I’ve had a couple of good driving days that went smoothly with no problems and I really enjoyed them however today I had the feeling that today was going to go bad and I wasn’t wrong…
I had several drops not to far away from the depot most of them on the same industrial estate with an extra couple of drops located very close by so it was going to be all stop/start, short hops and not one of my favourite kind of days. All was going reasonably okay, a couple of tight reverses, a couple of hard to find places, a couple of times when I had to stick the hazards on to ask for directions but nothing to far out of the ordinary then it came to the third to last drop of the day, a small catering related business premises, I found the location no problem, parked up on the opposite side of the road and had a look to see if I could see where deliveries (goods in) was, not really seeing anything obvious and wondering if it was either somewhere round the back or through the main front entrance to the shop I stuck on the hazards, jumped out of the cab and asked the manager where he wanted the two pallets that I had for him and was subsequently directed to reverse down the side of the shop to the ‘warehouse’ (large garage) at the back, having already seen the size of the opening to the back I replied “Jeez it’s a bit tight mate innit”, however not wanting to fail in my duties it was decided that I would give it a go whilst the manager watched me back. So I’m back in the cab and looking around and already starting to regret the decision, the opening looks even narrower, directly across the road from the opening is a bus stop, lamp-post and a steel dust bin which are going to be an added distraction and stop me pinching any of the pavement to try to get square on to the opening. With the heart rate increasing I start maneuvering the truck and soon realise that getting the truck square to the opening is not going to be easy, the road is not that wide (and that bus stop is in the way) so I am reversing and approaching the opening at a slight angle (which I know is not good given how tight it is), however the manager is gesturing for me to continue reversing back so following his guidance I edge back - I say edge back but what I really mean to say is “hop back at various speeds” thanks to the auto g\box on the MAN truck which likes to make me look an even bigger tw*t - anyhow back I go until the drivers side buckle on the curtain strap gets caught on the gate and rips the curtain, go forward shouts the manager (no [zb] Sherlock I think) so I hop forwards, and I really should of give it up at this point, but the manager is waving me back so I try to straighten up a bit and reverse back for a second go but this time I over compensate and manage to hit the guttering and wall at the side of the building with the rear near side of the truck, just to add to the pressure by this time both sides of the road is filling up with traffic waiting for me to get out of the way. That was the point in which I gave up, it was also the point in which the manager gave up and instructed me, in a not very friendly manner, to park out front which in hindsight is what I should of decided to do to begin with. The manager drafted in a couple of female members of staff to help hand-ball the load from the front of the shop (took all of 10 minutes) and although the help was appreciated I did have to endure the smarmy ‘been driving for long’ type digs until the task was completed Once the load is accounted for the manager returns with the signed paperwork and requests my details for insurance purposes, I ask him what damage has been done and he says that it looks like one piece of guttering will require replacing and two bricks have been damaged. After pointing out to him that he was the one who was supposed to have been responsible for guiding me back I give him my details, take some photo’s, check out the damage, which from what I can see is a broken guttering bracket, some scuffed guttering and a section of the surface layer of two already weathered bricks had been knocked off (from a line of bricks protruded out from the wall forming the window sill). Given the fact that he is talking insurance I phone the TM at the depot and inform him what has happened, he is okay about it but says that I will have to fill in insurance paperwork when I am back at the depot and that is how I ended what has been a really [zb] day by recounting the events filling in paperwork.
A more experienced driver more familiar with the vehicle would probably have made it look easy but as a novice driver I know my own limitations and I should of followed my instincts and said sorry but NO, I got it close, if I had been able to get it square to start with I think I would of managed it, with the mirrors tucked in on both sides that is.
Chin up mate, crack on - it will happen from time to time.
I’ve had some horrible days but I’m glad in hindsight because it’s happened now and I’ve learnt from it all.
We’ve all had days like that, trying to please, do the job right & generally being made a Mug Of [emoji49].
You got home alive & well, use it as a learning day, next time someone asks/tells you to reverse down a silly little gap, tell 'em NO, it won’t fit & I’m not going to be responsible for any damage, then either pump truck it as near as you can or just offload it where you are, any problems, just phone the office. It’s a lot less hassle & cheaper to abort a delivery than knocking a building down or damaging a wall with all the insurance papers & possible disciplinary’s that go with it.
These things happen. Let me share with you what happened to a colleague of mine. I was a drivers mate, we had done the delivery, I was earning some extra wedge by carrying the bags of sand round into the garden. The driver said he would get the truck reversed back out of the drive and turn around ready for a swift get away (not daft was he?) Anyway this drive had been tight and we had “muscled” our way through some thick hedging and trees to get in. As a result the mirrors were bent in. So the driver was being watched back into the road by the customer, couldn’t see him, just had the window open, “keep coming, keep coming, keep coming…” so the driver did. After a while he thought to himself that these trees were applying rather more pressure on the way out than on the way in, but thanks to his helpful banker, sorry I mean banks man, he applied some more revs…
Right over the top of a lamp post.
The customer figured it would be alright, as the driver had “already hit it and bent it” so just kept on calling him back!!
Anyway OP, you’ve learnt a valuable lesson today, just like I did. The only person you can trust to call you back, is - no one. Sorry you’ve had a ■■■■ day of it. Tomorrow will be better!
And I though was that it■■? After starting to read what I though was going to be a real disaster…
Crap like that happens every day at our place, and yesterday another agency driver tore the whole bumper section off a car while maneuvering!
Don’t sweat it and just put it down to experience. I actually had a similar situation trying to reverse through some chunky wooden posted gates of a residential drop I did on a tight country lane, and getting it turned and straight was also difficult, so difficult that I resculptured his gate post with my wheel nuts! But he was fine as I’d made it clear i wasn’t responsible for any damage in getting it where he wanted…
Someone invited me up their back passage once, but that’s a different story!
Anyway, back to trucking. One customer suggested I fold my mirrors in so i could reverse up their walled drive, they had no response when I asked them how I was supposed to see where I was going. Not to mention the fact I wouldn’t have neen able to get out the cab!
Apparently the regular driver managed it ok! (That’s not what the office said).
Hiya
Bit of a bum day but it’s only a crap day if you don’t learn from it ignore anyone who says don’t worry it will fit,it’s not their job at stake if your not comfortable with it DON’T do it simple as.
As for being a rookie mistake was in the yard yesterday a nestle driver swung in the yard 45ft trailer drove forwards sunny day 30ft either side of it managed to hit the front corner of a skelly trailer,the corner took 3ft of the fibreglass out the box so what does he do ? Carried on took nearly 20ft out the side of the box like a zip what a ■■■■■
Got out said been driving artics 10 years not happened before yeah right lol.
I remember the day i passed my class 1.
After hearing the magic words,i turned to the examiner and said"well that’s it then,i’m a big wheeler now"
He looked up from his clip board with a wry smile…and said"not till you’ve knocked a few walls down son"
These things happen don’t worry too much deal with it move on most divers have done something or other 1 of our experienced drivers hit a barrier & knocked it off no big deal
If a MAN lorry why not put it in RM which is a very slow reverse stops the “hopping” I would never use anything else to reverse in you do have more control
animal:
If a MAN lorry why not put it in RM which is a very slow reverse stops the “hopping” I would never use anything else to reverse in you do have more control
I use RM every time but it still gets the hops, it’s one of the older trucks maybe that is why.
animal:
If a MAN lorry why not put it in RM which is a very slow reverse stops the “hopping” I would never use anything else to reverse in you do have more control
I use RM every time but it still gets the hops, it’s one of the older trucks maybe that is why.
RM is better, but you can still make it hope if you don’t raise the revs gently, & I’ve found that you have to learn a more delicate touch than going forwards. You don’t wear special shoes do you mate?
animal:
If a MAN lorry why not put it in RM which is a very slow reverse stops the “hopping” I would never use anything else to reverse in you do have more control
I use RM every time but it still gets the hops, it’s one of the older trucks maybe that is why.
RM is better, but you can still make it hope if you don’t raise the revs gently, & I’ve found that you have to learn a more delicate touch than going forwards. You don’t wear special shoes do you mate?
No just a woman touch take size 34 / 35 not sure if that makes a difference
On the day in question the hopping would have been exaggerated by a combination of my heavy steel toe capped boots (which do not provide for the lightest of touches) and probably more so by my increasing levels of adrenaline - not helped by the gathering audience, in hindsight I am also wondering if in the heat of the moment I was maybe getting a little bit impatient to get out of the situation and not waiting for the hand brake to fully release - that does seem quite plausible now I think about it.
I will also add that I am not a ‘flapper’ however I do take the odd deep breath when I feel the need to quash any rising panic, and that was one of those occasions when I took one or two deep breaths… but probably could of done with taking one or two more.
Once the load is accounted for the manager returns with the signed paperwork and requests my details for insurance purposes, I ask him what damage has been done and he says that it looks like one piece of guttering will require replacing and two bricks have been damaged. After pointing out to him that he was the one who was supposed to have been responsible for guiding me back I give him my details, take some photo’s, check out the damage, which from what I can see is a broken guttering bracket, some scuffed guttering and a section of the surface layer of two already weathered bricks had been knocked off (from a line of bricks protruded out from the wall forming the window sill). Given the fact that he is talking insurance I phone the TM at the depot and inform him what has happened, he is okay about it but says that I will have to fill in insurance paperwork when I am back at the depot and that is how I ended what has been a really [zb] day by recounting the events filling in paperwork.
