Finally hit the road on thursday in my new job. last wek was told i’d be starting on a small local run, rang up wednesday night and all had changed. first run was 3 drops just north of london !! stevenage, welwyn garden city and hertford. set off at 630am and back in mancland for 930pm. nice easy 15 hr spreadover to start me off! i drove down to london, did all the drops then driver 2 took over just north of stevenage on the return leg and got us home . when we changed over in stevenage checked my tacho and i’d done the classic newbie trick , put the tacho in the wrong way and nothing was recorded!!! DOH. filled it out manually with some asistance, won’t do that again! was asked if i minded working good friday so being new and keen jumped at the chance.
So friday at 830am on the road again this time flying solo, picked up a load in salford and took it down to the big sainsburys rdc in coleshill, just by brum. handing your keys while waiting to tip was a bit much and being a new boy i was’nt quick enough and handed them straight in, however talking to some of the other drivers they just said next time give em your car keys!!back home for 600. friday was great finally going solo, driving round with a big grin on my face and loving it!!
off now till tuesday when i’ve got to be in runcorn for 530 then spend the day round the northwest, who knows what wednesday will bring?
there were a few hairy moments, mainly gearbox related, early on especially on some of the tight a roads round leek area on thursday morning but hope i’m getting to grips with it. . told i’d be driving an 8 speed slapover when i got in my beast and started driving found out its in fact a 16 speed box. its got a slapover and a splitter called a zf box or something similar . the wagon i’m driving is ace (in my opinion!) however one of the guys in salford where i picked up on friday said " they’ve given you a shed to start in have’nt they!!" i was most hurt, however beauty is in the eye of the beholder! its an r reg MAN 400. alright its been round the block several times to look at it but to me its a beauty. it apparently started life as a tractor unit then was ‘stretched’ (whatever that means ,i still can’t quite get my head round that)and had a curtainsider body put on . so now its a 6 wheel rigid 400hp with a 16 speed box!! it will be good driving something with such a box to get used to before hopefully upgrading to class 1. pulls up the hills brilliantly, especially when loaded with poppadoms like on friday!! reversing is gradually coming, my first one on thursday was a bit shaky but rest were’nt bad. just take it slowly and hang out the window to judge how far from the bays when lined up!!
first few days were tiring but can’t wait for tuesday to get back out there. hopefully might have some long runs and nights out next week…
bigjoe:
Finally hit the road on thursday in my new job. last wek was told i’d be starting on a small local run, rang up wednesday night and all had changed. first run was 3 drops just north of london !! stevenage, welwyn garden city and hertford. set off at 630am and back in mancland for 930pm. nice easy 15 hr spreadover to start me off! i drove down to london, did all the drops then driver 2 took over just north of stevenage on the return leg and got us home . when we changed over in stevenage checked my tacho and i’d done the classic newbie trick , put the tacho in the wrong way and nothing was recorded!!! DOH. filled it out manually with some asistance, won’t do that again! was asked if i minded working good friday so being new and keen jumped at the chance.
I might be reading that wrong bigjoe.
Just be careful if you are double manning. The rules are quite different and it is easier to do little and oftence rather than long stints.
Was driver 2 tacho in properly bigjoe and if so I am surprised he did not help you as you are new as when I did my first double man work he put my tacho in as he was in the driving seat and asked if I knew how to fill one out. I am glad you are enjoying it bigjoe but what was there reason for giving a false set of keys is it so they can lock the cab to stop theft .
convoy:
Was driver 2 tacho in properly bigjoe and if so I am surprised he did not help you as you are new as when I did my first double man work he put my tacho in as he was in the driving seat and asked if I knew how to fill one out. I am glad you are enjoying it bigjoe but what was there reason for giving a false set of keys is it so they can lock the cab to stop theft .
Convoy, I think they ask for your keys to stop you moving the truck while they are unloading, health and safety reason.
So friday at 830am on the road again this time flying solo, picked up a load in salford and took it down to the big sainsburys rdc in coleshill, just by brum. handing your keys while waiting to tip was a bit much and being a new boy i was’nt quick enough and handed them straight in,
wheni tipped there if you weren’t sat in that little office you wasn’t getting tipped, as it all changed
yeah thats it in that little office. i was just sat outside with the smokers!!! thts what i mean about handing in your cab keys it would’nt be so bad if they gave you somewhere decent to wait!!! and i’m a bit worriied about giving my keys to someone else if i’ve got personal valuables in the cab.
with the hours on the first trip we were both driving. i drove 630ish till 1030 then 45 minute break. 11.15 to 12 15to get to first drop then waiting round and driving short hops between hertford - welwyn and welwyn - stevenage, i got us back to the fisrt services outside stevenage on the a1m, we had another break then driver two took over driving at 5 ish till we got home at 930. it was a long day but legal i( i hope!!) driver 2 was an very experienced guy and he said it was fine, really nice bloke too with plenty of tales of driving out to greece and sweden many years ago which i enjoyed hearing.
in reply to superdan i did’nt go with agency in the end, its full time with a firm in poynton. first logistics were really good as an agency though ,have been offered work by them but have to turn it down now.
.