i am out on my first (and probably only) tramping job on monday
i am out on my first plant job on monday
i am guessing its a low loader which will be my first time on monday
this is all because the agency who i have been actively working for for 3 weeks has a brand new client and they chose me to demonstrate the calibre of our drivers. they hold me in very high regard already. the problem i did have is the fact that being out on friday overnight meant i couldnt work sunday so the client (being impressed by my pointing out the problem) then changed it to monday to accommodate me.
the problem is, i havent been tramping, worked with plant or low loaders (assuming that it is a low loader).
any advice would be helpful ie what to take, how much cash to take, securing machinery, working low loading equipment including chains etc. HELP
Why send you to prove their worth if you haven’t got any idea how to do the particular job? (I mean that as a critisism of your agency, not you.) Have you told the agency you’ve never done this work before?
If your expected to drive plant around and secure it on the vehicle.
Dont do it if you havnt got the training.You will be in big trouble if anything goes wrong.
Just think of the damage you can do with a piece of plant dropping off the trailer.Its not just a case of chaining it down.Youve got to know what your doing.
I wouldnt do it without more info about the job.
Sorry for the negative reply.But dont get yourself into trouble.
I would imagine it will be a plant trailer, rather than the full blown low loader. Surely they would not send someone out with no experience otherwise.
Most likely, i would have thought it would be something like access platforms or other straightforward wheeled plant (dumpers, telehandlers) that can be driven on easily. Often this sort of kit has chain down points marked with a hook sticker. Run the chains from the D rings across these points, to another D ring. Usually you have a ratchet tensioner to pull the chain tight, this is awkward to describe but bear with me. You have a tube about 18" long with a threaded bar on each end with a chain hook attached. They are fairly easy to use, the idea being that the ratchet takes the place of the slack chain, as you tighen the ratchet with the handle it winds the thread in pulling the chain tight. The hooks are quite small and slip over rather than through the links of the chain.
Try to get a forward pull on the front of the machine, and rearwards on the back. Get them tight, but check them again after a short distance.
If it is tracked plant like an excavator they will often have D rings on the side within the circuit of the track, run the chains through these. There is a good chance that an operator or driver will be there waiting for the machine and will take it off or load it for you, they will probably moan but should have a good idea about securing it etc.
Hopefully there might be something useful to you here, here is just one thing worth remembering.
A chain or strap is no use in the toolbox, if you have enough put another one on even if you are only slightly in doubt.
Richie, first if you look at the useful forum site here there are some good tips for how to secure a load, what are you carrying ie.JCB;S; or bulldozer, forklift, when you get to the customer ask if they have a drivers handbook,whih if they are ISO- 9002 certified must have for every vehicle, this will have also tips and regulations on loading safety,tips, any straps used must be complete with no signs of damage also check the shield attached to the strap or chain as this
must/will show what weight can be secured by the strap-chain,( this is the law in Germany) IF THE RULES ARE THE SAME;
WHEN securing your load which you will have positioned so that the weight
is evenly distributed, its better to use too many than to use not enough ,Secure each corner with the straps-chains so that movement is
completely restricted,ON the loading sites there are tips and pictures .
The only other tip is TAKE YOUR TIME with loading and securing the load,also when driveing take more time than you normaly do when brakeing,going on to the motorway, and driveing round a corner or roundabout,
YES you should have been given training ,but no one is perfect and so when you start Monday TAKE YOUR TIME and if you have problems .stop and have a rethink as what you need to do,
scanny77:
i am out on my first (and probably only) tramping job on monday:
Dont speak too soon you get a taste for it
this is all because the agency who i have been actively working for for 3 weeks has a brand new client and they chose me to demonstrate the calibre of our drivers. they hold me in very high regard already.
the problem is, i havent been tramping, worked with plant or low loaders (assuming that it is a low loader).
I think they’ve drop you in it, do you think that maybe some of their longer serving drivers have turned this down, sorry to sound like i’m knocking your abilities,but this is the sort of work that i think you need to learn whilst working for a plant contractor,
any advice on machinery, working low loading equipment including chains etc. HELP :shock
One small piece of advice from me… If you tighten the chains with sylvesters and a scaffold tube be VERY careful when undoing them again … blood and snot everywhere will often occur
scanny77:
i am out on my first (and probably only) tramping job on monday
i am out on my first plant job on monday
i am guessing its a low loader which will be my first time on monday
this is all because the agency who i have been actively working for for 3 weeks has a brand new client and they chose me to demonstrate the calibre of our drivers.
So, let me get this right. The agency wish to show the new client, who they presumably want to get more work from in the future, how good both they and there drivers are, so they send along a driver with zero experience of the clients type of work?
Nah, I must be missing something here as that makes zero sense, in fact it just sounds like a recipe for disaster.
scanny77, In no way doubting your skills or other, but In my management days, a well proven way of getting someone to do a job that no one else wanted or could to do was " We need our best man on this one, can you help us?"
May not be the case, but having worked for the opposition you do tend to look at things a little different. - Good luck anyway, let us know how you get on.
dont want to be pessimistic mate,but some jobs u can blag your way through with no experience,fridges,curtainsiders u probably came across these years ago (7.5t class2)if it is heavy plant i personally would think twice,can u imagine wen u get on site
“any experience mate”
"only wot i read on the internet gaffa
i think it was many years ago down cornwall way,a jcb arm came came loose on a low loader & swung into oncoming traffic,think it decapitated a few people ,seriously if u gonna do it ,like everyone else is saying take your time & good luck…
Like most have said, you really need to spend some time being shown how to, perhaps the client is aware and will provide some training, but if not they need to know of your lack of experiance and let them take it from there.
scanny77:
i am out on my first (and probably only) tramping job on monday
i am out on my first plant job on monday
i am guessing its a low loader which will be my first time on monday
this is all because the agency who i have been actively working for for 3 weeks has a brand new client and they chose me to demonstrate the calibre of our drivers. they hold me in very high regard already. the problem i did have is the fact that being out on friday overnight meant i couldnt work sunday so the client (being impressed by my pointing out the problem) then changed it to monday to accommodate me.
the problem is, i havent been tramping, worked with plant or low loaders (assuming that it is a low loader).
any advice would be helpful ie what to take, how much cash to take, securing machinery, working low loading equipment including chains etc. HELP
why did you not just ask for advice on low loaders not all this i,m the best driver not doin yourself any favours realy
Big Joe:
Like most have said, you really need to spend some time being shown how to, perhaps the client is aware and will provide some training, but if not they need to know of your lack of experiance and let them take it from there.
i appreciate all the responses and i will not be leaving the customers site without training but i wanted to hear from experienced drivers ie you lot.i will be taking extra care anyway which is part and parcel of any new job but knowing how serious this type of thing is, i wanted advice from the people who do it rather than the guy who sends drivers out to do it.
i mentioned the surrounding circumstances as a clue to how this company work. they were impressed by the fact that i turned round and said i couldnt do the job on sunday so it sounds like they want drivers who stay legal. if thats the case, surely they will not put pressure on drivers to run bent? lets hope my logic is correct cos i wont run bent
errr scanny how does having no erperience on a job and running bent have to do with what joe said
what people are saying is that unless they show you how to secure the machinery on the trailer and from reading the thread they arent going to get somone in to show you before you go. it sounds like youll turn up take a preloaded trailer to a destination and unload, how are you going to unload the plant at the other will you be insured to unload machinery unless you have the licence the answer will more than likely be NO, also what will happen if you have to collect on the way back. the job you are going to do takes time to learn and youll need at least a week with an experienced guy to learn the basics
to it sounds like theyre bulling you in to doing the job as noone else wants it
have you mentioned to the client youve never done this type of work before
ie your being set up for a big fall if anything goes wrong
I have been driving for 26 years. I have been everywhere except the Middle East. I have driven all kinds of wrecks. I have pulled flats, fridges and curtainsiders.
BUT one thing I have never done is pull plant and I wouldn’t even consider doing it until I had had at least a day being shown how to drive the various machines, how to chain them down, how to unchain them correctly (to stop the blood and snot lol) and any other little tricks of the trade.
You don’t use rachet straps on these things, you know!!!
It doesn’t matter a toss whether your best driver in the world (perhaps you think you are the way you have gone on about how ‘highly’ your agency value you) but if you haven’t done it before, then ask for a days induction before you regret it!!
i dont think im the best driver in the world but my attitude is spot on with regards to work and that is what the agency want. they know i am still finding my feet with artics.
it turns out i misheard anyway. im not delivering plant. im delivering PLANTS
you gotta laugh
still need help with tramping though. how do you find somewhere to park up etc
