Silver_Surfer:
Oh & is that true Pat about writing to the fed ex boss in the states & getting the uk fleet renewed?
If so, you are a legend sir!
Of course it is! Back in the day I wrote to Sir Terry Leahey to complain about the lack of beds in Tesco day crabbed Scanias and within two weeks we had a new fleet of Axors. So pretty much shot myself in the foot there
ive looked at those pictures a few times and tried to be optimistic… but have failed.
ive been to firms where ive had to tackle the truck with a bucket and sponge, but to be fair unless the lorry is immaculate I do that anyway so whats left is my mess and not anybody elses.
if you have a new driver starting a firm, get the truck cleaned and try and make a good impression on the new driver as well as he will with you.
starting a new job is stressful as it is and is classed as one of the most stressful things that can happen to you, so why make it worse for the driver.
I too would have opened the door looked inside and said " if you cant be bothered cleaning it why should I " slammed the door and gone home again.
^^^^ and if I was an employer if make sure my lorrys were looked after if it was in a state before some one new started I’d have it cleaned. If I started a new job and the fleet was pretty up together and all clean Id know what would be expected off me from the off. Saying that for what wages are being thrown around lately it’s hard for people to want to go that extra mile I suppose. I keep my truck clean for my own personal self respect it’s polished and I Hoover it every other day but then again I’m paid well enough to want to look after what is given to me.
I’m glad you left though markoc looking at the state off that truck it was a pretty good indication on how you would have been treated, if they don’t give a ■■■■ about there own trucks they sure as he’ll wouldn’t off given a ■■■■ about you. And it’s good off you to not put there name on here it shows a bit more about your respect for things than they showed you.
fair play for telling them were to go, to be expected to live in that filth is outrageous and the fact that they hadn’t even the decency to even half clean it out i can only imagine what sort of cowboys they are to work for. best of luck with the new job im delighted for you
There would be some who would be prepared to drive it just because its a Scania.
How they expected anyone to live in those conditions is astonishing.
I’m sure the boss’ house isn’t as filthy as that and he would refuse to night out in it.
I can’t understand how a firm let’s a lorry get in to that state
I never had to deal with any that treated my lorries badly, but I would’ve got rid of any driver who mistreated one of mine in that way as soon as I saw the signs.
I couldn’t have stopped the money for a valet from their wages, that’s illegal, so would’ve had to swallow the cost, but I would never drive anything in that condition, so I wouldn’t expect anybody else to.
newmercman:
I can’t understand how a firm let’s a lorry get in to that state
I never had to deal with any that treated my lorries badly, but I would’ve got rid of any driver who mistreated one of mine in that way as soon as I saw the signs.
I couldn’t have stopped the money for a valet from their wages, that’s illegal, so would’ve had to swallow the cost, but I would never drive anything in that condition, so I wouldn’t expect anybody else to.
I’m wiv u on that one its all about something I remember from my army days senior ranks Wudnt ask u to do anything that havnt already done themselves and that worked well on most occasions except when it came to shaggin the local minger on a fri nite
markoc:
Soap and water won’t fix the busted drawer on the tacho unit, the air leak, doors which fail to close properly, the broken fridge, cd player, missing trim
A trip to the garage will though. And I’ve never had a fridge in a motor in 20 years of driving.
No offence but to summarise that ever truck with this amount of kms would meet your expectations seems to me quite a ludicrous answer. Your standards are obviously lower or perhaps you don’t take as much pride in the job as I do?
I’m a realist. Its what I would expect a truck with nearly 900,000km to be like. I can only say I must have been driving longer than you.
eddie snax:
I’d expect it to be at least retreivable,
It is retrievable. Less than a couple of grand would see absolutely everything sorted.
As for my standard of motors? I’ve driven motors for dozens of companies over the years and that is a pretty common state for a 7 year old 900,000km end of life wagon to be in especially for one that’s probably had several different drivers. The ones that age and mileage that are in good condition tend to have only had one or two drivers.
eddie snax:
I’d expect it to be at least retreivable,
It is retrievable. Less than a couple of grand would see absolutely everything sorted.
As for my standard of motors? I’ve driven motors for dozens of companies over the years and that is a pretty common state for a 7 year old 900,000km end of life wagon to be in especially for one that’s probably had several different drivers. The ones that age and mileage that are in good condition tend to have only had one or two drivers.
Who’s going to spend “a couple of grand” on a “7 year old 900,000km end of life wagon” ?
Conor:
As for my standard of motors? I’ve driven motors for dozens of companies over the years and that is a pretty common state for a 7 year old 900,000km end of life wagon to be in especially for one that’s probably had several different drivers.
So have I and that is disgusting for a wagon of any age and mileage.
Conor:
The ones that age and mileage that are in good condition tend to have only had one or two drivers.
Not true. I work for RM on agency and a lot of their units are 54 and 05/55 plates with over 1’000’000km’s on the clock and none come anywhere near that. They’re in good nick, clean and the most you find is a newspaper lying around on the bunk. They’re driven by different staff and agency drivers every day.
Pat Hasler:
I did once refuse to go out on nights out in a Merc sleeper cab that was a disgrace on Fed Ex /Matchbox contract, I got a weeks suspension on full pay and because I had no way of getting home that day they gave me a company car for the week I wrote to Fred Smith himself in Memphis telling him the fleet was a disgrace to Federal Express, I was re-enstated but on the traffic desk for 10 weeks whilst they ordered a new fleet so everyone got nice new trucks … complaining sometimes gets results.
I’m sorry if this is genuinely true Pat, but I really think you’re talking out of your arse on this one.
Conor:
Its done 878,000km and about what I’d expect an 878,000km truck to look like.
Seriously? Mine’s done 720k and there’s barely a mark on it. Inside and out. Some of the older trucks have well over a million and are still mint.
No truck should look like that however many miles it’s done. That’s just abuse.
I agree with DaiDap! Some of our trucks have about the same mileage and although they’re tired mechanically, they’re well looked after and compared to the pics of this [zb]box are still in showroom condition, and that’s despite most of them being double shifted with agency drivers!