Anybody advise what the royal mail driving assessment involves have one next week cheers
Mine was - check trailer and unit, put card in, hook up to trailer, check trailer and unit again (air leaks, lights etc), reverse onto a bay, drive round the local area for an hour, return back to yard, reverse on bay and un hook trailer.
Nkh22:
Mine was - check trailer and unit, put card in, hook up to trailer, check trailer and unit again (air leaks, lights etc), reverse onto a bay, drive round the local area for an hour, return back to yard, reverse on bay and un hook trailer.
Sounds about right too me.
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Topcat1522:
Anybody advise what the royal mail driving assessment involves have one next week cheers
Where to NDC?
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Surprised that the RM unions are allowing that, unless it’s a socially distant assessment of course!
Topcat1522:
Anybody advise what the royal mail driving assessment involves have one next week cheers
is this at south omega topcat ?
mike68:
https://youtu.be/ThWA4QjV6VEA short clip of the type of driving required to make the grade.
Thats a pass lol
mike68:
https://youtu.be/ThWA4QjV6VEA short clip of the type of driving required to make the grade.
You also need to be able to throw straight and be popular enough not to get hit…
drover:
Topcat1522:
Anybody advise what the royal mail driving assessment involves have one next week cheersWhere to NDC?
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Yeh class 1 sorry should have said
Had a assessment few years back as NDC Crick class 1 via agency. As everybody says pretty standard stuff with regards to the actual assessment itself but there was a hideous amount of irrelevant paperwork that had to be filled out. Not sure if this applies if you are working direct…
Found the people in the transport to be ok apart from one vile specimen whom like to interrogate people at the end of my shift including myself. Absolute Hitler of a bell piece.
Also to note…i did a short stint at the rm Coventry distribution and was a absolute pleasure. Really friendly office staff could not help enough. (no I don’t work in there ha ha).
All in all rm was a good job but a lot of red tape and booked 1h 30 m breaks for 15 hour days.
Best of luck.
Bola86:
Had a assessment few years back as NDC Crick class 1 via agency. As everybody says pretty standard stuff with regards to the actual assessment itself but there was a hideous amount of irrelevant paperwork that had to be filled out. Not sure if this applies if you are working direct…Found the people in the transport to be ok apart from one vile specimen whom like to interrogate people at the end of my shift including myself. Absolute Hitler of a bell piece.
Make a point of not booking off until AFTER you’d had that “De-Brief”…
It used to make me laugh when I got carpeted for being 10 minutes late back, got de-briefed for another 45 minutes, and then I’d end up booking an entire hour over the flat hourage for that 318 covered…
In my mind, the firm could save a fortune, and smooth things considerably - if they just got rid of the entire “acting” and “trainer” staff, just keeping on their fully-made-up managers and drivers.The biggest pet hate of any unionized “Poacher-■■■-Gamekeeper” acting Manager/Trainer staff - is the bod who once worked there for years themselves, and knows the dodges and the “bulls hit antidote” as well as they do.
It might not protect me from their dishonesty in the end, but at least it doesn’t cost me in the pocket then and there, jumping through all these meaningless hoops all the time…
No job is worth compromising your entire life for - to keep.Also to note…i did a short stint at the rm Coventry distribution and was a absolute pleasure. Really friendly office staff could not help enough. (no I don’t work in there ha ha).
All in all rm was a good job but a lot of red tape and booked 1h 30 m breaks for 15 hour days.
Best of luck.
Topcat1522:
mike68:
https://youtu.be/ThWA4QjV6VEA short clip of the type of driving required to make the grade.
Thats a pass lol
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
this is what will be working alongside you… 
Went for this a couple of years ago , as most on here have said vehicle checks back on bay short run return drop trailer all easy enough , then he kept saying " this is a 94 Trailer this is a 54 Trailer etc. " I asked him what he meant and he said " it holds 94 Yorks Double Decker 54 Yorks single Decker " a York is their name for cages so some days you might do 4 runs tip and return that`s 94 tip 94 reload x 4 times or 54 the same if you are on a single Decker which = 752 Yorks/cages or 432 Yorks /cages , it was at this point that I jumped in the car and said to myself " ■■■■ that for a game of Soldiers " .
VOLSCADAF:
Went for this a couple of years ago , as most on here have said vehicle checks back on bay short run return drop trailer all easy enough , then he kept saying " this is a 94 Trailer this is a 54 Trailer etc. " I asked him what he meant and he said " it holds 94 Yorks Double Decker 54 Yorks single Decker " a York is their name for cages so some days you might do 4 runs tip and return that`s 94 tip 94 reload x 4 times or 54 the same if you are on a single Decker which = 752 Yorks/cages or 432 Yorks /cages , it was at this point that I jumped in the car and said to myself " [zb] that for a game of Soldiers " .
It’s not hard work though, it’s not like pulling cages doing supermarket deliveries, very rare to find a damaged one.
Nearly all bay work.
Only time it can get heavy is if your doing mail sort which is magazines/junk mail.
Anyway there is always someone to help unload & you only have to pull the cages to the bottom of the ramp. Unload & reload a DD in 25 mins ish.
If you go somewhere like prdc in London they are lazy as ■■■■ but the trick is to just fire off as many cages as you can then go sit on the ■■■■■■■■■■■ a coffee for 10 mins, shouting that you need help to the manager & your bay number as you go past.
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I had mine last xmas at Atherstone. Was pretty straightforward and the assessor was spot on. Not your usual CPC trained wannabe DVSA examiner. Just did the usual hook up, drive round then reverse onto a few bays. Back into the office and go through a few company procedures.
There was 4 of us. 2 groups of 2. One driver in the other group didn’t even make it out the yard and the guy with me was told to go home and never come back after fudging his reversing back at the yard.
Went ok for me though 
Just take it steady and you’ll be fine.
drover:
VOLSCADAF:
Went for this a couple of years ago , as most on here have said vehicle checks back on bay short run return drop trailer all easy enough , then he kept saying " this is a 94 Trailer this is a 54 Trailer etc. " I asked him what he meant and he said " it holds 94 Yorks Double Decker 54 Yorks single Decker " a York is their name for cages so some days you might do 4 runs tip and return that`s 94 tip 94 reload x 4 times or 54 the same if you are on a single Decker which = 752 Yorks/cages or 432 Yorks /cages , it was at this point that I jumped in the car and said to myself " [zb] that for a game of Soldiers " .It’s not hard work though, it’s not like pulling cages doing supermarket deliveries, very rare to find a damaged one.
Nearly all bay work.
Only time it can get heavy is if your doing mail sort which is magazines/junk mail.
Anyway there is always someone to help unload & you only have to pull the cages to the bottom of the ramp. Unload & reload a DD in 25 mins ish.If you go somewhere like prdc in London they are lazy as [zb] but the trick is to just fire off as many cages as you can then go sit on the [zb]/get a coffee for 10 mins, shouting that you need help to the manager & your bay number as you go past.
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I agree this is not hard work at all. I’m yet to pull a DD where I’ve actually used both decks. I did the once but it was a drop and swap, didn’t have to unload it. Last run I did had 13 yorks on a DD. Even had help with that too. Unloaded in less than 2 mins.
Nothing like supermarket work.
Be careful you don’t get pulled for “running late” though.
You get a fixed amount of time on the 318 sheet for unloading and re-loading the DD trailers.
When it is BUSY, you find (At NDC) that you don’t always get the cross docking crew (A lot of Afghans there) helping out as they should, even if you go on the correct allocated bay at the exact time you’re supposed to.
Loading the full whack of yorks all by yourself in the allocated time - is a rush job that’ll keep you fit, but woe betide you if you leave more than 9 minutes late!
At places like PRDC or Medway Mail Center - it will often be the case on arrival at busy times that the shop floor is full of yorks when you get there, and you then cannot unload your full DD load on top. If you can find a manager, they might tell you to drop your full trailer, and take away an empty - but only if there IS one. If you are going to run late, you’re supposed to phone this number and get an “authorization code” that I had a lot of trouble ever getting, as no one wants to take responsibility. “Doing the best you can” - doesn’t seem to cut it though, and the main cause of me running late used to be struggling to get a DD turned around at a busy hub.
Parcel Force runs into Coventry Hub were a doddle by comparison, as you just drop a full trailer, take a break, pick up a full trailer to go back with, and job done.
If you can keep pace at the busy times, you’ll reap the benefit of the quiet times, when the entire job becomes an absolute dream.
Shift pay rates at Weekends are not much different from Mid-week neither, so it is the ONLY place where I’d describe a “Any five from Seven” contract - as a rather cushy deal as long as it’s local to where you live
The main objection I ever had to working five shifts was being stuck with flat 8 hours x 5 rather than working 4 x12 and earning 20% more money, and 20% less commuting…
RM have a lot of shifts to cover that are over 10 hours all the time. 5x the optimum 10hr 55m shifts (only 1hr deducted for break) will net you nearly a grand per week top line.
If you do 5 x12 hours on the other hand, you’ll be deducted 90 minutes per shift, leaving you paid a 52.5 hour week which isn’t much more than the 49hr35m you’d get for 5x10hr55m shifts but you’ll be dead beat all the time. I woudn’t recommend a 60 hour working week to anyone, even a money grubber like me.
Winseer:
Be careful you don’t get pulled for “running late” though.You get a fixed amount of time on the 318 sheet for unloading and re-loading the DD trailers.
When it is BUSY, you find (At NDC) that you don’t always get the cross docking crew (A lot of Afghans there) helping out as they should, even if you go on the correct allocated bay at the exact time you’re supposed to.Loading the full whack of yorks all by yourself in the allocated time - is a rush job that’ll keep you fit, but woe betide you if you leave more than 9 minutes late!
At places like PRDC or Medway Mail Center - it will often be the case on arrival at busy times that the shop floor is full of yorks when you get there, and you then cannot unload your full DD load on top. If you can find a manager, they might tell you to drop your full trailer, and take away an empty - but only if there IS one. If you are going to run late, you’re supposed to phone this number and get an “authorization code” that I had a lot of trouble ever getting, as no one wants to take responsibility. “Doing the best you can” - doesn’t seem to cut it though, and the main cause of me running late used to be struggling to get a DD turned around at a busy hub.Parcel Force runs into Coventry Hub were a doddle by comparison, as you just drop a full trailer, take a break, pick up a full trailer to go back with, and job done.
If you can keep pace at the busy times, you’ll reap the benefit of the quiet times, when the entire job becomes an absolute dream.
Shift pay rates at Weekends are not much different from Mid-week neither, so it is the ONLY place where I’d describe a “Any five from Seven” contract - as a rather cushy deal as long as it’s local to where you live
The main objection I ever had to working five shifts was being stuck with flat 8 hours x 5 rather than working 4 x12 and earning 20% more money, and 20% less commuting…
RM have a lot of shifts to cover that are over 10 hours all the time. 5x the optimum 10hr 55m shifts (only 1hr deducted for break) will net you nearly a grand per week top line.
If you do 5 x12 hours on the other hand, you’ll be deducted 90 minutes per shift, leaving you paid a 52.5 hour week which isn’t much more than the 49hr35m you’d get for 5x10hr55m shifts but you’ll be dead beat all the time. I woudn’t recommend a 60 hour working week to anyone, even a money grubber like me.
I had read lots of your posts about Royal Mail and to an outsider they read like it’s a horrible job to be avoided at all costs.
I started with Royal Mail at Castleford YDC this week and the job is the easiest piece of ■■■■ I’ve ever done. The timings on your 318 sheet are very generous and unless you’re a useless pratnav driver it’s virtually impossible to be late anywhere. I’ve been doing YDC > Northampton PSC > Atherstone > YDC for 2100 start to 0610 finish and was able to get nearly 2 hours kip in at Northampton. Only takes 5 mins to roll off the yorks and a bunch of people helping you there. Atherstone was a different story, they only roll them to the dock and you have to put them on yourself and strap them which had me work up a sweat for a bone idle tw%t like me 
but I was still out of there for my departure time and always back at YDC well before my 318 ETA.
YDC to NN PSC they allocate you 2:40 driving time but you can do it in 2 hours dead if you get your toe down. Can’t remember timing from NN PSC to ATH but easily knocked 30 mins off that sticking to 50 on the A5.
The hardest part was trying to get them to answer the door buzzer at YDC. 
Just to give you other RM guys a laugh, I found out the hard way that the yorks move better after you’ve lifted up the yellow bar 
As well as that, like most big outfits they have a zero-tolerance on DH/WTD etc, a mate of mine went to work for them last year and within the first two weeks he was getting grief because he didn’t understand the readouts from their analysis software and wasn’t keeping his own records of hours.