Licence help please
- Thread starter Minibiker
- Start date
There’s a reason for that, it’s usually paid by the load rather than by the hour, relatively trashed vehicles, filthy etc.
For the same money - or more - your sat in an RDC waiting room whilst your drinking coffee, paid by the hour, with a usually decent spec tractor waiting for you once your done.
Having tried tipper work years back before I got my class 1, I wouldn’t do it again, unless the money was too good to turn down, which it isn’t!
Anyway, furlough surprisingly ended today, back in after two months tomorrow.
Can’t wait!
Ahh i see, Would you go back on the roads again?
That's suprised me i didn't realise they pay per load
I bet your looking forward to going back tomorrow, What hours do you work?Many do, some don't although pay by the load is usually the reason tipper drivers have one style - foot to the floor - and you can't blame them, to a degree.That's suprised me i didn't realise they pay per load
Yes, very much looking forward to being back, as I understand it, my rig has stood whilst I've been off so I'm hopeful there's no damage / wear that wasn't present prior to my being furloughed.
Normally, I start at 4AM and pretty much max out my weekly hours - 70+ hours wasn't uncommon, not all of that was driving, out of my 90 hour fortnightly driving limit, I used to be anywhere between 50 and 80 hours on average.
I won't know for sure until I get back into it, but, given most companies are still closed, and those restarting are on much-reduced output, I'm not expecting to be doing huge hours, I start @ 06:30 tomorrow instead of 4AM, tbh I don't even know if this is permanent, part time or ad-hock - I could very well be back on furlough next week, instead of planning weeks ahead as per usual, I would not be surprised to find its now very much a day to day scenario with work peaking and troughing daily....
So is that cab only yours to drive or do you get different ones every so often?
Atleast your getting a bit of a later start, Some long days for you but i bet the hours fly by when your on the road.
Yeah i can imagine they're quite a steep learning curve especially reversing, I can do it really good on ETS2
That shows you've got the basics, ie how the trailer behaves, what angles etc you need which many drivers struggle to grasp even after years at it!
A word of cautious advice though, I'll confidently put a 13.6M tri-axle trailer pretty much anywhere you ask me to, so long as its feasible, I can't reverse on ETS2 however for crap!
Yes, its mine so I get to personalise it, its sometimes used overnight (I only do day shifts these days) but in the main its just me running it, as a consequence I get to personalise it!
My cab companions taking precautions....
Prefer early starts usually to beat the rush hour(s) although at the moment that isn't a problem...
That shows you've got the basics, ie how the trailer behaves, what angles etc you need which many drivers struggle to grasp even after years at it!
A word of cautious advice though, I'll confidently put a 13.6M tri-axle trailer pretty much anywhere you ask me to, so long as its feasible, I can't reverse on ETS2 however for crap!
Ive always been interested in trucks and how they work and have some sort of idea regarding movements ie reversing with a trailer you steer opposite kind of thing, i know about winding legs down, removing airlines.. i saw a youtube video earlier where the guy said there is no need to adjust the cab height when detaching but i always thought it's best to do that
Nice to see you have company on your travels, Atleast they have masks on
Ive always been interested in trucks and how they work and have some sort of idea regarding movements ie reversing with a trailer you steer opposite kind of thing, i know about winding legs down, removing airlines.. i saw a youtube video earlier where the guy said there is no need to adjust the cab height when detaching but i always thought it's best to do that
Nice to see you have company on your travels, Atleast they have masks on
Don’t take too much heed from YouTube, to my mind a driver that doesn’t drop his suspension whilst uncoupling a trailer - especially one that’s loaded - is lazy or incompetent, or both.
Adjustable height suspension is standard fit on your most basic specced artic for a reason.
Don’t get me wrong, you’ll find a whole host of interesting and informative stuff in YouTube but also a lot of crap.
Such as this I uploaded it years back , I taped my phone to my mudguard looking back at the trailer, it does show how the trailer behaves as you turn, tbh I’m just surprised the phone didn’t fall off....
Are you on hourly rates, or is the early start traffic related?
Also, what do drivers earn and which variables affect salary? Am I correct in assuming that certain loads earn a lot more than others? Say, a petrol tanker vs an artic full of Amazon packages?
Yeah I didn't dislike the job at all, throwing a 12.5t rigid around central London with a Ferrari on the back was pretty cool but even the mundane stuff was good.
It's good to have had the training/licence/experience as I know if something happened I could step back into a multi drop role if needed.
Don’t take too much heed from YouTube, to my mind a driver that doesn’t drop his suspension whilst uncoupling a trailer - especially one that’s loaded - is lazy or incompetent, or both.
Adjustable height suspension is standard fit on your most basic specced artic for a reason.
Don’t get me wrong, you’ll find a whole host of interesting and informative stuff in YouTube but also a lot of crap.
Such as this I uploaded it years back , I taped my phone to my mudguard looking back at the trailer, it does show how the trailer behaves as you turn, tbh I’m just surprised the phone didn’t fall off....
Yeah I have always assumed its good to lower the cab suspension when detaching the trailer, where I worked before I used to watch the night drivers hitch up and detach so learnt a bit off them...
That video is a good angle you should do more but use a go pro just so you don't lose your phone
the seen to stay in position when turning which must make things abit more difficult@Josh I bet that was a pleasure to be moving such stunning vehicles... Atleast you have the licence now if you want to go back... What was London like to drive a lorry around, its bad enough at times walking round it
I’m on hourly, £10.50 p/hr Monday to Friday.
A fuel tanker driver would earn considerably more, unfortunately there’s no fuel depot’s within reasonable travelling distance from me.
In general haulage though what the load is will pay differently for the vehicle operator but rarely the driver in my experience.
Yeah I have always assumed its good to lower the cab suspension when detaching the trailer, where I worked before I used to watch the night drivers hitch up and detach so learnt a bit off them...
That video is a good angle you should do more but use a go pro just so you don't lose your phone
@Josh I bet that was a pleasure to be moving such stunning vehicles... Atleast you have the licence now if you want to go back... What was London like to drive a lorry around, its bad enough at times walking round it
Yes discerning who’s competent and then watching them will teach you a lot, don’t watch the morons though.
And yes, I should think about a GoPro, I’d get some pretty good footage I think.....
I don’t know about quality!Cheers, quality answer as always
I thought you drove for Stobart?
Left Stobarts in February 2017, my only regret is I didn’t leave years sooner!
I don’t know about quality!
Left Stobarts in February 2017, my only regret is I didn’t leave years sooner!
Oh wow, really? I thought it was one of the best in the biz, it's almost a British mainstay at this point!
Was, a long time ago.
Owned for the past few years by asset strippers, basically anything of value has been sold, warehousing and offices then leased back, bailed out a few months ago when they nearly collapsed only to be “rescued“ by the same asset strippers who got them into the corporate game of monopoly in the first place, now saddled with huge debts - at high interest / redundancies are coming, I’d be surprised if they are still trading in their current state in a few months, I was there for 10 years, still have a lot of good contacts, it’s pretty grim.....
https://motortransport.co.uk/blog/2020/06/02/redundancies-on-the-cards-at-eddie-stobart-logistics/
And this has a lot to do with it....
https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/bus...-face-investigation-over-eddie-stobart-audits
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You will here a lot about a driver shortage in this industry, but it is a total lie. There is shortage of drivers willing to work for peanuts and poor conditions. Those companies constantly advertising are doing so for a reason. It usually means they are rubbish, either rubbish conditions or rubbish wages, more commonly both. The less said about Stobarts in that regard the better. That said, as a foot in door to gain experience, don't discount them, they will usually take anybody competent enough to make it to the gatehouse without wrecking the truck.
Most of the better jobs rarely, or more likely, never advertise because they know how to retain drivers, and the only way in is "dead mans shoes".
Your earning ability will depend heavily on where you are in the country and what work you are willing to do. I live in the midlands, near the M40, M1, M6 and A14. Everyone and their dog has a warehouse and distribution operation round here, hence wages tend to be a little higher than areas with fewer jobs. Class 2 usually £12p/h or higher, Class 1 £15 or higher not uncommon.
My job is multidrop, but dropping and swapping cages, we don't touch the stock at all. 4 on 4 off shift pattern with 6 weeks holiday, we are salaried, but works out just over £15p/h for 18ton rigids. We average 4 or 5 drops per day, but its a max of 27 cages regardless. I find it some of the easiest work I've ever done, but some drivers wouldn't even look at it because of poverty spec trucks/central London/multidrop/pushing cages/health & safety rules...pick your excuse.
You can only take so much advice as everyone has a different take on what is good and what is bad. I've only slept in a truck 4 times in 20 years, so for some I'm not even considered a "proper" driver, but I don't wet my bed if I have to drive into London, so it really is about finding your niche.
Don't take one job and be put off the whole industry, everything is different and there is something for everyone. Tippers, trunking, general haulage, recovery work, exhibition work, store deliveries, home deliveries, car transporters, bin wagons, don't rule anything out.
Stobarts though......you still get the tragic Eddie spotters outside the A5 truckstop at Crick. Maybe they are trying to spot the only wagon not to a hit a bridge yet
As for the YouTubers, no different to any other dashcam heroes, driving in such a way to manufacture conflict or situations just for drama. Ignore them. I put them in the same box as the bores who were on the balcony in 1980, or missed the Herald of Free Enterprise by 5 minutes.
Most of the better jobs rarely, or more likely, never advertise because they know how to retain drivers, and the only way in is "dead mans shoes".
Your earning ability will depend heavily on where you are in the country and what work you are willing to do. I live in the midlands, near the M40, M1, M6 and A14. Everyone and their dog has a warehouse and distribution operation round here, hence wages tend to be a little higher than areas with fewer jobs. Class 2 usually £12p/h or higher, Class 1 £15 or higher not uncommon.
My job is multidrop, but dropping and swapping cages, we don't touch the stock at all. 4 on 4 off shift pattern with 6 weeks holiday, we are salaried, but works out just over £15p/h for 18ton rigids. We average 4 or 5 drops per day, but its a max of 27 cages regardless. I find it some of the easiest work I've ever done, but some drivers wouldn't even look at it because of poverty spec trucks/central London/multidrop/pushing cages/health & safety rules...pick your excuse.
You can only take so much advice as everyone has a different take on what is good and what is bad. I've only slept in a truck 4 times in 20 years, so for some I'm not even considered a "proper" driver, but I don't wet my bed if I have to drive into London, so it really is about finding your niche.
Don't take one job and be put off the whole industry, everything is different and there is something for everyone. Tippers, trunking, general haulage, recovery work, exhibition work, store deliveries, home deliveries, car transporters, bin wagons, don't rule anything out.
Stobarts though......you still get the tragic Eddie spotters outside the A5 truckstop at Crick. Maybe they are trying to spot the only wagon not to a hit a bridge yet
As for the YouTubers, no different to any other dashcam heroes, driving in such a way to manufacture conflict or situations just for drama. Ignore them. I put them in the same box as the bores who were on the balcony in 1980, or missed the Herald of Free Enterprise by 5 minutes.