Got talking to a driver today who I used to work with on agency to Salvesen’s a while back.
He was telling me that he knows a bloke who runs a legit’ container company in London somehere who’s after class 1 drivers for tramping work. He reckons that he’s already got drivers who live in Derby, Telford and Swansea respectively that work for him. Thought it didn’t add up until he said that they take the unit home and park them up either on their own property or in a local company yard for a fiver a week etc.
The trailers are taken care of by either being parked up at the load/unload address for Monday morning (which he ensures is within a sensible distance of the drivers locale) or in a local company yard.
Can’t get drivers in London for the work so is looking elsewhere. Top of the range new shape Actri’ on offer and top money to go with it.
Sounds tempting…
Do any of you London boys and girls know of any small hauliers (preferably) that are crying out for drivers (only on tramping work) from anywhere they can get them with the view that the wagon is based somewhere close to home? I’d be interested to hear.
Not sure the Ministry will turn a blind eye to this!!
Conditions of his O’Licence is the truck must be parked up in the operating centre! I am sure we have all parked outside our houses on occasions. But every weekend?
A friend of mine also employs drivers from around the country as when he finds a good driver that gets the job done he pulls out the stops to keep them whatever it takes, he has drivers from newcastle and ■■■■■■■ etc and as they are out all week anyway they stay in the truck or digs and bring them back at the week end then he lends them a car to go home and back, he thinks this is no price to pay for good staff.
abs1:
A friend of mine also employs drivers from around the country as when he finds a good driver that gets the job done he pulls out the stops to keep them whatever it takes, he has drivers from newcastle and ■■■■■■■ etc and as they are out all week anyway they stay in the truck or digs and bring them back at the week end then he lends them a car to go home and back, he thinks this is no price to pay for good staff.
This is what I want to hear. Anyone know of a job like this, can you give us the details. That’s what I’m after.
There is a driver who lives in the same street as me who drives a dutch registered DAF XF which is usually parked up at weekends in the street. One night last week I noted the truck and trailer parked in an adjacent street outside 5 houses. It doesn’t seem too out of place with all the white vans, the builders truck and the minibus, not to mention all the cars.
I can remember my mate saying that his dad drove a Bedford in the 60’s for a company based in Dundee, my mate and his dad lived in Kent! So this isn’t new.
Rob, there are loads of firms in the south-east (and the midlands too) who do this. Agencies even rent houses, and so provide accommodation for drivers, who will come down from as far as Scotland for two or three weeks at a tiime. Firms simply cannot get drivers- if I spent an hour on the phone I would get twenty job offers, start tomorrow.
Legally, the tractor unit has to be “kept” at the operating centre. Of course, it will invariably be away sometimes, but if it spent every weekend away in a distant town, this might cause problems if anyone complained. So be discreet if you do this.
It can be done legitimately though- A London firm can send a Yorkshireman to Yorkshire on a friday afternoon, for a tip on monday morning perfectly legally. The fact that the driver went home in between would be neither here nor there.
Hmm, must be doing something wrong then. Probably 6 months back I belled up a big agency down south (the name ADR rings a bell?) who were offering accomo BUT you had to share with like, 4 other guys or something (ie. shared house) AND pay for that out of your own moolah. The money they were offering on trolley work wasn’t exciting either. Best they could do (Northampton, Rugby, Swindon etc) was £9/hr on days. Sorry, but they’re gonna have to try better than that, ie. try doubling it and we might have a deal. What they don’t seem to realise is that this moolah you’ve got to pay for you digs down there is obviously additional to your mortgage and bill payments for your own gaff, so therefore I don’t figure out how they reckon you’re better off
Anyway, that idea swifty went out t’window and I’m after my own motor anyway. Ideally would like to go back on boxes as I nicely got used to having 4hrs extra kip through the day . Obviously not getting local London rags up here it’s a bit difficult searching out the places that are looking for this kinda driver and as usual, the jobcentre and fish4 websites are of limited use, rarely giving company details (other than agencies zzzzzz) nor the type of work. Tricky.
There’s clearly driver demand from other less-paying areas, and Dafmad had shown big interest back up the thread and me too. I’m sure that this is probably something like what Newton Aycliffe Terry is after too
Dafmad; I’ve been doing tramping work for years working out of Dover. I guarantee if you go down to Dover and visit local firms you’ll be out the same day as long as you don’t mind doing Europe. Last year when I went back my regular haulier had gone bust. Three calls to other local companies and I was off the next day to Italy; new Scania, good firm, on the books, totally legal, take home at least 400 a week after costs. You work as much as you like, they bend over backwards to keep you happy, within reason.
And I know for a fact there are lots of good Dutch firms do the same thing.
European hauliers love good Brit drivers as we do what we’re told and don’t talk back. I don’t do UK work as the food is awful and you don’t get the respect.
PeteLeTroquaire:
Dafmad; I’ve been doing tramping work for years working out of Dover. I guarantee if you go down to Dover and visit local firms you’ll be out the same day as long as you don’t mind doing Europe. Last year when I went back my regular haulier had gone bust. Three calls to other local companies and I was off the next day to Italy; new Scania, good firm, on the books, totally legal, take home at least 400 a week after costs. You work as much as you like, they bend over backwards to keep you happy, within reason.
And I know for a fact there are lots of good Dutch firms do the same thing.
European hauliers love good Brit drivers as we do what we’re told and don’t talk back. I don’t do UK work as the food is awful and you don’t get the respect.
Thanks PeteLeTroquaire, could you PM me some UK and Dutch company names and rough locations PLEASE. I can then go from there. Dover is about 5 to 6 hours drive from me by car, one way.
DAFMAD:
Thanks PeteLeTroquaire, could you PM me some UK and Dutch company names and rough locations PLEASE. I can then go from there. Dover is about 5 to 6 hours drive from me by car, one way.
You could try Sealane, Mike Beer, European were advertising recently, or have a look around Husks at Lydden on the A2. Theres a place at the top of Detling Hill with a “Drivers wanted” board outside.
i think sealane are pretty desperate as they have a new friendlier advert in the mags for subbies! (its starting to tempt me, someone talk me out of it)
I have never worked for Sealane, but they are a local firm and I have never heard anything “iffy” about them. I spoke to one of their drivers on the boat a couple of weeks ago and he reckoned they were good to work for. He said he took home about £420 a week with his night-out money, which is about average. He said he didn`t work very hard.
I live about 20 miles from Dover and about 4 miles from Ramsgate and as Pete says, there is no problem at all in finding work here.
Vince:
You could try Sealane, Mike Beer, European were advertising recently, or have a look around Husks at Lydden on the A2. Theres a place at the top of Detling Hill with a “Drivers wanted” board outside.
I`ll ask my boss if he knows anyone later too.
Vince
Cheers Vince, I get the impression Sealane is a bit ISH!!! then?
Any body know of any more possibles? What about Dutch and Belgium firms?
Cheers DAFMAD.
Got the full “subbie” package from Sealane in the post last week.Looks alright.They require 40/44t tractors,no top stack exhaust,cmr insurance,secure parking for w/ends and various other items lenses t-bar etc.Rates are 90ppm (autoroute) loaded or empty,nearly new c/side trailer,average earnings of pds 1750-1800/wk,30 days eom payments.Two trips/wk to BEL,Holl,NE Fran and GERM,consisting or 2/3 delivers and 1 full load collection and rarely do you have multi drops.You are rarely weekended and they try to get you finished on a Fri/Sat morning as close to home as possible.
Thecritic:
Not sure the Ministry will turn a blind eye to this!!
Conditions of his O’Licence is the truck must be parked up in the operating centre! I am sure we have all parked outside our houses on occasions. But every weekend?
LOL, they’d have had a hard time fitting all the trucks registering BartonSt Lorry Park in Hull as an operating centre in the place. They’d be queuing up for miles down the A63.
. Obviously not getting local London rags up here it’s a bit difficult searching out the places that are looking for this kinda driver and as usual, the jobcentre and fish4 websites are of limited use, rarely giving company details (other than agencies zzzzzz) nor the type of work. Tricky.