From my experience of various industries not just haulage, these sort of problems arise from poor management. Can the Supervisor hire and fire? Or put in to place (for the want of a better expression) quality control systems. Also is there an exchange of information between the drivers and management. Maybe the is a problem with keyfuels site round there, some drivers have noticed this, but have no got a system in place to inform you so you can issue a current list of sites. Again maybe something a transport manager on site might have noticed and addressed.
Saying that it doesn’t let off the drivers for some of the things that have happened.
I’m intrigued! Read through the following paragraphs then give me some suggestions!
Deepinvet:
As per usual people are too quick to put all the fault on the driver…Signs approaching the bridge state ‘Drivers of high vehicles, use the centre of the road’. There’s even pretty little while lines to guide you! Driver stays on own side of road and . . . . . . crunch!!! A 10 meter long crunch, BTW!
Bollard in place to prevent vehicles hitting side of building. Bollard hasn’t moved since construction but still . . . . "I didn’t even see it. I didn’t recognise the sound as anything being damaged so I carried on.’ Ripped the step off; he thought maybe it was a cardboard box being driven over!!
‘I didn’t see a Key Fuels sign on the forecourt; that’s how I knew they didn’t take the card.’ Didn’t think of asking inside (x 6) and even more difficult to understand, didn’t think to call the 24hr number (to office and/or manager) at any time, even up to the point of running out of derv. Did think to call then though . . . . . . . .
18 hour working day - ‘I knew that 3 of the hours were done before I put the card in so it didn’t look like 15 hours. I still want paid 18 hours though cos that’s what I worked!’ WTF?
Minor RTA - ‘I did know the car was on my inside but once I couldn’t see it anymore I thought it’d gone or turned-off or something.’ Best bit though, ‘Well I did check the blind spot but there was nothing there.’
Striping the ABS lead - ‘It was awkward to get at. I tried stretching the cable to see if it would loosen-up any but it just pulled the wires out.’
Damaged Anderson lead - ‘I remembered I’d forgot it once I got going but thought I sort it at the next delivery.’
Wrong trailer taken - ‘I couldn’t find the trailer number that was on the paperwork but this one was on the usual loading bay for that drop so I thought that must’ve been it.’
Now bar the last point where I guess a manager could stand in the yard and show the drivers where the trailers are, as per their paperwork (hold their flippin’ hand more like!!), I fail to see how any of the above ■■■■-ups are anything other than driver faults. Short of a manager/driving assessor accompanying every driver on every trip, what difference would the onsite manager have made? Bear in mind that most of these ‘incidents’ happened away from base; isn’t that what 99% of drivers do i.e. drive a truck to the delivery point on their own?? I don’t see that it’s too much to expect, so yes, the fault is being put on the driver!! Explain why that’s wrong■■?
[/quote]
Well if you can’t see the problem then maybe you’re in the wrong job. I’m not starting some sort of argument or trying to be clever here but just looking at your problem from a different angle. You did ask 'why it is so bad in the NW?? If you don’t like the feed back or you knew the answers you shouldn’t of posted the question.
It seems to me that you already made your mind up where the problems are.
Deepinvet:
Well if you can’t see the problem then maybe you’re in the wrong job.
I can see the problem but I aren’t the ‘main man’, well . . . MD. That’s who needs to make the final decision. I was just curious as to why our stats should differ so much between the two areas and also to see if anyone in a like position had identified anything similar themselves.
Newmercman was probably the nearest to a solution!
newmercman:
you’ve got the wrong blokes mate, I reckon it’s time for a clearout before they damage your company’s reputation beyond repair
Are these drivers all experienced guys? Sounds like some don’t give a (zb) that’s for sure, maybe you can shake things up abit with some newbies who want a job and will look after your gear.
Sounds like your recruitment process and supervision needs a lot of looking at. To get one or two bad apples is unlucky, to get so many is just negligence of the day to day operations and supervision. If i’d couldn’t manage it i’d pull the plug too. You don’t seem to be able to manage it.
Mike-C:
You don’t seem to be able to manage it.
We seem to do OK with the Midlands contracts. Do NW drivers need some ‘special’ kind of managing? I refer you to any of the examples above, say for instance, the chap who hit the bollard; how would different management strategies have prevented him from doing that in the first place? Sure, what we do after the event may have an impact on its likelihood of happening in the future but unless we’d have sent a Marshall/banksman on the delivery with him, which isn’t practical, how would things have been different with a manager sat in an office back in the yard?
Next thing is you’ll be saying they should go on strike ‘to protect their jobs’ or something!! 
There’s a meeting about this contract planned for today; I know what my advice to the MD will be.
Deepinvet:
As per usual people are too quick to put all the fault on the driver…As I see it you have a fairly big contract in the NW with 10 drivres running it, but with no real transport manager only a ‘Supervisor’.I would of thought that you should get a Transport manager up there to sort this mess out before it’s too late and 10 drivers are looking for a job!!
So who’s at fault here…The Managers for not managing this contract correctly!!!
Definitely managers fault.There should be ten of them up there,one in each cab,along with the “driver”,and I use the term “driver” very loosely.
HTF is it managements fault for drivers having accidents and running out of fuel.
What you have up there is guys getting paid to do a job they should be capable of doing without constant supervision but are incapable.Get rid of the lot of them and start again.
I hope you have been following disciplinary procedures or you`ll be stuck with them.
marcustandy:
Deepinvet:
So who’s at fault here…The Managers for not managing this contract correctly!!!I’m intrigued! Read through the following paragraphs then give me some suggestions!
Deepinvet:
As per usual people are too quick to put all the fault on the driver…Signs approaching the bridge state ‘Drivers of high vehicles, use the centre of the road’. There’s even pretty little while lines to guide you! Driver stays on own side of road and . . . . . . crunch!!! A 10 meter long crunch, BTW!
Bollard in place to prevent vehicles hitting side of building. Bollard hasn’t moved since construction but still . . . . "I didn’t even see it. I didn’t recognise the sound as anything being damaged so I carried on.’ Ripped the step off; he thought maybe it was a cardboard box being driven over!!
‘I didn’t see a Key Fuels sign on the forecourt; that’s how I knew they didn’t take the card.’ Didn’t think of asking inside (x 6) and even more difficult to understand, didn’t think to call the 24hr number (to office and/or manager) at any time, even up to the point of running out of derv. Did think to call then though . . . . . . . .
18 hour working day - ‘I knew that 3 of the hours were done before I put the card in so it didn’t look like 15 hours. I still want paid 18 hours though cos that’s what I worked!’ WTF?
Minor RTA - ‘I did know the car was on my inside but once I couldn’t see it anymore I thought it’d gone or turned-off or something.’ Best bit though, ‘Well I did check the blind spot but there was nothing there.’
Striping the ABS lead - ‘It was awkward to get at. I tried stretching the cable to see if it would loosen-up any but it just pulled the wires out.’
Damaged Anderson lead - ‘I remembered I’d forgot it once I got going but thought I sort it at the next delivery.’
Wrong trailer taken - ‘I couldn’t find the trailer number that was on the paperwork but this one was on the usual loading bay for that drop so I thought that must’ve been it.’
Now bar the last point where I guess a manager could stand in the yard and show the drivers where the trailers are, as per their paperwork (hold their flippin’ hand more like!!), I fail to see how any of the above ■■■■-ups are anything other than driver faults. Short of a manager/driving assessor accompanying every driver on every trip, what difference would the onsite manager have made? Bear in mind that most of these ‘incidents’ happened away from base; isn’t that what 99% of drivers do i.e. drive a truck to the delivery point on their own?? I don’t see that it’s too much to expect, so yes, the fault is being put on the driver!! Explain why that’s wrong■■?
I’m not even sure what “discussion” Martin is expecting in this thread. He’s got a load of [zb] drivers and they all need firing pronto. If I was their TM they’d all be long gone by now. Time for you to grow a pair Martin, instead of just whinging about it and doing [zb] all to sort it.
Gridley51:
What you have up there is guys getting paid to do a job they should be capable of doing without constant supervision but are incapable.Get rid of the lot of them and start again.
I hope you have been following disciplinary procedures or you`ll be stuck with them.
Agreed, though imho this supervisor wants looking at too; when would you be more cautious? With the guy who bought you a pint last night and gave you your paperwork in the morning? Or the firm but fair guy at work who’ll - really lay into you if you ■■■■ up like that?
Gridley51:
Deepinvet:
As per usual people are too quick to put all the fault on the driver…As I see it you have a fairly big contract in the NW with 10 drivres running it, but with no real transport manager only a ‘Supervisor’.I would of thought that you should get a Transport manager up there to sort this mess out before it’s too late and 10 drivers are looking for a job!!
So who’s at fault here…The Managers for not managing this contract correctly!!!Definitely managers fault.There should be ten of them up there,one in each cab,along with the “driver”,and I use the term “driver” very loosely.
HTF is it managements fault for drivers having accidents and running out of fuel.
What you have up there is guys getting paid to do a job they should be capable of doing without constant supervision but are incapable.Get rid of the lot of them and start again.
I hope you have been following disciplinary procedures or you`ll be stuck with them.
Pretty much nail to head.
Because there aint no manager there day to day, the supervisor doesnt seem to be doing much so early retirement for him too.
As for recruitment, you can be given the best CV in the world and get glowing references for that person, it doesnt make them the best employee you will ever have.
I will make a shout for you, how many drivers required, wheres it based, whats it doing (trunk/multi drop/tippers/fridge etc), shift pattern and wages because you either dump the contract or retire the current mob earkly and get people in who can do the job without writing off your fleet.
Rob K:
If I was their TM they’d all be long gone by now. Time for you to grow a pair Martin, instead of just whinging about it and doing [zb] all to sort it.
You can always rely on Rob for the ‘kid gloves’ approach!! 
Gridley51:
I hope you have been following disciplinary procedures or you`ll be stuck with them.
There is an element of this to be considered.
I don’t make the final decision, merely provide my ‘thoughts and observations’ and the MD will make the final call.
marcustandy:
Rob K:
If I was their TM they’d all be long gone by now. Time for you to grow a pair Martin, instead of just whinging about it and doing [zb] all to sort it.
You can always rely on Rob for the ‘kid gloves’ approach!!
Well [zb] me Martin, it ain’t rocket science is it. If they were your trucks and your drivers were bringing them back with no roof on the trailer and various other bits hanging off, would you be coming on here asking wtf to do about it? No, you’d be snatching a pen out of someone’s hand as quick as you could to write their P45. I don’t get what is so different here but then I can’t work out what exactly this company is you “work” for anyway. Sounds like just another [zb] agency to me but you call it a “management” company, whatever the [zb] that is.
We have a similar problem at our place, mostly (it would seem) with the drivers who came when we expanded a few years ago. We haven’t had a payrise for nearly 4 years as a result. Whenever anyone from the office asks the “original” drivers what they expect them to do about it, the answer is always the same. “Sack the idiots.”
I appreciate that’s easier said than done these days, employment law being as unbalanced as it is, but surely if you do the whole grievance thing properly then it can be done without you being sued? Hell, as again has been said in our case, surely there comes a point where it’s cheaper to fire them, let them sue, and settle out-of-court for a few grand than letting them cost you more than that in damage by staying?
It’s not necessarily something better on-site management will sort, or even where it’s needed. I used to work from an outbase in Southampton for a Hull firm, and we had no manager at all, we just put our paperwork in the post at the end of the week and got run through the Hull yard from time to time to pick up replacements. Our day driver never even did that. There were 6 of us, and we were basically left to get on with it… But we didn’t have a damage problem, and the work was done properly. Why? Decent recruitment practices in the first place and mutual respect between the two “ends” of the operation. So it can work.
The anderson lead i can understand, i do it all the time myself. Most new vehicles won’t start unless you plug it back into the tractor, or if you keep it short it should just pull out and hang down harmlessly.
Lucy:
It’s not necessarily something better on-site management will sort, or even where it’s needed. I used to work from an outbase in Southampton for a Hull firm, and we had no manager at all, we just put our paperwork in the post at the end of the week and got run through the Hull yard from time to time to pick up replacements. Our day driver never even did that. There were 6 of us, and we were basically left to get on with it… But we didn’t have a damage problem, and the work was done properly. Why? Decent recruitment practices in the first place and mutual respect between the two “ends” of the operation. So it can work.
No amount of “management” will stop drivers hitting bridges and pranging stuff. The drivers are [zb]. The End.
That’s about the size of it.
marcustandy:
Mike-C:
You don’t seem to be able to manage it.We seem to do OK with the Midlands contracts. Do NW drivers need some ‘special’ kind of managing? I refer you to any of the examples above, say for instance, the chap who hit the bollard; how would different management strategies have prevented him from doing that in the first place? Sure, what we do after the event may have an impact on its likelihood of happening in the future but unless we’d have sent a Marshall/banksman on the delivery with him, which isn’t practical, how would things have been different with a manager sat in an office back in the yard?
Next thing is you’ll be saying they should go on strike ‘to protect their jobs’ or something!!
There’s a meeting about this contract planned for today; I know what my advice to the MD will be.
You havn’t managed your recruitment properly , thats obvious by the facts of the matter. It sounds like you’ve hired the worst bunch of drivers ever. Pray tell, who picked them !!!
Are you paying the same driver rates on the NW contract as the midlands one?
I know of a NW based company (owned by a very large wealthy parent co.) that has a big damage problem & driver turnover.
You only need look at their pay rates to see the problem.
Peanuts.
Monkeys.
I agree, the drivers at our north west company are all on good wages, and as such, value their jobs.
this promotes good working practices, and secures the best from each driver.
I am willing to bet that your rate of pay, reflects the standard of drivers recruited.
I disagree, take a job, do it to the best of your ability, if you don’t want it due to wages, don’t bloody take it.
I’m not on mega bux, but I don’t go round smashing stuff up because of it.