I applied for a permanent job on Indeed last night, close date wasn’t till mid July though. Afterwards I wondered if companies in a similar field were also looking to recruit, so sent out a couple of prospecting emails. Nothing too heavy - just a few lines about myself.
Mobile rang this morning, can you pop along and see us? To cut to the chase, they have offered me a full time permanent job with no nights out. All breaks paid for and overtime paid at the proper rate. Specialised work, so they going to pay for the additional training for this. Salary 26-33k.
Like many other people, I got fed up of the daily agency postings for non existent ‘job opportunities’. Looking on the web sites of many transport and distribution companies though, they are showing vacancies for directly employed drivers now, so the jobs are definitely out there once again. Who needs agencies eh?
LIBERTY_GUY:
I applied for a permanent job on Indeed last night, close date wasn’t till mid July though. Afterwards I wondered if companies in a similar field were also looking to recruit, so sent out a couple of prospecting emails. Nothing too heavy - just a few lines about myself.
Mobile rang this morning, can you pop along and see us? To cut to the chase, they have offered me a full time permanent job with no nights out. All breaks paid for and overtime paid at the proper rate. Specialised work, so they going to pay for the additional training for this. Salary 26-33k.
Like many other people, I got fed up of the daily agency postings for non existent ‘job opportunities’. Looking on the web sites of many transport and distribution companies though, they are showing vacancies for directly employed drivers now, so the jobs are definitely out there once again. Who needs agencies eh?
LIBERTY_GUY:
I applied for a permanent job on Indeed last night, close date wasn’t till mid July though. Afterwards I wondered if companies in a similar field were also looking to recruit, so sent out a couple of prospecting emails. Nothing too heavy - just a few lines about myself.
Mobile rang this morning, can you pop along and see us? To cut to the chase, they have offered me a full time permanent job with no nights out. All breaks paid for and overtime paid at the proper rate. Specialised work, so they going to pay for the additional training for this. Salary 26-33k.
Like many other people, I got fed up of the daily agency postings for non existent ‘job opportunities’. Looking on the web sites of many transport and distribution companies though, they are showing vacancies for directly employed drivers now, so the jobs are definitely out there once again. Who needs agencies eh?
This wouldn’t be Hiab/crane training?
Christ no !! You wouldn’t get me doing builders merchant crud. I’ll let someone else maul their guts out with that particular ‘career path’.
I’ve noticed quite a few yards advertising for drivers - class 1 AND 2…
Trouble is, as yet - the class 1 work is days/low rates whereas the class 2 rates are days with rather GOOD rates - 'cos you’ll be doing multidrop which of course no one wants to do, hence the wage rises have reached the point now that they exceed class 1 rates around here…
Get over to Bidvest, 3663, Brakes, & P&H - and fill your boots earning more than fusspots like me get driving artics.
Most artic work advertised around here, tend to be the mundane trunks to shops, or the trauma of sitting for hours in a RDC waiting room. If you want to get away from that tripe, then you can either move onto more specialised driving work, or leave the profession…
I used to like delivering steel, machinery and occasionally oversized loads as that was challenging, but think I’d go into a permanent coma just doing trunking or the like. Box jockey I most definitely aint.
Depot to Depot is fine, providing you don’t get put in the damned cooler on each trip.
Stay away from Nobbies & Wincanton in my experience. There’s probably many more running the similar bonkers H&S system that does not let you stay in your cab whilst being tipped.
You can’t legally take a break whilst in the cooler (“drivers waiting room”) because you’re not free to “dispose of your time as you wish” - the definition of “proper break”.
If a canteen on site provided you with a free meal, or the place was open to the public - then it would be OK for firms to insist you “don’t take your break in your cab” where, of course, you CAN “read a newspaper” or “listen to the radio” or “eat your packed lunch”. Indeed, some yards insist you stay in your cab whilst being tipped.
In my mind, H&S rules that vary considerably between yards - should be “common-sensed” into some universal system used across the entire transport & depot industry…
It would stop this ■■■■■■■■ of keeping a driver in the cooler for hours and hours, only to have him have to pull up on the service road and take their long overdue “legal” break as soon as they exit the yard that wouldn’t let them have access to their own cab FFS!
Winseer:
You can’t legally take a break whilst in the cooler (“drivers waiting room”) because you’re not free to “dispose of your time as you wish” - the definition of “proper break”.
If a canteen on site provided you with a free meal, or the place was open to the public - then it would be OK for firms to insist you “don’t take your break in your cab” where, of course, you CAN “read a newspaper” or “listen to the radio” or “eat your packed lunch”. Indeed, some yards insist you stay in your cab whilst being tipped.
It would stop this ■■■■■■■■ of keeping a driver in the cooler for hours and hours, only to have him have to pull up on the service road and take their long overdue “legal” break as soon as they exit the yard that wouldn’t let them have access to their own cab FFS!
One transport manager I was speaking to, told me at one RDC they occasionally deliver to, they also try to take phones off drivers on H&S grounds… I’m afraid that wouldn’t wash with me, as it my own personal property and there for emergency contact with family etc.
“Dispose of your time as you wish” is for daily rests, not for break as the stipulation there is merely that it is a period of recuperation. It could of course be argued that sitting in an RDC listening to the worlds fattest man tell you how he told the police/DVSA/his boss to eff off is not exactly conducive to recuperation but hey, that’s the wording.
LIBERTY_GUY:
Looking on the web sites of many transport and distribution companies though, they are showing vacancies for directly employed drivers now, so the jobs are definitely out there once again.
Not many good driving jobs bring advertised out there, it’s all agency…
LIBERTY_GUY:
If you want to get away from that tripe, then you can either move onto more specialised driving work, or leave the profession…
Winseer:
You can’t legally take a break whilst in the cooler (“drivers waiting room”) because you’re not free to “dispose of your time as you wish” - the definition of “proper break”.
If a canteen on site provided you with a free meal, or the place was open to the public - then it would be OK for firms to insist you “don’t take your break in your cab” where, of course, you CAN “read a newspaper” or “listen to the radio” or “eat your packed lunch”. Indeed, some yards insist you stay in your cab whilst being tipped.
It would stop this ■■■■■■■■ of keeping a driver in the cooler for hours and hours, only to have him have to pull up on the service road and take their long overdue “legal” break as soon as they exit the yard that wouldn’t let them have access to their own cab FFS!
One transport manager I was speaking to, told me at one RDC they occasionally deliver to, they also try to take phones off drivers on H&S grounds… I’m afraid that wouldn’t wash with me, as it my own personal property and there for emergency contact with family etc.
Hell, do they make you remove your belt and shoelaces as well, before they show you to your cell ?
Winseer:
You can’t legally take a break whilst in the cooler (“drivers waiting room”) because you’re not free to “dispose of your time as you wish” - the definition of “proper break”.
Total codswallop. A ‘break’ is pretty much anything that isn’t driving or other work. If they painted a one metre square on the yard and told you to stand there in the rain while they tipped you, that would be a ‘break’, never mind the comparative luxury of a waiting room.
I’ll let someone else maul their guts out with that particular ‘career path’.
