I was wondering if anyone on here pulls for Tarmac and was wondering whether you still get paid 17tonne min. for 6-wheeler and 20tonne min. for 8-legger?
In the North West region, they’ve given us 4% in Jan. but taken away the other benefits which basically mean it is barely a rise - disgrace for 18months. 
Feel free to PM if you don’t want to broadcast it. 
a mr king wrote in this weeks com motor big companies like tarmac will have to have their own fleets in future he says od,s are untenable ithink he is talking rubbiish
fuse:
a mr king wrote in this weeks com motor big companies like tarmac will have to have their own fleets in future he says od,s are untenable ithink he is talking rubbiish
This is a regular prediction. As you say, a complete load of rubbish.
As far as i know the Tarmac and Ennstone quarries local to us [ Herefordshire] still pay what you carry on 6 and 8 wheelers except when they make up to capacity. We work for Hanson and we are paid what we carry too. We had 5% in oct 05 and 2.8% last july and to be honest, and i drive our 6w myself , i am having trouble making ends meet with it. I am doing runs that are taking 50% of the rate in Derv and although the local runs make up for them, some days its mostly the long runs and no locals. We have had a couple of letters saying that if the price of fuel continues at this level they will look at another rise but i’m conviced they are just stalling for time. I phoned the TM before xmas moaning about a rate and all the tssr said was that they had to remain competitive 
pursy:
As far as i know the Tarmac and Ennstone quarries local to us [ Herefordshire] still pay what you carry on 6 and 8 wheelers except when they make up to capacity. We work for Hanson and we are paid what we carry too. We had 5% in oct 05 and 2.8% last july and to be honest, and i drive our 6w myself , i am having trouble making ends meet with it. I am doing runs that are taking 50% of the rate in Derv and although the local runs make up for them, some days its mostly the long runs and no locals. We have had a couple of letters saying that if the price of fuel continues at this level they will look at another rise but i’m conviced they are just stalling for time. I phoned the TM before xmas moaning about a rate and all the tssr said was that they had to remain competitive
Sorry to hear that Pursy. We had a rise of about 3% in Aug 06 and then this current ‘adjustment’ - to call it a rise would be wrong under the trade descriptions act. 
What annoys me is that they are quite happy to bunk up the price of material to their customers and blame it on increased costs of fuel and haulage! 
Have you boys thought of sticking together and trying to force their hand. From what you’ve said it seems like it might be getting to the “sh*t or bust” time? 
When I started in Oct 2004 my diesel was 60ppl ex Vat from Eire and my last price to fill the tanks on 17/12/07 due to increases and the now crap £/Euro exchange rate was 77ppl, thats an increase of approx 28% to me 
Most of the quarry rates in that time haven’t even gone up by 10% 
they really need to catch themselves on or there will be ALOT of cheap tippers on the market. 
I am seriously thinking of pulling the plug at this time the only thing that is holding me back is maybe being unable to find a buyer for the Renault artic and Kel-Berg tipper plus putting my decent/reliable/steady/early rising driver out of a job.
God help anybody who has bought a new tipper this past couple of years I just don’t know how they are even getting a wage out of it never mind trying to make any profit
Just thinking I wonder how “tipperdriver-01” is getting on with the new Hino and is he regretting the big “chunky” payments yet and is he getting his elusive £2500 “profit” per month 
BTW,
The two Tarmac quarries overhere got a 4% rate rise this month too don’t know if it affect the always paid 20t lark or not.
Sad to hear that Big Truck. I think a lot over here will consider pulling the plug. I’m like you, I can’t see for the life of me how these lads make anything when they have such big finance payments to make.
Had a letter from Hanson this morning we are getting a rise this month I had a quick work out and it comes out at about 2% on locals going up to about 3% on 30 radials plus.
As regards the price rises these aggregate companies put on, these might apply to the little guy that has a couple of loads of scalpings a year but do you think for 1 minute the big users are paying that?
My first new 6w in 2000 was £56500 my last 1[ever] in 2006 was just shy of £70k and the only extra on the last over the first was a weigher, then you got to look at tyres a Michelin 11x22.5 is well over £200 now, air filters off Paccar parts for my 4000 Foden in the late 1990s were around £24 now i struggle to get a spurious 1 for an Alpha for £50. I think these aggregate companies will have to buy their own fleets again as most of us with a calculator will work out that we cant keep going on
Parts prices are a joke alright
Had a set of pads put on the trailer around early July at £60/set,had to change them again over holloween with new disc’s too,cost for the pads alone had gone up to £85/set
Out of the four of us artic boys who haul the stone to the boat in the quarry one guy (“contracted”) has a FM440 and SDC trailer both bought new in 2006 who’s currently finding it ALOT tougher than me and the other two,one (“contracted”) has a new FH480 coming this month with a 2007 Kel-Berg.
The other guy is independant like me but has decided to hand back his Leased 2004 460 Man TGA and take on another new “contracted” FH480 in March hitched to a 2006 Dennison.
I have told the three of them they need their heads looked at for taking on new motors
My problem is as the only independant now when the work slows up I’ll be the first out the door to let the other 3 keep the loads up to make the big payments
Big Truck:
I am seriously thinking of pulling the plug at this time.
Rob K:
Big Truck:
I am seriously thinking of pulling the plug at this time.
One thing about you Rob and nobody can deny,your reliable
Despite my “sounding off” on the posts above there is still a bit of profit in my business yet and I would be very pleased to post you over my last business bank statement for your perusal if I can sell the truck/trailer
A couple of things have happened which have made me lose some heart:
Just about two weeks before Xmas work got really slow the first time in over 19 months and I got the dreaded phonecall and the truck was parked up for a week.
The “contracted” guy who’s getting the new FH480 later this month decided to sell his “wrecked” Axor a week before the quarry shut for the holidays so they called us back in to cover for that week and said “work will be really busy for most of January as we’re a truck down”
I was close to giving an undate for the Renault Premium on how it had only needed a four way air valve(warranty) and a set of front pads spending on it for the whole year,considering the harsh work it does in the quarry.
Then on the very last load on the Friday lunchtime before the two week Xmas break I got a phonecall from my driver to say that the diff had gone on the truck at the entrance to Belfast docks with a load on.
Luckily enough the truck still has the full Renault driveline top-up warranty. 
On Xmas eve I was trying to get a new diff from Renault and the quote came back at £5100 and they couldn’t get one until 15th January
I had to get the guy who does my servicing (John Beers commercials,top bloke) to get me a factory recon diff from his supplier on the mainland who he’s used without any probs for 10 years.
Monday 7th January recon diff duly delivered and truck back out earning a crust,Thur 10th another phonecall from driver with a load on and diff had went again
On inspection by JB he thinks its been a faulty factory recon unit,so result is two diffs on pallet back over to mainland to be “looked at” and my truck parked in workshop when quarry has plenty of work on 
To say I’m at my wits end.
To make matters worse the warranty is due for renewal on the 19th Jan for another year at £1906,now this works out at a very respectable £8/day over the whole working year but as I’m “toying” with the idea of selling up I don’t want to spend that kind of money as it can’t be reimbursed from the warranty company.
She will also need a set of drive tyres before the end of the month.
But I maybe am better to run the truck until the start of the “Spring rush” before I try to sell and if I do that I know what will happen around the end of February because I’ve let the warranty lapse
Anybody offer any thoughts
Ride the storm. things cant possibly get worse! can they??
Weather the storm if you can Big Truck and Hammer In the early 90s we went quiet like most of the construction industry and our quarry had a job that was 200 miles round trip and paid £5.50 a tonne thats about £88 for a 6w and some days thats all we did but it did keep us going and i’m still here[dull or what]. If you have been cautious in the past and keep the kit together you are going to last longer than those with the big HP and running to the main dealer all the time to have a bulb changed.My best advice though is to get the wife/partner a good job. 
pursy:
Weather the storm if you can Big Truck and Hammer In the early 90s we went quiet like most of the construction industry and our quarry had a job that was 200 miles round trip and paid £5.50 a tonne thats about £88 for a 6w and some days thats all we did but it did keep us going and i’m still here[dull or what]. If you have been cautious in the past and keep the kit together you are going to last longer than those with the big HP and running to the main dealer all the time to have a bulb changed.My best advice though is to get the wife/partner a good job.
Cheers for the pep talk Pursy- I’ll stick at it, I’m not beaten yet!
The missus has a job…but she can do better. I’ll tell her that - she’ll appreciate it I’m sure!
did the the ltter you rec. at weekend make you feel any better i doubt it. has the coated premium in your local plant (pant?) gone up? it seems a little late to do the decent thing and let us know in writing.
I think the letter has made me feel a bit happier although i know it is no way covering the rise in costs. I was born into this daft way of life and 1 things for sure haulage rates over the past 30+ years have gone down in real terms but we hauliers have always found ways to cut our costs or work harder to keep going and I think this will continue a while longer {10 years will do me].As far as the construction industry is concerned it will probably take a dive this year and work might be quiet but we have had a couple of good years.
pursy:
I think the letter has made me feel a bit happier although i know it is no way covering the rise in costs. I was born into this daft way of life and 1 things for sure haulage rates over the past 30+ years have gone down in real terms but we hauliers have always found ways to cut our costs or work harder to keep going and I think this will continue a while longer {10 years will do me].As far as the construction industry is concerned it will probably take a dive this year and work might be quiet but we have had a couple of good years.
Are you for real or is that a wind-up??
pursy:
As far as the construction industry is concerned it will probably take a dive this year and work might be quiet but we have had a couple of good years.
I bet those people running Tarmac/Hanson/whatever franchises in East London are wetting themselves over the amount of work they’ll have between now and 2012 building all the crap that is being done for the Olympics. I wonder how many will take on a lot more trucks and then suddenly find that have problems once it’s all built though.
Paul
Tarmac duck:
did the the ltter you rec. at weekend make you feel any better i doubt it. has the coated premium in your local plant (pant?) gone up? it seems a little late to do the decent thing and let us know in writing.
I have received nothing from Tarmac at all in writing. The extra from Pant is 34p a tonne Hardly worth bothering with.
We have had a meeting (mainly 6 wheelers), a letter has been written and signatures will be collected as of tomorrow.
We’ll see what happens but we are going to let em’ know that we aren’t happy which is the bare minimum you can do IMO.
if you all feel so strongly you would do well to write as individuals.