been offered a start with a large local construction firm, I went along for couple days shadowing and driving with experienced driver last week out on a sweeper. Ideally i would rather be on a tipper and the tm told me if be brought in for sweepers but be cross trained and also get to drive tippers, been told by other drivers in the firm if you start on sweepers you never get off them?
Basically looking to know if anyone else has been in particular position not sure if it’s worth leaving my other job for, more hours in new job but alot more money…been advised sweepers can be a really good number
If you have a new licence then any offer is a good offer.The fact that its a big firm means that you would be well placed for a tipper job when one comes up.
not really a new license working for local council on refuse at present but we do shifts cant get my head into back shift which is why im on look out for days
I cannot think of a worse possible job.
Sucking diarrhea with a straw out of a babies nappy perhaps.
Seriously, if you go into tipping, be prepared to be pushed about, be blamed for everything and drive harder to keep up with the pillock who has to do one load more than you.
Welcome to the Hell Drivers club.
Having driven both tippers and sweepers, the sweepers are a much better option.
You run on your own with sweepers, so no keeping up with the bosses man on tippers, or putting your license at risk trying to do so. Tippers end up off road and can easily sink right up to their axles, plus everyone and their cousin will try to overload you given half a chance.
Sweepers cruise along at a few miles a hour, very short wheelbase, so they’ll turn round in their own length and you are your own pacer. Easy money.
I have done tippers with 3 different firms on agency.I never felt pushed to drive like a knob or go out overloaded.There may well be some back street operators still working like the Hell drivers ,but remember its your licence at stake .I would be quite happy to do more tipper work ,its much better than multi drop imo.
Has anyone who spouts the pushed and go flat out on tippers ever driven one?
Most of my hgv life has been on tippers rubbish bulked skips roll ons etc and I’ve never been pushed to tear about like a maniac.
Not a lot of sitting about but never had to drive like a nutter to do the jobs.
kr79:
Has anyone who spouts the pushed and go flat out on tippers ever driven one?
Most of my hgv life has been on tippers rubbish bulked skips roll ons etc and I’ve never been pushed to tear about like a maniac.
Not a lot of sitting about but never had to drive like a nutter to do the jobs.
I have mate.
Two of them on the trot.
Never again.
kr79:
Has anyone who spouts the pushed and go flat out on tippers ever driven one?
Most of my hgv life has been on tippers rubbish bulked skips roll ons etc and I’ve never been pushed to tear about like a maniac.
Not a lot of sitting about but never had to drive like a nutter to do the jobs.
Yep I’ve driven tippers, both on muck shift work, as well as quarry work. Whilst I can’t comment on bulked rubbish tippers, I can speak on other tippers from first hand experience. On the bigger jobs you can have anything from five to fifteen tippers doing the runs and you can guarantee there will always be some low life bosses man rushing around like an idiot, taking risks just to impress some pratt in the office that wants to know why all the other drivers haven’t done ■■ number of loads too.
Then you have the numpties on site when doing muck shifts trying to claim you don’t have full loads. But of course it isn’t them that get the fines, so you end up having dialogue about if they put any more on, you’ll tip the lot off. Used to see it all the time and the same numpties directing you to tip where they know the ground is too soft for lorries, just to save themselves five minutes moving stuff.
I used to like driving tippers, no loading or unloading, home for tea every night, but it aint all sunshine and roses out there. You don’t have to drive very far to see tippers being driven like the drivers ■■■■ is on fire…
Amen to your post Liberty Guy.
It sounds like you have worked for the same firm as me.
Tipping is tipping wherever you go.
One firm pays a percentage and then charges its drivers for damages!
Worked for 2 tipper firms.
There won’t be a third.
kr79:
Has anyone who spouts the pushed and go flat out on tippers ever driven one?
Most of my hgv life has been on tippers rubbish bulked skips roll ons etc and I’ve never been pushed to tear about like a maniac.
Not a lot of sitting about but never had to drive like a nutter to do the jobs.
I have mate.
Two of them on the trot.
Never again.
Problem is/was that the two you worked for do third party work, rather than their own so they’re governed by the fact their customer has already agreed to do it for a silly rate.
Better to do 4 or 5 of your own loads and turn over £450/day than thrash about like a loony for the same money.
Forgot to say that a lot of tear arsing about is because so many firms pay day rates or pay stupid bonuses/share of the earnings etc.
I’m hourly paid and my tacho shows it.
Life gets better, got banned from Hansons Kidlington today. Apparently went over 10mph limit. I didn’t but the knobhead likes to try and stress drivers out by overloading or making them wait why he dosses in the office. It doesn’t work with me as I have a weigher and a large flask.
My boss has to prove I wasn’t speeding (no innocent until proven guilty with these tossers) which he can’t be arsed to argue, he’s going to go elsewhere for material.
So there are still tipper bosses out there who’ll look after their drivers.
Anyway, didn’t argue with Hanson man, I was told not to pick on mentally retarded people.
Well I drove tipper’s for 20 + years in Derbyshire where there were plenty of quarries and coating plant’s, and rarely encountered any of these ‘rip and tip’ characters that folk spout about on here! Latterly I was paid on earnings but you can only do the work you are given and no more, no point thinking about the next load until you get rid of the one you already have on and if it wasn’t enough then that was just hard luck as there was always the next day. I would go back to it tomorrow given the chance, seems to me that a lot of folk posting on here believe all the crap told about the job but have never actually done it themselves?
windrush:
Well I drove tipper’s for 20 + years in Derbyshire where there were plenty of quarries and coating plant’s, and rarely encountered any of these ‘rip and tip’ characters that folk spout about on here! Latterly I was paid on earnings but you can only do the work you are given and no more, no point thinking about the next load until you get rid of the one you already have on and if it wasn’t enough then that was just hard luck as there was always the next day. I would go back to it tomorrow given the chance, seems to me that a lot of folk posting on here believe all the crap told about the job but have never actually done it themselves?
Pete.
I have done tipper work, on the agency. And most of the regular drivers were flooring the throttle as soon as they got out of the yard. A nightmare if you are supposed to go out as a team…
as for the episode where three of the knob heads decided to go three abreast down the M4, slowing down and hollering on the CB…
And driving in the West Coundrrry gives you a whole new meaning of ‘close encounter’… most tippers coming round corners on narrow roads at full tilt, often well over the centre of the roads.
of course there are good tipper drivers.
just the right man for trimmer