Pdu uk

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

it is all very well having a dream but only you can make your dream come true. You cannot depend on others to do it for you and certainly not us truck drivers. We are too busy trying to make our own lives bearable to worry about others. I don’t know the man but after shutting down and starting up again almost immediately makes me think he has a hidden agenda just my suspicious mind. Makes him a bit of a joke I would say.

Haulage today is not the same as it was yesterday it is run by accountants and drivers mostly are nothing but a number on the books. One goes another is ready to step in and take his place. With so many companies it would be difficult to have an equal pay scale hours or anything every job is different. The profit margins are so tight these days it’s get the job done and as cheap as possible. Now higher wages etc would push up prices in the stores so our money would not go any further it is a catch 22 situation. Most drivers do their job because they love it I loved mine loved being out on the road back in the day but bureaucracy changed that and I hung my keys up and just do the odd run now and again and happy to do it. Nobody becomes a truck driver to become a millionaire We do moan a lot but that the same in every job driving is no different. So why has this campaign started now not once but twice. Not many paid up I hear about 70 or so there was little interest drivers are too busy earning a living wage to be bothered with campaigns protests or talking to unions etc. Talking to the higher echelons get nowhere I remember the old Peace in our time and next thing it all kicked off in WW2. Maybe the man just likes talking to the hierarchy so let him get on with it and pay for it himself and if he succeeds well good for everyone but I won’t be holding my breath

22

Some great points there Volvo2, PDU,s first outing floundered also and this second incarnation only lasted a few months, poor website, deleting tax and legal entity questions, high joining fee for a start up all set the red flags waving.

There is a danger the £5 lifelong membership incarnation of PDU could be considered a cash raiser to fund refunds.

Even though it was stated on the joining page the £15 was non refundable.

Perhaps it’s to Barrie’s credit that he has stated members will be emailed asking if they want a refund. :wink:

23

Dipper I read the closure notice and he blamed it on named individuals which to my thinking was not very professional. If you want to lead an organisation you have to learn to take criticism no matter how much you hate it and you must answer questions honestly no matter how awkward they are. Leadership needs a very thick skin and Barrie unfortunately appears not to have that. I saw posts where he referred to other drivers as scum once again not very professional and you shouldn’t ban people just because they ask difficult but pertinent questions. People want to know the answers. The overall perception to me was that there was a select few who praised him and thus there was a wee elite there a kind of fan club. But that is not what is needed what is required is a man who can lead forcefully take criticism take questions without taking umbrage if we all had the same ideas the world would be a very boring place indeed. it is debate which stimulates and good honest debate which can change things and that is never going to happen in the PDU as the one man who can do this all this is reluctant to do it. How can he promise to try to change our lives when he has no idea of what the majority of drivers think. He needs to let everyone have their say like it or not. That is democracy I believe not an dictatorship where the leader does as he wants Ask a difficult question and you are banned he wants to be thought of as trustworthy but this behaviour belies that fact. Why cannot he just answer the question he might even learn from the questions and probing .
Initially I though it a good thing worth a punt held back a little to see how it was going and saw questions asked and then they were gone saw comment posted and they were soon gone too. Then the slagging of those who criticised him began and I just thought this is a waste of time and money He was definitely not professional in his attitude to some So I just decided this was not for me and it was nobody’s fault but his own intranginence over those who had differing views. I make my own mind up and decided he was not the man he presented himself as. We do need something but with a more challenging leader who is professional at all times and to all people

24

I’m with Chris. My work is so different to every other driver, even the same ones on my firm in a similar role. As such why would I want, or think I deserve the same T&C’s?

That being said if I was on for one of the biggies, and there was a union presence at my depot I would be in it.

But for me in my current role it just wouldn’t help me.

25

worst thing anyone could do is ask a group of drivers whats wrong with the job, most couldn’t agree on a single thing. for me too many drivers are divas nowadays, I get so many who think holding a class 1 licence is some form of holy grail.

what I do find strange is how people think that doctors / nurses etc. all do the same job, but compared to drivers.

26

I have no idea what he is like in person, but his online persona is definitely a bit of an old woman with diva tendencies. For that reason I decided a few years ago to have nothing more to do with him and his little fan club…

27

I have never met Barrie nor know much about him, he strikes me as somebody who is willing, and not afraid, to speak up for other drivers, a rarity in our job today.
However some of the hostility I read when all this came up around Christmas time, suggested that a lot knew more about Barrie than I did. Whether the negativity was accurate or not is probably arguable, I do not know.

I was one on here that stated my intent to join this PDU then, and I also got a bit of stick from one or two on here for saying it.
I have to confess despite me stating that I would join (which I genuinely intended) it was one of those things that I just did not get around to, whether this is going to attract opinions of being ‘‘all mouth’’ and ‘‘refusing to put my money where my mouth is’’ on here, remains to be seen, I really couldn’t give a ■■■■, I am just being honest.
I just wish Barrie luck in what he does in the future, and at least he tried and ‘had a go’ that is the point I am trying to make.

28

I wish Barrie all the best in what he does, and for at least trying to get something off of the ground to make this industry better. From some of the posts, it seems that many drivers are content with what they have, yet will open or join another post complaining about many wrongs in this industry. We all have our gripes about Lack of enough parking places, about the state of toilets, showers, food in service stations, we moan about how we are treated, at collection/delivery points, many moan about the flip flops or east europeans as they are known taking the work ( nothing can be done about that)…but here was someone willing to take up these issues…but to no avail…WE have no one to fight our corner…our bosses do, with the RHA and other bodies associated with their type of business…we did have strong unions back in the 60`s and boy did we cause a fuss, we were not afraid to lose out, cos we knew we would get it back one way or the other, we did strike, and we did improve our lot…but drivers today cant be botherd to even say hello…i suppose they have all the comforts of home, and want to be left alone …we are basically loners, but i for one used to love getting out when parked up, to share a room ( as we had to ) and have a bit of cameraderie, a couple of beers and some fish and chips…and still look forward to our 13 hour day…which we thought back then was tough…that alone has been stretched to 15…so all i can say is enjoy what you have for not a lot is going to change in the near future…and theres no one to fight for your corner.

29

robroy:
I have never met Barrie nor know much about him, he strikes me as somebody who is willing, and not afraid, to speak up for other drivers, a rarity in our job today.
However some of the hostility I read when all this came up around Christmas time, suggested that a lot knew more about Barrie than I did. Whether the negativity was accurate or not is probably arguable, I do not know.

I was one on here that stated my intent to join this PDU then, and I also got a bit of stick from one or two on here for saying it.
I have to confess despite me stating that I would join (which I genuinely intended) it was one of those things that I just did not get around to, whether this is going to attract opinions of being ‘‘all mouth’’ and ‘‘refusing to put my money where my mouth is’’ on here, remains to be seen, I really couldn’t give a [zb], I am just being honest.
I just wish Barrie luck in what he does in the future, and at least he tried and ‘had a go’ that is the point I am trying to make.

No mouth and no trousers from me Rob, you had a balanced view on this from the get go. Mine was more a negative stance which got more negative the deeper I dug. Fair or unfair is up to the individual to decide.

Perhaps the 3rd incarnation of this venture will work better, it’s certainly a better price point but maybe drivers these days need more than just a voice, stronger call to action perhaps that resonate with a majority. But it starts with one voice, one idea, one passionate belief to begin something that will grow into something greater than envisaged.

We will see, I wish Barry and the PDU all the best for the future.

Strength will always come in numbers, get em interested, get em moaning on mass (we’re all good at that), then sell the buggers stuff. :wink:

One man can make a difference, perhaps we should give him a chance /support or even both.

Don’t stop believing.

Hang on he’s knicked the £5 idea from my ponzi scheme. Oh well imitation is the sincerest form of flatulance… :wink:

30

Truckbling:
Sorry but this is why nobody posts here any longer except for the few in the clique.

Are you in a parallel universe or something ? Of course they’re posting here, they actually posting more here about it than on Barries own Forum or PDU UK facebook page. What they’re not doing is signing up to Barries latest creation.

Here’s what i suggest, Barrie has been trying to garner support for him to be the UK truck drivers spokesman since about 2002, so thats about 14 years.
Here’s the start, 2002…
web.archive.org/web/200211192250 … oan.co.uk/
And he’s now where he is in 2016 and still finding new directions with no members. (Personally i’d of took the hint !!!)

Now its not our business to promote or otherwise other peoples websites, business or causes here without permission from Admin or Advertising. We’ve had enough airplay here for “Barries cause”, and i locked the last thread for the same reason. And i’m going to lock this one as well for the same reason.

And aside from that, its just not fair for him to undergo critisism and question when he won’t answer back here. And its unfair to us here, as he does (or has) cited negativity from Trucknet members in his Facebook posts. So its best we just keep out of it, its nothing to do with us, nada, zilch, nowt.

Anyone wanting to ask questions and demanding answers can go question the man himself, where your questions might get answered or not, and they might not even see the light of day as he is known for deleting anything he does not like.

So its locked. And if i spot anything relating to it again i’ll remove that too. Go speak to the man himself, thank you.

PS. I wanted the other Mods to replace the [zb] in the auto censor with [Barrie], not sure i’ll get that off the ground, but if i’m as determined as him i can wait 14 years !!! :slight_smile: