Freightliner Various Trainee Drivers

[Mike121]

They ask for your preference during the managers interview mate

Please can someone explain what intermodal is? And the main difference to intermodal?

 

[Stigy]

Please can someone explain what intermodal is? And the main difference to intermodal?

From what I gather from some research and from advice given here, Intermodal means shipping containers from port/rail/road in a nutshell. I think I may even have dictionary.com’d the definition of Intermodal

Also, you mentioned an email you received yesterday and a question, are you referring to the stage 2 invite email? (I forget what position you’re in exactly so apologies).

 

[Stigy]

Yes we would have seen each other, did you do all the tests on the day or had you already passed some before?

No, I only had to do the Group Bourden and the DFFT (the DFFT because it’s enhanced and the GB because it requires an enhanced score not obtained on my original assessments).

 

[Mike121]

From what I gather from some research and from advice given here, Intermodal means shipping containers from port/rail/road in a nutshell. I think I may even have dictionary.com’d the definition of Intermodal

Also, you mentioned an email you received yesterday and a question, are you referring to the stage 2 invite email? (I forget what position you’re in exactly so apologies).

Thanks for that, yes referring to the stage two invite.

 

[Stigy]

Thanks for that, yes referring to the stage two invite.

I asked th question about needing to do all the tests but received no reply. I gave it 3-days then sent a further email but started a new email rather than replying again to their invite email. I received a reply then, to the original email I sent, in the space of an hour or so.

 

[Diff]

They ask for your preference during the managers interview mate

Excellent cheers mate!

 

[delticdeano74]

Well, that's the DMI done.
Agree with previous posts about it being relaxed, really made to feel at ease. Good feedback about talent pool too, saying that if we get put in one, it's not like some other places where you could end up having to re-apply (as happened to me), they said you're guaranteed a place on a course, but couldn't say a definate as each depots needs are different. Positive all round. Good luck to everyone.

 

[Tstageman]

Deano, you were in before me werent you?

 

[Pete C]

They ask for your preference during the managers interview mate

Thank goodness someone cleared that up! It's been bothering me pretty much since the beginning

Good feedback about talent pool too, saying that if we get put in one, it's not like some other places where you could end up having to re-apply (as happened to me), they said you're guaranteed a place on a course, but couldn't say a definate as each depots needs are different.

And that, thanks for letting us know.

Also Crazyb, all this info you're putting up here is gold dust! Thanks so much. Feel good that I've applied for Tilbury now too.

 

[delticdeano74]

Deano, you were in before me werent you?

Hi mate!
You were the 11:30? If so yes.

 

[Tstageman]

Hi mate!
You were the 11:30? If so yes.

Yes thats me! Went ok, wasnt too heavy! Exactly as you said.

 

[GLENMAYE77]

DelticDeano & Tstageman......how did you find the rest of the assessments?

(Good luck for your result!)

 

[Crazyb]

Crazyb, do you know the routes from Peterborough HH depot at all.
Or does anybody else on here know?

I havent a clue to be honest....They have odd days work. I have seen P'borough men at Bury St Ed's, they may go to Harlow if the work is still there. They did go to West Thurrock ages ago, and I think Bedford. It seems a depot of little bits of work here and there. You will find you may have a lot of ballast work there seeing March depot is up the road.

I'm not sure if this is one of the depots that just had AM, PM and night weeks with no start times. At Intermodal, we was not allowed to use their room, so you couldn't see their roster. We used GBRF's mess room instead.

Things do change quite quickly on the freight, so it may have all changed, since I have gone.....Unfortunately I don't know any P'boro men, I'm more Intermodal.

 

[DazJTDm]

I left Freightliner Intermodal around 17 months ago. I was never a trainee, but the trainees that did come in, I'm sure they were bonded for around 3 or 5 years. I can't remember.

When the Freight market dipped, some trainees that had passed out as drivers were allowed to leave the the company and the join other TOC's because of work load losses, but this opened the flood gates for other drivers that were bonded, that could now leave.

Loads of drivers that were trainees are now leaving to move to TOC's because of the better conditions and working hours. For you guys this may be different, and they may have changed how the bond works. I don't think Freightliner will want to have their fingers burnt again.

All the bond will do, is hold you to the company. If you break this, you "MAY" have to pay your training fees back. Now this is a railway rumour, but training is around 75k.....so they say.

At the moment there are plenty of vacancies, and still quite a few leaving, I was told Saturday just gone, so you all should have a good fighting chance. The good thing for you guys, is that Freightliner do not have a waiting list like years ago, and there is only a few, if any moving from a TOC to a FOC.

All freight compaines are having trouble recruiting, so good luck all......And Intermodal is the one to go for !!!! not than I'm bias.

And for those waiting to here back....It take ages for a FOC or TOC reply.....It's a railway thing...HR are still the same after 34 years on the railway !!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers for that Crazyb it’s really interesting to hear a bit of insider knowledge. Personally I have been waiting for freight to come up on vacancies as I’ve always wanted to apply for FOC rather than TOC as that side of driving has always appealed more to me.

 

[DazJTDm]

That is a really long wait! lol, I had my stage 1 the day before 23rd August and was asked to come for stage 2 on the 4th Sept but due to work commitments the OPC let me push it back to September 26th Thankfully,

So do you live in Peterborough?

That’s good for you then, this is the first time of applying for myself so extremely pleased to be through to stage 2.
I don’t live in Peterborough but 35 minutes away. I currently work around Peterborough.

How about you, are you from Peterborough?[/QUOTE]
Hi crebbs1, are you the Huntingdon guy I was chatting to on 23rd? Glad to see you got through, my stage 2 is on 25th.

 

[delticdeano74]

DelticDeano & Tstageman......how did you find the rest of the assessments?

(Good luck for your result!)

Hi Mate.
Personally, I found stage 2 slightly easier than stage 1. It has a more practical feel to it with using computers etc.
Depends on your make up I suppose, I've always preferred practical over mental.
The MMI is different as it's based on personal experience. Just be honest. They will prompt you if they need you to elaborate. All in all, just be you. Don't worry and don't bull****.

 

[Tstageman]

Glenmaye77, exactly what Deano says, I completely agree.

Mine has been spread over 3 years. I did Stage 1 with C2C in Southend, made national standard but not enhanced so they wouldn't take me any further. Few things changed, I went on the buses so didn't pursue for the next 2 years, then in June of this year, I sat Stage 2 with Abellio Greater Anglia and passed it all. So they were happy to put me through to Interview. However, as 6 months had passed since I had applied for the depot drivers job with AGA, they could no longer offer my preferred depots of either Colchester or Clacton. They offered me Cambridge but Mainline instead. So despite it being a 120 mile round trip, I agreed to go there, went along for the interview, even had a managers recommendation for the job, and they turned me down after DMI. Was extremely pissed off, made up some bull about my answers not being safety critical enough despite them all being examples from the railway. So when I had injured my knee back in July, I was looking online for vacancies and came across Freightliner. After doing the initial online assessments, I then got pushed straight through to DMI as I had Stage 1 and Stage 2 both still within 5 year validity.

So from what I remember of Stage 1, that wasn't too difficult but I had failed the group bourdon in the past, when I first took it about 6 years ago. But passed it all this time obviously. Stage 2 was ok, I would just describe it as intense, and any practice you can do, do. The MMI was a bit strange personally, it was an interview but wasn't at the same time I felt, but as Deano says, they do prompt you if you need to say more. Mine was basically about situations you've been in and how you felt, how you dealt with them, all this kind of thing.

Just a waiting game now to see if we have got through the interview.

Tom

 

[Nishhh]

For anyone who has sat DMI, what kind of questions do they ask?

 

[Teddyward]

For anyone who has sat DMI, what kind of questions do they ask?

Mine was less than 30 minutes. I was asked what I knew about freightliner, something about being safe, why I thought I could do the job and then at least 3 times why I wanted to leave a well paid secure job to do this. Then that was it.
O and one question about challenging a supervisor.

 

[Diff]

Mine was less than 30 minutes. I was asked what I knew about freightliner, something about being safe, why I thought I could do the job and then at least 3 times why I wanted to leave a well paid secure job to do this. Then that was it.
O and one question about challenging a supervisor.

Did they literally ask “what do you know about Freightliner?” Or did they ask specific questions about Freightliner looking for certain answers? Do you remember more info on the supervisor question?

Cheers

 

[Nishhh]

Anyone sitting stage 2 on 18th October?

 

[Nishhh]

Mine was less than 30 minutes. I was asked what I knew about freightliner, something about being safe, why I thought I could do the job and then at least 3 times why I wanted to leave a well paid secure job to do this. Then that was it.
O and one question about challenging a supervisor.

Any particular questions in regards to what you knew about Freightliner?
Would help us be extra prepared...

 

[Teddyward]

No particular questions about the company just an open ended one.

Did they literally ask “what do you know about Freightliner?” Or did they ask specific questions about Freightliner looking for certain answers? Do you remember more info on the supervisor question?

Cheers

Any particular questions in regards to what you knew about Freightliner?
Would help us be extra prepared...

 

[Mike121]

Does anyone know what the training salary is throughout the training?

 

[Cheggers]

Does anyone know what the training salary is throughout the training?

My offer letter said starting salary of £20,353.13 l, give or take a pound or two.

 

[Mike121]

My offer letter said starting salary of £20,353.13 l, give or take a pound or two.

Thanks, and does it go up throughout training?

 

[Cheggers]

Thanks, and does it go up throughout training?

No idea. Heard it goes up after 11 weeks but they haven't confirmed that to us yet.

 

[Mike121]

No idea. Heard it goes up after 11 weeks but they haven't confirmed that to us yet.

You’d hope so! Lol

 

[Coach Carter]

My offer letter said starting salary of £20,353.13 l, give or take a pound or two.

Out of interest did it happen to mention at what stages the salary increases? Not that there is going to be any positions left by the time it gets to my stage 2 day in December.

 

[Coach Carter]

Out of interest did it happen to mention at what stages the salary increases? Not that there is going to be any positions left by the time it gets to my stage 2 day in December.

Forget that last message, someone beat me to the question while I dealt with changing a nappy half way through my message