eagerbeaver:
Simple scenario; Driver trainer shows you how to get the best results out of Microlise. It’s very simple.
20mph+ use CC as much as possible. Keep the revs in the green band. Accelerate smoothly. Anticipate breaking scenario’s and do not brake harshly. Don’t have overspeeds. Do not leave the engine idling.
The best LGV drivers know that momentum is king, and envisage and anticipate various driving situations accordingly. I will not say I am the best driver in the world, but I have managed to achieve a fuel bonus payment every month I have worked for Downton’s.
If you have reached a situation where you get a talking to, you must be driving the thing like a Corsa in a council estate. It really doesn’t bother me that my results are posted on the board. Overall daily/weekly grades are A-G. If you average C or above, you will never hear a peep out of the driver trainer, and A and B grades are in the money. It really is a piece of ■■■■ to achieve an overall C grade.
For me personally, Juddian has once again struck the nail on it’s head, and so has F-reds.
I clear £400 plus every week in my pocket, the depot is 10 mins from my front door. I don’t work weekends, and if I want to work a Bank Holiday it’s double time. I have my own immaculate XF that no-one else uses and the work is clean, usually very local, and is extremely easy. Planners don’t bother me, we get paid to do CPC courses, plenty car spaces in a nice tarmac car park (unlike Stobart’s), and the drivers all get on with each other. Office staff are polite, and I have only done 2 14 hour shifts in 4 months (today being one of them!)
eagerbeaver:
Simple scenario; Driver trainer shows you how to get the best results out of Microlise. It’s very simple.
20mph+ use CC as much as possible. Keep the revs in the green band. Accelerate smoothly. Anticipate breaking scenario’s and do not brake harshly. Don’t have overspeeds. Do not leave the engine idling.
The best LGV drivers know that momentum is king, and envisage and anticipate various driving situations accordingly. I will not say I am the best driver in the world, but I have managed to achieve a fuel bonus payment every month I have worked for Downton’s.
If you have reached a situation where you get a talking to, you must be driving the thing like a Corsa in a council estate. It really doesn’t bother me that my results are posted on the board. Overall daily/weekly grades are A-G. If you average C or above, you will never hear a peep out of the driver trainer, and A and B grades are in the money. It really is a piece of ■■■■ to achieve an overall C grade.
For me personally, Juddian has once again struck the nail on it’s head, and so has F-reds.
I clear £400 plus every week in my pocket, the depot is 10 mins from my front door. I don’t work weekends, and if I want to work a Bank Holiday it’s double time. I have my own immaculate XF that no-one else uses and the work is clean, usually very local, and is extremely easy. Planners don’t bother me, we get paid to do CPC courses, plenty car spaces in a nice tarmac car park (unlike Stobart’s), and the drivers all get on with each other. Office staff are polite, and I have only done 2 14 hour shifts in 4 months (today being one of them!)
RB84:
ROBROY and anyone else who cares to listen haa ha!
I get what your saying about the 40hr week plus overtime thing but I think its unfortunately just the times we live in maybe workers not just drivers ,don’t drive myself, do collectively bend over and take what we’re given there probably is much more of an i’m alright Jack attitude lately.
But one point I made was that the work involved should be taken into account to as if the jobs a steady easy day some would say its easy money even with the long hours that go with driving as not much physical graft will be seen as a bonus to some.
Your first point illustrates why workers have no rights anymore, too much bending over too little resistance.
Not talking militancy either, just generally standing up for yourself, or in this case not.
Whether a job is easy or not is irrelevant to how much you should be paid.
That is the sort of argument an employer would put up to justify paying crap wages, not the point of view of a driver… who would appear to be endorsing it.
You can sure as hell bet the rates for a job have nothing to do with how easy or difficult it may or may not be for a driver.
And I love my job, and have had my 10 week old Actros since day 1, just hate the fact that it does as many shifts on the 2 days (and 3 nights) that I’m out of it, as it does when I’m in it.
Colin_scottish:
So mouse how much should there pay be and whats the going rate in your area.I know in glasgow the pay at times is bad but as a new driver who wants to start out its a good start with no experiance.
I’m in East Yorkshire and its at least a decade since I last earned under £10/hr. I do night trunks up to Scotland and the drivers we meet from there who are working for Wincanton near Glasgow are on over £10/hr as well.
Wincanton paying over £10ph near glasgow that not what ive heard they were only paying £9.25ph.
Not sure about general haulage, but construction are paying £27k+ for avg. 48 hrs Mon-Fri days (some nights out), plus meal allowances, night out £, on top. No OT though, but works out about £31k. AFAIK, 2 or 3 jobs going at Mossend, though 1 may well be based at Coatbridge/Airdrie, if anyone has a HIAB and/or Moffett ticket! Relief driver positon gets extra £, mileage, etc.
RB84:
ROBROY and anyone else who cares to listen haa ha!
I get what your saying about the 40hr week plus overtime thing but I think its unfortunately just the times we live in maybe workers not just drivers ,don’t drive myself, do collectively bend over and take what we’re given there probably is much more of an i’m alright Jack attitude lately.
But one point I made was that the work involved should be taken into account to as if the jobs a steady easy day some would say its easy money even with the long hours that go with driving as not much physical graft will be seen as a bonus to some.
Your first point illustrates why workers have no rights anymore, too much bending over too little resistance.
Not talking militancy either, just generally standing up for yourself, or in this case not.
Whether a job is easy or not is irrelevant to how much you should be paid.
That is the sort of argument an employer would put up to justify paying crap wages, not the point of view of a driver… who would appear to be endorsing it.
You can sure as hell bet the rates for a job have nothing to do with how easy or difficult it may or may not be for a driver.
Workers should certainly stand up for themselves but there can be a fine line from having a firm and willing attitude towards work to some being seen as militant git IMHO!
I agree that the work involved for the driver is not really anything to do with the rates, just more that a driver or employee will maybe be thinking how hard their day is going to be and may just go for the easier less stressful option, personally if I am left alone for the most part and know what I’m doing for the day I’m more than happy plodding away which is probably why driving appeals to me probably change me mind if I ever get on the road though haa ha
Stracks:
£5 meal allowance, whats that going buy you these days?
Nowt but its tax free so worth an equivalent of 60p/hr over a 10 hr shift compared to someone who doesn’t get it. So that £8/hr is now equivalent to £8.60/hr for someone who doesn’t get a meal allowance.
Other points are valid too. I once took a £1/hr wage cut for a job because it meant a £30 a week drop in travel to work plus I got an extra hour a day sat at home instead of travelling to/from work which is priceless. As it was it turned out to be 12hrs guaranteed pay for a 10hr shift which wasn’t mentioned at the interview so I wasn’t actually any worse off.
“Downton Delivers…” do they de heart and kidneys too, by 'eck our kid?"
Anyhow their driver trainers need to tell their drivers that the NSL went upto 50mph last April. Followed one from Northleach to the Witney Bypass this morning. Talk about dawdling Doris the driver (at one stage they were cruising in perfect road conditions at about 37 mph) must be terrified of microlise, they took forever to actually get to a roundabout, eased up past every road junction and was still poodling along on the dual carriageway.
No wonder the drivers are out all week…
Always get the fancy hourly rates banded about in these kind of threads.
Looks good on paper…but when you take into account the shift patterns/type of work,then it starts to look less attractive.
(To me anyway)
Colin_scottish:
I would say thats average pay mon-fri but weekend pay is poor wait till eagerbeaver comes on he will tell us its the best job ever.
Your kidding right? try Class 2 work £10.50p/h in manchester non agency
EDIT: Days, no nights out
Doing what though?..And how many hours?.
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collections and deliverys, 45 hour week, job and knock, might be asked to come in early during the week and compensated for doing so
So pallet network type groupage then, rush round like a blue arse fly and handballing half of it off as that’s often quicker than waiting for the doddery old git on the forklift to come over, chasing your tail and timed deliveries, re-positioning stuff especially when you’ve had a refused/damaged delivery, and then when your empty rush round like an idiot filling the bloody truck up again.
Nah, you’re alright, you can keep your glorified oversized parcel delivery van work for your poxy £10:50 ph thanks very much
I hope alongside the ■■■■■ sized clunker, smart car coupe and thin feltz model misses you have upped your game on judgment of companies Beavers . Especially as you sing like a canarie about them on the Internet. I look forward to the next thread
The Eagerbeaver considers the works of the Eddie Stobart…
eagerbeaver:
As a Stobart driver, I have already achieved greatness.
The Eagerbeaver ruminates on the subtle shades of the works of Downtons…
eagerbeaver:
its the best job ever…
Planners don’t bother me, we get paid to do CPC courses, plenty car spaces in a nice tarmac car park (unlike Stobart’s), and the drivers all get on with each other. Office staff are polite
Tongue firmly in cheek, not up the chocolate starfish unlike some on here. I’m sure you’ll appreciate that
commonrail2:
Always get the fancy hourly rates banded about in these kind of threads.
Looks good on paper…but when you take into account the shift patterns/type of work,then it starts to look less attractive.
(To me anyway)
What you don’t want with a high hourly rate - is a short hop, never getting stuck in traffic, and hard graft loading/unloading.
You want long trips - always getting stuck in traffic - and NO graft loading and unloading. If there is a premium for nights and weekends on top - so much the better.
Winseer:
You want long trips - NO graft loading and unloading. If there is a premium for nights and weekends on top - so much the better.
Ironically that’s the type of job that is worth taking a ‘lower’ hourly rate for.Such as in the case of class 2 bulk pallet work v local building/multi drop.IE the headline wage figure is less important than what you have to do to earn the wage.
probably change me mind if I ever get on the road though haa ha
. Especially as you sing like a canarie about them on the Internet. I look forward to the next thread 
