ERFMarc:
Better not tell anyone on here what my day job is when I’m not playing with old examples of Sandbach’s finest then! It’s not TP or any of the nationals though so does that make it better?
So how about the story from the other side (but with a bit of driver’s experience thrown in)?
I always try to make sure delivering vehicles are offloaded as soon as possible but if one of our wagons is waiting to be loaded he gets sorted out first, they earn us the money and it’s part of my job to make sure they make the maximum profit. Once he goes past 8 hours its time and a half and a gentle question from management as to why the overtime is so high.
It’s quite interesting how some drivers treat you as just another yard guy, rather than someone who is sympathetic to their cause. I always manage to refrain from shouting back at them “it’s only 15 minutes, I’ve spent four hours at Tesco Chepstow before.”
However turning up at lunchtime when your deliver note says “no deliveries between 12 & 2” then complaining about a forkie trying to offload you and serve customers doesn’t get much sympathy from me.
As regards to serving the customer first it’s logical really . Sadly the driver has no choice but to visit us, whereas the customer can get fed up of waiting and take his money somewhere else (and in Fengate, Peterborough there are about 5 more places!).
I just know that I am going to get a TNUK member turn up on Monday now, tin helmet is ready!
Better planning might help solve some of these problems. What is the point in booking a tip for 8am, when every builder and his dog are getting their bits for the day. They are never going to get them the night before so it will always be a problem.
I always park up outside, if possible, and find out where they want me. It saves a lot of hassle.
I agree totally, however some people ignore the delivery times and when politely told there could be a wait out of these hours they reply “doesn’t say anything on my tickets”. These people should remember the customer will always take a copy of that ticket!
The comment about suppliers being important is a very good one. I wasn’t trying to make out a suppliers driver is inferior to ours. However it is my job to make sure that the drivers I am responsible for are as productive as possible.
I never get the hump with people who scream and shout, be they customers, colleagues or delivery drivers. I just smile and carry on being polite, it confuses most of them!
I got the builders merchant`s fork lift driver lecture about agresive drivers that drive straight in to the yard and not park up when the yard is EMPTY and aquire permission to land by air traffic control on the fork lift,if you disobey this law,you will be parked up while they serve all the waiting customers,and you can be stuck there for two hours.
The point of this is to teach us a lesson,and not just drive in and start shouting at the forkies.There is no sign outside the yard that says you must park on the road to get the all clear to enter the special yard,maybe it is royal or a training camp for the SAS 22 Regiment.
I made a mess in their loo,and drank as much of their free coffee that was like creosote , to paint the garden fence,think the forkies are on a power trip,he said one driver came in and said i have no time to mess around with multi drop and left ,only to come back again.They phoned the transport firm to make an official complaint against the driver that was doing his job,trying to deliver at a builders merchants.
some of the builders merchants used to drive me up the wall, travis perkins especially, they have signs up saying delivery vehicles must park outside and find yard foreman before entering yard. some of them are on main roads and junctions so you would want you to park 3-400 yards down the road and walk in to see if its ok to come in and then walk all the way back again. no chance, drive in and if they kick off, drive back out again and dont come back. not paid to take zb of people who are wanting their delivery
Any professional driver knows that the last thing you should do is p*** off the person unloading/signing for deliveries. A driver who goes into a delivery with the wrong attitude deserves all they get, it doesn’t take much to be courteous, or else know how to play them at their own game - if you can’t do that then you’re in the wrong job.
tallyman:
Any professional driver knows that the last thing you should do is p*** off the person unloading/signing for deliveries. A driver who goes into a delivery with the wrong attitude deserves all they get, it doesn’t take much to be courteous, or else know how to play them at their own game - if you can’t do that then you’re in the wrong job.
Well you must have been lucky with ALL your builders merchant type deliveries especially Travis Perkins!! I have LOADS of experience of these places and believe me they can be so impossible they are unbelievable.
And TP are the only merchants that insist that delivery drivers on top seat cranes wear a hard hat, when others in the TP group don’t.
Why do I need to wear one? The only thing that is going to drop on my head is a frikkin jumbo jet, but it’s alright to let YOUR customers walk underneath when I’m swinging a 1 tonne pack of slabs around in the air though, and the fact THEY can walk around YOUR yard in trainers and shorts.
The only way to defeat the above is to get off the crane, and refuse to unload anymore until they make the area safe.
tallyman:
Any professional driver knows that the last thing you should do is p*** off the person unloading/signing for deliveries. A driver who goes into a delivery with the wrong attitude deserves all they get, it doesn’t take much to be courteous, or else know how to play them at their own game - if you can’t do that then you’re in the wrong job.
Well you must have been lucky with ALL your builders merchant type deliveries especially Travis Perkins!! I have LOADS of experience of these places and believe me they can be so impossible they are unbelievable.
well said sir!
how often can you get a f/t driver or manager to sign for waiting time? …answer never!..some folk talk crap.
in the past i have parked in there yard and refused to move and other times driven off without unloading but even in my own truck it caused no end of agro
Never had a problem with any of the merchants ive delivered to, unless ive been there before and know you can just pull in the yard ill always stop outside first and walk in. I’ll always try to be courteous because at the end of the day i want the load off and be on my way.
If however they take too long to unload i just fire up the crane and start tipping myself
whenever i go to a tip that i aint done before i park outside walk over with the notes find the forkie shout over alright mate got a delivery for i never been before could you tell me whats the crack please pal 9 time out of ten they help you out no problem and tip you pretty quick but the odd time i do get an someone being an arse giving it the big one banging on about how im gonna be a few hrs etc i just say yea no problem pal im in no rush il stick kettle on an have a brew just give us a knock when ur ready i find they dont like it if they see u not being rattled by them and tip you pretty quick too
We have that problem at some TP branches too, and we’re part of the Travis empire. The worst company for us is MKM, some branches let you drive in, others want you to wait outside whether the yard is empty or not, some want to check del notes against their PO# others just tip & sign. The jumped up t**t at Driffield once objected to me wheeling in a pallet from the road, 2 artics waiting with one in tipping. I drove off, but it causes no end of hassle.
kr79:
I often think Toby may have been on the creosote before he gets on the keyboard
Its Friday, Toby usually gets let out on weekend release with a pocketfull of medication. The posts get better as the weekend wears on and the drugs wear off!!
Somehow this thread will get round to mentioning Portugal or all things Portugese
I tip sometimes twice day at all different merchants and never get a problem really, although if you go in with attitude then you will have a hard time… If they do start to drag their heels then you get on the crane and move the job along a bit. And yes I always wear a hard hat with chin strap just incase I fall off and yes it has happend… (not me)…
to paint the garden fence,think the forkies are on a power trip,he said one driver came in and said i have no time to mess around with multi drop and left ,only to come back again.They phoned the transport firm to make an official complaint against the driver that was doing his job,trying to deliver at a builders merchants.
