Ok so been working for Argos for the last 10 years store delivers and trunking. Last month our favourite haulier " Stobart"took over transport much to the disgust of the drivers. 20 of us either left or moved into the warehouse so as to not work for them. Since then I have been looking for another job that pays about the same or a little less. I can’t believe what some so called blue chip companies class as a reasonable pay for a class 1 driver! I am not going to name companies because you nerve know one day you may need to go to one of them. Needless to say the industry has changed so much since I got my licence 27 years ago. My first driving job hourly pay was £7.55 for 39 hours a week and time and a half after that. (That was class 3 multi drop) I had a call from a local company yesterday from a very nice young man offering me a job class 1 days. Everything was great till I asked about the hourly rate. All you could get was on target earnings were 30k up. So I pushed him and in the end he said £7.40p an hour! £7.40 an hour for class 1 what a joke. He then gave me the ■■■■■■■■ about being a limited company. Another company went down the we pay you£475 a week and £10 a day dinner money. Not bad till you find out that’s for 55 hours a week! It’s a joke no wonder no one wants to drive any more. How come drivers are working for so little and so many hours? Yes I know drivers do long hours I always have but I have always got OT after 45 at the most. Also a lot of these companies pay flat rate what happened to time and a half etc? On the up side I have managed to get a good job with an in house transport but that was down to knowing someone in the industry.
There are good jobs out there you have to look for them. It’s the big boys that are driving the money down. I have worked for Wincanton on a contract for a third party and the money was ok. However talking to one of their container drivers and his pay was pennies. Stobart, DHL! maritime they are all the same but manage to get drivers.
The rates you’ve seen elsewhere are the reason your company has outsourced to stobarts. Just ask most former Tesco drivers. The once envied in house t’s and c’s are slowly being eaten away. Stobarts contract acquisitions are as damaging to drivers as they are other hauliers. Just like the customers not having much choice other than stobarts to give work too, soon the drivers won’t have much choice but to work for them
OVLOV JAY:
The rates you’ve seen elsewhere are the reason your company has outsourced to stobarts. Just ask most former Tesco drivers. The once envied in house t’s and c’s are slowly being eaten away. Stobarts contract acquisitions are as damaging to drivers as they are other hauliers. Just like the customers not having much choice other than stobarts to give work too, soon the drivers won’t have much choice but to work for them
Yes I know what Stobarts are like that’s why I didn’t go over to them. I just can’t believe some of the rates drivers are working for. I know it’s different no but in the 80s/90s the unions wouldn’t let this happen. It seems the norm now to work for peanuts or better money on an agency.
As already said, there’s decent jobs/money out there, it’s just knowing where to find it. I have one of, if not the best job on the A13 corridor. But then there’s blokes at other firms saying the same. It’s all down to the individual I suppose
I’m in complete agreement with most of what you say.
Regarding DHL however, I know alot of their “brands” pay a good whack, Iceland RDC at warrington advertises outside £11.80 p/h flat rate, not sure if the hours are there but it’s certainly not to be sniffed at when it’s sat beside £7.40 p/h. (I think XPO might have Warrington now but it’s been a while since I did fridge work)
I know alot of the NHS supply chain depots pay similar, the hours are low though (which might suit some) 10 a day usually.
Just interested to know if that’ll be because whoever employed the staff before DHL acquired the work were paying that rate? or wether Iceland leases the work on the condition they pay a certain rate?
I think the generally get tuped over on the same basic rate. There wouldn’t be much point dropping it, as you’d have 100 loaded trailers with no jockeys to pull them come your first day. And there’s probably a performance related cooling off period in the contract, so it would be too risky to try and ■■■■■ rates
Argos use DHL, XPO Wincanton and now Stobarts. All the depots have different t’s & c’s and pay. It was only until a couple of years ago each depot would negotiate there own pay but now it is done nationally. Sometimes though it not all about the highest pay but t’s &c’s. I just think as a professional driver you are worth at least £11 an hour.
I think you was working at Magna Park.If yes that apply for job at Nft Daventry or Crick.They pay about 11.50 per hours.Easy can earn 30+and work 4on 4 off.
eagerbeaver:
Iceland Warrington IS XPO now mate. And it’s now £12.04 per hour.
Interesting. That’s a better rate for fridge work than their tanker depots pay (certainly Runcorn, Staveley, Wilston/Aycliffe and Grangemouth).
To be fair and ignoring the usual “I’m driving a 44 tonne bomb” comments tanker driving physically is way easier than the crap shop deliveries pushing around top heavy recalcitrant cages that Iceland drivers do. They have a ■■■■ job so IMO deserve a higher pay rate.
Btw, I’ve done both, so feel that I am entitled to comment.
A lot of it is on Euro pallets now Maoster. You can’t beat a top heavy Euro piled up six feet high with frozen chips and fish fingers rocking around on your pump truck like Bon Jovi.
And then try and turn it around mid air on your tail lift. Only the ’ lucky ’ few…
eagerbeaver:
A lot of it is on Euro pallets now Maoster. You can’t beat a top heavy Euro piled up six feet high with frozen chips and fish fingers rocking around on your pump truck like Bon Jovi.
And then try and turn it around mid air on your tail lift. Only the ’ lucky ’ few…
eagerbeaver:
A lot of it is on Euro pallets now Maoster. You can’t beat a top heavy Euro piled up six feet high with frozen chips and fish fingers rocking around on your pump truck like Bon Jovi.
And then try and turn it around mid air on your tail lift. Only the ’ lucky ’ few…
. About six or seven of ours were pimped out to your place a few weeks ago pulling your trailers. They bloody hated it , a bunch of overweight wheezing lorry drivers used to sleeping on a bay whilst being tipped were never gonna enjoy actual physical work were they?
I’ve left there now mate. Back to doing sweet f.a for a living doing curtainsiders at Downton’s. I may have lost my temper and booted a pallet (including pump truck) off my tail lift mid air at Elm lane store in Sheffield. Word has it that I then sat in my cab reading the newspaper while the shop staff cleared it all up, and then drove straight back to Warrington and handed them the keys.
