Salary is currently £30k pending a late pay rise. £50k is possible with overtime. Full pay is recieved while training.
The shifts depend on which link you go into but the main link has 8 night turns (all 11 or 12 hrs), 2 morning and 2 afternoon turns. There was a link that used to be permenant nights, where you did all the fuelling and toilet tanking for the night, and positioning units on the fuel rig. New starters used to go into it. Not sure if it still exists.
Whatever link you go into, this is a very busy role when on nights.
Depot Driving is different to Mainline in that it involves a lot of other tasks thrown in other than Driving. You spend a lot of time ground shunting/pulling points and preparing units that are going into mainline service.
Theres typically a lot of verbal communication involved all done by hand held radio, lots of getting on/off different units, Depot Drivers do a lot of couple/uncouple, fault finding, you regularly do moves like propelling, hauling units with brakes isolated, splitting units/putting them back together, and moving vehicles from split units. Depot Drivers also fuel and tank units.
You drive units through the wash plant, drive units with outstanding repairs into shed buildings, take units out of shed buildings to either prep for mainline service or to hold out of the way awaiting further repairs.
Depot Driving has a lot of working outdoors, and a lot of walking, you probably do 5 to 8 miles of walking per night, and countless times you have to climb up or down units.
On Depot Driving you get instructed what to do by a operations team leader by radio. Thats what depots have instead of a signaller. However once you've got the instructions it is up to you how to avoid conflicting with other moves, which you get all night, then it all comes down to radio communication with other operators & deciding how you are going to work around the conflicting moves.
The training for depot driving is very hard but it is a lot better once that is out of the way with.
Traction at this depot is 142, 144, 150, 153, 155, 156, 158.
If you get an Interview do not mention that you want to go Mainline, they want people who actually want to be a Depot Driver and stay there. Of cause once you've got the role and you want to move on, then nothing is going to stop you applying for Mainline, just dont mention it in the Interview. They have lost quite a few of their depot drivers to the mainline grade and the management at the depot dont like it when people use this job as a stepping stone.
Of cause theres also a lot of depot drivers who prefer the depot to the mainline and chose stay where they are.