mike68:
It could be the case that some sort of medical emergency caused the crash and I’m sure we all wish the driver well should that be so.
However Tesco have reached the bottom of the barrel in terms of the “drivers” they now employ anyone who has a licence is now employed no questions asked as to previous history you show up pass a rudimentary practical test and an assessment drive and off you go with the usual consequences.
Idiotic phone call to the office include “my microlise has stopped working i don’t know where I am” “I’m not driving that truck my phone charger doesn’t work in it” “I’m not driving that truck as the door opens to far” “I’ve put 20 litres of adblu in the diesel tank will it be ok”
And so on, a gift of endless entertainment.
How do you work in such an environment?!
The key to that would be letting it all wash over you and enjoying a good laugh. I couldn’t put up with it as my tolerance of stupid isn’t high enough.
Quite right, it gets easier over time.
Still annoys me to see brand new kit wrecked and filthy, but thats way above my pay grade.
I once found it funny, that has slowly changed to me viewing it as totally pathetic, and the fault of the company 100% for employing such buffoons.
mike68:
"I ■■■■ up to people in the transport office. They know that I worship them and will do anything they ask.
I and the other brownnosers hang around the office and beg if we can have our favorite runs. If we need an early finish we ask nicely. The other drivers who think we are knobs don’t do this as they have self-respect.
I’ve done this job for 29 years and I have perfected the art of looking up to management and feeling superior to blokes who don’t. Most of the other drivers simply don’t get it - and I can’t understand why I’m still just a driver on the same rate as them. This is the problem with own account transport."
I’ve edited it to give my own twist on what you are saying
mike68:
It could be the case that some sort of medical emergency caused the crash and I’m sure we all wish the driver well should that be so.
However Tesco have reached the bottom of the barrel in terms of the “drivers” they now employ anyone who has a licence is now employed no questions asked as to previous history you show up pass a rudimentary practical test and an assessment drive and off you go with the usual consequences.
Idiotic phone call to the office include “my microlise has stopped working i don’t know where I am” “I’m not driving that truck my phone charger doesn’t work in it” “I’m not driving that truck as the door opens to far” “I’ve put 20 litres of adblu in the diesel tank will it be ok”
And so on, a gift of endless entertainment.
How do you work in such an environment?!
The key to that would be letting it all wash over you and enjoying a good laugh. I couldn’t put up with it as my tolerance of stupid isn’t high enough.
Quite right, it gets easier over time.
Still annoys me to see brand new kit wrecked and filthy, but thats way above my pay grade.
I once found it funny, that has slowly changed to me viewing it as totally pathetic, and the fault of the company 100% for employing such buffoons.
Yup.
And the more muppets they take on the more they try to dumb the job down, modern management one size fits all and lowest common denominator style.
Instead of training up or admitting defeat when it’s obvious they aint going to make the grade, the modern way is to dumb the job ever further down to idiot level…unfortunately all this does is lower the bar another notch or three till the next even worse example gets taken on and we have to lower it further still.
Sadly we’re long past the bottom of the barrel now.
mike68:
It could be the case that some sort of medical emergency caused the crash and I’m sure we all wish the driver well should that be so.
However Tesco have reached the bottom of the barrel in terms of the “drivers” they now employ anyone who has a licence is now employed no questions asked as to previous history you show up pass a rudimentary practical test and an assessment drive and off you go with the usual consequences.
Idiotic phone call to the office include “my microlise has stopped working i don’t know where I am” “I’m not driving that truck my phone charger doesn’t work in it” “I’m not driving that truck as the door opens to far” “I’ve put 20 litres of adblu in the diesel tank will it be ok”
And so on, a gift of endless entertainment.
How do you work in such an environment?!
I have a good relationship with the management, by this we both understand that they look after me and I look after them, a two way street so to speak.
Myself and a small number of other drivers get on with it and get the runs and the hours that we like, the idiots who moan and whinge can’t do this can’t do that just don’t get it, and thats fine by me, quid pro quo.
I have been in the game for 29 years I know whats required, most of the so called drivers I work with I quite honestly wouldn’t employ to push a brush around the yard, sad I know but thats own account transport.
Not just own account mate, my lot are general haul, and they have got their fair share (and part of somebody else’s share) of complete and utter bell ends.
I watched one come in our main depot one day, the gate post was on his off side, clear as day in his mirrors, he caught the front of his curtain, just kept going and slashed it from front to back, until the curtain was virtually in 2 pieces.
He walked into garage without a hint of embarrasment, and said to fitter casually ‘‘I’ve just torn me curtain’’
Ironic thing was he was wearing a T shirt that said ‘‘If Carlsberg made truckers, they would be like me’’ …the first thing I would have removed before getting out of cab.
And as Juddian says, we are all looked upon and treated the same by the top boss, no difference made, as the lowest common denominator of drivers, which I find ■■■■ insulting…
Instead of training up or admitting defeat when it’s obvious they aint going to make the grade, the modern way is to dumb the job ever further down to idiot level…unfortunately all this does is lower the bar another notch or three till the next even worse example gets taken on and we have to lower it further still.
Sadly we’re long past the bottom of the barrel now.
[/quote]
We have training for new starters which is often conducted by the militant tendency, idiots and borderline idiots are now completely lost to the H&S nonsense this usually lasts for a few weeks and common sense prevails or the odd case when the company is lumbered with a text book clown.
The stunt with the fire brigade being called to help a “driver” down from a trailer where the tail lift had failed has yet to be beaten, if it were I would not be surprised one iota.
mike68:
It could be the case that some sort of medical emergency caused the crash and I’m sure we all wish the driver well should that be so.
However Tesco have reached the bottom of the barrel in terms of the “drivers” they now employ anyone who has a licence is now employed no questions asked as to previous history you show up pass a rudimentary practical test and an assessment drive and off you go with the usual consequences.
Idiotic phone call to the office include “my microlise has stopped working i don’t know where I am” “I’m not driving that truck my phone charger doesn’t work in it” “I’m not driving that truck as the door opens to far” “I’ve put 20 litres of adblu in the diesel tank will it be ok”
I have a good relationship with the management, by this we both understand that they look after me and I look after them, a two way street so to speak.
Myself and a small number of other drivers get on with it and get the runs and the hours that we like, the idiots who moan and whinge can’t do this can’t do that just don’t get it, and thats fine by me, quid pro quo.
I have been in the game for 29 years I know whats required, most of the so called drivers I work with I quite honestly wouldn’t employ to push a brush around the yard, sad I know but thats own account transport.
Not just own account mate, my lot are general haul, and they have got their fair share (and part of somebody else’s share) of complete and utter bell ends.
I watched one come in our main depot one day, the gate post was on his off side, clear as day in his mirrors, he caught the front of his curtain, just kept going and slashed it from front to back, until the curtain was virtually in 2 pieces.
He walked into garage without a hint of embarrasment, and said to fitter casually ‘‘I’ve just torn me curtain’’
Ironic thing was he was wearing a T shirt that said ‘‘If Carlsberg made truckers, they would be like me’’ …the first thing I would have removed before getting out of cab.
And as Juddian says, we are all looked upon and treated the same by the top boss, no difference made, as the lowest common denominator of drivers, which I find [zb] insulting…
If I were treated the same as the imbeciles I would have left years ago, fortunately this is not the case.
The senior management make the stupid rules, rules like who was trained to use 15m rear steer trailers anywhere else the drivers experience and damage history would be looked at.
The criteria for “training” was based on the drivers fleetboard score and the plant pots went on a wrecking spree.
It’s not just Tesco that has it’s quota of idiots - it’s most places. I said most, not all.
I like to think I’m viewed positively by employers (past and present) because mostly I get left alone to manage myself. But I do nothing special, I just do the job like a normal person. The worrying thing is that in itself is viewed as me “Going beyond” when as I say to me I’m just being normal and using, wait for it… common sense!
toonsy:
It’s not just Tesco that has it’s quota of idiots - it’s most places. I said most, not all.
I like to think I’m viewed positively by employers (past and present) because mostly I get left alone to manage myself. But I do nothing special, I just do the job like a normal person. The worrying thing is that in itself is viewed as me “Going beyond” when as I say to me I’m just being normal and using, wait for it… common sense!
Sadly you are an increasing minority in transport particularly own account work.
The good news is most employers know the wheat from the chaff.
toonsy:
It’s not just Tesco that has it’s quota of idiots - it’s most places. I said most, not all.
I like to think I’m viewed positively by employers (past and present) because mostly I get left alone to manage myself. But I do nothing special, I just do the job like a normal person. The worrying thing is that in itself is viewed as me “Going beyond” when as I say to me I’m just being normal and using, wait for it… common sense!
Sadly you are an increasing minority in transport particularly own account work.
The good news is most employers know the wheat from the chaff.
Yes they do know who’s who, but it doesn’t stop the good people getting increasingly ■■■■■■ off with having to sign memos etc to do what they’ve already been doing for years, and having to drive around in vehicles damaged by the fools.
As most of us know, the good drivers take a pride in their work and look after their tackle. Only to return to work to see what the twonks have done since they were last on shift is demoralising.
The latest catch all (now that micro managing microlise type gizmos have proved the sum total of bugger all use in the real world) being driver facing cameras, justified because they’ve employed half wits who can’t do a month without some catastrophe, no amount of driver facing lenses will make a scrap of difference to a half wits total incompetence nor curb the damage they wreak, all the camera will do is catch the dull expression at the moment the latest carnage occurs.
mike68:
The stunt with the fire brigade being called to help a “driver” down from a trailer where the tail lift had failed has yet to be beaten, if it were I would not be surprised one iota.
toonsy:
It’s not just Tesco that has it’s quota of idiots - it’s most places. I said most, not all.
I like to think I’m viewed positively by employers (past and present) because mostly I get left alone to manage myself. But I do nothing special, I just do the job like a normal person. The worrying thing is that in itself is viewed as me “Going beyond” when as I say to me I’m just being normal and using, wait for it… common sense!
mike68:
Idiotic phone call to the office include “my microlise has stopped working i don’t know where I am” “I’m not driving that truck my phone charger doesn’t work in it” “I’m not driving that truck as the door opens to far” “I’ve put 20 litres of adblu in the diesel tank will it be ok”
I take those and raise you:
“I can’t come to work today because my sat-nav is broken.”
“I’ve had the diff lock on all day and now it won’t go any further. Can you get someone out to me?”
“I didn’t realise you had to raise the suspension” after reversing up a kerb, trapping the mud flaps and pulling the wings off both side of the drive axle.
“I didn’t know you had to strap the load” after it has been shot all over the trailer.
toonsy:
It’s not just Tesco that has it’s quota of idiots - it’s most places. I said most, not all.
I like to think I’m viewed positively by employers (past and present) because mostly I get left alone to manage myself. But I do nothing special, I just do the job like a normal person. The worrying thing is that in itself is viewed as me “Going beyond” when as I say to me I’m just being normal and using, wait for it… common sense!
Sadly you are an increasing minority in transport particularly own account work.
The good news is most employers know the wheat from the chaff.
Yes they do know who’s who, but it doesn’t stop the good people getting increasingly ■■■■■■ off with having to sign memos etc to do what they’ve already been doing for years, and having to drive around in vehicles damaged by the fools.
As most of us know, the good drivers take a pride in their work and look after their tackle. Only to return to work to see what the twonks have done since they were last on shift is demoralising.
The latest catch all (now that micro managing microlise type gizmos have proved the sum total of bugger all use in the real world) being driver facing cameras, justified because they’ve employed half wits who can’t do a month without some catastrophe, no amount of driver facing lenses will make a scrap of difference to a half wits total incompetence nor curb the damage they wreak, all the camera will do is catch the dull expression at the moment the latest carnage occurs.
At my last place we had this software that logged everything you did to the minute, including what tacho mode you were on. When you would rev the truck above 1300 RPM it would flash up overrev. This happened regardless of what you were actually doing as the system couldn’t recognize an actual overrev vs using the exhaust brake. The best I’ve done was get the system on board to reset itself 3 times on the same hill on the M62 because I left it exhaust braking. I was lucky that I didn’t get collared for it before I left because a few on that office were obsessed with your driver “score” over anything else.
The system didn’t scale well for the difference in weight either, a certain set of drivers would get all the easy light stuff so of course they’d be at the top with the good scores vs people like me who were given the inner-city multi-drop work with heavy trailers. And thats before we get to the planning, get this. Take a fully loaded fridge, drive from Immingham to Buxton for one pallet, drive from there to Skellmersdale for 1 pallet. From there to Mansfield for 2 pallets, overnight at Newark then drop into Grantham for 1 pallet then from there take the last 20 to Milton Keynes! So of course my score went down, all the exhaust braking and high revs needed to get up the hills.
But this is the kicker, the driver trainer actually told one driver that its fine to lug a diesel engine. That rumble you feel when you’re in too low of a gear is the torque!
^^^ s’funny Radar, but you don’t get this completely pointless electronic ■■■■■■■■ on smaller companies…until that smaller company gets to a certain size when all of sudden the number of admin and layers of management increase dramatically, and mushroom sideways once the electronics (that no one needed before ) get bought in, arn’t they sold on the premise of efficiency
One place i worked on the cars, one diamond geezer and his assistant ran all 60 or so transporters perfectly well via the T card system on the wall.
Later on as computers took over, and especially once they got that BS5750 (bs is about right ), they suddenly needed a whole bloody open plan officeful of the sods to run just a few more, and it never did run as well as when the two were doing it the old way.
one size fits all and lowest common denominator style.
), they suddenly needed a whole bloody open plan officeful of the sods to run just a few more, and it never did run as well as when the two were doing it the old way.