More ramblings from his imaginary world
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And 25+ years ago
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I used to like doing the containers, on a long tip I would give the customer my mobile phone number to ask if they could ring me when an hour away from the box being emptied so I would do a long walk or get the bike out for a ride in the countryside.
Some tips can be anything from 4 to 6 hours, especially if the box had to be fumigated to kill any uninvited guests hitching a ride from the Far East or India, I have seen snakes, insects and lizards inside.
One driver said a hand ball tip can take 3 days, as the goods were very small,there would be queue outside the gate, I think it could have been Matchbox toys or coat hangers?
The added bonus of boxes are you can park where you want then put a Bulldog door lock on the rear door.
With a Tautliner you wake up to an overnight attack by Edward Scissorhands who has made peep holes in the curtain or half the load stolen.
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I was an OD for Omega Secure Logistics in Southampton and a driver for Brian Rayner out of Frome, we didn’t get paid for a Friday night out or running in on Saturday morning to return to base, they had their blue eyed boys who got all the cream who were always clocking off at 11.00 am for a local collection on Friday ready to go to the docks on Monday morning.
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I work for DRS out of imperial road ,
Only regret about containers is not doing it sooner
Better being bored in my cab then getting soaked strapping a load up and doing 45 ft x2 of curtain up in force 8 gale on Rochester dock
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I remember when drivers were allowed in the staff canteen in Southampton and Felixstowe for a cheap subsidised meal, those days are long gone now.
I used to like the run to Thamesport Isle of Grain, it used to fully automated with no human contact to get the box on or off.
I soon got to know all the storage yards dotted around the country to drop off empty boxes or pick up an empty box, the one I remember was Olympic containers in Manchester.
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Rayner had a contract with Elite container transport in Eling Wharf, I loved the nights out there as there was a multitude of places to eat in the town, there was an old fashioned sweet shop that must have been there for over a hundred years, probably long gone now, or have a pint in the pub with the view of the estuary.
Pallet hubs do free/subsidised meals for drivers. Not gourmet but its hot and good enough.
And decent facilities. Quite the opposite from drivers doing warehouse duties as CF would describe lol
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All the Wilkinson’s RDC’s let drivers in their canteens, the food was very good and cheap.
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The issue ain’t whether drivers have access to 5 star break facilities.
It’s the definition of break, other work, and wage structure.
As described it’s a grey area where the employer has the right to set the definitions and terms.
So long as you’re on the guvnors time, he can define other work, get rid of the pallets, handball loose load the trailers, and give you the option of doing the required handballing, or use a pallet truck or even drive a forklift, or face disciplinary action for refusing a reasonable management instruction.
An agreement for not being paid during hub system operations provides an almost bullet proof defence against that.
Hub system trunking ain’t exactly the same thing as container haulage.
Again, it’s just not the case these days. Drivers aren’t even allowed out the cab in most hubs while being tipped/loaded. Seems to me you’re kinda defending these p iss poor wage rates for 2025.
Still stand by what I say, from card in to card out you’re at work. And you’re employed as a driver. IF other duties are required make it clear in the job description.
You can have employers paying two different hourly rates depending on what you are doing. Local to me paying £15:30 for driving hours and £13 for other work. Its above NMW but I have always worked on the basis of all my hours are at the same rate.
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You’re talking about Bridgewaters finest haulier are you
The OP really needs to define exactly what type of ‘work’ makes up the difference between the quoted ‘48’ hours ( week ) v the actual 12.5 hour shifts ?.
If the employer is defining it as ‘break’ then that won’t count towards the minimum wage calculation.
While minimising miles run/driven is always inevitably going to end up with the conflict between the employer paying class 1 wage costs for a truck that’s sitting going nowhere earning nothing.
Break time doesn’t count for NMW.Which would obviously be the employer’s defence.As I said hub system trunking is a can of worms.Unpaid break at least removes any onus on the driver regarding any instruction for ‘other duties’.
Do you really think that the NMW is based on paid breaks ?.
RT Keedwell.
What I really think is that you have over the years heard something that has caused you to have an ironclad opinion that you simply cannot be moved from both believing and repeating despite many many times being told by people who actually do the job daily that you are wrong.
The NMW is what it is. No amount of bluff and bluster can or will change that fact.
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