I’ve been thinking about this recently had a few run in’s over this.
Some companies where they want to know where you are to send you other places and need to be in contact supply a phone in the truck. But noticed a lot of companies don’t bother.
I was working for a few companies a few weeks ago, i left my hi-viz at home so said can i borrow one. Guy freaked out saying no way can’t be giving agency drivers hi-viz vests, i said yeah wouldnt wanna cost the company a pound or somthing.
Wasout doing a run if i got held up supposed to phone if this happend, also supposed to phone at certain times during the day to see if they needed me to go other places. I thought screw this ive a pay as you go phone i rarely use it put a £10 in every months not wasting away my credit for the company, if need to be in contact should supply a phone. Anyways got back to yard got into trouble for not calling them up ended up in an argument saying not gonna use my phone for company business unless you are gonna put credit in it.
Seen other drivers using their phone all the time for company business calling shops up, calling up depot all the time.
Am i being outta order and tight fisted?. PAYG mobile not cheapest of tarrifs so would end up using £3+ a day in calls soon adds up over a week, a month, a year etc… Obviously if an emergency occured, or really held up occasionally would use my own phone or if was really lost but if its expected for you to use your phone a lot everyday ?
I toitally agree with you… it is not being tight fisted at all. Why the hell don’t they supply a phone if calls need to be made?
Tell them you’ll use your phone on condition you can book X amount of overtime hours to cover the cost, remembering to book more than the cost to allow for tax and NI. Problem solved and everyone’s a winner.
I think your right. They should provide the phone for you to ring in on.
To save arguments, maybe next time you should just tell em’ you don’t have a phone. They’d have to provide one then. 
ive only used mine 3 times in 3 ish months, once at coop, afferton as you book in and go back to your truck and they ring you when its time to go in, he asked for cab phone number and i didnt have a clue so gave him mine.
once when i got given a spot hire motor and never thought about a phone untill i had to ring in to say i was tipped,had to use mine as there wasnt one
last time was someone had mucked about with phone and whatever i did it came up tos, tried everything but gave up in end and used mine.
using your own phone once a month isnt to bad in my opinion
I used to work at coop alfreton ady and i reckon thats quite a good idea. Ive no problem giving my number out for a firm to ring me when its time to tip.
ME ringing firms on my personal phone is another matter entirely! Dont hold your breath `cos it aint gonna happen 
Kenny, surely your agency has procedure in place for claiming back expenses such as over night parking etc.
If you use your own phone, just keep a record of the time used & submit an expenses claim.
(you’re phone will give you “last call duration”)
I’ve got a work phone, but my boss will sometimes call me on my personal phone, for example if there is no coverage on the work phone (mine always selects the strongest network) but I don’t use it to phone out on on work business.
Driveroneuk:
Kenny, surely your agency has procedure in place for claiming back expenses such as over night parking etc.
If you use your own phone, just keep a record of the time used & submit an expenses claim.
(you’re phone will give you “last call duration”)
I dont know to be honest, only ever done overnights twice with agencies ive a young daughter prefer to be home.
With one agency overnighter was for Parcel LIne from Glasgow to Carlisle they put you up in the Niteowl gave you a room and a meal voucher. The overnight money was added onto your pay at the end of the week.
The other time i did it was for a few weeks for a company, delivering between their depots all over the country. Started at 5am in Glasgow had keys for the yard. With them when you got to your first depot you would goto petty cash and they would give you your overnight money for that day, and also you would give them reciepts for parking etc… and get that back straight away, Did this daily at the first depot you arrived at.
Ive no problem with companies having my phone number to contact me, ive no problems on occasion using my phone. Just have a problem when its expected you will use your phone all the time to contact them.
I worked with a company several years ago did a 7.5 tonner shift.
There was a problem with the truck was drinking diesel, was near Inverness and heading back and the tank was just about empty, was full when i left the depot in Glasgow.
Called up supervisor he said if you have a credit card fill it up you will get the money back, i quickly said no sorry don’t have one (i did but thought screw that). He called me back arranged for me to goto a garage and get fueled up.
Got back was another supervisor more cynical, told him what happend he said good never use your own cash in here. He told me another driver had to fuel up a truck and used his own credit card, when the driver got back supervisor said claming the money back was nothing to do with him and would need to see someone else. In the end took the guy two months to get his money back after having to invoice the company and get the accountant to authorise it.
So guess i am always skeptical with companies i dont know claming back money, rather not put it out in the first place, even with phone calls.
All of our trucks have mobile phones in them, which if you miss the call it annoyingly calls you back telling you that you have a voice mail every 3 minutes, but when it calls you back it tells you to call 121 to collect your messages, I am like FO why not just tell me the message when it calls me back ffs.
To help you identify the actual cost of the calls you make, you could always take a second PAYG mobile out with you (or maybe just a SIM) - you can then check the balance just before making your first call of the day, and then at the end of the day. Each call should also be logged, so you show them that you are calling legitimate work numbers (and not just phoning the wife/kids/girlfriend/bookie for a chat…)
The last time I looked, Virgin Mobile were selling reconditioned Nokia phones (old models, but perfectly usable as basic phones) for £14.99 including £10 credit.
With one agency overnighter was for Parcel LIne from Glasgow to Carlisle they put you up in the Niteowl gave you a room and a meal voucher. The overnight money was added onto your pay at the end of the week.
2 thoughts there.
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night out in a room + n/o money■■? Can i have 5 a week please?
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Glasgow - Carlise approx 90 miles. I think 2 round trips a day in order.
A night out■■?
I worked with a company several years ago did a 7.5 tonner shift.
There was a problem with the truck was drinking diesel, was near Inverness and heading back and the tank was just about empty, was full when i left the depot in Glasgow.
err, they do when you drive them at 70!
7.5 tonners tend to have quite small tanks. 170 miles (one way) :- say 12 mpg (about right for a pushed 7.5 tonner, 14 -17 otherwise) = 14 gallon
JB:
Harry monk…
QUALITY SIGNATURE
Where did you read that?
A very recent (last 2 days) press release. Just cut’n Google it.
company policy to use own phone to ring customers then claim it back
no probs so far and i do load the cost a bit
calls to the yard i use landline line on freephone number
as for ring us we may have something else
well what a waste of your time …
they have something else they know its come in so they can phone you
if your on a regular run no probs if its to your advantage to ring in for a ye or na
as for using your own money to put fuel in depends on how much and how quick they can give you your money back
2 weeks ago i had a call to the effect your near Harlow get down there and use your card for another driver
Well i was 1 hour away in the wrong direction and it was a friday pot this i thought so i rang the garage
explained who i was etc and said i would give my card number to him and text it to the driver who had a duff card in date but not accepted
10 mins later driver rang back card ok he was happy garage happy and i was very happy not to have to waste 2 hours needless driving
but why couldnt the office do the same thing with a spare card in the yard
Driveroneuk:
I worked with a company several years ago did a 7.5 tonner shift.
There was a problem with the truck was drinking diesel, was near Inverness and heading back and the tank was just about empty, was full when i left the depot in Glasgow.
err, they do when you drive them at 70!
7.5 tonners tend to have quite small tanks. 170 miles (one way) :- say 12 mpg (about right for a pushed 7.5 tonner, 14 -17 otherwise) = 14 gallon
The 7,5 tonner did the trip fine other days, it started running like crap, was a fuel pump problem, wouldnt start at one point called up depot they were sending out a mechanic but he was coming from Edinburgh and going to be 4 hours to get to me. Played about with it got it started, so was told to head back, then diesel started going down more rapid than normal. Got to garage they told me to goto put diesel in again wouldnt start mechanic at garage looked at it after 1/2 messing about he got it started and said dont stop again.
Driveroneuk:
With one agency overnighter was for Parcel LIne from Glasgow to Carlisle they put you up in the Niteowl gave you a room and a meal voucher. The overnight money was added onto your pay at the end of the week.
2 thoughts there.
-
night out in a room + n/o money■■? Can i have 5 a week please?
-
Glasgow - Carlise approx 90 miles. I think 2 round trips a day in order.
A night out■■?
Join the Q for that job.
Parcel Line job involved a 1800 start in Glasgow, you would have to help load the truck, but that was easy enough since there was a few of you. Left Glasgow at 1845 and got into Carlisle for about 2030. Meet driver from Carlisle give him the keys he went to hub in Birmingham. You would stay in the niteowl, they also gave you a £8 meal voucher, food wasnt that great but could get cereal, milk, sweeties, juice etc… Got £20 for the over nighter and your room. Had to be out the front by 0530 truck would come in between 0530 and 0545 typically. The back up to Glasgow for about 0730ish and unload the truck. But even with unloading the truck your out the door by 0800.
I got even luckier my truck was going on to Aberdeen so i didnt need to unload it or even take it into the tight busy depot, i parked it outside in the street where Aberdeen driver was waiting for it.
Think there is about 6 drivers do that run leave Glasgow between 1800 and 1900. Sat in the bar with them most nights, not surprising most have been doing that run for 10 years or more, as one driver said if you had this job would you give it up ?
The rooms also are premantly booked so its your room kinda thing so i guess you can personalise it, not have to carry stuff up and down all the time. I got the spare room since the guy i was covering i think he has a gf in Carlisle and he never uses it.
Only one draw back is you get paid 8 hours thats it plus your overnight so no chance of any overtime which puts some off it.
NO!!!. Not since I was told I could use the phone in the cab for a couple of mins, THEN I had a bill come saying 50p call £7.00 handling charge.