evening chaps , done all the usual , fridges, bulkers , flats ,tankers ,lowloaders etc but am considering a move to containers, anything i need to know or how long it takes to get the hang of it without any major aggrivation ? any help appreciated many thanks
MolePower:
evening chaps , done all the usual , fridges, bulkers , flats ,tankers ,lowloaders etc but am considering a move to containers, anything i need to know or how long it takes to get the hang of it without any major aggrivation ? any help appreciated many thanks
Buying larger clothes due to sitting around eating or sleeping all the time will be your biggest problem if you believe what you read on here !
containers is fairly easy work granted, expect a fair bit of sitting about but if hourly paid its a plus.
Containers is just about the easiest job in transport bar depot-depot trunking. Arrive in site, open doors, back on bay and go to sleep/watch TV for hours. Some people love it, some hate it because of the sheer amount of sitting about you do. I personally don’t mind the long tips as I like my reading, it’s the queuing up at the terminals I can’t be doing with, you won’t believe how long it can take to drop off/collect a container.
Hardest bit is learning the procedures at all the terminals, just don’t be afraid to ask other drivers and ignore the ignorant tossers who work there who’ll bark at you for not knowing what to do.
Can be interesting, you get to a wide variety of places. Could be tipping at a Tesco RDC in the morning and picking up cow hides from a remote farm in the afternoon.
+1 Rob
That’s it in a nutshell really.
Once dock / rail procedures are all familiar with the jobs a doddle (although me 45 footer experience was a bit of a ball scratcher).
Diet and staying fit can be the trickiest part.
The variety of load and tip points keep the job interesting and it’s this variety that makes box jockeys the best at reversing. 
One word of caution though, complacency can be your biggest enemy, take your time and as with everything the jobs easy enough.
Youl also become an expert at sleeping and tugging obviously.
The best job in transport in my opinion.
I hardly do any weekends,hours ain’t mental either.
I’m a day driver but we get our own unit so it’s kitted out like a trampers incase we get caught out.
If I get to a drop and open the doors and it looks like a long job I ask the lads how long it will be and if it’s a nice day I go for a stroll,I have walked round some cracking places.
Some jobs only take a few minutes to load so it’s not all sitting.
Why I stayed on general so long I will never know.
Another good point to the containers is the load in the container isn’t (providing i don’t throw it all over the road) my problem,
The ammount of times on General haulage I’d arrive somewhere and its “that pallets broken” or “that box is damaged” or “that pallet has a mixed load on it”
So “we don’t want it”,
“Sign here its damaged”
“We need to take pictures the boxes at the bottom are squashed”.
And they always seemed to act as if its my fault or I’d damaged it.
With containers its Sign here for a sealed box,
i don’t know or really care whats in it.
Only other bit of advice i would add is take islands, turns and tight bends steady as you don’t know whats in it, how its secured inside (if at all) or how high the load is inside,
Many get caught out on this right up to the point when its all sliding down the road on its side.
thanks guys , some good stuff there,
many thanks
I liked doing containers, I took my mountain bike in the cab, front wheel on the bunk, frame and back wheel in the passenger seat or lob in an empty container .
I also had a set of bar bells to keep fit while they unload.
I gave the depot mobile phone number , and ring me when nearly done so I would go for a bike ride .
On one delivery , I biked 12 miles to the centre of London .
There are numerous canal towpaths to use all over the country .
Containers from exotic countries can have reptiles , snakes, spiders , insects and rodents that have got while loading abroad.
Fumigation can take hours.
Loads that have paint or varnish need to be vented off before goods in staff will tip it .
The port procedures take a while to get used to , for overnight parking it is better than a curtain side trailer, you may need a rear door lock .
Sometimes you load a container where the back door handles are bashed, bent or just plain stiff… so, if possible always carry a short length of scaffold pipe to slip over handles for extra leverage when opening, and a bloody big hammer to bash them shut again when tipped!
And as OP said…steady on the bends and roundabouts as your load could be uneven, top heavy, etc
Oh, and make sure your container is on the right way round… you wouldn’t want to arrive at drop and find the back doors are behind your cab! Lol 
I done Cobelfret and ECS containers out of Purfleet & Dartford and it was a great job if you don’t mind all the unloading time spent reading, eating, watching TV, learning a second language, or whatever else takes your fancy!!
Lennoxtown:
I done Cobelfret and ECS containers out of Purfleet & Dartford and it was a great job if you don’t mind all the unloading time spent reading, eating, watching TV, learning a second language, or whatever else takes your fancy!!
I’ve always said it’s a good job for learning stuff. I read myself. Currently 1/5th of the way through Moby ■■■■.
toby1234abc:
I liked doing containers, I took my mountain bike in the cab, front wheel on the bunk, frame and back wheel in the passenger seat or lob in an empty container .
I also had a set of bar bells to keep fit while they unload.
I gave the depot mobile phone number , and ring me when nearly done so I would go for a bike ride .
On one delivery , I biked 12 miles to the centre of London .
There are numerous canal towpaths to use all over the country .
Containers from exotic countries can have reptiles , snakes, spiders , insects and rodents that have got while loading abroad.
Fumigation can take hours.
Loads that have paint or varnish need to be vented off before goods in staff will tip it .
The port procedures take a while to get used to , for overnight parking it is better than a curtain side trailer, you may need a rear door lock .
Tobes, you forgot to mention shagging the mayors daughter after lunch 
A hammer for the twist locks is a good idea, too.
I learned that the hard way…