Load it yourself!

[GOODYSMATE]

Fine if it’s a voluntary arrangement. But in my view there is commercial coercion going on. Load it yourself or we won’t be using you next year. To me it’s bound fo end in drivers working more hours than they should in a day.
All I’m saying is have a thought. Drivers have to work to limited daily hours. They need their breaks. Don’t take advantage. Nuff said.

Like i said it was a one off occasion ,if the places that the drivers tip at got there act together and not hold them in a queue for a few hrs and then refuse them for no reason so they have to tip elsewhere which completely mess up the day which means they cant give us a time till the last minute which means sometimes we have had to go off to get other things done around the farm and cant always be there at the time the lorry is free. I would not let other drivers use it but this one is better than me at loading

 

[DrWazzock]

I’m not one for regulation or rules. All I’m saying is it’s common sense to avoid putting drivers into a situation where they aren’t getting required breaks or are using equipment they are not familiar with. A lot of lads won’t complain for fear of losing their job or contract or because it’s not in their nature but they tell me what’s going on. It takes its toll on them. No need for any major action. Just have a thought if you are asking a driver to put his load on. Just because they don’t complain doesn’t mean it’s right.

 

[lazy farmer]

One thing I've noticed recently.....folks emailing invoices / quotes etc for me to print off....
Am I everyone's unpaid secretary ?

Does that mean you have to spend less time on here?!

 

[essexpete]

I won’t do it full stop.
If they want paying they can post an invoice.
Actually I haven’t had a working printer for quite a few year so couldn’t if I wanted to

Why do you print it out?

 

[michael N123]

I don’t get any grain sold from my farm but when I get a fert delivery it’s fecking hard work to get a day and a time of arrival they don’t seem to understand farmers could be working on land that’s away from the farm yard… normally a phone call or message the morning it’s coming

 

[Will 1594]

I don’t get any grain sold from my farm but when I get a fert delivery it’s fecking hard work to get a day and a time of arrival they don’t seem to understand farmers could be working on land that’s away from the farm yard… normally a phone call or message the morning it’s coming

you need mrs doubleday from stow bridge
very authoritive on the phone , bit like matron , you do as your told kind of attitude , if they come for grain she will ring to check when loading
can you do x , yes then driver will ring , she very organised and you don’t mind loSding in evening as she always does what she says and excellent communication

 

[Flat 10]

Requirement to self load is quite common in beet haulage here. There’s the heap in the middle of a wet field, a knackered cleaner loader and telehandler. Get on with it. Some lads doing 14 hours a day because of time spent loading. It’s unacceptable in my view and doesn’t end well in terms of safety and folks general well being. Part of the race to the bottom for folks only too willing to ingratiate themselves with corporations paying peanuts. It’s not rubbish. It’s happening and it’s wrong in my view. Leaning on the goodwill of hardworking lads. Putting on them.

As I said I find that astonishing. Are these owner drivers or is the haulier indicating to the farmer his men will load? Round here most of the hauliers are in charge of (and paid for) loading with their own equipment.

 

[Drillman]

Deliveries or collections if it needs a loader I have tried my best to drum into the driver not to turn up without giving me some notice. If I’m not there the loader will be locked up

very very rarely do I ever let lorry driver operate my loaders. Not there job and dont expect them to know how the machine works.

if I’m bout I will happily load/unload at whatever hour is required to get them on there way and try my best to not keep them waiting, One firm has had to learn the hard way as repeatedly arrived with no warning then started calling to find out where I was. Think he was 3 hours sat one day while I finished a contracting job I was booked to do. Driver now sends a text the day before asking if it’s ok to come at a time that suits.

Fert is no longer an issue because I’ve seen the light! And the driver can see where the tank is as they arrive in the yard.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Why do you print it out?

Print what out?

 

[tullah]

If something needs building or loading in China or anywhere in the east, it gets sorted and got on with.
No wonder we are being left behind by the rest of the world.

 

[Boydvalley]

Great thread.
How many industries would say come and help yourself to £5000+ Of goods without anyone being there from a heap of stuff that they aren’t sure how much is there to know if they’ve taken tmore than they should. Then those without weighbridges happily wave the lorry off not knowing how much is on it hoping it all made it to the weighbridge.

 

[ajd132]

Probably a recipe for disaster. I think I am going to put a policy in pace that drivers cannot leave their cabs or if they do have to stand in a designated area. Had too many occasional, especially when a few lorries stacked up drivers wandering around to see each other without high viz on which can sometimes be difficult to see. Also wandering into barns un announced looking to sweep (always greatful) which again could also quite easily end up in an accident.
Might sound like h and s gone mad but I don’t want to kill somebody.

 

[Ivorbiggun]

Probably a recipe for disaster. I think I am going to put a policy in pace that drivers cannot leave their cabs or if they do have to stand in a designated area. Had too many occasional, especially when a few lorries stacked up drivers wandering around to see each other without high viz on which can sometimes be difficult to see. Also wandering into barns un announced looking to sweep (always greatful) which again could also quite easily end up in an accident.
Might sound like h and s gone mad but I don’t want to kill somebody.

At last a farmer with common sense.

 

[ajd132]

At last a farmer with common sense.

To add to my comment I do use the same haulier for 90% of all grain movements so we know all the drivers and have a good working relationship, they also rent 2600t of old bin storage off us for other stuff. I think working together we can make a safer environment for us all. The drivers will only load themselves if they really need too. I.e I literally cannot get someone there and they are going to run out of house and want to get on. As most goes to CS there is usually always someone on the loader through harvest so rarely an issue.

 

[Hilly]

If something needs building or loading in China or anywhere in the east, it gets sorted and got on with.
No wonder we are being left behind by the rest of the world.

People in the U.K. have turned pathetic like .

 

[Hilly]

I had a tipper in the other day , watched him
Back to where I want tipped , I started to open his trailer door so he could tip without getting out cab so fat it took him ages to get out , no no don’t open trailer it’s dangerous !! I’m thinking what the Fuk ? It’s under pressure , I thinking yes well I’m standing at the side just knock the little loop up and bingo , no no this is how you do it he says , stands behind door slides loop up and the lever flys down hits him in the chest nearly kills the fat arse hole ffs lorry drivers how they keep their license when they get so fat I never know .

 

[ajd132]

I had a tipper in the other day , watched him
Back to where I want tipped , I started to open his trailer door so he could tip without getting out cab so fat it took him ages to get out , no no don’t open trailer it’s dangerous !! I’m thinking what the Fuk ? It’s under pressure , I thinking yes well I’m standing at the side just knock the little loop up and bingo , no no this is how you do it he says , stands behind door slides loop up and the lever flys down hits him in the chest nearly kills the fat arse hole ffs lorry drivers how they keep their license when they get so fat I never know .

No wonder there’s a lack of lorry drivers! Do you speak to them in person like you do about the fat arseholes on here?

 

[Ivorbiggun]

Just remember, you can’t jump in a guys lorry and drive it unless you’ve got a hgv license.
And he can’t jump on your teleporter unless he’s done the course, if anything goes wrong the sh## will hit the fan big time, and you’ll be left with a huge bill.

 

[alomy75]

As I said I find that astonishing. Are these owner drivers or is the haulier indicating to the farmer his men will load? Round here most of the hauliers are in charge of (and paid for) loading with their own equipment.

I assume we/he is talking about beet where the cleaner loader, scopic and lorries all owned by the haulier so ‘slightly’ different…I would hope that the boss allows loading time into their days. I don’t want to be involved at all with my beet going. However I know for a fact that frontier wouldn’t dream of even asking/being allowed to load their own wheat here.

 

[borderterribles]

The end of it for me was going to a farm with a load of hay in six stringers, having been warned that I would probably have to unload myself. However, when I got there, the farmer was there and when I had unstrapped, proceeded to unload the bales. Halfway backing across the yard with one bale on his old Massey , one boom on his loader broke in half where the bend is, dropping the bale on the front of the tractor, wrecking it pretty badly. He was lucky that it didn't go into the cab with him. But how would it all have gone if I had been driving ?