dexxy57:
Good luck with the Truck Drivers Union Rob. And I mean it sincerely with the ‘Good Luck’. If ever there were a bigger bunch of ‘I’m All Right Jacks’ then you and I have yet to discover them.
Hang on a minute, It certainly ain’t my intention to start off some kind of ‘Truck driver’s union’ , it would be easier to herd cats the way some of them think , and even if I had that intention (Jeez H perish the thought ) I simply could not be arsed with the grief and hassle.
I was merely trying to point a few things out that maybe some drivers had not taken into consideration if this extra hours thing came up.
I know how I would deal with it, and like I said I still think those that will or do go ahead with it are mugs…but hey!, that’s up to them.
I personally think that we are about 2 weeks behind Spain and Italy with how this thing will react. As far as I’m aware they haven’t relaxed the driving hours over there so I don’t think that they will here. However if they do how many companies will try and screw it to their advantage making drivers work longer hours just because they think they can.
I think its disgusting if they do it and just goes to prove the whole drivers hours thing is a giant screw over to make more money for the big companies and governments. I have no issue with helping out in an emergency or someone’s broken down etc on the odd occasion but don’t take the mick. Do that and I will be as obstinate as I possibly can.
I remember when diesel first went up to 1.20 odd there was a massive blockade by the lorries in London and all of a sudden the price more or less halved where has the camaraderie gone has it really been squashed out by having to compete with the next person for your job or was it in the interests of the big companies to get the price reduced and it was the same “yes men” (I dislike that term but cant think of another) that turned up to the blockade because they were told to rather than because they gave a monkeys
thinking that marshall law may come in,looters shot on sight that sort of thing. No time to go to court anyhow courts wont be open soon . Someone told me guards on trains are no longer checking tickets
I am way too new to the game to really have much of an opinion on the hours thing but from all the theory etc. I have just been through I would defo be asking questions.
As far as the below goes,
robroy:
Also on a side note… think what we could achieve by using this crisis to our advantage,
Ok, some would say that is immoral, but when the boot is on the other foot, there are no scruples to shaft US, and turn US over!
I could say we should all stick together, but I may as well say we should all change our ■■■■■■■■■, the chances are about equal.
While some might indeed see it as immoral I think if you remove emotion you are right on the money. Every situation in every part of life creates winners and losers and it’s not often the ‘small guy’ gets to be the winner. Taking emotion out is, of course, easier said than done for the majority of us.
If you think of the current state of the stock markets it all looks bleak but look below those headlines Index levels and there will be plenty of companies making money out of this situation (Phone Conferencing Providers, Pharmaceuticals and probably Supermarkets).
If they’re that arsed they can bring the army lads in to drive artics. If you max your hours at the moment you’re usually shagged by the end of the week, I wouldn’t want to do more. I’m on the agency at the moment delivering food and got cancelled on Friday so it hasn’t kicked off yet anyway apart from the toilet paper lads.
Was going out for a few pints with my mate today, he then tells me that he can’t as be has been called back in off his holidays (as everybody else on the firm has), to work tomorrow because of the ‘crisis’.
He works for Stobbies.
commonrail:
We’ve got a bit of strife on here.
Stand up ffs.
That was part of my point, the honourable thing to do would be as you say, stand up, do your bit.
But what about the way we are looked upon usually, ie a necessary evil, not an asset to the economy and society in general.
Look at how important essential stuff to us in our job is just conveniently and continuously ignored, year after year… chronic parking shortages for example, lack of facilities for us.
Pay and conditions on the whole, victimisation for pedantic stupid [zb] laws, pure money making cash cow regs, and all the rest of it…but hey, suddenly we are expected to be heroes.
Look, if push came to shove, and something dramatic came up (however unlikely) where I could actually save lives , I’d be in there with the rest, but I mean man ffs, is it JUST me who sees it like this? … it’s a bit rich expecting us to do anything over and above I reckon…and that’s without taking into consideration the ridiculous long hours we are allowed to work already
It’s true,what you say.
I just think we’ve bigger fish to fry atm
Atm it won’t effect me unless there’s a rush on for kitchen sinks, tiles, paint, lawnmowers, and pressure washers while people are self quarantined and bored to death, the orange brigade will be working as normal
robroy:
Was going out for a few pints with my mate today, he then tells me that he can’t as be has been called back in off his holidays (as everybody else on the firm has), to work tomorrow because of the ‘crisis’.
He works for Stobbies.
commonrail:
We’ve got a bit of strife on here.
Stand up ffs.
That was part of my point, the honourable thing to do would be as you say, stand up, do your bit.
But what about the way we are looked upon usually, ie a necessary evil, not an asset to the economy and society in general.
Look at how important essential stuff to us in our job is just conveniently and continuously ignored, year after year… chronic parking shortages for example, lack of facilities for us.
Pay and conditions on the whole, victimisation for pedantic stupid [zb] laws, pure money making cash cow regs, and all the rest of it…but hey, suddenly we are expected to be heroes.
Look, if push came to shove, and something dramatic came up (however unlikely) where I could actually save lives , I’d be in there with the rest, but I mean man ffs, is it JUST me who sees it like this? … it’s a bit rich expecting us to do anything over and above I reckon…and that’s without taking into consideration the ridiculous long hours we are allowed to work already
It’s true,what you say.
I just think we’ve bigger fish to fry atm
On the other hand this is a unique situation to get better terms at last… should we not capitalise on it (this is pure theory btw, nobody has the will or the balls) ok the public wouldn’t like it, but they hate us anyway, so what’s to lose…it always works for the train drivers.
m.a.n rules:
a licence is one thing,driving a modern day lorry is another…
Those Army lads will have been trained on Fodens, Roadtrains,.and (Oshkosh? ) tank transporters.
So I reckon a ‘car-like’ modern truck with an auto box will be a piece of ■■■■ in comparison.
Yes but will they be allowed to travel in convoy so each ‘driver’ has 20 or so ‘banksmen’ to reverse them up like so see in the services!
What is going on?
Some being called off holidays to cover, whilst some being laid off or put on short time? Isn`t this what agencies are really for?
Need a little bit of organisation here please.
If drivers hours get relaxed, we’ll see more full time yards getting their drivers to work 60 hour weeks instead of 48 - for the same money.
We’ll see longer working days - for no extra money.
What you’ll likely NOT see - is what I call “Open Docket”.
Compare that to Agency though…
Even if rates don’t rise - I would imagine the availability of work will increase so that “better shift options” become available to people like myself.
I prefer to start around 7pm for instance. I’ve been doing a lot of 22 & 2300 starts up until now however…
Am I going to be let go - or am I going to be getting more shift start times that I’d have liked in the first place?
I would think that perhaps there is a motive for my full time peers - to want shot of me… But the firm itself?
…Surely they are going to struggle to keep up with demand - what with all the stuff flying off shop shelves at this time…
SOMEONE has to be part of the re-stocking chain!
Thus, I’d predict that anyone in the delivery side of trucking - is going to see improvements in their lot, whilst those salaried to do a flat job each day - are going to have more asked of them, likely for the same money each shift. People like Palletliner drivers, general haulage, building deliveries, Knowhow, etc. The very type of driver who is more likely to be EE of course…
What happens when they decide “Enough is Enough” and start moving on?
A tipping point in driver availability - is more likely to be the case than a gradual decline in driver numbers due to “retirement” and “lack of 20-somethings being trained in”…
m.a.n rules:
a licence is one thing,driving a modern day lorry is another…
Those Army lads will have been trained on Fodens, Roadtrains,.and (Oshkosh? ) tank transporters.
So I reckon a ‘car-like’ modern truck with an auto box will be a piece of ■■■■ in comparison.
Yes but will they be allowed to travel in convoy so each ‘driver’ has 20 or so ‘banksmen’ to reverse them up like so see in the services!
should of made myself clear … i was thinking more about all the gizmos on lorries nowadays. imagine a squaddie jumping in a new one all the beepers going off when he comes out of lane. auto braking etc.
even something as simple (once you know) the brohms stick popping out on a volvo…
robroy:
Was going out for a few pints with my mate today, he then tells me that he can’t as be has been called back in off his holidays (as everybody else on the firm has), to work tomorrow because of the ‘crisis’.
He works for Stobbies.
In that scenario I’d have mislaid my phone
If you’re “salaried” with the option to “buy extra holidays” - then NO WAY would I ever submit to a scenario that’ll not involve you getting paid for each extra shift you’ve been asked to work “on my day off”…
I fell for it at Brakes.
“Fool me once”…
Docket in writing or no working my days off ever again.
A holiday day “in lieu” has no value whatsoever - if you then cannot take that holiday when YOU want to take it.
“Come in Saturday and cancel that wedding you were going to, and we’ll give you some future tuesday or wednesday off at short notice, when it goes quiet at such short notice that you’ll struggle to organize a shopping trip with the missus for that day off”…
Yeh right!
robroy:
Was going out for a few pints with my mate today, he then tells me that he can’t as be has been called back in off his holidays (as everybody else on the firm has), to work tomorrow because of the ‘crisis’.
He works for Stobbies.
who the hell answers a phone call from work on their day off …unless he needs the ££ of course
robroy:
Was going out for a few pints with my mate today, he then tells me that he can’t as be has been called back in off his holidays (as everybody else on the firm has), to work tomorrow because of the ‘crisis’.
He works for Stobbies.
who the hell answers a phone call from work on their day off …unless he needs the ££ of course
The first thing I’d be bellowing down the phone is “I’ve just worked the past 6 days - why are you phoning me on my reduced rest day?”
I’d imagine that a lot of drivers are going to get disturbed by office staff on the opposite shift who are not aware at just how flat-out the night crew are…
This is also an argument as to “why one should not consider a rotating days/nights shift working pattern” as well.
It ain’t healthy, and leaves one wide open to all kinds of what I’ll call “office abuse”…
If a double shift is required out of me - let it be a 15 hour shift at a premium rate, rather than a 17:45 friday shift - paid at daytime midweek rate right through…
I used to make that mistake - working at F&W back in 2013. Never again!
Hang on a minute, It certainly ain’t my intention to start off some kind of ‘Truck driver’s union’ 
, and even if I had that intention (Jeez H perish the thought 
) I simply could not be arsed with the grief and hassle.
… i was thinking more about all the gizmos on lorries nowadays. imagine a squaddie jumping in a new one all the beepers going off when he comes out of lane. auto braking etc.
