I ask, because I’ve never had one. I just get a set of keys thrown in my general direction ‘right now sod off’.
My instructor told me I’d have 3 or 4 days minimum as a co driver or with a co driver, or an assessment when agency. I find it amusing that companies would just throw a new driver out in a tri axle truck down the backend of nowhere down 9 foot wide lanes and not give it a second thought.
Best I’ve had so far was a brief induction at Jewsons on how to operate the tail lift and curtains.
iomex:
I ask, because I’ve never had one. I just get a set of keys thrown in my general direction ‘right now sod off’.
My instructor told me I’d have 3 or 4 days minimum as a co driver or with a co driver, or an assessment when agency. I find it amusing that companies would just throw a new driver out in a tri axle truck down the backend of nowhere down 9 foot wide lanes and not give it a second thought.
Best I’ve had so far was a brief induction at Jewsons on how to operate the tail lift and curtains.
I’ve had two; DHL, and XPO. The DHL one consisted of a 30 minute drive followed by a bit of classroom work: some health and safety and highway code type questions. Their assessment lasts for a year and allows me to work in any DHL site during that time. The XPO one was a 45 minute drive followed by about 4 hours classroom stuff: powerpoint presentations and highway code + theory tests questions. They also gave a very thorough site induction - a welcomed change.
Virtually every other company, however, has been much like you say: throw a set of keys and the post code(s) at you and wave you goodbye
I’ve had 2. First one was at NR Evans which consisted of driving from the yard to the dairy with A.N.Other approx 15min drive down a straight road, hmm really challenging. The other was a questionnaire which was supposed to be followed by an on the road assessment but half way through filling in my name on the questionnaire I got told to forget it as the route was running late, “just don’t hit anything” they said as I was walking out to the yard.
Not done any work for any of the big names but the smaller companies I work for ‘assume’ you know the job inside and out: every bit of kit like curtains, tail lifts, driven every sort of wagon going etc… and that would be (imo) because when that company phones the agency for a driver, the agency have possibly said you are the mutts nuts to get the money.
I’ve had assessments at every placement I’ve done with agency. They all seem to be high quality firms running clean, modern fleets and trying to follow the rules (monitoring and clamping down hard on speeding, loads of paperwork and bureaucracy, fastidious about their trucks, damage reports and checks, D & A testing, that kind of thing).
The assessments have always been a combination of theory tests covering driver hours rules, highway code, road signs at so forth, practical road tests for around 45 minutes or so, reversing tests (including blindside), then lots of induction and site rules, company policies, form filling, safety briefing, more form filling, signing entire books of rules to say I’ve understood and agree to abide by them etc etc.
I don’t mind it, really. I try to be a good boy, follow the rules and do the right thing wherever I am, so a compliant company trying to do the right thing also kind of fits in neatly with my own philosophy.
You’ll probably find the big blue chip firms will have a longish assessment covering all types of stuff where as the smaller firms might not have anything or perhaps a quick spin around the block, I used to do agency assessments for Culina and they would be about 4 hrs in total and the driver would then gain a good knowledge of all the procedures etc but I don’t think the agency used to pay them though.
