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Freightliner - what’s it like?

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Deano4

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Joined
2 Mar 2017
Messages
50
Does anyone have information on IM out of Ipswich? What is their roster like etc?
 
C

Crazyb

Member
Joined
6 Dec 2014
Messages
165
Deano4 said:
Does anyone have information on IM out of Ipswich? What is their roster like etc?
Click to expand...
I can't be 100% but i won't be far out.

At Ipswich you used to have a East Coast Link, West Coast, Non Lodge and a starters link.

Ipswich lost the last of their Doncaster lodge jobs the end of last year, so If they have lost their Rugby lodge, they will not have any lodges, which means they "may" have pushed some links together if that's the case.

Anyway, the links were 13 week cycles and I think they may still have that still in place, most depots had the 13 week link structure or did.

In that link structure normally around line 12 and 13 you would have a week of spares on line 12 (5 Day's) and a week of RD's on line 13, which would be your 2 weeks A/L.

At Ipswich they had a few Sundays, these were the engine start ups on a Sunday 6am and a 22:00, I think a couple of spares to cover them 2 job's.

The link structure is similar to TOC's. It would be the same lay out as your link but with less weekend work. As I said, the link structures were 13 week cycles, so you would get 39 RD's in that cycle, times that by 4 which equals 156 Rd's per year.

The jobs are between 6 and 11 hours, though I have never seen any 11 hour turns.

Routes are/were London, Rugby, P'boro, and Felixstowe. If in the East Coast, Doncaster via Main Lines, Lincoln, and via Newark/Lincoln, but like I said they dont lodge no more so not sure what they sign. I did hear they still had the fuel tank job, but not sure if they take or pick that up from Donny, or just go to P'boro now.

Start times, well at any Freightliner depot, your 24 hours. If they still have 4 links, some links may be better than others.

Weekends.....Not many Saturdays, maybe 4 or 5 if I recall, and pending the link, no Sundays.

Normally RD's were grouped together, but not sure now.

I left Intermodal a few years back, so I can't give you a accurate account on the depot, but I was at Freightliner from the start in 97/98, and to be fair, not much changed over the years, not at the depots I were at.

If you want some structure in your life as a freight driver, then Intermodal is the one, but remember its poor pay of around 52k. I personally enjoyed the freight, everyday being different, but it can take a strain being fatigued. I would never go back as I'm too comfortable, but if I did, it would be intermodal.

I hope that helps a tad.
 
T

TheAnswer89

Member
Joined
3 Feb 2020
Messages
105
Location
England
Crazyb said:
I can't be 100% but i won't be far out.

At Ipswich you used to have a East Coast Link, West Coast, Non Lodge and a starters link.

Ipswich lost the last of their Doncaster lodge jobs the end of last year, so If they have lost their Rugby lodge, they will not have any lodges, which means they "may" have pushed some links together if that's the case.

Anyway, the links were 13 week cycles and I think they may still have that still in place, most depots had the 13 week link structure or did.

In that link structure normally around line 12 and 13 you would have a week of spares on line 12 (5 Day's) and a week of RD's on line 13, which would be your 2 weeks A/L.

At Ipswich they had a few Sundays, these were the engine start ups on a Sunday 6am and a 22:00, I think a couple of spares to cover them 2 job's.

The link structure is similar to TOC's. It would be the same lay out as your link but with less weekend work. As I said, the link structures were 13 week cycles, so you would get 39 RD's in that cycle, times that by 4 which equals 156 Rd's per year.

The jobs are between 6 and 11 hours, though I have never seen any 11 hour turns.

Routes are/were London, Rugby, P'boro, and Felixstowe. If in the East Coast, Doncaster via Main Lines, Lincoln, and via Newark/Lincoln, but like I said they dont lodge no more so not sure what they sign. I did hear they still had the fuel tank job, but not sure if they take or pick that up from Donny, or just go to P'boro now.

Start times, well at any Freightliner depot, your 24 hours. If they still have 4 links, some links may be better than others.

Weekends.....Not many Saturdays, maybe 4 or 5 if I recall, and pending the link, no Sundays.

Normally RD's were grouped together, but not sure now.

I left Intermodal a few years back, so I can't give you a accurate account on the depot, but I was at Freightliner from the start in 97/98, and to be fair, not much changed over the years, not at the depots I were at.

If you want some structure in your life as a freight driver, then Intermodal is the one, but remember its poor pay of around 52k. I personally enjoyed the freight, everyday being different, but it can take a strain being fatigued. I would never go back as I'm too comfortable, but if I did, it would be intermodal.

I hope that helps a tad.
Click to expand...


Do you know something about Bristol HH ?
 
D

Deano4

Member
Joined
2 Mar 2017
Messages
50
Crazyb said:
I can't be 100% but i won't be far out.

At Ipswich you used to have a East Coast Link, West Coast, Non Lodge and a starters link.

Ipswich lost the last of their Doncaster lodge jobs the end of last year, so If they have lost their Rugby lodge, they will not have any lodges, which means they "may" have pushed some links together if that's the case.

Anyway, the links were 13 week cycles and I think they may still have that still in place, most depots had the 13 week link structure or did.

In that link structure normally around line 12 and 13 you would have a week of spares on line 12 (5 Day's) and a week of RD's on line 13, which would be your 2 weeks A/L.

At Ipswich they had a few Sundays, these were the engine start ups on a Sunday 6am and a 22:00, I think a couple of spares to cover them 2 job's.

The link structure is similar to TOC's. It would be the same lay out as your link but with less weekend work. As I said, the link structures were 13 week cycles, so you would get 39 RD's in that cycle, times that by 4 which equals 156 Rd's per year.

The jobs are between 6 and 11 hours, though I have never seen any 11 hour turns.

Routes are/were London, Rugby, P'boro, and Felixstowe. If in the East Coast, Doncaster via Main Lines, Lincoln, and via Newark/Lincoln, but like I said they dont lodge no more so not sure what they sign. I did hear they still had the fuel tank job, but not sure if they take or pick that up from Donny, or just go to P'boro now.

Start times, well at any Freightliner depot, your 24 hours. If they still have 4 links, some links may be better than others.

Weekends.....Not many Saturdays, maybe 4 or 5 if I recall, and pending the link, no Sundays.

Normally RD's were grouped together, but not sure now.

I left Intermodal a few years back, so I can't give you a accurate account on the depot, but I was at Freightliner from the start in 97/98, and to be fair, not much changed over the years, not at the depots I were at.

If you want some structure in your life as a freight driver, then Intermodal is the one, but remember its poor pay of around 52k. I personally enjoyed the freight, everyday being different, but it can take a strain being fatigued. I would never go back as I'm too comfortable, but if I did, it would be intermodal.

I hope that helps a tad.
Click to expand...
Brilliant information, thank you so much.
 
3

319362

Member
Joined
1 Nov 2016
Messages
5
Any idea what the work looks like for Freightliner Drivers at Garston in Liverpool?

Link structure, route card, shift patterns etc?
 
C

Carl98k

Member
Joined
5 Apr 2020
Messages
287
Location
Plymouth
Anyone know how many weekends GBRf in peak forest work? And shift pattern, I.e 5 on 2 off ect. Thanks
 
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