What happens if a driver is late?

[Tomnick]

I think an hour is the norm outside of the railway.

Working for BT, my office was changed and I was expected to do an hours travelling each way in my own time, but for the first 3 years they provided wheels & fuel.

The point is that I'm expected to live within an hour and my fatigue index is calculated accordingly. Normally it takes me about 30-40 minutes door-to-door, whether by car or by bike/train. One day it took me well over an hour because of a major incident on the M1 which caused absolute chaos across the whole local road network. I can't plan for that eventuality without leaving home well over an hour before work and thus blowing those fatigue index calculations out!

 

[75A]

I can't plan for that eventuality without leaving home well over an hour before work and thus blowing those fatigue index calculations out!

Of course you can't and nor should you be expected to.

 

[muz379]

What happens if a driver is late?​

Guess that will depend on why , how often that driver is late and even if there is any impact .

At my place drivers and guards if late to book on for duty can be given a "Please Explain - LOD" which means they have to account for why , sometimes if you are late and the shift manager can cover your work or you are late but don't cause a delay you won't be given one but instead given a disapproving look and polite warning not to make a habit of it .


If you get numerous Please Explains in a short space of time then you will be having a conversation with your line manager about the reasons why and if necessary a plan for improvement agreed . Ultimately it could lead to disciplinary but ive never known anyone be late to that extent .

If its just the one off or for some genuine reason like train delay or major accident or even rostering error that you couldn't have planned for then these things happen and nothing big is made of it .

I'm not sure I'd agree with that if they haven't already booked on. If they are travelling to work and not yet booked on, it surely wouldn't be any different than an accountant, a college lecturer or a vicar travelling to work. They have to get there on time or it is their fault. Whatever train or bus cancellations or heavy traffic there is, they have to take responsibility for being on time. Not sure we should see this any differently. Delays within the operational day are different

Just like any other worker though if you check before leaving the house and the train is on time but at some point after that it becomes heavily delayed then there is not a lot you can do .

Ive done it before , checked my train walked to the station (15 mins) got there and found it cancelled . Cue the 15 min walk home and get the car making me 5/10 mins late to work . But then again some people share cars with partners so might not have been able to just go and get in the car .

I agree traincrew shouldn't be seen as different to any other workers . But other workers dont get sacked or even disciplined for being late once , and employers do understand for the most part that delays can happpen .

Whenever anyone on these forums complain about being delayed, everyone always says they should have allowed more time if important. Train drivers are the same. They should allow suffient time to get there! I guess, however, few train drivers travel to work (from home) by train.

Depends how important getting to work is to you I guess

 

[choochoochoo]

I'm not sure I'd agree with that if they haven't already booked on. If they are travelling to work and not yet booked on, it surely wouldn't be any different than an accountant, a college lecturer or a vicar travelling to work. They have to get there on time or it is their fault. Whatever train or bus cancellations or heavy traffic there is, they have to take responsibility for being on time. Not sure we should see this any differently. Delays within the operational day are different

If it’s my employer's late running or cancelled trains that are causing me to be late to get into work, then I’d say that it’s not my fault and that it’s the employer's fault I’m not there on time.

 

[PacerTrain142]

This thread brings the sounds of keys rattling as soon as you open it.

When I see things on Twitter etc saying "the driver couldn't be bothered coming to work", or "where is he eating doughnuts", I usually say "waiting to be recruited"....

Aside from that I don't suppose anyone reading this thinks heading for a flight on the last possible train is clever.....

https://twitter.com/racingblogger/status/1700415530451001635?t=OIdP7Q6hmmuqoPVQ0HhcBA&s=19

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?! A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

 

[CC 72100]

A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

I'm guessing you're not a driver, based on this post?

It is * not * a driver's responsibility to attempt to make up time through such action. Keep to time - absolutely. Maybe make up time naturally. But not to take risks to make up time, or go against the company's driving policies to do so.

 

[skyhigh]

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?! A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations.

There speaks someone who has never driven a train.

 

[66701GBRF]

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?! A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

Wrong, very wrong. Real life isn’t a game.

As for fault if the driver‘s commuting train is late, well it’s no different to anyone that drives and gets caught in unforeseen tailbacks.

 

[Krokodil]

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?!

It takes time to set up a cab. Putting details into the OTDR, setting up the TMS, setting up APIS, double checking the stops on the diagram...

A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

If you do that you're going to cause some expensive damage to the wheelsets. This isn't a Hornby train set, you know.

 

[CyrusWuff]

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?! A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

A Southern Region Driver in a slamdoor EMU with erstwhile English Electric 507 traction motors and no On-Train Data Recorder may well have done that.

Someone driving in accordance with their employer's professional driving policy won't. Apart from affecting passenger comfort, it would certainly be picked up on an OTDR download, and likely followed up with "a chat."

 

[357]

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?! A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

You sound like a Professional Train Simulator Driver.

 

[Archvile]

If it’s my employer's late running or cancelled trains that are causing me to be late to get into work, then I’d say that it’s not my fault and that it’s the employer's fault I’m not there on time.

This.

Berating a driver for being late due to a train operated by the company that they work for being delayed.. never a good look. Where I am, this is extended to the whole line itself, regardless of TOC you're travelling on.

 

[TreacleMiller]

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?! A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

Tell me you have never driven a train without telling me you've never driven a train.

I can occasionally scoop out a minute or two on a 2:30 hour drive by coasting less but If you're already double digits late then the jobs already gone to hell on timings.

Drivers are taught by their own companies not to focus on the timetable. Why bring more pressure into the cab with us?

 

[Dieseldriver]

No, but why was the driver just sitting in the cab not going anywhere?! A good driver will at least try to make up time by whacking the throttle straight into full power when leaving stations and using full service braking when stopping at stations. Slightly less passenger comfort but does help to make up time.

Next time I suggest you go to the Driver and explain to them that they are doing it all wrong and give them some handy tips for them to improve their standards

 

[Deafdoggie]

Going back 40 odd years, so very different times, we were aboard the DMU to crewe at derby. There was no driver and, eventually, one turned up who clearly wasn't happy to be there! He accelerated really harshly and broke really hard and late at every station. Generally, how you would drive if you've been made to drive a train you didn't want to & were in a very bad move about it. It did, however, save no time at all!
But otherwise, I've never really noticed any difference in driving techniques. All the other trains have been driven very well. With the best will in the world, if you're late you can't really pull back any time. Same with driving a car-unless you were planning at 30mph all the way-if you're late, you're late.

 

[357]

My previous job had lots of variance in paths and timings, as well as being a mainly commuter route the loadings varied but the timings remained the same.

Always drove the same. Sometimes I was waiting around for departure, sometimes I was late. Never was told off or had a meeting about not keeping time.

 

[Sly Old Fox]

I’ll always try and make a few minutes up if I can. People have connections to make and events to attend, and if I can help I will. I made up a six minute delay last week by holding line speed longer, not coasting, and braking later (but not dangerously late). I consider running to a timetable as best as possible to be part of a train driver’s role.

The dream for not being late is living within sight of your depot. I have one colleague who can book on from his living room, he lives so close. Sadly not the case for me with me 60 minute drive each way!

 

[dk1]

There speaks someone who has never driven a train.

You couldn’t make it up mate.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Sep 2023 ==

 

[chuff chuff]

Used to be on the working timetable that drivers should endeavour to make up time with regards to line speed etc.
Got removed a few years back and honestly can't remember the last time I saw a wtt.