coiler:
Why don’t companies pay drivers if they don’t have an accident? You lose it if you do have a prang. I’ve used that system for years and it works well.
Coz your paid not to.
cav551:
Had this twice in the past, simply crossed out the wording, initialed the margin with comment: ’ I do not agree to this’, signed the contract and handed it back. Never heard a dicky bird.
Agree 100% with this and make sure that you add, in writing, that your signature is purely a receipt for being handed the contract and does NOT imply that you agree with it’s terms. If the company will not accept this, WALK. Let them look elsewhere for the idiot they were expecting.
I would work for a company if they had this policy but only if I was earning a very good drivers wage, if your expected to pay for something that should be factored in to running a haulage company its only fair to see more of the profits.
In my experience, they will be a crp company, paying crp wages, therefore attracting cr*p drivers that are prone to damaging the vehicles.
Look for a proper firm.
Own Account Driver:
I would avoid working anywhere that tries to impose this sort of contract term and I do believe it would likely fall under the unfair condition (I doubt they’re getting it from any agency drivers so don’t see why regulars should endure it).
Technically the agency drivers are employed via the agency / umbrella, therefore it’s an insurance claim against the agency opposed to the haulier - provided the client has agreed driver’s negligence which 90% of them will have done if they’re regular users.
I’d be amazed if the agency then didn’t pass on any excess fees similarly to the client.
With regards to the OP - I think this is becoming more common given insurance premiums are ever increasing and despite the miles you put in - you’re a professional driver. If the accident is at fault of someone else, you wouldn’t pay an excess given you wouldn’t be liable and claiming from your insurance given it would come from the guilty party.
I don’t see it as unreasonable. You have an excess on your car don’t you? 
Armagedon:
Your having a laugh aren’t you,SIGNED CONTRACT, COMPLY OR DON’T SIGN IT IN THE FIRST PLACE…MOVE ON.Just thrown a woman out of one of my houses,she signed
contract to pay rent but went on the ■■■■ instead,out she went.
Really?..How many weeks in arrears was she?
just started a job with a £25 a week non accident bonus if I have a at fault accident the bonus is used to pay for the accident to the maximum of £1000 its a lot better than having to pay from my wages and it keeps you on your toes when you know you could be earning an extra £1200 a year …
FreddieSwan:
Own Account Driver:
I would avoid working anywhere that tries to impose this sort of contract term and I do believe it would likely fall under the unfair condition (I doubt they’re getting it from any agency drivers so don’t see why regulars should endure it).Technically the agency drivers are employed via the agency / umbrella, therefore it’s an insurance claim against the agency opposed to the haulier - provided the client has agreed driver’s negligence which 90% of them will have done if they’re regular users.
I’d be amazed if the agency then didn’t pass on any excess fees similarly to the client.
With regards to the OP - I think this is becoming more common given insurance premiums are ever increasing and despite the miles you put in - you’re a professional driver. If the accident is at fault of someone else, you wouldn’t pay an excess given you wouldn’t be liable and claiming from your insurance given it would come from the guilty party.
I don’t see it as unreasonable. You have an excess on your car don’t you?
Yes, Freddie, but it’s HIS car.
rub a greasy glove over the damage if it’s not much and say “it was like that when i got it” 
Retired Old ■■■■:
Yes, Freddie, but it’s HIS car.
Point well taken and I appreciate it, however, given we’re in a culture of “where there’s blame, there’s a claim”, insurance premiums have skyrocketed and business insurance is certainly a premium far higher than any of us pay personally (with the exception of owner-drivers).
Effectively, if a driver is employed to drive on behalf of a company, surely you look after your motor as if it were your own?
Dependent on the nature of the employer, for incredibly minor knocks etc. I doubt they’d bother with it. Certainly I’ve dealt with clients that have had wing mirrors knocked and similar incidents, let us know about it but not acted on it in terms of claiming on insurance. The clause is there as a defence for any major incidents as a result of negligent driving. If you write off even an older motor in the region of ~£20k, you’ve just caused your employer a huge insurance headache and I don’t think charging the driver that’s caused the accident a £500 excess is unreasonable. Let alone a brand new one in the region of what, £80k?
With regards to the OPs friend that’s had two accidents, if it’s not been mentioned by the TM - I doubt they’ll just take the money from his account without sitting him down first. If nothing has been said, I would assume they’re relatively minor and therefore the firm aren’t going to be coming after him for the money.
You’re probably facing a £500 excess in event of a major incident in which case you’re probably be going to be more bothered about the fact you’re out of a job than you are the £500.
FreddieSwan:
Retired Old ■■■■:
Yes, Freddie, but it’s HIS car.Point well taken and I appreciate it, however, given we’re in a culture of “where there’s blame, there’s a claim”, insurance premiums have skyrocketed and business insurance is certainly a premium far higher than any of us pay personally (with the exception of owner-drivers).
Effectively, if a driver is employed to drive on behalf of a company, surely you look after your motor as if it were your own?
Dependent on the nature of the employer, for incredibly minor knocks etc. I doubt they’d bother with it. Certainly I’ve dealt with clients that have had wing mirrors knocked and similar incidents, let us know about it but not acted on it in terms of claiming on insurance. The clause is there as a defence for any major incidents as a result of negligent driving. If you write off even an older motor in the region of ~£20k, you’ve just caused your employer a huge insurance headache and I don’t think charging the driver that’s caused the accident a £500 excess is unreasonable. Let alone a brand new one in the region of what, £80k?
With regards to the OPs friend that’s had two accidents, if it’s not been mentioned by the TM - I doubt they’ll just take the money from his account without sitting him down first. If nothing has been said, I would assume they’re relatively minor and therefore the firm aren’t going to be coming after him for the money.
You’re probably facing a £500 excess in event of a major incident in which case you’re probably be going to be more bothered about the fact you’re out of a job than you are the £500.
I’d be more worried about BOTH, out of a job AND £500 down 
Look after the vehicle as if it’s your own, fine, but it still isn’t.
Companies enter the industry to make a profit, risk / reward, they put money in, they buy a truck or a few trucks and trailers and whatever else is required.
They get an o licence and insurance and things. These are their requirements.
A driver goes to work to EARN money, that means for every hour that you’re in work, you want an hours pay. I’m sure no driver goes out to have an accident, but ■■■■ happens. I’ve had an accident in the past that’s been my fault, I’ve had accidents in the past that haven’t been my fault, I’ll fill the form in and give all the details I can but that’s why my responsibility should end.
If I wanted to pay if I had an accident, then I’d run my own truck, or have shares in the company, but as an employee I go there to pay MY bills at home and that means I have to earn money.
I can’t believe a driver would think this is an ok situation, it’s bloody NOT, get it out of your head
So Freddie,
Not having a dig a serious question here.
If you damage something in the office I.e. PC or something do you get charged??
And would you be happy about paying??
I knocked the step off a lorry once, I simply got the alloy part welded back on and bought a new step and got it sprayed.
I told the boss what i’d done and he was gobsmacked, He even gave me the money back what i’d spent, Then i was gobsmacked. 
If it’s ecconomically viable, Then i’d always get the work done myself.
As for the lad with two bumps in three weeks. Did bump number one get sorted through the insurance before bump number two? I would expect if they were both sorted together, Then there would only be one lump of excess to pay.
And another thing. Insurance excess is a load of [zb] anyway. If you have an accident that’s a £1000 job, The repair firm will quote £1250, £1500, etc if you let them know your excess amount, So you never pay it anyway.
When a company offers to share the profits with me I might be prepared to share the business expenses with them.
It seems to me that some companies want the best of both worlds, they want to keep the wage bill down and also want the drivers to share what are after-all legitimate business expenses.
This nonsense was in the contract at a company I worked for a few years ago, I refused to sign it and handed the contract back unsigned, the company rewrote the contract and left the offending clause out.
Leave…personally i wouldnt have started there in the first place if i had read that in the contract…
Like tachograph says, if you don’t like the contract, don’t sign it. And I reiterate my previous post- be sure you make it clear that you are signing to confirm that you have received the contract from your employer, NOT that you agree with everything written in it.
It is a legal requirement that your employer gives you a written Contract of Employment within 13 weeks of your starting for the firm. There is, as far as I am aware, NO legal requirement that you sign one. May be as well to point this out to your new employer.
Had two ‘bumps’ so far this year, first time coming away from St John’s Hill a bus pulled out whilst i was laongside and took off my nearside mirror completely, second was on the A13, A406 roundabout, entering on lane three from Barking a transit entered on lane two then drove across my path taking out the nearside mirror, nearside step, and the lower panel on the nearside door.tinyurl.com/agknew8. if i didn’t have my own camera and worked for your outfit i wonder how much i’d be out of pocket now?
I once asked the interviewer if the same rule applied to the office and warehouse staff, “what do you mean”? she asked, so I said " if you break your computer, a chair or table perhaps then do you have to pay for it and if a forklift driver damages a trailer or goods then do they pay for it" she went quiet for a minute and then said " we find it helps reduce accidents because drivers are more aware of things" so I said “there is an easier way than fining drivers”, she asked what that was so I said " hire decent drivers".
I didn’t want nor did I get the job.
The t5hing is, drivers are less inclined to report having a minor bump because they know they will have to pay for it so unless the following driver does his checks properly then he is likely to be blamed.
ashbyspannerman:
Had two ‘bumps’ so far this year, first time coming away from St John’s Hill a bus pulled out whilst i was laongside and took off my nearside mirror completely, second was on the A13, A406 roundabout, entering on lane three from Barking a transit entered on lane two then drove across my path taking out the nearside mirror, nearside step, and the lower panel on the nearside door.tinyurl.com/agknew8. if i didn’t have my own camera and worked for your outfit i wonder how much i’d be out of pocket now?
That 1 you’ve put the video up to, happens soo often on soo many roundabouts, the A5 where it meets the A38 for example, the M60 / M67 roundabout at Denton etc etc
You know it’s going to happen, so you ease off so they can just filter in, but then every now and then another hero decides he’s going to follow them and you end up exchanging details 
This insurance thing keeps coming up on here,just walk away,when there’s a yard full of motors going nowhere they’ll get the idea,If they get away with this drivers will be paying for diesel,tyres & road tax before long! It’s firms like this that undercut decent companys,prehaps VOSA should investigate the finances of these firms if they are that hard up & can’t afford the insurance excess 