Trainee driver training

[royaloak]

Poor 22 year old John Smith living with his parents in Bradford and trying to get into FCC would have had his CV thrown in the bin before he's even had the chance to explain that he's got a new girlfriend in Cambridge that he'd rather like to move in with!

(For clarification John Smith and his girlfriend are purely fictitious and bear no resemblance to any known persons, living or dead.)

So John Smith would send his application form in from his girlfriends address and use that for all correspondence.
One of the problems companies face with "distant" applicants is that when some of them have gone through the training process, they leave and apply (as a qualified driver) to companies where they originally lived. This costs the original company £10,000s with no return for their investment.
To avoid this they only recruit from within the area of the depot, a qualified driver applying would want to live near the depot (or else they wouldn't be applying), but a trainee has no guarantee's attached.
The fatigue question is also valid.

 

[Flyboy]

So John Smith would send his application form in from his girlfriends address and use that for all correspondence.

I'm afraid that's submitting false information which contravenes the signed declaration at the bottom of most application forms. But also, why the heck should our friend John lie about his home address?

If Companies are particularly concerned about their 'investment' then what 73110 mentioned earlier about bonds should be applied. The bond process is standard practice in aviation (apart from BA) and protects the Employer from losing out on the training expenses should the Employee decide to move on within a certain period of time.

Overall it seems to me that the railways are missing out on a whole load of talent if they mostly recruit drivers from : A) internal staff, and B) the immediate vicinity of the depot. I know it probably doesn't work exactly like that, but it's a valid point.

 

[O L Leigh]

I think we're getting our knickers slightly in a twist over this.

My impression has always been that you can apply to a TOC on the strength of an impending move into the area. The training process takes about a year with about the first 3-4 months being classroom based. Clearly this gives a little leaway during which an applicant can get the necessary house move done. If this was what an applicant was planning then it is something that should be mentioned in the application and repeated as necessary throughout the recruitment process to make it clear that steps are being taken.

While some companies have a policy on distance to work, a number do not. Their attitude is that it is your own responsibility to get yourself to and from work on time and that you are properly rested and fit for duty when you get there. However, such requirements are not necessarily there just as a recruitment tool to help sift applicants or to ensure the reliability of the train service they provide. They also provide an element of welfare for the driver concerned by limiting the amount of travelling time before and after your shift. Quite honestly, whether or not it's a company policy, you won't want to be adding vastly to your working day by adding vast amounts of travelling time.

My advice to the OP is that, unless he really wants to move to London/Essex anyway, he should seriously consider passing this opportunity up. There are many other driver depots much closer to Lincoln, most of which will give you the opportunity to go mainline straight away and many that you could reach without the need to move. However, if you've got your heart set on Ilford, get the ball rolling with the move now and be clear in your application that the wheels are already in motion. You will need to be at least fairly close by even for the classroom elements as they start quite early.

O L Leigh

 

[Flyboy]

No twisted knickers OL, just a good debate. I have no knowledge of how the recruitment system works and am genuinely interested in other members' ideas of how it does/should work.

I thank you for your post and am glad to hear that there is some level-headedness amongst TOCs, as also testified to by ungreat.

 

[driver9000]

I can only give my view as based on my experiences with my employer. Im not against distance travellers I am one of them! I was taken on before the rules were in place and can only go by the way the system was explained to me. I know my employer has a 30min rule and verifies by using an online distance checker which does see those outside it rejected. In my post I was trying to show it from their view rather than a potential applicant being put up against the barrier of distance of course there is nothing to stop them applying, allowances could be made for the right candidate. It is up to you to manage your own lifestyle but you cant help them being a bit jumpy over large commuting distances for new staff.

 

[Hoyerman]

Can't help but be reminded of the time I worked as an LGV driver working on Petrol tankers for a number of major oil companies...

At the time, I worked 12 hour shifts - any 5 or 6 days from 7. I initially lived 4 miles/10 mins from the depot. Closure of my depot was then announced and I was informed that I would be transferring to another depot literally on the other side of the country.

My new commute was 47 miles each way (which equated to approx 1.5 hours each way due to traffic) - so a total time of day away from home every day of around 15 hours minimum - sometimes much longer.

Legally - once I was off duty - this was counted as "daily rest" - even though I was in a car for at least 25% of it!

I enquired about assistance to move house etc and was told "if you want the job - that's where it is. If you don't - lots of other people do"

Unfortunately it's just the way of the world as far as I can see!

 

[Aictos]

Regarding O L Leigh post above, there's a trainee driver at Kings Cross depot working for FCC who comes from York where his family is based ie his missus and kids and commutes down to Peterborough where he stays in a B & B and uses services to get to and from Kings Cross.

So in all, without reposting his exact quote I do have to agree with his very valid points.

 

[curly42]

73110 said -

Most are an hour, It has always been like this.

You don't help the debate very much by posting false information.Just to put you right,no,it has not always been like this.The whole thing about living close to your depot is something that has crept in since privatisation.
If you get things like this wrong,how are we expected to trust any other statements you might make.
If you don't know,don't say.

 

[73110]

With all due respect Curly I have worked for 6 different rail companies and each one had the one hour rule. This is over a period of twenty years. This is fact from what I have know by working for these companies.

First job I had was in a signal box near Horsham. I lived at that time in Brighton. First thing they asked me at the interview at London Bridge all those years ago, was how I was going to get to and from work and what my contingency plan was if I couldn't get the train or there was disruption. This was the old Network South East days way back in 91.

The other companies I have worked for have also had a similar thing whereby they asked me how I was to get to and from my home depot. All what I write here is based on solid fact from past experience.

You tell me "if you don't know then don't say" I find that laughable to be honest. I only post facts based on my own railway experience, not hearsay like most here. I suggest you watch what you say next time and think before you type. Also get your spacebar sorted as that is wrong too.

 

[Flyboy]

The following is a direct quote from Northern Rail's recruitment website :

Due to the safety critical nature of this post candidates wishing to apply must live within a 30 minute travelling distance from the depot when completing their application, this will be verified using an online mileage calculator.

Seems reasonably black & white to me, no chance of applying and relocating upon acceptance there then!

 

[robby p]

This certainly is becoming a differcult one! All I know is I live 20mins (19miles) from my home depot but during classroom training I was 1hour 5mins (45miles) away, so maybe companies look at this on a individuals basis as well as their guidelines.

As for companies recouping training costs I've just heard that the gouvenment pays a trainee drivers wages up until they have passed the first years pqa on their own, so after a years training this would mean the comapny has a free employee raking them in money for a year, not paying a penny of his wages for 2 years!