Was coming down the M6 out of brum today, and saw Eddie Stobart car transporter. Trailer all liveried up too. They must be moving into this now. Just mentioning not moaning about them
They bought autologic out recently, think they look quite smart in stobart colours personally.
see one most days on M25, was fueling at reading last week and one came in beside me there, but i must admit they do look nice in their colours too 
…Bye bye reasonable wages for transporter drivers…
good money went a while ago…
■■■■ them anyway
had to google the stobart truck, much better looking than any other transporter colours around
Truckulent:
…Bye bye reasonable wages for transporter drivers…
Nope, the good money on cars won’t vanish, if anything it will start to rise again in the next few years IMO.
Going to be an increasing shortage of competent transporter drivers as the old school retire and find other work before retirement age.
Currently the good companies that train new drivers are experiencing ever more drop outs…those who either fail to complete training or jack the job in within weeks/months, despite one particular company guaranteeing new drivers a serious wage to take the pressure off them whilst getting used to the job after training…you’re slow for months after training till you get used to it.
Its costs thousands to train transporter drivers and it takes years to perfect it once trained, they’ll have to keep the money up to keep the drivers, nobody does that job for any other reason than money, its hard filthy work, bloody awful in the winter and you get hurt regularly, not a job for wimps.
Juddian:
Truckulent:
…Bye bye reasonable wages for transporter drivers…Nope, the good money on cars won’t vanish, if anything it will start to rise again in the next few years IMO.
Going to be an increasing shortage of competent transporter drivers as the old school retire and find other work before retirement age.
Currently the good companies that train new drivers are experiencing ever more drop outs…those who either fail to complete training or jack the job in within weeks/months, despite one particular company guaranteeing new drivers a serious wage to take the pressure off them whilst getting used to the job after training…you’re slow for months after training till you get used to it.
Its costs thousands to train transporter drivers and it takes years to perfect it once trained, they’ll have to keep the money up to keep the drivers, nobody does that job for any other reason than money, its hard filthy work, bloody awful in the winter and you get hurt regularly, not a job for wimps.
I hope you’re right.
But some of the above applies in part to a lot of HGV driving. But some of the big firms have still driven down the wages of drivers, Stobbies being just one of many.
I wouldn’t bet against these companies getting transporter drivers working max hours for sub £8.00 hour at some stage.
They managed it on general haulage after all.
no way will they get lads to drive transporters for long on £8 a hour.
im doing it for a irish company and they recon costs 4500euro to get a new guy started to drive a transporter. im only there a short time and the amount of new lads jacking it in within a wk is mad. im only there because it pays me well and spend most of my time in the uk.
they find it hard to get good drivers to stay and no way will they get any if they drop the pay
Truckulent:
Juddian:
Truckulent:
…Bye bye reasonable wages for transporter drivers…Nope, the good money on cars won’t vanish, if anything it will start to rise again in the next few years IMO.
Going to be an increasing shortage of competent transporter drivers as the old school retire and find other work before retirement age.
Currently the good companies that train new drivers are experiencing ever more drop outs…those who either fail to complete training or jack the job in within weeks/months, despite one particular company guaranteeing new drivers a serious wage to take the pressure off them whilst getting used to the job after training…you’re slow for months after training till you get used to it.
Its costs thousands to train transporter drivers and it takes years to perfect it once trained, they’ll have to keep the money up to keep the drivers, nobody does that job for any other reason than money, its hard filthy work, bloody awful in the winter and you get hurt regularly, not a job for wimps.
I hope you’re right.
But some of the above applies in part to a lot of HGV driving. But some of the big firms have still driven down the wages of drivers, Stobbies being just one of many.
I wouldn’t bet against these companies getting transporter drivers working max hours for sub £8.00 hour at some stage.
They managed it on general haulage after all.
Well i hope i’m right… 
IMO not a chance of any competent transporter driver doing it for £8, company’s have tried cheap and cheerful before, they get the type of driver they deserve with the consequences that brings, one particular large carrier that pays crap can’t get drivers (reputation’s crap anyway), they few they get on their new driver joke contract only go there to learn the job then ■■■■ off sharpish for a proper job once up to speed.
Its a skilled job, it takes years of experience if an aptitude in the first place, i used to train a few at one time, very few hopefuls are still doing the job after 12 months, many drop out during or just after training, not everyone can do it and thats no reflection on those that can’t its not for everyone…reckon on maybe 2 out of every 10 trained still there after 12 months.
They managed cost cutting on general haulage because drivers wanted and allowed the job to become so easy that now any bugger can do it, that simply won’t work with the cars because for one its too bloody complicated, secondly the lorries handle like nothing else, put a steering wheel attendant in and it’ll be all over by the end of the day, wrecked load and rolled trucks…one bod i flatly refused to train after just one day on the road (he couldn’t drive a lorry to save his life and this was artic with peak over cab) was trained by someone else, few weeks later he stuffed fully loaded transporter into a low bridge at speed…him out…££££s claim.
Juddian:
Truckulent:
Juddian:
Truckulent:
…Bye bye reasonable wages for transporter drivers…Nope, the good money on cars won’t vanish, if anything it will start to rise again in the next few years IMO.
Going to be an increasing shortage of competent transporter drivers as the old school retire and find other work before retirement age.
Currently the good companies that train new drivers are experiencing ever more drop outs…those who either fail to complete training or jack the job in within weeks/months, despite one particular company guaranteeing new drivers a serious wage to take the pressure off them whilst getting used to the job after training…you’re slow for months after training till you get used to it.
Its costs thousands to train transporter drivers and it takes years to perfect it once trained, they’ll have to keep the money up to keep the drivers, nobody does that job for any other reason than money, its hard filthy work, bloody awful in the winter and you get hurt regularly, not a job for wimps.
I hope you’re right.
But some of the above applies in part to a lot of HGV driving. But some of the big firms have still driven down the wages of drivers, Stobbies being just one of many.
I wouldn’t bet against these companies getting transporter drivers working max hours for sub £8.00 hour at some stage.
They managed it on general haulage after all.
Well i hope i’m right…
IMO not a chance of any competent transporter driver doing it for £8, company’s have tried cheap and cheerful before, they get the type of driver they deserve with the consequences that brings, one particular large carrier that pays crap can’t get drivers (reputation’s crap anyway), they few they get on their new driver joke contract only go there to learn the job then ■■■■ off sharpish for a proper job once up to speed.
Its a skilled job, it takes years of experience if an aptitude in the first place, i used to train a few at one time, very few hopefuls are still doing the job after 12 months, many drop out during or just after training, not everyone can do it and thats no reflection on those that can’t its not for everyone…reckon on maybe 2 out of every 10 trained still there after 12 months.
They managed cost cutting on general haulage because drivers wanted and allowed the job to become so easy that now any bugger can do it, that simply won’t work with the cars because for one its too bloody complicated, secondly the lorries handle like nothing else, put a steering wheel attendant in and it’ll be all over by the end of the day, wrecked load and rolled trucks…one bod i flatly refused to train after just one day on the road (he couldn’t drive a lorry to save his life and this was artic with peak over cab) was trained by someone else, few weeks later he stuffed fully loaded transporter into a low bridge at speed…him out…££££s claim.
Well I agree entirely, but you don’t need people to do it for long - as long as someone is ready to step in their shoes and then someone else then someone else. Perhaps the saving grace will be the load value and difficulty of the drive.
Let’s hope so…
I know you’ll laugh,but “the fast one” will just use “skilled” Agency drivers to prove a point,the it will be the same hourly rate as their main fleet,simples,don’t under estimate “the fast one”,No probs if they screw up,they’ll just walk away,another job ruined !!
Bewick:
I know you’ll laugh,but “the fast one” will just use “skilled” Agency drivers to prove a point,the it will be the same hourly rate as their main fleet,simples,don’t under estimate “the fast one”,No probs if they screw up,they’ll just walk away,another job ruined !!
There are a number of agency transporter drivers in the game now, currently paid approx £14 basic and £20 overtime weekdays on the books.