Someone turned up not very smart and got a right telling off when I started (Not with GTR). Go smart for your first day it isn't going to harm you. As for reading up in advance, don't bother. You won't learn anything unless you have a railway background. You will be working hard for a few months so no point doing anything you don't need to.
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GTR 3rd Jan Intake
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For the guy from Shefford... there are many other drivers who travel further than you so sadly you will have to suck it up. wgc will no doubt be full and all new trainees will be shipped out to Hornsey. Don’t read up and dress comfortable but smart. Trousers and a shirt and pullover are fine until uniform.
My concern isn't about me per se; my main concern is the safety side when it comes to driving. My usual commute each way will be 1.5hrs sometimes longer. I've read a lot about fatigue issues associated with longer commutes and as a driver I would be responsible for hundreds of people and have a duty of care for them. All guidance and recommendations I've read throughout the recruitment and selection process have said to keep commutes to under 1 hour and even 30 mins or less if possible. Any driver going well beyond this is surely increasing the risk of an incident by disproportionate amount (according to what I've read). It would seem odd to operate with this attitude when safety is supposedly the backbone to everything.
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I get what you're saying but you can snooze in a back cab on way there for example. A lot of drivers live in Peterborough and commute to KGX and that is over an hour sometimes. So it is manageable youll just have to get used to it. More than likely they will do stops at hornsey for the above reason.
Self management to be fair. Early nights etc
Self management to be fair. Early nights etc
I'm looking at work around like that but I don't think self management is the most suitable answer. Quite often I would have to take 3 trains to get to Hornsey so snoozing isn't going to happen. I think when it comes to the safety of great numbers of people mitigating the risk is better than try to deal with the symptoms, where possible.
To reiterate- I am not sulking nor do I think I'm something important that should receive special treatment. I'm just struggling to find a work around that I am satisfied would be safe. Equally, I have never done the job so my assessments are hypothetical and based on things I've read. I just don't want to gamble with my carer or with lives.
Your alternate option would be to decline the transfer and defer your appointment. Speak to HR and raise your concerns and let them know that you would prefer to wait until WGC becomes available. Either way it may be beneficial to speak to HR anyway to raise your concerns.
Self management is a key non technical skill and is the best self solution to managing your personal fatigue issues. Napping is a well known technique to deal with fatigue and is supported by ASLEF.
Self management is a key non technical skill and is the best self solution to managing your personal fatigue issues. Napping is a well known technique to deal with fatigue and is supported by ASLEF.
Self management is the answer. Thats the basis of being a train driver.... how you self manage yourself not to have incidences etc.
As ComUtoR says... decline the offer... but you will be waiting a long time til you get another. Hitchin depot & a few from KGX depot are filling up the spaces in WGC so much so a % will also end up at Hornsey.
They will look into stopping trains for drivers to get there. But as I said before... drivers come much further than you. And if shefford you will use Arlesey or Hitchin station which would be 1 train if they add stops or 2 if they dont.
Also as the other poster said naps are common. I nap on lates if i have a break and have a late train to do. Its self management.
As ComUtoR says... decline the offer... but you will be waiting a long time til you get another. Hitchin depot & a few from KGX depot are filling up the spaces in WGC so much so a % will also end up at Hornsey.
They will look into stopping trains for drivers to get there. But as I said before... drivers come much further than you. And if shefford you will use Arlesey or Hitchin station which would be 1 train if they add stops or 2 if they dont.
Also as the other poster said naps are common. I nap on lates if i have a break and have a late train to do. Its self management.
I commute 50mins to 1 hour to drive trains although never have to drive which helps
That said after a full on night turn or a 4am start it is pretty 'intense '
My commute will reduce to 35-45 min next year as I move depots
There is a depot run by another part of the same company ten minutes away which may be a future move although I'd have to apply as an external. .. but getting the key is the most important and I'd recommend you do the same good luck
That said after a full on night turn or a 4am start it is pretty 'intense '
My commute will reduce to 35-45 min next year as I move depots
There is a depot run by another part of the same company ten minutes away which may be a future move although I'd have to apply as an external. .. but getting the key is the most important and I'd recommend you do the same good luck
Cheers, I agree that it is paramount to crack on and get trained as long as I'm not going to be putting anyone at risk, which it seems I won't.
You are absolutely putting people at risk. That is what we do every single day. Shift work is a nightmare and fatigue is a serious issue. Getting up at 0300 and then driving a choo choo full of passengers into London at 0430 in the morning is a massive risk. I couldn't care if you had a decent night sleep or the disrupted 6hrs that most of us go through. The risk never goes away. Finish work at 0200 and then come back in 12hrs later. That 2hr commute will destroy your sleep pattern.
What we do is to take our job really seriously and accept and manage those risks through self management techniques. We push ourselves to the limit and try our best to work each diagram/unit/service to the exacting standards that our roles require.
Understand and accept those risks and you will be ok. Mitigate against them and you will reduce any likelihood of an incident. Ignore them or brush them off and I guarantee you will have an incident.
purplejonesy
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Hi all, i have been given the start date of Feb 14th and have been sent all the contract paperwork to sign and send back.
In terms of ordering the uniform, does anyone actually know how the sizing comes up on the grey drivers tops and the jackets. S, M and L are not the most helpful as different companies have different ideas of what size a Medium actually is.
In terms of ordering the uniform, does anyone actually know how the sizing comes up on the grey drivers tops and the jackets. S, M and L are not the most helpful as different companies have different ideas of what size a Medium actually is.
Order your normal size in polo shirts. I made the mistake of going a size up and they were too big.
I'm usually a L in polo tops but had to order XXL, tank top I ordered L, jumper is like a tent in L so i went with medium, trouser size ok and withe the coats I'm usually XL which fit just fine. Also to be extra I ordered formal shirts too long and short sleeve, sizes are fine for that, does by neck size.
purplejonesy
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choochoochoo
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- 6 Aug 2013
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The jackets are good !!
But the jumpers are lousy. Had mine 6 months and it's still itchy as hell !!
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