bullitt:
Also the colour schemes that you see now adys leave abit to be desired!! DHL for one
Absolutely fine if you dont mind dressing up as a parakeet 
Tiger.
Thanks very much for all your replies. General consensus seems to be, with a couple of exceptions and quality of clothing aside, some sort of uniform is not a bad thing.
I’m interested in the point raised by Happy Keith about agencies. Can you explain a bit more about how they have messed people around trying to get what’s approved of? Does this mean they get hold of the wrong clothing for the driver? And can anyone else confirm that agency drivers often have to buy their own uniform?
Cheers
when I was doing agency for Manpower they supplied black branded polo shirts, trousers, sweatshirts, and safety boots as wel as branded hi viz jacket and hard hat
my current employers uniform is green, just been issued with my new uniform got the works, polo shirts, sweat shirts, combat trousers body warmer, fleece, hiz jacket and vest, safety boots, and hard hat and enough gloves to last a lifetime and a boilersuit for dirty jobs
if i was a driver id prefere the comfort of my own clothes but personal preferance
I work for Stobart’s so i wear the uniform.
I personally find it comfortable to wear and when it wears out,its replaced,no questions asked.
I’ve always preferred a unifom to wear as its good for the image of the company and also makes me feel smart and gives a good impression to customers and members of the public.
Two trucks arrived in our yard this afternoon within minutes of each other.
The first driver was a fat bloke wearing jeans that were too small so his belly hung over; a T-shirt with some kind of rock message on it, a high viz (we insist on them) jacket that looked as if he had used it to wipe the floor, and trainers with holes in.
The second was a big bloke but wearing a clean dark jacket and trousers with a HV jacket on top, and safety boots.
Need I ask which gave the better impression of his employer?
BTW: They both are employed by a well known Irish haulier.
I don’t mind uniform, but atm we are given the cheapest crap, supplied by one of our sister companies, the polo shirts and trousers I’m sure are recycled sackcloth. oh and they don’t do medium so everything is L or XL and buries you, and I aint no beanpole. I had to buy my own HiViz jacket as we can only order 2 a month, why do the whorehouse lads always get first dibs, it’s not like all of em actually spend anytime outside (except the smoke shelter), I personally think they spend most of their time in the pub judging by the way I’m loaded (or not) on a morning.
That is my biggest bugbear. Uniforms supplied to truck drivers are simply obtained at the cheapest price, regardless of quality of materials or comfort.
Personally, I do not wear nylon and think that the only appropriate place for nylon is on a girl’s legs.
i get usual safety wear plus polo shirts, jumpers, and jacket… all green so i just wear the polo shirts and jumpers and wear my own trousers.
I get… nowt.
Everything I use is at my own expense.
That’s why the soles are falling off my boots, the pockets on my trousers are hanging on by threads, my polos are all stained and my hi-viz isn’t that hi-viz any more.
It even says somewhere on the many thousands of pages of HSE handouts I’ve been given that agencies/employers are obliged to provide uniform.
So as soon as the agency or a client says I’m scruffy, I’ll dig out that particular handout for them to read.
We don’t have uniforms or ‘work clothes’ provided for us.
I wear polo shirt, trousers and sweatshirt in corresponding colour (green, cos I bought a job lot). I thinks its important to look clean and tidy. I’ll admit it’s not possible to remain immaculately dressed, but there’s no excuse for looking like a scruffy wotsit.
By the end of the day I’m not exactly clean cos steel can be a dirty job, but I always start the day off with clean clothes.
A driver,more often than not, is the company ambassador, and first impressions last. 
We have one driver who starts the week wearing vest, polo shirt, sweatshirt, and padded shirt. He just peels layers off as the days goes by. By friday he’s down to the vest and to be honest, I wouldn’t even clean my mirrors with it.
Grubby hound.
Stobart uniform consists of -:
10 shirts
5 trousers
woollen jumper
choice of boots/shoes (upto 3 pairs a year)
bodywarmer
fleece jacket
rally jacket
waterproof jacket
belt
baseball cap
fleece hat
holdall
clipboard
eddie stobart y-fronts (not really)
and of course the statutory Hi-Viz vest
I think uniforms in general do give a professional image of the industry, but I also think it should be upto the individual what he wears for work. If they supply uniform all well and good, but as previously stated, some employers just give you the cheapest available and I dont think you should be “made” to wear it if you dont want to.
Then again, owt is better than some of the sights you see in summer…ie vests, shorts and hobnail boots■■? What would Trinny & Susannah say…
My kit is always clean (it has to be, I work in a bakery), it’s just worn out.
Harry Monk:
Personally, I do not wear nylon and think that the only appropriate place for nylon is on a girl’s legs.
Cant argue with that Harry.
personally if i was offered a uniform i would wear it
why would you want to wear your own cloths to work your doing a job that can be dirty work at times
and if you use your own stuff then your spending the wages on uniform for you company
a good polo shirt can cost up to £20
a pair of boots can cost £20-£50
Hi-Vs are £10
you times this by 3 your looking at near £150
why would you want to spend that on your employment
do you think that the wages you get are for something the you need to do the job
PPE should always be provided by the employer
must sites on building trade won’t let you in without it as some RDC’s
if you look smart it gives you a good feeling as well as a good impression of the company you work for
bullitt:
Also the colour schemes that you see now adys leave abit to be desired!! DHL for one
DHL/EXEL have dodged the yellow uniform…
It’s all exel blue but with a little DHL badge on the sleeve.
Tradeteam get a chest badge as well with Tradeteam on it.
Trousers,polo shirts,rugby shirts,fleece , fleece lined water proof bomber jacket .The best item has to be the bomber jacket.Warm and waterproof.
when i was in the building trade as a sparks the firm i was working for gave us the crappest stuff to wear really cheap and nasty stuff that didnt last 5 mins so we bought our own boots at £45 a pair and also work trousers which are snickers which are really hard wearing and top of the range and they are £50 a pair as well … ive got 3 pairs. also the polo shirts were rubbish so i used to wear any old ones of my own that wernt good enough for best.
honestly the stuff we were provided with i wouldnt have given to africa. 
Ever been offered secondhand items of uniform, or is it as Swindon thing ? 
Had secondhand shoes offered me a couple of times over the years, No, you keep them.
Truckwriter:
‘…I’m interested in the point raised by Happy Keith about agencies. Can you explain a bit more about how they have messed people around trying to get what’s approved of?
Does this mean they get hold of the wrong clothing for the driver?..’
My agency gives about two dozen bods regular work and stipulates within Agency Worker Terms of Reference what they (quite reasonably) expect as a dress code for the client.
At interview they ‘can get you stuff’ …but I’m still waiting to see if a pair of working kecks ■■ waist and ■■ inside leg will ever pitch up six weeks after asking. Frankly, I don’t expect they recall me asking for them - but who am I to rock the boat - I’d rather have the work than be a pest.
‘…Wrong clothing…’ would be a dream …any clothing would be nice. They’ve had no company (or any) hi-viz other than size XS …so that’s sourced at my expense too …though that’s life and I Ishell out the fiver off the market to buy one without a pantomime.
We get 5 polo (Hi Viz) shirts, 2 pairs of trews, pair of boots, Hi Viz Coat or Jacket…Loads of Really crap gloves that don’t last, hard hat.
The stuff is ALL really cheap and nasty, if you wre going to buy it yourself you would buy the best.
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