After waiting for hours to get loaded then all the obligatory traffic problems, I eventually get to the RDC.
Booking in the warehouse bod says something along the lines of “Loads of lorries ahead of you, mate.”
Don’t care because I’m hourly paid so shrug resignedly and head back to the cab to park up and put the kettle on…………
Drive round to the parking area to find something like 15 or 20 lorries ahead of me.
Right…. … … … where’s that coffee?
5 minutes later my number flashes up on the dot-matrix sign. Don’t understand it but, never look a gift horse and all that, so drive round into the unloading area where the FLT is waiting for me.
Park up, open the curtains and starting on the straps when about half a dozen pi##ed off drivers all pile through the door with the mouth-piece [there’s always one] shouting and wanting to know why I’m getting tipped; as he (noisily) pointed out “I’ve ■■■■■■ been parked ■■■■■■ waiting in this ■■■■■■ s#it hole for 5 ■■■■■■ hours, how come this shunt (no offence mate) goes first?”
Forkie. “See those pallets on that lorry, Drive? Well, they’ve just come from one of our other depots. See if you can guess what you’ve been waiting for…………”
Should I apologise for laughing to myself as the loud-mouthed git, obviously feeling about 2 inches tall, stood there desperately looking for something to crawl under and hide?
Had similar at Asda, Lutterworth, pulls in, about a dozen trucks waiting, excellent, go to goods in, give him my paper work,back it on bay 25 please, wtf?, we are waiting for these 14 pallets, they are urgent. Apparently, I had 14 pallets of easter eggs on and they couldnt get enough. Oops, some very ■■■■■■ off drivers ranting and raving. One doing that much screaming and shouting that while I was there he was asked to go to goods in, load refused.
I had the same kind of thing in Ashington yesterday at some shonky builder merchant. Only had five agg bags but pulled in behind a full brick and block wagon and drag, asked the otger driver if he was waiting which he confirmed so I went to speak to the yardman just to let him know I’m next after him kinda thing.
He asked how many so I said five and he said to jump in front if the other guy, keep to the left so he can get in the yard and he’ll tip me outside while the other lad goes in.
So out of politeness I went to explain to the other bloke yo explain and all he heard was me going in first before losing the plot and getting irate which the yardman seen so strolled over and said to the other guy that he’s got the forklift, it’s his yard and if the other guy didn’t like it he can go away but rudely
Once it was sorted the guy came over to apologise and I explained I wasn’t taking the mickey and if he’d listened hed have heard me say exactly what was happening as we were both getting tipped.
Then we made eye contact and he submitted his body to me. I drove off covered in truffle butter satisfied that I had both an empty trailer and empty nutsack for the journey home*
I had some bloke whinging to me in our yard that he’d been “waiting ages” for the forklift, yet he saw me come in with my wagon, refuel, park up and then started on as I was plugging the fridge in. Why would he think I’d have anything to do with goods in when it was obvious I’m a delivery driver who’d just got back?
It’s not rocket science for the person in charge of the pen and toilet rolls to explain to drivers as they arrive, we’re waiting for some stuff from abc , go get your dinner etc instead of secret squirrel
Wheel Nut:
It’s not rocket science for the person in charge of the pen and toilet rolls to explain to drivers as they arrive, we’re waiting for some stuff from abc , go get your dinner etc instead of secret squirrel
Agreed, communication is key. Drivers will sit there 12 hours if they know what’s going on and that someone has it in hand, and that the yard hand will give you a knock on the door when it’s your turn.
It’s when guys are left to sit there and try and figure out what’s going on, or monitor constantly for some sort of signal that it’s their turn or detect whether they’ve been forgotten about, that stress levels rise.
Drivers will sit there but they have their own planner on the phone and the conversation goes like this;
You loaded?
-No in a queue!
You’re supposed to be in Leeds Now.
Wheel Nut:
It’s not rocket science for the person in charge of the pen and toilet rolls to explain to drivers as they arrive, we’re waiting for some stuff from abc , go get your dinner etc instead of secret squirrel
Agreed, communication is key. Drivers will sit there 12 hours if they know what’s going on and that someone has it in hand, and that the yard hand will give you a knock on the door when it’s your turn.
It’s when guys are left to sit there and try and figure out what’s going on, or monitor constantly for some sort of signal that it’s their turn or detect whether they’ve been forgotten about, that stress levels rise.
That’s true, it also affects your state of mind. I find only waiting and traffic make me mentally tired, driving (making progress) is enjoyable. Maybe this sounds snowflakey, but I’m interested in the mental health of road users, and the various factors that affect it. Obviously I’m primarily looking at the things that affect us, but we have to share the roads with all sorts.
Wheel Nut:
Drivers will sit there but they have their own planner on the phone and the conversation goes like this;
You loaded?
-No in a queue!
You’re supposed to be in Leeds Now.
Wheel Nut:
Drivers will sit there but they have their own planner on the phone and the conversation goes like this;
You loaded?
-No in a queue!
You’re supposed to be in Leeds Now.
-I’ll ring you when I’m leaving!
You loaded?
-No in a queue
What do I tell Leeds?
Tell them I’m in a queue [emoji23]
Yeah or the planner goes “I’ll give them a call, see if I can speed them up” and you just say “ok” because you know nothing will change and Tesco/Sainsbury’s/whateverRDC won’t just wilt at the sound of a phone call
Wheel Nut:
Drivers will sit there but they have their own planner on the phone and the conversation goes like this;
You loaded?
-No in a queue!
You’re supposed to be in Leeds Now.
-I’ll ring you when I’m leaving!
You loaded?
-No in a queue
What do I tell Leeds?
Tell them I’m in a queue [emoji23]
Yeah or the planner goes “I’ll give them a call, see if I can speed them up” and you just say “ok” because you know nothing will change and Tesco/Sainsbury’s/whateverRDC won’t just wilt at the sound of a phone call
Yeah!
Planner- “I’ve rung them, they are waiting for you.”
toonsy:
Then we made eye contact and he submitted his body to me. I drove off covered in truffle butter satisfied that I had both an empty trailer and empty nutsack for the journey home*
toonsy:
Then we made eye contact and he submitted his body to me. I drove off covered in truffle butter satisfied that I had both an empty trailer and empty nutsack for the journey home*
*The is a part may not have happened.
Or maybe it did …
Glad you enjoyed it and also that you remembered me
I arrived at a drop, lines painted all over the yard with those pedestrian stick man drawings on them. I’m in a sprinter so I parked up wherever wasn’t in the way, opened the side door and took out the item I was to deliver, walked diagonally, highly illegally, across the yard towards the door with the phone next to it with the sign ‘all drivers must…’
Phone rang for 2 minutes before it was answered. I was asked what time I was booked in. I had no idea I had to be booked in and replied thus. I was told I’d have to wait about an hour and a half for my ‘slot’
I told the voice on the end of the phone that I only had one smallish box and I’m not waiting that long to deliver it and I’ll happily fail it and go about my business. I was again told I’d have to wait for my slot.
This went back and forth for a while before he eventually asked what I had. I said it was a box about 1 foot cubed. He said ‘ffs’ and the door to my right opened. It was him, he’d been on the other side of a one way mirror throughout our interaction. He could see me standing there with a box in my hand while I was on the phone to him.
I’m usually inoffensive but I did say ‘what’s it like, being you’ doing this to drivers, day in, day out’?
NoClass:
I arrived at a drop, lines painted all over the yard with those pedestrian stick man drawings on them. I’m in a sprinter so I parked up wherever wasn’t in the way, opened the side door and took out the item I was to deliver, walked diagonally, highly illegally, across the yard towards the door with the phone next to it with the sign ‘all drivers must…’
Phone rang for 2 minutes before it was answered. I was asked what time I was booked in. I had no idea I had to be booked in and replied thus. I was told I’d have to wait about an hour and a half for my ‘slot’
I told the voice on the end of the phone that I only had one smallish box and I’m not waiting that long to deliver it and I’ll happily fail it and go about my business. I was again told I’d have to wait for my slot.
This went back and forth for a while before he eventually asked what I had. I said it was a box about 1 foot cubed. He said ‘ffs’ and the door to my right opened. It was him, he’d been on the other side of a one way mirror throughout our interaction. He could see me standing there with a box in my hand while I was on the phone to him.
I’m usually inoffensive but I did say ‘what’s it like, being you’ doing this to drivers, day in, day out’?
I had a numbskull come up to me the other day shouting “360, 360 360!”. I asked him how he was and why he felt the need to do that. Turns out a hi-vis is not enough! It needs to be fastened around one’s body to be effective, hence his vocal idiocy. Like a latter-day town crier, but crap.
I tried ro reach out to him, I mean “brother are you okay” crap. The irony was lost on him, however.
