my paperwork states 30 min to tip/load and anything more is waiting time and terms apply, so if i get to a job and can see there maybe a delay then i let my employer know out of courtesy really, yes i would use my phone to get job done. you have to have a bit of give and take imho…
whilst a truck is waiting to unload its not really earning money, we have all waited for endless hours just to drop a pallet ect, maybe just maybe if a complete new system was introduced up and down the land to minimise the waiting time then maybe more money may be made by the haulier who may just pass some on to a driver? who am i kidding…
i have known whilst at stobs and doing otif failures that some companies were fined more for waiting time then the actual consignment, how can that make sense?
The question is, as I see it, why has this company applied such a draconian measure, I and several other posters on this thread believe that the transport office are sick off losing money on jobs where if the driver had advised off delay, then they would have been able to mitigate the delay by either getting the customer to act or pay 
.
The company would no doubt have tried to recover non advised waiting, but would have been turned down, meanwhile the driver would have his hand out for his money, which is then, straight off what bottom line might have existed. Anyone who cannot see this is just being plain stupid 
.
I bet that if you rang the planner at 25mins or even 30 mins they’d still be happy with that, the 20 mins is to focus the mind. It takes very little effort to text the office on arrival at premises, especialy if its a regular customer with a quick appraisal off the situation as you see it, (arrived, shed load of motors here, could be waiting) or (arrived, straight on bay will ring when done ) and clarification shortly afterwards as you know more (good in reckon 1 hr delay at least). That was hard 
, oh but of coarse I’ve now let them know the situation, means I wont be able to lose 20 mins at greasy gary’s burger bar outside whilst they think I’m tipping
If you phone every 20 minutes, you can’t have a proper break (you’d interrupt your break to make the call). So you’d have to count the waiting time as working time. Then take your break after you’d finished waiting!
we have a 2 hour waiting rule, after 2 hours they get charged £80 an hour + any fee’s incurred due too the delay but being on tippers it’s rare too be sat more than an hour waiting
axletramp:
If it’s the Bradford firm I’m thinking of, I was unfortunate enough to work for them once.
They have a fairly quick turnover of drivers because they are such a shower of [zb] it is beyond belief what tricks they pull and any protests were met with the answer “It’s general haulage - what do you expect?” Actually it was a shambles and the traffic office was run by [zb] most of whom could only drive a 7.5t and never seen anything past the M62 corridor. How are you supposed to have a kip and still phone in every 20 mins? All the motors had trackers anyway but they couldn’t be arsed looking at the screen.
Best thing they ever did was tell me to leave! 
axletramp:
It didn’t quite work like that at the firm in question.
They liked you to switch the tacho to break whilst loading or unloading,
this was why all your breaks were paid.
Your eating and drinking was to be done in your own time, such as before
starting work (even if it was 0230) or after finishing work (even if it was 2230)
Well I’m far from being a numpty but at firms like this I sure can act like one! 
Oh yes, you would be correct in the firm you’re thinking of. They no longer pay for breaks though, and as such have to take them as and when they require. One of the few things that have actually changed for the better.
This particular company specialises in overnight pallet distribution, but their main work is on general haulage. They do however work the nuts off their drivers one day (often pulling out a 15 hour day, then tipping/loading off card), then being stood down after a 6 hour shift. They often change drivers from day shifts to night shifts, and vice versa with just a standard 9 hours off. I remember one particular day I started twice in the same day.
The company just seems hell bent on controlling all their staff, and they make it difficult for anybody with anything to say to work there.
Ok the company might be a heavy handed bunch of muppets, and for this this reason they might not attract the best drivers with the best work ethic.
But in my experience there are plenty of drivers who really are a waste of space, and seem spend their time trying to ■■■■ of the traffic office and do as little as possible. What’s wrong with a traffic office wanting to know about delays or getting an estimated time that a delivery will take. A delay can have a knock on effect on other jobs and customers could be waiting for goods to be picked up. If they know there’s delay maybe jobs can be rearranged and the customer, the person who pays your company to get their goods moved, so you can get a wage, a is kept happy.
muckles:
Ok the company might be a heavy handed bunch of muppets, and for this this reason they might not attract the best drivers with the best work ethic.
But in my experience there are plenty of drivers who really are a waste of space, and seem spend their time trying to ■■■■ of the traffic office and do as little as possible. What’s wrong with a traffic office wanting to know about delays or getting an estimated time that a delivery will take. A delay can have a knock on effect on other jobs and customers could be waiting for goods to be picked up. If they know there’s delay maybe jobs can be rearranged and the customer, the person who pays your company to get their goods moved, so you can get a wage, a is kept happy.
Fair comments, but this firm really takes the ■■■■.
All drivers - no matter what their work ethic - were treated the same, ie like ■■■■■■
I myself have been driving 37 years, and done quite well out of it, it is generally a decent career, there’s just a few crap firms best avoided and this firm is one of them! HTH.
Why would a driver use his or her own phone on company business? The only free minutes you get are if the contract or top up vouchers are entirely free of charge…
I also own a credit card but I don’t subsidise any companies with whom I drive with it…
Calling in after 20 mins wait? Christ, that’d be every single tip with some folk I’ve worked for. They’re obviously a shower of ■■■■…I’d walk on and leave them to it!
As Reubs mentioned above, the company issued mobile phones (no handsfree kit though).
They also had your own personal phone number, and if you didn’t answer the company one straight away they would ring your personal number.
You could have both phones ringing in your pockets at the same time!
I don’t think myself or Reubs are going to name and shame but let’s have a guessing game.
Here’s a clue - “we give you results not excuses”.
axletramp:
As Reubs mentioned above, the company issued mobile phones (no handsfree kit though).
They also had your own personal phone number, and if you didn’t answer the company one straight away they would ring your personal number.
You could have both phones ringing in your pockets at the same time!
I don’t think myself or Reubs are going to name and shame but let’s have a guessing game.
Here’s a clue - “we give you results not excuses”.
That’s the wrong pecking order.
Gotta be a company that delivers to Travis Perkins, they have a sign saying not to enter the yard until they have spoken to the yard foreman, the nearest place to park an artic is at least a 2 hour walk away
just sounds like another ■■■■ firm that have dropped their rates so low,that they have to resort to fiddling a few quid out of the drivers pockets,in order to turn a profit.
only one way to deal with these types…see you then. 
by all means…phone in excessive delays,but every 20 mins ffs
I see no mention in the OP of having to phone in “every 20 minutes” - the requirement was to phone in (i.e. make one call) if the driver had to wait more than 20 minutes. At this point ‘the office’ assumes responsibility for either expediting the tipping process or pulling the vehicle out.
OK, I can appreciate that in some drivers’ small-minded views, the expenditure of 20p or so of their own money in order to get the job done is A Big Thing, but I might suggest they need to get a sense of perspective…
Can’t agree with docking wages for excessive waiting though (but then again, as a professional driver I wouldn’t let it get to that stage in the first place).
If the cost of the calls really is an issue, why not simply put in a claim for reimbursement?
I can’t see anywhere that says every 20mins , as I read it they want informing if you’ve been there for 20 mins or more, phone them once you’ve done your bit, it probably comes down to drivers sitting there for hours then claiming overtime when they could have been in & out a lot quicker with a phone call, I myself hate waiting & would rather get the job done & get home , I know some drivers would happily sit there hour after hour thinking , f’it I’m being paid & there’s overtime in it …
Maybe this company should pay a fixed daily rate, then all the blaggers trying to scam an hour or three, instead off ringing in to keep the job moving, would all off a sudden be doing every tip in 15 mins.
I’m not surprised, but why is it such a problem to make a call to the office on your own phone, if I go in to an office and get told off a problem, then I’ll ring on whatever phone is in my pocket, company or personal. beats walking back to the truck.
I wonder what would happen if the truck broke down, and your company phone had stopped working, would these drivers just sit there and die off old age, still at least they wouldnt have used they’re free minutes for the gaffer
Maybe this firm should fit trackers, like the one I have, it sends back info including if your idling, then they could see a truck had arrived on site somewhere and if it hadnt moved from arrival, then they might assume that the vehicle isnt being serviced and ring the driver on the company phone, and if he isnt on a break he would be able to clarrify the situation. Though this would lead to accusations that the companies allways on your back.
I dont know why some employers bother, the average TM must go home at night and wonder why he didnt take up teaching, then at least he’d be able to excuse the behaviour of his charges
Peckover Transport…says it all really!.
too many chiefs 
whilst at stobrats I told them " if I could pick up the said 44 tonne ARTIC, 