Saratoga:
I’ve finally got some Class 1 work, and it’s tramping. The rate is pretty low, it’s a per-day rate and to point out how well I’m being paid for it the Agency added in the night payments to my net wage…
Suffice to say, I’m on about £300 net a week plus the night out money. Looks like I’ve got a red 55 plate Iveco Stralis…
Repeat after me. Experience. Work. Keeps me out of mischief. Stop moaning, it’s work…
Well done getting work and experience. As a guide we get around 105 a day take home for four days 100 a day for five days and 95 a day for six days, as you pay proportionately more tax on the higher gross pay. I am including night out money in that figure so four days tramping including night out and meal allowance is 420 five days is 500 take home all in so you arnt doin too bad I reckon, go for it life isnt a dress rehearsal.
The agency i worked for some time ago allways paid me class1 rate even if i was driving a transit van or a class 2 on the odd occasion…they wanted me so they paid me the rate.
shytalk:
The agency i worked for some time ago allways paid me class1 rate even if i was driving a transit van or a class 2 on the odd occasion…they wanted me so they paid me the rate.
I have heard of such things but never encountered it. Agencies take whatever they want and they take as much as they like and I can only say yes or no to do the job…
Saratoga:
I’ve finally got some Class 1 work, and it’s tramping. The rate is pretty low, it’s a per-day rate and to point out how well I’m being paid for it the Agency added in the night payments to my net wage…
Suffice to say, I’m on about £300 net a week plus the night out money. Looks like I’ve got a red 55 plate Iveco Stralis…
Repeat after me. Experience. Work. Keeps me out of mischief. Stop moaning, it’s work…
That’s the same amount I get paid. If I do 3 nights a week, as I’m on a 4 nights on, 4 nights off rota. I think I posted somewhere about what hours I do. It’s a pretty boring job though, but the amount of time off is good.
Like you said, its a job, its experience etc, it will hopefully lead to something that pays a respectable wage.
waynedl:
It also means you get to go outside that 150 - 200 mile radius you’re sick of seeing.
You’re clutching at straws.
Where I’m from, there isn’t much that isn’t inside that 150-200 mile radius and I certainly wouldn’t see it as a reason to give up my life for work. If that means I can’t go to Scotland or Cornwall during my working day, then so be it. I’d rather go home and bang the wife anyway.
Route done, Barnsley-Scunthorpe-Fochabers-Motherwell-Immingham-Barnsley-Herford-Isle of Sheppey-Bristol-Doncaster-Barnsley-Sheffield-Barnsley-Worksop-Kings Cross and finished at our yard in Barnsley.
A grand total of just under 3600km. This is not a typical week but not far off.
Don’t think the source is Stobarts, but I won’t put the reg up as it would identify more than I’m willing to say right now. You could PM me a suitable registration code it could be or parts thereof and I can say yes or no
If people were interested I’d put up the diary of my week on containers. I thought it went OK but I made a few mistakes and didn’t take enough photos and didn’t break the lorry… Well, it survived and I survived…
dar1976:
Best of luck on your new adventures Saratoga.
Sounds like you’ve landed on your feet.
Well, we’ll see where my feet take me, and of course whilst this ADR is wonderful instruction on dangerous goods, the descriptions of some of them scare me silly…
Still, got a month to get used to things before my licence turns up… Assuming I passed that is
Don’t worry about the ADR aspect.
In the event of an incident, what steps do you take?
Bloody big ones, in rapid succession, with the prevailing wind blowing in your face
Or grab your phone and your paperwork and get the hell out of the way.
Call emergency services, secure the area and keep everyone else away.
Attempt to contain any leakage/spillage, without putting yourself or anyone else in danger.
But more importantly, don’t get involved in an incident in the first place. Then you won’t have anything to worry about
Simon:
But more importantly, don’t get involved in an incident in the first place. Then you won’t have anything to worry about
Thanks for that Simon As it was, I passed the course
I did like driving containers though, and thanks to Goldstar I have a Rhides card. Not sure how that will help down the line if I work for another container company, but I’m sure it’s transferable somehow… Also quite liked the tramping too…
Saratoga:
Don’t think the source is Stobarts, but I won’t put the reg up as it would identify more than I’m willing to say right now. You could PM me a suitable registration code it could be or parts thereof and I can say yes or no
If people were interested I’d put up the diary of my week on containers. I thought it went OK but I made a few mistakes and didn’t take enough photos and didn’t break the lorry… Well, it survived and I survived…
My mate used to drive that one. His FB profile pic still shows it.
Simon:
But more importantly, don’t get involved in an incident in the first place. Then you won’t have anything to worry about
Thanks for that Simon As it was, I passed the course
I did like driving containers though, and thanks to Goldstar I have a Rhides card. Not sure how that will help down the line if I work for another container company, but I’m sure it’s transferable somehow… Also quite liked the tramping too…
Still, in time
Yeah, the Rhides card belongs to you, but you have to be adopted by a company to use it, so if it’s registered that you work for Goldstar at the moment, and you went in with Maritime paperwork, they’d be asking questions, so if you start for anyone else, just tell them you have a Rhides card and they adopt you and it’ll then be in their name.
It mustn’t take long as Turners did it in the time of me parking up at Grain and booking in.
Thanks for the comment Dar, however, the relevant company run about 20 2004-2006 plate Iveco’s with a variety of those colours, but often the lower areas are red…
You can PM me the company you think I worked for if you want, clearly I didn’t see the PM earlier you deleted before I got to read it
My usual week:
monday - start somewhere in sweden, unloading last weeks collections
tuesday - finish unloading, a few collections and topped off at our terminal in the south of sweden
wednesday - 02.30 ferry from trelleborg to travemünde, do some shopping in bremen and get the truck washed in cloppenburg. pull the curtains somewhere around luxembourg, depending on the traffic
thursday - start unloading in france, around dijon and lyon usually
friday - get to cataluna as soon as possible, unload three or four places until you reach the first one that has been closed early on friday due to a great economic climate. find a nice place to weekend, this depending on whether the rest of the cargo has something worth nicking.
next week exactly the opposite, repeat for 8 weeks or so. the pay is terrific but its hard to find motivation after the first few weeks.
The hours can be all over the place, one day start at 3am the next day 10am, depends how the work falls. I find it doesnt really matter what time you start and finish as long as you get your 9 or 11 off, helps if you can fall sleep easily.
My week Usually starts on Saturday or Sunday, always on route to Norway from Finland. So depending on where we are going there might be a ferry or just a long drive. Unload on Monday, some days Tuesday depending on how many destinations. Load up on Tuesday or Wednesday. A ferry or just a long drive home. Sometimes just loaded to Sweden to find another load to Finland. Hopefully back in Finland Thursday and loading up back on Friday before calling it a week.
A normal week you have somewhere around 2800-3500km a good one over 4000km. The pay is counted by a system on KM / how many destinations. A good week I can have over 70h. Usually prefer to drive for 3 weeks and take one week of. Yes I’m doing it for the money + it’s still fun when you get to drive on the amazing Norwegian roads, ad winter and it’s just perfect
Would never ever consider driving if I got home every evening. Why bother with worthless pay and the stupid police. Better working in a shop or something then.
Saratoga:
This is what I ended up being in for the week, inside a little worse for wear but survivable on for the pay…
Ex Stobarts? Preston Reg?
Ex Coutts of Cleethorpe actually. Was previously all red.
Just because it has a red skirt area doesn’t mean it’s ex-stobbies you know
I was at that yard the other day to assist a mate and they had 7 identical white Iveco’s with the red skirts lined up next to each other, varied reg from '02s to '07 plate trucks…
Our start times are anywhere between 2200 and 0300 generally. I always try to get the 3 reductions out of the way as early as possible in the week so I don’t end up working a 15 for my last shift, we are paid day rate not hourly.
skids:
Our start times are anywhere between 2200 and 0300 generally. I always try to get the 3 reductions out of the way as early as possible in the week so I don’t end up working a 15 for my last shift, we are paid day rate not hourly.
Do you not try and keep one so you have more time to get back on a friday or so you can start earlier on a saturday to run in?
As it was, I passed the course 