DB Schenker or Freightliner HH

[Pompy]

Both of these FOC's are recruiting .
Which one would you go for if you were able to pick one .
Pros and cons please if you are in a position to comment .

 

[Andy-mc]

I to wonder this, all I can see at the moment is that both pay about the same once fully qualified but during training I think FLHH only pay 18 compared to DB who pay 22 but this shouldn't matter if you want it enough
Only other difference is locations but I'm sure there are many other subtle differences

At the end of the day it's best to go for both as it will give you double the chance of ending up in the driving seat

 

[#1 driver]

DBS £47000 for 1595 hours/year
FL £47800 for 1800 hours/year

( not 100% sure of FL numbers , just what I've heard )

 

[Willie mcbeath]

It depends on your location for job security and also what kind of shifts/routes that depot does.

 

[scott736]

The railway standard is 35 hrs per week averaged over a link,. (FL intermodal is a 27 week link). Be careful with 'annualised hours' too. Some FOC's work on this principal so if you have done a lot of overtime in the beginning of the year and the work dries up they can send you home for weeks at a time, using your o/t as your hours as long as you have worked your contracted hours! O/t is paid annually when this is used!
All in all though, a fantastic job, so I'd apply for both if I were you and see what happens!!

 

[Everywhere]

Is there much difference between the freight side of train driving to the passenger train companies, such as first transpennine express in relation wages, shift times, perks etc.

 

[SkinnyDave]

Is there much difference between the freight side of train driving to the passenger train companies, such as first transpennine express in relation wages, shift times, perks etc.

In short yes!
Just look at the post above regarding annualised hours etc! No travel facilities in there either. With a passenger company you normally have a set day rest day pattern and set jobs for your link.
Freight can have horrendous shifts with 11.30 hour turns and you don't know what you are on the next week until the Friday night.
However freight drivers I have spoke with do seem to like the work!

Freight are now offering good salaries but they expect a lot and there isn't a lot of conditions or other goodies a pass company may offer!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Both of these FOC's are recruiting .
Which one would you go for if you were able to pick one .
Pros and cons please if you are in a position to comment .

Apply for both! Worry about the rest later

 

[Everywhere]

Cheers SkinnyDave,

I've had a job offer for FTPE and an interview booked in for FL in the coming weeks.

I know I should be extremely grateful of getting a train driver job but I needed some clarity as once I start I don't want to be changing TOC's

 

[TDK]

Both of these FOC's are recruiting .
Which one would you go for if you were able to pick one .
Pros and cons please if you are in a position to comment .

To answer your question I wouldn't personally go for either but that is my own opinion, if I had a choice I would go for Freightliner as DBS are notorious for making redundancies.

 

[#1 driver]

To answer your question I wouldn't personally go for either but that is my own opinion, if I had a choice I would go for Freightliner as DBS are notorious for making redundancies.

redundancies during the economic downturn .
freight is taking off , now .
I work for DBS and wouldn't work for any other company ( even tho I've had approaches from passenger companies ) .
our work year is based on 198 work days ( down to 192 in 2016 ) .

 

[SkinnyDave]

redundancies during the economic downturn .
freight is taking off , now .
I work for DBS and wouldn't work for any other company ( even tho I've had approaches from passenger companies ) .
our work year is based on 198 work days ( down to 192 in 2016 ) .

#1 driver hi there,

What are the rest day patterns like at DBS? Is it fixed or do you not know what they are one week from next?
Could you also explain the "Starred"rest day?

Cheers

 

[#1 driver]

rest day patterns are fixed but will vary from depot to depot and from link to link within that depot .
you know your rest days , but some shifts are given to you with at least 12 hours notice .


the starred rest days were going be part of the new pay deal but was voted against .
however , it was going be - 3 rest days per year are starred , if the company needs to , they can change that rest day to another day that week .
for example ,
rest day sunday , 0800 monday to Friday , starred rest day Saturday .
the company requires you to work on Saturday so you can have that rest day on Tuesday .

applying for holidays on the starred rest days would have been an easy way round it !

 

[SkinnyDave]

rest day patterns are fixed but will vary from depot to depot and from link to link within that depot .
you know your rest days , but some shifts are given to you with at least 12 hours notice .


the starred rest days were going be part of the new pay deal but was voted against .
however , it was going be - 3 rest days per year are starred , if the company needs to , they can change that rest day to another day that week .
for example ,
rest day sunday , 0800 monday to Friday , starred rest day Saturday .
the company requires you to work on Saturday so you can have that rest day on Tuesday .

applying for holidays on the starred rest days would have been an easy way round it !

Ah Ok thanks!
Still not like a TOC with every third week a five day weekend? or does that vary again from depot to depot?

Cheers

D

p.s Any news on the sleeper work and if DBS are keeping it?

 

[#1 driver]

varies from 6 day weeks to a week of rest days ( like I'm on now )

dunno about sleepers .

 

[Legzr1]

redundancies during the economic downturn .

Must resist...

 

[TDK]

redundancies during the economic downturn .
freight is taking off , now .
I work for DBS and wouldn't work for any other company ( even tho I've had approaches from passenger companies ) .
our work year is based on 198 work days ( down to 192 in 2016 ) .

Freightliner, DRS and the other FOC's apart from one going bust all conquered the economic downturn without making huge redundancies, I cannot remember the amount of drivers with DBS who were made redundant but I know it was in the hundreds with ASLEF picking up the pieces. Everyone is going to support the company they work for but for a company to make hundreds of drivers redundant and then take on trainees must have a very poor managerial structure for both attaining work and retaining work. Sorry but Freightliner every time if I had a choice.

 

[Legzr1]

Always two sides to a story TDK and it has to be said that FLHH managed the downturn (that most companies were affected by - GBRF being a notable exception) by simply cutting overtime - to a large degree, their contracts were covered by drivers working LOADS of hours and overtime shifts - once contracts dried up these drivers simply reverted to base rostering.

There's a whole story to what happened to these FL drivers when faced with flat wages but left with withering T&C'S (which weren't that important during the 'glory years' )

I haven't a clue how DRS managed (and I suspect many of those involved are just as clueless) but there were some well documented draconian measures taken...


One question I have (and I've yet to hear any sort of answer - believe me, I've asked and been faced with everything from glib, flippant responses such as mind your own business and 'you wouldn't understand' all the way to blank expressions and embarrassing silences) - how do those that took the decision to hammer front line staff (it wasn't just drivers and train crew) now feel having paid out a fortune in redundancy and relocation costs only to have to pay another fortune in training?

 

[Pacerpilot]

DBS £47000 for 1595 hours/year
FL £47800 for 1800 hours/year
( not 100% sure of FL numbers , just what I've heard )

FLHH £47794 for 1568hours. 252 hours additional to that is annual leave. Minimum pay increase of 2.5% based on September's RPI applied from October.

 

[Legzr1]

Nice numbers - must look like winning the lottery to someone in their early 20's working 50 hour weeks for £20K !

Drive a train for ten years for half a million quid...

 

[#1 driver]

I cannot remember the amount of drivers with DBS who were made redundant but I know it was in the hundreds with ASLEF picking up the pieces.

aslef ?
really ?

at my depot , aslef's response was "get into passenger companies".

in my view , aslef were WORSE than management .

DBS would suffer more because they were the biggest company and got no govt. subsidies .

FLHH , a lot of their guys are floating round my depot and they say 1800hrs/year .

 

[Legzr1]

aslef ?
really ?

at my depot , aslef's response was "get into passenger companies".

in my view , aslef were WORSE than management .

.

And it wasn't just your depot - same story at Ayr, Millerhill and that place 40 miles south of you.

Thankfully, ASLEF consists of more than one CC (wannabe EC) rep - there wasn't a great deal they could do but they did manage to force managements hand and helped 'create' vacancies elsewhere - not ideal (and some had it worse than others naturally) but it meant some of us kept a job, albeit 150 miles away from home (300 in the case of those poor Ayr sods) - even if it was until something 'better' came along

I see Healey Mills is on the 'drivers wanted' list on DBS's site - unreal! That place was all but closed and what drivers remained shipped off to a portacabin on the end of Wakey station!

How times change...

 

[FrankOwen]

Does anyone know if FLHH would employ a qualified driver still in post qualified period and if they would what would the pay be?
I'm a newly qualified yellow plant driver (8 months) and I'm considering sticking my CV in.
Thanks

 

[ac6000cw]

Cheers SkinnyDave,

I've had a job offer for FTPE and an interview booked in for FL in the coming weeks.

I know I should be extremely grateful of getting a train driver job but I needed some clarity as once I start I don't want to be changing TOC's

General advice only - if you're not sure which way to go, then take the job offer - when the time comes to 'make a move' to another TOC/FOC you'll have experience and training (and references), which is always very valuable to a new employer. If you're young and enthusiastic, go for a bit of variety - staying in one job for life isn't expected nowadays, there's plenty of time to 'settle down' later.

 

[Legzr1]

Does anyone know if FLHH would employ a qualified driver still in post qualified period and if they would what would the pay be?
I'm a newly qualified yellow plant driver (8 months) and I'm considering sticking my CV in.
Thanks

That's a difficult one to answer as you're still at the start of the PQA cycle and it's something that's (quite rightly) taken very seriously.

FL seem very keen on recruiting at the moment and someone like yourself (even so 'fresh') has to be a better bet than an 'off the street' applicant.

Ring them, they don't bite, then follow up with formal applications.

I was talking to a DRS driver last week who started with on track plant (Volker Rail I think), hadn't been driving that long and he was loving it without any regrets.