How different do freight shifts look to passenger service?

[12LDA28C]

I would stick with passenger at the moment giving the dire economic out look for the UK over the next few years!

Not so sure that's sound advice bearing in mind that freight traffic is already in excess of pre-Covid levels and the Government is hell-bent on cost-cutting on the railway which will most certainly impact passenger TOCs first as they are still being heavily subsidised by Govt unlike the private FOCs.

 

[66250]

I'm currently on freight 32hrs a week contracted around 1560hrs a year. Over a 13 week roster we do 3 Saturdays which is around 5hr shift. Don't work Sundays at all. Shifts are varied throughout the 24hrs but id say most shifts are in social hours all but a few. We are paid every 4 weeks and Rest days are paid every 4 weeks or you can take them off your contracted hours and come the end of the year have it off or work the rest of the year on overtime your choice. Overtime rate is higher than standard rate to. None of that quartly nonsense. Many different trains we run so a decent route card and variety of work.

You work to a 13 week roster so you know what banding etc you'll be on well in advance but a weekly roster comes out every Friday to give you the jobs for the week but it will be within the banding you already have planned for. There is a 3 hr movement but 9/10 times they ask and if you agree they give you RDW

Extra payments for being based in london which is an additional 9% of your salary, travel allowances and if you voulenteer to work Sundays you'll get an additional payment on top. They've recently introduced a RDW incentive of an additional £65 a shift for voulenteering which helps!

It’s actually 1472 hours per contract year as of July 22 which equates to 30.66 hours per week. Another bonus is minimum 14 hours rest between shifts. At my hub it’s very similar regarding weekend working, much better than at the toc I previously worked for where you worked roughly every other weekend.

 

[anglian96]

may i ask what foc?

DB cargo

 

[Ayahusca]

I've been on freight for 10 years and not a single driver who has come over from passenger companies would go back. That should tell you something.

 

[Traindriverone]

I'm currently on freight 32hrs a week contracted around 1560hrs a year. Over a 13 week roster we do 3 Saturdays which is around 5hr shift. Don't work Sundays at all. Shifts are varied throughout the 24hrs but id say most shifts are in social hours all but a few. We are paid every 4 weeks and Rest days are paid every 4 weeks or you can take them off your contracted hours and come the end of the year have it off or work the rest of the year on overtime your choice. Overtime rate is higher than standard rate to. None of that quartly nonsense. Many different trains we run so a decent route card and variety of work.

You work to a 13 week roster so you know what banding etc you'll be on well in advance but a weekly roster comes out every Friday to give you the jobs for the week but it will be within the banding you already have planned for. There is a 3 hr movement but 9/10 times they ask and if you agree they give you RDW

Extra payments for being based in london which is an additional 9% of your salary, travel allowances and if you voulenteer to work Sundays you'll get an additional payment on top. They've recently introduced a RDW incentive of an additional £65 a shift for voulenteering which helps!

Hi Chad,
Can I ask which depot you’re at and what is your basic salary ?

 

[class ep-09]

Is the RD work available similarly to the passenger TOC's ?
if so , which FOC may be the best to get decent amount of RD hours ?

 

[Wrexhamfc]

Is the RD work available similarly to the passenger TOC's ?
if so , which FOC may be the best to get decent amount of RD hours ?

If you want to smash the arse out of it: GB. They'll have you working 13 out of 14, 12hrs everyday. Same turn every day and T3's every weekend. You can work 156hours every fortnight and sell back your leave if you so desire. At £34 an hour, you can make a tidy packet, if you want to do the same thing everyday and T3's every weekend. At GB drivers have no influence over their start time each week so they can and will roster you the same thing everyday ("cut and paste" rostering). The only influence that Drivers have over their work is whether they are available for Rest Day Working.

Frieghtliner will only roster you a max of 50 hrs a week, although if you speak to your roster clerk you can get up to 60hrs a week. Freightliner can't roster you the same turn every week unless you consent, because they have time bands for duty which change from week to week. £32 an hour

DB the work is in the roster, so you get variety, but you can do rest day working. 31 hour working week, similar rate to Freightliner.

Or so I'm told.

 

[anglian96]

Hi Chad,
Can I ask which depot you’re at and what is your basic salary ?

Barking and 61k ish that's including London weighting

 

[uww11x]

I would stick with passenger at the moment giving the dire economic out look for the UK over the next few years!

Big Freight companies stronger than ever! I'd say switch to freight and avoid the TOC farce