I see the DPD bloke sometimes at a place in Vianen near Utrecht, which only has two bays suitable for artics. If one bay is occupied when he gets there, he has to reverse his trailer onto the other bay, and then unhook the trailer and park the prime mover out of the way as he’s blocking the service road. If the other bay is still occupied when the trailer has been unloaded, he then has to hook the prime mover back up, move the trailer and park that out of the way, and then unhook again to put the prime mover onto the bay, having made sure first of all that one of the trucks in the waiting line doesn’t nick his spot. Then, he has to hook back up to the trailer again before he’s finally on his way.
It all seems a big faff if you’re on the same money as a regular artic, especially if it’s night time and chucking down with rain.
With my shift, I’m having to start about fifteen minutes earlier now because at my first pick up, one of these DPD double rigs arrives about the same time, and if I don’t get in front of him, I’ll be waiting at least 40 minutes before I get on the bay and it puts me behind for the rest of the night. If I get round the corner and see he’s there already, it’s time to curse !