I pay nearly a pound more than my nearest competitor and in addition he doesn’t pay overtime Mon - friday, I do.
My earnings this year will be less than my top earning drivers. I drive a second hand van, no car. The difference between the drivers and me is that their houses aren’t up against a lease agreement, they don’t have the responsibility that goes with employing 20+ people ( and softie that I am, I do worry about their jobs and if they are out late at night - some of them have been here decades).
We had a good year last year and that reflected in the end of year bonus, but there have been years when there’s been a loss and it’s down to me to cut my wages and turn the situation around.
Small hauliers are often in the same boat, we don’t make a fortune at all. And if we do make a profit, it isn’t ours, it needs to be invested in new kit.
It’s down to the bean counters in the big firms that calculate how much they can get away with paying the drivers and screw every penny down. It’s not only had a bad effect on rates, it’s taken the soul out of the job.
A small question here for you if i may be so bold, even though i suspect we already know the answer.
You come across as someone who actually cares about their business and their people and appreciate how important good staff (with old fashioned values) are and do your best to treat them with some respect as well as pay them decently, and if you treat them right at least most of them (if they have an ounce of sense, not guaranteed by any means) do their best in return.
My question is this, do all your staff reciprocate, do their best in all ways and take care of that expensive equipment?
I ask because i work for a much larger family firm with a similar ethos, there are of course many people who appreciate their jobs and do their utmost best, unfortunately there are enough of the other sort who don’t share that view, some incompetents, the regular sickie arses and some just don’t give a f***, the latter sorts especially disappoint and anger those of us (we fortunately have a good percentage of old school of all ages) who try and do the right thing.
Juddian:
My question is this, do all your staff reciprocate, do their best in all ways and take care of that expensive equipment?
.
Yes, in short.
We’ve got one pain, and he drives the other drivers nuts.
There’s no two ways about it, our job is irregular, shift pattern - you’re having a giraffe! Some weeks are easy, some weeks see you fitting in with night time sailing schedules that dictate the rest of the run. Reading your earlier posts, I suspect you would find the work interesting but it wouldn’t fit in with your wish for a more structured lifestyle, which seems a reasonable enough way to want to live.
So yes, they ‘look after’ me, which means looking after the trucks, looking after the customers ( the majority of which are nice to deal with, no RDC little Hitlers ).
Seems that small hauliers feel some right to profit , just because they lucky enough to be able to raise debt against some asset. Almost as if industry owes them a living .
In fact they are the people most responsible for failing to negotiate better rates and run the industry responsibly .
As they offer no intellectual services , productivity improvements or new export markets for their services …
boredwivdrivin:
Seems that small hauliers feel some right to profit , just because they lucky enough to be able to raise debt against some asset. Almost as if industry owes them a living .
In fact they are the people most responsible for failing to negotiate better rates and run the industry responsibly .
As they offer no intellectual services , productivity improvements or new export markets for their services …
They can only ever compete by trimming rates…
Or wages .
no one owes me a living, that’s why I have worked for myself. The point is with putting your house up, is to point out a risk, one that I have chosen to take.
You probably missed my post where I declined to bid for a tender on the grounds of a reverse auction, as I don’t think they serve the supplier, the suppliers’ employees or the manufacturer well. My own rates have been negotiated and the fact that my drivers stay for so long suggests that they are happy with their employment terms.
I might not have provided any innovative changes, but I’ve no desire to be a trailblazer, only a desire to run a steady firm. I don’t feel any obligation to do anything more.
I’ve not trimmed rates. Like I said I pay nearly a pound more than my nearest competitor, so not much trimming of wages either.
Disappointingly for you, as there are moronic drivers and smart drivers, there are good and bad small hauliers and every variation in between.
boredwivdrivin:
this analysis of increase rates to then increase wages is all arse about face !
first we need to realise that haulage is in the service sector .
there is no intrinsic value to English economy of any individual haulier even existing . they have no intellectual property , no design or manufacturing capability , no patents , no exports and no ability to grow economy .
they are a service plain and simple .
the basic rule of capitalism is supply and demand . the oversupply of service providers means that when supply is high causes demand to be low .
the customers create the wealth and need transport services . if 1 transport supplier is removed the demand for its services increases , the customers are not going to shut up shop just because there are less service providers : they just have to pay more .
therefore having a tear in the eye for the suffering of a transport company is misplaced . it is in drivers interests to put as much pressure as possible on their employers . if their employer goes bust so be it . the demand for drivers is unchanged , but with 1 less transport supplier the remaining suppliers are strengthened .
so dont feel sorry for your boss : stick the boot in instead .
I don’t think it is as clear cut as that; If a good haulier who has always been reasonable to work for, who has always kept good roadworthy trucks is being pushed under by some corner cutting outfit then sympathy could be well placed. I know it may sound illogical but tighter rules and better enforcement would lead to a more professional industry, and I suspect a more professional industry would be far better to work within.
wing-nut:
The directors seem to be doing ok, £733k between 6 of them
there is also the £1.5m in dividends paid. If it is not a plc and the directors are the share holders …
but how well the directors are remunerated should be of no concern, 1100 staff! if they pay decent wages, are good to work for and have a good safety record then good luck to them
Genuine question - where would you tighten the rules?
I honestly think the days of a bent UK haulier dragging rates down aggressively are gone due to the simple fact - there aren’t that many “bent for profit” firms. Not denying the “bent due to stupidity” ones still exist.
It is unquestionable that foreign haulage firms have at least caused a freeze if not a drop in rates over the past decade or so, much as I’m led to believe UK hauliers did in the past in Europe.
Is there a method of legislating rates that is feasible?
One thing that definitely needs enforcing if not strengthening, is cabotage and any proposed lifting of cabotage needs to be scrapped as that will be IMHO the final nail for a lot of hauliers, not just UK but Euro wide.
Genuine question - where would you tighten the rules?
I honestly think the days of a bent UK haulier dragging rates down aggressively are gone due to the simple fact - there aren’t that many “bent for profit” firms. Not denying the “bent due to stupidity” ones still exist.
It is unquestionable that foreign haulage firms have at least caused a freeze if not a drop in rates over the past decade or so, much as I’m led to believe UK hauliers did in the past in Europe.
Is there a method of legislating rates that is feasible?
One thing that definitely needs enforcing if not strengthening, is cabotage and any proposed lifting of cabotage needs to be scrapped as that will be IMHO the final nail for a lot of hauliers, not just UK but Euro wide.
I agree entirely with the point made by the OP. We can get into an arguement about why, but the fact is that most haulage work is being done for peanut rates and thus drivers are only getting paid what many firms can afford.
Just look at the jobs out there paying decent rates, it’s generally either at firms doing specialist contracts or places where the work is in house & the trucks aren’t there for profit.
The likes of Stobarts make all their money through collecting peanuts in vast volumes.
Juddian:
My question is this, do all your staff reciprocate, do their best in all ways and take care of that expensive equipment?
.
Yes, in short.
We’ve got one pain, and he drives the other drivers nuts.
There’s no two ways about it, our job is irregular, shift pattern - you’re having a giraffe! Some weeks are easy, some weeks see you fitting in with night time sailing schedules that dictate the rest of the run. Reading your earlier posts, I suspect you would find the work interesting but it wouldn’t fit in with your wish for a more structured lifestyle, which seems a reasonable enough way to want to live.
So yes, they ‘look after’ me, which means looking after the trucks, looking after the customers ( the majority of which are nice to deal with, no RDC little Hitlers ).
Thanks Albion, i expected you’d have less percentage of AH’s/PITA due to you having your own finger on the pulse, suspect you hire and fire too.
Amen to lack of RDC visits, my deliveries are entirely straight to food factories, where the overwhelming attitude is positive and waiting to discharge is extremely rare.
Yes my job does have a shift pattern, it has to for max utilisation of vehicles and food factories in our sector only shut down Christmas Day, TBH it suits me down to the ground, our package reflects generously the premium days on shift.
Just got off phone with my boss, i’ve had to nobble a quick days hol next week to be with SWMBO for something at hospital, could not have been more accommodating and without a moments hesitation, doing the right thing is a two way street.
boredwivdrivin:
Seems that small hauliers feel some right to profit , just because they lucky enough to be able to raise debt against some asset. Almost as if industry owes them a living .
In fact they are the people most responsible for failing to negotiate better rates and run the industry responsibly .
As they offer no intellectual services , productivity improvements or new export markets for their services …
They can only ever compete by trimming rates…
Or wages .
The only way to take wages out of the competitive process is strong unions setting a proper minimum wage structure and protectionist trade policies.
How can an industry,in which productivety is measured in tonne/miles carried, increase that productivety,in a legislative environment which at best limits that productivety or at worse is intent on reducing it.
Which leaves the question,as to how is your idea to reduce capacity and therefore demand for drivers,to a level which makes the industry profitable, good for drivers.Bearing in mind that most of the problems,of poor profitability, can be attributed to unfair crippling industry specific taxation and legislation which artificially limits its productivety.
Some weeks are easy, some weeks see you fitting in with night time sailing schedules that dictate the rest of the run. Reading your earlier posts, I suspect you would find the work interesting but it wouldn’t fit in with your wish for a more structured lifestyle, which seems a reasonable enough way to want to live.