ryly1979:
Green456, you have just described the way I do things but it still does not seem to work
Hi, fair but FIRM will win the day
first and foremost, treat them like human beings, not as objetcs.
you are in an advantageous position over most TM’s as you say you already posses a C+E licence, so, in theory, you should know what it takes to drive the vehicles and approximately how long it takes to get from one place to another, use this knowledge wisely 
I am also a Warehouse Manager and I tell the guys in the warehouse to give all drivers respect and get them turn round as quick as possible,so if any of you get to do a delivery to my warehouse you may go away quickly and happy (I think Mr Vain done a delivery to us the other month)
ryly1979:
Sorry mate only have 3 vehicles and they are being driven by guys that all moan about the job but never do anything about it
sounds to me like you have the typical driver then 
ryly1979:
The problem I have is the guy running the Transport before me was not qualified and let the drivers go out with 5 pallets on an artic,now I fill it upto the back doors 90% of the time and they hate me for it, saying the old guy was much better at the job than me
hi again, you will always get these comments, when fred was here we did this , we did that, we did the other, merely explain to the lads that fred is no longer there & you are & this is where we are today at this moment in time and this is how we do it now, if you are being fair & reasonable you cannot lose as long as you stick to your guns but expect lots of arguements in your early days,as no-one likes change
shuttlespanker:
ryly1979:
Sorry mate only have 3 vehicles and they are being driven by guys that all moan about the job but never do anything about itsounds to me like you have the typical driver then
SPOT ON
ryly1979:
I have tried that,they say what are you going to do if I say no,then I seem to be stumped everytime.
A few helpful things:
Remind yourself who has to stand in front of the TC when it goes wrong.
Remind them there is no driver shortage at the moment.
As a few people stated be fair but firm.
You manage them, not the other way around.
Every TM has thier own way of doing things, so yes the old guy did it that way b ut this is how you do it, maybe you were trained differently to the last guy, maybe you have more common sense, ie running more cost effectively.
Put a full written disciplinary system in place.
I always had these problems in transport management being younger than the drivers. Once everyone knows where they stand its easier to work together.
Good luck with it though, a nice progression of your career, try to enjoy it!
Sounds like the drivers are too used to being lazy gits and now have the hump with you because they actually have to work for their wage. How about “This is a reasonable request and if you don’t want to do it, there’s many more out there looking for a job that will”
Oh dear, sounds like I would be a complete ■■■■ of a TM lol
Thank you Zippy,the last guy never had training that was the main problem I think the driver’s pretty much had the run of the Transport when he was doing it,he is still with the company just in a different capacity and his advice to me was “you will never make them happy so dont try”.
ryly1979:
Thank you Zippy,the last guy never had training that was the main problem I think the driver’s pretty much had the run of the Transport when he was doing it,he is still with the company just in a different capacity and his advice to me was “you will never make them happy so dont try”.
You’ll be fine just do it your own way. You have the responsibility and they have their own. You need to be seen to be doing what you can in all areas to comply with your roll, don’t back down, but don’t give up.
ryly1979:
Hi,I would like some advice on what makes someone a good Transport Manager(if they exist),I am a newly qualified Transport Manager with a National and International CPC,Iam only 30 years old and don’t want to become that spotty idiot in the office that does not know what he is talking about,
But how qualified are you? 
Little quiz.
-
What is the minimum time from the start of the shift before you can take a break?
-
A driver starts his shift and does 1 hour other work, 4 hours driving and 1 hour other work. How long must his break be at this point?
-
How many days will the driver’s digi tacho card store?
-
What is driving time?
All of the above are questions which transport managers and driver trainers consistently get wrong.
sorry to say but it sounds to me like you’re trying to be one of us, as you’ve already moved to the dark side you have to toughen up and become one of them. to do your job properly you cant be both, i’m sure with a little effort you can be a good tm though.
ryly1979:
Hi,I would like some advice on what makes someone a good Transport Manager(if they exist),I am a newly qualified Transport Manager with a National and International CPC,Iam only 30 years old and don’t want to become that spotty idiot in the office that does not know what he is talking about,
I have a class 1 licence and absolutly love driving with a passion and I know what a hard job it is out there on the roads without any respect from the rest of the nation it may seem,Please can you all give me a little advise on how to gain respect from the drivers that work with me?
My advice would be:
Don’t open your mouth unless you are absolutely sure of your facts. You will be tested time and again.
Your job is to manage, it’s not a popularity contest. Manage the business firmly but fairly.
The respect you seek from the drivers will have to be earned, you will only get it when you have proved you deserve it.
You may find that a Transport Manager’s job can be quite lonely, there are still some companys that are not adverse to bending a few rules and you could be under some pressure to look the other way occasionaly. So you may find yourself unpopular with not only the drivers but also senior management, directors or owners.
Just remember that if things go wrong your company can easily recruit a new TM but, if you lose your “Good Repute” you will not be able to hold a similar role anywhere in Europe.
Good Luck
From my days in the role of TM, to which I was promoted from driver, remember how you felt when the crap one landed on you, promise the cushy one in turn.(and mean it even if it initially it makes life harder)
Most important the words PLEASE & THANKYOU.
Ensure all reasonable requests given with good notice to be home for family/medical commitments are made.(even to the point of contacting during the day to check they are on time to get home, and saying if last drop a problem let me know, the fact you have shown compassion will get the work done 99% of the time, and if you lose one tip, but have drivers who trust you to keep your word, you have drivers)
With such a small fleet allow the drivers in the loop, you will be suprised how they will help each other, and yourself out, if they feel they are given the oppertunity to contribute to making there own working enviroment better.
If you have to give a rollicking, get it done, yet make it clear as long as we don;t have this conversation again, matter closed. (You will have to record any disciplinary matters to cover yourself in the future, but if it is never mentioned, especially to other drivers you will gain respect)
Don;t think you are tied to the office, get out in the yard, and take a practical interest in defects, and delays (mostly getting loaded am) and discuss solutions, besause many times it is the case the diver knows better.
Hope this is food for thought ryly, because at a small co, your role is more to make everyone pull together, than give it belt/braces management.
Coffeeholic:
ryly1979:
Hi,I would like some advice on what makes someone a good Transport Manager(if they exist),I am a newly qualified Transport Manager with a National and International CPC,Iam only 30 years old and don’t want to become that spotty idiot in the office that does not know what he is talking about,
But how qualified are you?
Little quiz.
What is the minimum time from the start of the shift before you can take a break?
A driver starts his shift and does 1 hour other work, 4 hours driving and 1 hour other work. How long must his break be at this point?
How many days will the driver’s digi tacho card store?
What is driving time?
All of the above are questions which transport managers and driver trainers consistently get wrong.
Hi Coffee
Thanks for this little quiz,now lets see how I do ,number 1 not too sure about but here goes,
1 = at least 1 minute driving time before a rest break can start and be legal
2 = at least 15 minutes break must be taken -Because if you reach 6hrs working time and you have not driven 4.5hrs at least 15 mins rest must be taken and another 15 mins must be taken before the end of a 9hr shift if 4.5hrs driving is still not exceeded (the last 15 mins must be within your shift and not bolted onto the end of your shift
3= A driver digi card can store upto 28 days info on it,and I think a V/U will only hold upto 56 days
4= Driving time is time spent at the wheel in control of the vehicle (moving time)
I hope I get this right as this is the info I would give my drivers if asked 
ryly1979:
Coffeeholic:
ryly1979:
Hi,I would like some advice on what makes someone a good Transport Manager(if they exist),I am a newly qualified Transport Manager with a National and International CPC,Iam only 30 years old and don’t want to become that spotty idiot in the office that does not know what he is talking about,
But how qualified are you?
Little quiz.
What is the minimum time from the start of the shift before you can take a break?
A driver starts his shift and does 1 hour other work, 4 hours driving and 1 hour other work. How long must his break be at this point?
How many days will the driver’s digi tacho card store?
What is driving time?
All of the above are questions which transport managers and driver trainers consistently get wrong.
Hi Coffee
Thanks for this little quiz,now lets see how I do ,number 1 not too sure about but here goes,
1 = at least 1 minute driving time before a rest break can start and be legal2 = at least 15 minutes break must be taken -Because if you reach 6hrs working time and you have not driven 4.5hrs at least 15 mins rest must be taken and another 15 mins must be taken before the end of a 9hr shift if 4.5hrs driving is still not exceeded (the last 15 mins must be within your shift and not bolted onto the end of your shift
3= A driver digi card can store upto 28 days info on it,and I think a V/U will only hold upto 56 days
4= Driving time is time spent at the wheel in control of the vehicle (moving time)
I hope I get this right as this is the info I would give my drivers if asked
the driver card will store 6 months plus of records, only a minor detail
Mr B:
ryly1979:
Coffeeholic:
ryly1979:
Hi,I would like some advice on what makes someone a good Transport Manager(if they exist),I am a newly qualified Transport Manager with a National and International CPC,Iam only 30 years old and don’t want to become that spotty idiot in the office that does not know what he is talking about,
But how qualified are you?
Little quiz.
What is the minimum time from the start of the shift before you can take a break?
A driver starts his shift and does 1 hour other work, 4 hours driving and 1 hour other work. How long must his break be at this point?
How many days will the driver’s digi tacho card store?
What is driving time?
All of the above are questions which transport managers and driver trainers consistently get wrong.
Hi Coffee
Thanks for this little quiz,now lets see how I do ,number 1 not too sure about but here goes,
1 = at least 1 minute driving time before a rest break can start and be legal2 = at least 15 minutes break must be taken -Because if you reach 6hrs working time and you have not driven 4.5hrs at least 15 mins rest must be taken and another 15 mins must be taken before the end of a 9hr shift if 4.5hrs driving is still not exceeded (the last 15 mins must be within your shift and not bolted onto the end of your shift
3= A driver digi card can store upto 28 days info on it,and I think a V/U will only hold upto 56 days
4= Driving time is time spent at the wheel in control of the vehicle (moving time)
I hope I get this right as this is the info I would give my drivers if askedthe driver card will store 6 months plus of records, only a minor detail
Thank you Mr B ,It appears I still have lots to learn
That is correct and none of us are too old to learn. Only the idiots think they know it all.
ryly1979:
Hi Coffee
Thanks for this little quiz,now lets see how I do ,number 1 not too sure about but here goes,
1 = at least 1 minute driving time before a rest break can start and be legal2 = at least 15 minutes break must be taken -Because if you reach 6hrs working time and you have not driven 4.5hrs at least 15 mins rest must be taken and another 15 mins must be taken before the end of a 9hr shift if 4.5hrs driving is still not exceeded (the last 15 mins must be within your shift and not bolted onto the end of your shift
3= A driver digi card can store upto 28 days info on it,and I think a V/U will only hold upto 56 days
4= Driving time is time spent at the wheel in control of the vehicle (moving time)
I hope I get this right as this is the info I would give my drivers if asked
-
Correct. So many TM’s and driver trainers insist you cannot take a break until 1 hour of you shift has elapsed, which is complete bull.
-
Correct. many people in charge of drivers, or tasked with training them insist it is 30 minutes.
-
Incorrect, a card will hold much more than 28 days, mine for instance has around 11 months on it, and a VU will hold at least a year.
-
Incorrect. Driving time is the amount of driving recorded by the tachograph unit, or by means of a manual entry when the equipment isn’t working. This can be, and in the case of a digi often is, different to the time the driver spends at the wheel in control of the vehicle.
50% correct, not too bad for a TM. 
Coffeeholic:
ryly1979:
Hi Coffee
Thanks for this little quiz,now lets see how I do ,number 1 not too sure about but here goes,
1 = at least 1 minute driving time before a rest break can start and be legal2 = at least 15 minutes break must be taken -Because if you reach 6hrs working time and you have not driven 4.5hrs at least 15 mins rest must be taken and another 15 mins must be taken before the end of a 9hr shift if 4.5hrs driving is still not exceeded (the last 15 mins must be within your shift and not bolted onto the end of your shift
3= A driver digi card can store upto 28 days info on it,and I think a V/U will only hold upto 56 days
4= Driving time is time spent at the wheel in control of the vehicle (moving time)
I hope I get this right as this is the info I would give my drivers if asked
Correct. So many TM’s and driver trainers insist you cannot take a break until 1 hour of you shift has elapsed, which is complete bull.
Correct. many people in charge of drivers, or tasked with training them insist it is 30 minutes.
Incorrect, a card will hold much more than 28 days, mine for instance has around 11 months on it, and a VU will hold at least a year.
Incorrect. Driving time is the amount of driving recorded by the tachograph unit, or by means of a manual entry when the equipment isn’t working. This can be, and in the case of a digi often is, different to the time the driver spends at the wheel in control of the vehicle.
50% correct, not too bad for a TM.
Thank you very much coffee ,this is why i love this forum so much as it keeps you on your toes you can connect with people in the same industry and still be learning everyday ,
To Everyone on this forum and those who have replied to this thread
Thank you and to all the Drivers keep up the good work and thank for getting all your deliveries to their outlets on time in order for my Wife to spend all my hard earned cash at the shops
P.S Coffeholic I hope you do these quizes more often as I enjoy learning