First off merry Christmas to my fellow truckers.
Just a quick one. Might have a new job lined up with DHL through an agency in the new year. Moneys good and job sounds ok. But have heard that there not a great company to work for. Anybody worked for them, and if so what are they like?
All depends on what contract you will be working on.
steelgoon:
All depends on what contract you will be working on.
Delivering medical supplies to customer’s at home. Driving a 7.5 ton vehicle which has been modified to carry 18ton so class 2. Never heard of that! Think its quite local as well
I worked for them for about 5 years, best job I ever had. Relaxed, no pressure, decent money. Depends where you work though, have heard stories about places that were nothing like where I worked.
They are much like any other big transport/logistics company - in that they tend to get very hung-up on their “procedures”, and woe-betide any driver who does not comply. But it varies a lot from contract to contract, and even depot to depot on the same contract. I’ve been a DHL employee for over 5 years now after they took over the contract I was working on (used to be employed by NYK Logistics). 99% of the time I am left alone to simply get on with the job - no pressure, no hassle. But I know that on other contracts they have their drivers chasing their tails all day every day.
Ah - Medical supplies. Have they mentioned the word “Baxter” at all? If they have, you’ll be doing around 12 drops a day, 300-600 kg each, most of which has to be carried upstairs to the patient’s spare bedroom where you’ll be expected to sort and stack the stock (boxes, each around 10kg). Too much like hard work for a good many drivers.
Roymondo:
Ah - Medical supplies. Have they mentioned the word “Baxter” at all? If they have, you’ll be doing around 12 drops a day, 300-600 kg each, most of which has to be carried upstairs to the patient’s spare bedroom where you’ll be expected to sort and stack the stock (boxes, each around 10kg). Too much like hard work for a good many drivers.
That sounds exactly like the job. Doesn’t sound to bad to be honest. As long as its not London, leave you to get on with it and pays ok then im up for it assuming the agency actually bother to call me back in the new year
Which depot are you expecting to be working out of?
Sod that for a lark.
PaulNowak:
Sod that for a lark.
What he said.
Roymondo:
Which depot are you expecting to be working out of?
Northampton. So im guessing Moulton park?
themattster79:
steelgoon:
All depends on what contract you will be working on.Delivering medical supplies to customer’s at home. Driving a 7.5 ton vehicle which has been modified to carry 18ton so class 2. Never heard of that! Think its quite local as well
you’ll probably be driving a 15 tonne split chilled/ambient (usually a daf LF), expect 20-30+ drops a day depending on the area you have to cover.
Given you are driving a class 2 you will be doing mostly hospital and pharmacy drops with a few home deliveries thrown in.
When you do hospital deliveries all the meds go to the pharmacy and usually everything else goes to receipt and distribution, the R and D guys will try to get you to go everywhere but it’s not unusual to have to go to 4-5 departments in one hospital, also you get independent pharmacies inside hospitals and they can be a nightmare to find.
If you’re used to reefer multi drop work it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
themattster79:
But have heard that there not a great company to work for. Anybody worked for them, and if so what are they like?
Terrible outfit to work for in my opinion. Good luck though, one man’s…& all that 
Their Christmas bonuses are stuff of legend!!!
themattster79:
Roymondo:
Which depot are you expecting to be working out of?Northampton. So im guessing Moulton park?
No, the Baxter NDC is on Brackmills. If working out of Northampton, then you will be going into London quite a lot of the time.
jobseeker:
themattster79:
steelgoon:
All depends on what contract you will be working on.Delivering medical supplies to customer’s at home. Driving a 7.5 ton vehicle which has been modified to carry 18ton so class 2. Never heard of that! Think its quite local as well
you’ll probably be driving a 15 tonne split chilled/ambient (usually a daf LF), expect 20-30+ drops a day depending on the area you have to cover.
Given you are driving a class 2 you will be doing mostly hospital and pharmacy drops with a few home deliveries thrown in.
When you do hospital deliveries all the meds go to the pharmacy and usually everything else goes to receipt and distribution, the R and D guys will try to get you to go everywhere but it’s not unusual to have to go to 4-5 departments in one hospital, also you get independent pharmacies inside hospitals and they can be a nightmare to find.If you’re used to reefer multi drop work it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
If it’s the Baxter contract then 99% of it is ambient (I think the only fridge vehicles at Northampton are Sprinter vans - and the artics). The 15 tonne vehicles do mostly home patient deliveries with the odd hospital thrown in, although if he hasn’t been CRB checked, he won’t be allowed to do home deliveries, so to begin with he’ll be doing hospitals only. Typical home patient run is 10-12 drops - Fewer than that if it’s hospitals as they often have more than one pallet each.
I’ve worked for several DHL contracts, from air-freight, multi-drop, Brighthouse and currently Next (temp for the Xmas sales).
They’ve always been good to work for in that, the money’s good and the kit is always right, if ANYTHING is wrong it gets sorted.
The bad side of this can be, you go in after your days off, have to fill out a 6 page document about your licences etc, then have to photocopy your licences, then if anything at all happens on the road, including a single marker light bulb blowing, you have to stop and phone in, chances are they’ll send someone out to change that bulb (difficult as it is) which can put a couple of hours on your day.
Swings and roundabouts. I’ve always preferred working for the bigger firms, mates prefer to work for the little firms, each to their own as they say.
you got it!!!