After looking at this excellent site, can I invite you to look at www.truckersworld.co.uk
Main reason for asking is to get you to sign the petition against the training of Ex-cons as HGV.
Also just starting is a campaign to get improvements at our Motorway services, I need to know what you want? and tell me your horror stories, while parked up, any info will help when I confront the Directors with your complaints.
You do not need to be a member to have your say, but both these subjects effect us all, so please get involved
All details are on line so have a look when you finish here.
Thanks
I personaly will not be signing any petition against the training of EX-cons to be HGV drivers!
These EX cons as you put it will have paid the price for their crimes!
Surely these people are entitled to earn a living! so why not as truckers?
maybe we should just send them to a unpopulated island and forget about them! Face facts these people are entitled to be educated so they can keep on the straight and narrow, and earn a living honest living for their families.
TC:
I personaly will not be signing any petition against the training of EX-cons to be HGV drivers!
These EX cons as you put it will have paid the price for their crimes!
Surely these people are entitled to earn a living! so why not as truckers?
maybe we should just send them to a unpopulated island and forget about them! Face facts these people are entitled to be educated so they can keep on the straight and narrow, and earn a living honest living for their families.
I agree with your reasons for not signing the petition, and we are all entitled to a view, the reasonfor the petition is that
They receive free training while on day release, do law abiding citizens?
Do they really want to be truckers or just using it?
With it being in the National papers is it going to help the public respect us?
Who is to be trained? Drug abusers, Burglars, Road traffic offenders, who can seriously be considered for a job of such trust■■?
I could go on, but it is up to every individual to decide.
neil46:
i think that if ex cons are trained as hgv drivers that they should have to repay the cost of it and not get it for free.
Why though ?
the dss paid for my psv and never asked for the money back
also it would be a lot cheaper to spend £1000 ish on retraining an offender so he/she can earn an honest living than having to go chase them up prosicute then jail them
neil46:
i think that if ex cons are trained as hgv drivers that they should have to repay the cost of it and not get it for free.
I was made redundant and got a grant to do my HGV. Should I pay that back?
I spent a year in prison in my foolish younger days (many years ago now).
Saw the error in my ways and vowed that I would never go back and I have not.
If a few of the crim’s succeed in making a go of it then I am all for it.
Providing the paedophiles arent delivering to schools, and the murderers arent delivering to back alleys , and the rapists arent delivering to where my wife works ( or yours) and the petty thiefs arent doing home deliveries, the conmen arent delivering to old folks and of course the major criminals arent driving for the Bank of England it should all go ok .
I can see both sides of the viewpoint here i just hope they get it right!..
bazman:
They receive free training while on day release, do law abiding citizens?
Maybe they should do 1 last “job” to pay for their training instead
bazman:
Do they really want to be truckers or just using it?
They may want to be truckers when they first get out then they will join the rest of us who dont
bazman:
With it being in the National papers is it going to help the public respect us?
Who repects us now?
bazman:
Who is to be trained? Drug abusers, Burglars, Road traffic offenders, who can seriously be considered for a job of such trust■■?
I agree it should not be open to all ex-offenders, There should be exceptions but road traffic offenders? How many people on this site are “road traffic offenders” or ex-offenders?
It is good to read all views on training Ex-cons.
But don’t forget to contact us with your views on the Motorway Services.
We are in contact with all operators, and if we go to them with:-
5 complaints- they will ignore us
50 complaints - they might listen
100 complaints -might get a reaction
1000 complaints -things might start to change.
We can only work on your views, and are only acting to try and better things for you.
So contact us and have your say
there are many views as whether to let ex cons drive hgv`s or not, some may argue that it would cloud our under praised industry…but…has anyone considered just how many ex cons already work here, that should be the question…and then what would happen !! should they all be given the boot, dismissed without a reason other than to have committed a crime and spent time inside for it…for me it depends what crime was committed…obviously if a person was a danger or a risk…there are adequate measures in place to deal with that…and dont forget that on the application form for a provisional licence i am sure there is a place for convictions…so the authorities would weed out the worst…
Service areas…should they be turned into fenced areas for trucks only…yes…a more secure place to park at a reasonable price would suit everyone…with all facilities away from the main service area…but drivers will have to stop being lazy and use the toilets instead of the side of the trailer…stop filling bottles up and throwing them at the side of the road a disgusting habit abhorred by most. every station i visit has a disgusting smell of urine where the trucks park so before any changes will be made, the habit of the driver must change and i am sure we all have a story to tell about how certain privelages have been abused…this industry has to change a great deal including a proper allowance so that drivers can afford to eat in nicer surroundings instead of using the cab as a kitchen…bedroom and living room…but good luck with the surveys anyway…
Good point Truckyboy
I was in talks with Chris (facilities Manager Hopwood park Services M42) yesterday,
Talking about broken showers and poor food,
He was very quick to point out broken curb stones and damage from HGVs and the cost of repair, So if we want better facilities we must try to improve our image as professionals.
The service areas are operated by companies whose only interest is profit! They do not give a toss about drivers, whatever they say in the company blurb handed out to the media.
The Motorway Service Areas should be maintained in the same way as the roads. Like they are in France. Last week, I had to move my truck so the local council bloke could get his grass cutter on the embankment. In the other corner they were resurfacing the truck park. European parking areas are clean, tidy and pleasant to visit.
Even the laybys in France have proper toilet facilities with hot running water and lighting. They even have cleaners who take a pride in them
Last week I loaded in GKN Chep in Oldbury, they have had to put notices on the toilets about standing on the bowls Why do people not have mudflaps fitted to their arse too, some need them!
I bet the ex convicts will take pride in their slopping out procedure at motorway service areas
I’ve raised the issue of MSA’s and the customer service (or not) they provide.
Indeed I sent an open letter of complaint to the manager (Neil Byard) of the Norton Canes MSA run by Roadchef
on the 18 july 2004
posted on here under “M6-toll road” currently sitting on page 8 of the previous topics.
I am still awaiting a reply
Perhaps if they didn’t put the toilets on a 1 mile round trip you might get less people emptying their bladders closer to home
The MSA’s dont want us there but they have to provide rest ares to everybody by law.
If the law was changed watch how quickly they lorry parking would dissappear.
The irony of that is we are their only regular customers and they dont want us.
They will never encourage us to stop on their sites,Which may be 1 of the reasons why they never clean the showers (Corley being particularly bad as there is only one shower for both sides of the motorway that is never cleaned)
I could go on but I feel this may turn into a never ending rant so I shall leave it there.
bazman:
Good point Truckyboy
I was in talks with Chris (facilities Manager Hopwood park Services M42) yesterday,
Talking about broken showers and poor food,
He was very quick to point out broken curb stones and damage from HGVs and the cost of repair, So if we want better facilities we must try to improve our image as professionals.
I’ve had these discussions with MSA managers before and that is a standard response.
We cant provide better facilities because we spend so much money repairing the damage done by lorries.
There are 2 main reasons for damage done by lorries to MSA’s
1, poor design when building the lorry parking area
2, Foreign lorries doing deliberate damage because they aggrieved at
(a) having to pay
(b) having to pay for a sub standard of service
If the MSA’s spend soooooo much money on repairs how come the repairs never actually get done.
When was the last time you saw a road crew inside the lorry park repairing a pot hole/broken kerb?
I have no complaints about MSA’s. All the ones I use, and there are many, are excellent, great food, very clean, excellent showers and friendly staff so I have no reason to sign the petition.
OH hang on maybe you mean UK services? Can’t help you there as I have only ever used one in the last ten or so years and I wouldn’t know if it is representative of MSA’s as a whole.
