Planning a job to include a drivers break

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OWNER AND FLEET OPERATORS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

when planning a delivery,can a driver be asked to take a break while being unloaded on a bay…i always have done,but just not sure if a driver can be told to take a 45 min break when on a bay for about an hour.
reason is,we deliver to a firm in the midlands,about 2 1/4hrs from us.
there on a bay with a back door tip for an hour,but they only put it on break for 30 mins,even though there not required or allowed in the back of the trailer while it’s being tipped,they then leave & on the way back take a 30 min break to make sure they can get back,so i see no reason why they can’t take a 45 min break to enable them to get back to the yard for their 2’nd run in 1 hit,thats what i did when i was doing the same run…
there paid through their breaks so don’t lose out financially…

would appreciate any advice form TM’s who have this sort of issue

thanks

John

2

Worst type of traffic manager…those that judge everyone by “what i used to do…”

Does it make that much of a difference to you, or are you just trying to create clones?

edited for me being in a bad mood!

Sorry.

3

Ask yourself if it is a reasonable request. If it is and the driver doesn’t comply, go through the disciplinary procedure.

4

the problem there is, you pay them for the break, so they will stop and have a break when they don’t need one

if the driver is hourly paid, the incentive is there to stop for the extra break, it will take him longer to do the run, therefore, earn more money

it doesn’t matter how you pay the driver, they will always find a way to moan about it

oh, and Donutuk, what a highly constructive post from you :unamused:

having the break on the bay or on the way back may mean the difference in getting the second job done, there is nothing illegal about it

if the driver is back late and therefore going to miss the time for the second job, he will get sent home early, and lose money, hence, he will moan again

the worst thing about running a haulage company is the drivers!!!

5

shuttlespanker:
the problem there is, you pay them for the break, so they will stop and have a break when they don’t need one

if the driver is hourly paid, the incentive is there to stop for the extra break, it will take him longer to do the run, therefore, earn more money

it doesn’t matter how you pay the driver, they will always find a way to moan about it

oh, and Donutuk, what a highly constructive post from you :unamused:

having the break on the bay or on the way back may mean the difference in getting the second job done, there is nothing illegal about it

if the driver is back late and therefore going to miss the time for the second job, he will get sent home early, and lose money, hence, he will moan again

the worst thing about running a haulage company is the drivers!!!

Caught me on a bad day…sick and tired of managers that keep trying to screw every last minute out of their drivers!

Yes, i know they have a job to do, but it wouldn’t hurt to sometimes treat drivers with some respect!

6

What some drivers don’t seem to get is haulage is a business and means maximising productivity. When I used to work in a warehouse I was told when and how long my breaks were, and many other jobs are the same, you can’t sit about for and hours and then stop for dinner half an hour later.
If it’s legal that is they aren’t doing any other work whilst sat on the bay then that’s when the break should be, if there are no catering facilities they need to bring sarnies and a flask like other workers do in other jobs.

7

shuttlespanker:
the worst thing about running a haulage company is the drivers!!!

^^ This!

The rest of it is childsplay. But it’s primarily the thick, knuckle-dragging, stuck in the 80’s, lazy, bone idle, filled with self-importance and a misguided sense of their own ability ■■■■■ trumpet behind the wheel that make the week seem that much longer. :angry:

There are, in my experience, three types of driver:

Driver ‘A’ genuinely knows the job, will do what it takes to get the job done, doesn’t drag the job out and knows his effort is appreciated without all the pathetic patting of the back and arse licking that most drivers crave. You only hear from him when the job is done and he’s on the way home, or vary rarely when he hits a problem he can’t solve himself or needs your OK to carry out his solution. Driver ‘A’ rightly expects a higher wage than the average steering wheel monkey, but he is worth it.

Driver ‘B’ doesn’t know it all and indeed may have no experience whatsoever, but he will follow instruction and offer what assistance he can to get the job done. He will become a ‘Driver A’ in due course, as he accepts that he doesn’t know it all but is happy to learn as he goes along and do what he’s told in the meantime.

Driver ‘C’ is a bit of a prick. He pretends he’s enthusiastic at the interview, but as soon as he gets on the job he starts to find fault with everything. As soon as he hits a problem he gets straight on the phone and starts throwing the toys out the pram, making no effort to solve any issues and expecting the rest of the world to wipe his arse for him. When he doesn’t get his own way he will complain (often on a public forum) that his ■■■■ of a boss actually expects him to earn his wages, and that he doesn’t think he should be forced to do anything other than attend behind the steering wheel. Driver ‘C’ inevitably values himself very highly, and regardless of what wages/salary he is offered will inevitably claim (more often that not privately :unamused: ) that he ‘would rather stack shelves in tesco’, which in fairness is all he is really any good for. Driver ‘C’ will never be a ‘Driver A’ and has already proven that he was never capable of being ‘Driver B’ in the first place.

Sadly drivers of the calibre of ‘A’ and ‘B’ are in short supply, and will generally be found through word of mouth and can often afford to choose who they work for. ‘Driver C’ is very common, but is easily spotted, easily moved on, and there are no shortage of them to use until you find an ‘A’ or ‘B’.

8

Gogan thats got to be post of the year and only 23 days in!!

9

Gogan,

I couldn’t agree more with your very well written post.

We had one A, one A- and eight Cs.
Now we are almost gone and there is only the A left with the A-
occasionally working part time.
When we were in business, all the Cs thought that the A and A-were stupid…

Regards,
Nick

10

Excellent post Gogan,and can be applied to any workforce,not just drivers.
Not helped by MP`s,Bishops and Lords who think it is unfair to cap benefits at £500 a week.

11

cheers for that grogan,very good that & pretty much sums up the drivers where i work…most of them are actually of the ‘A’ category,there good set of lads,crack on,get the job done,sometimes do swing it a bit,but who doesn’t & for not so long as to take the ■■■■…it’s the couple of 'C’s i’m trying to sort out,but as is the case,there spoiling it for the others…have to be seen to be fair when i suggest things so as not to give the impression i/we’re victimising drivers…

■■■■■,i do/will treat drivers with respect,done the job for over over 10yrs myself so know the ■■■■ they have to put up with,but also know how some people will drag the arse out of the job & let others do all the work if they can,that’s why i was asking about the break situation,as a driver parked at a drop for an hour the other day,took a 30 min break while being tipped as they do nothing but sit in the cab & the firm only take 1 pallet a time off,most of the drivers go to the works canteen.he then left to drive 40 mins & took another 30 min break,he had enough driving time to return to the yard where he could have had a break while at base while his trailer was being loaded,or as i pointed out,why did he not take the full 45 to give him another 4 1/2 hrs driving time…that’s what i did when i did the same run,if i had to have another break during the day,then so bo it…
if that’s being a bit harsh/unfair,then please say,but all the time i’ve driven,if i’ve got somewhere & it’s a long tip,i will have a break while being tipped,it’s the way i’ve always worked…

12

You pay the wages, you make the rules, just tell him what you want him to do.

Hope this helps.

13

Gogan:

shuttlespanker:
the worst thing about running a haulage company is the drivers!!!

^^ This!

The rest of it is childsplay. But it’s primarily the thick, knuckle-dragging, stuck in the 80’s, lazy, bone idle, filled with self-importance and a misguided sense of their own ability ■■■■■ trumpet behind the wheel that make the week seem that much longer. :angry:

There are, in my experience, three types of driver:

Driver ‘A’ genuinely knows the job, will do what it takes to get the job done, doesn’t drag the job out and knows his effort is appreciated without all the pathetic patting of the back and arse licking that most drivers crave. You only hear from him when the job is done and he’s on the way home, or vary rarely when he hits a problem he can’t solve himself or needs your OK to carry out his solution. Driver ‘A’ rightly expects a higher wage than the average steering wheel monkey, but he is worth it.

Driver ‘B’ doesn’t know it all and indeed may have no experience whatsoever, but he will follow instruction and offer what assistance he can to get the job done. He will become a ‘Driver A’ in due course, as he accepts that he doesn’t know it all but is happy to learn as he goes along and do what he’s told in the meantime.

Driver ‘C’ is a bit of a prick. He pretends he’s enthusiastic at the interview, but as soon as he gets on the job he starts to find fault with everything. As soon as he hits a problem he gets straight on the phone and starts throwing the toys out the pram, making no effort to solve any issues and expecting the rest of the world to wipe his arse for him. When he doesn’t get his own way he will complain (often on a public forum) that his [zb] of a boss actually expects him to earn his wages, and that he doesn’t think he should be forced to do anything other than attend behind the steering wheel. Driver ‘C’ inevitably values himself very highly, and regardless of what wages/salary he is offered will inevitably claim (more often that not privately :unamused: ) that he ‘would rather stack shelves in tesco’, which in fairness is all he is really any good for. Driver ‘C’ will never be a ‘Driver A’ and has already proven that he was never capable of being ‘Driver B’ in the first place.

Sadly drivers of the calibre of ‘A’ and ‘B’ are in short supply, and will generally be found through word of mouth and can often afford to choose who they work for. ‘Driver C’ is very common, but is easily spotted, easily moved on, and there are no shortage of them to use until you find an ‘A’ or ‘B’.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Amen to that fella :sunglasses:

14

you probably pay by the hour.
why don’t you pay per job? that way the driver will make more money, the firm will make more money, the tachos will look right. job and knock. everyones a winner.

15

Another good tip is to get your drivers to crap in there own time before they start work. Do not want them wasteing valuble working time.

16

fisher:
Another good tip is to get your drivers to crap in there own time before they start work. Do not want them wasteing valuble working time.

Good point, I hadn’t thought of that …

17

limeyphil:
you probably pay by the hour.
why don’t you pay per job? that way the driver will make more money, the firm will make more money, the tachos will look right. job and knock. everyones a winner.

they do,but i don’t think it would change a couple of them,they’d still only do 1 job & leave the rest to the other drivers :unamused:

18

jrl driver:
when planning a delivery,can a driver be asked to take a break while being unloaded on a bay…i always have done,but just not sure if a driver can be told to take a 45 min break when on a bay for about an hour.
reason is,we deliver to a firm in the midlands,about 2 1/4hrs from us.
there on a bay with a back door tip for an hour,but they only put it on break for 30 mins,even though there not required or allowed in the back of the trailer while it’s being tipped,they then leave & on the way back take a 30 min break to make sure they can get back,so i see no reason why they can’t take a 45 min break to enable them to get back to the yard for their 2’nd run in 1 hit,thats what i did when i was doing the same run…
there paid through their breaks so don’t lose out financially…

would appreciate any advice form TM’s who have this sort of issue

thanks

John

do they have access to canteen and toilet facilities while the lorry is being unloaded ?

19

I think if you follow it to the letter of the law the driver may be within there rights to stop as it states a break is where the driver can dispose of there time as they wish.
In the real world I grab a sandwich or have food in the truck to use such situations as a break but I think you could come unstuck if you have a bloddy minded driver.

20

i put myself in driver “A” category , and can confirm my employer thinks the same , via unexpected extras in paypacket , and being kept in full time work + some while the axe has been falling ,i go to work to do my job to the best of my ability’s and to make a decent living :smiley:
i would happily do what you are asking :wink: