Using holiday for training?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

As you lot well know, I passed my class 1 a few weeks back but I’m still on rigids because my office is being difficult. My TM is weary about putting me in an artic because I passed in a wagon and drag. However he did say if I used some of my holiday allowance they would get someone in to drive my truck whilst I go out with an artic driver on nights. He’s mentioned that its difficult getting agency in to cover drivers and how I may need longer because I haven’t driven an artic since August of last year.

Yet with all this going on, the company has already put through one driver a week before my test and one more had his today (Friday the 10th of June) with the final driver is doing his at the end of the month. The driver who passed before me went straight into a week of double manning and now has his own unit and no doubt if this other driver has passed as well he’ll be following suit.

I spoke to the driver who passed before me on the companies dime about why they are reluctant to start me on artics, he says its because I did my test off my own back and they can’t hold me to a 2 year contract like they are doing with the other 3 drivers. He thinks its their way of showing they aren’t “amused”. I also went and did my ADR and CPC out of my own pocket as well so maybe that didn’t help matters but I got annoyed with them fobbing us off when we would ask what the deal was with the promised Class 1 training. 5 drivers including myself put our names down for said training and test yet nothing happened for months so I booked it on my own.

What gets me is why I have to use my holiday before they will give me a start and even then its not guaranteed! My TM even said to me that “we need to see if you’re good enough, you may not be”. Speaking with one of my follow drivers, he thinks its illegal for the company to do this and also it might be “discrimination” on the grounds that I have the same license as the other driver yet I’m not being given an equal chance I believe.

So, in short. What do I do? Do I tell my TM that I won’t be using my holiday and continue to look for jobs else where? Do I bite the bullet and go for it, get some experience then ditch them?

With the EU thing coming up, I’d don’t really want to rock the boat too much, I need to be employed in some fashion!

2

“If you won’t put me on artics maybe I need to look for a company who will.”

Can’t use holiday for training with the company who employs you because its not holiday and you’re not freely disposing of your time.

3

I stopped reading after paragraph two, get your self out there and sort yourself out with a start. You will get one, it’s more then possible especially when ‘experienced’ drivers in their 40’s might switch monthly/yearly etc.
Good thing about a young keen driver is they can be moulded into a company’s way of working, where as Johnny big balls that can’t hold a job will have his own ideas.
Sounds to me like you’ll be waiting a long time to get in with this lot and as they say ‘there’s plenty more fish in the sea’!
Create your own destiny and ■■■■ these lot off you’ll feel better in the long run cause you’ve done it on your own :wink:

4

Conor:
Can’t use holiday for training with the company who employs you because its not holiday and you’re not freely disposing of your time.

It’s not training though is it? It looks to me like the company are assessing Radars artic capability because they have no knowledge of how his training went. It’s a cheek and I think I would be making sure I kept my eyes open for other opportunities for stepping up to artics whether in or away from his current employer.

5

IF it was a great job I was walking into, with excellent T&Cs, I wouldn’t think twice about it. I’d book the holiday and do the “training”.

But since it’s not, don’t ducking do it!

If they want to see how you do, ask to do an assessment drive as if you were a new driver to the company. If its a company of any size, surely it cant be long before someone goes sick or needs a day off on short notice? Just make sure your name is top of the list.

If none of that works, bugger off and get another job. You’ll get one no problems.

6

You can use holiday time in this manner but it will not count as rest for the regs

Any other issues are employment contract ones

7

I have a POI set in my sat-nav Radar. It’s known as NEWJOBSVILLE mate.

Go into your settings and select OUTOFHERE. Put in your height, width (probably best to lie about that) and weight.(Probably best to lie again). Select APPEARANCE. Swipe to turn the TWOFINGEREDSALUTE mode on.

At this point my sat-nav offers me two routes. One is the easiest and quickest evacuation point. However, mine seems to be broke and always defaults to the longest route which usually involves going round all the houses and then causing damage.

8

Radar,

Get yourself down to speak to Phil or Matthew at Exceed/BenHaul at Stallingborough. They will start you on class 1. The money might not be great (not sure what their employed lads earn) but you can get experience.

You hold the power mate…you have a license and your young enough to change jobs every month if you have to until you get one you like.

Just get yourself out there!!!

9

They seem pretty reluctant to help you so just move on Radar, you should not have to use your holidays for training that’s just not on!!

They is plenty of jobs your side of the river so get yourself sorted then drop them in the sh**

10

Sounds like your TM is trying to bend you over mate!

As F-reds says, if the job isn’t special, don’t think twice about moving on. I’d be looking to see what else is about, and then going for an assessment drive, making your current TM well aware of this. If that doesn’t give him a sharp kick in the ■■■■■■, then duck him! (As F-reds would say… :wink:)

11

If it’s one or two days hols, bite the bullet and give it a go. At least you’ve jumped through the hoops they’ve asked. If you’re still not given a chance, then stuff em. Loyalty doesn’t pay the bills, and if they’re not showing you any, why should you show them some.

It sounds to me like your gut feeling is that you’re wasting your time here. Unless you had a dodgy curry last night, gut feelings are usually right.

12

A) Are you on exceptional pay and conditions for class2 in your area?
B) Are the pay and conditions for class 1, exceptional for your area?

If you answer no to both those questions then don’t worry about it, look for another job. Their problem as they would have lost somebody keen enough to pay for his training out of his own pocket.

If the answer is yes for both, do the training in your holiday,
If the answer is yes for B) then do the training in your holiday.

13

Conor:
Can’t use holiday for training with the company who employs you because its not holiday and you’re not freely disposing of your time.

I wouldn’t give a toss about whether it was legal from a driver’s hours pov, or any other reason.
I would be more concerned that they are doing me out of my holidays. Who tf in their right mind wants to go driving during holidays …and unpaid ! :open_mouth: :unamused:
As for ‘maybe not being good enough’ what a ■■■■ insult, you are, you have been on Class 2 for years, and you have PASSED your Class 1…■■■■ them mate.
Tell them to shove it up their arses, and look for another co. if they won’t put you on an artic go and work for a firm that will, there are plenty out there, and it will be their loss not yours.

14

When I passed my test I used 2 weeks holiday to go and gain experience to get me up the standard required for said company to take me on…
I worked at a warehouse at the time and people I worked with took the ■■■■ because I was working for “free” for 2 weeks…I had the last laugh though when I got the job and a 12k a year rise,was certainly worth going in voluntarily.

15

Hey! Beeze, I even noticed that typo, but left it in, as I liked the alliteration!

That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

:laughing:

16

I thought it was deliberate! :open_mouth:

But now I know different. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

17

Radar19:
Yet with all this going on, the company has already put through one driver a week before my test and one more had his today (Friday the 10th of June) with the final driver is doing his at the end of the month. The driver who passed before me went straight into a week of double manning and now has his own unit and no doubt if this other driver has passed as well he’ll be following suit.

I spoke to the driver who passed before me on the companies dime about why they are reluctant to start me on artics, he says its because I did my test off my own back and they can’t hold me to a 2 year contract like they are doing with the other 3 drivers. He thinks its their way of showing they aren’t “amused”.

Is it not just a case that the company are using their (presumably limited) resources to follow through with the guys they have already planned to train?

Also, is there perhaps an underlying reason why they don’t want to take a chance on you?

I also went and did my ADR and CPC out of my own pocket as well so maybe that didn’t help matters but I got annoyed with them fobbing us off when we would ask what the deal was with the promised Class 1 training. 5 drivers including myself put our names down for said training and test yet nothing happened for months so I booked it on my own.

But the firm have ultimately, belatedly, followed through with the promise for some drivers?

What gets me is why I have to use my holiday before they will give me a start and even then its not guaranteed! My TM even said to me that “we need to see if you’re good enough, you may not be”. Speaking with one of my follow drivers, he thinks its illegal for the company to do this and also it might be “discrimination” on the grounds that I have the same license as the other driver yet I’m not being given an equal chance I believe.

“Discrimination” is not in general illegal, but it can amount to a breach of contract if the employer treats some members of the workforce in ways that are unjustifiably different from how others are treated. I believe the modern test is whether the employer’s conduct is “calculated to destroy trust and confidence”.

But that will not apply here - the employer may simply have limited resources to train multiple drivers, or may simply have judged that you’ll offer a poor return on training. Unless it is a condition of your employment that training is offered (or at least something that any employee would, when their employment commenced, reasonably have expected to occur during their career), then failing to offer training is never something that undermines trust and confidence in the context of your existing employment. Your complaint is that your employer won’t vary your employment by offering you a new role, not that he is treating you differently than other Class 2 drivers in the context of carrying out your Class 2 duties.

So, in short. What do I do? Do I tell my TM that I won’t be using my holiday and continue to look for jobs else where? Do I bite the bullet and go for it, get some experience then ditch them?

I can’t personally see the logic in a man who’s willing to slam thousands of pounds down on his own training, but then begrudges (seemingly on principle) using his holiday to get the experience he needs. You seem to be committed to ditching your current employer either way, so perhaps they have picked up on this?

I’m not defending them or suggesting that you have no reason to ditch them, but you can’t then complain and act puzzled about their reluctance to train you or expand your experience any further?

18

Ffs get to wilko in Worksop ok a 40min drive from lincoln but it’s a start. They will get you out with trainer then let you loose. Jim is the gaffer (been a year since I went for a better wage but it’s a start - around £415 a week after tax in bank)

Need any names/numbers give us a shout

19

Could it be that they want rid of him after he came on here saying how bad they where for safety and he was going to shop them to the HSE a couple of months ago, it wouldn’t be the first company to get rid of someone this way

20

mac12:
Could it be that they want rid of him after he came on here saying how bad they where for safety and he was going to shop them to the HSE a couple of months ago, it wouldn’t be the first company to get rid of someone this way

Or it could be a case of “if your face doesn’t fit” every company has blue eyed boys…