how many loads they do in a day and distance traveled, they do not get an hourly rate, is this legal or what?
i don’t drive a lorry yet. i work for acheson and glovers, they make concrete products.
tippers by any chance? as far as i know, that is the only sector that still pays by the load or mileage. rumours are that the government want it phased out althogether
A lot of the Irish firms pay like this but here on the mainland im sure its illegal to pay wages based on mileage or tonnage i could be wrong though 
marty:
the company i work for, they pay their lorry drivers by how many loads they do in a day and distance traveled, they do not get an hourly rate, is this legal or what?
Hi marty, That pay system is very “70’s” but it might be legal. Wage payments based on distance/mileage aren’t allowed to be of a kind that would jeopardise road safety. ie. the company’s system mustn’t encourage you to run over your permitted hours, or overweight.
It does make a difference if the driver owns the truck though…
Does that system provide for any wages, for an employed driver, if they’re waiting to load for a few hours for whatever reason??
Do they expect an employed driver to wait, say for 4 hours due to some problem, and not be paid for that time 
Your question didn’t mention whether the driver is “employed” or whether they own the truck. 
was talking about drivers that are employed by the firm, they do contract alot of work out to other hauliers, i have no idea what or how they are paid.
if an employed drivers lorry breaks down and they have no lorry for a week, then they are put on an hourly rate of pay, and given some other job around the yard to bluff at, until there lorry is fixed.
just recently they have started timing how long it takes to load lorry drivers, some of them were giving off about having to wait to long.
the firms drivers either tipping sand or gravel from quarry or delivering blocks bricks or paving etc, all over ireland
scanny77:
tippers by any chance? as far as i know, that is the only sector that still pays by the load or mileage. rumours are that the government want it phased out althogether
Don’t pay much attention then Scanny, do you? It’s well publicised on here that I am paid mileage and that I do container work as an employed driver. We also get various extra payments for waiting (we get demurrage when the firm does, so after 3 hours on a 40/45ft box, 2hrs on a 20), reloads, multidrop jobs, etc etc etc. We are guaranteed a minimum per day, but it’s peanuts, frankly.
The law states that mileage schemes are illegal if they encourage the driver to run unsafely or break the law. We are monitored very closely in that regard, therefore no-one is encouraging us to do anything, therefore the scheme is legal.
There are many other areas where this type of wage scheme is still common - many firms in the Fens pay that way, and it is not uncommon in the West Country either. So long as there is a guaranteed minimum, however small, and legal running is enforced, all is fine.
Personally, I like being paid this way. Sure, you have good weeks and bad weeks, but it works out well enough over the year. I like the fact that I earn directly according to effort, and if I pull out the stops and go the “extra mile”, I get rewarded for that. I am not someone who likes hanging around in laybys or sleeping on loading bays all day, I’d rather have as much time off every evening as possible.
There is a firm who do a lot of work for us (we are a Shipping Line, they are a Haulier, and not a small one either), who recently gave their drivers a 7% payrise making them one of the, if not THE highest paid hourly-rate drivers in the area. We still make the same money as them, and we do a whole lot less hours. If I do more than one 13-plus hours shift a week, I’m doing something wrong. They do 15s day in day out. Do the maths. Oh, and we’re due this year’s payrise ourselves any day…
Mileage money isn’t for everyone, but it works for me. So long as you are run legally and without pressure (as we are), it can work very well for the “get-up-and-go” type driver who thrives on punching out the miles, which describes me to a tee. It’s probably fair to say it isn’t for newbies though, which is why our lot rarely take on anyone with less than 5 years under their belt.
any incentive type pay is illlegal came out this year as it encourages the driver to forget the rules been there and done that and u do tend to use 3 tachos a day
scania245:
any incentive type pay is illlegal came out this year as it encourages the driver to forget the rules been there and done that and u do tend to use 3 tachos a day
We’ve been through this before, the only regulation states as Lucy as said above. I’m paid on a percentage and, as Lucy is, we’re montiored very closely, both by our firm and the firm we pull for. If we break down or have no work ect the boss makes our money up.
Steve’s right, Scanny. The law hasn’t changed a bit. The above stands. If you don’t belive me, ring our local Traffic Area, who are more than aware and have been for the last 20-plus years how we are paid. They, too, keep a close enough eye on what we get up to to know there is nothing illegal about it whatsoever.
The phrase
came out this year
with no link to the legislation or any other form of supporting evidence is guaranteed to send the Driver’s BS Meter off the scale. 
It’s a phrase often heard in the cafes and truck stops up and down this fair land when a driver is educating all within earshot to the latest amendments to the MMTM Regulations (1999 Amended Far Too Many Times)
Here’s what current law says scania245, my reference is: Regulation (EC) 561/2006 Article 10(1) and (2.)
scania245:
…came out this year…
Do you have a Reg number for that please?? If you do, then I’ve made a huge boo-boo. 
IIRC, the current version of this rule is about the same as what was written in the now defunct EEC 3820/85
LIABILITY OF TRANSPORT UNDERTAKINGS
Article 10.
1. A transport undertaking shall not give drivers it employs or who are put at its disposal any payment, even in the form of a bonus or wage supplement, related to distances travelled and/or the amount of goods carried if that payment is of such a kind as to endanger road safety and/or encourages infringement of this Regulation.2. A transport undertaking shall organise the work of drivers referred to in paragraph 1 in such a way that the drivers are able to comply with Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 and Chapter II of this Regulation. The transport undertaking shall properly instruct the driver and shall make regular checks to ensure that Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 and Chapter II of this Regulation are complied with.
That’s it word-for-word, all I’ve done is to make the relevant bits bold.
So marty, if you read Lucy’s post again, it’s clear that her firm are compliant with (1) and (2) above. If your firm has a similar system in place for their employed drivers, then the form of payment you originally queried is legal. You weren’t to know at the time, but you hadn’t quite put enough info in the original question, so thanks for the clarification
scania245:
any incentive type pay is illlegal
If drivers are incentivised to break laws on hours or weight, then yes I agree with you that it’s illegal. Surely, a wages bonus scheme for drivers achieving a certain mpg figure is OK isn’t it?? I’d imagine that a fuel bonus rewards a driver for driving carefully. I’d also imagine that a firm could argue that it’s designed to discourage wild and erratic driving by rewarding those who don’t drive in those ways. Brownie points when VOSA show up and a cheaper fuel bill. Win-win for the company and a less stressful life for the driver, with a few bob extra.