So some of you will remember that I was going to do my Hiab/Lorry Loader course to help with my employability.
There were those that advised caution and rightly so BUT since completing the course on friday and then telling the agencys that I have the ticket it seems they are now prepared to give me some work!! and not just on Hiab.
Tomorrow I have my first lot of work for a specialist building supply company, its a lazy 9am start as the lorry I will be using is being hired in (is that good or bad) and won’t be ready til then.
Thursday is a different company for some Hiab work, again with the lorry being hired in.
I am a little nervous and excited about getting some of that all important experience and maybe doing something that makes you stand out from the crowd can make all the difference.
Any tips are welcome and I’ll let you know how it all goes.
Turned up as asked at 9am only to be told to wait as the lorry had yet to arrive. Spent a very pleasent hour drinking tea and reading the paper and getting paid.
At around 10 the TM informed me the lorry had arrived (see pic) and did I want to check it over. I went out to see it being loaded with pallets of plaster board and plaster. I suddenley thought I hope there will be someone there with a fork lift or an army of labourers or this will take an age to off load!!
To my relief they then attached a moffet to the rear of the lorry, and then got one of thier forklift drivers to come along with me (he saw it as a right result to be away from the yard).
Only one drop to be made to a site in the middle of know where. It was an uneventful drive other than getting used to a different gearbox and some of the narrowest roads in the UK. Oh and an idiot in a mini who thought I was going to reverse 2 miles up a narrow winding lane. We soon convinced him of his misjudgement and got him to back up.
Arrived back at the yard for 14.30 and was told I was not needed for any more deliverys and so was finished. Result as I will get paid for 8 hours.
Tomorrow a different job and lorry, can’t wait. Beats sitting next to learner drivers all day long!!
dilligaf:
and some of the narrowest roads in the UK. Oh and an idiot in a mini who thought I was going to reverse 2 miles up a narrow winding lane. We soon convinced him of his misjudgement and got him to back up.
I do milk collections from farms and get this on a daily basis, best thing to do is put the hand brake on and wait, and if that fails, put your feet up on the dashboard, they soon get the message
You’ll find that most car drivers cant reverse, they snake across the road and really struggle, it’s very amusing
Well done on an uneventful first drive , will give you a much needed confidence boost as a newbie
I lov it when you dont max out hours I get a run to kings x sometimes 4 hrs to drive up tip and drive back like gettin double time for normal night !!! ( although they got wise and sometimes add on a gatwick drop for me now !!)
Thanks for the replys. Today was an earley start 07:30 and I thought I was going to get something reasonable to drive as I had been told there was a lorry being hired in. However I ended up with the runt of the fleet!!
Strange setup on the controls of the Hiab the worst gearbox in the world and a cab that I am sure had not been cleaned since it was new! but it was a stunning morning and nothing was going to take the shine off my day.
I got loaded up with 3 drops and off I went to the first one, a family redoing their drive with stone. Nothing eventful other than all the small children coming out to look at the lorry with a crane on it. I have to say I was almost as excited as they were, if I had not been worried about lifting my first load in anger. All I had in my mind were the pictures I had been shown of loaders that had tipped over!!
Nothing went wrong.
All in all another good day, great weather and more work lined up. Oh and I have to agree with dougal1 about the different handeling First Load - NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE) - Trucknet UK. 9 tonnes of stone makes quite a differance going up hill!
