albion:
Halfway down page four, I commented that I was waiting for the operators one, but then chipped in a few times on this thread anyway.
So yes, I don’t mind answering questions, though I doubt I’d say anything that I haven’t said before. And I think I more or less gave my opinion in that first post on page four.
I don’t know if I am the single one or if any other posters are operators as well.
With the greatest of respect Albion, you’re not the typical operator that most of the forum questions/comments are aimed at!
For a start I’m not aware that you’re struggling for staff, or have any issues whatsoever with recruitment, as I’m still waiting!
The industry has changed…when us oldies started we were afraid of nothing, we would do anything for a good boss, and most of those were ex drivers themselves, the equipment was crap, you were lucky to have a heater, let alone one that worked, and no night heaters, or air/con…automatic gearboxes or sleeper cabs. all loads had tio be sheeted and roped, or if you had a container, it was chained on if you were lucky, failing that it was roped on, after it was at on the Rave ( ask your grandad ) it means metal to metal.
Fast forward to today…Reasonable wages, all mod con vehicles/trailers, clothing supplied ( we never had that ) gloves too ( we had to buy ours/or use the smelly rubber ones ) steel toecaps…no we had ex army boots and boiler suits/bib & brace coverals.but you get my point!!
Youngsters have to pay for their lessons and licence ( up to £3000 ) plus pay for the CPC…to work or be on duty for up to 80 hours a week, never mind 60…and for diabolical wages ( hence the excess hours ) they are told by their `planners ( ha ha ) who rarely have experience of the transport industry anyway, tells them they have to work these hours, have to have 4/5 nights away ( the night out money is used as part of their wages ) when the interviewer highlights how much a driver takes home ) tells them they will work 15 hours a day, must take the minimum 9 hours daily rest ( because of their tight schedules ) and must pre book their holidays when the company says so, but its on a first come first served basis, but johnny, has already got first choice booked for the next 3 years anyway, so will have to take whats next…which is in september or october…so this has highlighted a few issues newer drivers dont want to workm in this industry, they either know someone in their family who have advised them against it, or their wives /girlfriends have said a big fat NO to it. the industry needs change, to encourage them, a training program to keep their costs down ( if they can afford £3 grand in the first place, and many old drivers, cant wait to be retired.
Hi guys. Fair questions, so I’ll do my best. Three big ones as far as I can see, but do correct me if I’m wrong. Please bear in mind there’s been a VERY recent change of editor at T&D as well, so he needs time to find his feet.
1. What happened to this?
It’s been written up and submitted, but with monthly titles like T&D there’s quite a long lead time, anywhere up to three months on past experience. Don’t worry though, I used as many of your comments as I could and the piece WILL appear.
2. What about asking the operators questions?
Yep, that’s happening, and at some point I’ll be back here to ask for suggestions. The plan is to whittle it down to a top five most regularly suggested to ask each of a team of willing operators. These things take time to arrange, however, so give me chance - as a freelance my work is planned a good way ahead, so not only do I need time to find our “victims” I also have to find time in my schedule too. Again, don’t worry though, it WILL happen…in fact I currently have a deadline for it pencilled in towards the end of June.
3. What happened to the thing about truly ridiculous “driver waiting areas”?
If you remember I got the go ahead for that while the original thread was running and asked people to send me by pm or email decent pics and company names/addresses so we could do the confronting. So far I’ve received the grand total of…wait for it…NONE!
I can’t do this without your input, guys, so please, if you want it to happen do your bit so it can!
I really do appreciate you all helping me with this stuff so THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU and please, never let it be said that there’s no way for you guys to get your voices heard, and no-one who truly understands. After 15 years tramping I think I probably have a vague idea and am doing my level best, but there’s only one of me remember - and she came off the road at least in part because her health means she can’t work silly hours any more!
Lucy:
The plan is to whittle it down to a top five most regularly suggested to ask each of a team of willing operators.
1,
How is it financially viable to supplement a large proportion of your work force through agency rates?
Please put you’re accountants head on and give me all the details…
Even the insurance costs and damage risks, balanced against driver wages that force numpties to the back of the queue.
I haven’t really read all through the last 6 or so pages but if you are asking operators questions in the context of ‘‘If there is a driver shortage why do you…’’
If it was my firm (although my local depot aint too bad to be fair, it’s the main head office depot where the directives and crap originate from)
I would ask, I there IS a driver shortage…
Why do you look upon your drivers as a neccessary evil rather than an asset.
Instil crap like in cab cameras under the guise of insurance, when it only goes to ■■■■ the good drivers off.(who on the whole do not need a one)
Why not just fit them into those that need them, namely the knob head contingent.
Treat your drivers like schoolboys instead of men, and again why put the good ones in the same category.
Why penny pinch when all it does is discourage drivers from doing that bit extra.
Why pay a crap wage structure with virtually zero incentive to do overtime.
If there genuinely was a shortage none of this would go on.
All the above creates a ‘‘them and us’’ co, instead of a ‘‘team’’ co, can they not see that.
Again if there is a driver shortage, why not attract good drivers from other firms by paying a better wage in a good wage structure, and replace the d.heads with these good drivers, thus creating a premium type co above all the others.
I would be interested to hear their comments if asked, but the fact is there is NO driver shortage so things will just stay the same.
To those who want to know if operators can answer their questions on the subject, actually that’s a bloody good point…Leave it with me for now…
Lucy,
Whatever became of this post pls? As of now not even one operator has stepped forward to put forward their case.
Not a single one.
Although there are some operators on here they tend to be the small haulage company owned by people who’ve actually been drivers and with the greatest respect to them they aren’t really the movers and shakers in the industry, they don’t influence the rates or the wages.
The operators we need to hear from are the likes of Wincanton, DHL, XPO, the ones with the blue chip contracts, major warehousing operations. What they do filters through the industry,
Maybe that’s something that Lucy could do through T&D, might actually make interesting reading if they got to answer question like, if there is a drivers shortage, why aren’t wages going up?
Or if you can’t get enough drivers why aren’t you offering training or taking on new passes?
Or why do you think there is a drivers shortage?
See if their answer matches those of the drivers on here?
To those who want to know if operators can answer their questions on the subject, actually that’s a bloody good point…Leave it with me for now…
Lucy,
Whatever became of this post pls? As of now not even one operator has stepped forward to put forward their case.
Not a single one.
Although there are some operators on here they tend to be the small haulage company owned by people who’ve actually been drivers and with the greatest respect to them they aren’t really the movers and shakers in the industry, they don’t influence the rates or the wages.
The operators we need to hear from are the likes of Wincanton, DHL, XPO, the ones with the blue chip contracts, major warehousing operations. What they do filters through the industry,
Maybe that’s something that Lucy could do through T&D, might actually make interesting reading if they got to answer question like, if there is a drivers shortage, why aren’t wages going up?
Or if you can’t get enough drivers why aren’t you offering training or taking on new passes?
Or why do you think there is a drivers shortage?
See if their answer matches those of the drivers on here?
Thanks for joining us Mr. Big logisticski company, and agreeing to answer some questions.
Why do you employ drivers who don’t speak English? It makes their job very difficult, and ■■■■■■ off the warehouse people and forklift drivers and gate house workers and other truckers, because they can’t communicate with them
Evil8Beezle:
So that’s 2 questions (as muckles says) the mainstream whining operators won’t answer!
Would be good if T&D or one of the other Trade mags asked those questions of the movers and shakers and then challenged them a bit if they give bland corperate answers. they’ve got the views of the drivers, Might make more interesting reading than Blogs haulage has yet another blinged up Scania.
Maybe if that goes well they could chase those who are responsible for the state of HGV parking in the UK.
Evil8Beezle:
So that’s 2 questions (as muckles says) the mainstream whining operators won’t answer!
Would be good if T&D or one of the other Trade mags asked those questions of the movers and shakers and then challenged them a bit if they give bland corperate answers. they’ve got the views of the drivers, Might make more interesting reading than Blogs haulage has yet another blinged up Scania.
Maybe if that goes well they could chase those who are responsible for the state of HGV parking in the UK.
I wish, but we live in a propganda world where not to lever your position is a weakness, it’s called capitalism!
Evil8Beezle:
So that’s 2 questions (as muckles says) the mainstream whining operators won’t answer!
Would be good if T&D or one of the other Trade mags asked those questions of the movers and shakers and then challenged them a bit if they give bland corperate answers. they’ve got the views of the drivers, Might make more interesting reading than Blogs haulage has yet another blinged up Scania.
Maybe if that goes well they could chase those who are responsible for the state of HGV parking in the UK.
I wish, but we live in a propganda world where not to lever your position is a weakness, it’s called capitalism!
Isn’t it the job of journalists to break through the corporate PR and get the answers?
Just the answer to the question why is there a drivers shortage would be an eye opener,
After all its the industry leaders who go to the press saying there is one, so they can’t deny it,
Once they’ve given their corporate PR answer, you can hit them with what the people who actually work for them, or more importantly have left the industry, think the reason is and see what the corporate PR answer to that is.
And neither of us are magazine editors looking at whether they are slitting their own throat or not…
Revenue comes from sources other than subscription as both we know.
I’d dearly love an article that was title along the lines of: Driver shortage? Myth or fact?
But I fear the tough questions either won’t get asked, or just side stepped by a PR machine spouting tripe that no one buys.
It’ll take an editor with backbone to choose readers and subscribers over sponsors, and not just print that bollox…
Evil8Beezle:
And neither of us are magazine editors looking at whether they are slitting their own throat or not…
Revenue comes from sources other than subscription as both we know.
I’d dearly love an article that was title along the lines of: Driver shortage? Myth or fact?
But I fear the tough questions either won’t get asked, or just side stepped by a PR machine spouting tripe that no one buys.
It’ll take an editor with backbone to choose readers and subscribers over sponsors, and not just print that bollox…
due to a mix up over Christmas Presents I happen to have a copy of T&D, there are no adverts for DHL, Wincanton or XPO not even Stobarts.
So maybe it’s a question of editorial direction,
Not sure how you can side step the question, Why do you think their is a driver shortage? when the main players spend a lot of time telling the media, There is a drivers shortage.
Although I think it’s very unlikely to get an interview, especially if they think you’re going to ask challenging questions, instead of a PR stunt.
muckles:
Although I think it’s very unlikely to get an interview, especially if they think you’re going to ask challenging questions, instead of a PR stunt.
And hence my cynicism and lack of belief in anything meaningful, yet I’d welcome a breath of fresh air!
So if I was to play along, maybe point 3 can be:
Work Life Balance, as the hours demanded in the job, be it unknown shift lengths, or unsociable hours, mean you generally end up choose the job over life. I know Robroy already referenced it in point 2, but what is that lack of choice in the matter actually rewarded with?
You can’t blame people for saying F that to the job, you’re either hardly at home as a day man, or spend all week in a confined/restricted environment, and receive little compensation for giving up your life!
Evil8Beezle:
And neither of us are magazine editors looking at whether they are slitting their own throat or not…
Revenue comes from sources other than subscription as both we know.
I’d dearly love an article that was title along the lines of: Driver shortage? Myth or fact?
But I fear the tough questions either won’t get asked, or just side stepped by a PR machine spouting tripe that no one buys.
It’ll take an editor with backbone to choose readers and subscribers over sponsors, and not just print that bollox…
due to a mix up over Christmas Presents I happen to have a copy of T&D, there are no adverts for DHL, Wincanton or XPO not even Stobarts.
So maybe it’s a question of editorial direction,
Not sure how you can side step the question, Why do you think their is a driver shortage? when the main players spend a lot of time telling the media, There is a drivers shortage.
Although I think it’s very unlikely to get an interview, especially if they think you’re going to ask challenging questions, instead of a PR stunt.
They say there is a shortage, because they want others to pay for the training of new drivers. Anybody but themselves.
Were on a natural swing at the moment. We’re about to reach the upswing (from an employer point of view), and after years of plentyfull cheap labour, it will soon start to turn… wether it’s foreign drivers leaving (pound exchange rate ), foreign drivers not being allowed in, or home boys not wanting to do it, soon, the real driver shortage will come…
