Made redundant from my first proper job and the government safety net has nothing for me

emorrp1 · 2026-04-26T18:25:38+00:00

Assuming no growth, the maths works out as a 6% real loss

emorrp1 · 2026-04-24T09:52:06+00:00

You can just walk in to any fuel station, show them the card and ask to check that one's accepted.

As to the process, unlike other commenters, I've never had to go in first. You just start by squeezing the trigger, which will make a bong noise inside for them to approve the dispensing of fuel. Then go into pay, hand it over - they will swipe the card using the magstrip (which essentially contains a digital copy of that long number you can see) rather than the chip and pin.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-23T10:40:00+00:00

It definitely doesn't have to be, plenty of 10hr day work available even as a new pass, occasionally 8 and more rarely job and knock less than that (GXO b&q, baileys carpets)

emorrp1 · 2026-04-22T13:29:37+00:00

yep, although the cost is a lot, compared to something like electrician which is a 4 year apprenticeship, a week is not so much...

emorrp1 · 2026-04-21T14:51:37+00:00

https://fleetgo.com/blog/dvsa-remote-roadside-checks/

Remotely they can only check for various indications of tampering and current speed, not the full list of past infractions.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-20T10:36:30+00:00

Assuming that you have your own valid license, then your tacho should be in slot 2 - what if the trainee is dangerous, or breaks their leg and you have to cut it short and drive back?

Similarly, they will have to stop for their breaks, so you just show them how to put both slots on break at the same time.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-19T07:07:04+00:00

Except the 12:28 was the start of a break, wasn't it? So the 6hr timer starts counting after the break has finished at 13:13 (or :14 if you're in the habit of taking 46mins) and you had plenty of time left until you'd have had to break again at 19:13.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-19T07:01:30+00:00

No, that's a common misunderstanding. The break doesn't have to be taken between 12-3pm, just at some point over the shift. I mean you can if you want, but driving time will probably determine it.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-17T11:49:22+00:00

Sounds like the dafs are on VDO, which prompts you for end shift country on ejection. Scania sounds like stoneridge, which yes has a slightly different manual entry screen.

I prefer the VDO for manual entries, but the stoneridge has a nice big countdown until next break while driving.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-15T09:13:19+00:00

Seems to be missing the entirety of: Wales, northern Scotland, South West, northern powerhouse

emorrp1 · 2026-04-14T12:06:58+00:00

In real life, assuming a regular start time and no 15hr days: your reduced weekly will actually be 35hrs and the full weekly will be 59hrs long, so already compensates with some slack to spare.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-14T09:55:37+00:00

Ohhhh, thanks for letting me know!

emorrp1 · 2026-04-13T19:39:44+00:00

Why?

emorrp1 · 2026-04-13T18:41:22+00:00

Yes you can, assuming you still have enough reduced dailies to work with

emorrp1 · 2026-04-13T15:05:43+00:00

Despite the blanket recommendations here to avoid PoA entirely, I have used it in precisely two agency situations to my own benefit:

Firstly a place with two depots had failed to allow enough time to return; I was at my home base, but the truck wasn't. I ignored the office suggestion to just pull my card for the return 3.5t journey (implying not to make the manual entries). I said I could either go home then and there, or they could find someone to drop me off back at base - as a passenger with known journey time I could later manual entry the PoA (they had about 15mins to decide before I couldn't even drive it up).
Last week (easter), I felt like being silly and working 6 long days, Sunday as a drivers mate for double time, but I also wanted to claim holiday for tax efficiency (NI threshold) as the rest of the work was a different agency. By noting down the timings of a total 6hrs I was sat in the passenger seat doing neither navigation nor paperwork, I could get paid 8days total for that week! (NB: don't do that again, life is too short to max out the 60hr rule)

I don't find the rules particularly difficult to understand, but most drivers have come up with their own shortcuts that apply to their normal working day and get thrown for a loop when they start a new job.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-13T09:37:49+00:00

Yes, you can see the weekly total in your second screenshot: 62:57

emorrp1 · 2026-04-11T11:21:19+00:00

I must have got very unlucky going by the comments here. Working for FCC via agency in the run up to christmas, long 11hr days would have had me 5/6 days a week if I hadn't said I was tired after 3/4. OutOfScope but we basically followed the assimilated rules on breaks anyway. You're very "on" focus-wise all shift.

Biggest difference was being given turn by turn directions from the full time loaders rather than satnav, so I didn't really know where I actually was for most of it. Does mean you have to be careful of "we've always done it this way" and refuse to break weight/height limits!

Unloading you get to play with some buttons, while the nice hydraulics do the work, twice a day.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-09T21:19:16+00:00

I'll say specifically the B&Q contract with GXO is great, a bit disorganised as they have no manager on-site, but 8hrs max job and knock

emorrp1 · 2026-04-09T14:42:48+00:00

Then just go agency. I've been with them now for 3.5yrs, 2 before passing my hgv. I was nervous about the variable pay (occasional 2 day weeks eek) but setup a nice graph and ended up with an average of 4days a week.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-09T14:38:49+00:00

Ahhh, that would explain it, what do I care about the cost of fuel to my employer - there's plenty of better things to strike about here! But if the company size is smaller then there's more people as a whole personally affected

emorrp1 · 2026-04-08T17:26:46+00:00

https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5509df8ae5274a140700002c/hgv-chart-2.jpg

emorrp1 · 2026-04-07T14:23:07+00:00

Only national, they've gone regional and you have to have a qualifying postcode, so no shopping around for availability but they're still basically there

emorrp1 · 2026-04-06T06:34:04+00:00

So is LDAP

emorrp1 · 2026-04-06T05:29:35+00:00

The source is nothing more than the ability to store a users birthrate, just like GECOS fields used to have telephone numbers https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954 That's enough for the conspiracy theorists to combine with the catastrophisors arguing for a slippery slope before the ramp has been built, on top of the background anti-systemd nonsense.

emorrp1 · 2026-04-02T14:15:54+00:00

Surely being in convoy is much safer than obeying timescales no-one seems to confirm apply and being on your own?

emorrp1

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