As a relatively new driver only having held my Class 1 only for 3 months, Not sure if its me or not but is it normal to feel like you have too make the delivery slot times you are given. I understand traffic,accidents etc can make you late,but i feel like im under pressure to get there on time. Or is this just a simple case of me worrying too much being a new driver.
It gets there…
When I get there. It always has and it always will. Don’t ever sweat numpties in the office trying to hustle you to get somewhere. Drive how you wanna drive and get there sensibly without killing people or getting a ticket.
Until you are transporting live organs/blood for human transplant operations, you just do the best you can in the conditions on the day. If that means you have to stop to have a break before you get to a timed drop, then take a break.
If the M25 has delayed you by an hour, ring in and tell the planning numpties you’ve been delayed, forget about it and drive steady to your destination.
As far as I know there is no dispensation for a speeding ticket in regards to being late for a delivery/collection.
yourhavingalarf:
It gets there…When I get there. It always has and it always will. Don’t ever sweat numpties in the office trying to hustle you to get somewhere. Drive how you wanna drive and get there sensibly without killing people or getting a ticket.
Until you are transporting live organs/blood for human transplant operations, you just do the best you can in the conditions on the day. If that means you have to stop to have a break before you get to a timed drop, then take a break.
If the M25 has delayed you by an hour, ring in and tell the planning numpties you’ve been delayed, forget about it and drive steady to your destination.
As far as I know there is no dispensation for a speeding ticket in regards to being late for a delivery/collection.
Summed up perfectly.
Just relax,time slots are for losers…if a place orders good on say a Wednesday and you turn up on a Wednesday it’s on time 
Try not to worry about it,you are either on time or you ain’t,not much you can do about extenuating circumstances that make you late.
Get there when YOU get there,most office numpties rely on computer routing.
Where I worked, before retiring, computer routing was based on you being the only person on the road with no traffic lights no delays and you traveled at max speed limits everywhere. Delivery times where based on, for example, 120 miles would take say 3.00 hours half hour for checks and paperwork start at 05.00 delivery time would 8.30.
Do the job in your time not computer time its YOUR Licence not the Companies.
At the risk of sounding like a bloater, many years ago I had an easy-going approach to hours laws and things like speed limiters, as did a lot of us who are the far side of forty.
If you think the tangs you hear about and see nowadays are bad, you weren’t doing it in the good old bad old days. I’m not trying to big us oldies up, it wasn’t big and it wasn’t clever, but I must admit it was (sometimes) fun. A 50-hour shunt was never fun, though.
One day I was in some service station or other in Arschfick-Oost, and was chatting to another driver, who asked me where I was going. It was 3 or 4 countries away and about a thousand miles, and of course it had to be there yesterday. When I told him when it had to be there, he looked at me incredulously and said; “Why? Is the fridge ■■■■■■ or something? You’re a mug mate”.
That man changed my approach for ever, and possibly saved my life.
Yes, it’s normal to feel under pressure to make delivery times, especially as a newbie and especially as a someone who takes a bit of pride in what they’re doing.
However, a piece of advice that I was given and found really resonated with me is - “focus on being a good driver, everything else will take care of itself.”
If you’re going to be late, figure out how late, then add a bit of margin and tell your planner as soon as possible. That’s their department. Your department is driving your lorry safely and if you’re on time, that’s a bonus.
Set a standard for yourself, and stick to it.
If I ever turned up late at a delivery point the first thing I did when I got into goods inwards was to apologise for being late, only ever failed once. Got tipped as soon as they could fit me in. Being snotty with the staff there does no good as I witnessed a few times.
I guess being the newbie i worry that if im not doing it quick enough i might get shown the door, Thanks for the advice much appreciated.
Dirty_Mascot:
I guess being the newbie i worry that if im not doing it quick enough i might get shown the door, Thanks for the advice much appreciated.
If you do (you won’t) you don’t wanna work for them anyway.
waddy640:
If I ever turned up late at a delivery point the first thing I did when I got into goods inwards was to apologise for being late, only ever failed once. Got tipped as soon as they could fit me in. Being snotty with the staff there does no good as I witnessed a few times.
I never apologise for something that has nothing to do with me.
It doesn’t really matter if you’re late or not, no is getting pregnant or going to die. It can be the most stress free job ever if you’re paid from the neck down.
TheUncaringCowboy:
waddy640:
If I ever turned up late at a delivery point the first thing I did when I got into goods inwards was to apologise for being late, only ever failed once. Got tipped as soon as they could fit me in. Being snotty with the staff there does no good as I witnessed a few times.I never apologise for something that has nothing to do with me.
It doesn’t really matter if you’re late or not, no is getting pregnant or going to die. It can be the most stress free job ever if you’re paid from the neck down.
It does if it’s a late period 
Its their truck and its some one elses load, but its your licence, its your business to keep it clean. Stay well clear of Getthereitiss, its what killed Casey Jones and sunk the Lusitania.
Dirty_Mascot:
I guess being the newbie i worry that if im not doing it quick enough i might get shown the door, Thanks for the advice much appreciated.
The way the job is today mate is like this.
The more you let them push you the more they do it.
The more you do the more they want.
So…
Do the job at a steady, safe, sensible and legal pace and there is ■■■■ all they can do.
Set that pace and maintain it, leave the running around like your arse is on fire to the brown nosers, spineless and ‘‘eager to please their boss’’ type knobs, …while at the same time you laugh at them when you get the same pay as they do for having a much easier and stress free life in comparison to them. 
Works for me.
The world will not end if Tesco get their load of bog rolls a bit late. 
robroy:
Dirty_Mascot:
I guess being the newbie i worry that if im not doing it quick enough i might get shown the door, Thanks for the advice much appreciated.The way the job is today mate is like this.
The more you let them push you the more they do it.
The more you do the more they want.
So…
Do the job at a steady, safe, sensible and legal pace and there is [zb] all they can do.
Set that pace and maintain it, leave the running around like your arse is on fire to the brown nosers, spineless and ‘‘eager to please their boss’’ type knobs, …while at the same time you laugh at them when you get the same pay as they do for having a much easier and stress free life in comparison to them.
Works for me.The world will not end if Tesco get their load of bog rolls a bit late.
I’m Hourly paid with a time and half OT rate , so why rush 
Rushing = less money and more stress 
Plodding = more money and less stress 
End of the day you get told to start at 6 you start at 6.
If you arrive late for your slot .
Not your problem
If however your told you have 8am a slot tomorrow start when you like. Then it is your problem.
But in all cases if you encounter any delays ring office keep them.informed.
You can only do what you can no point in rushing that’s how accidents happen.
some good advice on here, more people should read it …now for instance im on with the big pipeline job passing through my area ,now im on with a new crew (was with other crew for couple o months as designated contract driver ) and the new foreman gives me my list o “crossings” to load from for the day and do what I can do as they finish working at 4.30 due to the early dark and snow and thick ice on the roads and ROWs and also they travel 2hrs to their digs…now on Thursday a new contractor sent a truck on and had the same list as me … 
it was like working with billy whiz!!! ,we are all hr paid and trucks on a day rate …guess what he got gunned by the pipeline safety at 130kph on a 80k gravel road friggen loaded as well. he didn’t even get to unload the bedding sand take it back to pit and ■■ off!! now the point is "it gets there when it gets there " if they wanted it earlier they would have ordered it earlier …different if youre tossing the job off but if your tacho shows you are moving don’t let them get to you. jimmy in the frozen prairies.
Drempels:
At the risk of sounding like a bloater, many years ago I had an easy-going approach to hours laws and things like speed limiters, as did a lot of us who are the far side of forty.If you think the tangs you hear about and see nowadays are bad, you weren’t doing it in the good old bad old days. I’m not trying to big us oldies up, it wasn’t big and it wasn’t clever, but I must admit it was (sometimes) fun. A 50-hour shunt was never fun, though.
One day I was in some service station or other in Arschfick-Oost, and was chatting to another driver, who asked me where I was going. It was 3 or 4 countries away and about a thousand miles, and of course it had to be there yesterday. When I told him when it had to be there, he looked at me incredulously and said; “Why? Is the fridge [zb] or something? You’re a mug mate”.
That man changed my approach for ever, and possibly saved my life.
As i said there is one born every minute had to be told how not to be available every minute
JIMBO47:
some good advice on here, more people should read it …now for instance im on with the big pipeline job passing through my area ,now im on with a new crew (was with other crew for couple o months as designated contract driver ) and the new foreman gives me my list o “crossings” to load from for the day and do what I can do as they finish working at 4.30 due to the early dark and snow and thick ice on the roads and ROWs and also they travel 2hrs to their digs…now on Thursday a new contractor sent a truck on and had the same list as me …
Bloody hell mate, where are you?!
I agree with you, my start time on Monday is 08:30, I’m hoping to get there for about 07:30, just to make sure I miss the traffic and have time for a Monday treat of a posh coffee and a bacon and cheese thingy (yeah, I know, living the dream). Get my week’s stuff sorted out in the lorry, and generally get my head into work mode. If I find a defect on whatever they give me, then I’ll call someone to sort it, or get it trans-shipped. If I do a fifteen Mon, Tue, and Wed, so what? It’s legal, and it’s my job. Means I’ve “only” got thirteens left Thu and Fri, great!
out on the prairies in Manitoba Canada Drempels, aye got snow last week iirc think they said 10-15cms but at -10c+ it turns to ice today its -6c with freezing fog (coming week seems to be a high of -14c )couldn’t see the machine bucket to reverse under it from a truck length away…so days wage /truck rate go home says safety hehehe went in at 9am home at 10am