if you are employed by your company and have hours left on your card,then you should work them if told to do so.
the tail dont wag the dog,and you can legally only max your hours out anyway which is no big deal seeing as thats what your geting paid for.
the goalposts constanty move in haulage so you should be flexible at work so long as your company respects you for it.
if you cant do that for the company that pays your wages,then youd be better suited to counting beans elsewhere.
stobart/tosco plobberjobs would be different as your a kebab on a seat from that kind of company and being decent will do you no good either way,so just be a typical british workman and do as little for as much as possible.
UNCARING COWBOY…reading your posts, I get the feeling YOU are one of the reasons the industry is the way it is, you would work any hours your boss throws at you, not everyone wants a 15 hour day, with a 9 hour rest, but its people like ME who get a bad name by refusing to work over and above what is called normal. I refused to work 15 hour days, and only took an 11 hr rest…much to the amusement of other drivers, when they started to do the same, when they got called into the office, and mentioned me How comes he does it scenario…seems they knew i wouldnt lick arse, and knew my rights, contract or not, and its up to drivers to do what they want to do, if it suits, I would help out where needed, going over and above, but i want it to be MY choice and not theirs…in the old days bosses ( who had been drivers themselves ) would ASK a driver and not TELL a driver as if it was the norm. Supposedly it was the Ministry that allowed a driver extra time to get to a safe place to park, after being held up in traffic etc, but this became the normal working day, so you can throw that at the boss, that 13 hour days are the norm, and a 15 is to allow time to park…whereas many drivers come on here, and facebook moaning that they have reached their 15, and had to spend the night in a layby because they have run out of hours…and the reason why ( in my opinion ) theyre worried what the boss will say if you cant finish the days deliveries in a day…well thats down to bad planning…tell em to plan for 13 hour days…the jobs a good un, or stuff will get taken back.
joeyd:
Steve66:
nightline:
It does state in every single HGV driving contract that you can be required to work up to the maximum permissible legal hours.Not in mine it doesn’t.
It says “A reasonable amount of overtime”.Same as mine. Which, as they pay OT rates after 8 hours, is very handy if I ever need an early finish.
I’m on overtime after 8 hours too.
Rarely it goes above 12 but if it does I usually do it and to be fair they do remember it.
Although I’m fortunate in that department. I start at stupid o’clock in the morning and usually finish by lunchtime. Any appointments etc are made for late afternoon so I rarely need to ask for favours but if the need arises they’re fairly cool about it.
dieseldog999:
if you are employed by your company and have hours left on your card,then you should work them if told to do so.
Well, maybe, but we’re always going to be treated like crap for as long as we do it. Who else in the 21st Century does 15 hour shifts?
I did them for 30+ years, I don’t do them now and I find that jobs which require a maximum 12 hour shift pay so much more per hour that I earn more working 12 hour day shifts than I ever did working 15 hour shifts with a night out tagged onto the end.
TheUncaringCowboy:
switchlogic:
TheUncaringCowboy:
I’d happily work 15s every day of the week, if only it were allowed.15 isn’t enough sometimes, as for 9 off sometimes that’s too long. Much better just to do it as you want to.
At the end of the day you’re employed to do a job and you are legally allowed to work for 15 hours in a day. I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request for your management to plan you to work it.
Ahhhhh i used to be just like you! Then one day I woke up and realized 15 hour working days are insane
I don’t think they’re insane at all, I’ve done much harder work with longer shifts in the past.
I enjoy my job and I’d much rather do 15 hours of it than 8 hours in an office or dealing with the public for example.
I’ve done the famous Dutch day night days and even more in my time, doesn’t mean I don’t think they are crazy now. I also enjoy my job and I’d rather do 15 hours in a truck than 8 in an office, still think working 15 hours is crazy