Time to move on.

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
41

Cosmic:
To the OP, I find your post slightly confusing. You say you regularly battle with the planner to keep your hours within contract. But you then go on to bemoan the planner’s efforts to trim back the runaway costs of your bonuses and, presumably, overtime. You say the agency driver is paid more but I suspect they are probably just given work that results in longer shifts, at a reduced pay rate to yourself, and for whom the concept of overtime or any bonuses is a distant dream. You also complain about receiving a new truck while the agency drivers get your 2nd hand kit, which you say is ‘better’. Now personally I’ve never been one to keep an eye on the next guy and bleat about things not being fair, nor even to take an interest in what other people are getting, but I do know that if I don’t like my own deal with my employer I can leave anytime.

Ok, I’ll attempt to clarify things for you. Most days I put in about 13 hours, 2 hours rest & 11 hours driving/working. End of play on Thursday I’m usually up to about 42-44 hours, which, as my contract states I’m only paid for 48 hours, should in reality leave me about 4-6 hours work to do on the Friday. In reality my planner usually plans me a 13-15 hour day, meaning most weeks I’m working 2-6 hours extra for little or no pay. If I’ve got a back load then yes, I can earn a few £’s, but it’s only roughly what my hourly rate is, it’s not time & a half. If I’ve no back load then I’m working for free.

Agency drivers at our place are on £10.50 an hour, & they can quite easily do 60 hours every week, my hourly rate is just over £8 an hour, & I’m capped at 48hrs. Our bonus scheme is only paid to the employed drivers, not the agency guys.

As for trimming our bonus payments to save money, I’ve already explained in a previous post, giving the back loads to the agency lads costs 2 or even 3 times more than it would in bonus payments to their own drivers.

I guess I’ve been spoilt in the last 3+ years having a unit designed with tramping in mind, & now I’m expected to move into a little midi cab that’s designed for no more than the odd night out. For the next 5 years I can look forward to getting dressed & undressed on the bunk, move my gear around the cab every night & every morning just so I can drive/sleep etc.

I’m also aware that I can leave any time if I don’t like my job, it’s what I intend to do, that’s why the thread title is ‘Time to move on’. I’m not sure how much clearer I can make it for you, don’t worry though, you’re not the only 1 who’s been confused by the thread title. :unamused:

42

I must be living in a dream world.

7 yrs ago i left the UK to work for a company in the middle east, yes the money was brilliant. No time at home but i knew that when i took the job on, driving US vehicles where i could pack my gear away and live like a tramper in the desert.

I’ve come home and recently got back into driving and to start with it was agency, £90 a shift no matter what you did thats great if your looking at doing minimal hours but that didnt happen. As a tramper you’d look at taking home £420 a week thats with the agency mileage and meal allowance, I took the same home in 1997 as a class 2 driver.

At the time i had no choice but to take the job but i’ve now moved onto a local well known family firm and things are looking up.

To the point i can’t understand why a driver thats employed by a big company is ■■■■■■■■ about the size of truck he’s in. He’s guaranteed a wage every week and a bonus, it’s time some drivers realise what they’ve got!

No big company i ever worked for gave us decent tramping trucks!!

Bite the bullet and take your wages, there is worse jobs out there.

43

Least Pete’s calmed down a bit & is now being civil!

The only point I missed was that you do want to keep the hours down but would also like the reloads to get the bonus, sounds tricky.

44

Thanks for breaking down the pay scheme Betty Swallox, i too would be on the move.

Wincanton i agree does vary from depot to depot, Kwik Save contract was at the time the only Winc contract in the country paid at proper rates.

Basic for 8 hours between 6am and 6pm, time and a half after 8.75 overtime calculated daily not weekly, all breaks paid straight through, time and half (night rate) before 6am and after 6pm incl your basic hours, time and half Sat and double time Sun even when not on overtime, bank hols at double time even when part of your basic week on shift rota.

This pay scheme was the result, AS ALWAYS, of proper negotiations and a fully unionised depot.

45

Betty Swallox:

chester1:
Why wud they not give the agency driver the reloads I’d lay money they get no bonus for doing them it prob balances out the extra money they have to pay them

I’m pretty sure my planner is giving them the back loads to save the company money, but that’s not what happens, picking up a backload & then delivering it probably adds about 3+ hours to their day, at agency rates, & I’m guessing here but, lets say £15 an hour, that’s £45, if they gave that to 1 of us, it would be a lot less, probably between £10-25.

I suppose It depends on weather they are still getting the back loads done within the ten hours agency’s normally want as a minimum as to weather they are saving

46

Try tramping in a “B” SERIES E.R.F mate :unamused: :unamused: :unamused:

47

Hi Betty…OOH AH ( sorry ) anyway, would your TM let you keep the old truck, if no one has approached him, maybe he assumes that everyones happy, As has been said already, sometimes you adapt to a different truck, but at the same time, the money and hours wouldnt suit everyone, £8 per hr, and only paid for 48 hrs, with no weekends, bank holidays, most would have moved ion a long time ago, but each to his own, if the jiob suits, ten thats why we do it. If you have a good look around one of the other trucks, you may find its not so bad, and i do understand how upsetting it is.
As for the agency staff, it was always annoying, when working alongside agency drivers, doing the same work, and them finishing before you, and earning a lot more. At my last firm, although we were salaried, it meant that we were rostered to work weekends, not both days, but one or the other, and not get paid any extra, whereas an agency driver would be on £15 an hour, is maxed out art 15 hrs and would earn more in a day, than most do in a weekend, and an agency weekend, could be more than a driver working all week, but thats the luck of the draw. Dont be in too much of a hurry, a lot of agencies dont have a lot of work after xmas, so if your moving on, find something first, and make sure its permanent. Good Luck

48

truckyboy:
Hi Betty…OOH AH ( sorry ) anyway, would your TM let you keep the old truck, if no one has approached him, maybe he assumes that everyones happy, As has been said already, sometimes you adapt to a different truck, but at the same time, the money and hours wouldnt suit everyone, £8 per hr, and only paid for 48 hrs, with no weekends, bank holidays, most would have moved ion a long time ago, but each to his own, if the jiob suits, ten thats why we do it. If you have a good look around one of the other trucks, you may find its not so bad, and i do understand how upsetting it is.
As for the agency staff, it was always annoying, when working alongside agency drivers, doing the same work, and them finishing before you, and earning a lot more. At my last firm, although we were salaried, it meant that we were rostered to work weekends, not both days, but one or the other, and not get paid any extra, whereas an agency driver would be on £15 an hour, is maxed out art 15 hrs and would earn more in a day, than most do in a weekend, and an agency weekend, could be more than a driver working all week, but thats the luck of the draw. Dont be in too much of a hurry, a lot of agencies dont have a lot of work after xmas, so if your moving on, find something first, and make sure its permanent. Good Luck

I’m still in my old unit, but its going in January.

I’ve been in to see the TM this week & had my say, we all have, he’s said that they’ll be ‘re-evaluating the situation’ in January & looking at getting decent cabs for us trampers, my thinking though is that he’s just telling me what I want to hear. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though, so I’m not going anywhere just yet, & when I do it’ll be to another full time job.

Thanks to everyone for your time & thoughts, positive & negative, it’s been interesting reading & replying to your posts.

49

peter s:
You’re not going to like this reply…BUT dry your [zb] eyes. You’ve probably a second career driver who’s had it too good for too long, over paid and under worked thick as [zb] with good T&C. A waste of [zb] space. No doubt one of the moaner’s who won’t do a second more without a fuss.
Simple… if you don’t like your new [zb] lorry then [zb] off somewhere else. Just get on with YOUR job and never mind what the agency driver is doing.
Could never understand why big logistic’s companies employ the driver’s they do.

Excuse my ignorance but what is a ‘second career driver’? :?

I assume it’s meant to be derogatory.

Blimey, I thought women were bitchy!

50

If you leave then you will probably be doing exactly what the company want you to do. At three and a half years service you have redundancy rights etc; the Agency driver doesn’t, nor do they have to pay for holidays or the days when there isn’t enough work to go round. So unless your crystal ball is is never wrong and that other job is cast iron long term, then bide your time and stop moaning about your inferior new lorry.

There will be many on here who would jump at the chance to do your job even if it was in a clapped out Mandator.

51

The agency drivers get £2.50 per hour more but do they work full time or is it just when needed?