I have worked on the Car Transporters and I loved every minute of it. If Freemans are looking or Autologic I will be applying, working away all week don’t bother me and if you want the money it is there if your willing to work. I’ve already applied to go back to ECM (more like a family than a job) and Acumen and Quinns so I’d go back tomorrow. People now days want money for nothing and that’s why this country is going down the pan quickly. I’ve just closed my own company because the lads I had working for me had the attitude of “well I have worked all week but didn’t do a great deal and I still want a decent wage?” Well you only get back what you put in. Car Transporter Driving is the best job in the world and after watching my Father do it in the 70’s for Carfax and Lathems when he was bringing home £400 to £500 a week then leave to go on General Haulage for 20 years and struggle to pay the household bills week after week then to go back to Car Transporters on ECM till he retired with money in the bank then I know which way I’d be going. As for getting experience if your interested the companies by law have to train you even if you have previous experience so go for it if its what you want to do.
marcustandy:
Location - Rushden/Wellingborough/Northampton.He has advertised before and had a lot of enquiries, unfortunately most of which had no experience but ‘would like to give it a try if you train me’; not really what he’s looking for.
I guess he’s trying to find out where there might be pockets of ex-transporter drivers, with experience but no current work.
Lazy bugger might have to bite the bullet and spend 30 minutes with a driver showing them how to use the trailer, load in the best way to keep the centre of gravity down as low a possible and make sure the driver has a tape measure.
Sure theres a driver out there familiar with car transporters willing to give it a go though.
I would be more sympathetic if it was for low loader work with complicated heavy/wide loads but really a car transporter operator not willing to give any training doesn’t bode well for the job in hand.
I’ve noticed quite a few French car transporters carrying UK RHD motors on them. Cabotage stuff perhaps?.
A very tricky job lots of responsability hard work cramped conditions and now standard general haulage pay…simples
Most of those of us who got out wouldn’t go back no matter what was slyly promised, i’d want well in excess of £50k salaried now to consider return for a 12 hour maximum day and no nights out, and that isn’t going to happen…except for one operator which i won’t name which pays above this but as you might expect is most certainly dead mans shoes.
Do not be tempted into this job unless you are young enough to learn the ropes and get onto the right company to earn the big money, it takes a massive toll on your body, you will not work harder in transport than this, you will suffer knee and other problems over time and you get hurt regularly.
44 Tonne Ton:
It’s a job you couldn’t get on 20 years ago. Now they struggle to find drivers. I wonder why■■?
That’s easy to answer…
Hard work…lot of hassle…■■■■ money.
Why would you? Same and better money to be had elsewhere, with a fraction of the aggro of transporter work.
Truckulent:
44 Tonne Ton:
It’s a job you couldn’t get on 20 years ago. Now they struggle to find drivers. I wonder why■■?That’s easy to answer…
Hard work…lot of hassle…[zb] money.
Why would you? Same and better money to be had elsewhere, with a fraction of the aggro of transporter work.
It does seen quite ball achey
How many hours a week are these guys doing? Max hours?
marcustandy:
I know of a company (Midlands) who are looking for a two-years-plus experienced car transporter driver. It is a Mon - Fri tramping job.They have advertised locally but couldn’t find anyone suitable. They seem to think that there could/should be some suitable drivers who were laid-off during the ‘hard times’.
The question is, where should they advertise? Some have suggested the North East; any further thoughts on that?
Have they tried advertising in Poland?
I assume the experience side of it is the use of the hydraulics. Shame really as it’s something I wouldn’t mind progressing to from doing single vehicle transportation.
europleb:
A very tricky job lots of responsability hard work cramped conditions and now standard general haulage pay…simples
Not at all. I came out the army in 99 managed to land a job on the transporters for a small company out of Southampton doing European car recovery then they picked up work bringing brand new RHD back from Europe. Fords from Spain BMW mercs from Germany land rovers from Holland to name a few. All legit
marcustandy:
I know of a company (Midlands) who are looking for a two-years-plus experienced car transporter driver. It is a Mon - Fri tramping job.They have advertised locally but couldn’t find anyone suitable. They seem to think that there could/should be some suitable drivers who were laid-off during the ‘hard times’.
The question is, where should they advertise? Some have suggested the North East; any further thoughts on that?
This subject really gets up my hooter!
Everyone,but everyone wants experienced drivers,be it car transporter,or any class of HGV.
Where is this never ending supply of experienced drivers coming from?
There are so many young drivers on here,and I have a son in the same boat,who have spent good money to gain their HGV licence as there is a,“Shortage” of HGV drivers,only to keep falling at the first hurdle,lack of experience.
There are some openings with small firms and some agencies have some clients that will take on noobies,but good agencies are hard to find,but the number of big firms who are advertising every week for experienced drivers is mind boggling.
Experienced HGV drivers are not standing around on street corners,these big firms are hoping that smaller firms may take the risks of training up noobies so they can poach them when they become experienced.
Some day soon,the bigger firms are going to have to grasp the nettle and train up their own drivers,if they want them,they’re going to have to pay for them!
Car transporters, like any specialised driving job, should pay for experience and qualifications. I enquired once about low loader work near to where I live, and the chap said he wanted plant licences of all shapes and sizes, a clean HGV 1 licence and experience, and all for minimum wage. If car transporter work has gone the same way, I imagine all the experienced drivers are at the supermarket depots or driving a decker around on nights. And why wouldn’t we be?
Rhythm Thief:
Car transporters, like any specialised driving job, should pay for experience and qualifications. I enquired once about low loader work near to where I live, and the chap said he wanted plant licences of all shapes and sizes, a clean HGV 1 licence and experience, and all for minimum wage. If car transporter work has gone the same way, I imagine all the experienced drivers are at the supermarket depots or driving a decker around on nights. And why wouldn’t we be?
This is the issue. They want the best, but they don’t want to pay for it.
This thread is a good example of the power drivers have… or would have if they had the balls to stick together.
Too many companies now expect top drivers for school leaver wages. I for one, can’t wait for the time (and it will come hopefully!) when the ‘big’ companies are wondering what the ■■■■ they are going to do with all these trucks with no drivers available to shift them.
Far too many ask for experienced drivers but are not willing to give any driver that experience, all in the name of getting the job done as cheaply as possible. One day, it may just come back to haunt them…
Maybe.
JLambell:
I have worked on the Car Transporters and I loved every minute of it. If Freemans are looking or Autologic I will be applying, working away all week don’t bother me and if you want the money it is there if your willing to work. I’ve already applied to go back to ECM (more like a family than a job) and Acumen and Quinns so I’d go back tomorrow. People now days want money for nothing and that’s why this country is going down the pan quickly. I’ve just closed my own company because the lads I had working for me had the attitude of “well I have worked all week but didn’t do a great deal and I still want a decent wage?” Well you only get back what you put in. Car Transporter Driving is the best job in the world and after watching my Father do it in the 70’s for Carfax and Lathems when he was bringing home £400 to £500 a week then leave to go on General Haulage for 20 years and struggle to pay the household bills week after week then to go back to Car Transporters on ECM till he retired with money in the bank then I know which way I’d be going. As for getting experience if your interested the companies by law have to train you even if you have previous experience so go for it if its what you want to do.
£400 to £500 a week in the 70’s your having a laugh matey, as someone who’s Dad & Brother were both on Cartansport BRS then, I can tell you nobody got that in the 70’s.
Juddian:
Most of those of us who got out wouldn’t go back no matter what was slyly promised, i’d want well in excess of £50k salaried now to consider return for a 12 hour maximum day and no nights out, and that isn’t going to happen…except for one operator which i won’t name which pays above this but as you might expect is most certainly dead mans shoes.Do not be tempted into this job unless you are young enough to learn the ropes and get onto the right company to earn the big money, it takes a massive toll on your body, you will not work harder in transport than this, you will suffer knee and other problems over time and you get hurt regularly.
The thing with car transporter jobs and anyone on that job will tell you. Its not a job for every one and not everyone can do the job. It is hard, particularly when you dont have loading experience. That comes with time. And you never stop learning as cars continually change.
And its certainly no fun when your strapping cars down and the rains horizontal. But if you can rise to a challenge and also grit your teeth for a few months it does become easier.
Having a decent load allocator is half the battle too.
Can you do days/nights on car transporters or is it just tramping?
I choose to work permanent nights. Though there are days and also tramping.
Never seen them advertised, I wouldn’t mind days/nights, not too keen on micro-tramping:lol:
marcustandy:
who were laid-off during the ‘hard times’ . quote]But times move on.
It’s a similar situation when people talk about opening up the coal mines again, where will you get experienced miners these days?