Just thought i would run this past you and see what you think or would do im my shoes.
About A month and a half ago i did a bit or regular work for a general haulage company on 18t flat bed class 2. The motors were to say the very least, appaling. Sometimes it was debatable as to wether or not they were road legal in my mind. Any way, work went quiet for them ( not supprisingly ) and i moved onto somewhere else doing curtian sider work. Motors were new and was’nt a bad firm.
Now im only 23 and im fully aware that work for new drivers can and is hard to come by. Work has gone a little quiet at the moment and haan agency call me today asking me to go and work at the place i first worked with the awful motors. They said they’d pay £10 and hour as they were desperarte. ( Im not supprised )I turned this down explaing that i worked there previously and that it was not where i was willing to work. I’ve given most things a go but that is where i draw the line. The women was ok with it, she had no choice really.
Now, im fairly new to haulage work, and im not absolutly spot on with tacho etc, i do read up, but im sitting a tacho course this Thursday.
I didnt want to be driving for this company who has a very bad reputation locally, and most probably to VOSA in the local area. I might as well have a flashing beacon and a megaphone shouting pull me in, this motor has faults! I dont want infringements on my licence and i dont want a fine.
My question to who reads this is…As a new driver, what would you do. Turn down the work, or take on the job and risk getting a tug and the consequeses that MIGHT follow.
If the motors WERE legal but scabby and at £10 an hour i wouldn’t turn that down. However, I wouldn’t compromise my license over gaining experience, no question.
Your now at the bottom of the agencies list for calls.
For £10 an hour most guys would pull the truck themselves. A truck is a truck, you simply refuse trucks till you find one you are happy to take out on the road, but don’t refuse the work.
stagedriver:
You should be slapped for turning down work.
Your now at the bottom of the agencies list for calls.
For £10 an hour most guys would pull the truck themselves. A truck is a truck, you simply refuse trucks till you find one you are happy to take out on the road, but don’t refuse the work.
This.
If it’s not road worthy fair enough - move on to the next truck, if none of them are then you can turn it down.
bigfoot:
Hi all
Sometimes it was debatable as to wether or not they were road legal in my mind.
Surely you filled in a defect sheet everyday and did a walkround? if there was nothing wrong then they would be road legal, it’s your responsibility to check if a vehicle is roadworthy before driving it
I have no problem driving a dirty, old or generally crap truck. But i will not be putting my licence at risk for any money. I’ve worked for them previously and put up with it for a while, but they have a very bad reputiaion locally for the standard of the vechiles.
After a run back from Kent, the ABS light was displayed and they brakes had zero effciency and air pressure was fine. I told the chap in the office only to reciceve the reply of " I dont give a [zb] mate, im off home "
Not one of their trucks has a height indicator and when asked for one was told we dont have any, nor was there any V5 document. Every vechile is the same there. Picking the best one isnt an option.
I know £10 ph is good, especially for a new driver, but a tug from VOSA (who operate a weighbridge and inspection area about 6-7 miles up the road ) isnt worth it in my mind.
What exactly was wrong with the lorries that made them unroadworthy, just out of curiousity? It’s up to you to turn work down, but this could help other newbies in what to look for and whats legal
Im not saying that they DEFINATLY ARE NOT ROAD LEGAL. I mearly stating that when i worked there previously i was not completly satisfied with the safety/ standard of the lorry/lorries
As the driver i belive its my responsibility to be happy with the condition of the vehicle. I carried out walk around checks finding chunks missing from tyres, engine brake switches hanging, and each time the engine is switched of the air recievers completly dumping all air pressure. Oil levels being well below minimum even after top up previous day (No leaks on floor)
Im not a massivly experianced driver and am in no way pretending to be. But if im not 100% satisfied with the motor im about to drive or am being asked to go and drive, then i wont go.
Like everyone else who passed their HGV test, i payed alot of money for it, and do not want infringements or fines just because i took on a days work for the experiance.
If I had no other work to go to I would have agreed to do the job, once there if the vehicle isn’t legal defect it and unless they’ve got another vehicle for you to drive or can fix that one you get 8 hours pay for nothing and the company get a wake up call, seems like a win win situation to me
Or if you really wanted you can call VOSA with details of said company but you dont have to give any of your info then VOSA can look out or investigate things
I thought it would be the lorry that got the infringements not the driver unless you did not do walk round check & default them if stopped by VOSA if not road legal then a PG9 is issued & that lorry cant move untill repairs have been carried out to there satisfaction
animal:
Or if you really wanted you can call VOSA with details of said company but you dont have to give any of your info then VOSA can look out or investigate things
Sorry animal but I don’t think that’s a good idea.
animal:
Or if you really wanted you can call VOSA with details of said company but you dont have to give any of your info then VOSA can look out or investigate things
Sorry animal but I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Why not if he thinks there lorries are not safe or roadworthy then would that not be in the best interest of road safety as if he dont give them his details they wont be able to trace him
I kinda get another part to this debate though, A) were new drivers and dammit were desperarte for the experience
but B) okay yes we can do the basic vehicle checks, but we dont have the experience or knowledge to knwo exactly whats wrong, or to some degree when somethings wrong. what happens to you if you think somethings wrong, refuse to take the truck out, 3 hours later at 7am your yard mechanic gets there and says it s fine, okay paperworks done and filed, you do that a few times and a company gotta be complaining hasn’t it?
Stehinch:
I kinda get another part to this debate though, A) were new drivers and dammit were desperarte for the experience
but B) okay yes we can do the basic vehicle checks, but we dont have the experience or knowledge to knwo exactly whats wrong, or to some degree when somethings wrong. what happens to you if you think somethings wrong, refuse to take the truck out, 3 hours later at 7am your yard mechanic gets there and says it s fine, okay paperworks done and filed, you do that a few times and a company gotta be complaining hasn’t it?
If you do a walkround check and everything is ok then thats you covered, if the brakes and the steering are fine and everything else is bolted on why not take it out. If you break down it’s not your fault, older lorries probably feel very odd compared to the new fandangle dones and probably have lots of little quirks that you would think makes them unroadworthy, no cruise or it doesn’t work, air-con busted, air seat knackereded, won’t go into second unless your going at exactly the right speed, I could go on but it would still be safe to drive
If you feel that the truck is not fit to be on the road then dont drive it simple as that … tell the agent why you wont do the job and they should understand …I have done this in the past (exhaust fumes comming in the cab via gear stick rubber & manifold blowing ) then the week after the agent phoned to say that the truck was repaired so i went to the job drove the truck 2 mile turned round and took it back and went home phoned the agent to ask if it was fixed by BODGIT AND SCARPER Co … he never sent me there again .
We are all desperate for work but no one is that desperate and if the agent thinks you are he will just use you and all the jobs you get will be the ones no one else will do …
tell the agent why you wont do the job and they should understand …I have done this in the past (exhaust fumes comming in the cab via gear stick rubber & manifold blowing ) then the week after the agent phoned to say that the truck was repaired so i went to the job drove the truck 2 mile turned round and took it back and went home phoned the agent to ask if it was fixed by BODGIT AND SCARPER Co … 
he never sent me there again .