Yesterday after running the length of the country, about 500miles, I had ran out of screenwash. Asked the office for a couple of litres to get me preferably to the yard or at least a services.
Almost didn’t get the nod.
Office were not for it at first but understood it was a one off. But had a driver come up to me in the yard when I went to fill up telling me I couldn’t touch it and then run away to grass to the office. I actually pointed to the window which was covered in dirt but according to him it was still ‘against company policy’ or whatever pointy shoe reason he came up with as he made a B line for the office door. Little did he know I had asked in advance
We don’t have the luxury of a power washer at our place as we’re still waiting for the previous one to be replaced which got nicked a couple of years ago. That means washing the trucks and trailers by hand as best we can when in the yard, but it’s not as bad as it sounds as most of the places we go have a small pressure washer themselves or at least a hosepipe. Anyway, at base we’ve been using empty product tubs for the soapy hot water. A few weeks back the CEO (who, for 2 years, has been telling us a new power washer is coming soon) spotted the tubs and came marching over to see what we were doing with them outside of the production facility. When he saw they had mucky water in from washing the truck he completely flipped out and went into a frenzy screaming about how they are against the regulations and if we had a spot compliance visit they’d close the company down . One would perhaps think this heinous crime would have been the prod he needed to finally go ahead and purchase the pressure water. No. The next day we were all provided with colour-coded buckets, only to be used for washing the wagons and strict instructions never to use our own product tubs.
I’ve never got the mindset of a ■■■■ grass.
Got no mates, nobody likes him, even the guy who he is sucking up to and thinks he is impressing secretly thinks he’s an arse hole, so why do they do it??
You can have fun with these guys by either telling them a load of crap, or feeding him stuff you WANT to get back to the boss…, and if you drop him in it by doing that, it’s a bonus.
I’d personally like to see some of them burn to death…but that’s the type of guy I am.
One that sticks in my mind occurred in my last job. They had a 3-points of contact policy for climbing in and out of the motors. I’ve always used two points climbing out, one hand and one foot, and it’s just a habit. When I was very young I literally just jumped out. Thank God I never broke my neck!
Anyway, we had an ex sergeant major for a TM, and he was the pettiest **** I’ve ever met. One day I climbed out, and all I heard from behind me, in the most patronising, talking-to-a-child tone was “Errr!!!..two hands!!!” I just gave him a slightly sarcastic “sorry sir”, but in truth it really got under my skin, obviously, because I’m still talking about it five years on.
Not 100% driving related but parking my Corsa in a parking bay (car park) with a charger. Finished my shift to find a hand written ‘Polite notice - electric vehicles only!!!’. I would’ve seen the point if there weren’t 6-7 empty ‘electric’ bays right next to the one I was in. Needless to say, I continued to use the same bay for the rest of the week and found a similar note one more time, then I gave up and started using the peasant bays further away from the entrance. Like I’ll ever be able to afford an £80 000 EV on a driver’s wage
ETS:
Like I’ll ever be able to afford an £80 000 EV on a driver’s wage
You might not be able to afford one of them testicles or whatever they are called but the you can get a new Electric car in the region of 25k and I think an Electric Corsa is just a little higher than 30k.
Mick Bracewell:
We don’t have the luxury of a power washer at our place as we’re still waiting for the previous one to be replaced which got nicked a couple of years ago. That means washing the trucks and trailers by hand as best we can when in the yard, but it’s not as bad as it sounds as most of the places we go have a small pressure washer themselves or at least a hosepipe. Anyway, at base we’ve been using empty product tubs for the soapy hot water. A few weeks back the CEO (who, for 2 years, has been telling us a new power washer is coming soon) spotted the tubs and came marching over to see what we were doing with them outside of the production facility. When he saw they had mucky water in from washing the truck he completely flipped out and went into a frenzy screaming about how they are against the regulations and if we had a spot compliance visit they’d close the company down . One would perhaps think this heinous crime would have been the prod he needed to finally go ahead and purchase the pressure water. No. The next day we were all provided with colour-coded buckets, only to be used for washing the wagons and strict instructions never to use our own product tubs.
Them really useful boxes can’t be that useful then
thehighlandscot:
Yesterday after running the length of the country, about 500miles, I had ran out of screenwash. Asked the office for a couple of litres to get me preferably to the yard or at least a services.
Almost didn’t get the nod.
This has the beginnings of the four Yorkshiremen sketch all over it:
At least you were given what you needed. My last full-time trucking employer got a new “manager” in the last year or so I was with them (clearly these things are linked). Before he came we drivers had a little lockup for maintenance items for the very small number of vehicles we had, containing things like hydraulic oil, engine oil and screenwash.
New guy sold the lockup to someone else (it was just an old 7.5T demountable body, not really worth much as far as I could see) and did away with our stash of essentials. When I asked for screenwash he said he wasn’t buying non-essential items anymore and I should “borrow some” from the other drivers in a nearby yard (these were drivers for our parent company)
They had an IBC of ready-mixed screenwash available at all times, but just for them. It meant we had to go cap in hand to this other gaffer like Oliver Twist “Please sir, can I have some more screenwash?”
Needless to say I don’t miss that job in the slightest, we weren’t even allowed to call out the tyre guy if we got a flattie without his personal approval. I always hoped he’d refuse, it would have been entertaining to tell plod/DVSA precisely why I was abandoning my vehicle on the hard shoulder
biggriffin:
Just put water in to get you back, or buy a gallon at next garage and put receipt in, get money back. I personally carry a 1Ltr, in side box.
£2.50 for 5 litres at any supermarket, more than enough for winter
thehighlandscot:
Yesterday after running the length of the country, about 500miles, I had ran out of screenwash. Asked the office for a couple of litres to get me preferably to the yard or at least a services.
Almost didn’t get the nod.
Office were not for it at first but understood it was a one off. But had a driver come up to me in the yard when I went to fill up telling me I couldn’t touch it and then run away to grass to the office. I actually pointed to the window which was covered in dirt but according to him it was still ‘against company policy’ or whatever pointy shoe reason he came up with as he made a B line for the office door. Little did he know I had asked in advance
So much for helping the fellow driver
That’s unbelievable so we are now in an era where drivers have to ask for screen wash
Mick Bracewell:
We don’t have the luxury of a power washer at our place as we’re still waiting for the previous one to be replaced which got nicked a couple of years ago. That means washing the trucks and trailers by hand as best we can when in the yard, but it’s not as bad as it sounds as most of the places we go have a small pressure washer themselves or at least a hosepipe. Anyway, at base we’ve been using empty product tubs for the soapy hot water. A few weeks back the CEO (who, for 2 years, has been telling us a new power washer is coming soon) spotted the tubs and came marching over to see what we were doing with them outside of the production facility. When he saw they had mucky water in from washing the truck he completely flipped out and went into a frenzy screaming about how they are against the regulations and if we had a spot compliance visit they’d close the company down . One would perhaps think this heinous crime would have been the prod he needed to finally go ahead and purchase the pressure water. No. The next day we were all provided with colour-coded buckets, only to be used for washing the wagons and strict instructions never to use our own product tubs.
I just don’t understand firms who don’t want there fleet looking clean and smart,
Believe it or not this happened, driver left wagon door open (to listen to 2 way radio he said) was in his company yrd, He was changing a bulb at Ns rear o trailer another driver took key out ignition ( engine was stopped) shut and locked the door and went into office to hand over keys aNd grass driver up for leaving door open and keys in ignition.! Petty beyond belief. Meant to say he walked past the driver taking the screws out to change bulb
toonsy:
We have to hand our old gloves in if we request new ones which seems petty to me.
Drivers fall into three camps where gloves are concerned; those who wear the same pair till they’re quite literally a health hazard in themselves, those who ask for a new pair every week and then leave them at the first drop, and those who appear to wear the same pair for a while but in reality request a new pair every week which then end up “accidentally” being taken home.
toonsy:
We have to hand our old gloves in if we request new ones which seems petty to me.
Drivers fall into three camps where gloves are concerned; those who wear the same pair till they’re quite literally a health hazard in themselves, those who ask for a new pair every week and then leave them at the first drop, and those who appear to wear the same pair for a while but in reality request a new pair every week which then end up “accidentally” being taken home.
The latter two are the reason for the ruling.
Yeah I get that. I nearly added it to my original post but couldn’t be bothered so thanks for covering it off for me
Its more the handing in of the old gloves that riles me as it makes me feel like I’m being treat like a child asking for a new pencil only for the teacher to sharpen the stump thats left. Surely we could just sign for them?
It doesn’t affect me as I prefer to buy my own rather than being given cheap gardening gloves and being made to pretend that actually its bar of gold, but when I see people walking to the office with a tatty set of gloves I feel sad that they’re being demeaned
I was returning a 14t excavator to another local plant hire firm that we had cross hired in (At that time we had 6 on hire) After reversing to the corner of the yard nearest their wash bay, I dropped my ramps and unloaded it. Ramps up and I got my broom out and swept the body piling up the loose mud skits by the bottom of the ramps for later disposal.
Manager comes out and gives me a bollocking for sweeping off in his yard (which was thick with mud anyway) He claimed to have watched me sweep it off the side, so I marched him to the back to show him where I’d left it. He then faltered and pointed out to the handful of crumbs that had dropped off the machine whilst it was unloaded and told me to get a barrow and shovel.
Apparently once the machine was on the ground it was their problem and they would clear up (yeah right) the mud left behind.
I’d spent best part of an hour digging the mud out of the tracks before loading the bloody thing so I wasn’t impressed and left without sweeping up as told.
On the basis of it being their mud on the floor once the machine was unloaded the next one was unloaded into their gateway so they would have to track it all the way across the yard. Petty works both ways
. One would perhaps think this heinous crime would have been the prod he needed to finally go ahead and purchase the pressure water. No. The next day we were all provided with colour-coded buckets, only to be used for washing the wagons and strict instructions never to use our own product tubs. 
