I have been driving 20 years lgv for around 15, where is this shortage and why do employers not advertise anymore? its all agency and we all know they are ****, how about a web site where direct employers put jobs up and we simply apply? am i just ranting or have i a point .:mad:
lgv driver shortage?????
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09-11-06 22:16Hi Stuartex.
Think it's better for the employers to use agencies these days. Costs them less and they can dispense with your services whenever they like.
There is a "Self Employed Courier website" that I used to go onto some years ago but try as I might can't remember the URL. It's a site you may find useful. I'll post it for you when it comes to mind. :) -
28-03-08 14:41
There is no shortage, and you don't see any adverts, because its all done by are eastern european cousins and the recruiting is done abroad.
Thats why you can't drive down the motorway without getting side-swiped by a foreigner any more:rolleyes: -
28-03-08 14:48I was in a Tesco's Driver's Rest Room a couple of weeks ago in the early hours of the morning. Apart from the driver I was talking to, there were three other drivers having a break whilst their units were being unloaded. Their entire conversation in the time I was there, was conducted in Polish. I don't know if they worked for Tesco, or an agency.
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28-03-08 14:55
That's exactly it. A friend of mine drives for a supermarket chain and they told the original drivers that if they don't like the terms and conditions they can get more eastern europeans to do it for less money. When I took my HGV it was almost impossible to get work unless you had 2 years commercial experience with checkable references.
I know a local agency that recruits in Poland. Not sure where they learn to drive but, some of them seem to have difficulty just making a lorry move in a straight line. The big firms don't care that they do thousands of pounds of damage a week because they save on the wages. Not to mention the ones that drive towards Edinburgh, Scotland instead of Edinburgh way, Harlow. -
28-03-08 15:14
They were almost certainly agency. I know a man that supplies Polish agency drivers to a Tesco depot.
About 10 years ago Superdrug got rid of all their own drivers and now they are all agency drivers. They obviously feel they benefit from working this way. -
28-03-08 15:39
If you go to most of a particular supermarkets distribution centres(who shall remain nameless!!!), all of the anouncements over the tannoy system are in English and Polish:eek: -
28-03-08 15:50Guess the supermarket chain???
I'll have a guess.... er .... has Rolebama just named them above ?:rolleyes: -
28-03-08 15:58
I think I know who you mean ;) Probably the same ones that put up polish versions of all signs and memos in their depots.
When I worked for a supermarket RDC during the start of the 'Polish invasion' they were brought in to 'pick and stack' but, they also had a full time Interpreter their for the ones that did not speak any English at all.
Funny how companies bend over backwards for Immigrant workers but, not for their own ?
I'd like to see the government make immigrant lorry drivers take the British LGV test if they work for British firms driving. If we wanted to live and drive in France we would have to take the French LGV test or do a extensive assessment together with proof of our commercial experience. -
29-03-08 17:20What about the bus drivers on stage carriage? how does that work if you cant speak English??
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02-04-08 12:55Did anyone see 'killer lorries' on ITV Monday night ? That's why we don't have a shortage of LGV drivers. Quentin Wilson bought a dodgy polish LGV C+E license for £200 and he had never driven a lorry up until that point!
One driver had not had a day off for a month and only got paid about 10pence per Kilometer. -
03-04-08 09:59
This is the exact reason why the British transport industry is dying.:(
Have you driven along the A2/M20 corridor recently....you hardly see a UK registered wagon and don't forget that some of the UK registered are also driven by our european cousins!:(
They are the ones giving the LGV driver a bad image and putting hundreds/thousands of our own drivers out of work
This also has massive implications on the UK economy because the money earned by these foreign nationals doesn't get spent here.....(free parking/free accomodation/free use of our roads etc.)....They send it all home to be spent elswhere in the EU.
They don't buy diesel over here because of the high price, so they bring their own cheaper diesel 1,500 litres at a time.....look at the size of thei fuel tanks!!!
The police let them get away with murder(literaly) because they know fines won't get paid!!!
The Government seems to be blind to the problem that they have created
I could go on and on about it...........something needs to be done.:( -
03-04-08 10:21
At least 2 of the big supermarket chains use Polish drivers. I know an assessor at one RDC was told that he must stop failing the Polish drivers, So that shows how much they care about road safety. I think that anyone that drives a HGV on UK roads for a UK based firm should have to sit 'our' driving test. At least this way we know they have actually passed a proper test and that they meet the minimum driving standard required for the vehicle in question.
Alot of the foreign drivers are also victims of exploitation, being forced to break laws to earn a pathetic wage. I've seen many of them selling diesel in the motorway services. -
03-04-08 10:55MrDanno wrote: 'I think that anyone that drives a HGV on UK roads for a UK based firm should have to sit 'our' driving test.' I agree entirely. I met a guy who qualified as a teacher in Kenya, but is not allowed to teach here, (although he does get offers of being a teaching assistant), yet a doctor who qualified in Nigeria, got a post as a surgeon no problem. It really does seem that the Government is running a double-standard where lives and safety are concerned.
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03-04-08 11:28
Let's face it, in a lot of aspects in the UK, the government don't seem to care about safety, as long as its cheap
eg, the railways....every life lost has a "worth" and it's all about the "cost" compared to the "lives lost"
However, with the UK haulage industry, how many lives have to be lost until something is done about it?
The UK has the "best lorry drivers in the world" and if you want to have the best workers you have to pay for them!!!
If we continue to have more and more foreign drivers invading our shores, there will continue to be more and more deaths on our roads!!! -
GuestPOLISH DRIVER20-01-09 12:43To MrDanno
If you know they recruting drivers in Poland why you don go to Poland to found the job??? Do you have problem to lern polish??? We dont have problems to lern english...Are you SERIAL CHILLER? Or something like that???:eek: -
GuestPOLISH DRIVER20-01-09 13:05[quote=MrDanno;18716]At least 2 of the big supermarket chains use Polish drivers. I know an assessor at one RDC was told that he must stop failing the Polish drivers, So that shows how much they care about road safety. I think that anyone that drives a HGV on UK roads for a UK based firm should have to sit 'our' driving test. At least this way we know they have actually passed a proper test and that they meet the minimum driving standard required for the vehicle in question.
Alot of the foreign drivers are also victims of exploitation, being forced to break laws to earn a pathetic wage. I've seen many of them selling diesel in the motorway serv
[color="Black"][b][b][b][b][center]How much thay want for 1 liter of diesel??? Much more as YOU???
And last think: What You know about Polish driveing tests? I know in England is realy easy do make test because I done Bus licence here! Have You driven to Rusia, Ukraine, Kazachstan, Turkey, or somewhere else as Your likely UK????? When you will be there than You can tell us something about straight driveing of Polish Drivers. Dont forgot about wather in East Europ!!! We have Snow on the road up to 5 months a Year. Can You driven??? I see when television in England is showing (two days snowing) everybody have big panic!!!
So if You can explane my what does mean to make english test???TEST??? Where in england???
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20-01-09 13:08
I never said anything about wanting a job in Poland.:rolleyes:
My argument is that anyone driving a HGV on UK roads for a UK based firm should have to sit the UK HGV driving test like British people have to in France.
Many of the Polish and other Eastern european HGV drivers have never had a 'proper' driving test at all and drive on a counterfeit license.
And as for Polish people knowing English, Can you explain how a Polish driver who was asked to go to Edinburgh way, Harlow, Essex was found half way to Edinburgh, Scotland (another country) with an empty fuel tank.
By the way, My second Language is Russian.;) -
GuestPOLISH DRIVER20-01-09 13:14
????????????????????????????????????????????????
What Did You write???
In France work a lots of Polish drivers and we dont need to make tests in france !!!! But you have to !!! You see!!!!!!:D -
GuestPOLISH DRIVER20-01-09 19:36To Danno
Why you have to make test in France, when we dont need to do it??? The test is not required from Polish Drivers because- wherever You are, you can see polish lorrys ,our transport is international. Not like driveing from England to Scotland with sat nav(for example). thats the reason why Thay dont want drivers from england because Your expirience is not realy good. Really sorry but it is true. z:rolleyes: -
23-01-09 12:16adriano
I am an lgv licence holder, does anyone know what else I require to work for a french company in france and:confused: is this available in english ?:confused: -
30-01-09 17:21lgv driver shortage
:Di must have one of the few forward thinking boss`s left ,he did employ agency drivers ,but got so fed up with the jobsworth attitude of them ,both english and forien that now he only employs direct. -
30-01-09 18:06
No intention of being blunt, but: a knowledge of French. English-speakers are notorious for not being good with languages and having the attitude that "everyone else should speak English cos it's the international language and we shouldn't need to bother to learn their language." Not at all implying that's you, but lots of people sadly think like that.
Knowledge of any given country's language is obviously extremely helpful if you are working there or for a company of that nationality, but France in particular given how there is that natural grudge towards (in their eyes) arrogant English people who can't be bothered to learn French. -
30-01-09 19:40lgvlorry shortage
alas history tells you it`s not weather we speak french ,english or womberlize that is the reason why the french dislike the english -
31-01-09 10:54I don't think it is a case of the French not liking us, I think it is more a case of their idea is based similar to the skill shortage system, They only want Foreign workers to have jobs that they cannot find French people to do.
I'm not against anyone of any nationality being employed to do a job they are properly qualified to do but, It has to be fair and equal for all who apply in my opinion.
I myself like the rest of the UK's resident HGV & PCV drivers spent a large sum of money to obtain the licence for these vehicles so that we could earn a reasonable living from driving. How can it be fair that we have to compete for jobs with immigrants that bought their licences rather than earned them? These people have lowered the wages of this industry because they are happy to work for half the wage. -
31-01-09 12:37lgv driver shortage
Bravo,mr dano i could not have put it better myself,my son lives in grimsby(well someones gotta live there)he is out of work ,and has been waiting with baited breath for a start at the linsey power station during its shutdown:mad: only to find that 500 italians get the choice first whilst living on a large ship moored in the docks ,you may have seen it recently on the national news where the local workforce have come out on strike:mad::mad::mad:
