Bridge bashing

[phil-b259]

23 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I have no sympathy for the road hauliers over the shortage of drivers. They have been recruiting drivers in Eastern Europe in breach of *EU rules and the government has been turning a blind eye. Now the chickens have come home to roost. *The EU rules state that if you want to employ someone to work in a member state they must be recruited in that state were they will receive such benefits as that states minimum wage. 

 

You reap what you sow - take a moment and just consider how many road haulage owners are multimillionaires!

 

The real problem is the average Brit wants everything nice and cheap - so retailers squeeze there supply chain who then have to slash costs to compensate. British drivers will generally demand a high wage and better facilities - so what your haulage company does is take advantage of free movement rules to get in cheap EU labour.

 

That way everyone is happy - UK shoppers (and voters) get nice low prices, haulage companies can just about make a profit and everything looks hunky doory.

 

Brexit (with help from Covid) has wrecked that model and although welcome in some respects in that pay and conditions in the sector will have to get much better, I don't remember Boris & Farage telling everyone that their cost of living was going go up and disposable income go down in the run up to the referendum while dismissing anyone who could see this as 'scaremongering' and members of 'project fear'

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by phil-b259

[johnofwessex]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/06/hgv-driver-shortage-was-inevitable

 

says it all

[meil]

On 02/09/2021 at 12:28, boxbrownie said:

Sensible but, even if they have failed to include the covered classes they cannot arbitrarily withdraw the permission to drive those classes included originally, DVLC would have to reinstate them…….might be a bit of a bun fight getting it done though.

What gets withdrawn at 70 is the 7.5t truck unless you undertake a medical to retain it.

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, johnofwessex said:

 

A lot of your points relate to management of Road Haulage Companies

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-54029112

 

 

 

Which in these cases was woefully inadequate

That dashboard was a disaster waiting to happen. The driver was choosing to drive with half his windscreen blocked out. Disgusting attitude by him and his employers who should have taken action.

[Fat Controller]

19 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

That dashboard was a disaster waiting to happen. The driver was choosing to drive with half his windscreen blocked out. Disgusting attitude by him and his employers who should have taken action.

Here's another case of the courts and the Traffic Commissioners in action:-

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-haulier-mansel-davies-son-19442817

[SamThomas]

The haulage companies & individuals mentioned ** deserved to recieve the full weight of the law. Those that took advantage of the "cheap EU drivers" situation have created their own misfortune.

When on agency I drove (one day was enough) for a company based near Maidstone & when in stopo/go/walking pace traffic on the M20 had diffeculty keeping it's air pressure up (causing the brakes to not fully release) made it to the hard shoulder, phone traffic control & then the company - got a chewing off from the owners daughter becuase they then only have an hour to get it recovered & waited by the roadside.

Compay van turns up with another driver who continued to drive the truck & I got a lift back to the yard where I walked out & went home - no money for the day but a clear consience.

 

** I do sympathise with the driver in the case of total brake failure - if that had happend to me & I am very fussy about my "daily walk round" & refusing to drive any vehicle with a safety related issue (even a warning light).

[rab]

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/network-rail-apologises-after-workers-5883461

 

You can't please all of the people all of the time.

 

In their efforts to get normal services running

for the benefit of a lot of people, it seems

NR upset one or two locals

[boxbrownie]

18 hours ago, meil said:

What gets withdrawn at 70 is the 7.5t truck unless you undertake a medical to retain it.

But that’s not an arbitrary removal of a class, it is written in the license conditions, not that anyone ever reads them.

[TheQ]

Another bridge strike.. happened yesterday, it's not just truckers who don't read the signs..

Tide running right to left of picture, after the initial hit the boat went parallel to the bridge, in that shot the rescue boat is getting the hire boat 90 degrees to the bridge so it can reverse away..

[Hobby]

"Although to get up and around the bend in the hill you have to approach it at some speed yourself. I'm surprised we haven't had more crashes here."

 

Really? With modern cars and lorries, I don't think so!! I can only think of a few hills in the UK that a modern vehicle will struggle on, and they aren't in Plymouth under a bridge...

 

(From that Plymouth newspaper link above)

[Wickham Green too]

The bus I was on really struggled with Westerham Hill on Sunday ......... the driver had got a good speed up but had to slam on the anchors when someone chose to do a U-turn out of a layby and across his bows ! ( I think it's fair to say she was lucky to get clear.)

[johnofwessex]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-58474392

 

I can only assume the house jumped out in front of him.

 

Didnt help that the driver then did a 'Hit & Run'

 

This and some of the other recent posts about Haulage Companies & their practices suggest a malaise both in the industry & the sort of behaviour we tolerate from all drivers

[Hobby]

Another "big name" in the limelight, I'll bet Eddie won't be a happy bunny, he'll be queuing up after the Police to get his hands on the driver I expect!

[Hobby]

8 minutes ago, johnofwessex said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-58474392

 

I can only assume the house jumped out in front of him.

 

Behind him by the look of the truck! Went down the wrong street and misjudged the 3 point turn?

Edited September 8, 2021 by Hobby

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, Hobby said:

Another "big name" in the limelight, I'll bet Eddie won't be a happy bunny, he'll be queuing up after the Police to get his hands on the driver I expect!

Edward Stobart died some years ago, age 56. He was the son of the founder, Eddie, but it was Edward who made the Company big - mainly by undercutting everyone else, cutting his driver's pay to a single flat hourly rate regardless of hours worked or when, and (as far as I know) not allowing any Union membership in the Company. But he got his drivers to wear a shirt & tie (although they don't anymore) so the turd was covered in glitter.

His brother William Stobart is now the boss.

Edward was also the first haulier to fit speed limiters set at 56mph, before it was law. Only slightly ironic he was limited to 56 himself....

The CEO of my last Company decided to go one better & limit his trucks to 53mph.  Sadly I believe he is still alive.

 

Sorry if that seems rather callous, but when you used to work for a decent company that got took over and totally sh@t upon on by this man, you too would hold him in very low regard indeed.

[admiles]

I do find it amusing all the huffing and puffing from people here who have zero idea what it's like to run a haulage company and the realities of doing so.

 

Profiting from cheap EU labour and being a multi-millionaire indeed. What total tosh! 

[admiles]

6 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

Edward Stobart died some years ago, age 56. He was the son of the founder, Eddie, but it was Edward who made the Company big - mainly by undercutting everyone else, cutting his driver's pay to a single flat hourly rate regardless of hours worked or when, and (as far as I know) not allowing any Union membership in the Company. But he got his drivers to wear a shirt & tie (although they don't anymore) so the turd was covered in glitter.

His brother William Stobart is now the boss.

Edward was also the first haulier to fit speed limiters set at 56mph, before it was law. Only slightly ironic he was limited to 56 himself....

The CEO of my last Company decided to go one better & limit his trucks to 53mph.  Sadly I believe he is still alive.

 

Sorry if that seems rather callous, but when you used to work for a decent company that got took over and totally sh@t upon on by this man, you too would hold him in very low regard indeed.

 

Sadly the same for most larger hauliers these days. ES are far from alone in buying and trashing smaller companies.

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-58474392

 

I can only assume the house jumped out in front of him.

 

Didnt help that the driver then did a 'Hit & Run'

 

This and some of the other recent posts about Haulage Companies & their practices suggest a malaise both in the industry & the sort of behaviour we tolerate from all drivers

I suspect he may have stolen the lorry. In which case who's insurance company is going to pay for the damage.

3 hours ago, Hobby said:

Another "big name" in the limelight, I'll bet Eddie won't be a happy bunny, he'll be queuing up after the Police to get his hands on the driver I expect!

If it wasn't stolen it could have been an agency driver. 

[Hobby]

To the general public it's the name on the side that they'll see , whether it's one of their drivers is not relevant So my comment stands, it's bad publicity and in view of the relatively small costs involved I recon the company will make sure it's sorted...

 

2 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

and (as far as I know) not allowing any Union membership in the Company.

 

Changed now... 

 

https://trans.info/en/eddie-stobart-drivers-vote-in-favour-of-february-strike-action-219378

[PhilJ W]

I should imagine that the way things are at the moment any HGV driver could walk into the transport managers office and ask for a pay rise and the answer would be "How much do you want-Sir!" 

[37114]

On 06/09/2021 at 20:43, PhilJ W said:

I have no sympathy for the road hauliers over the shortage of drivers. They have been recruiting drivers in Eastern Europe in breach of *EU rules and the government has been turning a blind eye. Now the chickens have come home to roost. *The EU rules state that if you want to employ someone to work in a member state they must be recruited in that state were they will receive such benefits as that states minimum wage. 

OK I will bite as I look after a logistics network that employs over 200 drivers so know a little on the subject.

 

To blame the driver shortage on use of migrant labour misses the point. Over the last 18 months there have been very few HGV tests undertaken so no new blood coming into the driver pool. IR35 status have reduced agency pool while Brexit has had some impact as EU nationals who live here (and were paid at least the  minimum wage) have gone home. The shortage will last 12 to 18 months and over the next 3 months will be felt acutely as we approach Christmas and the transport demand increases.

 

The point you make is specific and relates to Eastern European drivers working for non UK firms on inter continental haulage delivering into the UK who should be paid UK minimumwage but instead are paid as if they are still in their home country, and I agree is a loophole that needs better policing but has nothing to do with the current UK shortage. It is no coincedence that there are very few UK hauliers doing international haulage these days.

[SamThomas]

16 hours ago, 37114 said:

To blame the driver shortage on use of migrant labour misses the point. Over the last 18 months there have been very few HGV tests undertaken so no new blood coming into the driver pool. IR35 status have reduced agency pool while Brexit has had some impact as EU nationals who live here (and were paid at least the  minimum wage) have gone home. The shortage will last 12 to 18 months and over the next 3 months will be felt acutely as we approach Christmas and the transport demand increases.

 

The "migrant labour" issue is just one part of the "big picture" as is the lack of HGV driving test slots & IR35.

 

However, the driver stortage had taken hold long before CV-19 & will take far more than 12 to 18 months to stabalise.

 

The situations & examples I have put forward fefer only to the domestic supply chain.

 

Wages will simply have to increase substancially if new blood is to be encourage into the logistics industry.

 

I'm in the south east - the situation may very well be different elsewhere.

 

[Kris]

Another bridge has had a bump (just outside of St Austell). No real details at the moment but those that are around can be seen in the link below (sorry dire news provider who loves pop ups and adverts). 

 

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/lorry-stuck-railway-bridge-cornwall-5898179?fbclid=IwAR3Dn-jM2YZsUN4OBexf7Enusqci8p-ze-3fVQ6QmJF33ABG1141r1onLLU

[Kris]

29 minutes ago, Kris said:

Another bridge has had a bump (just outside of St Austell). No real details at the moment but those that are around can be seen in the link below (sorry dire news provider who loves pop ups and adverts). 

 

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/lorry-stuck-railway-bridge-cornwall-5898179?fbclid=IwAR3Dn-jM2YZsUN4OBexf7Enusqci8p-ze-3fVQ6QmJF33ABG1141r1onLLU

Apparently now extracted. 

 

Photo here. 

 

[johnofwessex]

So near but yet so far, looks like they nearly made it