I have revived this thread from a year ago to post this scenario from PLT
PinkLadyTrucker:
Not much makes my blood boil
But !!
I phoned up Wincanton at Alconbury this morning asking for a application form
The bloke in HR took my Name, Phone number and address down, and asked if I had container experiance
Which I dont
Then he said, They are thinking of “getting new drivers to work for a week” now get this UNPAID
I did reply, Said I have a family, and would work 2 days unpaid, but thinking about it, Why the heck should I even give an extra day of unpaid work, I appreciate on agency we usually do an assessment unpaid which I dont appreciate, but if it helps get the job, then ok.
But Wincanton wanting a WEEK unpaid - arghhhhhh
Anyone had dealings with these Jokers?
Now over the last year I have been thinking aloud, sloooowly.
And this is my idea.
Changes to EU Regulations and their effect on standard operator licence holders
The rules on applying for, and holding, standard goods and public service vehicle (PSV) operator’s licences and rules for transport managers (TMs) are changing from 4 December 2011. The aim is for there to be a uniform, modern and effective set of rules across Europe that promotes fair competition.
So if one of the major players in the container industry is getting free labour, how does that fit in with promoting fair competition, because I bet Globby & Shuttlespanker have to pay their drivers a living wage.
A valid point Wheel nut. The only problem is that the article you mention;
The aim is for there to be a uniform, modern and effective set of rules across Europe that promotes fair competition.
is just lip service to make it look like there is a level playing field. How can it be any other when we have country to country variations in the costs of fuel, road tax, truck prices etc. It never can be a level playing field until the cost of haulage is set at a specific rate per km across the whole of the EU and the percentage of how much of that you get is calculated by the age of you truck/trailer etc.
Now onto expecting someone to work for a full week without pay, how the hell is that going to happen? If you are out of work and getting jobseekers, I doubt they would still give you any money that week while you were doing your free week if they knew and I’m pretty sure if they found out afterwards you would be in it pretty deep.
I still stand by my initial thoughts on this, I would do a driving assessment, but I wouldn’t be picking up a load while I did it, absolutely 100% sure of that. What would be the point in driving for a company that will soon be laying you off and ‘employing’ a whole new set of drivers every week…
DoYouMeanMe?:
A valid point Wheel nut. The only problem is that the article you mention;
The aim is for there to be a uniform, modern and effective set of rules across Europe that promotes fair competition.
Now onto expecting someone to work for a full week without pay, how the hell is that going to happen? If you are out of work and getting jobseekers, I doubt they would still give you any money that week while you were doing your free week if they knew and I’m pretty sure if they found out afterwards you would be in it pretty deep.
Another valid point as one of the questions they ask you is; Have you done any work this week, paid or unpaid?
And if you are allocking off up the road for Wincanski, how can you be looking for work?
I don’t particularly agree with working for bugger all, but if it’s a genuine offer of work written in a contract at the end of it then ■■■■ straight I’d do it.
But changes should be made to that 1) Equal Opportunities policy should include no discrimination to young drivers, or drivers with no experience. 2) Same policy should be adopted to Insurance companies, regardless of how old or how young we are, accidents happen big and small and there’s no difference to a young fella having a crash to an old person having a crash in the same wagon to the same extent.
Equal Opportunities policy should include no discrimination to young drivers, or drivers with no experience.
Surely you can’t seriously be suggesting that it should be against the law for a company to give preference to someone with the experience they require
I think that its ridiculous that a man who has only driven an empty wagon is led to believe that he has the skills to drive fully freighted.The training needs to be done in=house.Ia m pleased to see that our Tuffnells man is going out with an experienced driver to learn the ropes.
Two weeks doing their work for them is taking the ■■■■, they are gaining far more out of it than you are if they just hand you the keys and wave you off on your merry way. OK so they might give you some easy stuff to do and see how you get on but if you are running on your own then they should be paying something even if it only minimum wageish.
If they pair you with another driver and you drive and he acts as an instructor of sorts and shows you how the system works then that would /could be a fair arrangement. They are giving you an opportunity to prove your ability whilst they keep a tight reign on what you are up to. You could argue they are already paying a driver to do that job so in fairness paying you to do it for him would not be a good business move.
If I was in that situation and desperate I might do a couple of days unpaid in the first instance but certainly not 2 weeks.
Read page 1 and replied at the bottom, didn’t realise the age of the post. Still stand by what’s written even if it is now out of context (haven’t read the rest)
8wheels:
Two weeks doing their work for them is taking the ■■■■, they are gaining far more out of it than you are if they just hand you the keys and wave you off on your merry way. OK so they might give you some easy stuff to do and see how you get on but if you are running on your own then they should be paying something even if it only minimum wageish.
If they pair you with another driver and you drive and he acts as an instructor of sorts and shows you how the system works then that would /could be a fair arrangement. They are giving you an opportunity to prove your ability whilst they keep a tight reign on what you are up to. You could argue they are already paying a driver to do that job so in fairness paying you to do it for him would not be a good business move.
If I was in that situation and desperate I might do a couple of days unpaid in the first instance but certainly not 2 weeks.
Read page 1 and replied at the bottom, didn’t realise the age of the post. Still stand by what’s written even if it is now out of context (haven’t read the rest)
There is one positive thing though, if you do go out and knock the front of their shiny lorry off, they cannot take it out of your wages
Equal Opportunities policy should include no discrimination to young drivers, or drivers with no experience.
Surely you can’t seriously be suggesting that it should be against the law for a company to give preference to someone with the experience they require
Put like that no, because if everyone was like that you yourself wouldn’t of had the experience you do now. There should just be something put in place that helps the young and new drivers, what ever it may be.
Equal Opportunities policy should include no discrimination to young drivers, or drivers with no experience.
Surely you can’t seriously be suggesting that it should be against the law for a company to give preference to someone with the experience they require
Put like that no, because if everyone was like that you yourself wouldn’t of had the experience you do now. There should just be something put in place that helps the young and new drivers, what ever it may be.
There is something in place Sam, it is called working your way up the ladder, you start off with a sprinter or a rigid box van, you drive that for a while before you get the 730 Topline
not dis ing u mate , BUT couple of points ; my ol" man said 2 me,(back in the days) if your own value on /off your skills/talents /sweat/labour is nill >bosses will roll out the red carpet on your arrival ,(till you screw up , of course !)and, employed drivers at firm , how long before they start to notice ?/get leaned on 2 take a pay cut ? it is off course your gig , no easy way round it >i had , many years ago , 2 decide wheather 2 cross a picket line (steady now lads )after a chat wiv lead man , it was made clear 2 me strike was unofficial > i carried on>(co. was unionised) BUT ,12 years on, i still think about that (maybe i shouldn t) have. only my (old) thoughts >good luck anyhow
I’ve been phoning numerous companies and I’ve had one saying that although they require 2 months experience they are offering the chance for people to do a 2 week probationary period unpaid with the possibility of joining the company after that.
How does that sound to you guys?
I don’t have a job worth keeping any way as they dropped me under 16 hours, so the two weeks would only really cost me petrol.
If you can afford to do it why not. It will look really good on your CV even if you don’t get work with them. True they might be using you a little bit perhaps or even just testing you out before giving you an offer which is fair enough, remeber you will be using them too
The fact you’ve shown willingness to work even though your not being paid, will show your work ethic to other prospective employers even if the don’t offer you a paid role. And that is surely a really good thing
I would go for it if you can & see what happens as you will gain some experience which you can always put down or say to an employer or an agency which can help you
Noowt:
If you can afford to do it why not. It will look really good on your CV even if you don’t get work with them. True they might be using you a little bit perhaps or even just testing you out before giving you an offer which is fair enough, remeber you will be using them too
The fact you’ve shown willingness to work even though your not being paid, will show your work ethic to other prospective employers even if the don’t offer you a paid role. And that is surely a really good thing
go for it mate, you will learn so much in those two weeks and even if you dont get a job out of it it will set you up well for other assesment drives etc…take your time on your reversing if in doubt get out an look…prove to them you re worth taking on…
be prepared for some grief if some from the pro driving forum get wind of you working for nothing…they will argue that you are taking work from a driver that would get paid for doing the work…IGNORE THEM…its a dog eat dog world out there at the moment and its every man for himself,opportunities for newbies dont come very often,take it with both hands and prove youself…
I’d do it it I was given that option, especially from a larger outfit like Wincanton
I’m scrabbling for odd days here & there with agencies to get some experience, 2 weeks regular work would be a great self confidence builder, look good on the ol’ CV & and could even give you an “in”
Still stand by what’s written even if it is now out of context (haven’t read the rest)
