told the company I work for at Donington to stick it Friday night and walked off home so had a phone call the next day saying they were letting me go.
It may be just me but I dont think its right that drivers get £6.40 per hour or that night drivers get trip money of £85 for doing a 15HR SHIFT! because the company isnt happy with you doing just one trip, oh no, they want to stick on an extra pickup which will take 3 or 4 hours to do then do your trip or make you wait 3 hours in the drivers rest room waiting for your load!
Its supposed to be job and knock but if youre on your way back having worked like a ■■■■■■■ to do the trip in 10/11 hours, they ring you up demanding you do more work to get the hours out of you, now offering me £15 for 3 hours more work isnt my idea of fun so I dont think its right you get a rollocking when you refuse to do extra work.
I also dont think its right that the drivers there haven`t had a pay rise in 11 years, and I dont think its right that start times vary so much you struggle to get sleep, start 11pm one night, then 4am the morning after, then maybe 5.30 (how that is a night shift I dont know) then you have to miss a shift without pay, to start the next shift at 9pm again.
so, after only 8months of being a HGV driver Im now unemployed and will be signing on the dole in 2 days. The agencies dont want to know with less than 2 years experience, and you know you will all be calling me a ■■■■ for loosing my job but sometimes you have to make a stand against unscrupulous, exploitative employers who dont give a ■■■■ about their staff and want to screw you every way they can!
Theres a line in the sand which sometimes you just cant cross, call it self worth, self respect of whatever, pride even, but if this is the way all haulage firms work, please Lord, help me get that toilet cleaning job at £7 p/hr!
its a hard life
and unfortunately there are too many blokes who take what is thrown at them
meaning the rest have to suffer
yes sir no sir three bags full sir , they deserve all they get
so fair play to scotty for telling them to stick it
and good luck for the cleaning job mate
if you get it at least you will know what side your bread is buttered
Good luck with the signing on, you might have a few problems there.
I’ve been doing it long enough to have picked up skills in area’s where demand is high, I can always fall back into previous jobs which I was sorry to leave & told that the door is always open if I want to return.
For those first few years, while you’re picking up the skills & reputation, I feel it’s best to put up with a little BS. Don’t make yourself unemployable by a good company, they know what they’re looking for & job hoppers who throw their teddy & walk out at the drop of a hat aren’t one of them.
I’m not saying your one of them, but you might end up in a spiral of only getting the crap work with the crap companies (agency work included) & end up with a totally bitter & twisted, distorted view of the employers at the bottom of the pile.
If you ‘use the job’, then it becomes difficult for the job to use you.
have to agree can’t fault you from walking from that job, the only problem is you will not be able to claim dole for up to possibly 26 weeks because you walked out
wildfire:
have to agree can’t fault you from walking from that job, the only problem is you will not be able to claim dole for up to possibly 26 weeks because you walked out
Did he not say he walked out and then they phoned him up saying “were letting you go” if so he’s been sacked and can sign on.
If the company was paying the same wages for the last 11 years you knew the wages before you started,so that excuse is out the window.As for leaving one job before you had another,error number 2.I am not going to comfort your whingeing,the job wasn’t for you and you have probably spent too much time reading half the dross on here.In this industry wages have always been crap,no one will ever pay us what WE believe we’re worth.Your next job…if you find one…make sure you have all the facts before you join.Should have paid more attention at school you might have been able to get a better paying job.
Jeez that firm sounds awful, who is it? You’re better off out of there, you should get something in the run up to crimbo. The two year rule goes out the window when they need the loads out , just register with loads of agencys and you’ll get a break eventually.
You did the right thing.I am almost 60 now and when i look back as i grew older i was less and less inclined to put up with crap.Something will turn up.
Drivers are there own worst enemy, and bosses know this.They know they will never stick together.
I agree with what you did but don’t be ■■■■ and sign on!!! Get your boots, high vis and gloves in the back of your motor and go out looking for work, I done just that 3 years ago when I was 21, with no experience and away I went.
Bottom line is, if you want to drive a truck then you will find a job but if you want to sign on and feel sorry for yourself then go do that and let us all know how Jeremy Kyle is getting on.
Its a difficult one, only you will know if you made the right decision, and that will be in a few months time when you can look back without the emotion.
Some jobs are like this, its part of the price we pay for gaining that valuable experience, the company know this and take advantage…had my fair share of such crap when in my early days on car transporters, could write a small book on that one company alone.
Its a two way street, as they are prepared to take on inexperienced blokes, they then suffer any damage that follows.
Hope you find something else soon.
edit…Farnborough Boy is spot on, don’t just scour the ads hoping for a job, go and knock on doors, be polite and presentable, show the gaffer if you manage to pigeon hole him the type of bloke that would be representing his company by approaching his customer…it does work.
My advice also is don’t sign on. You will be due some money from the last crowd I guess?
Use that for fuel/bus fare whatever and go knocking. Dole is the bottom of the barrel thee days, and even if you were sacked,they’ll find a way not to pay you either. I never sign on no matter how long I’m unemployed.
Well done for having a pair and good luck Son.
Chas:
If you ‘use the job’, then it becomes difficult for the job to use you.
Well come on Yoda, just don’t leave that statement hanging, put some meat on the bones. Is it kinda like the “force” were the non Jedi of us are destined to become used up, burned up plebs.
Armagedon:
Should have paid more attention at school you might have been able to get a better paying job.
That’s not very fair.
I don’t know about others but I drive a lorry because it’s what I want to do for a living because I enjoy it.
I left school with gcse’s and a levels then went to college for a year or two and started working as a freelance web designer. I’m a certified it professional and have the papers to prove it.
I don’t have to drive
Lorries to live, I want to!!
I’m sure there are a lot of others here that could go into other industries of they wanted to.
