Diesel sold from working boats could be under threat
Stokie
boats & the instigator of the Save Red Diesel Petition oh, and by the
way when we handed the thing over to our MP David Drew, the petition
was 4015 names strong,.so thanks to everyone who signed.
Not so long ago, we travelled the country selling the stuff to anyone
who needed it.
A few years ago, we settled at Sharpness Marina and carried on.
We have always done our best to conform to safety and other regulations
& be around whenever boaters wanted us, 7 days a week and at any time,
even if someone wanted it at 10.00 at night they could have it. No
problem.
We have always had three different suppliers and tried to be loyal to
all of them.
Now it seems, Health & Safety has crept in, or at least that what we
are being told.
We placed an order last week to Total Butler at Avonmouth the order
was taken to be delivered this morning. 2500 litres of the red stuff.
As usual the driver arrived and pulled up beside Stokie, but the
driver refused to do the drop, claiming that for various company
reasons he could not continue. ..
.......Strange that........
I will say now that Three weeks ago, a rep from Total Butler paid us a
visit and okd us for future deliveries.
This morning following the drivers refusal to do the drop, I rang ( and
yes i will mention names)
Paul Roper (Rep) who appologised to me and told the driver to continue
and deliver. Still the driver refused , and promptly drove away without
dropping off my diesel.
A subsequent phone call from the rep to the driver was also a waste of
time.
I'm now waiting for a phone call from the Depot manager Wayne Bradley,
who I hope will resolve this hickup. i dont think though that there is
much hope.
Now I have had to go to another company who charge 3 p a litre more.
How long though will it be before they too refuse to deliver to us or
any other working boat ?
How long will it be before the few other lads (like Ivor for example)
around the country experience the same thing ?
Blimey, what a nanny state we live in.
Or, are we being screwed for price ?
Ive spoken to Dave Drew (mp) secretary this morning and explained what
happened, she has asked me to keep her and David informed of any
developments.
John Chard
David Kitching
<islandero...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
[snip]
>We placed an order last week to Total Butler at Avonmouth the order
>was taken to be delivered this morning. 2500 litres of the red stuff.
>As usual the driver arrived and pulled up beside Stokie, but the
>driver refused to do the drop, claiming that for various company
>reasons he could not continue. ..
>
>.......Strange that........
>
> I will say now that Three weeks ago, a rep from Total Butler paid us a
>visit and okd us for future deliveries.
>
>This morning following the drivers refusal to do the drop, I rang ( and
>yes i will mention names)
>Paul Roper (Rep) who appologised to me and told the driver to continue
>and deliver. Still the driver refused , and promptly drove away without
>dropping off my diesel.
[snip]
You did not mention what the reasons were for non-delivery. The whole
story might make more sense if you were to tell us what the driver
said was the problem.
Cheers,
--
David Kitching
Julian
"Stokie" <islandero...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1146663529....@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
>
> We placed an order last week to Total Butler at Avonmouth the order
> was taken to be delivered this morning. 2500 litres of the red stuff.
> As usual the driver arrived and pulled up beside Stokie, but the
> driver refused to do the drop, claiming that for various company
> reasons he could not continue. ..
AFAIK Total Butler have always had a policy of not delivering to boats,
guess as yours is a tank it may be the exception. After Total Butler took
over British Benzol last year that stopped my deliveries from BB and those
of other DBA members as BB was our favoured supplier.
So its nothing new. The reason given to us was the pollution aspect the fact
that a spill could enter the canal...............
Stokie
objections he said it was because its boat.
The rep was even going to drive up from Avonmouth to watch over the
delivery, but even that wasn't going to be acceptable to the tanker
driver.
Personaly, I think the bloke should be put against a wall and shot for
dissobeying orders.
furnessvale
Wasn't there a thread a couple of months ago on the same subject?
Something about the Basingstoke canal rings a bell.
I have three regular suppliers but another company will not supply me
quoting pollution as the problem. Strange that one of their vehicles
was seen filling a boat at my usual loading spot about a month ago. I
wonder if the company knew about this drop?
Stokie
absorbant mats and a boom that set us back £300 7 years ago, I
would understand the reluctance to deliver to us.
it still though doesnt get around the fact that the management okd us
as a recipient of diesel. We are licenced by BW, we are customs
registered and carry anti pollution kit.
furnessvale
As you say, the driver should be shot. Why not try CPL, Watson or
Carlton (if in your area), my three suppliers.
Peter Stockdale
Stokie wrote:
(in answer to D.K.)
"He claimed all sorts of things and as soon as I had over come those
objections he said it was because its boat."
This is not a an answer that makes any sense.
You have not explained just what the nature of the problem is.
How can we try to help if you can not explain.
Stokie
happened to us today off my chest. I will say no more, other than if
all diesel suppliers refuse to deliver to people like me, then your
choice of suppliers will be furthur limited.
I will say no more now, because if I do, this thread will go on and on.
Steve Atty
<islandero...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
>Sorry. But im not asking for help. But i am trying to get what
>happened to us today off my chest. I will say no more, other than if
>all diesel suppliers refuse to deliver to people like me, then your
>choice of suppliers will be furthur limited.
>
>
Its not only people like you and Ivor. Quite a few marinas (Upton
being one) have a floating fuel point so if its a H&S issue then its
likely that it will impact on them too.
Actually if its a H&S issue about delivering to boats then surely a
boatyard could refuse to sell a boater fuel due to the same H&S regs.
I know that the Black Shed wouldn't do a pump out on our boat unless I
turned it round due to H&S concerns.
Peter Stockdale
"Steve Atty" <nos...@tty.org.uk> wrote in message
news:nssh52pm616aottjm...@4ax.com...
Yes - I was not particularly offering help to you personally, but hoping to
get the info. to help knock the nonsense on the head before it spreads.
As Steve mentions - this could happen !
Pete
www.stilwaitingforthefullerstory.com
Stokie
because its so B----y daft, its hard to get across to people what is
going on.
Adrian Stott
I've been looking after the DBA's diesel fuel buying scheme.
Julian's description of what happened when Total bought Benzol is
right. However, it is not isolated. Similar things had happened to
me before with Repsol, Charrington (when it was bought), BP (which
pulled out while I was in the middle of negotiating a national
agreement with it on behalf of DBA), CPL (which said it was up to the
local depot managers, and the ones round Longon won't do it, again
while we were in the middle of negotiating a national agreement), and
a local supplier in Herts the name of which I can't remember but which
literally told me to "piss off" when it realised I wanted delivery to
a barge.
My email to CPL, asking for details in response to its letter
referring only to "health and safety problems", was never answered.
I *think* this all started after a spill into the Thames about three
years ago, which put the wind up several suppliers. However, the
situation does seem to be irrational. After all, marinas fuel boats
using hoses over water, so why can't tanker trucks?
I have been told that under the latest regulations, it may be that the
driver is individually responsible for any spill into the water,
because the companies don't have insurance to cover the drivers for
this risk. In some suppliers, the drivers are contractors, not
employees.
There are still companies which deliver to boats, but Skokie is right
in that they tend to be rather more expensive.
The only other thing I can suggest is for boaters wanting deliveries
to install a tank on the land which the tanker will fill, and then to
pump or siphon the fuel from that tank into the boat yourself. You
can still save a lot that way over buying at marinas, and of course
you buy in greater bulk than your on-board tanks will accommodate. The
tank must be bunded, though.
I'm sure that if self-drive pleasure boats were invented today, they
would never be allowed. Health and safety, you know. "You want to
operate locks?! Oh no, far too dangerous."
Don't you just *love* government?
Adrian
Adrian Stott
adr...@spam.co.uk
07956-299966
Neil Arlidge
Why stop a great tradition of this newsgroup? ;-)
--
Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest
Follow the travels of the TNC at : http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk
Peter Stockdale
"Neil Arlidge" <ne...@tuesdaynightclub.co.uk> wrote in message
news:MfydneE1Vbe...@giganews.com...
> Why stop a great tradition of this newsgroup? ;-)
>
> --
> Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest
Yup - it is a long time since we had a near record breaker !
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com
Arthur Marshall
from "Peter Stockdale" <peter....@btopenworld.com> contains these words:
Yes, but it's still on-topic, which must be a record in itself.
--
Arthur Marshall
Caller for Traditional Dances
nb Lord Byron's Maggot
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/barndancer
ditchcrawler
> Actually if its a H&S issue about delivering to boats then surely a
> boatyard could refuse to sell a boater fuel due to the same H&S regs.
>
> I know that the Black Shed wouldn't do a pump out on our boat unless I
> turned it round due to H&S concerns.
#
H&S issues are not necessary legal regulations, often they are company regs
to cover their A*ss or just get out of doing something, The driver says "I
don't think that's safe" then that's it.It doesn't mean the next driver will
also say its not safe,
--
Brian Ancient Order of Sewer Ants>
Mac
diesel will only add GBP3000 to a 50 hours a year motoring 250 hp
boater's budget which is insignificant compared to mooring and other
charges :-)
-- "
Um, even allowing for an extra zero creeping in, this doesn't seem
quite right. 'Only' and GBP3000 don't fit together.
Mac
Nick Temple-Fry
It probably does for Martin - read all his posts in that context.
Mind you the last thing he is recorded as having purchased is a
Westerley Yacht (apparently he queried the shillings and pence).
So now their is a variation on the saying
'There is new money, there is old money and there is Martins Money'
Sorry - too much Thatchers Original, I should stick to the beer.
Greg Chapman
"Nick Temple-Fry" <ni...@temple-fry.COmpletely.UnKnown> wrote in message
news:ji2562la0vt3rsems...@4ax.com...
> On 10 May 2006 14:09:57 -0700, "Mac" <M...@macwolfelee.plus.com> wrote:
>
>>"See current PBO - June edition for article showing that adding tax to
>>diesel will only add GBP3000 to a 50 hours a year motoring 250 hp
>>boater's budget which is insignificant compared to mooring and other
>>charges :-)
>>-- "
>>
>>Um, even allowing for an extra zero creeping in, this doesn't seem
>>quite right. 'Only' and GBP3000 don't fit together.
>>
>>Mac
>
> It probably does for Martin - read all his posts in that context.
Funny how people read things different ways.
I assumed it meant for rich sods who can afford gin palaces moored on the
south coast with multiple 250hp motors then it would be a drop in the
ocean - and it was just Martin's little joke about how the rest of the world
assumes canal boaters must all be equally rich.
I wonder what the article actually said!
--
Greg Chapman
http://www.waterwaysguides.co.uk
for updates to Nicholson, Imray and Pearsons Guides - and lots more!