Dozy old mate, if you’re genuine in these posts and not the most convincing forum troll or wind up merchant to have ever lived, i can only agree with some of the posters in this thread.
Get the hell out from The Green Reaper before it hurts you or worse.
I’d reached the end of my time on the cars, hadn’t realised how year upon year of constant slog had taken its toll, my Mrs had seen the deterioration though and took me to one side and told me she didn’t want to be the richest widow in the town, i’d become part of the machine too.
No prima donna crap but not sure i’d still be about if i hadn’t walked, done the constant flat out just too many years and reached that age when the body (but mind too) just can’t keep the pressure up any more.
There’s other work out there mate, better paid too with time to have a life, go out and have a look round and find it.
Doze mate, despite you being entertaining (albeit for all the wrong reasons) I don’t know why you bother coming on tbh.
Every time you come on here it’s like some kind of bad soap opera, you have more ■■■■ adventures than Noddy, and every time you are given the same advice, .eg…Don’t let them continue to make a ■■■■ of you/Pack it in get another firm/Get a day job/Jack driving in altogether.etc etc.
Then you just ignore everybody, carry on in your own inimitable way until the next crisis…and the next…and the ■■■■ next.
Are you some kind of job related masochist, a soft touch walkover or both?
Take my advice, and take advice ffs, before you hurt somebody.
cav551:
I agree with Dipper Dave: Slow Down. I’ll make a guess that you end up filling in your timesheets and sorting paperwork after you’ve pulled the card at the end of a rush about day.
For a start you don’t have to drive for four hours plus at a stretch. Your planner and the management just won’t be sitting at their desks for four hours solid, so why should you? Compare what they are doing in their day. Start at 8, cup of tea at 10.30. lunch break at 12.30. cup of tea at 3 finish at 5. Add in a two toilet breaks as well and their day has been well broken up. Maybe they have a longer day, but the principle is the same. So why are you any different? A toilet break at an MSA is going to take 15 minutes at least, if anyone starts saying you should have used the facilities where you loaded or delivered challenge them to prove that they only do so on their recognised breaks. So stop every 2 1/2 - 3 hrs regardless, get out of the cab and walk around . If they complain just bring up the subject of the risk of deep vein thrombosis from sitting still for extended periods of time. If you do start getting any flak relating to the need to stop for a few minutes ask them to repeat what they said and tell them : “Thank you I just need to write down exactly what you said.”
Don’t ‘jump’ out of the cab as soon as you arrive at a delivery , have a stretch and a yawn , sort out the paperwork, fill in your timesheet etc. Then whether you need it or not, ask for the toilet before you start unloading. After tipping hygiene means that you need to wash your hands. Attend to timesheets etc before you leave. Doing that is not wasting time it is doing the job sensibly.
On the road knock the cruise back a couple of mph or maybe more. If it’s raining most definitely do so. Perhaps most important of all, don’t end up in some scabby layby overnight because you chased around to do one more delivery or collection and got stuck. If a particular MSA or whatever looks like the best place for YOU, tell them you are making for Rugby or wherever for the night. If the job is that urgent the planner can do his job and arrange a trailer swap, all you have to do is drop the trailer and park next to it.
To be fair you do have a bit of a rose tinted view as to what office work is like! Many office jobs aren’t anything like as easy as you make out. Some may be, but I’d say they’d be a minority, certainly in this industry
On the whole office jobs are similar to factory or workshop/tool room type jobs with set meal times and breaks for tea. The standard contractual working day will be however long with 1/2 hr, 3/4hr or 1 hr for a normally unpaid meal break. The fact that some workers decide to stay at a desk and continue working unpaid is either their choice or because they feel intimidated into so doing. A spy on the wall in the average office, whether transport or not, will record quite a bit of simply unproductive time chatting about last night’s football, what was on telly, the latest girl/boyfriend, or just the price of fish. I will agree that it can be a pressurised job at times with deadlines to meet, particularly going back to the time when Monday morning meant working out the previous weeks wages the old manual way on the Kalamazoo sheets, using Table A and Table B. Been there done that. But it is not 100% concentration for the same length of time that is (hopefully) required to drive a vehicle for several hours.
switchlogic:
To be fair you do have a bit of a rose tinted view as to what office work is like! Many office jobs aren’t anything like as easy as you make out. Some may be, but I’d say they’d be a minority, certainly in this industry
Most drivers heads would explode if they had to do a planners job for day at a big haulier. Phone going all day, constant hassle, new problems to solve all the time… it’s bloody stressful. Much better to be out on the road, even if your finish time is unpredictable.
switchlogic:
To be fair you do have a bit of a rose tinted view as to what office work is like! Many office jobs aren’t anything like as easy as you make out. Some may be, but I’d say they’d be a minority, certainly in this industry
Most drivers heads would explode if they had to do a planners job for day at a big haulier. Phone going all day, constant hassle, new problems to solve all the time… it’s bloody stressful. Much better to be out on the road, even if your finish time is unpredictable.
cav551:
On the whole office jobs are similar to factory or workshop/tool room type jobs with set meal times and breaks for tea. The standard contractual working day will be however long with 1/2 hr, 3/4hr or 1 hr for a normally unpaid meal break. The fact that some workers decide to stay at a desk and continue working unpaid is either their choice or because they feel intimidated into so doing. A spy on the wall in the average office, whether transport or not, will record quite a bit of simply unproductive time chatting about last night’s football, what was on telly, the latest girl/boyfriend, or just the price of fish. I will agree that it can be a pressurised job at times with deadlines to meet, particularly going back to the time when Monday morning meant working out the previous weeks wages the old manual way on the Kalamazoo sheets, using Table A and Table B. Been there done that. But it is not 100% concentration for the same length of time that is (hopefully) required to drive a vehicle for several hours.
You had an easy office job once so that’s how all office jobs are seems to be your point here. I don’t think I need to point out the obvious flaws in this line of debate
switchlogic:
To be fair you do have a bit of a rose tinted view as to what office work is like! Many office jobs aren’t anything like as easy as you make out. Some may be, but I’d say they’d be a minority, certainly in this industry
Most drivers heads would explode if they had to do a planners job for day at a big haulier. Phone going all day, constant hassle, new problems to solve all the time… it’s bloody stressful. Much better to be out on the road, even if your finish time is unpredictable.
Yup the stress got to me big time. Always there in your head, lying in bed at night the stress is there, in the shower the stress is there, etc etc. If you’re not sorting a problem your waiting for one. All good and we’ll people saying you shouldn’t let it get to you but it just doesn’t work like that. Lorry driving is a wonderful stress free joy in comparison
switchlogic:
To be fair you do have a bit of a rose tinted view as to what office work is like! Many office jobs aren’t anything like as easy as you make out. Some may be, but I’d say they’d be a minority, certainly in this industry
Most drivers heads would explode if they had to do a planners job for day at a big haulier. Phone going all day, constant hassle, new problems to solve all the time… it’s bloody stressful. Much better to be out on the road, even if your finish time is unpredictable.
Yup the stress got to me big time. Always there in your head, lying in bed at night the stress is there, in the shower the stress is there, etc etc. If you’re not sorting a problem your waiting for one. All good and we’ll people saying you shouldn’t let it get to you but it just doesn’t work like that. Lorry driving is a wonderful stress free joy in comparison
+1 Luke, had little sleep last night as got truck off road for MOT so thinking how to cover work plus one of the drivers off for three weeks for operation, so all this is going through your head then when you do get to sleep bloody alarm goes off! Went out on road yesterday and really thinking about staying there!
switchlogic:
To be fair you do have a bit of a rose tinted view as to what office work is like! Many office jobs aren’t anything like as easy as you make out. Some may be, but I’d say they’d be a minority, certainly in this industry
Most drivers heads would explode if they had to do a planners job for day at a big haulier. Phone going all day, constant hassle, new problems to solve all the time… it’s bloody stressful. Much better to be out on the road, even if your finish time is unpredictable.
Yup the stress got to me big time. Always there in your head, lying in bed at night the stress is there, in the shower the stress is there, etc etc. If you’re not sorting a problem your waiting for one. All good and we’ll people saying you shouldn’t let it get to you but it just doesn’t work like that. Lorry driving is a wonderful stress free joy in comparison
I have to agree luke - although not an transport office job I have to plan shifts for my lads and that can be stressful enough even just this one thing, yet alone not sleeping fully in case you miss a 3am phone call with an issue.
You couldn’t make this ■■■■ up , blue chip my ■■■ , tips load then heads for collection , waits outside for hour and bloke commes out , are you here for -------, yes mate , sorry bud nothing too collect , so rings in , finally after hour gets someone too answer , yep 2 loads there you fetch the first one , have you listened too a zb word I’ve said , there’s nothing there , they’ve said there’s nothing there , yep 2 loads there collect the first one , wtf what don’t you understand in there is no load , where are you I’ve had too pull out as I was blocking entrance , now in a layby , right go back and get the first load , no you bloody ring up and sort it out , they’ve said there’s nothing , I’m sitting here , this is bloody stupid , ring when you’ve sorted it out , still zb sat here , my life’s ebbing away
I have no doubt a planners life can be a stressfull one, as a driver you can do a few things to releive that stress and nuture a good working relationship. Being low maintenance and some simple problem solving techniques can work wonders. Like wrong miss-spelt address, simply google the company and as if by magic the solution is there no need to bother your planner with it.
Other things like problems with the truck load delays etc can be managed by having the answers ready to the questions your likely to be asked.
The sooner your planner knows a ■■■■ up is in the offing the more options he or she has.
Its a two way street though and human nature dictates some planners are twunts the trick is to just crack on, do the job legally and safely, dont drive tired and if you want to finish early on Fruday, tell em on chuffin Monday .
Or ask em to check Tnuk for your latest whingefest.
Although I have a feeling dozys planner is special.
dozy:
You couldn’t make this [zb] up , blue chip my ■■■ , tips load then heads for collection , waits outside for hour and bloke commes out , are you here for -------, yes mate , sorry bud nothing too collect , so rings in , finally after hour gets someone too answer , yep 2 loads there you fetch the first one , have you listened too a zb word I’ve said , there’s nothing there , they’ve said there’s nothing there , yep 2 loads there collect the first one , wtf what don’t you understand in there is no load , where are you I’ve had too pull out as I was blocking entrance , now in a layby , right go back and get the first load , no you bloody ring up and sort it out , they’ve said there’s nothing , I’m sitting here , this is bloody stupid , ring when you’ve sorted it out , still zb sat here , my life’s ebbing away
dozy,
When your planner gives you this (you say imaginary) load that the loader knows nothing about, why not ask the planner for a load reference number or other load details such as where it’s got to be delivered to?
Or ask who gave him the work before he tried to give it to you?
I don’t get the problem of doing exactly as they say Dozy me old mate.
Planner says go to get load, go get load, loading point say no load ring in tell 'em no load, rinse and repeat, i could do that all bloody day long on the clock for that lot because well, they deserve it with knobs on, but in between each movement and phone call would be time for me to chill out, have a cuppa, go for a walk, have a chat with the other blokes doing sweet bugger all cos the numpties couldn’t organise a ■■■■ up in said brewery between the lot of 'em and of course at no point whilst i was poncing about while this is going on would the tacho be on anything other than work.
Let the bloody clock tick, if they want to operate like this let 'em carry on.
Actually i reckon it might be worth getting a job there just to see how many hours a week one could clock up doing absolutely sod all other than drive aimlessly about doing exactly as told by the pillocks, be a good experiment.
dozy:
He’s given me a 9.30 collection , 1/2 hr away , so can start till 8.30 am , so that will be a 8.30 start fri as hell run me too max hours wed/ Thursday , so be out there till 11.30 fri night
dozy:
He’s given me a 9.30 collection , 1/2 hr away , so can start till 8.30 am , so that will be a 8.30 start fri as hell run me too max hours wed/ Thursday , so be out there till 11.30 fri night
I don’t think I need to point out the obvious flaws in this line of debate 
