Working for Stobarts

DRIVERS TOOL BOX FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (READ ONLY FORUM)
1

with a lot of people slagging stobbies off on here, can anybody tell me what they are like to work on the general haulage side?

i would be willing to work for them and would prefer to go on the tramping side of things rather than the supermarkets and day running and was just wondering what they would be like to work for?

there are numerous reason to be willing to work for them, first and foremost, from what i can make out, they look after thier drivers, others include the wagons are well maintained and always clean, the wages arent as bad as some companies that advertise and last but not least the fact they are not going to go to the wall overnight (if at all).

if you work for stobbies and have a point of view then please let me know (either on here or in a PM if you so wish) as i am truly interested!

2

I applied online and got a letter saying I had passed initial vetting and they would let me know when and if they want me. My mate went for an asessment with them and he failed because he stopped a touch over the line on a roundabout. I thought that was perhaps a tad too strict. I’m still waiting for them to contact me but I’ll probably be turning them down because I don’t think they do tramping from the depots up here in the Glasgow/Edinburgh area, just day shift Tesco work

3

Well in their induction, they tell the trampers that they’ll be working right up to their max hours.

Also, if midnight to 3am starts or finishes aren’t your kettle of fish, maybe it’s not for you. If you’re wanting to do tramping to avoid the Tesco store work, you won’t avoid it. Just because you work out of a depot that’s on general doesn’t mean you’ll stay on it. You could do a run from your depot then get told to run into Goole to do a store delivery then get told to go to Coca Cola at Wakefield to load after that for example.

4

Hi Gibsla,as you have probably guessed i work for ESL as a tramper and i think its one of the better job’s around,having left twice for firms who fill you full of crap and then it don’t happen.
Stobarts don’t lie to you at the interview,they tell you,you will be working max hours,you will as a tramper be away all week most weeks and we don’t expect you to run bent,we do expect you to wear a uniform and if you get it damaged it will be replaced at no cost to you.

I’m away Sun-Thurs,travel all around the country from Wick/Thurso down to Dover/Penzance,i do multi-drops,single drops(not keen on these run’s,much prefer multi-drop),supermarket deliveries for you know who and i’m basically left alone to do the job and get paid every hour i work and get paid a meal allowence,parking paid(with the meal voucher) at MSA’S,don’t have to wash the truck myself as most depots have washes,or you can use LPW washes on the services and at their depot’s.

Unfortunally you can’t pick and choose not to do Tesco work,some drivers don’t have to do it if they have a medical condition but on the whole you do what you are given and whilst i’m doing Tesco work i still get all my night’s out as i’m away from home,i personally don’t mind it as it makes a change from motorway work,still get my hours in as trampers get the furthest away from the depot’s store’s,most RDC’s have canteen and shower facilities.

Now the bad point’s,at the moment i’m on holiday and i’m dreading going in tomorrow morning to put my gear back in as when you are off shift anyone is in your truck,i could have got lucky and had a decent,respectful driver on it or i could have had the dirtiest,smelly driver you could ever not wish for,but if it has had the later then i will report it and give ESL the cleaning materials bill as our transport manager is ■■■■ hot on things like this and hates to see crappy truck’s.

All in all i think they are one of the better transport companies to work for,decent working condition’s and as you say decent kit,but its not for everybody as posts on this site prove,you either love it or hate it.
Don’t take my word for it though,ask around on here as their are quite a few of us on here.e.g stvme.

5

Giblsa:
i would be willing to work for them and would prefer to go on the tramping side of things rather than the supermarkets and day running and was just wondering what they would be like to work for?

Been there done that, all there ‘tramping’ was mickey mouse day work with nights out where you were, example magna park to coventry, then to lichfield, then back to coventry then lichfield, night out lichfield, then over to magna then northampton, then coventry, magna to magna!!! etc i spent more time getting in and out of the waggon than what i did unloading or driving it :exclamation:

6

to be honest id say the jobs is as good as your planner i.e bad planner bad job…good planner good job…i was told by jase dont listen to what people say but try for ya self …dont get me wrong you have your good days and your bad days like any job, and you will find something to moan about…but ive never been asked to run bent, ive never been phoned to ask were i am our why am i parked up,kits top notch, any problems with truck and i ring in and im told get it straight into nearest dealer to get sorted…hours are maximum as im a tramper, but to be honest thats what i took job for was the money to make things little easier at home…if im late i just ring up tell them no question asked why…if im on my last shift and a job comes up dodgy that i think wont get me back in time i ring up and its changed…AND NO IM NOT A GLORY BOY STOBART DRIVER, but what i will say is the job is the easiest ive done, only thing i dont like is been run maximum on my last shift but i knew that before started…and like a post saying they only tramped local ive never had that, this week ive been from up north to down south loads of times…in other words try job for ya self if you dont like pack it in if you do like stay, dont listen to other people

7

jase:
Hi Gibsla,as you have probably guessed i work for ESL as a tramper and i think its one of the better job’s around,having left twice for firms who fill you full of crap and then it don’t happen.
Stobarts don’t lie to you at the interview,they tell you,you will be working max hours,you will as a tramper be away all week most weeks and we don’t expect you to run bent,we do expect you to wear a uniform and if you get it damaged it will be replaced at no cost to you.

I’m away Sun-Thurs,travel all around the country from Wick/Thurso down to Dover/Penzance,i do multi-drops,single drops(not keen on these run’s,much prefer multi-drop),supermarket deliveries for you know who and i’m basically left alone to do the job and get paid every hour i work and get paid a meal allowence,parking paid(with the meal voucher) at MSA’S,don’t have to wash the truck myself as most depots have washes,or you can use LPW washes on the services and at their depot’s.

Unfortunally you can’t pick and choose not to do Tesco work,some drivers don’t have to do it if they have a medical condition but on the whole you do what you are given and whilst i’m doing Tesco work i still get all my night’s out as i’m away from home,i personally don’t mind it as it makes a change from motorway work,still get my hours in as trampers get the furthest away from the depot’s store’s,most RDC’s have canteen and shower facilities.

Now the bad point’s,at the moment i’m on holiday and i’m dreading going in tomorrow morning to put my gear back in as when you are off shift anyone is in your truck,i could have got lucky and had a decent,respectful driver on it or i could have had the dirtiest,smelly driver you could ever not wish for,but if it has had the later then i will report it and give ESL the cleaning materials bill as our transport manager is [zb] hot on things like this and hates to see crappy truck’s.

All in all i think they are one of the better transport companies to work for,decent working condition’s and as you say decent kit,but its not for everybody as posts on this site prove,you either love it or hate it.
Don’t take my word for it though,ask around on here as their are quite a few of us on here.e.g stvme.

I worked for him in the 80s…it was a bit different then :wink: That was when william was still on the road with his space cab daf…
It was really good money then, from what I can remeber we took home about £380 + but we did put the hours in… As others had said Jack oops sorry Giblsa :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: give it a go you nowt to lose.

8

i dont an never have worked for stobbies but the kit always looks tidy and drivers look happy enough. give it a try you may have nothing to lose but everything to gain

9

do you keep the same truck all the time & if so if you worked monday to friday would anyone else be in it at the weekend.

10

i can only say about my truck at my depot…ive been there 4 months now and im a monday to friday tramper and its been out 3 times for the odd hours here and there, i always chech the mileage and print outs on digi tach …think it just by luck nearest set of keys when planners hands keys out …but i was told at interview if truck is parked up then its gona be used if needed…

11

giblsa, my experience at stobarts wasnt all that great, was on friday to tuesday tramping, got told at the interview you could make a decent wage on this shift however more often than not i found myself parked up early on a sunday (2/3 pm) in one of the depots just in case one of the depot drivers rang in sick on the monday!. as the posts have said its all down to the planners, have had to empty my kit out of the cab many a time on a tuesday night whilst stil on the bay at tescos middlewich, throw it in the van the driver reliving me turned up in and head up to warrington. now my biggest gripe, i would spend a great deal off time keeping on top of the truck whilst down the road, however when i was on my weekly rest the wagon was used by five other drivers and left in a tip for me to come into on the friday. my complaints fell on deaf ears to the point where i refused to leave the depot in it. the drive axle mudgaurds where worn through on the wagon that was only six days old and never got replaced. it might be a case of the idiots who ran kingsland grange and now they have moved to appleton it might have improved. good points was the multi drops i done around scotland and south west. bad points were the multi drops round london… :slight_smile: and getting my head chewed off cause i had turned up at crick after bobtailling from burton, i belive there was some heated discussions between crick and haydock offices. this is only my experience mate, i lasted 9 months then sacked it, if you want to try it then go for it cant do you any harm…pete

12

I think this post should be made a sticky so people don’t have to search all the time. There’s always someone wanting to know what they’re like to work for. Plus, the information in this post seems top notch :bulb:

13

cheers for all the points of view on here people.

looks to me like it depends where you work and if you get on with the office staff if you enjoy it or hate it!

i guess i will just keep my options open for when i finally leave!

Its still worth thinking about though…

14

im still waiting for a job night tramping at leeds :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

15

Ive been working for ESL for 3 months and I can say its honestly one of the best firms Ive ever worked for. I too heard all the [zb] associated with stobbies from the “been there,done that” brigade, but so far, so good for me.

You need a new wardrobe for all the uniform they give you, the money is not the best, but not the worst either. Tackle is all top notch, work is easy, even the tesco job.

Need an early finish, late start etc, they can easily sort it for you because of the size…a week tramping not so long ago I think I had 2 phonecalls, all work comes up on in-cab screen and your just left to get on with it and not once was I late for a drop or chasing my own tail.

When I started I got 2 days training at Crick, with an hire car delivered to my house to get me there, and 2 nights all expenses paid in an hotel, which to me alone says they look after their drivers.

I have been HGV driving for 12 years now, including continental, car transporters and much more…but nothing or nobody has impressed on me as much as Stobbies, so I would recommend it to anyone.

Just want to add too, was talking to a driver at a tesco store the other day who ESL had put through his Class One, so worth a call for anyone looking to upgrade?

auto-censor dodge removed If a word needs stars, that’s a hint that it’s not allowed.** dieseldave

16

When I started I got 2 days training at Crick, with an hire car delivered to my house to get me there, and 2 nights all expenses paid in an hotel, which to me alone says they look after their drivers

its changed since 2005, i was given a 51 plate scania and empty trailer to get me from warrington to crick, had a days training finnishing round 3pm, then loaded magna park for ivybridge (3663), luckily had the foresight to take overnight gear even though i was told, i wouldnt be running out… :laughing:

17

wirralpete:
its changed since 2005, i was given a 51 plate scania and empty trailer to get me from warrington to crick, had a days training finnishing round 3pm, then loaded magna park for ivybridge (3663), luckily had the foresight to take overnight gear even though i was told, i wouldnt be running out… :laughing:

It hasn’t…

When I did my induction last September, a guy did exactly that. Came down in a unit from Sherburn, did the induction and that was him away for the week.

18

I started working for Stobart in may 2004. Im on the international side of the job and i like it. There a big firm, big firms have there share of numpties (both in the office AND driving!) Some of the stick is probably warranted... but theres also a lot of ■■■■■■■■ spouted about stobarts on here
Im off on the club again fighting my second bout of cancer. They couldnt have been more understanding. I had nearly four months off at the end of last year which the sick pay scheme paid over 2.5k for. Ive had to have 2 days off a month for the last year, 1 a monday and one the following tuesday- no problem never questioned. This is on International work where its not quite as easy to plan around. I told my boss again last week that i would need another long spell off work (probably after xmas before i go back). Again no problem take as long as you need jon. We arent all ON FOUR ON FOUR OFF either. I believe the uk side of things do like you to work either part or all weekend-but they tell you this at the interview. Its not a secret they spring on you later! Stobarts have yards all over the country so parking overnight isnt always a problem They pay all parking INCLUDING meal voucher (this is on top of your £12.15 daily meal allowance) The trailers are all fairly modern and well maintained as are the units I drive an 07 plate topliner (i dont like it but im a volvo man :laughing: )
All the international motors have a 2000w invertor hardwired in.
Like i said earlier in this rant- there are a few knobheads driving for him- but theres over a 1000 of us who are normal blokes earning a livingFFS!! Just because a stobart motor chops you up/parks on the pumps/pushes in a queue etc etc it automatically tars us all? My last two payslips were £590 and £690. From monday of one week to friday of the next with a weekend away. Crap money? Yes i put the hours in but i dont particularly call it hard graft. Theres no stripping tilts out or handballing a full trl of garments.
It dont suit everyone but for me i couldnt ask for more.

19

And William has been out tramping this week.A story I heard from 2 different Stobbies drivers yesterday,at 2 different places.

Good for him.

Ken.

20

Quinny:
And William has been out tramping this week.A story I heard from 2 different Stobbies drivers yesterday,at 2 different places.

Good for him.

Ken.

Indeed. Management should get out and experience it at the hard end. It opens their eyes to things they might not have been aware of.