Thought i’d let you know how the job hunting is going(or isn’t)…Phoned for a job on thursday it was driving for a local cash and carry and i was put through to a bloke who gave me a breif description of the job and it seemed simple enough…just delivering to local shops with a bit of paperwork ere an there…no probs as ive done that sort of thing in a 7.5 tonner then i tell him i havent any class two experiance and he says that shouldn’t be a problem so i ask him what wagons have they got and he replies "ford cargo’s…the old type …and the hourly rate…£4.50 …i tell him thats not really enough and he says “yeah i know its not much”…so i passed on that one .
Friday …Phone about a job doing car recovery work and the ■■■■■■■ the phone seems nice enough and gives me a run down of the job,she says we don’t expect you to rush around we dont use tachos except if the car isn’t broken down i.e if the customer has fallen ill and needs the car recovering …if you feel tired just pull up and sleep they would rather that than you bump the truck.Then she says come in for a chat with herself and the boss. I ask her what the trucks are and she says an 02 Renault premium a Yreg renault and a K reg merc…not bad methinks…then i ask the hourly rate and she replies that it will be disclosed at the interview and asks me if i could pop in next tuesday morning so i says no problem and the call ends. Two minutes later phone rings and its the girl askin me if i can go in that afternoon at one…i go there at one to be greeted by the manager and his daughter (the ■■■■■■■ the phone) and realise its a family run business…cant be a bad thing…the manager gives me a run down on what he expects of me and says that my lack of experiance is no problem…then the hourly rate…4.80… and for that you are on call and could have to run anywhere in the U.K at anytime .
Does seem very low (minimum wage in one case) but wages vary all over the country, so what are other 7.5 tonne driving jobs offering in your area?
Also what are other jobs paying?
However both will have to offer pay rises in the near future as the minimum wage is increasing to £4.85.
Well you have a choice keep looking because they are taking the [zb] or accept a low paid job so you can get the experience, but look to move on ASAP.
I should think that having experience in 7.5tonners should help, as you should know tacho laws and getting you self round the country.
sounds like your in the same boat as us living in the north east scan… trying to find a decent wage is like rockn horse wotsit…
it is definatly down to what area ur in… but keep looking there will be an exception to the rule somewhere, if you have doubts at the interview stage then then i wouldnt go for it…but good luck …you will get sorted…
Them rates are ■■■■■ and no mistake. But, if you dont have much outgoings a week, and can afford to take them, do so, as you them have experience and thats worth something. If you do have high outgoings then you cant really, but after a couple of years you got the experience to avoid the crap.
Its like a job in Hull for L&S Transport… Advert as follows:
Class 1 HGV driver. Basic salary £21580 plus O/T and Nights out. All vehicles top of the range under 2 years old…
So I ring up and ask how many hours is the salary based on, thinking probably about 50 hours.
“Well its a set pay. £21580 no matter what you work during the week. Its a salary”
“So what hours are your drivers averaging a week then?”
“About 60” (which probably means closer to 70)
“So whats the overtime thats mentioned all about then?”
“Well you get paid £130 if you do a Saturday”
" What about the night job? Thats the same salary. How many hours is that?"
“60”
“So you actually pay £415 a week for a 60+ hour week which works out at under £6 - £5.92 actually - an hour basic which is LESS than I was on back in 1997 with no night premium for the night runs?”
“err…yes. But they’re new top of the range motors!”
“Can’t take those to pay for shopping at Tescos though can I? Nope, thanks but no thanks.”
Sadly, someone inevitably won’t think to ask the questions I did as they’ll be blinded by the £21k wage figure and the alarm bells will sadly be silent.
I get £5.25 for the 7.5’s and £7 for the Rigid… when they’ve got a job for it…
working 8 to 11 hours is 10hrs pay, over 10 is 1.5 time, but no night out pay, just pay you back for parking… BUT… it’s NOT a full time job, just when they need me (3-6 days a week)
Pay in Edinburgh is crap. Pollocks is the biggest General Haulage firm in the area. They pay £5.50 p/h for rigid drivers and £6 p/h for class 1s. Dalkeith Transport are another of the bigger firms. They pay £5.50 for ALL the drivers, no matter what you drive.
I am on £7 p/h, but the overtime isn’t guaranteed, and after October my job is not secure because the deliveries pretty much stop until February. Either I do odd jobs about the place over the winter or I go elsewhere.
I am looking elsewhere, but can’t find anothere company which pays well - other than supermarkets, but I don’t want to have to work shifts.
It does sound crap money. But a few years ago I did recovery work. Basic rate £5.50/hr. Alternate weeks on 24hour call out. You got paid paid 6 quid per call out, ie 6 quid for every time the phone rang (sometimes you were cancelled before you set off), and the gaffer would pay you what he thought was a reasonable amount for each job you did on call. I never earned less than £300 quid in call outs when it was my week on call. And when it was my week not on call I usually got £150 plus in overtime. I drove all over the country, got plenty of experience which looked good on the cv for future jobs.
I did it for a year at the end of which I was Knackered and had no social life - I had become a trucker !
