Passed my Class 2 in April. Had difficulty finding work due to having no experience. A company did take me on eventually, and it seemed reasonable at the time. Wages are crap, £7.72 an hour, but there’s very little handball and it’s 4 days on 3 days off - working day of 12-15 hours. I figured it would be a good place to get experience and the people there i.e. drivers and office staff, are really friendly.
They sent me to a fish farm last week. On the single track road I missed the turn into it , since a postcode is not specific and there was no signpost. Ended up completely stuck in the long 28 tonner. Road ahead was for bikes only, road to right was a weak, narrow, bridge that I didn’t have enough room to cross. I tried to use that bridge to turn and bent the running plates on the right side of the truck (my bad). Still stuck. Guy from the trout farm turned up, and helped me reverse all the way back to where I should have gone.
Thing is they gave me the same truck the next day, even though the tail lift was unsuitable for cages (I had to push them off and hope they didn’t tip), or for loading pallets without a forklift (had to build an improvised ramp using bits of wood and cardboard boxes found on site while the customer looked on). Then yesterday I got an old truck with a 4 over 4 gearbox. Now, I passed my test in one those, so should be no problem. However this one crunches going into most gears, and I had to take both hands off the wheel to muscle it into 5th and 6th.
All their other trucks are modern auto’s with tail lifts that have fold down ramps. - I’ve driven those without incident for about two weeks . Maybe now they are putting me, still a newbie, into trucks they don’t care get damaged, since I damaged one going to the fish farm? I kind of get that. However, even though I managed to drive the 4 over 4 today, I feel the gear problems were a major distraction to safe driving and I’m worried they will put me in it again.
Can I tell an employer that I don’t feel safe driving a specific truck? Or am I hired as a Class 2 driver and should drive what I’m given since the other drivers manage it?
You are capable of driving a vehicle with that type of gearbox. Provided the truck is legal you have no cause for complaint. Some places would have shown you the door for the accident. But that would have been hard from your description.
It may well be that you’re being singled out for a bit of rough treatment as a result - but that’s how it goes.
So the gears crunch - not your problem. If it really is impossible to select 5th and 6th with one hand then the vehicle isn’t in a safe condition. But I would speak to one or two other drivers and find out how they deal with it. Perhaps you need to learn to double declutch if you don’t already know. Also make sure you are pre-selecting the range change rather than using the switch during the gear change. Many vehicles cant cope with the range change being switched part way through the gear change.
However, the vehicle should be safe and suitable for the loads being collected, carried and delivered. So if there are tail-lift issues, for instance, you should get these sorted.
Yeah, the accident was my own fault. I look back and know I was dumb. I expected to get sacked, or shouted at, but none of that happened. I did notice that I was assigned a newer truck on the next mornings run sheet, but someone had crossed it out and written in the registration of the one I damaged, even though the run had cages and collections which would be a problem in that truck. So, rough treatment, yeah. Figured as much. If they were ■■■■■■ with me then I’d rather they said as much to my face, and not punish me by giving me problems. Ah well.
I’m really trying my best to do my best, but still very much a newbie. Maybe I can earn their trust again.
Had some training out with other drivers before they sent me solo. One was in this truck, and the driver basically dealt with the crunching, and difficulty of getting some gears, by swearing every 5 minutes. I’d rather be concentrating on traffic and the road than fighting a gearbox, but I guess every job has its downsides so I’ll just try swearing as well
tachograph:
Why is the tail lift unsuitable for cages ?
If it’s faulty you should mention it in the transport office.
I took it that he had the wrong type of tail lift. For cages you need a tail lift with the fold up yellow plates side and back to stop them rolling off or some tail lifts have metal barriers that you can stack cages against. He probably had the old tail lift that has nothing! Sounds like a dodgy firm he is working for to me.
alder:
The bit that shocked me was that you are driving rubbish and doing rubbish work with rubbish shifts for £7.72 an hour
That is shocking money! Whereabouts are you John?
If another driver was struggling to select gears, it’s starting to sound like the vehicle is not safe and fit for purpose! - I wouldn’t want to be taking both hands off the wheel to change gears, and assume that the gearbox is worn out. But I’m no truck mechanic!
Sounds like you either need to be job hunting or having an open and honest word with your boss.
Whereabouts are you John?