Does anyone here know about or have experience driving/operating truck mounted platforms? I have been offered a job, but during the interview there was a lot to take in, especially because I didn’t even entertain the fact that the vehicles wouldn’t have tachos and was not prepared for that. They are classed as plant apparently. The company has 7.5t trucks, they also have category C for which they will provide training.
The job is mine if I want it, and I do, but just wanted to see if anyone could just provide me with specific information regarding the unusual category this type of work falls into before starting. I don’t know what implications arise from this categorisation, but as I understand it this means the vehicles come under GB rules. What are the driving time restrictions? Do you need to worry about breaks? Is there a need for any record keeping?
Drive for 10hr max
Work for 11hr max (16 spread over)
Drive for 5.5hr then take a 30 minute break
Rest for 10hrs between shifts
Keep records on a sheet of paper or tachograph (if desired)
If you drive less than 4hrs in a day then no rules apply. On the flip side, if there’s no tachograph then they can’t exactly check or confirm any of this.
This applies to GB rules.
I think you’ll find this sort of work rather interesting as you are more likely to be doing unusual ‘off road’ tasks.
BS - dont pay attention to previous “advice” - they don’t give a f… f… about tacho - forget tacho and regulations - you will do what is required for either job to be done or just because you will be desparate to get home.
You will work unlimited hours.
They average 80 - 90
In bad day you can be freezing and wet to death hanging up there or bored to death or passed uff by some prick who wants you to do something that is not quite right…
Vehicles are terrible - both spec and condition… you will hate being in them… only if very lucky migh some day get one decent one…
Vehicles swap every day - no chance of dedicated truck - forget it…
Basically possibly one of the best places for money but if you are not running after money and ready to sacrifice joy for money you will not enjoy it.
Go there only for money and be prepared for sacrifices.
P. S. - Non Tacho jobs/companies/regulations are the biggest mistake in UK trucking industry. While VOSA is checking air pressure on poor Tipper driver, around corner BinTruck or any other NonTacho truck is plowing through pedestrians on footpath. STupidity at the highes once you have seen that part of industry from inside.
It really should be like in US where Time+Mileage+Location must be written down on paper and updated all time kept in cab…
Untill that UK will have more “non-tacho victims” in a year than “Tipper victims” in decade.
^^^
There is nothing like a bit of encouragement when you are unsure of something - and that was nothing like a bit of encouragement.
I did get the impression that it can involve long hours and would have to deal with difficult customers and their unrealistic demands. My biggest concern is that the work is going to be too dull for me, but I would have this concern if I was going to do delivery work.
I don’t have a social life or dependents so doing unsociable hours, nights, and weekend work won’t bother me too much. I used to be in I.T. which was boring as hell. I just want some variety in the workplace, and hope that I can enjoy the work at the same time. If there are long periods of having one’s thumb up one’s arse then maybe I can find a way to keep the mind occupied (within H&S regs of course). If I find that it isn’t the work that I can enjoy then at least I will have tried it, earnt some cash along the way, and hopefully have gained my cat C licence as well as the necessary qualifications for the job.
Basic pay isn’t that good, but as you have indicated the hours can be long, so there will be lots of overtime and earning potential.
stagedriver:
Drive for 10hr max
Work for 11hr max (16 spread over)
Drive for 5.5hr then take a 30 minute break
Rest for 10hrs between shifts
Not quite, that’s PCV rules. GB Domestic for trucks is 11 hours duty, 10 hours driving in a fixed 24 hours period. ‘Adequate rest’. In reality, unless your duty is being split, this’ll mean 13 hours rest. There’s no set rules on how long a spreadover can be. There’s also no rules for breaks, there’s an agrument that WTD doesn’t apply (only 4 elements of it are prescribed). When I was on milk tankers, we didn’t get a ‘break’ - but in reality, we got plenty of them
