Deary me I’ve been in transport all my life but now I have to fend for myself after my dad’s haulage firm in Crawley closed it’s doors for the final time back in 2011. I have to say the quality (and quantity) of work in the South East is shocking. I’ve worked for a couple of firms (no names) in and around Crawley since my old man packed up and I have to say shambolic springs to mind!! I’ll hang in there for a bit longer but will cast the net a bit further in search of a company that pays decent money and treats people with respect. I blame it all on my dad for treating all his drivers (sons or not) with respect and paid a fair wage for a fair days work for me having a myopic view on how all drivers should be treated. Rant over!!!
Tell us how your myopic view of drivers affected your judgment -hated em’ all/trusted 'em all ? Sorry to hear the old firm folded.
Sad to say this but , it could be the reason the company closed/went under ect.
My view on drivers is not the point. I am a driver myself. My point was,however badly mad,was that my old man treated all his drivers with respect and paid a fair wage and think we should all be treated fairly
you think my dads business closed because he treated people fairly? Interesting view
You’ll need to cast your net a fair way from Sussex to find anything decent I’m afraid.
I live on the coast near Brighton and to be truthfully the opportunities for driving jobs, decent or otherwise are thin on the ground. Also, and I’ve said this before, it’s an area of high living costs and low wages which can mean that the money on offer for driving work is quite often not enough to live on.
Just out of interest did you dads company run 3 or 4 white FHs at the end. If so I spoke to him in 2010 and although he had no work to offer at the time he did seem like the kind of guy I would have liked to work for.
Cheers
Neilf
Thats right mate 4 Gobstoppers & 2 topliners. I make you correct on that I’m looking at Kent & Essex atm
Believe it or not things have always been tough for driving opportunities in this part of the country.The Norvenors all think the place is rolling in money and opportunities which might be the case for office workers etc but it’s always been a lot more difficult to find jobs in industry or transport.While the ones we’ve had never seem to last long.The fact is it’s always been a lot more likely to see wagons running around the country that are based up North or Midlands etc than Surrey,Sussex,or Kent.While you can bet that most job adverts in this area will usually go along the lines of local multi drop in and around London or building supplies deliveries.
I am in sussex too, their really are not any decent jobs around here, plus also with the container companies slimming down and the likes of Dudmans going again it is really difficult to find something other than pallet overnight work. As said before wages are crap even if you hold ADR or Hiab.
I have been looking around and really any job around is much the same as another.
superscaniaV8:
Deary me I’ve been in transport all my life but now I have to fend for myself after my dad’s haulage firm in Crawley closed it’s doors for the final time back in 2011. I have to say the quality (and quantity) of work in the South East is shocking. I’ve worked for a couple of firms (no names) in and around Crawley since my old man packed up and I have to say shambolic springs to mind!! I’ll hang in there for a bit longer but will cast the net a bit further in search of a company that pays decent money and treats people with respect. I blame it all on my dad for treating all his drivers (sons or not) with respect and paid a fair wage for a fair days work for me having a myopic view on how all drivers should be treated. Rant over!!!
welcome to the site 
sorry to hear about your fathers firm folded 
but unfortunately times are Ard 
yes darn sarf there doesn’t seem much out there 
the thing about these firms nowadays they’ll treat you like ■■■■■, because we as truck drivers let them take the schmeichel 
you’re father had the right idea 
but as the saying goes " MANNERS MAKETH MAN! 
"
I hope you find decent work soon, but enjoy your multi drops around the building sites around the smoke! 
superscaniaV8:
Thats right mate 4 Gobstoppers & 2 topliners. I make you correct on that I’m looking at Kent & Essex atm
if your from who i think your from. try were your brother works i think thay usualy take on a cab hopper this time of year for holidays ect always turns perminent.
I have always belived that to get respect you give respect,its always sad to hear of a decent boss packing it in! a firm is only as good as its worst employee thats why its in the bosses interest to make sure that all staff are happy & well motivated and therefore do a good job, apart from myself I employ one driver,I treat him well ,he treats me well,he is the main reason I remain in profit as a 2 lorry business!BTW wnat happened to Dudmans last I heard they were on the up?
splitshift:
I have always belived that to get respect you give respect,its always sad to hear of a decent boss packing it in! a firm is only as good as its worst employee thats why its in the bosses interest to make sure that all staff are happy & well motivated and therefore do a good job, apart from myself I employ one driver,I treat him well ,he treats me well,he is the main reason I remain in profit as a 2 lorry business!BTW wnat happened to Dudmans last I heard they were on the up?
quite agree, shame most don’t. Dudmans has gone pop again, not the first time. 140+ out of work. Some say it was the ship that broke them. I don’t know. its rumour. guess it is down to the state of the building industry.
I understand Reading has knocked Crawley of “full employment town of the year”.
When you have a town with anything near full employment, the more menial jobs are going to be hard to fill.
Add to this anyone trying to run a firm on a shoestring budget with the built-in cost-cutting that goes on, and any firm is going to attract perhaps the wrong kind of staff (apply there, because they can’t get work anywhere else)
Have you considered RM at Gatwick? (Cameo Park) I understand they’ve picked up a lot of new transfered work from other closed down offices, but can’t get the staff in because of the high cost of living area that it is… Agency staff there are getting block work, so it can’t be bad surely?
Personally, I’d love to be able to afford to live in the area, but it’s too far to even commute the 60 miles from where I live. 
superscaniaV8:
Thats right mate 4 Gobstoppers & 2 topliners. I make you correct on that I’m looking at Kent & Essex atm
If your dad was Bob I was sorry to hear he’d shut the doors.
With regard to Dudmans I spoke to a couple of his 8 wheeler drivers just before Xmas and they reckoned they were flat out.
I was surprised to hear that he’d gone pop again but the last time I was in the old cement works at shoreham he did seem to have a fair few powder tanks parked up although the wharf at southwick always seemed busy. Got to feel for the lads put out of work.
Anybody with their business based in or around construction must be worried these days. There is hardly any building work happening down here at the moment.
Cheers
Neilf
Carryfast:
Believe it or not things have always been tough for driving opportunities in this part of the country.The Norvenors all think the place is rolling in money and opportunities which might be the case for office workers etc but it’s always been a lot more difficult to find jobs in industry or transport.While the ones we’ve had never seem to last long.The fact is it’s always been a lot more likely to see wagons running around the country that are based up North or Midlands etc than Surrey,Sussex,or Kent.While you can bet that most job adverts in this area will usually go along the lines of local multi drop in and around London or building supplies deliveries.
I think in the south east you have to be looking at the kent and Essex corridor that runs along the Thames for transport jobs.
Kent -Maritime,Thamesmead/Essex -Maritime,Tilbury?
What about this company
McWilliam:
What about this company
I haven’t personally seen a Horley Road Services lorry on the road for ages. Do they still exist or are they now some kind of freight forwarder/warehousing with a couple of photoshopped generic truck pics on their website?.
Cheers
Neilf