Suffolk ReeferBoy:
Talking to the few Dutch drivers in DFDS Rotterdam it seems that the Dutch drivers dont have any high regard for VDB which could explain the need to employ immigrant labour .
Hope this is of help.
your right about Dutch drivers and VDB, the reason is the VDB business model didn’t suit the Dutch drivers.
Dutch drivers get paid very well but VDB don’t want to pay that kind of money to keep costs down and profits up, they have used the eu to their advantage by paying what is considered good money to Germans Hungarians and Brits and giving them above average working conditions. The Germans work 2 weeks on and 1 off, the rest are 3 on 1 off. For me it meant working 9 months of the year for what I could earn in 12 months working for a British company.
If it wasn’t for changes in my family life I would still be there.
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
The Germans work 2 weeks on and 1 off, the rest are 3 on 1 off. For me it meant working 9 months of the year for what I could earn in 12 months working for a British company.
If it wasn’t for changes in my family life I would still be there.
Suffolk ReeferBoy:
Talking to the few Dutch drivers in DFDS Rotterdam it seems that the Dutch drivers dont have any high regard for VDB which could explain the need to employ immigrant labour .
Hope this is of help.
your right about Dutch drivers and VDB, the reason is the VDB business model didn’t suit the Dutch drivers.
Dutch drivers get paid very well but VDB don’t want to pay that kind of money to keep costs down and profits up, they have used the eu to their advantage by paying what is considered good money to Germans Hungarians and Brits and giving them above average working conditions. The Germans work 2 weeks on and 1 off, the rest are 3 on 1 off. For me it meant working 9 months of the year for what I could earn in 12 months working for a British company.
If it wasn’t for changes in my family life I would still be there.
Not a different set of values towards their workforce, they treat their workforce quite well compared to some other well known haulage companies.
They just want to make money and they seem to do it well.
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
Not a different set of values towards their workforce, they treat their workforce quite well compared to some other well known haulage companies.
They just want to make money and they seem to do it well.
They had Dutch drivers, they still co have some. But they didn’t want to go the same direction has the company.
There is a lot of resentment towards VDB, the same way there is resentment to uk companies that took on polish drivers I suppose.
But even though they have a majority workforce of foriegn nationals, the work force aren’t migrant workers as such. They live in their respective countries and travel to holland for work
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
the first time we met was on the Monday evening after my shift finished, I came and sat with you for dinner, you wouldn’t tell me what your user name in here was.
The next time I saw you was in the yard where you told me that you were being sent home, that was the middle of the afternoon. So no great amount of drink on either occasion.
Funny you say I was ■■■■■■■ I can count on one hand the amount if times I was anywhere near drunk whilst over there. Unless it was a Friday the day before I was going home the mist I ever drunk was a couple of beers with my dinner.
By the way, I am English, just living in Scotland.
Yes of course, whatever.
I can confirm when I met Okey in Sittensen truck stop he was indeed English. I believe he still is.
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
Not a different set of values towards their workforce, they treat their workforce quite well compared to some other well known haulage companies.
They just want to make money and they seem to do it well.
Maybe I should have said " a different set of values towards the local work force " , it depends on who you
are comparing VDB with , all I know is the Dutch drivers I have met who were driving Dutch trucks while I
am in Holland dont speak to highly of them .
There seems to be alot of Dutch companies employing Dutch drivers making a good living .
Hope that helps.
I’m Dutch and more than 17 years with VdB, of them more than 10 years as a driver.
Horses for courses is the term here.
But if you look at the tanker companies in Holland (H&S, VOS, Den Hartogh,Nijman, etc), there are hardly any tanker companies who work with Dutch drivers only. [none of the mayor ones for sure]
The market is very sharp and your workforce need to reflect that, so we have still a substantial amount of Dutch drivers, some Belgium, French, Spanish, a lot German, and Hungarian drivers.
And yes it makes sense to use certain drivers for certain work, long distance with one tip and one loading doesn’t need a super duper highly paid driver, short and specialist work with a lot loading, cleaning and un-loading is where you need the Dutch, English and Belgium and some of the Germans.
You don’t hire Leonardo Da Vinci to paint your front door in the end, or do you? But if you like to paint the Mona Lisa, your nabour might not be the right choice.
You find out that a lot of flower transport is done by Dutch drivers, but they are very expensive due to the high taxes in Holland.
And regarding drivers not speaking highly about VdB, that is their opinion, have they worked there? or is it hearsay??
Big companies are never the flavour of the month, but that doesn’t affect the mountain of aplications we get weekly.
caledoniandream:
it makes sense to use certain drivers for certain work, long distance with one tip and one loading doesn’t need a super duper highly paid driver, short and specialist work with a lot loading, cleaning and un-loading is where you need some of the Germans.
I’d prefer to be one of the underpaid,non super duper,non specialist drivers under that criteria thanks .Maybe that’s what most of the Germans have decided too.
caledoniandream:
it makes sense to use certain drivers for certain work, long distance with one tip and one loading doesn’t need a super duper highly paid driver, short and specialist work with a lot loading, cleaning and un-loading is where you need some of the Germans.
I’d prefer to be one of the underpaid,non super duper,non specialist drivers under that criteria thanks .Maybe that’s what most of the Germans have decided too.
You don’t make the hours on long distance, the money for a driver is other work.
If you do a trip from Holland to Barcelona, you can make in a week 40 odd hours.
If you do short distance you can make your 60.
When you are out there you may as well make your hours, instead of ■■■■■■■ it against the wall because after 9 hours your driving day is ful, so you hang half days around!
caledoniandream:
it makes sense to use certain drivers for certain work, long distance with one tip and one loading doesn’t need a super duper highly paid driver, short and specialist work with a lot loading, cleaning and un-loading is where you need some of the Germans.
I’d prefer to be one of the underpaid,non super duper,non specialist drivers under that criteria thanks .Maybe that’s what most of the Germans have decided too.
You don’t make the hours on long distance, the money for a driver is other work.
If you do a trip from Holland to Barcelona, you can make in a week 40 odd hours.
If you do short distance you can make your 60.
When you are out there you may as well make your hours, instead of ■■■■■■■ it against the wall because after 9 hours your driving day is ful, so you hang half days around!
Probably all depends on wether a ‘driver’ prefers to work less hours doing more ‘driving’ or doing less driving and doing 20 hours a week extra working in the depots.
caledoniandream:
it makes sense to use certain drivers for certain work, long distance with one tip and one loading doesn’t need a super duper highly paid driver, short and specialist work with a lot loading, cleaning and un-loading is where you need some of the Germans.
I’d prefer to be one of the underpaid,non super duper,non specialist drivers under that criteria thanks .Maybe that’s what most of the Germans have decided too.
You don’t make the hours on long distance, the money for a driver is other work.
If you do a trip from Holland to Barcelona, you can make in a week 40 odd hours.
If you do short distance you can make your 60.
When you are out there you may as well make your hours, instead of ■■■■■■■ it against the wall because after 9 hours your driving day is ful, so you hang half days around!
Christ on a bike I agree with the madman. I’d rather do long distance for less money too simply because it more enjoyable, and let’s face it happiness is a hell of a lot more important than money.
Christ on a bike I agree with the madman. I’d rather do long distance for less money too simply because it more enjoyable, and let’s face it happiness is a hell of a lot more important than money.
So did I when I didn’t have any responsibility, after I grew up I ended up with a house, a wife and kids, thats when you choices change
At that point happiness is your family happy and well looked after, no time to hang about and the money need to be made.
You are now in a luxury position, enjoy when possible, one day priorities change.
To point out, with tankers you always have an extra “paying” job with the cleaning, it is those jobs that pay the best, if you can tip clean and load in the same day and get 7 or 8 hours driving in as well you will be a rich man by the end of the month. That is what I wanted, that is what the company wanted. Any silly bugger can drive from Caen to Castets or Goole to Glasgow
Three drops of chocolate and a cleanout before a night load or picking up a loaded trailer, way to go! Instead of sat in a layby in the UK, most of the cleaning stations have clean showers, restaurants and free parking.
Wheel Nut:
To point out, with tankers you always have an extra “paying” job with the cleaning, it is those jobs that pay the best, if you can tip clean and load in the same day and get 7 or 8 hours driving in as well you will be a rich man by the end of the month. That is what I wanted, that is what the company wanted. Any silly bugger can drive from Caen to Castets or Goole to Glasgow
Three drops of chocolate and a cleanout before a night load or picking up a loaded trailer, way to go!.
Every day for 5 days a week .As opposed to pick up the trailer drive it all week for 5 shifts of 9 hours tip it and load it once a week.
The load, tip, clean and load in a day was the best payer and most enjoyable, on the powder because you. Oils still get some driving in aswell
I was lucky in a way because I got a mixture of both, locals and distance with the distance jobs towards the weekend. So Monday to Thursday around France, Belgium Netherlands Germany then Friday Saturday with a run to Spain Italy or Slovenia.
It’s not theirs anymore,
This is our England now.
Paaaaarrrrrrttttttttyyyyyyyy
akaday: Just popped on this topic to see whats cracking off, and i’m Glad to see that Dinosteve is not still bitter about getting the boot for being crap.
Thanks, that was very kind of you
It’s nice when a complete stranger gives a ■■■■■ about someone they’ve never met. I’m gonna nominate you for an award, don’t know what award yet, but it’ll be a good un.
akaday: Just popped on this topic to see whats cracking off, and i’m Glad to see that Dinosteve is not still bitter about getting the boot for being crap.
Thanks, that was very kind of you
It’s nice when a complete stranger gives a ■■■■■ about someone they’ve never met. I’m gonna nominate you for an award, don’t know what award yet, but it’ll be a good un.
If you put as much effort into your work and driving as you put into being on here moaning you might get somewhere pal!!!
.As opposed to pick up the trailer drive it all week for 5 shifts of 9 hours tip it and load it once a week.
Just popped on this topic to see whats cracking off, and i’m Glad to see that Dinosteve is not still bitter about getting the boot for being crap. 