After almost one entire week of nothing from the agencies that I’m registered with after leaving my full time job last Friday after a paid trail shift through one of them a fortnight before (took the gamble after getting extremely fed of it and a very low esteem . ) I rang one of them today and they said there maybe be a day’s work from a well known outfit based in Newton Aycliffe (the one with silver trucks) on a Palletline contract through their Darlington office. So I obliged and hot footed it there for a 12.30pm start.
When I arrived at their yard, the TM took photocopies of my cards (driving licence, DQC, etc), and then went back to his desk at the back of the office, just out of earshot. Whilst he was on the phone, he mumbled something about an assessment, so I thought that they were going to send someone with me to assess my driving before sending me out on my run, and this was indeed the case. Once more, the assessor was the fleet engineer.
After being handed the keys to a 13 plate Mercedes Actros 18 tonner with a straight 6 manual (no splitter), I did the usual walk-around checks, and the assessor said just drive out of the yard and then turn right into a building site for one of their new warehouses about 50 yards down the road, so I could get used to the gearbox. After doing a simple reversing exercise, he said that wasn’t enough for him, so he wanted me to do a circuit around the industrial estate, assuming that he wanted to see me use all the gears properly and how I drove generally.
After we returned to the yard, he asked me to drive into the warehouse to await further instructions. So, afer waiting about 5 minutes, the TM walked up me and he mentioned that the assessor was not happy with the way I was changing gear, and therefore
I wasn’t going out on my booked run today , and got sent home afterwards .
I felt like that I was already mastering the 'box very well, and also drove very carefully during the assement drive, but apparently my driving was not up to their standards. And also, I’ve heard they have a very strict training regime, and their full timers have to be trained their MD’s way.
I’m feeling really gutted after today’s experience and I’m worried about it tarnishing my reputation with the agency who offered me that job.