Beau Nydel:
eagerbeaver:
‘Sounds like’ the 'beaver is having a pop at me! [I’m guessing he isn’t 
]
The only people who like container work are the bone idle, .
Container work is fine if you are with the right outfit and the pay and gear is good - just like any other form of haulage or for that matter any form of employment.
What suits one doesn’t suit another - try it you might like it as the actress said to the bishop 
Regards Beau Nydel
Already done it mate. Twice in fact, once for Marmite out of Trafford Park and the second time subbing out of Widnes.
Complete and utter ham shank in my experience.
toby1234abc:
Trampy , you need a ratchet strap winder , they are only about a tenner online or at most truck stops , I got mine at Lymm , very useful to wind in the straps thus preventing repeative strain injuries .
yes they are a god sent, I do have one, but for about a year I was manually winding up my straps with my hands covered in mud on wet days. I have also got a strong arm too to get an extra few clicks on the ratchet straps. It’s just such a lot of faffing about with load bearing curtains that jam up and strapping down uneven loads where packs have broken their banding. Containers take the burden away so it seems.
Just get ready to dive out the way after opening back doors especially if its firewood
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Another tip if you get on boxes - make sure they put the box on the right way round. When you’re half way to your delivery and you suddenly notice the container doors in your mirror, that’s not good! 
I only made that mistake once and it cost me £20 to guy on the lifter at Orbital to spin it around for me . Luckily the delivery was only a couple of miles away.
R420:
Nite Owl:
R420:
Nite Owl:
I disagree on the bolt croppers. You should be checking the box before it leaves the dock and if theres no seal, it doesnt move until it’s been put right hand I have the appropriate paperwork in my hand. I’ve had more than one drop where they didnt have a set and mine have come in very useful.
I’d also recomend a small 2kg mallet and a 3ft length of scaffolding pole.
I always carried a set, but I didn’t tell anyone I had them. As you say, some places you go to don’t have any and they expect you to have some, so that’s when they come in useful, but only then. Fully agree with you about the mallet and scaffy bar. You’re not a proper container driver if you don’t carry those two essential bits of kit .
Almost forgot, ratchet strap or bungee straps to hold the doors open because the hook or chains are missing.
Yes! Most annoying when you’re trying to reverse down a slope onto a loading dock and have the [zb] doors swing closed 
.
Or part of the load fall out the back
R420:
Another tip if you get on boxes - make sure they put the box on the right way round. When you’re half way to your delivery and you suddenly notice the container doors in your mirror, that’s not good! I only made that mistake once and it cost me £20 to guy on the lifter at Orbital to spin it around for me . Luckily the delivery was only a couple of miles away.
Ive always wonderes about this.
When the box is coming down and you do notice its facing the wrong way, are you able to wave or contact the crane operator to let them know before it goes on the skelly?
sinclair89:
R420:
Another tip if you get on boxes - make sure they put the box on the right way round. When you’re half way to your delivery and you suddenly notice the container doors in your mirror, that’s not good! I only made that mistake once and it cost me £20 to guy on the lifter at Orbital to spin it around for me . Luckily the delivery was only a couple of miles away.
Ive always wonderes about this.
When the box is coming down and you do notice its facing the wrong way, are you able to wave or contact the crane operator to let them know before it goes on the skelly?
Yes. Get out and make ‘no’ signals crossing your forearms to the straddler operator, then draw circles with your hand to show him it needs to be spun around. Felixstowe straddlers have an intercom at the bottom where you can press the button and talk to the operator. Other sites, just make hand signals. They understand what you mean as it happens regularly.
If your paid by the hour, don’t worry how long it takes to tip the box.
A friend of mine who is, and has a low boredom threshold, has just done 2 weeks on boxes, and at first didn’t like the waiting around. He sat at one drop for 7 hours in the first week, getting agitated, until I reminded him that he is paid by the hour and to stop moaning. He soon shut up when he totalled his hours up in the first week.
If the truck isn’t moving, its not his problem as long as he still sees the pounds in his bank.
Ken.
R420:
Yes. Get out and make ‘no’ signals crossing your forearms to the straddler operator, then draw circles with your hand to show him it needs to be spun around. Felixstowe straddlers have an intercom at the bottom where you can press the button and talk to the operator. Other sites, just make hand signals. They understand what you mean as it happens regularly.
I always thought that they would only fit on one way, surely it wouldn’t be a massive job to space the interlocks on the box only lock on when the doors are facing the rear. Even put doors on each end of the box so it wouldn’t be a problem either way.
I’ve never had a problem with sitting around and getting paid for it.
I take my lead from them massive tortoises that live for hundreds of years; you never see them jogging, cycling or getting agitated.
eagerbeaver:
Beau Nydel:
eagerbeaver:
‘Sounds like’ the 'beaver is having a pop at me! [I’m guessing he isn’t ]
The only people who like container work are the bone idle, .
Container work is fine if you are with the right outfit and the pay and gear is good - just like any other form of haulage or for that matter any form of employment.
What suits one doesn’t suit another - try it you might like it as the actress said to the bishop
Regards Beau Nydel
Already done it mate. Twice in fact, once for Marmite out of Trafford Park and the second time subbing out of Widnes.
Complete and utter ham shank in my experience.
That’s why you didn’t enjoy it eagerbeaver you worked for the worst container operator out there,try it on a small firm who pull DIRECT with the shipping line and it’s a different story,
Quinny:
If your paid by the hour, don’t worry how long it takes to tip the box.
A friend of mine who is, and has a low boredom threshold, has just done 2 weeks on boxes, and at first didn’t like the waiting around. He sat at one drop for 7 hours in the first week, getting agitated, until I reminded him that he is paid by the hour and to stop moaning. He soon shut up when he totalled his hours up in the first week.
If the truck isn’t moving, its not his problem as long as he still sees the pounds in his bank.
Ken.
Thing is the truck is still earning as after 3hrs it’s getting demurrage charges,longest Iv sat is 12 hours,average around 2hrs a box but every now and then there’s a 4 to 5 hour job,
Fair point & well made YT regarding the marmite fiasco. I am lucky though, I never got spied on when I was there, now Mr Williams needs to know EXACTLY what is happening in the wagon at ALL times 
My mind is a highly tuned and precision instrument. Container work started turning it towards the dark side, I even contemplated at one point joining Facebook. My journey to become a sheep could have indeed become a reality 
Wish I had listened at school ffs
R420:
sinclair89:
R420:
Another tip if you get on boxes - make sure they put the box on the right way round. When you’re half way to your delivery and you suddenly notice the container doors in your mirror, that’s not good! I only made that mistake once and it cost me £20 to guy on the lifter at Orbital to spin it around for me . Luckily the delivery was only a couple of miles away.
Ive always wonderes about this.
When the box is coming down and you do notice its facing the wrong way, are you able to wave or contact the crane operator to let them know before it goes on the skelly?
Yes. Get out and make ‘no’ signals crossing your forearms to the straddler operator, then draw circles with your hand to show him it needs to be spun around. Felixstowe straddlers have an intercom at the bottom where you can press the button and talk to the operator. Other sites, just make hand signals. They understand what you mean as it happens regularly.
Thanks [emoji1] everyday is a school day
If you are doing a job with a 20’ on a slider and you have a (zb) trailer, the pins to secure the sliding mechanism may sometimes become jammed, so you’ll have to either budge the unit backwards or forwards a few times to attempt to free them, or if that fails, use a lump hammer and bar to bray them in (another essential box jockey tool)!
Wrap a strap around the door handles before opening them, otherwise you may have several tonnes of timber hit the deck on top of you!
Garbo2018:
If you are doing a job with a 20’ on a slider, if you have a (zb) trailer, the pins to secure the sliding mechanism may sometimes become jammed, so you’ll have to either budge the unit backwards or forwards a few times to attempt to free them, or if that fails, use a lump hammer and bar to bray them in (another essential box jockey tool)!
Wrap a strap around the door handles before opening them, otherwise you may have several tonnes of timber hit the deck on top of you!
Or get ready to run
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Containers is the easiest job going. Don’t worry about them been top heavy as if you drive like it is then you will be fine. If your working for some of the smaller firms you will see a pattern emerge and end up going to a lot of the same places. The sitting around can be long but as others have said. Go off on a walk or bring a bike. It is literally drive open the back doors then wait and go back to the docks. Piece of ■■■■ job and it’s what you make of it
acceptme:
Containers is the easiest job going. Don’t worry about them been top heavy as if you drive like it is then you will be fine. If your working for some of the smaller firms you will see a pattern emerge and end up going to a lot of the same places. The sitting around can be long but as others have said. Go off on a walk or bring a bike. It is literally drive open the back doors then wait and go back to the docks. Piece of ■■■■ job and it’s what you make of it
Sold it to me. Great response, thanks.
What all the other correspondents have failed to point out, is the requirement to drive everywhere flat out, over/undertake on roundabouts, take 9 hour daily (spilt) breaks every day, and drive on the limiter, 5 foot behind the truck in front, especially through roadworks.