The rate you get for the job seems to depend where you live, but so does the cost of living, at least the cost of housing, so its relative. As for not driving a Premium, I dove a 385 privilege cab18 months on tilt work, 4 to 5 nights out etc. I didn’t have any back problems and I could store everything I needed, it seemed to pull ok even out of Par Harbour loaded with China Clay, regular Friday backload. So I would have no problem driving one again. On agency now and getting a mix of trucks from Fleet heaps to Volvos and Scania’s and I don’t think they are that much better or at least not so good I would take a drop in money to drive one over a Premium. However I also used to spend all week away in a Renault G290 on tilt work, 
so what do I know about taste in trucks, got paid well though and had no agro from the boss.
To be honest Rob £8.00 pound an hour is far from sparkling BUT it is the best i can get AND most certainly the LOWEST RATE I would even consider working for 
Well, hope you’re not much north of Derby or you could be out of work a longggggggggg time.
The original purpose of this posting was to try and get some under standing of why drivers think they are on good money for in effect doing 2 weeks work for 1 weeks wages i.e.60/70 hrs, 
For around £300.00/£350.00 The only winner chuckling whilst leaning on a bar with a fat cigar and trying to work it out for himself is YOUR Transport manager. 
So the working time directive will only be implimented SOUTH of Derby then Rob???Is that what you are saying then? Come march 2005 ALL road haulage companys will have to drastically improve their rates because drivers simply wont work for them.Besides those that cant pay a decent living wage and allow a driver to go home with his head held high after 48 hours toil quite clearly should`nt be in business
NOT such a longgggggggggggg time after all,according to my calculator and recent maths tuition March 2005 is only 15 months away… 
Tony. It depends on what you’re used to, we have all been used to a long hours culture for a 40 hour wage, its one of the reasons the industry can’t attract to many young drivers. The money is going up, but that’s market forces the 48 hour week may help, but I think the government will find loopholes to help the supermarket RDC’s so we may only work an average 48 hours, but we will still be sitting in RDC’s for hours without it counting to our hours and without the truck making money.
It’s unfair to say that hauliers are raking the money in. This maybe the case for the big PLC’s but your small haulier with 5 to 20 trucks are running their business on tight margins and when it goes belly up they lose a lot more than you or me.
Sticking up for the bosses, how embarrassing.
Fair comments muck`s
I have read a great deal about theW.T.D. Due to be implimented in March 2005,This directive is being enforced upon our government by the european union to give us all a level playing field upon which to opperate.(Their words not mine)It is already being made clear to our government that there will be no opt out,(apart from o/d still being discussed)which would mean waiting time at RDC`s ect.would indeed count as worked hours!!!They have pointed this out to avoid any ideas of loopholes,which would in fact render the dirctive unworkable and obviously not enforceable,making the excercise of implimentation pointless!!!In my humble opinion IT IS A SAD DAY when we have Europe telling the powers that be in our OWN country that we should have a DECENT LIVING WAGE with some semblance of a work life balance
Tony; The government signed up to the WTD without proper thought, no surprise there then. The thing about the Government caving into pressure from Supermarkets is this thing about waiting time not counting to your 48 hours; they have decided that if a driver is waiting he is therefore freely able to dispose of his time. The only condition is that the driver must be told how long he will be waiting. And if this is supposed to create as level playing field across Europe why don’t we have a few more, like a rebate on Diesel and a charge for foreign registered trucks using UK roads.
mickles re the rebate on desiel and road charging are supposed to be introduced in 2006 as far as i know waiting time at rdcs will be counted as working time as the driver must remain at thier work station ie the truck for saftey reasons if im wrong i stand to to corrected
How can you freely dispose of your time if you are parked opposite a bay at morrisons■■? Do you ask for an off site pass don map and compass and go rambling in the nearby Northwhich countryside 
yeah havent you heard the supermarket are installing gyms restaurants and bars in all rdcs as of jannuary hehe only in my dreams
Can’t go to the canteen in most places, but I think the RDC operators realised that a 48 hour week will mean they have to speed up thier act or they won’t get the free storage in the our trucks.
It seems that waiting is not working time provided you are told how long you will be waiting for, the idea being that if you are told that you will be wating for 4 hours you are then freely able to dispose of your time. Ok if you have a magnum you can go for a hike in you cab, in an FL then learn Zen meditation.
Sorry mucks but if you are in your cab or even still on SITE this CANNOT be deemed as freely disposing of your time :open_mouth: If as you are saying they will inform you of a 4 hour tipping delay and you are to be FREE to dispose of your time then that HAS to be away from the veihcle full stop.So here is the sinario lets say you have 25 trucks waiting to tip at morrisons Northwhich all on the left opposite the bays,each driver has been informed of his likley time of tipping,you now have a situation where you have 25 drivers all FREE to dispose of their time :open_mouth: Meaning they can in effect ask for a gate pass and wander into Northwhich town centre for a spot of shopping or watch Ethel and bert in the annual bowling championships on the village green.I know it sounds absolutly rediculous but Morrissons of Northwich in all the years I have been going in there has run by ACCIDENT :exclamation: If as you say they are going to start informing each driver of his likely delay giving him/her time on their hands to legally dispose of it CAOS WOULD ENSUE simple as that................BTW, Tipping time WILL be demmed hours worked, no ifs or buts.And there will be no opt out TRUST ME…Tone…
My girlfriend has just informed me if i dont get of this soddin p.c. and dispose of some time with her she is gonna trade me in for some fancy kit of her own 
Catch you all later CHEERS Tone…
muckles:
…Ok if you have a magnum you can go for a hike in you cab, in an FL then learn Zen meditation.
excellent!
muckles:
It seems that waiting is not working time provided you are told how long you will be waiting for, the idea being that if you are told that you will be wating for 4 hours you are then freely able to dispose of your time. Ok if you have a magnum you can go for a hike in you cab, in an FL then learn Zen meditation.
So if you took your keys, locked the truck, and went walkabout off site, had a meal, went to the cinema that would be OK 
Don’t think so. More likely to come back after the agreed number of hours and hear “Sorry drive you’ve missed your slot”.
Staying on site is certain to be a requirement so that your truck can be moved onto or off a bay at the RDCs convenience. And if you can’t go off site, it seems to me, you ain’t free to dispose of your time.
I hear what you are all saying and agree, but what we think of being freely able to dispose of our time and how the government decide to interpret the rules when the big supermarket boys tell them that strict interpretation of the rules will cause prices to rise in the supermarkets and therefore mean unhappy shoppers (voters) is a different matter.
I read this in Wheels magazine and they were spitting feathers as well. It all comes down to clever lawyer speak, we say as you cannot leave your cab therefore you are not free; they say as you are not working or driving therefore you are free. The WTD is going to throw all sorts of anomalies like this throughout Europe. The French will completely ignore it except the bits that suit them; the Germans will stick to by the letter and in the UK we will apply the rules rigidly unless you are a PLC or a foreign Driver. 
i,m thinking of £15p/hour ! dreaming i know but up here there,s still folk on a £5. 48 times 8 still isn,t enough !!!
The only way truckers are going to get a real life is to stand up and demand a fair wage and if that means going on strike then lets get it over with sooner rather than later.