Ok so how long is long enough for earning a few stripes for a newbie by doing food service.
Held licence 6 months, did ■■■■ all for first 3 months bar 1 or 2 days agency relief. Just completed 3 months on chilled food service but it feels like a ■■■■■■■ lifetime. I actually don’t mind the job itself, handball etc its the 4.30/5am starts that’s the killer. Permanently tired, grumpy and absolute zero social life.
Going on the books next week but I can’t do this for much longer.
There is no requirement to do food service, hell I didn’t. If you don’t like it, there is plenty out there that might tickle your fancy.
SuperMultiBlue:
I actually don’t mind the job itself, handball etc its the 4.30/5am starts that’s the killer. Permanently tired, grumpy and absolute zero social life.Going on the books next week but I can’t do this for much longer.
If I were you I’d find a job completely away from driving because 4.30/5am starts on days are quite common in lorry driving in this country as are 11/12hr working days. Methinks you didn’t realise what you were getting yourself into.
Keep doing it until something better comes along.
See if you can get on local tipper work, as they generally tend to have a more sensible 6.30am(ish) start, to tie in with site and quarry opening times. Many of the pallet network vacancies have more sensible start times too.
When I did food, it was 7am start then into central London with c20 drops then 2 collections in the afternoon. This was mid 90’s.
Conor:
SuperMultiBlue:
I actually don’t mind the job itself, handball etc its the 4.30/5am starts that’s the killer. Permanently tired, grumpy and absolute zero social life.Going on the books next week but I can’t do this for much longer.
If I were you I’d find a job completely away from driving because 4.30/5am starts on days are quite common in lorry driving in this country as are 11/12hr working days. Methinks you didn’t realise what you were getting yourself into.
Behave you idiot. I’m looking for something between 6-8. That extra hour or 2 in bed would make all the difference.
I’ve gone with food service as it was the first regular work that came up. Pallet network looks like it would tick the boxes for me at the moment.
Actually did 2 weeks tipper work for a recycle company right before this job and that was ok. Something to keep in mind.
My thinking is I’ll do another 3 months on food til xmas then see what options are open.
6 month stint to put on cv as first driving position should be ok?
I managed 18mths C2 foodservice. The main reason for leaving was they didn’t have C1 lorries there so i felt i wasn’t going to better myself. I think the only other ‘issue’ was they like giving you a couple of routes (In my case the centre of London) so it was very repetitive which some might like but i got bored of doing the same drops every other day.
Conor:
SuperMultiBlue:
I actually don’t mind the job itself, handball etc its the 4.30/5am starts that’s the killer. Permanently tired, grumpy and absolute zero social life.Going on the books next week but I can’t do this for much longer.
If I were you I’d find a job completely away from driving because 4.30/5am starts on days are quite common in lorry driving in this country as are 11/12hr working days. Methinks you didn’t realise what you were getting yourself into.
^^^
This.
It really sounds as if lorry driving is not for you. The one thing it isn’t is 9am to 5pm, and it always has been like that. You are lucky that you start as late as half past four.
It is fairly simple really, just go to bed earlier.
SuperMultiBlue:
its the 4.30/5am starts that’s the killer.
Look on the bright side, at least you should miss the rush hour getting to your 1st drop.
I used to regularly start at 5am when handballing on the flour, which meant I was up at 3:30am. But I was usually home by tea time to see the family.
Conor:
If I were you I’d find a job completely away from driving because 4.30/5am starts on days are quite common in lorry driving in this country as are 11/12hr working days. Methinks you didn’t realise what you were getting yourself into.
Maybe he’d like to start around 8-9am, and be finished by 2pm 
SuperMultiBlue:
Permanently tired, & grumpy
It sounds like you need to get your priorities right and your home/work life more balanced.
SuperMultiBlue:
absolute zero social life.
Assuming your a day driver, you should be home by 6pm Friday night most weeks.
That leaves you the option of a night in Friday & working Saturday AM. Then out on the beers Saturday night. Or both Friday & Saturday Nights out, which is probably more that most drivers do
SuperMultiBlue:
Ok so how long is long enough for earning a few stripes for a newbie by doing food service.
You’re nowhere near yet.
Come back and ask us again when you’ve realised 9am is lunchtime and we’ll reassess you.
Contraflow:
Come back and ask us again when you’ve realised 9am is lunchtime and we’ll reassess you.
I used to try and make it to Chorlton-■■■-hardy for the drop and be finished handballing by 9:15am giving me just enough time to enjoy the free cakes & bacon sandwiches given to us by the bakers.
Pallet networks aint exactly the promised land! It’s hard work too with the 1 tonne pallets of patio slabs and stuff, i’ve been getting lots of the huge wobbly sacks of firewood lately and they are a nightmare. But it’s less boring than food stuff, and as much of a mental workout as a physical one.
Driving isn’t for me because I’m complaining about early starts 
Strange bunch
SuperMultiBlue:
Driving isn’t for me because I’m complaining about early startsStrange bunch
Early starts are a mainstay of this industry. Sure there are plently of 8am roll outs but most will start the dark side of 6am at the very latest. If you can’t handle early starts, try looking for supermaket work on the twilight shift.
SuperMultiBlue:
Driving isn’t for me because I’m complaining about early startsStrange bunch
It looks like it aint for me either then mate, and I’m far from being a newbie. 
I ■■■■■■ hate early starts and rarely start before 6 (unless it suits me eg Sat am etc) but still manage to get the job done.
Been, done,… and t.shirt in the past, but these days can not muster up the required level of enthusiasm.
Maybe I’ m just getting lazy in my old age, …or seeing sense, whichever way you want to look at it 
My favourite saying on here is ‘It’s a job not a ■■■■■■ endurance test’ a lot cannot grasp that concept in a lot of different cases.
12 Months for P&H.
Nearly [zb]ing killed me.
I have a P&H near me and they start at a more reasonable 6am. Looks harder work though and tues - sat I think.
Pros and cons.
Don’t do it. I delivered non-food for 3 years. I know it’s not food service, but our customers were exactly the same. I delivered the crockery, cutlery, cleaning chemicals, paperware etc for a company called Alliance. It will either physically kill you, or mess your head up.
There is better work out there. In hindsight, I’d have been better off signing up with an agency.
Absolute latest I ever started was 4am and that was in my early days. Last 18 months latest start would have been 3. Usually 1.30 or 2.30 though