I have just joined this forum, so firstly id like to say hi to everyone.
I have just moved to liverpool from northern ireland and am considering starting to drive again, i havent drove wagons now since last september.
In northern ireland i drove for a company who dealt in machinery, ie forklifts, mini diggers and that kinna stuff, i drove a daf and was always pulling a large low loader, I have been offered a job through an agency driving for somerfields the supermarket delivering to stores in the north of england. Would you recomend this for a first time driver in england as my knowledge of england is not to good. or even terrible having never left liverpool. I have considered buying a sat nav as i think this would be a good idea and i couldnt really go wrong, what do you all think, surely i couldnt go wrong with a sat nav could i■■?
i would much appreciate your help as i am really fed up in my current job in a warehouse.many thanks.
First of all welcome to Trucknet. I have worked for most of the major supermarkets at one time or another north of the border, and personally I think its a good move. Although Ive never worked for the company in question, the likes of Asda and Tesco give you ample time to complete the job, and also supply you with written directions to their stores. There is a lot more time sensitive jobs out there that would put more pressure on you while youre finding your feet. As for satnavs, theres a huge range to choose from, but always remember to check your height for bridges. : Good luck and hope everything works out ok.
northernirishinlpool:
I have considered buying a sat nav as i think this would be a good idea and i couldnt really go wrong, what do you all think, surely i couldnt go wrong with a sat nav could i■■?.
You could go wrong,a SatNav isn’t some kind of magical device that makes up for any lack of navigational and map reading skills. Too many people buy them and think all they have to do is plug it in and away they go. It is just a map, the same as any A to Z, and you need a knowledge of map reading and the ability to navigate to somewhere in order to get the best out of it. Have a search of the posts on here and you will see people complaining about their SatNav getting them into tricky situations because the blindly followed its instructions. Yes a SatNav is a good thing but don’t buy one thinking it means you can’t go wrong, because if you do you will go wrong. However, buy one and use it exactly as you would use a map and it will be a sound investment.
I’d agree with Coffee on this one - SatNav is great if it is used properly, I use a combination of Truckers Map & SatNav (and any directions if I am given them)… and it normally gets me to where I want to be. Rely on Satnav alone (without previewing the route it selects) and you are asking for trouble…
… I would have thought that the likes of Somerfields would give you store maps anyway, certainly most of the other stores give you something, even if they don’t I have always found talking to the other drivers gives you the information that you will need !!
Hi and welcome, i work at this depot and trust me, satnav is a bit over the top for this job.Get yourself a good roadmap and if you feel you need them a few philips county maps will cover the majority of the stores.(a lot cheaper)
Along with your run sheet you will be given store directions,though experience has shown you should always check with somebody who has done the store already,they can be a little bit off now and again It is rare that you have to push to get a job done.
Once you’ve done it for a few weeks you will find yourself getting stores you’ve done already .The advantage with shop deliveries is that most of the locals will know where you are talking about so just get to the town and ask.
A big problem with satnav is that it will take you to the postcode/address you give it
which is generally the front of the shop,not always where you want to be,trust me
Feel free to ask anymore questions you have about working here.
Hi “i’m tired”, do you still get issued with the big blue book with all the stores in? I know they used to have a couple on the table but when i was there they gave a personal issue to every driver as well.
hi mike ,don’t have the blue books anymore,since a lot of the kwiksaves went and we gained all of sherburns stores they became a bit obsolete.store directions are now printed off as and when you need them.
I work for DHL / Exel / Somerfield at another depot, and the job is easy.
There is no stress / pressure at all, the kit is sound, and you never have to run bent / break any laws.
SatNav? I wouldn’t bother - as has been mentioned - the address of the store is often not where you want to be going - the delivery point may be a few streets away.
And the chances are some scally will break into the truck and pinch it anyway - loads of our agency drivers have had this happen to them - even though they hid it out of sight while delivering. If a thief sees the tell-tale sucker marks on the screen, they will break in to have a look round anyway.
I really dont think that SatNavs or any other similar device will ever take the place of a good road map and the driver taking the time to work out the route on paper the night before (if possible)
Its a tried and tested method that works for me. Never leave home without my little bits of paper wit the road numbers clearly marked.
It is rare that you have to push to get a job done.
