So anyone who read my last thead about Driver Hire will know I signed up with the nottingham branch last tuesday. Unlike most other agencies (from what I’ve heard on here and from others) they were pretty honest with me in that tthey said they’d struggle to get me any class 2 work due to me having just passed my test and only being 21. Fair enough I thought, but told them I was happy to do van/7.5t just to get some sort of experience.
Anyway, much to my surprise they rang me yesterday morning and said they’d got a class 2 job for me! 
Asked me if I was available Fri/Sat/Sun to work for BCL office moves just doing some local stuff. Of course I jumped at the chance and cancelled my plans for the weekend. I figured it would be lugging heavy stuff around etc. but wasn’t too fussed as I need any experience I can get.
So I headed down to the workwear place to get a Hi-Vis and some boots. Got back home and checked my phone to see I’d got a voicemail. Had a listen to it and it was the chap from Driver Hire telling me that he was really sorry to mess me around but the jobs cancelled! Their regular driver who originally wasn’t available has miraculously made an appearance and was now free to do the work 
. Rang them back to say I’d got the message and the guy said sorry to mess me around but he’d give me a shout if anything else came up.
A few hours later, once I’d got over my initial disappointment, they rang me again. I figured it would be to see if I wanted to do some van work or whatever but it turns out they’d got me MORE class 2 work! It was for Barclay + Mathieson steel at 8.30 this morning. He said he’d explained to the guy that I’d only just passed my test etc. but he said it was no problem we’ll give the lad a chance, they’d induct me etc. Sweet!
Headed down to B+M this morning (having had the worst nights sleep ever) and met the guy I was reporting to. He said they’re just loading you up and it’ll be ready in 40minutes ish. Went through the tickets with me and said I’d got 15 drops, fairly local. Don’t worry if you can’t get all the drops done, just take your time and ring me if there’s any problems. Properly sound guy, bet there’s not many gaffers like him! He gave me a quick demo of the ratchet straps, I said I’d done the CPC thing but wouldn’t mind him going over it again (I know it’s not rocket science but just to be sure). Spoke to one of the other drivers a little bit who gave me a bit of advice on some of the tight/hard to find drops. He drove their 7.5 so what he was describing as ‘tight’ was obviously going to be a right [zb] for me 
So all loaded up, I set off to the first drop. The other driver said it’s just down the road and gave me some directions. I had a sat nav if need be but I decided to follow his directions instead (BAD IDEA). Driving down the road the place was supposed to be on and couldn’t for the life of me see it. I pulled over and gave them a call (felt stupid as it’s less than a mile from the yard 
). “Have you gone over the little bridge?” “Yep.” “Ooh you’ve gone too far then, it’s 2 roads before that on the left.” Bugger, now I’ve got to try and find somewhere to turn round!! Didn’t help that the frigger kept popping out of reverse either! Managed to somehow reverse in between two parked cars up a side road while two blokes in a transit stared at me in disbelief (I’m 21 and only just look it ). Almost as if to say "There is a child driving a lorry! ". Lol! So turned it round, found the place and backed in to their unit. Took the straps off and the doziest looking bloke I’ve ever seen took their delivery off with the over head crane. I tried to talk to him to tell him to stop a minute as something was caught on it, he was completely oblivious however as the silly [zb] had his earphones in.
Left there and did a load more drops which all went nice and smoothly. Did a drop in derby and stopped on and ind. estate there for my 45 minutes. Got to my next drop which turned out to be a right nightmare. It was on a farm, the 7.5t driver had told me about this and said it was properly tight to get in but once you were in there was a big space to turn round. HE WASN’T WRONG. Got in the place, drving down this little track and was eventually confronted with a horrendous 90 degree left turn with a brick wall at the side. [zb]ing myself, went for it extreeeeemely slowly. Looked in the mirror and there was about a 2inch gap between the side of the truck and the wall! There’s absolutely NO WAY you’d get an artic in there. Got it all unloaded, ended up having to handball a lot of it as it had fallen off the blocks so he couldn’t get at it with the forktruck. So ended up being there a lot longer than I should’ve been, bloody hard work too! Finished up, did a 20 point turn in the “big space” there was to turn around in and headed to the next drop.
Got to the next one which took absolutely AGES as the guy didn’t know what on the lorry was his and I wasn’t much use as I know nothing about steel! Trying to match what’s on the ticket to what’s on the lorry and just couldn’t. So he gets his measuring tape out and we decide what needs to come off. Take it off (handball again) and then he realises that it’s not right and half of it isn’t his… so I put it ALL back on again and have to re-arrange the rest of it to distribute the weight properly and make sure nothing can slide off. I must’ve been there at least 40 minutes of what only should’ve been like 10. Got to the next drop and everyone had knocked off! Turns out that in the fabrication industry everbody clears off at about 3PM on a friday - nice . So going all the way there was a COMPLETE waste of time. Dropped off at the next one then headed on to mansfield for the last drop. I figured I’d be too late as it was getting on for 5 o’clock now, which I was. Rang the boss and he said it was no bother as they were going there monday anyway.
So I headed back to the yard, put my sat nav on as I hadn’t a clue where I was. Just to put the icing on the cake, the sat nav sent me down a road which the council had since made a complete dead end but put no signage up to tell anyone. I absolutely cacked my pants as it was a narrow road, parked cars either side and absolutely no way of turning round. My only option was to reverse all the way out on to the main road! Amazingly some random bloke decided to stand out in the road and back me out! Would’ve been buggered if it weren’t for him… must have someone watching over me up there. 
Eventually got back to the yard and the bloke said I’d done really well and wanted me back again monday I must have done something right 
Driving an ERF 26tonner on monday so hopefully that one won’t have quite as many gearbox gremlins as the old MAN I had today. Anybody know what gearbox an ERF ECS has by the way? Think it’s a 4 over 4 splitter but not too sure…
Took a couple of snaps of the old snotter as well
