Correct /Appropriate Responses 2 Assholes-suggestions please

[cbr_si]

As you may know, today is the first day of my second week of driving altogether.

I was sent to Boston, and when I got there mr patronising in the office told me where to go with the wagon. Down a narrow roadway into a ‘yard’. The access road came out on the righthand side of the building and the door was at the far end of the wall in the yard, meaning I had to go forward into the yard before turning left across the face of the building so i didn’t clout the wall. Anyhow, there was a Class2 wagon already backed up (an open door way not a bay as such), so I went in with the paperwork. Mateyboy drove out, and I swung the wagon round as best I couldto have the back of the container towards the door, but because the yard was so cluttered with pallets (about a quarter of the space just gone to pallets) the doors were about 10 foot to the side of the opening and 10 foot or so away.

The forklift driver asked me to back up to the door properly, which I said ok to thinking they’d have a ramp to offer up to the container. As I said the yard was so cluttered up , and because of how I’d had to swing round it was too difficult to reverse, so had to drive forward and to the right, and attempt to straighten the trailer up with the cab so i could reverse back and drivers side not reverse. This meant that the back wheels of the trailer were static and pulled round (screwing round i think its called?), anyway in my mirror I could see 4 employees all stood in the doorway all laughing (which didn’t bother me at all cus I have had it all week and normally people r ok when u explain ur new), but suddenly a bloke runs round the corner, walkietalkie in hand and in a burst of effin and blinding told me not to screw the wagon round. I was a bit shocked by this really, so I just said ‘well please get me someone who can help me out’ which got the response of ‘your ■■■■■■■ nowhere near the ■■■■■■■ doors yet!’ weirdo. anyhow, another moustache of self importance came round the corner and was actually civil and helped me back up while mr apoplyptic went off somewhere. When I had finished Mr Angry turned up again with a digital camera in hand, and looked most dissapointed when I opened the doors to reveal not a single damaged pallet.

It turned out that one of them was going to pumptruck it to the back of the container for the forklift driver, which they cuold have done from where I was origionally, saved 10 minutes and a lot of grief!

Now I am quite a polite person by nature, but just out of interest what would you old hands have said to him? (Mr Angry)

Please dont analyse my driving technique in the yard - i am quite happy with that lol

Oh made one of the Laughing Boys choke though, he told me about 20 minutes into the tip that Mr Angry had joked to him that he hopes I dont see their advert in the local paper for a driver - so I said ‘well mate I am too well paid to really care less’, to which Laughing Boy started choking in disbelief - serves him right lol

[tc]

CBR_SI:
As you may know, today is the first day of my second week of driving altogether.

I was sent to Boston, and when I got there mr patronising in the office told me where to go with the wagon. Down a narrow roadway into a ‘yard’. The access road came out on the righthand side of the building and the door was at the far end of the wall in the yard, meaning I had to go forward into the yard before turning left across the face of the building so i didn’t clout the wall. Anyhow, there was a Class2 wagon already backed up (an open door way not a bay as such), so I went in with the paperwork. Mateyboy drove out, and I swung the wagon round as best I couldto have the back of the container towards the door, but because the yard was so cluttered with pallets (about a quarter of the space just gone to pallets) the doors were about 10 foot to the side of the opening and 10 foot or so away.

The forklift driver asked me to back up to the door properly, which I said ok to thinking they’d have a ramp to offer up to the container. As I said the yard was so cluttered up , and because of how I’d had to swing round it was too difficult to reverse, so had to drive forward and to the right, and attempt to straighten the trailer up with the cab so i could reverse back and drivers side not reverse. This meant that the back wheels of the trailer were static and pulled round (screwing round i think its called?), anyway in my mirror I could see 4 employees all stood in the doorway all laughing (which didn’t bother me at all cus I have had it all week and normally people r ok when u explain ur new), but suddenly a bloke runs round the corner, walkietalkie in hand and in a burst of effin and blinding told me not to screw the wagon round. I was a bit shocked by this really, so I just said ‘well please get me someone who can help me out’ which got the response of ‘your [zb] nowhere near the [zb] doors yet!’ weirdo. anyhow, another moustache of self importance came round the corner and was actually civil and helped me back up while mr apoplyptic went off somewhere. When I had finished Mr Angry turned up again with a digital camera in hand, and looked most dissapointed when I opened the doors to reveal not a single damaged pallet.

It turned out that one of them was going to pumptruck it to the back of the container for the forklift driver, which they cuold have done from where I was origionally, saved 10 minutes and a lot of grief!

Now I am quite a polite person by nature, but just out of interest what would you old hands have said to him? (Mr Angry)

Please dont analyse my driving technique in the yard - i am quite happy with that lol

Oh made one of the Laughing Boys choke though, he told me about 20 minutes into the tip that Mr Angry had joked to him that he hopes I dont see their advert in the local paper for a driver - so I said ‘well mate I am too well paid to really care less’, to which Laughing Boy started choking in disbelief - serves him right lol

CBR you will get this and more by the fools in the yard dont bite in fact laugh because you are a professional! if you give any one of them the keys they would have pap’ed themselves! you did what not one of them could even contemplate!
welcome CBR a professional driver!

[harley_man]

yes i was unloading at a store and needed to move the truck forward about 10 feet gave the keys to a lad about 20, asked if he could drive he said yes.truck was a daf 85 he spent 5 mins looking allround cab came back and said he couldn’t find the hand brake and id better move it.
goes to show they just talk a good talk.

p.s it takes time to learn anything your doing ok.

p.p.s. i would have just (zb) him mark.

laanguage edit if you need to put stars in it’s a good clue it’s not allowed mrs mix

[driveroneuk]

I was lucky in that i never had any REAL problems with reversing as i’d been driving tractors & trailers on farms since i was 11. But ofcourse the extra length takes some getting used to.
If it looked a bit tight/ awkward i used to get out & go upto the guys on the dock & say:
“Do you want a laugh guys”? They’d look at you a bit daft. Explain I hadn’t been driving artics very long & that i might be about to look a complete pratt. Then walk away, jump in & get on with it. More often than not, they just got on with what they where doing.
After numerous shunts & much sweating, once on the bay, I’d go & say to the forkie, “i told you.” Response was often: “we’ve seen much worse”.

It sort of seems to take the wind out of their sails if you take this approach.

As for yards being designed big enough to manoevre a truck in, then being promptly cluttered up with pallets, skips, parked cars, etc. That’s completely normal, you’ll get used to it.
If you hit something, just tell them in no uncertain terms, it shouldn’t be there anyway! Best just to ask for someone to watch you, especially the front nearside corner of the cab, if there’s lots of pallets & stuff about, but make sure they stand where you can see them, if they disappear from view, STOP!

If you’re not sure HOW to get manoevred around to get where you want to be, just ask the forkie which way other drivers usually do it, he’ll tell you. Also, watch for rubber tyre marks on the yard, you’ll soon spot if trailers are regularly being screwed round. Its not a good way, as it hard on tyre wear, puts tremendous strain on the wheel bearings, & if high loaded, are at risk of going over, but often it has to be done. I’ve even had the inside wheels going backwards!

[marketleader]

Hi Si Have read all your recent posts with great interest…you really seem to be doing really well mate. I start my class1 on tuesday next week with my test on friday afternoon…you show us newbies just that it can be done…thanks for your postings Si, all the best to you mate

Rob

[rob_k]

Si, that is most annoying when people do that. It’s bad enough when you’ve been driving a good while and don’t have any problems with maneouvring forwards or backwards and a smart-alec comes along but when you’re new it’s easy to get wound up and flustered.

The suggestion of what to say by Driveoneuk is brilliant and I wish now that I had used it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of by admitting your new at it. We’ve all been a newbie at our jobs at some point (typically when we’ve just started there oddly enough )

My first reverse when I’d passed my class 1 was also a 40ft container to go between a couple of pillars into a warehouse. Looking back, a pee easy straight-forward 90 degree reverse, but for some reason I thought I needed quarter of a mile of “road” in front to get line up LOL! I got so carried away with holding the traffic up that I didn’t see a small concrete post in my bob mirror and grazed in coming in I was well annoyed with myself You learn from your mistakes though and I always have a good survey of the area I’ll need to maneouvre in before I get in it, keeping an eye out for things like strewn metal cages, pallets, staff cars, ruts in the road and overhanging buildings and canopies.

One of the most common mistakes I see by other class 1 drivers when reversing is over-cutting it. They’ll be reversing onto a bay, looking good but then can’t “catch” the trailer to reverse straight back to the wall and have to pull forward to straighten up and do a shunt. It never looks like it when you’ve got your bonce out of the window but the trailer comes round surprisingly quick and nearly always seems to “get away from you”. As you’re doing containers too, wait while you get a 20ft box and have to shrink the trailer up ! You’ll be snaking it all over the shop! I know I did first time!!

One of things to get used to is what I refer to as “the ABM” - it stands for Automatic Bull[zb] Machine and most warehouse/forklift operatives seem to be wired up to it. A perfect example of what you can expect to hear when after 10 attempts there’s no way the trailer is going to go in/down/up there is “we’ve had 45 footers in there mate”. A 2 second pause for consideration of what he’s said basically equates to “don’t talk [zb]e mate, you’d struggle to get a transit in there never mind an artic”. Get as close as you can to where they want it and when you can’t go no more, job done.

[muckles]

You meet people like that all the time, just count to 10 and don’t rise to the bait.
Most of them are on an ego trip as they don’t have much in their sad little lives and being able to shout at you makes their day.
Screwing the trailer round is a bit of harsh manoeuvre and can also damage the surface of the yard, but in tight spots can’t always be avoided. You will hear the phrase “well all our trucks get in there”, but then find out there trucks are 7.5 tonnes.
However in this job you meet all sorts of people and for all the ones on power trips you will meet the people who are helpful and friendly and greet you with the immortal “milk and sugar in yours then Drive” was offered toast and dripping in one place but declined the offer.

[kate]

Si,
If you are unable to see the yard or area where they want you to tip, from the road or gates, or whatever, park the truck, take a walk and have a good look, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into, and can plan accordingly, before you commit youself to any manouvre.
I do, frequently, and if a collar and tie, or even a forkie questions you, just tell him/her, it’s your motor, and you aint going in anywhere, unless you are sure you’re gonna get in and out without damaging either your vehicle, or their property.
Keep up the good work.
Kate

[gurner]

I would have had him by the throat.
Spinning the trailer round has just reminded me, of going into a car park in Milton keynes to turn around, not long after id passed my test, anyway, had a 40 foot container on the back, got in this car park, and as i was spinning round, looking at the back wheels, as you do, i could see the freshly laid tarmac being ripped up with it

[dratsabasti]

Hey Gurner, I bet you were Mr Popular, or did you leg it quick?

[kitkat]

hi,si, when i go to a delivery/collection that i have never been to before then i always park outside and take a walk through the yard.have a look at the position of the loading bay/area,and the surrounding yard.once i am satisfied then i’ll go in.we have all heard the usual 45 footers in here all the time mate, yes driver there’s plenty room for you to swing round,when i here those words alarm bells start ringing. si keep doing what you are doing thing’s will get easier as you gain experiance,you will always get the odd smart guy who will pass comment.easy way to sort him out jump out the cab through him the keys and tell him if you can do any better then please do, as it will save me making a pig’s ear of it.he will sone change his mind and they normally turn and walk away as his mates are laughing at him.so enjoy the job si and keep up the good work. oh buy the way have a laugh as well.

[thebigone]

Hi si. I have to go with Kitkat. Did it today even though I didn’t really want to walk a half mile. Save me a lot of grief in the end. Had a farmer telling me I could get in the yard when I blatently couldn’t. My response to the lads in the yard would have been short and sweet. They’d have probably then taken as much time as they could to tip you, but hey you’r paid hourly. As for the disptick with the camera, is it your fault if the pallets have been turned over? I think not. I take it the container’s sealed so you don’t have a clue what they’re loaded or stacked like. Could have been done before you got hold of it. In fact it felt like the weight was all on one side when I pulled out the docks or wherever. I could quite happily refused to take it. Do you really need the stuff etc etc . It’s nice to be nice but it gets you somewhere if your belligerant occasionally . They were probabley just peeved at having to tip a container. Oh yeah, ask 'em to watch you round - that involves them (psychologically) in the manouver and open the back doors as your doing trying to get onto the bay. Looks like you need one less shunt then .

[jammymutt]

CBR i would have offered him the keys and asked if he could do any better if he replied no i would have replied with what time do you ■■■■■■■ finish ■■■■■■■ ? ill see you outside the gate at that time .

[cbr_si]

thanks chaps for your words of wisdom; I must have read it pyschically from the cab today. why? I got to the ‘warehouse’ in Blackburn today, and the firm had moved. Mr Helpful Pedestrian told me the way out of the estate (twas down a residential street with a small light industrial unit on the side) as ‘take either the first or second right down to the bottom’ etcetc. So, I decided to go and have a look. Good job, as hidden round the first corner were 2 cars parked in such a way that a Sprinter would have been at tickover through the chicane - the truck no chance! The 2nd road nice and clear