Rob K: Sorry but I just couldn’t let facts get in the way of a good story.
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Rob, if anyone tells you they drove for DHL at East Midlands hub, ignore them, they were HGV warehousemen.
One particular job meant you had to go in and empty the trucks for the airfreight, you then helped load all the other trucks or sort parcels before getting a trailer on the bay around 4.30am, then you drove to Sheffield, unloaded and parked up at the Stockyard. There were several of these type of runs, one went to Stoke iirc, another to Telford.
Paul & Gogzy probably had the hardest run as they had to swap a caravan drag at Northampton before going on to Ipswich to sleep.
The longest run was probably Exeter which was done without needing a break anyway, when you were empty, you went to bed and slept through the day, when you got back to the depot you went home
It was the easiest driving job in the world, but I doubt you would want it either. But ■■■■ will pull you further than dynamite will blow you
Paul who? Thought Gogzy was on for some supermarket outfit in Scotland. My spies there are in other ‘departments’ . Anyway don’t know what you’re moaning about, sounds like a piece of ■■■■. You sound like a typical moaning driver to me, nothing is ever right.
Rob K: Sorry but I just couldn’t let facts get in the way of a good story.
[/quote
Rob, if anyone tells you they drove for DHL at East Midlands hub, ignore them, they were HGV warehousemen.
One particular job meant you had to go in and empty the trucks for the airfreight, you then helped load all the other trucks or sort parcels before getting a trailer on the bay around 4.30am, then you drove to Sheffield, unloaded and parked up at the Stockyard. There were several of these type of runs, one went to Stoke iirc, another to Telford.
Paul & Gogzy probably had the hardest run as they had to swap a caravan drag at Northampton before going on to Ipswich to sleep.
The longest run was probably Exeter which was done without needing a break anyway, when you were empty, you went to bed and slept through the day, when you got back to the depot you went home
It was the easiest driving job in the world, but I doubt you would want it either. But ■■■■ will pull you further than dynamite will blow you
Paul who? Thought Gogzy was on for some supermarket outfit in Scotland. My spies there are in other ‘departments’ . Anyway don’t know what you’re moaning about, sounds like a piece of ■■■■. You sound like a typical moaning driver to me, nothing is ever right.
user name is paul from newhall? and the original goggs
My best mate Brian still goes there, not saying he works hard though. He fits it in around his Golf, Holidays & Scuba Diving. It just wasn’t for me and I got out as many did. I don’t think there are very many people left from 2003.
As for moaning drivers I hail to the king
The Paul I refer to will tell you it was a good job until they painted the lorries yellow
On monday i had a job for a transport company in Wigon running out of JJB sports ( i think they should supply running shoes to the Drivers ) lol … the truck was a ford euro cargo 18tonner AUTO box with tail lift …
4.30 am start left Blackpool at 3.30 am got to depot at 415 nice and early was given keys //…running list//
a mobile phone // when i looked at the drops i thought thats a bit of a bummer .all northeast yorkshire and lincoln … anyway got to the security lodge to leave depot and have my security tag on the back door checked the security man said you will have to go back in to despatch as the tag number does not match your paper work so off back in … TM looked and said yes it is right number tell him to open his eyes
and look at the right number on the paperwork … so off again 1 st drop was Scunthorp up the M62 2.1/4 hrs later was sat in the loading yard and phonig jjb shop to come and unload 20 mins later they turned up with a trolly as they had to walk round due to building work … then off to Grimsby not to bad onlt about 35 mins trip all ok there … then off to BOSTON A16 roads in traffic 1.1/4 hrs plus had my 45 mins on route so 2 HRS trip got that done ( a little shop right in the center of town )) looked at notes oh now for Lincolne again all A roads but this time in heavy traffic all the way on the A15 1hr 15 mins later arrived and one person to help unload a young girl 58 boxes then she said the driver yesterday didnt have room for our returnes so can you take them please 58 return Boxes back and 60 empty boxes plus old advert signes 1 Hr . by this time i was pritty ***** off ahhh last drop Sheffield so off down the A57 through Worksop anothe 1HR 10 Mins gone and im in sheffield but managed to get the drop done . after trying to find the loading bay and phoning the shop getting no answer or engaged tone … i now have a second breake as anothe 4. hrs gone and dont wanna get cought out heard on news that woodhead pass shut to high sided so back via M1 M62 bloody roadworks M62
Sat nav says 1hr 35 mins back to Wigan so just enough time to get back in my extended 10 hr driving shift ( I thought ) :at 6pm tm phoned me to ask how i was doing told him was 1/2 hr away and the person who dreamed this route up was a comedian and must have timed it in a PORSCHE x Anyway got back to Wigan at 6 30pm from 4.30 am did a print out of tacho 10 hrs 15 mins driving …but the 15 mins was some driving in dopot and the delay on M62 …
when i got back the TM said theres the derv pum key will you fuel the van up for tomorrow ( it was p***ing down with rain ) but did it and went home anothr 45 mins drive back to Blackpool .
So worked a 15 hr day 10 1/4 hrs driving and was away from home 17 hrs not a happy bunny … then at 815 pm Agent phoned to say you are on the same company Start time tomorrow lol pmsl OH NO I AM NOT WAS THE REPLY You can stick JJB sports jobs when a monkey stickes its nuts mate dont ever send me there again …the phone went very quiet for a couple of mins then a voice said ok il find ya somthing else ha nothing next day then yesterday morning my Phone rang at 4.00am neadless to say i didnt even answer because i knew it was the agent and some one had not turned up at JJB AND I DONT BLAME EM …
were the hell do these route planners go to school dont they ever study geography i dont think that route planning should ever be done by some Idiot who has never driven a truck …what looks right on a map isnt always right in reality …
If it was a genuine delay on the M62, you could use article 12 and if you did the run on your first day, it will be easier on the next as you will know about the security guy, where the fuel pump key is and what is expected.
The journey from home to work and back doesn’t count and it isn’t their fault that you live so far from the depot.
I agree with you about the comedians who dream up these multi-drop routes.
I have been doing agency work on 7.5 tonners to customer’s homes with no. of drops ranging from
22 to 47 drops or collections of returning goods.
Unless you have been doing a specific area/town/county for a few months or so, you just
have to blindly follow the sat nav which doesn’t know about road works, narrow lanes,
stupid car owners who park at the end of roads and opposite each other.
Then these bloody stupid and inflexible EU drivers hours rules make you start to kak yourself
about getting the break in before 4.5 hours and making sure you leave enough time on the tacho
to get back to the depot but of course you have no idea whatsoever whether the M62 / M1 / M6
will suddenly grind to a halt because some stupd a*se car driver has been driving too close and caused
a crash causing everybody to crawl (but not quite stop so the tacho still records driving at 10 mph) for 3/4 hour or so. So the rules encourage us to drive faster than we should and cut corners, just the opposite of what they should do. Only politicians could invent such stupid rubbish, and we idiots, that’s you and me , we continue to vote the pathetic incompetent idiots in to their overpaid underworked fully pensioned jobs, year after year.
But driving trucks sure beats any office bound job I have ever done, not money wise, but being out and
about and seeing different parts of our great country makes up for all the rubbish we have to put up with.
I have begun to stop worrying about making all drops on each run. If I get stick about bringing some back then I just say ‘You can take the wagon out tomorrow and we’ll see how you get on’.
I don’t see why the so-called route planners cant be forced to travel on one of their own routes as driver’s mate every now and then (at random so they dont know in advance) and if the route can’t be done in the given time, then they should be financially penalised in their wage packet.
The route planning would soon become a bit more realistic in a very short time.
The agency marketplace seems to be getting a bit better here in manchester, I have had an average of
3 days a week for the last month or so. I also think there’s a reasonable market for driver’s mates
who have a 7.5 tonner licence to enable double manning in case the nominated driver gets very close
to their daily driving limit.
Hello guys
Riho
no mate after all im 54 not 24 ive been driving a long time on 7.5 tons and busses before class 2 and I Know the pit falls
But this run was stupid and I expect that the Idiot that planned it has only ever driven a car … I have done Multydrop before many times upto and over 12 drops but all organised by a tranport manager who at least knew his job and has driven a truck and knows the speed limits when on A roads this run was only 5 drops but the milage covered was mainly on A roads and in traffic and spread over three counties it was a nightmare … … like wheelnut says if i did it again ( which i wont) it would be easier as i now know where the loading bays are in the shopping centres …and I can use article 12 because of the hold up on the M62 and woodhead pass closed to high sided trucks but If I had used my 2 day 10hr shifts up i would have been stuffed well and truely . the Sheffield drop should have not been put on that route it usually goes on the leeds bradford route that came from the shefield shop managers own mouth . …Anyway I at least told the agent streight unlike the guy who did the day after me tuesday and just didnt turn up on wednesday pmsl ( hence the phone call I got at 4.30am wednesday morning ) …
Wheelnut yep I know its not their fault I live so far away thats down to me being to soft with the agent and exepting the job in the first place but he did say he was realy stuck ( I think we all know why now eh ) … lol last week I did the James hall spar job in Preston same agent last minute like that but at least that job was all in the same area just bad to get to the loading bays … But I gotta say I do like agency work it just a matter of knowing what avoid and thats normaly the jobs that no one else wants eh …
Hello landylad
Yep you are right matey if i had known about the driver who did the saturday before not picking up his returnes from 4 of the 5 drops i would have told them to go forth and multyply but these are things that you dont even think of till you get to a drop and its all there waiting for ya …the one thing is that no one can say at JJB that i didnt do the job because i did mine and and half the previouse drivers job …Its all OK for the white shirt numpties sat sipping earl grey tea in their office looking at a map on the net they should consider the Traffic rules and tacho regs aswell …
Regards Roy
Am I missing something (probably), . I don’t like the idea of running out of hrs “touching cloth” situations so to speak. So the TM likes to put agency drivers in a “position”, probably knowing full well it’s near mission impossible. He won’t care if you don’t come back there’s plenty more agency fish in the sea, as long as he gets his deliveries in. He don’t care you try to break every speed limit and rule in the book it’s not his licence he’s losing.
So you take a night kit, kip up for you daily rest and they have to pay night out dosh and a full 8hrs for the 20 minutes driving to the yard the next day. Or like I said am i missing something, probably .
If they’d sent me on that I would have parked up as soon as i knew I’d be out of hours, just off the M62 and gone home on the train and left the truck. Actually no, with ■■■■ taking on such a grand scale as that I’d have left it in Lincoln and said the route is unrealistic so you’ll have to fetch the truck back yourselves…
■■■■ taking on a grand scale matey and you were dead right to refuse it the day after. The planners are living in cloud cuckoo land - ain’t worth the hassle unless you’re on £20/hour and I’m assuming that wasn’t the rate of pay…
Don’t let them take the ■■■■. It’s reasonable to have to work hard sometimes but that is not reasonable. If enough drivers tell 'em to swivel then they’ll have to do something about it.
Truckulent:
If they’d sent me on that I would have parked up as soon as i knew I’d be out of hours, just off the M62 and gone home on the train and left the truck. Actually no, with ■■■■ taking on such a grand scale as that I’d have left it in Lincoln and said the route is unrealistic so you’ll have to fetch the truck back yourselves…
■■■■ taking on a grand scale matey and you were dead right to refuse it the day after. The planners are living in cloud cuckoo land - ain’t worth the hassle unless you’re on £20/hour and I’m assuming that wasn’t the rate of pay…
Don’t let them take the ■■■■. It’s reasonable to have to work hard sometimes but that is not reasonable. If enough drivers tell 'em to swivel then they’ll have to do something about it.
Were the deliveries a secret when he left the yard? were the delivery notes in a sealed envelope?
Truckulent:
If they’d sent me on that I would have parked up as soon as i knew I’d be out of hours, just off the M62 and gone home on the train and left the truck. Actually no, with ■■■■ taking on such a grand scale as that I’d have left it in Lincoln and said the route is unrealistic so you’ll have to fetch the truck back yourselves…
■■■■ taking on a grand scale matey and you were dead right to refuse it the day after. The planners are living in cloud cuckoo land - ain’t worth the hassle unless you’re on £20/hour and I’m assuming that wasn’t the rate of pay…
Don’t let them take the ■■■■. It’s reasonable to have to work hard sometimes but that is not reasonable. If enough drivers tell 'em to swivel then they’ll have to do something about it.
Were the deliveries a secret when he left the yard? were the delivery notes in a sealed envelope?
Just to remind Yambol, he never went anywhere near North East Yorkshire
Don’t be naive Wheelnut. It’s an easy route yes. But you don’t just drive the route do you? You actually have to deliver in each place not just get there!! You have traffic delays, problems at the delivery, time to find the right gate, issues with paperwork, staff not helping you unload and so on. Extra jobs such as ‘Can you just take these returns back?’ etc etc. None of this is taken into account by the planner who frankly doesn’t have a clue about these possible issues and cares even less 'cos they go home at 5pm come what may…
Tell 'em to ■■■■■■■■- there is too much in one day there and I for one wouldn’t do it…
Thanks Truckulent
I thought for a minute there that it was me just being a Victor Meldrew but Its not the 6 hrs 1 min on Wheelnuts route does not inlude back to depot in heavy tea time traffic nor time spent in town centers trying to get to the back door loading bay and with the woodhead pass closed making heavier traffic on all other route (well it has to go some where ) plus what looks good on paper is not reality …Wheel nut ::; No the paper work was not in an envolope So I like you looked at the route and though OH thats pritty streight forward even though the dispatcher said it was a bit of a bummer on paper it does not look to bad untill you actualy try to drive it … But I do stand corrected on the East yorkshire bit should have put EAST COAST .
But In future i will be double checking before I set off on ANY hit or miss routes like that one what the score is when i run out of HRs ei will they pay a night out or send another driver to bring me back in and if the answer is no then i will just Phone the Agent and go home . In fact as im writing this Rita from the Agency just rang me to see if i would do GMC and JJB sport at 6am tomorrow pmsl when i said NO ive told Jav that I wont do it again 3 TIMES NOW she said I cant get anyone why wont our drivers do it So i explained …pmsl now she understands …why she struggles on a sunday getting that job covered …
Judging by that Id say its not just a one off as I was told at the time
YAMBOL57:
Thanks Truckulent
I thought for a minute there that it was me just being a Victor Meldrew but Its not the 6 hrs 1 min on Wheelnuts route does not inlude back to depot in heavy tea time traffic nor time spent in town centers trying to get to the back door loading bay and with the woodhead pass closed making heavier traffic on all other route (well it has to go some where ) plus what looks good on paper is not reality …Wheel nut ::; No the paper work was not in an envolope So I like you looked at the route and though OH thats pritty streight forward even though the dispatcher said it was a bit of a bummer on paper it does not look to bad untill you actualy try to drive it … But I do stand corrected on the East yorkshire bit should have put EAST COAST .
But In future i will be double checking before I set off on ANY hit or miss routes like that one what the score is when i run out of HRs ei will they pay a night out or send another driver to bring me back in and if the answer is no then i will just Phone the Agent and go home . In fact as im writing this Rita from the Agency just rang me to see if i would do GMC and JJB sport at 6am tomorrow pmsl when i said NO ive told Jav that I wont do it again 3 TIMES NOW she said I cant get anyone why wont our drivers do it So i explained …pmsl now she understands …why she struggles on a sunday getting that job covered …
Judging by that Id say its not just a one off as I was told at the time
I realise that I didn’t finish the loop, that was done on purpose, ignore Google map times as well as they will be mapped for a car. I was just demonstrating that it was a fairly straightforward route.
If it makes you feel any better, Ripponden & District Motors used to do that route every day with 30 or 40 drops I used to do it with 50 or 60 plus collections
Looking at that map again it may be better for them to put Hull on that run and give Sheffield to the Leeds or Manchester lad, but that is how it was on the day, the driver cannot alter it, well not unless he abandons the truck in Lincoln like suckulent
At the end of the day an agency driver is not going to be as efficent on a run as the regular guy that does that run. Most smart TM’s would take a drop or two off if he knows the run is tight even for his regular driver.
Some idiot TM’s might try to push more work/drops on the naive agency bod, trying to get his pound of flesh or even under the delusion that his usual guy swings the lead.
Surely if you run out of hours, unless you got lost for hours or took a completely stupid route, then the problem lies squarely at the TM’s feet.
You say they did that route with 50 to 60 collectios a day.
Was you stopped at one place for over an hour or one box etc. that can make all a difference to road conditions.
Personally I would of called up and sai going to be out of time cant do the drops. Also you went over 15hrs you were breaking the law by filling up the motor for him you should of told him you know the tacho laws not trying to be picky but they took the mickey out of you being agency.
But illegal working is a no no and its your licence I hope you took the Digi card or tacho out when doing it as Vosa will spot it if they check.
welcome to the world of trucking it aint no 9-5 i often get my run in my job to 10 hours then i often get a call can you do this one etc often 15 hours. but like someone said as it was your first run wich in all not bad timing and i would of given it another go as sometimes you will get the ■■■■ runs and as time progresses you would have been given a half decent run
You say they did that route with 50 to 60 collectios a day.
Was you stopped at one place for over an hour or one box etc. that can make all a difference to road conditions.
Personally I would of called up and sai going to be out of time cant do the drops. Also you went over 15hrs you were breaking the law by filling up the motor for him you should of told him you know the tacho laws not trying to be picky but they took the mickey out of you being agency.
But illegal working is a no no and its your licence I hope you took the Digi card or tacho out when doing it as Vosa will spot it if they check.
Reckon you should read the post again, he did a 15hrs day from start to finish including the fueling up, can’t see where he states he did over 15hrs.
From reading some posts on here, I think some people need a wake up call. Your an agency driver, the lowest of the low, it takes time to work your way up the ladder, start on the crap and work up. At least the route was planned for you, one place we go just gives you the keys with the lorry loaded anyhow. Had one on Thursday, 7 drops with bookings of 10, 10.30, 11, and 11.30, 2x ams and a anytime. you have to sort it as you go.
One other thing, its all well and good coming on high and mighty and saying you won’t go, but until your established all it does is stop the phone ringing.
steveig:
welcome to the world of trucking it aint no 9-5 i often get my run in my job to 10 hours then i often get a call can you do this one etc often 15 hours. but like someone said as it was your first run wich in all not bad timing and i would of given it another go as sometimes you will get the [zb] runs and as time progresses you would have been given a half decent run
The problems not with the long hours the OP was agency paid by the hour, the more hours the more pay. The problem is when it’s just too tight an agency driver usually a nooby as thats who gets these “missions” is trying to prove him/her self.
So if your daft you start taking risks as the sands run down, thats when you get sloppy pick up points or cause an accident or just get a stress heart attack and high B.P. Or you keep the head and the sands run out, either way it’s mission impossible and you end up covered in egg having worked your socks off for a far lesser rate than the usual guy.
The usual guy of course tells the TM to run and jump or just fails a drop.
Hi Henry
yea your right mate i did a dead 15 hrs that was 10 hr 15 mins driving a good few mins of that was being messed about by security before i went out (dummies on the gate read my security tag on the back door wrong and sent me back in ) then fueling up before goin home posably where my offence of 15 minutes over the 10 hrs came in realy but that was on site so dont think it counts …not sure though I have worked for this agent for a while now and this is the worse job on there books I think I suppose i was lucky realy when I started with them as it normaly goes to the new drivers …but I have had some good jobs He neads to get it sorted with the TM at the company though as he is fast running out of drivers according to the Girl who phoned me earlier and asked would i do it again … … …The agent did understand as its the only time I have said no to him .as the sat before i turned out at 4.30 am for him to the same comany but was sent out with a engine yellow Warning info light on the dash (even though i told them ) they said was a electrical fault on the dash computer and i broke down not once but twice so the route was abandoned after my 1st two drops .
Wheelnut I think you could be right about Hull that would have made more sence eh I do know why the sheffield drop was put on me its because they were moaning the other driver didnt take away their empties or returnes on his previouse day … from there or from lincolne I wasted over 1 HR 15 mins at Lincolne moving stuff about the back to make room for their empies and returnes and draggin the sheffield load to near the back door so as not to make it inaccesable once i got to the shop in sheffield . .
But I gotta say I for one would never have done 50 /60 drops a day unless they were all next door to each other …like a news paper round …
And another thing is that if I do Jobs like that without complaining then I am setting the standards for the next poor bugger who has to do it and thats gonna make me popular with the guys eh ( I think not)
nope my licence comes first along with my health Anyway got a cracker of a job this week now 2 days Class 2 Hiab for Jewsons 7am till 5pm … thank god
Sorry but I just couldn’t let facts get in the way of a good story.
Thought Gogzy was on for some supermarket outfit in Scotland. 
My spies there are in other ‘departments’ 
You sound like a typical moaning driver to me, nothing is ever right. 
AND I DONT BLAME EM …
… like wheelnut says if i did it again ( which i wont) it would be easier as i now know where the loading bays are in the shopping centres …and I can use article 12 because of the hold up on the M62 and woodhead pass closed to high sided trucks but If I had used my 2 day 10hr shifts up i would have been stuffed well and truely . the Sheffield drop should have not been put on that route it usually goes on the leeds bradford route that came from the shefield shop managers own mouth . 
… lol last week I did the James hall spar job in Preston same agent last minute like that but at least that job was all in the same area just bad to get to the loading bays … But I gotta say I do like agency work it just a matter of knowing what avoid 
So I like you looked at the route and though OH thats pritty streight forward even though the dispatcher said it was a bit of a bummer on paper it does not look to bad untill you actualy try to drive it … But I do stand corrected on the East yorkshire bit should have put EAST COAST .
So i explained …pmsl now she understands …why she struggles on a sunday getting that job covered …