From The Seat Of The Cab

Life changing events can happen at any time, but drink driving and or under the influence of drugs could cost you far more than just the freedom to drive a car!

Well 2024 bombed in many ways for me. Poor mental health, beaten up by the work, house renovation got on top of me and so called "friends" aren't as good as you thought they might be.

End of an era, a sad end to the Lynch tippers. My thoughts, my feelings and my experiences of the catastrophe that has unfolded.

Discussing the pay rise saga of a friend down south. Why did he have to quit before they offered him more money? Ignored three times and he found another job where he will hopefully be appreciated

I asked a question in a LinkedIn video and it felt quite important. What means more to you, mens mental health awareness month or Pride month, both are celebrated in the month of June but for what Pride has become, after 4+ decades, I'm not convinced it's worth shouting about now.

A question from a listener made me think! New comers to the industry are choosing the 360° excavator and wondering why they can't get work as a fresh out the box red carded op with no experience, but who told them it was the entry level machine? Why didn't anyone stop them from wasting money on a card that is as far away from the bare minimum as you could get. Do the trainers and test centres have a moral and ethical duty to engage them in actual careers advice?

I really don't understand the logic behind people thinking that a 360 excavator is any kind of entry level machine in the construction industry?

Autonomous dump trucks, disaster, or inevitable progression.

It's a tough old game in construction, a bit of feast or famine.

Am I wrong? Are protected NCBs the reason premiums are spiking? Is it unreasonable to charge others for the misfortunes of a few who have paid a little extra to protect their NCBs?

Was the developer right or the contractor? Let me know!

How much is time worth? The answer is complex but it's not beyond the wit of man to figure out that unless you are engaged in income generation then paying other people to do menial tasks for you is wasting money!

The "auditor" side of social media is awash with drone flying go-pro wearing sausage jockeys that are making a nuisance of themselves and creating conflict for clicks, likes and shares. Tell me what you think fromtheseatofthecab@gmail.com and Nigel Williams on Facebook and LinkedIn

Sir Howard Davies thinks the house price situation isn't as bad as everyone is making out, is he wrong?

The humble cup of coffee sparked a deeper conversation!

Lots of useless Karen's on the roads goes against community guidelines apparently

Buyer beware! Always trust your gut and don't sign up until you are 100% satisfied in what you are being offered!

Society failed to value the beating heart of our lives, the trades that build stuff, make stuff and fix stuff and they keep hand wringing the "need for diversity" as the solution. Bunk! Reality check time folk, valuing trades and respecting them would go miles further than bleating on about how many black, gays an women we need on site!

The slowing down of the demolition side of construction is a consequence of economic climate in my opinion.

Can we continue the industrial house building programme in the UK? Where are the public transport links?

Diesel theft and security concerns, what should be done?

Rail and tube strikes will backfire and cost tgd unions any support that they once had!

Who pays, who's responsible and why are hire machines going back in such a bad way?

Being responsible and taking accountability makes us who we are. At my age, it's just another day, and if there's work, I'll take it, but what does the audience think of working on your birthday? For me it's because the money will be much more beneficial over the Christmas break when I can enjoy it more than nursing a hangover and dossing tge day away.

Storms are wreaking havoc around the UK these last few days. Join me as I talk about my thoughts on why so many towns and cities are suffering.

So Vistry grp, who sat on their hands tight lipped and mouths zipped when subbies were getting hit with white diesel costs over red are demanding 10% price reductions from subbies, yay

HS2, the current political football that shouldn't be!

Check out the @justpearlythings podcast to understand modern women's thinking.

A bit of extreme honesty and a peek into my private life and the situation surrounding my arrival and my departure from this amazing house in Melton Mowbray.

Join me as we talk about tickets and tax returns

My social media is plugged up with tilt rotators in high-speed montage to Europop and dance music, content creators and showcase pages need to get more of the industry and the work we do on show, the digger sporting a tilty was new viewing on socials in 2017/18 but it's old hat now and with thousands of hours of them at work it's kind of boring, no sorry telling of what they're doing or the work we're going to see during a high-speed montage of operation. Basically I'm having a whine and a moan because creators have become lazy in churning out the same content with a new soundtrack.

Long live the vintage plant and machinery, but if owners don't show it, people won't see it and these wonderful little shows disappear from sight and become a mere memory.

Interest rates went up and now people who overstretched themselves are feeling the pinch!

The scariest 9 words according to Ronald Reagan "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" they're not the answer, company level mentoring and dare I suggest a collaboration of companies to create a training scheme with a mentor to teach people? Sadly it all comes down to money, and no one wants to pay!

Bit of sociopolitical commentary and how the US has gone rogue destroying European prosperity.

The age old question "how do I get the experience if I can't get a job on site?"

Excellence is doing it right even when there's no one there to see what you're doing!

Some YouTube on a bank holiday lunch time yielded some thoughts on the industries we have lost, skills that have died out through the loss of those industries. What are our children and grand children going to be doing in this country if we continue to dismantle the core industries that founded our great nation?

What is proper on the job training if it's not mentorship?

An evening chat about work ethics and the lack of motivation in some sectors of the construction industry while I'm on night shift.

Sorry for the road noise and jangly keys but I think better when I'm driving

A question asked on LinkedIn gave me pause for thought and I thought we could rummage around the thoughts on "where do you see yourself in 5yrs time"?

My thoughts on humanoid recognition systems and some questions about the necessity of them on certain items of plant over a standard visual thumbs up safety aid. Tell me what you think!

Whilst we talk about mental health and the acceptance of trans people in our work places, a conversation I had with a young man really made me think and raise an interesting question, should plant hire outfits that offer operated services be offering a holiday pay incentive for reliable and conscientious operators to keep their high standards and give newer operators something to aspire to?

The district's of the hunger games perhaps?

The court of public opinion surrounding pictures posted on social media without context.

Just my thoughts on what we think and how plan B might work out should the construction industry suddenly stop in the event of a recession biting hard!

Marketing is often seen as frivolous spends as we go into recession, people think they can save money cutting back, but they're cutting back their exposure to potential customers looking for better and more efficient solutions, cost effective strategies to get their jobs done!

Lots of construction industry lay offs, quick chat about what I'm seeing across the industry.

What's my favourite machine to operate? A frequent question I'm asked on site and everyone is always shocked by my answer, an ADT of course, easiest money you'll ever earn, reward for effort says ADT is bang for your buck the best machines out there

There doesn't seem to be much to be happy about and we're being squeezed in all directions and it's tough to stay positive in these turbulent times.