JB:
they have around 6 or 7 drivers based in immingham but the rest are in notts. they leave the units there(and also in felixstowe,harwich,hull, and thurrock) because its cheaper to run a car back with 3 or 4 drivers in than pulling the units back solo.
not quite right jon.
it all boils down to import and export as well as cost of running solo units about (which they also do too).
if there are 12 trailers coming into felixstowe and harwich over the weekend and they are all for delivery in the south area then the answer is to leave 12 tractor units in the south, either harwich or felixstowe or a mix of both etc.
5 drivers may need to go down sunday to get onto trailers for delivery monday am in the south and the rest go down monday morning to get onto trailers for delivery tuesday in the south (this could be kent area or wales or even cornwall).
the tricky bit is to make sure you limit the amount of solo running by ensuring your export trailers equals the amount of import trailers for that port region (all very headache inducing).
as for the 36k a year, it wasn’t even possible in the old days when drivers used to stay away for several weeks at a time, the only way it could possibly be done now is to take the weekend work every week and top it up by working 4 days of every week too, sunday at double bubble, saturday time and half for first 8 hours then double bubble, nights out all week etc but of course you have to rely on the office making sure that you can get those kind of hours every weekend and every day which makes it most unlikely that anyone can achieve those kind of yearly earnings.
rob eh, i don’t suppose you sort of fell asleep whilst he was talking to you or perhaps you felt like running off and slashing your wrists?
martin, i don’t suppose you used to double up with steve did you?
or did you work for rentals/packing.
I keep on seeing RH trailers in Spain all pulled by Lithuanian tractor units.
im sorry but i stick by what i said i wouldnt be waiting for a minibus.
jessicas dad:
im sorry but i stick by what i said i wouldnt be waiting for a minibus.
I definetly wouldn’t do it either mate, no chance.
well that is a lie i would do it once… from docks home but that would be it i wouldnt be there monday for trip back.
you don’t wait for the minibus, it’s there waiting for you normally, if you are in felixstowe anyway, then comes the fight over who drives it while the rest in the back are befogged with tobacco smoke from the others.
sometimes your tractor unit will be coming back with a trailer on saturday morning but you may have to bring 2 or 3 drivers with you, i’ve seen a renault mangum with 5 drivers in it on a saturday, usually agency drivers that have no gear with them and just want to get home by any means.
the guys going to immingham or to hull to get onto their trucks usually get a car between 3 or 4 of them but sometimes they have to go in a truck as a passenger with another driver taking a trailer up.
not a good start to a monday morning but some drivers liked it because it gave them chance to sober up after sunday nights drinking session.
you’d be amazed at the amount of drivers that used to turn up monday morning and jump straight in the bus assuming they were going to felixstowe and had been on a heavy session the night before, quite often they’d go straight to sleep and not wake up until the bus stopped at a cafe.
I drove an 18t rigid for them, before i got me big boys license. Bloody hated it. It seems to me that every one in notts at some point has driven for them. Some of the lads were good, one came to work at hanleys- deano remember him JB■■? I was there late 2000. Dont get me wrong very large outfit to work for and it may suit some people, just not me. 
JD- our trucks at leeds are working on the roberts contract. However they do come and do bits for us at belle eau park, grantham and ashford. Im now on holiday relief work, gave up me own unit for a lot bigger salary. I have to do days, nights, tramping and yard shuntting. Its good with a wide variety of shifts. The downside is, we are expanding at a rapid rate and seem to be suffering from growing pains
Martin
