Hi everyone,
I could do with some advice about my situation, regarding tramping and cab-hopping. I’ve not been in my new job very long, but I can’t help but think that the firm’s policy on cab-hopping is quite questionable.
Naturally, I assumed that being a tramper, doing four nights-out per week, I would of course get my own truck. The drivers in the tanker and general haulage divisions in my firm all get their own trucks, whether they be day men or trampers, so I presumed I would be on the list for one. I’m on fridges, and I had a few weeks of having a different truck every week, simply thinking I was waiting for one, and then I collared a planner, to ask when I’d get my own truck, and he replied “You don’t get your own truck, it’s just pot luck what you get, different truck every week, it’s just the way the job is”. When I collared the foreman who interviewed me, I informed him that I was enjoying the job, but I’m getting extremely frustrated with all of the cab-hopping, to which he replied; "Ah, it’s just the way this job is I’m afraid. So there it is, every driver in the firm I work for gets their own truck, except if you’re a tramper on the fridges, then you don’t. What? The foreman clearly didn’t give a toss, even though he’s a nice bloke, he was clearly chuffed to get himself another driver and make his job a bit easier.
I think the firm’s fridge division is moving away from using trampers, and wants a 24/7 operation, consisting of just day and night men. The timing is always tight, so when you get back to your base, there is always a night man or agency driver waiting for your truck. Lugging-out all of your gear when someone’s waiting for the truck really isn’t nice.
Two months in, I’m still cab-hopping, getting a different truck every week, and doing 3-4 nights-out per week. I can’t help but feel that it’s really difficult to feel comfortable, and when you’re spending so much time away from home, you deserve somewhere you can call home. Is that too much to ask?
Also, at the start, I was doing four nights-out per week, but as of late they’ve been running me in after two or three days, purely so they can have the truck for a night run. Then, the next day, they give me another truck, and want me to have a night-out in it. They’ve taken on two more night men, without getting more trucks, they’ve started running-in trampers early, so they can get bums on seats in the night-time. So it’s starting to be pretty much two nights-out in truck A, a night at home, and then a night-out in truck B. It’s very frustrating, especially constantly moving your stuff in and out of trucks, often in the middle of the week.
I feel like I’m just a spare part when I’m in a different truck every week, and like I can’t get settled, you can’t put any of your creature comforts in. Well, you could do, but then you only have to strip them all out again at the end of the shift, usually when there’s a night man or agency driver stood waiting for the truck, tapping his watch. Still, I have to sling five days worth of gear into my hatchback, bedding included, setting-up and taking-down camp maybe twice a week.
Does anyone else feel that my firms practice of trampers constantly cab-hopping is out of order, especially doing nights-out in two different trucks per week, or am I being nesh? Is it “just the way it is”? Or is it the worst tramping job ever, and I need to run, Forrest, run very quickly?
Funnily enough, it’s not the red and green firm I work for, I’m an ex-employee of those though. 
). Might be double manning, might not. Might not be out all week, might not be home all week.
cab hopping = glorified valeter! 