My Transport manager has been nitpicking the last few weeks.
Am an agency worker and have worked where I am for the last 6 months. He hasnt been there for the first 4 months approx due to a medical reason.
So all going fine until he turned up.
What can a Transport manager tell me what to do?
Can he tell me how to load my truck up with roll cages? I like to put 2 on their side and then on on the end across the back of the truck while he seems to like them all on their end, none on their sides?
Can he tell me to take all the shrink wrap left the empty roll cages we collect before loading them onto the truck to bring them back to our yard - while i prefer to do it undercover back at our yard?
He said I would have to pay for a new wand/remote for tail lift if i broke it as I like leaving it in the rear of the truck ready for the next drop while he wants me to pack it away after each use? Can he really do it?
He is also belittling my reversing to another delivery driver who told me he said I should take my test again.
He has also today tried to win an argument by saying " you are on more money than them " in response to me saying about the shrink wrap above that the normal drivers dont take it off before bringing them back to our yard.
The last 2 hours of the shift today I was replaying his words over and over again and I really am annoyed with how he seems to be treating me. I know us agency guys are looked down upon but this is my first real taste of it.
Should I say something to him tomorrow about it or go above his head and tell the boss?
Hes been in the job longer than me so expect his wisdom is better than mine but I disagree with a lot of what he says and feel its disrespectful to say so to him but its happening more and more lately.
I would suggest you have a word with him and explain that you are inexperienced compared to him, but you feel he is being unreasonable with a couple of his requests.
Dependant on the outcome, either live with it or just get another job mate.
It may well be that there’s good reasons for what he’s saying. If he’s the sort of bloke with whom you can have a sensible conversation you could try "You’ve been in this job a lot longer than me. I’m not arguing, but can you tell me why you want me to (whatever the request is) so I understand the best way of doing the job please. "
If I was the TM, I would respond well to that without getting involved in lengthy discussions or argument.
If, however, he’s a power crazed TM, you need to put up and shut up or look for an alternative.
I really hope you can find a way forward without falling out.
Your green as grass really, and much of what he is trying to impress upon is stuff that he wants you to do because something could go wrong, or has gone wrong in the past, which hasn’t happened to you yet, out of either luck or good skills on your behalf.
But what you’ve got to remember is that good practice, and best practice, are about risk mitigation. You’re too new to know where you can be cutting corners with those practices really.
All that being said if you have asked him politely why he wants something doing, and he won’t tell you then he’s a ■■■■ and not worth working for.
There are plenty of tips that I’ve tried impart to our newer drivers, but I always say, I’ve done it this way… because… the effect of this is… the things that can go wrong if you do it a different way are…
Why was the manager off? Was it a broken nose?
Whether or not he has good points to make about where to stow lift controls etc he obviously is doing a bad job of communicating them to you. If you intend staying then prove you’re better than him by asking politely for explanations for hus advice. If you only get bluster back you’ll know what a ■■■■■■ he is.
If you get good reasons then fine, lesson learned.
If he ends up picking on you because you’re the youngest then maybe consider going over his head. Depends how big the company is. But as you’re agency you will have very little clout where you are.
Putting him back on the sick may seem tempting but ain’t a good plan. Get out with a clean sheet before things get that bad.
If he wants you to unplug the remote lead and keep it in the cab while travelling you should do what he wants, it is company property and he has a right to ask you to observe his wishes.
I am not fully understanding the shrink wrap issue, but I assume that the company views its disposal to be down to the shop to which the product was delivered, which seems reasonable.
He should not be belittling you.
Tesco have a policy about loading cages which makes sense from a safety point of view. Their curtain side trailers are capable of carrying rollcages because of their securing system. Assuming you are using a box body all cages should be loaded upright. Their cages should be loaded so that only one cage per row has it wheels pointing towards the headboard/shutter. The other two cages must be turned through a right angle so that the wheels point across the line of travel. The position of the single cage must change each row so: left, middle, right.This way the cages form a block. They then strap every row. Loading cages so that they all point front to rear is asking for trouble whether they are strapped each row or not.
If you are using a curtainside body which has not been designed to carry roll cages then you should find another job.
cav551:
If he wants you to unplug the remote lead and keep it in the cab while travelling you should do what he wants, it is company property and he has a right to ask you to observe his wishes
Basically this. It’s their property, so you should do things how they want them to be done - unless of course they’re asking you to do something illegal or inherently dangerous. For example, getting rid of shrink wrap ASAP seems fair enough as shrink wrap is a safety hazard. I’m sure you stow it safely, but others may not, hence the policy. If it’s not stored properly, it can be a trip hazard, get jammed in cage wheels, etc.
eagerbeaver:
I would suggest you have a word with him and explain that you are inexperienced compared to him, but you feel he is being unreasonable with a couple of his requests.
Dependant on the outcome, either live with it or just get another job mate.
Peter Smythe:
It may well be that there’s good reasons for what he’s saying. If he’s the sort of bloke with whom you can have a sensible conversation you could try "You’ve been in this job a lot longer than me. I’m not arguing, but can you tell me why you want me to (whatever the request is) so I understand the best way of doing the job please. "
If I was the TM, I would respond well to that without getting involved in lengthy discussions or argument.
If, however, he’s a power crazed TM, you need to put up and shut up or look for an alternative.
I really hope you can find a way forward without falling out.
All the best, Pete
Hi Peter.
Decided to have a word with him but he wanted to have a witness in there with him. I am not with a union so had noone in with me. Considering all I wanted was a quiet word it ended up being an awkward meeting. He became irritated when I started questioning some of his reasons and the meeting abruptly ended. He claimed he was joking when he said “you are on more money than them”. Have taken it up with my agency who are not happy that a meeting went ahead without me having a witness. They are going to go above his head now to take it further.
F-reds:
Your green as grass really, and much of what he is trying to impress upon is stuff that he wants you to do because something could go wrong, or has gone wrong in the past, which hasn’t happened to you yet, out of either luck or good skills on your behalf.
But what you’ve got to remember is that good practice, and best practice, are about risk mitigation. You’re too new to know where you can be cutting corners with those practices really.
All that being said if you have asked him politely why he wants something doing, and he won’t tell you then he’s a ■■■■ and not worth working for.
There are plenty of tips that I’ve tried impart to our newer drivers, but I always say, I’ve done it this way… because… the effect of this is… the things that can go wrong if you do it a different way are…
I have done loading and unloading for many many years but still think I can always learn. However green I am, I also am not always wrong. He could learn from me and a lot of the guys on here.
Franglais:
Why was the manager off? Was it a broken nose?
Whether or not he has good points to make about where to stow lift controls etc he obviously is doing a bad job of communicating them to you. If you intend staying then prove you’re better than him by asking politely for explanations for hus advice. If you only get bluster back you’ll know what a ■■■■■■ he is.
If you get good reasons then fine, lesson learned.
If he ends up picking on you because you’re the youngest then maybe consider going over his head. Depends how big the company is. But as you’re agency you will have very little clout where you are.
Putting him back on the sick may seem tempting but ain’t a good plan. Get out with a clean sheet before things get that bad.
Sent from my GT-S7275R using Tapatalk
His reasons are not justified. I called a meeting but it didnt go too well.
I am an inquisitive soul, and my nature is to ask questions. I have learned over the years that it can put people’s noses out of joint because they think I am arguing with them when, in fact, all I am trying to do is learn why.
If you are going to ask ‘why’ to anything, always be careful to explain that you are not arguing, you are wanting to learn from their experience/wisdom/knowledge etc. If you massage their ego this way then you might actually get to learn some useful stuff.
It is no good just being told to do x, y or z unless they also explain why you should do it that way. Packing away the remote for the tail lift is a good example. He has told you to pack it away, he explained the reason to be that this reduces the risk of breakage, and the consequences of disobedience are that you will have to pay for it if you break it. That sounds all perfectly sound and reasonable to me, and there is no good reason why I would not then follow the instruction as I understand why.
If he is willing to talk you through the logic of the other rules you may find they are all made with sound reason.
However, if they cannot be explained then you may find you have put the TM is an awkward position, so be careful.
cav551:
If he wants you to unplug the remote lead and keep it in the cab while travelling you should do what he wants, it is company property and he has a right to ask you to observe his wishes. Really? Its more likely to be broken taking it back and forth, surely. I have had lots of jobs in the past as a drivers mate and the wand/remote is always left there in the back. Does anyone really take it back and forth?
I am not fully understanding the shrink wrap issue, but I assume that the company views its disposal to be down to the shop to which the product was delivered, which seems reasonable.
He should not be belittling you.
Tesco have a policy about loading cages which makes sense from a safety point of view. Their curtain side trailers are capable of carrying rollcages because of their securing system. Assuming you are using a box body all cages should be loaded upright. Their cages should be loaded so that only one cage per row has it wheels pointing towards the headboard/shutter. The other two cages must be turned through a right angle so that the wheels point across the line of travel. The position of the single cage must change each row so: left, middle, right.This way the cages form a block. They then strap every row. Loading cages so that they all point front to rear is asking for trouble whether they are strapped each row or not. This is the exact reason why I want to load it like the former but the Transport Manager wants the latter. He should be teaching me the correct way but I feel its improper to correct him as he “knows better”
If you are using a curtainside body which has not been designed to carry roll cages then you should find another job.
Not using curtainsider, sorry for not making that clearer
ORC:
I am an inquisitive soul, and my nature is to ask questions. I have learned over the years that it can put people’s noses out of joint because they think I am arguing with them when, in fact, all I am trying to do is learn why. Yes this might be my problem too. Or asking too many questions seems to be another
If you are going to ask ‘why’ to anything, always be careful to explain that you are not arguing, you are wanting to learn from their experience/wisdom/knowledge etc. If you massage their ego this way then you might actually get to learn some useful stuff.Might have to try this in the future
It is no good just being told to do x, y or z unless they also explain why you should do it that way. Packing away the remote for the tail lift is a good example. He has told you to pack it away, he explained the reason to be that this reduces the risk of breakage, and the consequences of disobedience are that you will have to pay for it if you break it. That sounds all perfectly sound and reasonable to me, and there is no good reason why I would not then follow the instruction as I understand why.I spoke to my agency who said that I am not liable for damages at all so its all bs. I still leave it on the back of the truck but put it away when its being loaded. I see no other driver doing it and thats my reason for being a little bit stubborn. Feel like he picking on me
If he is willing to talk you through the logic of the other rules you may find they are all made with sound reason. What happens if his reasons are not justified at all and you know its all bs. Do I still go along with it?
However, if they cannot be explained then you may find you have put the TM is an awkward position, so be careful.
blue estate:
Union or no union you’re entitled to a witness ,
I think because his own staff don’t respect him he’s trying it on you
I was more interested in trying to sort out the problem than having a witness on my side. However now that the meeting was a waste of time then its something I will learn by and know for future use
There’s a rule somewhere saying I can’t kill stupid people. Personally I think the rule ■■■■■, it is hampering the evolution of man through natural selection, and it would be perfectly justified and logical to kill them. However, someone says that it just isn’t nice and I mustn’t. That’s bs as far as I’m concerned.
Unfortunately agreement is optional, but compliance is mandatory. That’s what I have to do even if I disagree with the rule.
I do see others killing stupid people from time to time, but that still doesn’t make it right apparently.
Life ■■■■■, and life often isn’t fair, but there comes a time when it is just easier to go with the flow and swallow all the bs, however distasteful it might be. That way I continue to get work, and I continue to be paid. I think it might be something to do with old age setting in…
