Apologies if this topic has been raised before.
I was wondering what the drivers think is an appropriate wage for a professional driver, considering the weight of responsibilities that driving an lgv involves these days.
£10/£20 an hour?
As is so often the case because we work long and unsociable hours, the hourly rate in my opinion tends to be on the low side.
Would like to know your thoughts on this one chaps, and if you ever confronted your boss/transport manager with this question i would think most of them would laugh out loud.
Yes its been covered many times before.
However we might have to accept a poor wage as a stop gap job, it doesn’t mean we have to stay there.
Do the job temporarily and look for something better, maybe involving unusual not long hours, hard graft or older kit without the kudos factor, that old saying all flash no cash is as valid today as ever.
There are good jobs out there averaging £15+ an hour, sometimes you have to invest some time getting your feet under the table by doing what you don’t want to gain the experience and prove yourself to earn your way up the rungs to the better things.
There too many want it all on a plate, the job served up with no effort, not willing to put themselves about or specialise or start at the bottom.
There are too many who still think a 70+ hour week is normal, desirable even, this is drivers not gaffers.
Those who want a professional wage could provide a professional days work too.
ANC96:
Apologies if this topic has been raised before.
I was wondering what the drivers think is an appropriate wage for a professional driver, considering the weight of responsibilities that driving an lgv involves these days.
£10/£20 an hour?
As is so often the case because we work long and unsociable hours, the hourly rate in my opinion tends to be on the low side.
Would like to know your thoughts on this one chaps, and if you ever confronted your boss/transport manager with this question i would think most of them would laugh out loud.
this topic has been raised before and most drivers on here think there is no such thing has a professional driver and you should be glad you have a job even if only paid £6 20 per hour because you can do 2 weeks work every week to get your hours up. You need to remember that the firms you work for need the money more than you.
Juddian:
There are good jobs out there averaging £15+ an hour
Can you tell me where such jobs exist? I’ve still to meet a trustworthy driver who earns more than £9 p.h. basic. . . . . Most I know of are between £6 and £8 p.h.
Some guys are already on a decent wage, or “professional wage” as you put it, most of us on the face of it are on a decent wage, the problem is if you break it down to the hours that you need to put in to obtain that wage it is not a GOOD wage, you are working said hours to recieve a LIVING wage that is the thing. Some driver’s attitude to the job where they want max hours and at the same time choose to ignore that point 
, only go on to maintain that situation. For eg. a guy came on here trying to start a e.mail petition, OK, it wasn’t perfect, but he was ridiculed and told by some to leave it, as they wanted more hours to do the job 
, others came up with the “if you don’t like it find something else routine” , so things will never change. I can remember when you were adequately, and sometimes generously, rewarded for the job, where as some in the job today know nothing else and just accept it.
I know driving aint brain surgery and we can’t expect £20 an hour, but it does carry responsibility, ie the combined value of truck/load, and the potential carnage of 44tonnes travelling at at 56mph with a pro driver (or a ■■■■ )in charge of it.
So on those terms the wage does not reflect the responsibility, as you all see everyday on the roads today,you get a peanut and monkey situation.
Waiting for the “if you don’t like it” or “have you driven” or “wrong job” comments , don’t bother because I know already 
.
We used to get good money on the tankers years ago, but over the last 20 years that’s been whittled away at too. Shell UK started some drivers about 10 yrs ago on an £18000 (basic) a year deal & they were swamped with applications.
I’d like to see at least a tenner an hour these days.
Reubs766:
Juddian:
There are good jobs out there averaging £15+ an hourCan you tell me where such jobs exist? I’ve still to meet a trustworthy driver who earns more than £9 p.h. basic. . . . . Most I know of are between £6 and £8 p.h.
They exist mainly on specialised work, car transporters tankers and the like, but can be found elsewhere if you look hard enough, like the few own account operators still about.
Good jobs like this are seldom if ever advertised, its a case of finding your own way in whether its knocking on the door and selling yourself the way we used to or getting yourself recommended by someone.
Car transporter driving will take possibly years to come up to speed, its filthy work hard graft and you get hurt often, and it doesn’t suit many the drop out rate is high.
I had to start on a horrible scabby transporter company (sleeping in one of those bolt on coffins behind the day cab) and worked for them for years before i got the chance for a move to a good company.
edit…How soon you forget, no lorry available at first so i had to go trade plate driving till a lorry came free…whats that old saying there no such thing as free lunch.
Indeed several of the car transporter companies are desperate for drivers right now, one of them in particular has about the worse contract in the industry, but you can get trained there and learn the ropes and eventually move on.
Its a funny thing though, once you get into the better or more difficult jobs you find getting otherequally well paid jobs easier, well that been my experience anyway, its getting the first break thats the hard one.
Juddian, what exactly happened to the Car trans job? I can remember when it was considered the cream and dead man’s shoes type of job.
I agree with those that say it used to be a decent paying job. I was on decent money back in the 60’s and 70’s, but it’s crap now, and yes, you will get plenty saying that you should do the hours, but doing the hours should mean you get extra pay, not just make it up to a living wage. On the other hand, a lot of bosses are having a hard time at the moment.
hows it going roy you still driving that daf
robroy:
Juddian, what exactly happened to the Car trans job? I can remember when it was considered the cream and dead man’s shoes type of job.
the super megatopline space cab happened. all of sudden good experienced drivers sat in their coffin cabs and thought…Hang on a minute!!
daf3300:
hows it going roy you still driving that daf
Hi Paul, PM on way.
robroy:
Juddian, what exactly happened to the Car trans job? I can remember when it was considered the cream and dead man’s shoes type of job.
It still is at the better end of the industry.
The recession kicked the crap out of it, tremendous drop in volumes leading to good companies taken over by asset strippers etc who in their efforts to change things threw lots of babies out with the bathwater.
Its reached rock bottom now and (IMO anyway) will recover over time.
There is a shortage of good competent transporter drivers and thats only going to get worse, most like me who are old(er) who had the chance have got out and we will never return whatever’s offered, some got nice golden handshakes too unfortunately as usual i wasn’t one of them… 
Aquisitions and changes will have seen some try to do things on the cheap, hoping for new wage cutting contracts etc, its all been tried before it never works and it never will, you cannot transport cars on the cheap.
Most of the lads on the good established companies that shift the unregistered new cars are still on their original contracts, they still need thousands of new cars shifting and the car makers do not take kindly to having their unregistered products wrecked, so losing core delivery staff and setting on any old licence holder is not an option, hence the money is still right.
If i was a young fellow i’d get into it now, look at the driver of every transporter you see, the vast majority of them are getting on a bit, they have limited time left before they hang their driving gloves up, a few years learning the job could be time well invested.
My opinion only.
Another point is that there are too many knobs that prioritise on having crap like bloody spots and Kelsa bars over their wage , so bosses of these stars think that it’s ok to pay ■■■■ money as they appear to be on too much already as they are prepared to add to the value of somebody else’s motor, rather than use their money on themselves, thus spoiling it for the rest of us,
Negotiate. When they say “We pay £6.20 per hour”. just say “well i don’t work for that”.
Reubs766:
Juddian:
There are good jobs out there averaging £15+ an hourCan you tell me where such jobs exist? I’ve still to meet a trustworthy driver who earns more than £9 p.h. basic. . . . . Most I know of are between £6 and £8 p.h.
i am agency drivers 9.50 p/h.(PAYE).SOME AGENCY PAY MORE. last 8 month had 40-50 hours per week
robroy:
Another point is that there are too many knobs that prioritise on having crap like bloody spots and Kelsa bars over their wage
Spot on, couldn’t have said it better myself!
I recently started with a small firm here in Peterhead on £10 an hour,£12 after 40 doing liquid and powder bulkers for the oil and gas sector. I went to the interview a couple of weeks back after walking out of an agency job with Asco and was offered the job at the interview. I was pleasantly surprised by the wage structure as i was expecting the same as they are at Asco,(8-26 an hour),but they are a small firm with 6 trucks and a mix of tankers,the people i work for are pleasant people,in fact i look forward to going in every day,no hassle and easy work,in fact i toplined £760 last week…i wouldnt have thought the NE of Scotland was the place for good pay,but the hours are plentiful and i am at my happiest in this industry than i have been for years.. Small firms are the best to work for IMO and i envisage being here long term as i am treated like an individual,not a bluddy number.. This to me is a working wage and the firm i work for see it that way in offering me these terms,i honestly couldnt work for anything less than £8 an hour but wouldnt knock anyone doing so as we all have to live…
Reubs766:
Juddian:
There are good jobs out there averaging £15+ an hourCan you tell me where such jobs exist? I’ve still to meet a trustworthy driver who earns more than £9 p.h. basic. . . . . Most I know of are between £6 and £8 p.h.
Oh they do exist but you can’t seriously expect people with an ounce of common to advertise them on here!
Reubs766:
Juddian:
There are good jobs out there averaging £15+ an hourCan you tell me where such jobs exist? I’ve still to meet a trustworthy driver who earns more than £9 p.h. basic. . . . . Most I know of are between £6 and £8 p.h.
£10.30 per hour* here (days, Mon-Fri - if I did any weekend work it would be at enhanced rates), mostly Class 2 work at the moment (but I am on the same rate as drivers who only do Class 2). Reasonable pension scheme too (employer matches my contributions). I wouldn’t say I am well paid for what I do - but I have a reasonable work:life balance!
(* - I say £10.30 per hour, but I am salaried. That figure assumes I work my contracted 48 hours per week - which I rarely do - so my true hourly rate is actually a bit higher)