richmond:
I have a truck with no heater motor,no night heater and no heated mirrors,its off to scotland next week for a two week contract up there, i guess he wouldnt want to be driving that truck then. Also i shall be up there in a transit van and im sleeping in the back of the van, no night heater in there either…
A truck with no functioning heater, in cold weather, isn’t leaving the yard.
A truck with no functioning night heater, isn’t getting used for nights out.
I couldn’t give a [zb] what people put up with 50, 30, or even 20 yrs ago. This is today, and as such, drivers have a right to expect some basic things like a functioning heater.
Any driver who boasts about driving these sort of vehicles, in an attempt to prove how “old school” they are, is actually revealing what an utter prat they are.
Just because it “used to be that way” doesn’t mean it is right or proper or even to be aspired to.
And all of the above is why i don’t work for an agency i have a full time job because i can be relied up on to get it done and sort any problems on my own along with all the other prats on here
I also don’t work for an agency…i have a full time job where i am relied on to “get it done”.
However, my bosses have all been on the road, they understand that things like heaters in the winter, night heaters etc are not “luxury” items but basic essentials. Therefore they wouldn’t send a truck out that didn’t have them functioning. They have a modicum of respect for the drivers they employ.
Any boss who expects his drivers to take trucks out without such things…well…how much respect do you think he has for you? Stinks of the “■■■■ em, they’re only drivers…” attitude.
DonutUK:
Bottom line is the company has already broken the law by allowing employees to smoke in the company vehicle
No the drivers break the law by smoking in them get your facts correct if you are going to winge about something.
its funny how this “law” only gets enforced by jumped up council officials and traffic wardens
i regard my truck as my home i spend more time in it than i do my house and i’m buggered if i’m gonna stop smoking in it just because some over excited premaddonna might on the off chance decide to throw a hissy fit about it on the off chance he ends up with the keys on my days off
You do know your employer is quite entitled to class your contravention of this law as Gross Misconduct and therefore summarily dismiss you?
I have worked in companies where drivers have been dismissed for exactly that, smoking in a company vehicle.
If your company know you are doing it, and do nothing about it, they then have also breached the law…so they have an obligation to act if they know.
DonutUK:
Bottom line is the company has already broken the law by allowing employees to smoke in the company vehicle
No the drivers break the law by smoking in them get your facts correct if you are going to winge about something.
its funny how this “law” only gets enforced by jumped up council officials and traffic wardens
i regard my truck as my home i spend more time in it than i do my house and i’m buggered if i’m gonna stop smoking in it just because some over excited premaddonna might on the off chance decide to throw a hissy fit about it on the off chance he ends up with the keys on my days off
You do know your employer is quite entitled to class your contravention of this law as Gross Misconduct and therefore summarily dismiss you?
I have worked in companies where drivers have been dismissed for exactly that, smoking in a company vehicle.
If your company know you are doing it, and do nothing about it, they then have also breached the law…so they have an obligation to act if they know.
Unfotunately if you’re picky and refuse to drive for unjustified reasons that’s the sort of outfit you’re going to end up at, warming the seat on an Axor holding everyone else up. You might be able defect vehicles willy nilly, have an ash free cab and settle your nerves by sticking to 40mph on a single carriageway but, it doesn’t matter how conscientious you are or what extra effort you put in, if you slightly break the rules you’re on your ear because at the end of the day with those firms you’re just a number.
I’m not sure you’ve got which one has respect for their drivers the right way round.
DonutUK:
Bottom line is the company has already broken the law by allowing employees to smoke in the company vehicle
No the drivers break the law by smoking in them get your facts correct if you are going to winge about something.
its funny how this “law” only gets enforced by jumped up council officials and traffic wardens
i regard my truck as my home i spend more time in it than i do my house and i’m buggered if i’m gonna stop smoking in it just because some over excited premaddonna might on the off chance decide to throw a hissy fit about it on the off chance he ends up with the keys on my days off
You do know your employer is quite entitled to class your contravention of this law as Gross Misconduct and therefore summarily dismiss you?
I have worked in companies where drivers have been dismissed for exactly that, smoking in a company vehicle.
If your company know you are doing it, and do nothing about it, they then have also breached the law…so they have an obligation to act if they know.
Every employer has a different set of rules or contract and by putting a little sticker in my windscreen they have done something about.
richmond:
I have a truck with no heater motor,no night heater and no heated mirrors,its off to scotland next week for a two week contract up there, i guess he wouldnt want to be driving that truck then. Also i shall be up there in a transit van and im sleeping in the back of the van, no night heater in there either…
A truck with no functioning heater, in cold weather, isn’t leaving the yard.
A truck with no functioning night heater, isn’t getting used for nights out.
I couldn’t give a [zb] what people put up with 50, 30, or even 20 yrs ago. This is today, and as such, drivers have a right to expect some basic things like a functioning heater.
Any driver who boasts about driving these sort of vehicles, in an attempt to prove how “old school” they are, is actually revealing what an utter prat they are.
Just because it “used to be that way” doesn’t mean it is right or proper or even to be aspired to.
And all of the above is why i don’t work for an agency i have a full time job because i can be relied up on to get it done and sort any problems on my own along with all the other prats on here
I also don’t work for an agency…i have a full time job where i am relied on to “get it done”.
However, my bosses have all been on the road, they understand that things like heaters in the winter, night heaters etc are not “luxury” items but basic essentials. Therefore they wouldn’t send a truck out that didn’t have them functioning. They have a modicum of respect for the drivers they employ.
Any boss who expects his drivers to take trucks out without such things…well…how much respect do you think he has for you? Stinks of the “[zb] em, they’re only drivers…” attitude.
richmond:
I have a truck with no heater motor,no night heater and no heated mirrors,its off to scotland next week for a two week contract up there, i guess he wouldnt want to be driving that truck then. Also i shall be up there in a transit van and im sleeping in the back of the van, no night heater in there either…
A truck with no functioning heater, in cold weather, isn’t leaving the yard.
A truck with no functioning night heater, isn’t getting used for nights out.
I couldn’t give a [zb] what people put up with 50, 30, or even 20 yrs ago. This is today, and as such, drivers have a right to expect some basic things like a functioning heater.
Any driver who boasts about driving these sort of vehicles, in an attempt to prove how “old school” they are, is actually revealing what an utter prat they are.
Just because it “used to be that way” doesn’t mean it is right or proper or even to be aspired to.
And all of the above is why i don’t work for an agency i have a full time job because i can be relied up on to get it done and sort any problems on my own along with all the other prats on here
I also don’t work for an agency…i have a full time job where i am relied on to “get it done”.
However, my bosses have all been on the road, they understand that things like heaters in the winter, night heaters etc are not “luxury” items but basic essentials. Therefore they wouldn’t send a truck out that didn’t have them functioning. They have a modicum of respect for the drivers they employ.
Any boss who expects his drivers to take trucks out without such things…well…how much respect do you think he has for you? Stinks of the “[zb] em, they’re only drivers…” attitude.
My current boss has an interesting view on smoking. He would rather employ a smoker His reason being “when someone is wound up, ■■■■■ up or gets cut up, a ■■■ cures all and chills the driver. What have none smokers got except for a gob on”
I can see his point just from reading this thread. Now excuse me I’m off for a marlboro
DonutUK:
Bottom line is the company has already broken the law by allowing employees to smoke in the company vehicle
No the drivers break the law by smoking in them get your facts correct if you are going to winge about something.
its funny how this “law” only gets enforced by jumped up council officials and traffic wardens
i regard my truck as my home i spend more time in it than i do my house and i’m buggered if i’m gonna stop smoking in it just because some over excited premaddonna might on the off chance decide to throw a hissy fit about it on the off chance he ends up with the keys on my days off
You do know your employer is quite entitled to class your contravention of this law as Gross Misconduct and therefore summarily dismiss you?
I have worked in companies where drivers have been dismissed for exactly that, smoking in a company vehicle.
If your company know you are doing it, and do nothing about it, they then have also breached the law…so they have an obligation to act if they know.
pmsl meanwhile here on earth the majority of us that do keep our trucks clean and tidy so should any of the thought police want to hang us for the most henious of crime of smoking in our allocated sole driver trucks then they would have a hard time of proving it and our gaffer tells us not to which covers his arse and to be honest i think he has bigger fish to fry trying to stop some of the lads regulars and otherwise using his fleet as bumper cars
billybigrig:
My current boss has an interesting view on smoking. He would rather employ a smoker His reason being “when someone is wound up, ■■■■■ up or gets cut up, a ■■■ cures all and chills the driver. What have none smokers got except for a gob on”
I can see his point just from reading this thread. Now excuse me I’m off for a marlboro
billybigrig:
My current boss has an interesting view on smoking. He would rather employ a smoker His reason being “when someone is wound up, ■■■■■ up or gets cut up, a ■■■ cures all and chills the driver. What have none smokers got except for a gob on”
I can see his point just from reading this thread. Now excuse me I’m off for a marlboro
Generally speaking non smokers are better adjusted individuals who don’t have anger management problems that require carcinogenic cocktails to calm them down.
I dont care whether a driver smokes or doesnt i dont care of there
Short or tall thin or fat, i look for a driver who knows his job, can drive our trucks , can get on with our customers and the other drivers, you got to be a grafter and a realist. The jobs not what we want it to be, when a bulb goes you change it, if antyre goes you help the fitter change it. If a driver by your side needs your help i expect uou to help him, even if he is a foreigner, i expect you to be part of our small team, the most important part lf this is your attitude and outlook.For my part, i will do my best in difficult times i will tip your trl on a sat morning and load it on a sunday, if you run out of time on a friday i will come out and rescue you to get you home, you can borrow my van,use my phones and i will help you out as much as i can. I dont know if my drivers respect me, thats for them to answer but hey ho. We do our best.
richmond:
I dont care whether a driver smokes or doesnt i dont care of there
Short or tall thin or fat, i look for a driver who knows his job, can drive our trucks , can get on with our customers and the other drivers, you got to be a grafter and a realist. The jobs not what we want it to be, when a bulb goes you change it, if antyre goes you help the fitter change it. If a driver by your side needs your help i expect uou to help him, even if he is a foreigner, i expect you to be part of our small team, the most important part lf this is your attitude and outlook.For my part, i will do my best in difficult times i will tip your trl on a sat morning and load it on a sunday, if you run out of time on a friday i will come out and rescue you to get you home, you can borrow my van,use my phones and i will help you out as much as i can. I dont know if my drivers respect me, thats for them to answer but hey ho. We do our best.
Driver goes in around half 10am. Got 2 ‘am’ deliveries on approx 10-15 miles radius from base + 1 collection to return to base.
Walk round check discovers a missing trailer number plate and a headlight out.
Speaks to boss, number plate will be made up asap and a bulb supplied for driver to fit (all tools in truck, manual in truck etc - not rocket science)
Who would do the deliveries then fit new number plate and headlight bulb upon return to depot?
Who would refuse to take truck out?
Who would refuse to replace bulb themselves?
etc…
Oh, btw, in my other thread, the fact I still have a job might give a slight clue which I am (I mean would be in the hypothetical scenario)
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but this thread was going round in circles, and might have needed a bit of help or something
Driver goes in around half 10am. Got 2 ‘am’ deliveries on approx 10-15 miles radius from base + 1 collection to return to base.
Walk round check discovers a missing trailer number plate and a headlight out.
Speaks to boss, number plate will be made up asap and a bulb supplied for driver to fit (all tools in truck, manual in truck etc - not rocket science)
Who would do the deliveries then fit new number plate and headlight bulb upon return to depot?
Who would refuse to take truck out?
Who would refuse to replace bulb themselves?
etc…
Oh, btw, in my other thread, the fact I still have a job might give a slight clue which I am (I mean would be in the hypothetical scenario)
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but this thread was going round in circles, and might have needed a bit of help or something
get garage chap to knock a number plate up and probably change said bulb whilst waiting to tip
Flats and low loaders to anywhere, and i do mean anywhere,just priced and got two oversize loads to lodz in poland a ten day job, wouldnt want a driver on that job saying to me, i got a bulb blown send someone out to sort it!
chester:
As a non smoker I have refused to drive trucks which are in a tip and stink of smoke and with the backing of my company, they can’t be seen to condone an illegal activity you see ask yourselves if the office bods would work in such squalor? Then why should we.
What would VOSA chap say to a stinking cab and over flowing ashtray as they is clear evidence of illegal activity, or is it local councils who enforce smoking in the workplace?
after driving trucks for30 yrs woudnt want to work with you after your comments to say your a driver your havin a laugh lol
I know he’s got it wrong about VOSA being interested in the state of the cab, but I fail to see why he is any less of a driver because he is unwilling to put up with an obnoxious stink of stale ■■■■, illegal or not, or do you subscribe to the Billy Bigbollox smoker attitude that anybody who doesn’t smoke aint a “Reealll Man” and as somebody who has also been a driver for 30+ years and a non smoker, am I also a lesser driver than you?
His reason being “when someone is wound up, ■■■■■ up or gets cut up, a ■■■ cures all and chills the driver. What have none smokers got except for a gob on”
