Trainee train drivers wanted...

[Pebbles167]

What's everyone doing for route learning these days?

External companies such as mine are not allowed in most driving cabs, seemingly because of covid.

I've bought Train Simulator 2021 to keep the routes in my head, and it's surprisingly decent!

[P5BNij]

itcaptainslow said:

wjwren said:

I'm 42 in IT. Any chance of becoming a trainee driver?

Apply and find out! There’s no other way of knowing than to go through the application process.

You've nothing to lose by having a go - one of our drivers was 54 when he qualified

[itcaptainslow]

Pebbles167 said:

What's everyone doing for route learning these days?

External companies such as mine are not allowed in most driving cabs, seemingly because of covid.

I've bought Train Simulator 2021 to keep the routes in my head, and it's surprisingly decent!

Bubbles with DI’s here-I guess for freight it’ll be a damn sight trickier unfortunately.

[Glenn63]

wobman said:

The depot I'm based at has 6-7 jobs starting before 4am, plus the 2 night shed drivers one finish at 4am the other 6am. It's the variation in shifts that I find the hardest, one day 3am next 9am then 11am then a 4am !
In one week I can finish 11am one day then start 11am the next but finish at 8-9pm......
It wrecks your body clock, then there's the change from earlies to lates.

Nobody can prepare you for the shift patterns and having you lunch at 7am lol

Is there a reason why they don’t have drivers on rotating shift starts like a week of early starts a week of later starts etc?

[wobman]

Pebbles167 said:

What's everyone doing for route learning these days?

External companies such as mine are not allowed in most driving cabs, seemingly because of covid.

I've bought Train Simulator 2021 to keep the routes in my head, and it's surprisingly decent!

My TOC are having minder drivers running route learning trains / diagrams using covid bubbles, it actually works better than going out with random drivers.

Unfortunately the powers in charge, want to revert back to the old ways to save cash. The new method works so much better .

It's the route refresh days that need to return to normal, the TOC I work for have a lot of PQA drivers so getting in cabs is going to be challenging once we are allowed to route refresh

[wobman]

Glenn63 said:

wobman said:

The depot I'm based at has 6-7 jobs starting before 4am, plus the 2 night shed drivers one finish at 4am the other 6am. It's the variation in shifts that I find the hardest, one day 3am next 9am then 11am then a 4am !
In one week I can finish 11am one day then start 11am the next but finish at 8-9pm......
It wrecks your body clock, then there's the change from earlies to lates.

Nobody can prepare you for the shift patterns and having you lunch at 7am lol

Is there a reason why they don’t have drivers on rotating shift starts like a week of early starts a week of later starts etc?

We have a week of spare turns, so you can be moved 2hrs forward or 3hrs after your spare turn, this is to enable the covering of the depots trainplan.

Most weeks we have at least 2 days of the 4 day week being spare, it's the way the TOC I work for want to cover the work. It's a consequence of having so many new drivers that don't sign all routes unfortunately.

[Vickers_VC10]

itcaptainslow said:

Bubbles with DI’s here-I guess for freight it’ll be a damn sight trickier unfortunately.

I believe the bubbles is an ASLEF agreed training plan, I recently had to join a bubble to do a bit of route learning and now going up a link so have my 800 traction course soon so will have to bubble for handling no doubt.

[Stedman]

wjwren said:

I'm 42 in IT. Any chance of becoming a trainee driver?

Yep! Age and profession not a barrier. Give it a crack

[demic]

Trainees required at Manchester and York for TPE (as well as qualifieds).

https://www.firstgroupcareers.com/vacancy/transpen...

https://www.firstgroupcareers.com/vacancy/transpen...

[Fusion777]

demic said:

Trainees required at Manchester and York for TPE (as well as qualifieds).

https://www.firstgroupcareers.com/vacancy/transpen...

https://www.firstgroupcareers.com/vacancy/transpen...

Nice salaries!

[demic]

Fusion777 said:

Nice salaries!

I believe the advert is wrong and trainees now go onto the full salary after just eight weeks, not once fully qualified

[itcaptainslow]

demic said:

Fusion777 said:

Nice salaries!

I believe the advert is wrong and trainees now go onto the full salary after just eight weeks, not once fully qualified

I’d be very surprised if that was the case after eight weeks-every TOC I’ve ever heard of or experienced only pays a trainee a full salary once they’ve qualified, and sometimes not even until they’ve been fully qualified for a year, or two (completed their PQA, basically).

Edited by itcaptainslow on Tuesday 21st September 23:36

[ChocolateFrog]

itcaptainslow said:

demic said:

Fusion777 said:

Nice salaries!

I believe the advert is wrong and trainees now go onto the full salary after just eight weeks, not once fully qualified

I’d be very surprised if that was the case after eight weeks-every TOC I’ve ever heard of or experienced only pays a trainee a full salary once they’ve qualified, and sometimes not even until they’ve been fully qualified for a year, or two (completed their PQA, basically).

Edited by itcaptainslow on Tuesday 21st September 23:36

Not until the 4th year at Northern.

8 weeks, I wish.

[Chicken Chaser]

Surely those roles will be filed internally. I know the railways like to look after their staff. Anyone with First group who can comment on what it's like working for them?

[demic]

itcaptainslow said:

I’d be very surprised if that was the case after eight weeks-every TOC I’ve ever heard of or experienced only pays a trainee a full salary once they’ve qualified, and sometimes not even until they’ve been fully qualified for a year, or two (completed their PQA, basically).

Edited by itcaptainslow on Tuesday 21st September 23:36

Don’t be, it is after all the worlds best TOC

ChocolateFrog said:

Not until the 4th year at Northern.

8 weeks, I wish.

Thank your colleagues who were there at the time for voting that one in so they could have a couple of extra quid a month. Some trainees who had started on the old t&c’s where you’d be on full rate after 2yrs were told they’d now only get full money after 4. They lost out on tens of thousands of pounds. Pretty poor show all round really.

Chicken Chaser said:

Surely those roles will be filed internally. I know the railways like to look after their staff. Anyone with First group who can comment on what it's like working for them?

Yes and as above it is the worlds best TOC

Edited by demic on Wednesday 22 September 08:19

Edited by demic on Wednesday 22 September 08:23

[CharlieH89]

Chicken Chaser said:

Surely those roles will be filed internally. I know the railways like to look after their staff. Anyone with First group who can comment on what it's like working for them?

I’ll keep you updated. Atleast 5 people I know have applied who currently hold their psychometrics and have depot driving experience.

[wobman]

itcaptainslow said:

I’d be very surprised if that was the case after eight weeks-every TOC I’ve ever heard of or experienced only pays a trainee a full salary once they’ve qualified, and sometimes not even until they’ve been fully qualified for a year, or two (completed their PQA, basically).

Edited by itcaptainslow on Tuesday 21st September 23:36

I like you have never heard of trainees going on full pay after just 8 weeks, the trainees are non productive for at least 2 years. That's why tocs structure the pay in that way and once out on their own they are still PQA and on probation.

[demic]

Well now you have Everyday is a learning day on the railway, it’s the first thing you learn on your first day seven weeks and six days before you go on full pay!

I agree it’s highly unusual, even qualifieds often have pay increments when moving, but trust me it is the case.

[Chicken Chaser]

It's something I've considered for 7 years now. I knocked it on the head due to the commute a few years ago but now it would be something I'd consider and even consider moving for in the medium term. I know they usually have a time limit on commutes and if it's the same as before, I'm right on the threshold.

[wobman]

demic said:

Well now you have Everyday is a learning day on the railway, it’s the first thing you learn on your first day seven weeks and six days before you go on full pay!

I agree it’s highly unusual, even qualifieds often have pay increments when moving, but trust me it is the case.

No wonder TPE are in a financial mess then, they have units sitting idle in sidings as they can't afford to run them apparently.
It's a shame about the stock sitting idle as they are nice the Mk5 sets