Lorry driver shortage

[glasshouse]

No they can’t afford to hang around, the main reason being they’ve calved the job down to the last few pence to get the work, I was a driver for 20 years and someone would cut your throat to get the work, and the biggest culprit was the boss, stab his mate in the back and do a load £10 cheaper, what goes around comes around, if all the hauliers stuck together they could sort this instantly and pay the drivers a fair wage
And I don’t see why drivers are moaning about long tips at these places, their getting paid to do nothing, if I ever used to get told it’ll be several hours before they could tip me I just rang the boss then left it to him to sort, put kettle and tv and feet up

What about the owner operators?

 

[glasshouse]

If you had done the job you would understand why drivers don’t like long tips It comes down to respect , a drivers time is irrelevant “ Your being paid so shut up “ Maybe this is why no one wants to do the job
As a mate said I’ve drove for 30 years having 5 nights out a week to pay a mortgage for a house I’ve hardly lived in It cost him his first marriage and he’s ashamed to say he sees more of this grandchildren than he did his own kids
If all tips were a max of an hour a drivers day could be planned better and maybe they might get home more often
Waiting time is purely bad planning and a waist of resources
There are probably enough trucks and drivers in this country they are just not utilised efficiently
Most mills in this country are a disgrace The intakes should be able to take a full load from the back door not a sock and clear by the time the next truck reversed on to tip

Time to name and shame
Put up a page with which intake had the longest wait to tip
Same for loading
I could turn a bulker round in 20m easily
Record is 11m

 

[quattro]

Time to name and shame
Put up a page with which intake had the longest wait to tip
Same for loading
I could turn a bulker round in 20m easily
Record is 11m

There nearly all as bad, just luck as to how many there when you arrive, timed allocations doesn’t mean jack sh1t unless you’re late

 

[Boohoo]

But that is what the lorry drivers rules on hours, daily and weekly breaks are, I’ve done both jobs and lorry driving is a doddle compared to working on a farm. And far more profitable

Those aren't the rules though and they haven't been for the 15 years I've been driving lorries.

 

[betweenthelines]

Supermarkets don't give a xxxx about the time they keep trucks waiting.

Regular occurance for delivery wagons to be kept waiting 2 or more hours to delivery to a store on an agreed delivery slot. Or to arrive on time and be told to wait as "one of our wagons will be here in an hour"

I've even known the Delivery companies offer to offer their experienced transport planners FOC for several months to "assist" Supermarket RDC's with the planning of loads in/out to reduce waiting times only to be rebuffed.

 

[Still Farming]

Allegedly

 

[IH 414]

How many loads can be dropped off at an RDC that's full up?
Would make more sense to go round the other side and load a load for a store.

Spoke to my mate and he was saying rdc is working 50% capacity. Lack of warehouse staff to tip the trucks so instead of say 10 getting tipped they are only doing 5 at any 1 time. 100+ bays in an rdc but only staff to manage a handful. There is plenty room in the rdc the hold up is with getting it off the trucks. Even for short life produce ( flowers, fruit, veg) they are waiting hours. Lidl and aldi are not any better and they require the driver to unload into the rdc ( not sure where hse stands on that) but again short staffed to do checking so paperwork is held up. It's a case of wait 3 hours before getting a bay 1 hour to tip 26 plts then 2 or 3 hours to get paperwork back.

 

[sahara]

Crikey, that's almost unbelievable, when you think of what its costing the haulier in terms of lost working capability I'm amazed that they will tolerate the size of the delays on such a constant basis.
Where is the tipping point cost wise with the delays involved with either delivering to, or collecting from these RDC's, when hauliers refuse to go there. In the example that @IH 414 gave the truck is out of action for 8 hours, yet it is still costing the haulier, the rate cant be that good surely?

 

[ollie989898]

Crikey, that's almost unbelievable, when you think of what its costing the haulier in terms of lost working capability I'm amazed that they will tolerate the size of the delays on such a constant basis.
Where is the tipping point cost wise with the delays involved with either delivering to, or collecting from these RDC's, when hauliers refuse to go there. In the example that @IH 414 gave the truck is out of action for 8 hours, yet it is still costing the haulier, the rate cant be that good surely?

I can't see how any of it makes any financial sense for any party involved. The supermarket has built a centre at enormous cost and can't run it fast enough or at even 80% capacity, think of the goods that go sour in transit? Hauliers must hate the sight of a RDC as it is just a time sink. Easier and better to unhook the trailer and go on.

 

[Tanker driver]

I can't see how any of it makes any financial sense for any party involved. The supermarket has built a centre at enormous cost and can't run it fast enough or at even 80% capacity, think of the goods that go sour in transit? Hauliers must hate the sight of a RDC as it is just a time sink. Easier and better to unhook the trailer and go on.

How would u suggest they pick the next load without a trailer

 

[roscoe erf]

But that is what the lorry drivers rules on hours, daily and weekly breaks are, I’ve done both jobs and lorry driving is a doddle compared to working on a farm. And far more profitable

thanks I like my eggs poached

 

[tullah]

I wonder how they operate these RDC in China.

 

[JP1]

Crikey, that's almost unbelievable, when you think of what its costing the haulier in terms of lost working capability I'm amazed that they will tolerate the size of the delays on such a constant basis.
Where is the tipping point cost wise with the delays involved with either delivering to, or collecting from these RDC's, when hauliers refuse to go there. In the example that @IH 414 gave the truck is out of action for 8 hours, yet it is still costing the haulier, the rate cant be that good surely?

Sadly it’s not much better on livestock in to certain abattoirs . Haulier used as temporary lairage and any line breakdowns only add to it

 

[kiwi pom]

But that is what the lorry drivers rules on hours, daily and weekly breaks are, I’ve done both jobs and lorry driving is a doddle compared to working on a farm. And far more profitable

I might be mixing you up with someone but don't you work on a farm now?
Why did you give up trucking if its so good?
Most people go the other way, farming to trucking.

 

[Hilly]

I get concrete mixers in here and it clearly states after so many minutes they charge waiting time , do some of these haulage company’s not do this ?

 

[Courier]

I get concrete mixers in here and it clearly states after so many minutes they charge waiting time , do some of these haulage company’s not do this ?

Concrete has a habit of going off faster than 22 pallets of toothpaste.
If a supplier once tried to add waiting time to their deliveries then they could forget about selling that buyer any more product.
Everyone knows how supermarkets work and factor a % in for their customers inefficiency or go bust themselves - there’s always another supplier out there somewhere. (At least there used to be).

 

[betweenthelines]

Any haulier who kicked up a fuss about excessive waiting time to tip at an RDC or Supermarket would so find themselves blacklisted.

 

[ollie989898]

Any haulier who kicked up a fuss about excessive waiting time to tip at an RDC or Supermarket would so find themselves blacklisted.

By the sounds of it doing work for these companies is a PITA and best avoided anyway. Make them run their own drivers.

 

[Courier]

Goods are universally supplied into these cross-docking RDCs on a FOB basis

Freight on Board (FOB)

Freight on Board (FOB), also referred to as Free on Board, is an international commercial law term published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

corporatefinanceinstitute.com

The receiver (supermarkets etc) then assumes responsibility and picks and forwards them for retail sales.

 

[Barleymow]

Time to name and shame
Put up a page with which intake had the longest wait to tip
Same for loading
I could turn a bulker round in 20m easily
Record is 11m

We had a tour round muntons malt a couple of years ago .They proudly showed off their new fast tip intake pit tailboard tip, they failed to mention the truck tipping round the back via the grain shute taking ages to unload