HCTs

[scoobydo79]

Should We honestly be even using them? Heavy hard work and hard to control on bumps and cambers.forced into the road by twats cars on pavements.

[krussel]

We have a couple of local deliveries that still use them. Good thing is they limit how much work can go out on any day. With a van you get overloaded. I think they are outdated and should be replaced by one of the small electric Postman Pat vans they keep showing us on WTL.

[Mr Rush]

I thought HCT duties were going extinct as they're an easy target for lapsing. We don't have them in our office due to local geography, though everything I've heard suggests they want to do away with them.

[crazyshrew]

We're about 40% HTC, worth noting that my office serves a fantastically flat town. I suspect the van Vs HCT opinion divide would be around 50/50 in my office. My personal preference would be HTC as there is much less nonsense involved for example when a wheel falls off a manager is out with screwdrivers and zip ties within 15 minutes. And if the worst comes to the worst your no more than about 30 mins walk away from the office.

Get a puncture or other breakdown in the van and your stranded until the RAC gets round to you, completely abandoned by managers, and the poor maintenance ("doesn't matter if it would fail an MOT, doesn't matter if the fumes are filling the cab and making the driver sick, we can only take it in once it's completely broken down."- local workshop) makes ours clearly dangerous to the health of those driving.

As a no longer driving postie (medical reasons) I would be fully in favour of a small supplement being paid to those who do or could reasonably be expected to take the responsibility on a regular basis

[scoobydo79]

Hmm . I float and the good thing about HCTs is not having to do the poxy oversized stuff that you get on driving duties but that’s about it.

[SpacePhoenix]

("doesn't matter if it would fail an MOT, doesn't matter if the fumes are filling the cab and making the driver sick, we can only take it in once it's completely broken down."- local workshop) makes ours clearly dangerous to the health of those driving.

Why aren't you signing them out of use until the screws pull their finger out and actually get them sorted?

[crazyshrew]

("doesn't matter if it would fail an MOT, doesn't matter if the fumes are filling the cab and making the driver sick, we can only take it in once it's completely broken down."- local workshop) makes ours clearly dangerous to the health of those driving.

Why aren't you signing them out of use until the screws pull their finger out and actually get them sorted?

Honestly no idea...as I say I'm a non driver so only hear stuff, not the arguments. From what I can gather, they disappear to the workshop and then come back with no fault found.
I've heard it's something to do with the workshop targets..along the lines of only being 'allowed' to have X amount of vans off the road at any one time. If it's not completely kaput, then it stays 'on the road'.

Same old same old Royal Mail. Two or more overinflated egos playing pass the parcel with a problem until it completely blows up and it's suddenly everybody's problem

[enskied]

HCT Working is a long hard slog usually. It does have stresses, but also benefits.

You need to have a really good relationship with your parcel driver and work together well.
We, still use a couple of HCT's but not on a regular basis anymore. Some poor sod gets dumped with one to clear a week's worth of mail that otherwise would never see the light of day.

[Nickvilla20]

I signed into a HCT duty as I had enough of driving for Royal Mail. The few estates near the office are covered by HCT and it works really well.

I actually don’t see them doing away with the HCTs especially with DPR routes and the advantage of them basically having zero maintenance and no fuel costs.

[R5001]

Can confirm that vans won't go off the road for my office until they are literally unable to move. If a puncture is light enough you can get around for a day between top ups, it ain't getting fixed, if it grinds gears or really struggles on hills but still, technically, gets you to your target location, it ain't getting fixed. If the thing complains of an engine fault or other light... it gets reset and ain't getting fixed til you've sent it in 5-10 times for that fault in a month.

[goneaway]

I signed into a HCT duty as I had enough of driving for Royal Mail. The few estates near the office are covered by HCT and it works really well.

I actually don’t see them doing away with the HCTs especially with DPR routes and the advantage of them basically having zero maintenance and no fuel costs.

And no pollutants!

[SpacePhoenix]

Can confirm that vans won't go off the road for my office until they are literally unable to move. If a puncture is light enough you can get around for a day between top ups, it ain't getting fixed, if it grinds gears or really struggles on hills but still, technically, gets you to your target location, it ain't getting fixed. If the thing complains of an engine fault or other light... it gets reset and ain't getting fixed til you've sent it in 5-10 times for that fault in a month.

Think that if the police pull you over and there's a known puncture, I suspect they'd do you for either careless driving or driving with due care and attention. Possibly the same if you've got an engine or fault light on. RM must enjoy making repairs more expensive when they finally fix the f****d vans

[R5001]

Can confirm that vans won't go off the road for my office until they are literally unable to move. If a puncture is light enough you can get around for a day between top ups, it ain't getting fixed, if it grinds gears or really struggles on hills but still, technically, gets you to your target location, it ain't getting fixed. If the thing complains of an engine fault or other light... it gets reset and ain't getting fixed til you've sent it in 5-10 times for that fault in a month.

Think that if the police pull you over and there's a known puncture, I suspect they'd do you for either careless driving or driving with due care and attention. Possibly the same if you've got an engine or fault light on. RM must enjoy making repairs more expensive when they finally fix the f****d vans

A risk, yeah, but they never do. IT's the usual issue of until it seriously injures someone, it'll get ignored. Anyone remember the sliding doors falling off those 2020ish experts? Had it come off on me twice before we were all given a wtll about them and a fix was applied preventatively.

[kazardaimenu]

The vans have been left to go to rack and ruin. Duties cut in the last revision yet no spare vans available when bits fall off. I don’t get it. Must make the company much less productive having such a threadbare fleet. Also if we’re a parcel company park and loop doesn’t make sense.

[eastie]

Why aren't you signing them out of use until the screws pull their finger out and actually get them sorted?
[/quote]
FT staff do but zero contract staff are too scared to moan which is now the majority
Most of the 2010 fleet have broken doors , windows , bodywork, and blowing out black fumes totally unrepairable and an embarrassment driving them.
no fancy electric vehicles in our delivery office