mac12:
Because drivers keep taking the jobs, if nobody took the low paid work rates would have to go up. Wages are a small part of the trucks cost a days fuel is more than a weeks wages and when it goes up companies moan but still keep paying if they are making no money they would all be parked up.
That isn’t strictly true, maybe with one man bands and small fleets, but the big players are too big to fail and in this economic climate big is relative.
If a company has thirty trucks and trailers, all financed with plenty of payments still to make and they start losing money and cannot pay the bills, what happens? Does the finance company steam in and ■■■■■■ back the equipment? Not such a good idea, the used market is on its arse and throwing thirty more trucks and trailers into it ain’t going to improve it. So they come to an agreement with the company and help them try to trade through the crisis, this way they’re getting something back each month through reduced payments, or they give them a payment holiday to allow their cashflow to catch up so they can making payments again, it’s a gamble, as the company may still fail, but it can be the better option for the finance company. The same also applies to banks, if a company has a huge overdraft or outstanding loan it makes sense for the bank to try and help them out of the hole rather than pulling the plug and getting SFA.
It’s a pity the banks didn’t use this logic in the early nineties instead of evicting families and creating a massive surplus of houses they couldn’t sell.
Aaaah but they did sell them…to their mates who had a pile of money and when the property prices went up again…they made a fortune from them, as bankers and their old school tie buddies usually do
That’s a bit despicable if you don’t mind me saying so, but I guessed there would be a happy ending for someone.
mac12:
Because drivers keep taking the jobs, if nobody took the low paid work rates would have to go up. Wages are a small part of the trucks cost a days fuel is more than a weeks wages and when it goes up companies moan but still keep paying if they are making no money they would all be parked up.
That isn’t strictly true, maybe with one man bands and small fleets, but the big players are too big to fail and in this economic climate big is relative.
If a company has thirty trucks and trailers, all financed with plenty of payments still to make and they start losing money and cannot pay the bills, what happens? Does the finance company steam in and ■■■■■■ back the equipment? Not such a good idea, the used market is on its arse and throwing thirty more trucks and trailers into it ain’t going to improve it. So they come to an agreement with the company and help them try to trade through the crisis, this way they’re getting something back each month through reduced payments, or they give them a payment holiday to allow their cashflow to catch up so they can making payments again, it’s a gamble, as the company may still fail, but it can be the better option for the finance company. The same also applies to banks, if a company has a huge overdraft or outstanding loan it makes sense for the bank to try and help them out of the hole rather than pulling the plug and getting SFA.
It’s a pity the banks didn’t use this logic in the early nineties instead of evicting families and creating a massive surplus of houses they couldn’t sell.
Aaaah but they did sell them…to their mates who had a pile of money and when the property prices went up again…they made a fortune from them, as bankers and their old school tie buddies usually do
^ This.
A rigged economy that makes artificial fluctuations in markets to make profits for some out of the losses of others is nothing new.
In addition to the champagne socialists who were all for social housing when it suited them and then cashed in with a subsidised house given to them to flog off at a profit when it didn’t.
Carryfast:
The reason is simple.A 12 hour day spent driving a truck is like 6 hours or less spent working in a factory or shop,or warehouse.Or to put it another way that £8 per hour is worth £16 per hour working inside.That’s why you don’t see many drivers trading the so called ‘low hourly wage rate’ of driving for a living for the so called ‘better’ hourly wage of other types of job.While wages in general are totally dependent on the working class having strong unions and the resulting the economy in general.Which,unless you believe all the government bs,is going down the tubes fast.
Nail on the head.
Before I started driving trucks I worked for the local council getting just under £6 per hour on a fixed 40 hour week (virtually no chance of any OT), so under £240 gross every week. Got my class 1 and started driving for a local haulage firm for just under £4 per hour and managed to gross almost £300 EVERY WEEK (because of available OT and mileage bonuses).
I’m looking to get back into driving - for the same reason - AGAIN!!
Carryfast:
The reason is simple.A 12 hour day spent driving a truck is like 6 hours or less spent working in a factory or shop,or warehouse.Or to put it another way that £8 per hour is worth £16 per hour working inside.That’s why you don’t see many drivers trading the so called ‘low hourly wage rate’ of driving for a living for the so called ‘better’ hourly wage of other types of job.While wages in general are totally dependent on the working class having strong unions and the resulting the economy in general.Which,unless you believe all the government bs,is going down the tubes fast.
Nail on the head.
Before I started driving trucks I worked for the local council getting just under £6 per hour on a fixed 40 hour week (virtually no chance of any OT), so under £240 gross every week. Got my class 1 and started driving for a local haulage firm for just under £4 per hour and managed to gross almost £300 EVERY WEEK (because of available OT and mileage bonuses).
I’m looking to get back into driving - for the same reason - AGAIN!!
I was referring to the grinding monotony and over supervision of working ‘inside’ as opposed to driving for a living.The effect of which makes every hour spent working inside seem like at least two.Adding overtime to that just makes things much worse in the case of the average factory etc type job.
Wheel Nut:
Have you plucked those figures out of the air?
A truck doing 400 miles a day will go through around 1000 litres a week which is £1,000 a week in fuel or £52,000 a year.
How many drivers earn £52,000 a year?
Fuel is a hauliers biggest cost followed by wages.
Not everyone does distance work My lorries used to go through 400 litres a day, but with a day and a night driver on them who were earning around 30k a year each, so my fuel costs were still in second place to wages, especially when you consider employers contributions on top of what the driver gets.
Page 1 and the ‘union’ card is out already. If we still had unions, you wouldn’t have higher wages, you’d have no job and your firms work would be done by stobarts
I personally think the hourly rate should be a little more than the average £8 an hour…
But when I look at what we actually do for it it isn’t hard work,
My brother has a so called skilled job gets a good weekly wage and only works 45 hours a week, I work around 55 hours pulling boxes around and take home a lot more than him,I know I work around ten hours a week more but I don’t work even half as hard as he does…
Wheel Nut:
Have you plucked those figures out of the air?
A truck doing 400 miles a day will go through around 1000 litres a week which is £1,000 a week in fuel or £52,000 a year.
How many drivers earn £52,000 a year?
Fuel is a hauliers biggest cost followed by wages.
We’ve recently been offered (and accepted) a fuel bonus system based on driving styles on isotrack system. I’ve been told (by one of our driver trainers) that the distribution manager said, the difference between a driver that doesn’t hit the bronze fuel bonus, so therfore doesn’t qualify for a bonus and a driver who constantly gets gold bonus is worth £10,000 pa in fuel costs.
Gold fuel bonus is worth almost £1k pa paid weekly.
OVLOV JAY:
Page 1 and the ‘union’ card is out already. If we still had unions, you wouldn’t have higher wages, you’d have no job and your firms work would be done by stobarts
Not true in all cases.
Without the Union my job would be done for around half the price.
I for one still enjoy my job after all these years. I take home £500-£650 pw. I’m not stuck in an office, my wagon has got all mod cons. And because I’ve done the job for so long I find it easy. The day I stop earning good money or stop enjoying it is the day I stop.
If your not happy with your lot…move on!!
Wheel Nut:
Have you plucked those figures out of the air?
A truck doing 400 miles a day will go through around 1000 litres a week which is £1,000 a week in fuel or £52,000 a year.
How many drivers earn £52,000 a year?
Fuel is a hauliers biggest cost followed by wages.
We’ve recently been offered (and accepted) a fuel bonus system based on driving styles on isotrack system. I’ve been told (by one of our driver trainers) that the distribution manager said, the difference between a driver that doesn’t hit the bronze fuel bonus, so therfore doesn’t qualify for a bonus and a driver who constantly gets gold bonus is worth £10,000 pa in fuel costs.
Gold fuel bonus is worth almost £1k pa paid weekly.
So you save the company 10k compared to billy lead foot but only get paid 1k more than him. Suppose its better than getting nowt extra.
OVLOV JAY:
Page 1 and the ‘union’ card is out already. If we still had unions, you wouldn’t have higher wages, you’d have no job and your firms work would be done by stobarts
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you not taken your medication today? What a lot of completely unfounded right wing jingoistic bull!! I’m surprised they allow you near a computer in the nursing home.
i heard recently on radio 5L that the average wage for a barrister is 33k, yet lorry drivers have poor wages? i’m sure someone posted a picture of stobarts pay scale and it was close to that 33k with none of the stress or years of education and they’re considered bad payers on here.
sure some of the more experienced barristers are on the big money but you could say the same for tanker or car transporter drivers.
on the whole lorry driving is an easy job and the pay reflects that, sometimes wonder if people who make these sorts of threads have ever done anything else except driving
Wheel Nut:
Have you plucked those figures out of the air?
A truck doing 400 miles a day will go through around 1000 litres a week which is £1,000 a week in fuel or £52,000 a year.
How many drivers earn £52,000 a year?
Fuel is a hauliers biggest cost followed by wages.
We’ve recently been offered (and accepted) a fuel bonus system based on driving styles on isotrack system. I’ve been told (by one of our driver trainers) that the distribution manager said, the difference between a driver that doesn’t hit the bronze fuel bonus, so therfore doesn’t qualify for a bonus and a driver who constantly gets gold bonus is worth £10,000 pa in fuel costs.
Gold fuel bonus is worth almost £1k pa paid weekly.
So you save the company 10k compared to billy lead foot but only get paid 1k more than him. Suppose its better than getting nowt extra.
Billy lead foot, will find himself retained in fuel efficient driving techniques, if Billy’s foot is still a little heavy, he faces disciplinary action, he’s agreed to the changes in his T’s and C’s, he will get away with bronze bonus but you can hit that driving like a ■■■■■ not hitting bonus at all means your abusing the vehicle IMO.
I’m not going to turn down an extra 1k for just a few simple improvements (i was always pretty high on the scores anyway) even if the company is making 9k more out of me, surely that’s why there in business! There is a financial incentive to do better it’s not difficult to get gold bonus, no 56, not flooring it, knock off the cc about 1/2 mile before junctions/roundabouts, keep idle time to a minimum and always use cc in top gear, simples
I went on strike back in the '70’s for £1 per hr…we got it, pretty dam quick…
The truck drivers today are one of the most powerful work forces in the country…if they stopped work for a week, the country would be at a standstill, it would effect every individual, there would be no food, fuel, imports or exports…nothing.
Unfortunately, it’ll never happen, because they won,t stick together, they are they’re own worse enemy…
What the Brit’s are good at, is moaning and ■■■■■■■■ about it, but not getting off their arses and doing anything.
I went on strike back in the '70’s for £1 per hr…we got it, pretty dam quick…
The truck drivers today are one of the most powerful work forces in the country…if they stopped work for a week, the country would be at a standstill, it would effect every individual, there would be no food, fuel, imports or exports…nothing.
Unfortunately, it’ll never happen, because they won,t stick together, they are they’re own worse enemy…
What the Brit’s are good at, is moaning and ■■■■■■■■ about it, but not getting off their arses and doing anything.
OVLOV JAY:
Page 1 and the ‘union’ card is out already. If we still had unions, you wouldn’t have higher wages, you’d have no job and your firms work would be done by stobarts
There’s an element of your statement that’s almost true. We wouldn’t have jobs as slaves didn’t have jobs as such.
OVLOV JAY:
Page 1 and the ‘union’ card is out already. If we still had unions, you wouldn’t have higher wages, you’d have no job and your firms work would be done by stobarts
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you not taken your medication today? What a lot of completely unfounded right wing jingoistic bull!! I’m surprised they allow you near a computer in the nursing home.
Ha ha ha, I forgot, the manufacturing industries have been booming since the 70’s and 80’s. I must have dreamed tfl eyeing up driverless tube trains too. Fact is, other than the rmt, unions have little or no power anymore. The only reason the tanker drivers did Ok is because they’re carrying treasury money, that the government needed to be on forecourts. My load of coke isn’t so desperate.
My lorries used to go through 400 litres a day, but with a day and a night driver on them who were earning around 30k a year each, so my fuel costs were still in second place to wages, especially when you consider employers contributions on top of what the driver gets. 
