There is no way I’d be starting to cook after a 15 hr shift!!!
Lunch time is 12.00
Dinner time 1700
Breakfast is when ever I don’t really like breakfast.
Conor:
claretmatt:
I realise some of you will say just cook in the cab, buy yourself a fridge and stop moaning, but this situation is getting out of hand. If I’m on a 9 hour stop following a 15 hour turn, the last thing I want to be doing is breaking out a gas stove and cooking a meal, then tidying it up after. There is a basic human welfare need here that is simply not being met by our employers.Of course your welfare need is being met by your employer. You get night out money don’t you? That is why you’re paid night out money so you can PAY for a shower and PAY for a meal in a restaurant.
You’re just whinging because you’re a greedy git who wants to get night out money but put it in your pocket instead of using it for what it is intended.
My wife has to stay away maybe twice a month when working at different offices, she has never been told to sleep in her car but is booked into a hotel with an evening meal and breakfast and mid day meal if needed all paid for. I have seen some jobs paying £18 per night and by the time you have paid for your meal and shower your left with a £1 per hour may as well be at home.
I used to cook in the cab, unless I felt like treating myself when I’d go for a curry or a meal in a pub or something. Thing is, it takes no more effort to cook enough for two meals than for one, so if you knock up, say, a chilli on your first night away (or even at home before you set off) and stick it in a tupperware box, all you have to do is heat it up, and maybe cook some fresh rice. Takes five minutes.
End of day as said thats what night out monies for
Also cant blame them the amount of drivers these days who either got no money on them or cant afford to pay it out
4 nights a week at £20 = £80 week in hand get reimbursed the following friday
By then spent out £160 of their money
The amount of drivers i know who cant afford it for even. 1or 2 nights aweek
And the wife gives them £50 a week and no cash card is a sign of the times
Also. Company side usually works out cheaper and less accounting with lots of receipts
Why do people take a job and then moan about the terms and conditions ffs 
It can’t really come as a shock that lorry driving involves early starts and/or late finishes, long hours with night’s away required on some jobs etc etc etc 
The amount of whining pricks on here astounds me. Of you don’t like sleeping in a wagon then don’t. If you do like it then do it. You high and mighty tools that criticise others for their way of life should get a grip. You aren’t better than anyone else. Truckulent has joined the growing list of fanny baws that I have no respect for.
happysack:
The amount of whining pricks on here astounds me. Of you don’t like sleeping in a wagon then don’t. If you do like it then do it. You high and mighty tools that criticise others for their way of life should get a grip. You aren’t better than anyone else. Truckulent has joined the growing list of fanny baws that I have no respect for.
Everyone’s entitled to an opinion.
It’s the right of free speech!
Wow
Most have you have completely lost sight of the original point I was trying to make.
So:
Basically, instead of you parking somewhere, and getting a meal voucher as a perk for doing so, SNAP are nicking it to line their pockets at your expense. It’s an erosion of your working conditions.
That’s all I was pointing out, so dry your knickers.
This forum is becoming highly unpleasant.
Just becoming?
happysack:
Just becoming?
I was being polite 
Funny how the post is going away from the op. we have snap and so far works well, if you tend to stick to the main routes. Nothing happens around Cornwall, wales etc.
Some offer showers others offer meals or deals on meals. However what does annoy me is the fact that some stops charge out Snap parking at much the same rate as regular payment, but remove the meal vouchers etc.
Don’t forget you can have the Truck washed on snap too plus soon you will be able to pay for weighbridges as well.
The wash bit has to be allowed by the company
Ref the meal voucher end of day as you said was a perk
Not all perks last
And will be cheaper aswell
One i know is on snap 12.50 plus vat £15
£20 cash with £2 voucher
So company over £4 better off
4 night s week 16 aced 10 trucks £160
£7680 a year saving over 48 weeks average
And drivers not out of pocket or headache for conoamy needing secure ish parking and drivers skint
claretmatt:
Our company looks like it will shortly be adopting the SNAP account system. On the face of it, it looks a great idea not having to worry about paying for parking. However, I believe it to be a scourge on the job and a further erosion on our employment conditions.From what I can make out, if you “pay” with SNAP the vast majority of sites will not give you a shower, let alone a meal or meal voucher. We are expected to live in a lorry all week and in the vast majority of cases do not have any cooking or food storage facilities provided by the firm and now we are expected to pay massively inflated prices for food or buy our own cooking equipment.
I realise some of you will say just cook in the cab, buy yourself a fridge and stop moaning, but this situation is getting out of hand. If I’m on a 9 hour stop following a 15 hour turn, the last thing I want to be doing is breaking out a gas stove and cooking a meal, then tidying it up after. There is a basic human welfare need here that is simply not being met by our employers.
Your on for Turners are you not? If so I am too, we’ve had SNAP in since about August, I’ve used it twice, once at Swindon, after using the SNAP the lady asked if I’d like to buy a shower token for £3? I refused, I then went and ate at Sainsburys cafe. They charged my firm like £12 to park, no shower included, I’d have been better off in BnQ layby for free.
Some lads have paid at the SNAP sites to get shower/food vouchers and nothing was said, parking fee was refunded.
happysack:
The amount of whining pricks on here astounds me. Of you don’t like sleeping in a wagon then don’t. If you do like it then do it. You high and mighty tools that criticise others for their way of life should get a grip. You aren’t better than anyone else. Truckulent has joined the growing list of fanny baws that I have no respect for.
Thanks. I’ll try to cope without your approval!!! Sure I’ll manage sir! 
We aren’t criticising, if you bothered to read it. Merely pointing out the disparity between some companies treatment of drivers and other employees when staying away on company business. 
I saw a Portugese motor last week with a snap sticker in his window!
Truckulent:
the maoster:
Truckulent:
Amazing how drivers defend the whole nighting out issue tooth and nail, wasting half your life in a truck stop or wherever, not seeing family and friends, and yet if expected to do 7 hours a year sat in a classroom on some [zb] course they’re up in arms about it.Maybe because one is through personal choice, the other most certainly isn’t.
Not always. If the gaffer says nights out required, how many will argue…?
Not me…because when he asked me what kind of work I was looking for during my interview, I told him “nights out when needed, but not tramping” 
Hi, we thought we’d step into this lively debate and offer our side of the story, as we feel the word ‘scourge’ is perhaps a little strong. I’ll have to make very sure I don’t try and advertise our service here as I know that’s not allowed.
It’s great to see the number of drivers here who are finding our service useful, lots of people like not being out of pocket while they wait for their bosses to reimburse them for parking expenses.
I think the most important thing to counter here is the idea that we are taking money out of driver’s pockets. HMRC currently has a huge focus on investigating tax liabilities of hauliers to scrape together some extra cash. If a company is providing a tax free allowance for overnight food and shower as well as covering the cost of parking then that is all above board. But when the price of food/showering is included in the parking ticket, and the driver holds onto the allowance then the company could be in big trouble with the tax man.
They do all sorts of calculations with the number of drivers and the number of nights out etc and work out that your boss now owes them hundreds of thousands of pounds. And what happens to the job security of the drivers under an investigation like that?
The fact is that the world is changing, Starbucks and Jimmy Carr can’t get away from the tax man anymore, and neither can fleet operators. We aren’t taking the money out of your pockets and keeping it for ourselves. We just provide a way for fleet operators to keep within the law, and keep their trucks, and drivers, rolling.
We hope this comment provokes some further debate and look forward to the discussion!
Ok - the parking charge etc I couldn’t give a monkeys about the tax owed - that’s the firms problem. I pay it they give it me back. Sort of like a very short term interest free loan or as actually is - an expense which I claim back with no additional financial gain.
If that includes shower/food - it’s an expense that my firm cover due to me working away from home. If they are liable for tax on parking/employee expenses I’m sure they should take that in to seperate consideration regarding their accounting.
My night out allowance - now that is tax free and seperate from the parking charge. In basic terms I get that in addition to any expenses and I’ll spend how I like.
So how can HMRC have an issue with that?
I think you provide a relatively good easy service - sell yourselves on that not what I see as a “tax man” scare tactic directed at firms.
If I’m wrong I apologize but I think you are mistaken.
Sam @ SNAP:
I’ll have to make very sure I don’t try and advertise our service here as I know that’s not allowed.
Hi Sam, 
Thank you for respecting the forum rules. 
You’ve not posted an advert, although it is possible to discuss advertising on TN if you get in touch with…
LINK 
notifications@trucknetuk.com
You’ve made a valid point about the way that HMRC view parking and subsistence, so it’ll be good to see how the discussion goes. 
Hi kjw21. Thanks for your comment.
The tax problem only arises when the employer is covering the cost of the food (which is a benefit in kind) when it is a part of the parking cost, and in fact needs to be declared separately by the fleet operator. If they do not know its there, and assume that all of the cost is for parking, then they can get into hot water.
I’m glad you think we provide a useful service, we do try to advertise on our good points! I just felt that the tax issue needed to be discussed to counter the suggestion that we are taking money from drivers pockets.