Honestscott76:
A national drivers strike is needed in order to highlight the responsibility of HGV drivers.
Been said before - it’ll never happen / not work. And as just been said, agencies will take over even more, and drive wages down even further, as the striking drivers will sacked etc.
Could Luke’s idea be an option regarding using Google…■■
Something like a ‘humiliating’ review or places…■■?
We’re in the social media / digital ages now, so why not use it…■■
Is there a shortage of Train Drivers■■? NO
Is there a shortage of Council Workers ■■ NO
WHY??
Case closed!!!
Franglais:
Lucy- many of us are talking about the pay for drivers in this country, we can find average . national wages on gov. sites. Had anyone ever done a survey of UK drivers pay?Sent from my GT-S7275R using Tapatalk
Yes, me! I did one in spring last year, the relevant results from which I’ll be incorporating into this feature - I did a comprehensive review of them at the time. 
Ps. Thanks guys, great stuff as ever. I am now exploring the possibilities for putting questions to operators as well, so watch out for another thread once I’ve set it up.
For now, here is your best chance to get your feelings across, so keep letting rip please! ( No Dozy, not like that… 
)
Butcher:
A day of industrial action is called for!Problem is the agencies would simply step up and crack on.
I think we are where we are and unfortunately that’s it. The better ones amongst us will retire and the old school skills just won’t get passed on.
" We’re all doomed"!!!
Old school skills ? Like conceding to level where the industry is today?Its due to the ‘Old school driver’
That the industry is in this state of decline on wages …
Goldfinger:
Honestscott76:
A national drivers strike is needed in order to highlight the responsibility of HGV drivers.Been said before - it’ll never happen / not work. And as just been said, agencies will take over even more, and drive wages down even further, as the striking drivers will sacked etc.
Could Luke’s idea be an option regarding using Google…■■
Something like a ‘humiliating’ review or places…■■?
We’re in the social media / digital ages now, so why not use it…■■
Striking wouldn’t work but on mass sickness would. 2 days would go it I recon.
Drivers strike?
2 days should do it?
Two words for you = FUEL PROTEST. Result was drivers bottled it and business/govt won.
strike indeed
Lucy:
Ps. Thanks guys, great stuff as ever. I am now exploring the possibilities for putting questions to operators as well, so watch out for another thread once I’ve set it up.For now, here is your best chance to get your feelings across, so keep letting rip please! ( No Dozy, not like that…
To put it in a nutshell, the only shortage is a shortage of poor wooden headed saps prepared to work 15 hour days for £7.50 an hour straight through. But don’t expect the road haulage industry to thank you for saying it.
I haven’t worked for months. I have a clean C+E licence and 30 years experience but I won’t get out of bed for the money on offer. There are tens of thousands of drivers like me.
newmercman:
Carryfast:
Ironically,like over there,you’ll still be left with the contradiction of a political climate which makes distance full load/trunking type work prohibitive.While the definition of ‘tramping’ in that case often means LTL short haul multi drop/collection work,involving loads of unpaid waiting/duty time,rarely getting back to base,to the point where the driver is then living in the truck weekdays and weekends.No surprise the latter isn’t the type of job which many drivers want at any wage.As opposed to full load long haul runs with the quality time of a long weekend or even a week off between runs.The latter having been decimated by the shift to piggy back rail freight.It’s that which explains the shortage of drivers over there more than anything else with no one wanting LTL at any wage.
Except that the LTL jobs are the best driving jobs in America, all Union jobs with hourly pay, excellent benefits and a Teamster’s pension. Their line haul work is well paid too.
As for the rest of your uninformed tirade, only a very tiny proportion of trailers are shipped by rail, lots of sea containers to an inland railhead, but very few trailers.
There are lots of general freight loads that go coast to coast and north to south runs too, but not every load has to be shipped right across the country, it’s called commerce, that’s how it works you know, companies do not order stuff from the supplier farthest away just so supertruckers can put in big miles.
The facts seem to suggest that there is a very real shift in the long haul transport sector from road to rail.
truckinginfo.com/article/sto … rails.aspx
Which,as I said,seems to be linked to a predictably equal and understandable reduction,in the attraction of the job,regarding the type of work left,to ‘many’,if not the majority of,drivers.That applies regardless of which side of the Atlantic it is and as such it’s no surprise that the LTL sector,among other less attractive remaining options,would need to pay more.Such as in the form of a move to hourly pay in an attempt to compensate for all the extra waiting/loading/unloading time.However we all know how that has worked out here bearing in mind the overall rate in the job remains the same regardless of what you call it. 
Judging by the press stunts from the FTA and RHA, the industry is more interested in gimmicks, publicity and handouts from goverment to recruit more drivers instead of actually do something constructive that might encourage new people into the industry and just as importantly retain those already there.
The problems are pretty simple and have been covered here plenty of times.
Pay,
Hours
Conditions.
Treatment of drivers, both by the employers and by the customers
Facilities for drivers,
But improving this will cost the industry money, so they’ll be sticking with thier gimmicks and media coverage scare stories of Christmas being cancelled.
Hi Lucy I sent an email in to commercial motor a few weeks back in response to your article on this that was coming at it from the operators perspective.
In my opinion the operators that struggle are the ones that pay poor wages won’t pay parking and expect max hours etc.
I saw a job advertised on a Facebook page today class 1 tram per self employed 550 a week all in. No doubt the operator will tell everyone you can’t get drivers not that you can’t get people that will bend over and be shafted
The other things are micro management from company’s especially the blue chips. Umpteen calls a day toolbox talks and memos about the correct way to climb up the steps in to the cab debriefs after every shift. Your driving a lorry to deliver baked beans to Tesco not defusing a bomb ffs.
After all that it’s more often than not these firms that you see buried under a bridge or in an alleyway that the sat nav told them to go down.
Add in lack of facilities and unsociable hours the feeling your about as welcome as a ■■■■ in an astronauts suit atvmany firms and delivery points.
The feeling your are been demonised by the likes of the mayor of London and the media I’m not one of the it’s up there with rocket science and we should be on 1500 quid a week merchants but all in all it’s on the whole a pretty crap job to get in to now.
The wage isn’t the be all end all. Other tipper firms in the area pay more than what I get (albeit in load bonuses) but they do a ■■■■ sight more work than I do. They drive newer trucks but have to contend with cycle awareness courses, EPIC cards and FORS rubbish. They wear tango suits and have memo after memo stuck in with their payslips and have set hours and delivery schedules to adhere to. I please myself when I start and finish, organise my own day and have the freedom to rearrange work if it suits me. I get a works van too which very few drivers get these days.
Honestscott76:
Goldfinger:
Honestscott76:
A national drivers strike is needed in order to highlight the responsibility of HGV drivers.Been said before - it’ll never happen / not work. And as just been said, agencies will take over even more, and drive wages down even further, as the striking drivers will sacked etc.
Could Luke’s idea be an option regarding using Google…■■
Something like a ‘humiliating’ review or places…■■?
We’re in the social media / digital ages now, so why not use it…■■
Striking wouldn’t work but on mass sickness would. 2 days would go it I recon.
No need to. Although it would never happen, it would only take every agency driver to say, for example, I’m only available Sun to Thu for the next couple of weeks, let’s see what would happen then. The agencies would be absolutely ■■■■ ing themselves.
iomex:
I think it’s interesting that Schneider National, a US carrier, has been going to the UK and South Africa to find drivers.
You got a link?
I was going to say don’t feed the troll, but now you’ve woken up Carryfast. …
Londontrucker123:
Honestscott76:
Goldfinger:
Honestscott76:
A national drivers strike is needed in order to highlight the responsibility of HGV drivers.Been said before - it’ll never happen / not work. And as just been said, agencies will take over even more, and drive wages down even further, as the striking drivers will sacked etc.
Could Luke’s idea be an option regarding using Google…■■
Something like a ‘humiliating’ review or places…■■?
We’re in the social media / digital ages now, so why not use it…■■
Striking wouldn’t work but on mass sickness would. 2 days would go it I recon.
No need to. Although it would never happen, it would only take every agency driver to say, for example, I’m only available Sun to Thu for the next couple of weeks, let’s see what would happen then. The agencies would be absolutely [zb] ing themselves.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Yeah, like a limper is going to pass up on a premium Sunday morning 0300 start, for a premium £9.80. Especially if he’s been kept dry for the week…
the nodding donkey:
Londontrucker123:
Honestscott76:
Goldfinger:
Been said before - it’ll never happen / not work. And as just been said, agencies will take over even more, and drive wages down even further, as the striking drivers will sacked etc.Could Luke’s idea be an option regarding using Google…■■
Something like a ‘humiliating’ review or places…■■?
We’re in the social media / digital ages now, so why not use it…■■
Striking wouldn’t work but on mass sickness would. 2 days would go it I recon.
No need to. Although it would never happen, it would only take every agency driver to say, for example, I’m only available Sun to Thu for the next couple of weeks, let’s see what would happen then. The agencies would be absolutely [zb] ing themselves.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Yeah, like a limper is going to pass up on a premium Sunday morning 0300 start, for a premium £9.80. Especially if he’s been kept dry for the week…
The ‘limpers’ as you call them are used to taking time off as they can afford to.
It’s the ‘paye’, ‘need job security’, need my own truck with lights & shiny trim brigade who wouldn’t have the balls. The same guys who run with defects because they might lose their ‘toy’ if it goes into the garage.
Honestscott76:
The ‘limpers’ as you call them are used to taking time off as they can afford to.It’s the ‘paye’, ‘need job security’, need my own truck with lights & shiny trim brigade who wouldn’t have the balls. The same guys who run with defects because they might lose their ‘toy’ if it goes into the garage.
The limpers are used to taking time off when the agency doesn’t call them. Making them ready for the Friday evening call 'can you be in tomorrow morning, 4 o’clock? '.
the nodding donkey:
Honestscott76:
The ‘limpers’ as you call them are used to taking time off as they can afford to.It’s the ‘paye’, ‘need job security’, need my own truck with lights & shiny trim brigade who wouldn’t have the balls. The same guys who run with defects because they might lose their ‘toy’ if it goes into the garage.
The limpers are used to taking time off when the agency doesn’t call them. Making them ready for the Friday evening call 'can you be in tomorrow morning, 4 o’clock? '.
Ever think HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA is the reason you are starting in the middle of night on a weekend for £9.80 an hour. If no drivers showed up for two days, they would be desperate hence you will be able to now be in negotiate a better pay rate. They would be in a position where it’s affecting their wages so they would have to do something.
Your Friday night / Sat. morning rate is £9.80 an hour, are you serious.
I get more than double that for that time of the day / week. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Londontrucker123:
the nodding donkey:
Honestscott76:
The ‘limpers’ as you call them are used to taking time off as they can afford to.It’s the ‘paye’, ‘need job security’, need my own truck with lights & shiny trim brigade who wouldn’t have the balls. The same guys who run with defects because they might lose their ‘toy’ if it goes into the garage.
The limpers are used to taking time off when the agency doesn’t call them. Making them ready for the Friday evening call 'can you be in tomorrow morning, 4 o’clock? '.
Ever think HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA is the reason you are starting in the middle of night on a weekend for £9.80 an hour. If no drivers showed up for two days, they would be desperate hence you will be able to now be in negotiate a better pay rate. They would be in a position where it’s affecting their wages so they would have to do something.
Your Friday night / Sat. morning rate is £9.80 an hour, are you serious.
I get more than double that for that time of the day / week. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You’re getting your quotes mixed up. And a touch hysterical too…
