Anybody got any info on them especially at their Portbury Dock site.
Thanks in advance.
Zb me the boss told me what a good pay rise taking the £5 a day meal allowance off us and bunging 30p on the hourly rate was 
,I thought what a load of rubbish ,but it seems he was right if we’ve got 30 k p.a culina drivers trying too knock the door down too get a start 
bald bloke:
Anybody got any info on them
Very hard to get a job with them, good luck…
Pimpdaddy:
bald bloke:
Anybody got any info on themVery hard to get a job with them, good luck…
Yeah I know and I don’t have experience although I used to load the car trains when I was docking at Portbury, just really fancy a job doing 4 on 4 off.
How can it be hard too get a start on car transporters for stobarts ,there’s adverts all over our depot boards for them ,Oxford ,Southampton ,Bristol etc ,etc If there trying too get drivers who are 150 miles away from bristol too relocate and take these jobs with no experience then I’d of said there struggling too get drivers ,desperate being the word
That best sums it up …
ring them up ,your not loosing anything ,theyl train you .
N.b bristol was put too me as they know I’ve been on about going back for a while ,but if I do it won’t be working for them that’s forvsure
I don’t think its difficult to get a job there my mate got it without any previous experience in that particular field.
He does Mon to Fri, most of it is nights out during the week. The kit is old and breaks down very often, you are assigned to one specific vehicle from the first day you start there, then you are sent down to somewhere outside Yeovil to undergo a 2 week training which you will be paid for (Stobart rules do not allow to disclose any information on pay). After you have completed that you will work with one experienced driver for a week just to get you going.
From what I gather from my mate:
-Good pay if the lorry doesn’t break down, but ECM pay better.
-Long hours, but once you hit the 60 hour limit in three months you will be given paid time off work to average it out.
-Old kit
-Small cab, this is quite obvious to be fair 
Riho:
I don’t think its difficult to get a job there my mate got it without any previous experience in that particular field.He does Mon to Fri, most of it is nights out during the week. The kit is old and breaks down very often, you are assigned to one specific vehicle from the first day you start there, then you are sent down to somewhere outside Yeovil to undergo a 2 week training which you will be paid for (Stobart rules do not allow to disclose any information on pay). After you have completed that you will work with one experienced driver for a week just to get you going.
From what I gather from my mate:
-Good pay if the lorry doesn’t break down, but ECM pay better.
-Long hours, but once you hit the 60 hour limit in three months you will be given paid time off work to average it out.
-Old kit
-Small cab, this is quite obvious to be fair
ECM pay is different, based more on various hourly rates than Walon/Autologic/Stobart pay, you can earn better on Walon 2 agreement but you won’t until you get up to speed and get the right work.
Used to be £100 a day stand down to catch up the hours, i assume thats still the same as per the last days of Walon/Autolgic but don’t quote me.
The kit is going to be old for a new starter, they aint going to bung a new untested driver in a £200,000 outfit, prove and work your way up you’ll get newer in time, transporters are horrendously complicated with hundreds of yards of hydraulic and air pipes and associated valves switches and levers dotted in and under the metalwork, bound to be hydraulic problems which can be a nightmare for the hose man.
Much of the breakdowns are due to driver neglect, those who fail to understand that an hour a week spent inspecting, renewing frayed straps, lubing ratchets and spreading some oil and grease on certain (you’ll learn where) moving parts reduces strain and wear and reduces consequential breakdowns.
This isn’t the ideal work for the ‘‘it aint my job’’ mob or steering wheel attendants (they’ll only last 5 minutes anyway), fail to keep an eye on and maintain your equipment and it will let you down, maintain the machine and as well as making the job easier you earn more.
Cut down cabs are a bind, especially if you’re tall, it goes with the job unfortunately, but that extra vehicle over the cab every load is worth a lot of money to the driver over a year.
The right applicant won’t have any trouble getting started, there’s a shortage of transporter drivers and getting worse every year, but it’s a job like no other so the company will have to be convinced its worth the investment of training someone new up and any sensible company will make inquiries into an applicants history, those swapping jobs like their kecks or leaving a trail of destruction or trouble in their wake won’t get in, you can hardly blame them, a single tree branch strike alone might cost £50k if it goes along several roofs on brand new cars.
Bald bloke,
I was assessed and interviewed by Automotive last year for a position at Portbury. I was successful but wanted the advertised 4 on 4 off. Unfortunately this wasn’t actually available so I stayed put.
This turned out to be fortunate for me as, shortly after the above, I was offered 4 on 4 off with whom I work for. This is fridge work out of North Bridgwater (Langdons).
I have thought about having another go with automotive (always fancied transporter work) but decided that , at 53 I’m probably too old. I’ve run the numbers as well and believe I’m on as good money without all the agg Juddian points out.
…dunno if Bridgwater is too far for you but might be worth a chat with Langdons!
Tazbug
It’s not difficult to get a job driving car transporters and they are not that complicated for a driver. Maybe for a fitter but not a driver. I was speaking to a transporter driver the other week and he was telling me it one of the easiest jobs he has had but it was a job he has always wanted to do. It is the same as any other lorry driver job if you take pride in you work and do the job properly you will not go wrong.
I worked for Richard Lawson many years ago but things have changed. Better equipment which makes life much easier.
Maybe not be everybody’s cup of tea in the winter though.
Tazbug:
Bald bloke,I was assessed and interviewed by Automotive last year for a position at Portbury. I was successful but wanted the advertised 4 on 4 off. Unfortunately this wasn’t actually available so I stayed put.
This turned out to be fortunate for me as, shortly after the above, I was offered 4 on 4 off with whom I work for. This is fridge work out of North Bridgwater (Langdons).
I have thought about having another go with automotive (always fancied transporter work) but decided that , at 53 I’m probably too old. I’ve run the numbers as well and believe I’m on as good money without all the agg Juddian points out.…dunno if Bridgwater is too far for you but might be worth a chat with Langdons!
Tazbug
And you’re right, per hour worked i’m better paid now that i was on the cars, not top line obviously cos i now work about 25 hours a week less and fewer weeks of the year under my shift pattern on a doddle of a job…i think this is why the transporter companies are struggling, one of the big names has recently upped the earnings considerably with anew shift pattern, they’ve poached experienced drivers obviously to fill new vacancies, the others are going to have to up their game cos there isn’t enough young blood interested at present.
I got out at 54/55 after 20 years, it’s taken a serious toll on the body, joints especially.
You’re doing the right thing, we should be slowing up in our 50’s not the other way round.
Albion…the lorries now are an awful lot different to those you drove on Lawsons, (and the cars you carry are bigger and heavier and no underbody tying down any more) last one i drove had i think 19 levers and 16 air locks, and the combinations and clearances involved made the job seriously intricate.
I first transferred onto the latest designs in 2005 when i got a new TE Plus 11, previously had a mk4 Lohr 10 car cake stand carrier (which i wanted to keep), previous to that a Hoyner 11 car, 3 deck Hoyner/TE artic, Charles Roberts W&D etc etc, even after many years on various more simple designs the 11 plus was a whole new ball game to learn and (probably i’m thick) took me around 2 years before i felt really at home with it and all its almost unlimited number of combinations, other long serving blokes i worked with were still drawing diagrams to help them work out what to put where after longer than 2 years.
Quite how new drivers cope being slung straight into a TE Plus 11 or EHR 11 car carrier with no previous experience i don’t know, talk about a baptism of fire, its not just fitting them on, its drop order, and something which too mnay experinced drivers can’t understand, getting the weights right to avoid the serious problem of the tail wagging the dog.
Don’t anyone run away with the idea this job is simple, or easy, it’s as far from either as you can find now and no matter how long you do the job you’re still learning.
Tazbug:
Bald bloke,I was assessed and interviewed by Automotive last year for a position at Portbury. I was successful but wanted the advertised 4 on 4 off. Unfortunately this wasn’t actually available so I stayed put.
This turned out to be fortunate for me as, shortly after the above, I was offered 4 on 4 off with whom I work for. This is fridge work out of North Bridgwater (Langdons).
I have thought about having another go with automotive (always fancied transporter work) but decided that , at 53 I’m probably too old. I’ve run the numbers as well and believe I’m on as good money without all the agg Juddian points out.…dunno if Bridgwater is too far for you but might be worth a chat with Langdons!
Tazbug
I’m having second thoughts about it as I’m rapidly approaching 50 and have a good job doing mainly fridge work and not sure if I want to start again learning something new, as I type this sat in a 64 plate Actros next to me is a tatty looking low cab 55 plate Stobart Automotive wagon which maybe might have my name on on it !!
Bridgewater isn’t too far if doing 4 on 4 off nights out, which one you based at as we go to Gerber all the time.?
previously had a mk4 Lohr 10 car cake stand carrier (which i wanted to keep),<<
I loved mine from my Toleman days. Lovely design and nice and easy to load once you decided what to put where.
mikeshe:
previously had a mk4 Lohr 10 car cake stand carrier (which i wanted to keep),<<
I loved mine from my Toleman days. Lovely design and nice and easy to load once you decided what to put where.
Agreed, get rid of a couple of motors and you were down to 14’ or so, no tail wagging the dog, go anywhere in the snow, and that long wheelbase prime mover gave you coach like ride quality…i had the two position cake stand so could get a mid sized van behind it on the slider, very handy…ok it was about 75ft long like that but no one cared…
bald bloke:
Tazbug:
Bald bloke,I was assessed and interviewed by Automotive last year for a position at Portbury. I was successful but wanted the advertised 4 on 4 off. Unfortunately this wasn’t actually available so I stayed put.
This turned out to be fortunate for me as, shortly after the above, I was offered 4 on 4 off with whom I work for. This is fridge work out of North Bridgwater (Langdons).
I have thought about having another go with automotive (always fancied transporter work) but decided that , at 53 I’m probably too old. I’ve run the numbers as well and believe I’m on as good money without all the agg Juddian points out.…dunno if Bridgwater is too far for you but might be worth a chat with Langdons!
Tazbug
I’m having second thoughts about it as I’m rapidly approaching 50 and have a good job doing mainly fridge work and not sure if I want to start again learning something new, as I type this sat in a 64 plate Actros next to me is a tatty looking low cab 55 plate Stobart Automotive wagon which maybe might have my name on on it !!
Bridgewater isn’t too far if doing 4 on 4 off nights out, which one you based at as we go to Gerber all the time.?
I’m at Express park, see quite a few of you guys (and gals) in there. Must admit I took on board Juddian’s advice when I stepped away from the desire to work transporters…too old to learn new and complicated tricks 
Tazbug
Transporters look a right headache these days. More and more for no extra money now. I’d only ever consider doing it for fords, and I’ve got more chance of the Pope blessing my ring piece than getting on there
So realistically how long does it take to get up to speed with the loading etc ?
bald bloke:
So realistically how long does it take to get up to speed with the loading etc ?
To get to your own personal best, anything up to several years and you never stop learning, everyone’s different some take to it like a duck to water, some find it difficult, as i mentioned before it doesn’t help that the modern full sized transporters are so bloody complicated, it was better when they were a bit simpler so you could get your head round the job before getting a seriously intricate lorry with almost countless permutations, they’re bad enough to learn when you’ve done years on previous designs.
I know Stobart bought those 6/7 car artic trailers without a peak which can be used behind a standard tractor when they bought out Autologic, they are simpler but the fewer vehicles carried would unless averaged seriously affect earnings, how the lads on those get paid i don’t know.
Assuming one went onto the full sized carriers you should start to feel confident after about 6 months, there would be times when you get simple loads when it all comes together and you’ll get loading down to roughly an hour.
Other times you can be scratching your head with a mixed load for 3 hours, remember there are three sites at Portbury, well 4 if you count Toyota, and you could be picking up cars from each site then have to drop them down again in order to load them in some sort of drop order…that’s if they’ll fit on in drop order for you.
Remember the drop out rate is, or was, horrendous up to about 12 months, it’s not a job for everyone and that’s no bad reflection on those who can’t get their heads round it, its just how it is, the winters even a standard wet windy day are horrible, you get filthy wet and cold daily.
Not trying to put you off, you asked and this is my honest opinion but remember i’ve been out a good 5 years now.
It worked for me, i earned well, we didn’t ■■■■ it up the wall mind and it set us up, but it does take its toll on your body and its not something to do in your dotage.
If you’re young enough and have the right mindset it can be an interesting and well earning path to take, the driver shortage is only going to get worse and the cars have to be shifted, so the pay is going to have to go up to attract the best, those presently doing it arn’t getting any younger and you can’t put chimps or steering wheel attendants in a transporter (many have tried to do it cheap before), it simply doesn’t work out for either the driver or the company, the vehicles and the load are too intricate and the load delicate and expensive.
Juddian:
this is my honest opinion
Thankyou for taking the time to reply, I’ll phone them later to ask a few questions.
Ok here is my penny’s worth.
I have just left them. NOT because they are rubbish or the pay is bad but for personal reasons I would go back tomorrow if circumstances change
The training is good, I was trained on a EHR then a +11.
When you used to reversing a driving the cars up the decks the fun begins. They are a ball ache to start with. Took me a good three months on a 4 on 4 off to get loading down to about 1-2 hrs depending if it was a mixed load which most are or say all fiat 500’s
It is a challenge it is not for everyone. The money is potentially good. The semis that J above mentioned are a doddle to load in compared to the plus 11’s you can still earn not bad money on them (A friend who I know is on a semi) but they have not got them on 4 on 4 off at portbury.
Transport drivers though like to be finished lunch time ish on fri though so only really 4 and a half days 
Loading when it is ■■■■■■■ down with rain a blowing a gale is no fun mind.
In a nut shell I loved it but had to leave at the moment.
Yes I would go back.
It is BLOODY hard work you can earn good money but you work for it.
Try it what have you got to lose.
As for how long to learn to load. Being there only 5 months I quickly learnt you will never stop learning.
99% of the drivers in the whole industry are as good as gold. If you are unsure or stuck just ask they are more than willing to point you in the right direction.
Good luck
Apparently they’re not able to take anyone on at the moment as it’s so busy all the assessors and trainers are on the road, how true that is I don’t know.