On Friday night, I went on the overnight boat from Harwich to Hook of Holland. Being one of the first to board, I settled myself in the bar and from my window vantage point could see the trucks loading. I was amazed to watch the speed and skill of the port Stevedors, as they used their tug tractor units to pull on unaccompanied trailors, and reversed the trailors at high speed into confined areas on the upper open vehicle deck, often within inches of each other, hook off and zoom back down the loading bridge. They showed much more skill than any high street supermarket driver I’ve ever seen, backing into a tight bay round the back
My question is, do the Stevedors require a class 1 to carry out their job, or are they exempt as they work within a private port area. Sorry if it’s a stupid question, I just wondered?
Just for your info, 95% of the few dozen trucks driving on board were Dutch plated, a handful of Germans and Poles, and just ‘two’ UK registered trucks boarded. Doesn’t say much for UK Euro work.
Most of them Dutch tug drivers were conscripts so got THEIR class one licence from the same place, as half of trucknet! the RSMs lucky dip bag on the parade square, Monday morning!
Thanks for the quick replies chaps. Just to clear up any confusion. The unaccompanied trailors amounted to about ten and the tugs were from Harwich port. The rest were just normal trucks driving on board with dutch, german, polish or uk plates.
I’ve watch the stevedores myself, It puzzles the hell out of me how they manage to drive the tugs when the seat & steering wheel swivel round 180’ and they drive em facing backwards with the steering front wheels behind em.
peirre:
I’ve watch the stevedores myself, It puzzles the hell out of me how they manage to drive the tugs when the seat & steering wheel swivel round 180’ and they drive em facing backwards with the steering front wheels behind em.
I did a course in Tyne Dock years ago, those tugs are dead easy anyone with a class one can do the two day course in half a day. Kevmac47.
no you dont need a licence at all, i did it for near on 2 years at norse merchant ferries, you would be surprised at some of the loons they had driving them although to be fair some trailers were dodgy to start off with.
a well known company dropped a curtainsider off and as the driver had used his rachet straps to secure the load of mdf he took them back, que the tug flipping over on the bend down to the linkspan…
another well known firm had a driver who for some reason decided he didnt want to queue for the ship any longer so floored his scannie out of the line and straight into a tug coming up the linkspan…
best i seen was managment telling us that the new buses coming over from ireland were having the bodywork damaged by lads taking them off the boat and not knowing how to raise the suspension to stop them scrapping on the ramp. they jiggled things around so every shift had someone with a relevent psv licence who would take off the buses. first day of this and our psv driver took the whole side of a bus out after hitting a P&O flatbed trailer on the deck, he had been a bus driver for 21 years.
A few years ago when North Sea ferries were having industrial relation problems, the management brought in some outside labour. I know several lads who went there, but they did stipulate some lorry driving experience. A few are still there working with the old hands, but they did earn some good money for a few months.
wirralpete:
a well known company dropped a curtainsider off and as the driver had used his rachet straps to secure the load of mdf he took them back, que the tug flipping over on the bend down to the linkspan…
it was a mad job
I bet i could tell you what company did the mdf, and which driver took the straps off. He was a nice enough guy, But a bloody idiot. Each trailer had 12 straps, He thought they were his.
wirralpete:
a well known company dropped a curtainsider off and as the driver had used his rachet straps to secure the load of mdf he took them back, que the tug flipping over on the bend down to the linkspan…
it was a mad job
I bet i could tell you what company did the mdf, and which driver took the straps off. He was a nice enough guy, But a bloody idiot. Each trailer had 12 straps, He thought they were his.
green and white trucks mate and the impatient scannie driver was in a well known blue and white firms truck
99% or those ‘tug’ drivers, couldn’t negotiate a UK town centre roundabout if their lives depended on it! Any fool can reverse the same trailers into the same spots day in day out! What you have to remember is that Joe Public is absent from this equation!
citycat:
They showed much more skill than any high street supermarket driver I’ve ever seen, backing into a tight bay round the back.
And if a supermarket driver did as much damage as some of those shunters do they’d be unemployed in no time
And thats why alot of ro-ro trailers dont have rear doors because they get smashed in!
I used to wait for many an Estron trailer at Immingham, only to see the tug proceed down the ships ramp at top speed and as the tug hit the solid ground of the quayside the trailers bumper would slam into the ground resulting in sparks and all sorts of bent mangled damage.
As others have said doing it day in day out you will get quick. When I first passed my class 1 we used to only load out of our yard for landfill. I had a truck with a back window and could quickly blindside in to our loading bay got sent to another firm in a different truck with no back window a couple of weeks later made a right mess of reversing at first.
so got THEIR class one licence from the same place, as half of trucknet! 
the RSMs lucky dip bag on the parade square, Monday morning! 
