Driver ‘Must-haves’

[AverageJoe]

For those newbies starting just bear in mind that a lot of the items you will be given wont be of the best quality. In my opinion you buy cheap, you buy twice. But - they are free.

I have my own sunglasses as the TOC provided ones are a bit small for my face / head (a common problem with me and sunglasses generally) - I also dont like the style of the TOC issued ones.
The boots aren't terribly comfy and need a good bit of breaking in. The jury is out on how long they last. I used to have a load of good safety boots from previous work and I gave them all away - I always found Magnums to be the best for comfort.
The watch is really, really cheap tat, I choose to wear a smarter radio controlled watch and have the TOC one as a spare at home should mine get damaged.

Worst of all is the bag. Although theres a fair bit of storage space, I cant see them lasting very well, indeed going by the crewroom some are looking threadbare. Im quite outdoorsy and personally you cant skimp on something like a rucksack that gets hammered everyday. Thrown here and there, dug in and out of. I have a 15 year old Haglofs rucksack used several times a week that is only just starting to show its age a bit now.


Some essential kit for me? A good quality multitool for a load of emergency uses. A spork. Charge bank for phone. Toilet roll or baby wipes (sometimes you have to go for your emergency PNB in some grotty station loos) Good, thick gloves, trains are filthy under the solebar in particular. Pens, Pens and a spare pen just in case. Paracetamol et al. Water - you can go hungry for a bit on shift with little ill effect but being really thirsty and dehydrated is worse for concentration.

Need to be careful when it comes to making recommendations to buy elsewhere because some items might not be toc approved.

It’s all good and well until a mistake is made and they start digging and see that you don’t have approved safety shoes, a watch that can receive messages and Polariod sunglasses.

When I say ‘you’ I mean someone in general.

If a new driver is going to buy there own items be sure to check they are toc approved.

 

[InkyScrolls]

I've never had any bother with my TOC rucksack and I've had it for years! Maybe it's down to how one treats it..?

 

[kallyvintage]

Need to be careful when it comes to making recommendations to buy elsewhere because some items might not be toc approved.

It’s all good and well until a mistake is made and they start digging and see that you don’t have approved safety shoes, a watch that can receive messages and Polariod sunglasses.

When I say ‘you’ I mean someone in general.

If a new driver is going to buy there own items be sure to check they are toc approved.

Absolutely agree - and I should also have clarified this with my original post.

I do wear the TOC issued boots, because at the end of the day if you slip, trip or fall you are covering your backside if you have them on and I urge newbies to wear them as well. A thick pair of socks goes a long way.

 

[NSEWonderer]

Need to be careful when it comes to making recommendations to buy elsewhere because some items might not be toc approved.

It’s all good and well until a mistake is made and they start digging and see that you don’t have approved safety shoes, a watch that can receive messages and Polariod sunglasses.

When I say ‘you’ I mean someone in general.

If a new driver is going to buy there own items be sure to check they are toc approved.

Agreed and most importantly if it is approved that its in email form and saved. Approval by word of mouth stands for nothing if by now that isn't already clear in most line of work.

 

[Undiscovered]

Agreed and most importantly if it is approved that its in email form and saved. Approval by word of mouth stands for nothing if by now that isn't already clear in most line of work.

You'll need to print that email off on a company printer and pop it somewhere safe.
Emails can be remotely deleted on a company email account, and ours are automatically wiped after 6months. It makes training incredibly difficult as all our resources get lost and have to be redistributed.

 

[NSEWonderer]

You'll need to print that email off on a company printer and pop it somewhere safe.
Emails can be remotely deleted on a company email account, and ours are automatically wiped after 6months. It makes training incredibly difficult as all our resources get lost and have to be redistributed.

Ah yes I forgot about that, and thats very important as most prints will have some form of company watermarking or warning of confidentiality below it like TFL printed documents for example.

 

[dk1]

Absolutely agree - and I should also have clarified this with my original post.

I do wear the TOC issued boots, because at the end of the day if you slip, trip or fall you are covering your backside if you have them on and I urge newbies to wear them as well. A thick pair of socks goes a long way.

There is such a contrast between how younger and more established drivers look at this. I know the thread is more geared for new entrants to the profession but just thought I’d highlight the difference in how we all look at such things

 

[Anonymous10]

For those newbies starting just bear in mind that a lot of the items you will be given wont be of the best quality. In my opinion you buy cheap, you buy twice. But - they are free.

I have my own sunglasses as the TOC provided ones are a bit small for my face / head (a common problem with me and sunglasses generally) - I also dont like the style of the TOC issued ones.
The boots aren't terribly comfy and need a good bit of breaking in. The jury is out on how long they last. I used to have a load of good safety boots from previous work and I gave them all away - I always found Magnums to be the best for comfort.
The watch is really, really cheap tat, I choose to wear a smarter radio controlled watch and have the TOC one as a spare at home should mine get damaged.

Worst of all is the bag. Although theres a fair bit of storage space, I cant see them lasting very well, indeed going by the crewroom some are looking threadbare. Im quite outdoorsy and personally you cant skimp on something like a rucksack that gets hammered everyday. Thrown here and there, dug in and out of. I have a 15 year old Haglofs rucksack used several times a week that is only just starting to show its age a bit now.


Some essential kit for me? A good quality multitool for a load of emergency uses. A spork. Charge bank for phone. Toilet roll or baby wipes (sometimes you have to go for your emergency PNB in some grotty station loos) Good, thick gloves, trains are filthy under the solebar in particular. Pens, Pens and a spare pen just in case. Paracetamol et al. Water - you can go hungry for a bit on shift with little ill effect but being really thirsty and dehydrated is worse for concentration.

As someone who's a regular on various scout camps, scout fun days, day hikes and commutes to work until recently I had been using a trespass 35l rucksack (approx £45) and that served me well, indeed it still does for my hour commute every day by train and bus. Whilst I understand not the same as on the railways, sometimes you hit a gem for a cheap item that just works.

 

[AverageJoe]

You want a backpack that is highly visible with reflective panels.

Many drivers will find themselves walking in sidings and depots with their back packs on, these will obscure hi vis vest from the back which is why the backpack should be hi vis.

I feel this suggestion of buy your own has opened a can of worms.

The backpack provided by tocs is perfectly fine and durable.

I’m not sure what some people are doing with theirs but mine looks in great condition 3 years later.

Edit* and just to add, if after a few years any toc provided gear is starting to wear out new items will be provided free of charge so it’s not a problem.

Edit** Also just to add you will find yourself at times leaving your backpack on a train you are working to go to a shop or cafe while at a terminus.

If the guard or cleaners come on and see your toc branded backpack no questions are asked and they realise it’s just the drivers, if it’s a generic one there may be concerns that someone has left a suspicious item behind, and that’s even if it’s left in a cab.

 

[Anonymous10]

You want a backpack that is highly visible with reflective panels.

Many drivers will find themselves walking in sidings and depots with their back packs on, these will obscure hi vis vest from the back which is why the backpack should be hi vis.

I feel this suggestion of buy your own has opened a can of worms.

The backpack provided by tocs is perfectly fine and durable.

I’m not sure what some people are doing with theirs but mine looks in great condition 3 years later.

Edit* and just to add, if after a few years any toc provided gear is starting to wear out new items will be provided free of charge so it’s not a problem.

Edit** Also just to add you will find yourself at times leaving your backpack on a train you are working to go to a shop or cafe while at a terminus.

If the guard or cleaners come on and see your toc branded backpack no questions are asked and they realise it’s just the drivers, if it’s a generic one there may be concerns that someone has left a suspicious item behind, and that’s even if it’s left in a cab.

It was more a illustration that occasionally something cheap is worth having.

 

[Carl98k]

You want a backpack that is highly visible with reflective panels.

Many drivers will find themselves walking in sidings and depots with their back packs on, these will obscure hi vis vest from the back which is why the backpack should be hi vis.

I feel this suggestion of buy your own has opened a can of worms.

The backpack provided by tocs is perfectly fine and durable.

I’m not sure what some people are doing with theirs but mine looks in great condition 3 years later.

Edit* and just to add, if after a few years any toc provided gear is starting to wear out new items will be provided free of charge so it’s not a problem.

Edit** Also just to add you will find yourself at times leaving your backpack on a train you are working to go to a shop or cafe while at a terminus.

If the guard or cleaners come on and see your toc branded backpack no questions are asked and they realise it’s just the drivers, if it’s a generic one there may be concerns that someone has left a suspicious item behind, and that’s even if it’s left in a cab.

I was also under the impression that bags have to have the company logo on them

 

[dk1]

I was also under the impression that bags have to have the company logo on them

I have never heard that.

 

[chuff chuff]

Logos are generally a tax thing are they not,uniform not some payment in kind type of thing.

 

[driver9000]

Logos are generally a tax thing are they not,uniform not some payment in kind type of thing.

Tax tab to allow you to claim the small tax rebate for cleaning your own uniform if your employer doesn't issue vouchers.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jun 2024 ==

I was also under the impression that bags have to have the company logo on them

HV vest must have the company logo but no requirements for bags to have a logo. Lots of us don't use company issue bags without a problem.

 

[dk1]

HV vest must have the company logo but no requirements for bags to have a logo. Lots of us don't use company issue bags without a problem.

I’ve not got any logo on my HV vest.

 

[driver9000]

I’ve not got any logo on my HV vest.

We've always been told HV must have the company printed on it. My company even gave out new vests when the logo changed.

 

[Carl98k]

Tax tab to allow you to claim the small tax rebate for cleaning your own uniform if your employer doesn't issue vouchers.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jun 2024 ==



HV vest must have the company logo but no requirements for bags to have a logo. Lots of us don't use company issue bags without a problem.

That’s where that came from then. Surely they’d be a safety issue with non issued bags? Issued ones have quick release straps

 

[Somewhere]

I’ve not got any logo on my HV vest.

Industry standards say HVs must have the logo on, so during an incident with lots of staff wandering around the track everyone knows who works for who.
The Enquiry into the Clapham Junction disaster, one of the recommendations that came out of it, was all the emergency services should have doctor/nurse/police/fire or whatever, as no one knew who was doing what at the scene

 

[dk1]

Industry standards say HVs must have the logo on, so during an incident with lots of staff wandering around the track everyone knows who works for who.
The Enquiry into the Clapham Junction disaster, one of the recommendations that came out of it, was all the emergency services should have doctor/nurse/police/fire or whatever, as no one knew who was doing what at the scene

I’ve never had any logo on any of my HV vests in 39 years of continual railway employment.

 

[Leeds Driver]

Fair enough but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the standard.

 

[Ses16]

Fair enough but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the standard.

When we had an assessment in our driving training course that question was there. Branded orange hi vis with company logo or orange hi vis.

The branded orange hi vis was the correct answer.

 

[Crazyb]

I’ve never had any logo on any of my HV vests in 39 years of continual railway employment.

I'm Old school as well, but yes you should have a company logo on HV vests. It was something to do with people walking round places and not working on the railway. You may have heard of the story from the 80s, when a guy used to relieve trains on the Southern and he was a train spotter, but had the full uniform, lol. Not sure if true or not.

 

[Tigerkenco]

Not all companies issue watches in this day and age as it is no longer required by the rules. All that is required is a means of telling the time, and modern passenger units tend to do that themselves

Sunglasses cannot be polarised as new signals are LED and LED light is polarised.

Regarding sunglasses, I have just been prescribed Polarising SV Sunglasses from specsavers. I gave them the forms regarding train driver requirements so they should be okay. However, I will double check and report back because although the optician did my prescription, it was her colleague who recommended the polarised option and there may have been a breakdown in communication between the two about what is allowed and what isn’t…

 

[chuff chuff]

You may have heard of the story from the 80s, when a guy used to relieve trains on the Southern and he was a train spotter, but had the full uniform, lol. Not sure if true or not.

Yeah remember that going around at the time,can't remember full story doing 'route learning' perhaps.

 

[RollingStock19]

Empty water bottle!!! you can rest assured the day you dont have one is the day youll need one

 

[Noodle]

A must have, understanding partner.

 

[PupCuff]

Fair enough but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the standard.

Missed this discussion last week, but per the applicable Rail Industry Standard, RIS-3279-TOM, there's no requirement to have a company name or logo on the high visibility clothing. Companies can print their name and/or logo or approved text on the clothing, but do not have to.

Individual companies may have their own requirements for staff wearing HV clothing that's branded, in which case that company's staff are naturally required to follow it, but it isn't an industry requirement.

 

[D6130]

A must have, understanding partner.

Very true!

 

[Noodle]

Very true!

Even though you swap, book leave etc. You always miss stuff, especially last minute things. Got stuff booked on my weekends off till 2025 now

 

[Juliet Barvo]

Individual companies may have their own requirements for staff wearing HV clothing that's branded, in which case that company's staff are naturally required to follow it, but it isn't an industry requirement.

I know of a passenger driver walking to work in his own Jacket (not yet got to work) bumping into his manager got told "I told you not to wear that jacket, I'm pissed off you're still wearing it". That manager is a bit of a control freak, but the driver hadn't even got to work at that point