Diary of supermarket driver!

Well that was it my first week completed on my own in the new job.

Have been putting off applying to this firm for a while due to my lack of experience in the bendy world and the notorius “tight” delivery areas to most/ALL of their stores but eventually i took the plunge and applied.

Having previously worked on an exel contract via ageny i got a good reference and got in no problem. Had a week on the H+S stuff and out with another driver and this week i was set loose.

The shifts i am doing are “afters” so starting at around 13.00 till approx 22.00.
Tues to saturday and for this i draw a VERY reasonable wage.

SO this is a little recount of what i came across in my first week…

TUES-- Arrived at 13.00 and sat around with all the other guys waiting for a run to be allocated, after about half hour got my job North hykeham and skegness. spoke to a couple fo other drivers for directions and they drew me maps etc. Another important thing to find out is the best way into the actuall delivery posistion because alot of the stores you can really shaft yourself by approaching from the wrong direction or driving into a car park etc.

Anyway got the maps and off i “tootled” no speeding of any kind in the job either needed or allowed. arrived at the first drop to be confronted by all that i could describe as a “nightmare” a “S” bend reverse off the main road through a car park to the loading bay… Well managed it with no drama’s just kept getting out to check i wasnt going to catch any cars that were trying to get out of the car park while i was getting in “muppets”

Delivery complete 1 CAGE, then off to skegness which was a fairly simple “screw” round in the yard and back onto a raised tipping area.

WEDS.

Arrived again and sat around for an hour waiting for a job but today it was quite so nothing doin. ended up double manning a run to WHitby and filey to check out another couple of the awkward shops . The whitby one is right down in the bottom of the town with a nice blind side reverse up hill into a little coned off area for the delivery.

Thurs.

Got my training today on the new volvos with full auto boxes very very easy to drive and nicely kitted out motors with air con cd player etc. Then it was a trip to a scrapyard in Bradford with a full 44ft of scrap roll gages. Again not often you see a full liveried supermarket truck parked in a little scrapyard but there you go. Slow ride back to yard and i hang around for a second run. Got a run into Headingly leeds which i had been waiting for as this was the shop i used to be a manager in so was very eager to revisit the old stomping ground . This delivery was completed on a 24" trailer as it is very tight ot get into. However never pulled a trailer so small and didnt realise how much harder they are to reverse than a full length 44"!!!

Friday,

Got my tour pretty early and it was two around nottingham. one to Bestwood and the other carlton. Arrived at the first drop and was surpirsed to see a fairly big car park to use to reverse down to a loading dock with a raised area to level off the trailer. got onto this and dropped the taillift ready to unload. the back door opens and the guy says “sorry mate” lifts broke will have to drop down here. So pulls off the dock and then backed down to the backdoor. however now i was at a really steep angle down to the door so i raised the trailer to max and dropped the unit but still couldnt get rid of the slope.

Anyway this delivery is all gages so undo the straps mindfull the gages might roll so i lay them in front of the wheels to stop them coming forward…“it didnt work” had nine gages coming forward at me with some nice weight on. was like a bloody octupus trying to keep them all in the trailer!!! NOTE for next time make sure the wheels are well blocked on steep slopes!!! So delivery eventually completed but done very slowly and getting the empties back on was as hard and off to drop two. A nice trip “across town” to the other side of notttingham to another nasty little reverse down between a chinese and another building to a loading bay the alley was just wider than the unit and again right next to a car park with cars trying to get in and out! managed it again and this delivery goes well.

Saturday.

Earlier start today and its off to cockerton and then back to wetherby. The usuall blind side reverse into a busy car park required again at cockerton and the sun was shining so it was a very busy high street but a passing traffic warden stopped traffic for me to get across the main streeet and into the car park… nice one. delivery seemed to take a while ,wonder if that was to do with the sun… and then a slow ride down to wetherby. got there bang on delivery time to be confronted by a “bad un” and there was no way i could get in with the cars parked on the road like they were. hung around for about 20 and this car didnt move so plan b was to tip at the front door. just got started moving and guess what “buddy turns upto move his car” so back to plan A and its another tight un. across the street and screw round on your good side down the side of a wall watching the railings on the left. nice!!!

So that was it ,1 week down and im already getting more confident with the backwards bit… Youve got to be in this job!

ive pulled trailers from 24" to 44" ambient and chill

Ive driven units from new dafs and volvos on 05 plate to a renault premium on an s.

Ive got into places i never thought possible.

And best of all

I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT

is this another somerfield driver

well done mate

Hopefully your staff canteens are as good as Morrisons’

dave:
is this another somerfield driver

i worked for them when they first merged with kwik save.
one morning i came in and instead of my usual 1 drop at wisbech, i got 5 in leicester, 5 in nottingham and finally the last drop was in skeggy.
as in the wallace and grommit film it was “A GRAND DAY OUT”
hope you enjoy it mate. i lasted five years.
the good thing about somerfields is if you cant reverse a truck when you start there, you will be a master when you leave.

renault premium

and your admitting to driving one of these

nice story hope it continue’s to go well and i’d love to see your trl’s if there only 24’’ and 44’’ rather than 24’ or 44’ good luck

Bones:
Anyway this delivery is all gages so undo the straps mindfull the gages might roll so i lay them in front of the wheels to stop them coming forward…“it didnt work” had nine gages coming forward at me with some nice weight on. was like a bloody octupus trying to keep them all in the trailer!!!

I recognise these drops (and therefore the company!!); done quite a few shifts for them myself. Did you find in the cab the rubber strips that stop the cages from rolling?? I learned the hard way how important it is not to forget to use them!! . Just one cage though, and I managed to stop it, just!!

Bones:
… wetherby. got there bang on delivery time to be confronted by a “bad un” and there was no way i could get in with the cars parked on the road like they were. hung around for about 20 and this car didnt move so plan b was to tip at the front door. just got started moving and guess what “buddy turns upto move his car” so back to plan A and its another tight un. across the street and screw round on your good side down the side of a wall watching the railings on the left. nice!!!

That’ll be opposite the school then (very convieniently placed school railings - NOT!!), where all the cars park right across the entrance and also ignore the zig-zag lines outside the school?? I had to use a rather unorthodox method to get in there…but it worked!!

kitkat:

renault premium

and your admitting to driving one of these

…and they’re day cabs!! I prefer one of them to one of the sleeper Volvo’s because i’m not built to get between a sleeper cab and a fridge unit!!

Hopefully the Scania day cabs have gone now 'cos they were awful!!

Excellent read Bones

Bones:
…had nine gages coming forward at me with some nice weight on. was like a bloody octupus trying to keep them all in the trailer!!!

I can just picture it now! Had the exact same thing happen to me once and it’s NOT a pleasant experience!!

as per noting " instead of ’ surely trailers are made to metre lengths…
years ago when i did Tesco on agency if the slope was too great i would drop the trailer and wind the legs to make it flatish…ok its fiddly… but as long as the tailift lead reaches the socket its ok by me…either that or take some scotches

Sounds like you had fun bones, one things for sure, you wont get bored driving for them! After reading your post i think when i pass class 1 i will try get more experence before attempting to drive for Summerfield

As soon as I read about S reg premiums I knew it had to be SF Bones was driving for!!

They are getting rid of them I think - all of our S8xxRUJ series are now gone - onto another Exel contract!

You will never get better reversing experience than to SF / KS shops

Welcome to the firm Bones

Got to hand it to the supermarket lads,

Some of those loading bays are awful, I think the worst one I have seen yet is the wilkinson store in the centre of Coventry,

Anyone had the pleasure, Its down a back alley, next to a taxi rank,

I have been to a couple of breakdowns at this store on wilkinson wagons and it looks like a right pig to get into, usually these is more than one wagon there at a time as well

I’m hoping to drive for ASDA when i pass class 1 as they all seem to be rearly big superstores. Dont know if they have a distribution centre near Manchester though or weather its Exel or Wincanton that dose it. Argos here have open days advertised every other week though top gear driver agency but some of there stores look rearly hard to reverse into

Jaycool007:
I’m hoping to drive for ASDA when i pass class 1 as they all seem to be rearly big superstores. Dont know if they have a distribution centre near Manchester though or weather its Exel or Wincanton that dose it. Argos here have open days advertised every other week though top gear driver agency but some of there stores look rearly hard to reverse into

ASDA do the Manchester area from Whitwood.

Thats in Wakefield right? Cheers lybybob i will add it to my contacts list for later

kitkat:
nice story hope it continue’s to go well and i’d love to see your trl’s if there only 24’’ and 44’’ rather than 24’ or 44’ good luck

oops

marcustandy:
Did you find in the cab the rubber strips that stop the cages from rolling?? I learned the hard way how important it is not to forget to use them!! . Just one cage though, and I managed to stop it, just!!

I know all about the rubber strips form the H+s from the first few days but guess what none in the cab! thats why i thought about laying straps down with the ratchets infront of the wheels but it didnt work!!

Bones:
Well that was it my first week completed on my own in the new job.

Have been putting off applying to this firm for a while due to my lack of experience in the bendy world and the notorius “tight” delivery areas to most/ALL of their stores but eventually i took the plunge and applied.

Having previously worked on an exel contract via ageny i got a good reference and got in no problem. Had a week on the H+S stuff and out with another driver and this week i was set loose.

The shifts i am doing are “afters” so starting at around 13.00 till approx 22.00.
Tues to saturday and for this i draw a VERY reasonable wage.

SO this is a little recount of what i came across in my first week…if your in skegvagas this tuesday i will look out for you.bear in mind i like to go in &out of the place as soon as possible ,cant abide the dump.

TUES-- Arrived at 13.00 and sat around with all the other guys waiting for a run to be allocated, after about half hour got my job North hykeham and skegness. spoke to a couple fo other drivers for directions and they drew me maps etc. Another important thing to find out is the best way into the actuall delivery posistion because alot of the stores you can really shaft yourself by approaching from the wrong direction or driving into a car park etc.

Anyway got the maps and off i “tootled” no speeding of any kind in the job either needed or allowed. arrived at the first drop to be confronted by all that i could describe as a “nightmare” a “S” bend reverse off the main road through a car park to the loading bay… Well managed it with no drama’s just kept getting out to check i wasnt going to catch any cars that were trying to get out of the car park while i was getting in “muppets”

Delivery complete 1 CAGE, then off to skegness which was a fairly simple “screw” round in the yard and back onto a raised tipping area.

WEDS.

Arrived again and sat around for an hour waiting for a job but today it was quite so nothing doin. ended up double manning a run to WHitby and filey to check out another couple of the awkward shops . The whitby one is right down in the bottom of the town with a nice blind side reverse up hill into a little coned off area for the delivery.

Thurs.

Got my training today on the new volvos with full auto boxes very very easy to drive and nicely kitted out motors with air con cd player etc. Then it was a trip to a scrapyard in Bradford with a full 44ft of scrap roll gages. Again not often you see a full liveried supermarket truck parked in a little scrapyard but there you go. Slow ride back to yard and i hang around for a second run. Got a run into Headingly leeds which i had been waiting for as this was the shop i used to be a manager in so was very eager to revisit the old stomping ground . This delivery was completed on a 24" trailer as it is very tight ot get into. However never pulled a trailer so small and didnt realise how much harder they are to reverse than a full length 44"!!!

Friday,

Got my tour pretty early and it was two around nottingham. one to Bestwood and the other carlton. Arrived at the first drop and was surpirsed to see a fairly big car park to use to reverse down to a loading dock with a raised area to level off the trailer. got onto this and dropped the taillift ready to unload. the back door opens and the guy says “sorry mate” lifts broke will have to drop down here. So pulls off the dock and then backed down to the backdoor. however now i was at a really steep angle down to the door so i raised the trailer to max and dropped the unit but still couldnt get rid of the slope.

Anyway this delivery is all gages so undo the straps mindfull the gages might roll so i lay them in front of the wheels to stop them coming forward…“it didnt work” had nine gages coming forward at me with some nice weight on. was like a bloody octupus trying to keep them all in the trailer!!! NOTE for next time make sure the wheels are well blocked on steep slopes!!! So delivery eventually completed but done very slowly and getting the empties back on was as hard and off to drop two. A nice trip “across town” to the other side of notttingham to another nasty little reverse down between a chinese and another building to a loading bay the alley was just wider than the unit and again right next to a car park with cars trying to get in and out! managed it again and this delivery goes well.

Saturday.

Earlier start today and its off to cockerton and then back to wetherby. The usuall blind side reverse into a busy car park required again at cockerton and the sun was shining so it was a very busy high street but a passing traffic warden stopped traffic for me to get across the main streeet and into the car park… nice one. delivery seemed to take a while ,wonder if that was to do with the sun… and then a slow ride down to wetherby. got there bang on delivery time to be confronted by a “bad un” and there was no way i could get in with the cars parked on the road like they were. hung around for about 20 and this car didnt move so plan b was to tip at the front door. just got started moving and guess what “buddy turns upto move his car” so back to plan A and its another tight un. across the street and screw round on your good side down the side of a wall watching the railings on the left. nice!!!

So that was it ,1 week down and im already getting more confident with the backwards bit… Youve got to be in this job!

ive pulled trailers from 24" to 44" ambient and chill

Ive driven units from new dafs and volvos on 05 plate to a renault premium on an s.

Ive got into places i never thought possible.

And best of all

I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT

peter cherry:

Bones:
Well that was it my first week completed on my own in the new job.

Have been putting off applying to this firm for a while due to my lack of experience in the bendy world and the notorius “tight” delivery areas to most/ALL of their stores but eventually i took the plunge and applied.

Having previously worked on an exel contract via ageny i got a good reference and got in no problem. Had a week on the H+S stuff and out with another driver and this week i was set loose.

The shifts i am doing are “afters” so starting at around 13.00 till approx 22.00.
Tues to saturday and for this i draw a VERY reasonable wage.

SO this is a little recount of what i came across in my first week…if your in skegvagas this tuesday i will look out for you.bear in mind i like to go in &out of the place as soon as possible ,cant abide the dump.

TUES-- Arrived at 13.00 and sat around with all the other guys waiting for a run to be allocated, after about half hour got my job North hykeham and skegness. spoke to a couple fo other drivers for directions and they drew me maps etc. Another important thing to find out is the best way into the actuall delivery posistion because alot of the stores you can really shaft yourself by approaching from the wrong direction or driving into a car park etc.

Anyway got the maps and off i “tootled” no speeding of any kind in the job either needed or allowed. arrived at the first drop to be confronted by all that i could describe as a “nightmare” a “S” bend reverse off the main road through a car park to the loading bay… Well managed it with no drama’s just kept getting out to check i wasnt going to catch any cars that were trying to get out of the car park while i was getting in “muppets”

Delivery complete 1 CAGE, then off to skegness which was a fairly simple “screw” round in the yard and back onto a raised tipping area.

WEDS.

Arrived again and sat around for an hour waiting for a job but today it was quite so nothing doin. ended up double manning a run to WHitby and filey to check out another couple of the awkward shops . The whitby one is right down in the bottom of the town with a nice blind side reverse up hill into a little coned off area for the delivery.

Thurs.

Got my training today on the new volvos with full auto boxes very very easy to drive and nicely kitted out motors with air con cd player etc. Then it was a trip to a scrapyard in Bradford with a full 44ft of scrap roll gages. Again not often you see a full liveried supermarket truck parked in a little scrapyard but there you go. Slow ride back to yard and i hang around for a second run. Got a run into Headingly leeds which i had been waiting for as this was the shop i used to be a manager in so was very eager to revisit the old stomping ground . This delivery was completed on a 24" trailer as it is very tight ot get into. However never pulled a trailer so small and didnt realise how much harder they are to reverse than a full length 44"!!!

Friday,

Got my tour pretty early and it was two around nottingham. one to Bestwood and the other carlton. Arrived at the first drop and was surpirsed to see a fairly big car park to use to reverse down to a loading dock with a raised area to level off the trailer. got onto this and dropped the taillift ready to unload. the back door opens and the guy says “sorry mate” lifts broke will have to drop down here. So pulls off the dock and then backed down to the backdoor. however now i was at a really steep angle down to the door so i raised the trailer to max and dropped the unit but still couldnt get rid of the slope.

Anyway this delivery is all gages so undo the straps mindfull the gages might roll so i lay them in front of the wheels to stop them coming forward…“it didnt work” had nine gages coming forward at me with some nice weight on. was like a bloody octupus trying to keep them all in the trailer!!! NOTE for next time make sure the wheels are well blocked on steep slopes!!! So delivery eventually completed but done very slowly and getting the empties back on was as hard and off to drop two. A nice trip “across town” to the other side of notttingham to another nasty little reverse down between a chinese and another building to a loading bay the alley was just wider than the unit and again right next to a car park with cars trying to get in and out! managed it again and this delivery goes well.

Saturday.

Earlier start today and its off to cockerton and then back to wetherby. The usuall blind side reverse into a busy car park required again at cockerton and the sun was shining so it was a very busy high street but a passing traffic warden stopped traffic for me to get across the main streeet and into the car park… nice one. delivery seemed to take a while ,wonder if that was to do with the sun… and then a slow ride down to wetherby. got there bang on delivery time to be confronted by a “bad un” and there was no way i could get in with the cars parked on the road like they were. hung around for about 20 and this car didnt move so plan b was to tip at the front door. just got started moving and guess what “buddy turns upto move his car” so back to plan A and its another tight un. across the street and screw round on your good side down the side of a wall watching the railings on the left. nice!!!

So that was it ,1 week down and im already getting more confident with the backwards bit… Youve got to be in this job!

ive pulled trailers from 24" to 44" ambient and chill

Ive driven units from new dafs and volvos on 05 plate to a renault premium on an s.

Ive got into places i never thought possible.

And best of all

I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT