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
We do still have Union thank god.
If we didn’t my job would pay about 5k a year less!!!
George@ASDA driver:
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 stobartsWe do still have Union thank god.
If we didn’t my job would pay about 5k a year less!!!
Good luck to you mate, but the tesco boys at donny thought they were Ok until stobart got in. The unions are only there to negotiate. If stobart or whoever were to get in, you have x amount of time to like it or lump it, union or not. As Doncaster proved, the stores still get serviced so somebody is liking it
maga:
i heard recently on radio 5L that the average wage for a barrister is 33k…
Yes, a month.
yorkshire terrier:
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…Just my view on it for what it’s worth
And that gentlemen, is why wages are so low.
No nationwide union for truck drivers
Cheap labour from the eu
Dieseldog66:
yorkshire terrier:
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…Just my view on it for what it’s worth
And that gentlemen, is why wages are so low.
Read what it says, not just the first part, which when taken out of context could put a different perspective on it 
His brother has a skilled job and works 45hrs, he has a lorry driving job and works 55hrs, but…and here’s the important bit…he takes home a lot more
Game, set and match 
Thereal-john:
If your not happy with your lot…move on!!
Well said. Remember, at the end of the day you’ve made a business agreement to drive a lorry for an agreeable wage, legally, for a certain amount of hours per week. If the situation changes, then it’s not disgraceful to look for better elsewhere.
I’ve done it several times and don’t regret it. My job pays well, is easy and relatively stress free but that doesn’t mean I don’t look around for better.
Dieseldog66:
yorkshire terrier:
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…Just my view on it for what it’s worth
And that gentlemen, is why wages are so low.
Why does that make wages low? the average up here is £7 to £8 an hour I’m earning more than that but I don’t say anywhere in my post what I earn…
My brother stayed on at school got education and 3 years college training,I left school at 16 and messed about like an idiot i took no exams and I earn more and the only training I did was 4 days training to take my hgv licence.
The point I’m trying to get across is other jobs are not as well paid as you may think.
Contraflow:
maga:
i heard recently on radio 5L that the average wage for a barrister is 33k…Yes, a month.
nope was definitely 33k average salary.
other interesting wages to compare are police now start on 19k, stupidly low wage for the risks involved. Even the police mechanic starts on more…
MI5 salary increases to 29k after 3-5 years, another low wage for the job they do in central london.
maga:
Contraflow:
maga:
i heard recently on radio 5L that the average wage for a barrister is 33k…Yes, a month.
other interesting wages to compare are police now start on 19k, stupidly low wage for the risks involved. Even the police mechanic starts on more…
MI5 salary increases to 29k after 3-5 years, another low wage for the job they do in central london.
You might not think that you are naive, but the average earnings for a barrister might be calculated at £33k because they’re successfully minimising their tax liabilities !
As for the rozzers, I’d happily start any job on £19k when I know I’ll be seeing £45-80k on my P60 in a few months time.
Some of us don’t… 
Read the responses. So many drivers are actually happy to be paid a poor wage for working long hours. The job isn’t hard per se, but any job that requires 60+ hours a week just to make up the wage to a ‘liveable’ amount is by definition hard work.
Until drivers’ attitudes change, the wages won’t either.
Truckulent:
Some of us don’t…Read the responses. So many drivers are actually happy to be paid a poor wage for working long hours. The job isn’t hard per se, but any job that requires 60+ hours a week just to make up the wage to a ‘liveable’ amount is by definition hard work.
Until drivers’ attitudes change, the wages won’t either.
This is right, those who earn £30k for 60-70 hours per week, every week… well so they should be on £30k, they’re doing what would be considered two blokes’ work in most other industries!!
Truckulent:
Until drivers’ attitudes change, the wages won’t either.
You can change attitudes 'til the cows come home but it’ll not make a difference to the wages. Until our services become sought after and until our particular skillset becomes rare and hard to get hold of we’ll remain ten a penny and get paid as such.
Look at the big bucks I.T. guys were making years ago, then the market got flooded and now they’re on a fraction of their previous wage. Our market is flooded and as such our recompense remains low.
mac12:
Wheel Nut:
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.Have you plucked those figures out of the air?
No but been at places where they moan about the cost of everything but they have no choice but to pay, wages they just cut because they know some driver will drive
The easiest thing to do there is have a fuel economy bonus in place, and the ones who get the monthly bonus, get the prize in their salary, everyone’s a winner then. 2 mpg improvements are possible. If you can get 9 or 9.5 where the fleet average is 7.5, that is where the extra wages will come from.
I cringe when I hear drivers saying, zb em. I will fill up at xxxx. I am not paying for it. Well you are, in the long run.
The fuel price shown includes VAT, your boss claims that VAT back, but see if you can improve your mpg and ask him for an extra £100, he will snap your hand off.
the maoster:
Truckulent:
Until drivers’ attitudes change, the wages won’t either.You can change attitudes 'til the cows come home but it’ll not make a difference to the wages. Until our services become sought after and until our particular skillset becomes rare and hard to get hold of we’ll remain ten a penny and get paid as such.
Look at the big bucks I.T. guys were making years ago, then the market got flooded and now they’re on a fraction of their previous wage. Our market is flooded and as such our recompense remains low.
^^^
I rest my case.
I know a few IT guys. They earn rather decent money. But then they don’t take the view that is outlined above.
Our market is flooded with drivers that believe the ■■■■■■■■. I don’t work for poor rates, I get decent rates. Not mega bucks,but a ■■■■ sight lot more that the 8 or 9 quid an hour mentioned on here. Plenty of drivers do. So it’s ■■■■■■■■ to say it can’t be done.
It’s just an excuse that makes a lot of drivers feel ‘comfortable’ with the fact that they are being paid peanuts.
the maoster:
Truckulent:
Until drivers’ attitudes change, the wages won’t either.You can change attitudes 'til the cows come home but it’ll not make a difference to the wages. Until our services become sought after and until our particular skillset becomes rare and hard to get hold of we’ll remain ten a penny and get paid as such.
Look at the big bucks I.T. guys were making years ago, then the market got flooded and now they’re on a fraction of their previous wage. Our market is flooded and as such our recompense remains low.
Have a look around for Lonewolfs recent post, he left the transport industry to earn these big bucks as a qualified IT man, he is back driving a lorry to make ends meet.
Wheel Nut:
the maoster:
Truckulent:
Until drivers’ attitudes change, the wages won’t either.You can change attitudes 'til the cows come home but it’ll not make a difference to the wages. Until our services become sought after and until our particular skillset becomes rare and hard to get hold of we’ll remain ten a penny and get paid as such.
Look at the big bucks I.T. guys were making years ago, then the market got flooded and now they’re on a fraction of their previous wage. Our market is flooded and as such our recompense remains low.
Have a look around for Lonewolfs recent post, he left the transport industry to earn these big bucks as a qualified IT man, he is back driving a lorry to make ends meet.
^^^^^ my case is now having a rest. 
“Easy” work? - “Hard” Work?
Man has but a short time to live, and is full of misery.
I suggest that it’s long hours that makes a “hard” job, and short hours for good pay an “easy” one.
If you had to clean toilets with a toothbrush for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, and got paid £1000pw to do it, would you call this an “easy” job or a “Hard” one?
If you had to sit in a park bench for 12 hours a day with only every sunday and second saturday off, for £300pw would you consider this an “easy” or “hard” job?
A hard job to me is being closer to your death after earning your next grand than an alternative job that doesn’t leave you quite so close… It’s all relative.
We all live in a state of relative poverty compared to those around us who seem to be getting paid more for working less hours. Now That’s hard work living with that kind of crap, disrespect, and misery inflicted by the ignorant public at large each and every day.
The bottom line is that lorry driver wages are determined by the Law of Supply and Demand.
Demand is down, we are in the depths of the worst recession any of us have ever lived through, there is absolutely no sign of this changing any time soon. Supply is up, because we have tens of thousands of eastern European drivers eligible to work here now.
There’s not much more to add. There’s no point in saying “we are worth X amount of pounds per hour because we are special”. None whatsoever.