Have you been trained?

For about a year our debrief has involved the foreman asking a number of inane questions and ticking or crossing boxes on a piece of paper for each driver as necessary. Our depot is smaller than than the main depot so generally a lot more relaxed with only the relevant info given (how much fuel/ ad blu/ dropped or extra loads), things such as defects or tyre work are known long before it comes to debriefing. Most of this info is already covered by either the defect book or daily work sheets already. Rather than wait maybe a couple of hours for the foreman to get back into the yard it’s long been accepted by all of us that you fill in the sheet yourself and leave it for the foreman (or cover) to sign on his return, no issues whatsoever.

Recently, due to whoever is supposed to check through this pointless exercise back at the main depot wasting too much time reading 50-60 sheets daily they’ve changed it to a computer/ tab questionnaire with radio buttons for yes/ no, with some responses chucking out a box to enter specific details.

The foreman, the assistant foreman and one other driver have wasted half a day each being trained to use the laptop we’ve been provided with. It is quite comical watching log in attempts a few weeks in, none of them have memorised the password and the 2 finger typing approach usually leads to 3 or 4 failed log in attempts before success. The the questions in order ‘have you …?’, ‘yes’, ‘did you …?’ ‘no’, ‘why’, reason given. Day 1, with the TM present, ‘anything to add?’, ‘yes, this is taking too long’, he just laughed.

So, a couple of days ago the assistant foreman was taking a personal call and asked me to sort it out myself, which I duly did. He cleared off and the other ‘trained driver’ came into our office and opened up the laptop, I told him that I’d already done mine at the assistant foreman’s request, ‘who trained you?’, ‘no-one, I don’t need training to use a swear word laptop!’, ‘you mustn’t use this unless you’ve been trained, you might swear word it up’. ‘Yeah fine’, walked out and went home.

Saw the foreman next day, said that I’d had a run in with the other driver over it, he said that he’d heard and that when I finish earlier than one of the trained people I can either do my own or leave the paperwork for them to do it when back in the office.

I was in the office by myself yesterday morning when the phone rang, what should I do? I haven’t been trained to answer the phone, I might swear word it up by touching it. Decided that over 40 years experience in answering phones (we didn’t have a phone at home when I was a kid), a similar length of experience in using computers, should be enough to manage to take the call without catastrophe. Answered, took a message, relayed it to both the foreman and the driver it was intended for. No kittens came to harm.

I enjoyed reading that, thanks man
Sometime ya just gotta vent, right?
Yeah, funny stuff.

Mate of mine worked for Wincanton at Heinz, they took some of the extra long trailers during that industry trial a few years ago, needless to say the drivers were told they would need training on them. This “training” involved a quick loop up to Standish and down the M6 and then reverse onto to one of the bays for loading.
My mate turns up for a night run, the only trailer left was loaded and it was extra long, he says he can’t take it as he’s not been trained and of course there was no trainer present so he was hoping to be sent home. Not a problem though, the shift manager pulls out the paperwork from a draw, signs it, puts it back and tells him he’s trained!!
Yet more bullshine keeping some office chimp in a job while others just get on with it…

That´s just about how I got my Class 2

Any place who calls the handing in of paperwork at the end of a shift a ‘debrief’ deserve all the ■■■■ taking sarcasm one can muster.
Usually involving lengthy descriptions of parachuting onto rooftops, blowing the windows in with charges then abseiling through firing from the hip killing all terrorists, then mincing off home with a hero worshipping rescued ■■■■…ok i made the last bit up

The debrief at Kwik Save turned into a farce, they inputted lots of reasons for delays into the system so a code could be used when they did the daily reports…so of course we used to come up with all sorts of excuses that they wouldn’t have thought of, ie ‘‘driverless bus in bus lane’’, yes silly and childish but utter ■■■■■■■■ should always be answered with more of the same

Juddian:
Any place who calls the handing in of paperwork at the end of a shift a ‘debrief’ deserve all the ■■■■ taking sarcasm one can muster.
Usually involving lengthy descriptions of parachuting onto rooftops, blowing the windows in with charges then abseiling through firing from the hip killing all terrorists,

It always amuses me that also…, ‘‘Debrief’’ ffs .

Ok, If you’ve just returned in a Lancaster bomber after a bombing mission over Hamburg, you go through a debriefing.
If you pull into a yard after a shift delivering your bog rolls or whatever, you ‘‘Hand in your notes’’
Keep it real for Christ’s sake.

I did an assessment for Norberts a few years ago, me and another driver.
They had a mixture of Renaults and MAN’s at the time.

“You’se don’t need to know about the mans. Youse won’t be driving them. You need to be trained to drive them”, and he really emphasised the word “trained”

The other driver and myself looked at each other in bewilderment. Trained? To drive an man?

Waaaaayy back, in the last Century anyway, I did agency work for several years.
One of the regular clients was BOC Gases. So I’d be working from various depots around the central belt doing local deliveries of gas bottles, including the main depot near Glasgow.
I’d been doing this for at least 6 months when I was told to be at the Glasgow depot for 9am which was late because we usually started around 7, but never mind, longer lie in bed.
At 5 to 9 I report in to the usual office to get my run details. “Nope, no the day pal”, he says, “your on a training day over at that office”.
I spent a whole day, paid, being shown how to do what I’d been doing for different gas supply companies for several years, the little variations I’d managed to figure out for myself.
The biggest pain though was, we had to do an assessment drive in a DAF 80 . But we were not allowed to drive the newer DAF 85s, because we hadn’t been “trained” on them
You’ll realise that as an agency driver, I’d drive a 95 one day, an MAN the next, a Volvo, ERF, Merc and so on. Getting an 85 was a downgrade, but I wasn’t trained on how to drive a truck
I was no longer allowed to hitch up the A frame drag trailer at the Dundee depot, or to reverse it around the block to keep my hand in.
What was extremely galling about that particular thing is that it was me who had trained the trainer on how to reverse a [ZB] A frame drag trailer
[ZB] [ZB] jobsworths

I feel better now I’ve got that off my chest

Ahhh ■■■■ Simon…good stuff. I can fell the relief from here in London

robroy:
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Ok, If you’ve just returned in a Lancaster bomber after a bombing mission over Hamburg, you go through a debriefing.
.

The MK 1 2 3 or 4 as there is a difference my uncle used to fly them will ask if you want

I’ll always remember the day at a Wincanton site I spilled a load of coffee in the brew room, went for the mop and got told to put a wet floor sign out & leave it till the cleaner comes in.

I hadn’t been trained on the mop.

I really haven’t got it in me to work for one of these companies that operates such practices. Our paperwork goes on the desk in the office (which makes it resemble a shoddy private eyes desk) and the late shift admin girl deals with it before hanging our job sheets up for the next morning

When I started at Brit European I was asked if I’d used a kooiap/moffet before, …I hadn’t.
I was then told they would ‘‘train me’’.

The Belgian ‘‘Training Course’’ took all of 5 minutes,.and went a bit like this.
''That is lift, that is drop, that is forward, that is reverse.
‘‘Now off you go and ship back to UK with 20 + drops on’’

How long is a UK moffet course last, and how long is the test?
After all the H&S course and risk assesments that is.

OVLOV JAY:
I really haven’t got it in me to work for one of these companies that operates such practices. Our paperwork goes on the desk in the office (which makes it resemble a shoddy private eyes desk) and the late shift admin girl deals with it before hanging our job sheets up for the next morning

I work out of a shed, pick my notes up for next job and dump the previous days notes in the tray, apart from a phone call now and again thats the only contact with office staff I get or need!

The-Snowman:
I did an assessment for Norberts a few years ago, me and another driver.
They had a mixture of Renaults and MAN’s at the time.

“You’se don’t need to know about the mans. Youse won’t be driving them. You need to be trained to drive them”, and he really emphasised the word “trained”

The other driver and myself looked at each other in bewilderment. Trained? To drive an man?

Of course you need “trained” - that’s some sized steering wheel you know.

Can’t just hand them over to anyone [emoji6][emoji6]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OVLOV JAY:
I really haven’t got it in me to work for one of these companies that operates such practices. Our paperwork goes on the desk in the office (which makes it resemble a shoddy private eyes desk) and the late shift admin girl deals with it before hanging our job sheets up for the next morning

I doubt I would last more than a day or two. I have a mate who works on agency for these types of pond life companies and how any grown adult can even stand being treated like that baffles me.

I phone the boss the day before I start, go to the truck and get a few text messages when I’m away with what I’m doing and load numbers, which boat I’m getting etc. Sometimes he’ll call if there’s an urgent change of plans, I’ll call if something goes wrong. I’ve managed 6 weeks with no contact other than some texts before.

after being in tesco for the agency for 2 yers i had to be taken into the back of the trailer with the head pleb instructor to be inducted and certified as to how to shove a pallet truck barrow into the half size pallets they started using for bottles of juice.signed off and now fully trained in how to lift a small pallet of drinks…words actually did fail me at that point.
i just found working for those type of companies completely demeaning and a total insult to my intelligence hence i could never consider a job like that ever again.
brain dead paid from the neck down hiviz wearing kebab meat in a seat employment is just not for me.

robroy:
How long is a UK moffet course last, and how long is the test?
After all the H&S course and risk assesments that is.

When I went approx 3 hrs ago ,it was a days course /assessment. And it cost me £120 to pay back a couple o months later when I left the company. Card las ats 5 years

Edit. Should read 3years ago not hours , doh

I was working for DHL, and we did all sorts, we did coffee sacks from one place to another, and had to be strapped with ratchet straps.

Fast forward to last year, I was doing builders merchants for DHL, and we occasionally helped with the steel lads on a run to Liverpool, and rail lads with sleepers to Durham, anyway strapped up the load of steel to the flatbed, just about to leave and get a phone call saying I can’t take it. No problem, take it back then question why not, apparently I hadn’t been trained to use a flat bed…

Questioned again what training was required, as a few weeks earlier I had taken railway sleepers from Doncaster to Durham, and nobody could answer. Still to this day I don’t have an answer, not that I care, working for a better place now, but baffled the crap outta me.

Nothing wrong with being trained properly, but this job has gone to the exact opposite extreme to when I started.

You were just chucked in at the deep end with everything, handed the keys and were expected to learn by yourself by asking and watching.

For example imagine being sent away now with an empty flat trailer to load it up, with 3 sheets on the back folded up, and be expected to load and sheet it up properly.
I was lucky as I had been on trips out with my Dad as a kid,.and with mates when older, so I had a fair idea how to apply 2 30 x 20 sheets, rope up properly, and fit a drip on top.
I still think that despite the guidance it kind of made you a better driver in a way,… but only imo.
Where as nowadays it isn’t so much training, it’s more like a spoon fed idiot’s guide to everything and every step taught to you as if you were some helpless ■■■■■■…
I reckon a happy medium is called for.