BuzzardBoy:
BigSidney:
And in all my years of running into Euroland I have never had an employer ask me not to run the engine for the aircon in hot weather!!!To be fair, i dont know many employers who would say its ok to do it, i think its more a case of “What they don’t know don’t hurt them”, in VdB’s case, they did know, it did hurt them, and they asked for it to stop!
Agree 
A bit out of order, I wonder if the planner knew how hot it was 
Have a word!!! Why should you be expected to sit in that heat with no aircon, there are rules HS regarding this and UK employers have to abide by these rules.
I ran the engine on tick over for 24hrs, if I hadnt this heat even with the winows open, a big no no as you get eaten alive by Mozzies, ASK OKLEY he should know.
It is law in Spain that you must have air con so why should it be any different for VdB with their fleet trucks to allow drivers to run air con and keep them happy and comfortable. The volume of trucks that they buy from Volvo would it be too much for them to ask retro fit an aircon unit that you see on other trucks if they dont want to use the engine poowered one■■?
BuzzardBoy:
BigSidney:
And in all my years of running into Euroland I have never had an employer ask me not to run the engine for the aircon in hot weather!!!To be fair, i dont know many employers who would say its ok to do it, i think its more a case of “What they don’t know don’t hurt them”, in VdB’s case, they did know, it did hurt them, and they asked for it to stop!
bigsidney:
It is law in Spain that you must have air con
No its not 
you must be one of the old school who still thinks you must have a toplinesupermegaXXL if doing a night out as well
bigsidney:
Couldn’t agree more Steve, This is supposed to be a forum where drivers can have a conversation about who are the good/bad/indifferent employers, ask advice catch up with old mates etc, there are posts on this forum (VDB) which give both sides of the story.
I have years of experience passing my HGV at 21 and working in many sectors of this industry and have opinions on many of the jobs I have done in the past. But this Thread is about VDB the upsides and the downsides, of which you and I both see the downsides and have posted freely on here in our own words the pitfalls and such like for all to read, there are many who went over to the Netherlands with high excpectations and aspirations of what was described at initial interview as a “Fantastic” opportunity to make some good money…Yeah rite…
The job was good to start with, easy work im not denying that, but when you get mucked around with planners not exactly knowing the ins and outs of the job, as has been posted here about hours etc. I know that if you got on the wrong side of your planner or commented complained or stood up and said no you can and I did get parked up in some of the most desolate derelict places in Euroland, oh and the memo that was sent to all drivers last summer “regarding the use of air con”
I was parked in Italy last summer south of Turin in 30c sweat ■■■■■■■ out of me, after discharge I had to wait from Wednesday lunchtime until Thursday Lunchtime for a back load, I had the engine running and aircon going full pelt to try and keep comfortable, only to recieve a message asking me why the truck was running!!! This was from my Planner in Erp “sitting in their nice air conditioned office” to stop running the engine as I WAS WASTING FUEL" Bear in mind these are fleet trucks “Basic as hell” so you have no aircon pod on the roof… to me the company is all about profit and not about driver needs, but hey if there is no money in it to enablee drivers to run aircon in that type of heat then surely the job aint worth doing is it. And in all my years of running into Euroland I have never had an employer ask me not to run the engine for the aircon in hot weather!!!
Stevie, All companies are out to make a profit, especially in these hard times, I’m sure if you had 700+ vehicles and your fuel bill was in the 100’s of thousands per week you would try and reduce that bill every way possible. No company these days is interested in drivers welfare, why? because the costs of running vehicles is so high, with fuel costs road usage taxes in every country apart from the UK, the fact that road transport is the highest cost of any manufacturer and they are trying to keep their selling price down, the influx of cheaper eastern european labour, the fact that drivers don’t stick together, this site being a prime example.
The difference with VDB and all the other firms you have worked for is with the telematic system they use they can tell if your running your engine or not.
When it comes to your planner not knowing the ins and out of the job, very few actually do, they come straight out of college with qualifications in business administration, they are what the transport companies want because they have no knowledge of driving a truck, just how to operate a PC.
Yes they get on your back, only because someone higher up the food chain is on their back and so on and so forth.
Drivers have let this happen, not because they have wanted to, it is because they have had no choice in the matter, Europe knows it needs transport to keep economically viable, the problem is the people of europe don’t want it because it clogs up their roads and stops them from getting to their office jobs. where the problem lies is, there are more voters driving cars than there are driving trucks and the EU has to be seen to be doing something about it. so they make it as hard work for drivers has possible to make the car drivers happy.
I wish drivers would get a grip on reallity and see what is happening in the world.
dinosteveus1:
BuzzardBoy:
BigSidney:
And in all my years of running into Euroland I have never had an employer ask me not to run the engine for the aircon in hot weather!!!To be fair, i dont know many employers who would say its ok to do it, i think its more a case of “What they don’t know don’t hurt them”, in VdB’s case, they did know, it did hurt them, and they asked for it to stop!
Agree
A bit out of order, I wonder if the planner knew how hot it was
I’ve never “had permission” to run the engine for aircon from any boss I’ve had. Buzz has it spot on re what you can get away with
I wonder if the planner knew how hot it was
Truly a case of “if you can’t stand the heat…” 
dinosteveus1:
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
Thats rich coming from you, you don’t know me, i met you once and I thought what a nprick, all I asked you what your username was but you wouldn’t tell me, why? I ask my self, afetr the last few months of replies I now know, you are [zb] staring little ■■■■■■.
Now go away little boy, go play your silly [zb] games somewhere else!“don’t know you”, ha, you’ve always made it clear which side of the fence you sit on
If I recall we had a good laugh guessing my username, but if slagging me off makes you feel ‘hard’, then whatever
Who are YOU to tell me to ‘go away’ you arse licker
Who am I, I am the person who’s arguement you got involved with and called me an arselicker, I am the one who tried to make you welcome when you first arrived at Erp and was sorry to hear about your fate, I am the one who as read your posts on the matter and i am the one who after talking to certain people now know why they let you go and actually don’t blame them
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
dinosteveus1:
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
Thats rich coming from you, you don’t know me, i met you once and I thought what a nprick, all I asked you what your username was but you wouldn’t tell me, why? I ask my self, afetr the last few months of replies I now know, you are [zb] staring little ■■■■■■.
Now go away little boy, go play your silly [zb] games somewhere else!“don’t know you”, ha, you’ve always made it clear which side of the fence you sit on
If I recall we had a good laugh guessing my username, but if slagging me off makes you feel ‘hard’, then whatever
Who are YOU to tell me to ‘go away’ you arse lickerWho am I, I am the person who’s arguement you got involved with and called me an arselicker, I am the one who tried to make you welcome when you first arrived at Erp and was sorry to hear about your fate, I am the one who as read your posts on the matter and i am the one who after talking to certain people now know why they let you go and actually don’t blame them
And I know which side of the fence I sit on, my side, I made VDB work for me, I’m still there after 14 months, and am doing quite well at it earning enough for me and still having a good time whilst working there
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
Who am I, I am the person who’s arguement you got involved with and called me an arselicker, I am the one who tried to make you welcome when you first arrived at Erp and was sorry to hear about your fate, I am the one who as read your posts on the matter and i am the one who after talking to certain people now know why they let you go and actually don’t blame them
Yea right 'pid, you don’t know me. ‘Talking to certain people’, yes of course you did, was that after you arse licked them or before? Or was in just in YOUR head, ‘this’ conversation you had? Look, if it makes your day, then go ahead and slag me off, I don’t give a toss what you think, life’s too short for your BS.
BTW, I wasn’t the only one ‘binned’, and the reason why a very experienced Car Transporter and Refer Driver got binned was■■?
You know what, [zb] it, I don’t give a monkeys. I wasn’t ready for that job, very much a noobie, but with a bit more experience behind, me I’m not sure if it’s for me. 
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
And I know which side of the fence I sit on, my side, I made VDB work for me, I’m still there after 14 months, and am doing quite well at it earning enough for me and still having a good time whilst working there
Good for you
Now, if you’ve quite finished can we move on ffs, this bollox is pointless.
Yes Stuart, valid point, hence the reason I am now operating vans, I have no restrictions my vans are leased so I dont really have any problems with the dreaded VOSA unless they want to check my fuel, the vans are looked after by my provider and my costs are worked so that I can see from job to job exactly what profit I am making, and the work I myself am doing is making me a very good profit, I know my Daily costs and can there fore work out what my daily profit is, my other van is on a rate per delivery and the guy on it is dong well and hitting the daily targets and after negotiation of that contract I have acheived better rates due to rises in fuel costs, and they understand this as my operating costs have risen so have adjusted the rates accordingly, I am not running at a loss and simple calculations on cost/profit tell me if it is worth my while. So VdB accounts monkeys must do the same and allow them a margin of profit and they definately will not be running 700+ trucks at a loss so how can they be cutting things so tight that they will message a driver telling him not to run the engine/aircon■■?
The reason they are so big in Europe is because of greed, the ones who drive the trucks and actually make the money are treated very badly and yet the head office in Erp has Aircon, coffee machine, water cooler, and as you know, what looks like and is a very nice enviroment to work in and yet they ask drivers to not use aircon, park in an area with no facilities, they can and will ask you why you have driven to a certain area to use and have use of washing, toilet facilities and access to food if needed. If you drive 20km to use an Autohoff or such like they will question it and not be very happy, but all the office staff go home at 5/6pm to their houses and off for the weekend etc so why do they treat drivers this way. You remember Boyle would think nothing if you drove 20/30km if he weekended U he never moaned if you went up to Campo or Carissio etc to spend your weekend with some home comforts.
To say VdB is not making a profit is having a laugh, they are and probably huge profits at that, Boyle used to say he was making nothing from the work “Im running this business as a hobby” was one quote he said to me. If they were not making a profit then they wouldn’t be running would they!!!
As you know all transport opearators will tell you they are making no profit and that they are just breaking even!!! You and I both know this is not true, having worked for Boyle u got to find out roughly what rates he was getting and we knew what he was paying us and what we were using in fuel so simple calculationns and you could work out approximately what profit he was making and he had no shortage of work
All in all Im personally glad to not have the hassle that goes along with driving trucks and hopefully im going to make this enterprise of mine work, but please bear in mind “Im not making any money im just breaking even and dunno how long I will be able to operate in this economic climate!”
We know VDB are making a profit, but the point of running a business is to make as much profit as possible, VDB as a board of directors who have to make their own departments be as efficient as possible, these people don’t really care about those at the bottom of the food chain, they have their targets to meet or lose their jobs, somebody in the fuel dept as realised that running aircon is very expensive and as sent out a memo to that fact, that then was sent out to all drivers because the section managers told their planners to do so.
It is business, we don’t like it but we either put up with it or get out of the job, me I make the most of it and try and work it ot suit myself
Agreed, but there is profit and then there is greed, the more u have the more you want.
Hence the reason VdB recruiting from nationalities where they can aqquire cheaper labour there for making more profit simple economics, price the job pay the driver the minimum you can legally get away with Polish and Germans at VdB a prime example, not so much with UK guys. You and I both no there were big differences with the pay between different nationalities at VdB we were not the cheapest hence they have now worked out costs as when you and I both started it was a trial but they still make enough from you to pay for you to fly back and forward every 3 weeks. This is the reason they are not recruiting from the UK anymore. It is not worth their while anymore they have had the truth come out on this forum and drivers thought twice about going over and giving it a bash.
And if they are so spectacular and good to work for why have so many drivers come home to work back in the UK after giving it a try, surely the ones who came back home were not all in the same position that they couldnt hack it maybe some did, but my reason was the promises and lies that were told at the interview and when 6 months down the line you find that all your hopes and aspirations didnt come to fruition. Maybe I expected more than was given by VdB but surely all that have come and gone cant all have the same reason for leaving. As has been stated here couldn’t hack 3 weeks out and driving in Euroland etc etc etc …
bit of topic was at wetherby power station the other day and saw a sign patterson vdb on a fence on the entry road to the power station any ideas if they just shut that bit or is it still going 
Okey-Didley-Dokely:
dinosteveus1:
bigsidney:
Precisely Steve, I dont see the point, but for information, I have kept a van doing the work as Stuart stated, so no lies there about rates and work, But I have another van engaged on more lucrative and better paying work, but now I know who I will and will not give information too even the ones I regard as a friend!!!Good luck to ya, I really hope it works out
‘Friends’ like Stu are not real Friends, they are just out for themselves. It’s all about ‘Smarty’ points and how much arce they can lickThats rich coming from you, you don’t know me, i met you once and I thought what a nprick, all I asked you what your username was but you wouldn’t tell me, why? I ask my self, afetr the last few months of replies I now know, you are [zb] staring little ■■■■■■.
Now go away little boy, go play your silly [zb] games somewhere else!
bigsidney:
I was parked in Italy last summer south of Turin in 30c sweat ■■■■■■■ out of me, after discharge I had to wait from Wednesday lunchtime until Thursday Lunchtime for a back load, I had the engine running and aircon going full pelt to try and keep comfortable, only to recieve a message asking me why the truck was running!!! This was from my Planner in Erp “sitting in their nice air conditioned office” to stop running the engine as I WAS WASTING FUEL" Bear in mind these are fleet trucks “Basic as hell” so you have no aircon pod on the roof… to me the company is all about profit and not about driver needs, but hey if there is no money in it to enablee drivers to run aircon in that type of heat then surely the job aint worth doing is it. And in all my years of running into Euroland I have never had an employer ask me not to run the engine for the aircon in hot weather!!!
If this is true then personally I’d have been flying back to the UK at the end of my my 3 week stint and not returning. The argument someone put forward about them not making enough profit to allow you to run it is just pure BS and if they’re gonna split hairs over running the engine/aircon then they can GTFO. That is just petty BS for the sake of being petty.
I did not long after this Rob, towards the end of my time there things got worse regarding planners, I ran from Metz to Spain for them on Nationals it took me roughly 3 hours longer to do the trip and used more fuel but managed to get all the way down to Spain with no Tolls, not even a thanks Stevie!!! But they sent routes to your BC and you must follow them or I assume you would be shot!!
If you did not follow routes they sent to you they would send abrupt mesages asking you why.
Also you were given a list of fuel stations to use in each country you were in!!!
We were running UK spec Volvo FMs with the GT cabs and 300lt fuel tanks. I was sent to Malmo in Sweden with this truck and had to fuel in NL before entering Germany, I got to Rostock for the ferry and had to fuel up there before going on the boat, also to fuel in Germany on the way back, they knew the size of the tanks on these trucks but you always got a bollocking and asked why you had fuelled in Germany, they are total idiots they have you travelling 100k sometimes to save 2c per lt on fuel. Also the same trip down to Italy with the same truck they questioned why I had not used allocated service stations as per the fuel sheet, which at the time was a street name with a post code and you had to go through them all to find out what town they were in and then head for the station nearest you…if you had the fuel to get there. All in all I have never worked for a company that was so idiotic in their planning and the way they wanted you to run.
Rob K:
bigsidney:
I was parked in Italy last summer south of Turin in 30c sweat ■■■■■■■ out of me, after discharge I had to wait from Wednesday lunchtime until Thursday Lunchtime for a back load, I had the engine running and aircon going full pelt to try and keep comfortable, only to recieve a message asking me why the truck was running!!! This was from my Planner in Erp “sitting in their nice air conditioned office” to stop running the engine as I WAS WASTING FUEL" Bear in mind these are fleet trucks “Basic as hell” so you have no aircon pod on the roof… to me the company is all about profit and not about driver needs, but hey if there is no money in it to enablee drivers to run aircon in that type of heat then surely the job aint worth doing is it. And in all my years of running into Euroland I have never had an employer ask me not to run the engine for the aircon in hot weather!!!If this is true then personally I’d have been flying back to the UK at the end of my my 3 week stint and not returning. The argument someone put forward about them not making enough profit to allow you to run it is just pure BS and if they’re gonna split hairs over running the engine/aircon then they can GTFO. That is just petty BS for the sake of being petty.
Where’s. Fran when you need him?.After all he has used this"free advertising site" for his own benefit and six months down the line it has transpired you brits are cheap labour ,take it or leaveit Me, I think this is bad monitoring of a public forum which has in itself has by many posters proven to be a dodgy company, no bett er than the irish or any other european company. They will run you bent…that ain’t the problem. The problem is, you do your time there, if no like move on and don’t be bitter. You don’t hear coffee or switch moaning, they get on with it, many miles away from the uk and they take it all i.their. stride… ■■■■■■ in Hemel on an remit phone
when you say no better than the irish and other europeans, you are including the english/scottish and welsh as well i assume ?
No
Although most of the negative posters all have a go at me, when I comment. I honestly do not recognise this company. I presume the drivers who the planners had to nursemaid with route planning and telling them where to get fuel didn’t have the experience or they couldn’t be arsed to look for cheap fuel.
I cannot remember a time where I was given a route plan on the BC or over the phone. Honestly a normal week meant I was given a job and I just did it my own way and was then given another one to get me somewhere else. I never spent a weekend in Erp ever and have never met Ad or Peter Van Den Bosch.
