You’re not paid to stress. Drivers don’t get paid enough for that. Someone else is paid to do that, you’re paid to drive from one place to tuther. You need to clear the air with whoever issued the threat. Explain to them what do they want you to do? What ■■■■■■ me off in the driving game is there’s always this underlying un said tone that as a driver you’ll pick up the slack or make it happen if it’s not going right. I wish they’d spit it out and just say “we expect you to speed”.
Tell this person straight up youve been thinking about it and that you’re not having it. You arrived and waited for a load. It was late being loaded. You informed office. End of. You them drove A to B. you weren’t doing 25 mph in motorways or stopping off to visit Disney land. If it was late then the fault is with the chain. Further explain that you don’t like being threatened with dismissal for faults in the system and if it comes to that you’ll be persuing legal action. Show them you have balls. Sorry, I know you’re a lass but you know my drift.
bobdebouwer:
Not a sackable offense at all. I hear an unfair dismissal case looming in the background.
Even if it was, they would have to follow the correct procedure or face an unfair dismissal claim against them.
Sounds like a right bunch of aholes and you would be better off finding somewhere else.
Thanks for your reply bob, Your first sentence covers what loomed up in my thoughts at the time .
In the event that this happens where is the best place to contact immediately for advice to take them on as unfair dismissal ?
I have a 50 minute drive to & from work every day, work is not close to where I live, I have considered that option although it is not easy to find the time between shifts to get anywhere for an interview. If anyone knows of a class 1 job up the west side of the country please send me a pm.
TJ82:
Yep only your job to get product from A to B, and can only do that if said product is on your motor within ample time to allow transporting it to point B.
Thanks for your reply Tj , I am wondering if they have financial problems & looking to axe jobs. …just a thought!
Radar19:
As long as you give the office heads up that you’re in a queue waiting then its down to the office to work things out. if they start trying to push you around tell them to get stuffed.
I have said to them that I will seek advice, they replied back with the same remark, it seem rather like victimisation.
bonnie lass:
That’s what they are saying. it’s not my fault it I’m not called in to load, I’m there waiting, they all know that I am there waiting to go in as soon as they call me in. It’s going to get busier now on the run up to Easter. They say if it happens again & that it causes me to be late back again …
You’ll find you’ll get the usual when your loaded “get back here as quick as you can” don’t be pushed into speeding etc… But as said keep the office updated.Don’t for any reason ring the customer… Leave that to the office.
They are trying to push me to speed without actually putting it in words if you know what I mean, they have started to phone me in the truck, which is starting to be a nuisance, they have a tracker so know where I am, so why phone me to ask where I am.
Swampey2418:
Makes me laugh these companies… you run late coz your either loaded late or your screwed coz of traffic and who gets the blame…THE DRIVER… No you cant get the sack if you’ve loaded late, keep a diary and take notes …load and unload times… delays … never know when you can refer back to it…
Better still phone the TM… Annoy the hell out of him…ie I’ve just been loaded, If he knows your late then isn’t his job to call ahead for you and give the customer your approx ETA
Thanks for your reply swampy, I was heading up the M5 on Thursday night only to find the motorway on stop literally, for an hour stuck at a standstill. Luckily I do keep a diary of every stop , start load etc.
The only one on the phone during the night is the boss, and he already knows exactly what is happening.
bonnie lass:
That’s what they are saying. it’s not my fault it I’m not called in to load, I’m there waiting, they all know that I am there waiting to go in as soon as they call me in. It’s going to get busier now on the run up to Easter. They say if it happens again & that it causes me to be late back again …
If you have a time slot to get loaded it is up to your office staff to make sure you are loaded on time. If you are not loaded on time then it is the office staff not doing their job properly. They are trying to pass the blame onto you but dont let them. Tell em straight they MUST get you loaded on time or you will be late back.
Doesnt sound like you have been there long so good time to say good bye and find a new job.
I have to wait until I am called in to be loaded, everyone is in the same boat.
I have worked for the same company over a year, it’s been very busy & i just got on with the job. This nonsense has just started over the last few weeks, under a different manager, and this time of year after Christmas has been quiet, I am wondering if they are out to make cutbacks, or is there a financial problem just a thought!
I just cracking on & work to earn a living, I can’t understand why the company has suddenly become an alien.
Radar19:
Our office staff must be really annoying because if we’re sat waiting for 20 minutes then they are straight on the phone demanding to know why we’re being delayed and its every 20 minutes after that till we’re loaded.
We have similar policy that as soon as hit 20min waiting then we have to ring office, after that it’s their issue. I just have to keep them informed of progress or lack of whilst they probably annoy someone in background like your do.
Bonnie Lass
in future simply make a similar phone call and ask th
what they want you to do? Wait or leave, make the decision theirs. A minutes phone call to your office can save you future grief if that’s how they want to play it
Thanks for your reply dcgpx , I have to wait until I am loaded & cannot return without my load on , that is the job , then they kick off about the loaf being late back for delivery.
Sounds like this new “manager” is being a ■■■■ for the sake of things. Tell him whats what and if he still kicks off take it higher. Pretty sure your company would not want a sexism case on their hands.
bonnie lass:
If I have to do a trailer change first this means I get there with a trailer with straps missing etc , side support bars that are difficult to get the straps past if there are tall palletised goods jammed against it, it can be a bit of a nightmare & takes a bit longer to strap down , but still I cracked on with it & get down the road asap. The company does know what is happening, but because the other trunks get back earlier than me, as they are loaded earlier than me, I am getting back late.
I would be an absolute pain in the backside to them and do everything by the book to a level they wouldn’t think was actually possible. I would phone them if I got a trailer like that and say you’re refusing to take it because you cannot secure the load because the straps are missing and you’re not moving it until the problem is remedied and don’t move it until it is. With the trapped straps I would and have made a forklift driver at a pallet network hub move pallets that have trapped straps. Check every trailer for the MOT disc (looks like a tax disc) and if its missing which they tend to be on firms that run shoddy fleets, refuse to take the trailer out and defect it for no MOT disc. And I would document absolutely everything, every phone call, the lot. Fill in piles and piles and piles of defect forms. Defect absolutely everything, even blown marker light bulbs or missing internal straps. By law they’re required to keep every single defect form and provide evidence of the repairs and it’ll look really bad on their maintenance records but stuff em. Bury the buggers in paperwork.
tango boy:
Sounds like they are making her a soft target which is totally unfair
Don’t blame you making note’s in your diary, also like it’s been said call them put the ball in their court let them make the decisions, we ain’t paid to fink
It feels like I’ve been targeted, I don’t go around ranting & raving like some, & have a cheerful outlook on like & get on with folk. perhaps they thought they’d "target ‘’ me .
I am following their instructions to the later , only it’s faulting in the fact that I can’t get back to the yard loaded on time, because I am late being loaded, which is because I m late getting there in the first place, because they have sent me on a trailer change first , or diversions, & since they put me to start shift at a later time it doesn’t allow me to get there on time anyway in the first instance. Bad planning by the new manager.
PaulNowak:
I once missed a drop with a large retailer because the previous drop at the same retailer (another depot) took 3 hours to tip 6 pallets and I ended up running out of hours. When I arrived at the first drop, she told me “sit in van, someone will be giving you the shouting”
Went back in to say that I was going to pull out as I needed to park up securely. To which she replied with a bay number.
Funny how the lad that tipped me was the same lad she was playing cards with when I went back to enquire.
RDCs are a joke. I was sent away from one at 1.30 today because I wasn’t booked in until 3 (news to me). Went back at 2.30, and was still there at 5.45. So I can’t muck about with their time, but they can help themselves to mine?
Thanks for your reply Paul, yes I have seen that happen too at other places .
bonnie lass:
If I have to do a trailer change first this means I get there with a trailer with straps missing etc , side support bars that are difficult to get the straps past if there are tall palletised goods jammed against it, it can be a bit of a nightmare & takes a bit longer to strap down , but still I cracked on with it & get down the road asap. The company does know what is happening, but because the other trunks get back earlier than me, as they are loaded earlier than me, I am getting back late.
I would be an absolute pain in the backside to them and do everything by the book to a level they wouldn’t think was actually possible. I would phone them if I got a trailer like that and say you’re refusing to take it because you cannot secure the load because the straps are missing and you’re not moving it until the problem is remedied and don’t move it until it is. With the trapped straps I would and have made a forklift driver at a pallet network hub move pallets that have trapped straps. Check every trailer for the MOT disc (looks like a tax disc) and if its missing which they tend to be on firms that run shoddy fleets, refuse to take the trailer out and defect it for no MOT disc. And I would document absolutely everything, every phone call, the lot. Fill in piles and piles and piles of defect forms. Defect absolutely everything, even blown marker light bulbs or missing internal straps. By law they’re required to keep every single defect form and provide evidence of the repairs and it’ll look really bad on their maintenance records but stuff em. Bury the buggers in paperwork.
Don’t go too ott about everything as Conor says, i can tell you are doing and are good at your job!!!
Note to Conor im sure Bonnie Lass knows what a MOT disc looks like
It’s your new boss with the problem not you!!!
) for when the proverbial hits the breeze making machine 