expenses/night out money for lorry drivers.

sandraroffey

anyone on here a lorry driver?? my son is hgv and his boss seems to be pulling a fast one on the drivers. before he changed things, the drivers before they went abroad,were given £25 per night they were away, in cash, before they went.

now, they are paid a daily rate, fixed, which includes night out money. the daily rate is a joke, especially as the scedule that is given for driving and deliveries in europe is very tight and a lot of hours and loading and unloading has to be done during a day, up to 16 hours a day. or they will get behind the given schedule.

it also means that they are getting taxed on the expenses/night out money.

surely this cant be right.

can anyone help here??

fengirl_2

Here is a link to the HMRC guidance on lorry drivers allowances - I dont think they are taxable:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM66130.htm

sandraroffey

huge thanks for the swift response. he is a bit of a doughnut this boss. he has stopped anyone earning overtime at a higher rate, and only guarantees 32 hours a week.and if one driver has done the 32 hours, and another hasnt, khe sends the one who has, home and doesnt pay for that day, then the driver who hasnt done 32 hours yet, does that day. keeps the wage bill down!!!! i call it extracting the urine. and they are really busy right now. he just doesnt want to part with the dosh.

Zazen999

sandraroffey wrote: »

huge thanks for the swift response. he is a bit of a doughnut this boss. he has stopped anyone earning overtime at a higher rate, and only guarantees 32 hours a week.and if one driver has done the 32 hours, and another hasnt, khe sends the one who has, home and doesnt pay for that day, then the driver who hasnt done 32 hours yet, does that day. keeps the wage bill down!!!! i call it extracting the urine. and they are really busy right now. he just doesnt want to part with the dosh.

If he is trying to keep the wage bill down; and has reduced the overtime rate; I don't call that being a doughnut.....

sandraroffey

i thought that too, but was being polite. he is actually seriously taking the p***. my son has a family to keep and rent to pay.

by having a guarantee of 32 hours means that when you take a week off, holiday etc., you only get paid for 32 hours. he is looking elsewhere but there just arent the jobs about.

Zazen999

Why is he taking the p when he has a business to run; would you prefer it going down the pan because he couldn't control cash flow.

You do KNOW that there is a recession on at the moment? Companies can't get credit so have to keep as much money in house as possible.

maninthestreet

Why is the new daily rate 'a joke' ???

bendix

The OP seems to think the fact her son has a family to support is the employer's responsibility. It is not. It is her son's.

The employer's responsibility is primarily to the employer's family, the business, its customers and - lastly - its employees.

Keeping costs down isnt done to spite the drivers. It is done to maximise profits and safeguard jobs.

If the OP's son doesnt like that, the obvious answer would be to start a company himself, and then he wouldnt be beholden upon his employer (and his mum) to take care of him.

churchrat

SueSueSue wrote: »

The OP's argument is laughable.

Is she seriously suggesting the employer should pay OT when it has contracted staff available to do the hours?

And £25 seems very reasonable to me for a daily subsistence rate. It will only be taxable if it can't be justified as expenses (i.e its more cash than needed which seems to be the case)

I think that you may not have read the op's post correctly--I think she is saying that her son does NOT get the £25 per day (any longer) and instead is paid a rate which is included in the ordinary pay, and therefore taxed.

OP--is your son in a union? expenses should NOT be taxed.
However, I do understand that although you may be upset about the overtime, it is a good idea as far as the firm are concerned.

maninthestreet

churchrat wrote: »

I think that you may not have read the op's post correctly--I think she is saying that her son does NOT get the £25 per day (any longer) and instead is paid a rate which is included in the ordinary pay, and therefore taxed.

OP--is your son in a union? expenses should NOT be taxed.
However, I do understand that although you may be upset about the overtime, it is a good idea as far as the firm are concerned.

AS the OP hasn't been back here to explain more about this 'fixed, daily rate', it's impossible to know any of the details. Assuming this amount appears an a separate entry on the payslip, even if tax was deducted by the employer, this could be claimed back by the employee from HMRC at the end of the tax year, assuming it meets their criteria for being a tax-free payment.

sandraroffey

the daily rate is a joke, because if it is worked out pro rata to the hourly rate they are normally paid when they drive in uk, it works out to something like £4 an hour. £25 per day subsistence money is now always with the pay and is therefore taxed swith the pay at the end of themonth.

as i said earlier, when they are abroad, the hours worked are considerably more in a day than in uk. sometimes up to 16 hours in a day. if they dont work like that, then they get behind schedule. they arent just driving, they are loading and unloading quite substantial loads.

it would be very useful if the subsistance money was paid as it used to be; in cash,in their hand, before they leave.and paid the same daily rate they would get if they were in england. like it used to be done.

there is no union there unfortunately. i asked him last night . they could help all the drivers hugely.