As a driver would you say you are a yes man? At our place the office try and pile the work on but I just take my time and take jobs back if I don’t have time for them… it goes something like this… Boss: " I wanted this done! I don’t like it when you bring jobs back" me: “well I don’t like it when you give me too much work”… Don’t get me wrong I don’t drag my feet but I don’t rush around either and the office think of you no more or less whether you put yourself out or not… I know some drivers who say yes to everything and end up loading whilst on break e.t.c but I tell them as soon as you go down that road your setting a dangerous president for yourself…
I was drivers’ mate to the company yes man during my first stint on the flour, and he would proudly ring up the office and proclaim that a particularly awkward drop was done alright. Cue the office giving him the “you’re a star…top man…good old boy…” ■■■■■■■■.
He just took it all as praise and couldn’t see that they were just pneumatically propelling combustion particles into his ■■■■.
Most times she’s got us back to yard and loaded for Monday between 12 and 3 on a Friday.
In return if she’s needing a hand like an extra run out Friday, then it’s not a problem. We run back in Saturday morning and don’t start till about 9 then on monday.
I’ve been in jobs where it’s been push push push. First job I near didn’t get back in a wagon. Later on it got to the stage where it was “if I can’t do it legally, then I won’t do it”
There’s a middle of the road approach which works, if you kick off at every job that might be slightly inconvenient, make sure you’re delayed on the first run or find yet another defect so you can’t make the timed second and other similar ■■■■ 'em about routines, don’t be surprised if you find yourself stuck on crap wages in a crappy job for all your driving life.
We’ve all worked with blokes whom if you paid them a grand a week to lie in bed they’d still find summat to winge about.
Carry on like that in one of the better jobs and don’t be surprised if they find a way to ease you out or you find yourself number one on the redundancy list should a downturn hit, a bit of give and take all round works wonders.
You don’t have to be a pushover to be amenable and cooperative, you can be efficient and productive without being walked on, it usually pays well too.
Always easier for the planner to give work that requires nous to the capable who won’t moan, obvious really, no point in giving it to those who simply won’t/can’t do it, however drivers who can do don’t have any trouble finding other jobs and the company know it, so it tends to balance itself out, if you’re getting put on too much a word in managements ear usually bears fruit, well it does if you’re the sort who doesn’t moan every hour of every day unless you have the best going every time, when you do say something they sit up and take notice, good drivers are in very short supply.
I say yes. So when I say no, my planner knows it can’t be done.
But we run a dying product and only work days so it’s rarely THAT much of a chore. I do everything as efficiently as I can as a matter of course. If you kick and scream like a brat, at every little change in your schedule, don’t be upset when you get treated as such I reckon…
It all depends why you’re taking drops back. And how you’re paid I guess. By the hour has its temptation to drag it out, job and knock writes its own story. Are you sitting around at customers drinking tea, and chatting 5-6 times a day? That lost hour meaning you hit a customer on dinner, then you leave it on poa for 45 mins, taking your break when and where you want, meaning 2 drops go back. Sound familiar? Worked with plenty like that, and I can see why bosses get the hump. Why do people have to be “yes men” just because they get on with the job and complete all that’s asked? As long as you’re not tipping on break, you aren’t carving the job up imho. If, however, you’re having minimal breaks and still taking jobs back, then the planners need to look at it. I’ve had runs involving 4 bestways in west London, and the last one went back. But a good operator would know 1 is a nightmare, let alone 4
Well my mate is the ultimate yes man,he will ring me up ranting about how much work he has to get through and while he is talking to me the cab phone will ring and they give him an extra job,he says ok puts phone down then says to me how the hell am I going to do that,instead of telling his planner he will struggle.
The amount of times he has asked to be home Friday and never gets back is unreal,but he never says anything.
Now I don’t drag the job out but neither will I chase impossible targets like he does,eating while driving also because he says he ain’t got time to stop.
Juddian:
Always easier for the planner to give work that requires nous to the capable who won’t moan.
Last place I was at I’ve helped them out on last minute jobs/got them out of the ■■■■ and find you tend to get the better jobs if you don’t moan about it…
I was one of three drivers who got a particular run because they trusted us to follow that particular companies…
I’ve been quizzed at why I’m not finishing jobs or getting back in a day, office seem to think it’s the routes I’m taking but I know it’s because I don’t tip on break whilst a few at our place do.
Radar19:
I’ve been quizzed at why I’m not finishing jobs or getting back in a day, office seem to think it’s the routes I’m taking but I know it’s because I don’t tip on break whilst a few at our place do.
Exactly if I’m stuck on a job or I’m in a Que I won’t put it on break like others do. I’ll have my break in between jobs at a suitable place like your meant too…
There’s nothing wrong with putting it on break in a queue, as long as you don’t tip on break. What do you do at somewhere like bestway abbey road? You get there, park in line, they tell you it’s going to be two hours. You’ve got a cafe 5 mins away, garage with a shop opposite, toilets on site. Would you seriously leave it on other work or poa then have a break after you tip?
OVLOV JAY:
There’s nothing wrong with putting it on break in a queue, as long as you don’t tip on break. What do you do at somewhere like bestway abbey road? You get there, park in line, they tell you it’s going to be two hours. You’ve got a cafe 5 mins away, garage with a shop opposite, toilets on site. Would you seriously leave it on other work or poa then have a break after you tip?
I normally work the job to suit me first the office 2nd then any ‘favours’ etc. are accepted on a who is asking basis (we all know who the constant favour askers are and who will ask if its a genuine can you help me?).
We’ve learnt that with a couple of our customers, it pays not to be “yes men” even when we can be. It’d got to the stage where they think they can ring us and we can drop all other work to suit the at a minutes notice. One cannot grasp today that despite him ringing three times, the puddle jumper is at the dealers for a service and is not available until tomorrow. He originally rang on Friday and was told the score, he rang again during our hiab course on Saturday and again today. I don’t believe in ADHD but this bloke must have the closest real thing.
OVLOV JAY:
There’s nothing wrong with putting it on break in a queue, as long as you don’t tip on break. What do you do at somewhere like bestway abbey road? You get there, park in line, they tell you it’s going to be two hours. You’ve got a cafe 5 mins away, garage with a shop opposite, toilets on site. Would you seriously leave it on other work or poa then have a break after you tip?
Each job differs I suppose I would never have a 2 hour wait in what I do but if I had another job and was faced with a wait like that and I had all them amenities nearby then yes it’s no Brainer because you are actually having a break then [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]
The way I see it, I’m paid to deliver goods, not just the truck. So if I need to jump in the back and help, I will, if I’m not, I don’t. Perhaps just the way I was brought up, but I’ve always worked with the mindset that I should work with a company rather than against it, so try to work things to everyone’s best advantage, rather than just mine. Does that make me a yes man? Maybe - I’m certainly not a ‘no’ man. Certainly, with one exception, every company I’ve worked for and left has told me I’m welcome back anytime I want to.
I have had loads of jobs,nothing to be proud of but I will not take crap off employers,been like it since I was sixteen,and I detest yes men,i have been asked in the past to spy on other drivers,the managers never liked my answer,i got it from my dad who was old school hgv,he never grassed on anyone and neither will I,my dad was a good teacher
