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NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

The agency ring me monday morning and say they have got me my first class job working for leeds plywood and doors, im happy as they said it will be difficult to get any class 1 work as i only passed my test a couple of weeks ago and im 23. Any i wake up tuesday morning looking forward to work and then the agency ring can i go to dhl at morley instead i agree and off i go arriving at 8am. Sign in then get all the paper work and keys to a 51 plate scania my run is morley to newark-brackley-milton keynes-newark and then back to morley, run down solo to newark to pick up a trailer arrive there at 10am two hours later im on my way to brackley down the a43 turn right on to buckingham road and first right on to mill lane according to the map except the only thing down here is a wood yard and a new housing estate, spoke to a driver from the wood yard he said its over the road and i can turn around in the yard at this stage im panicking as its tight but manage to turn around and turn right out of mill lane and first left. The place im delivering to is first building on the right it’s now 3pm i pull into the yard and head for the office you were supposed to be here at 11am anyway they don’t have room for the load so i ring the agency and explain the situation, they ring dhl and then ring me back and tell me to go back to newark. I arrive back at newark and drop the trailer and head back to morley sign out at 19.45 im back in tomorrow at 8am.

Wednesday morning I arrive at dhl morley sign in at 8am get to choose what unit i want i went for the scania again as i had got used to using the gearbox. off i go down to newark to get my run sheet and trailer, arrive there at 09.50 pick up my trailer and im supposed to be going to coventry-wolverhampton-stevenage-newark and back to morley. Leave newark at 11am and arrive at my firs drop at 12.25 scheduled arrival is 13.30 so im early spoke to a bloke there to which he tells me i have got a long wait he wasn’t kidding, meanwhile the agency ring and ask how im doing and what my run is i tell him the route to which he says is impossible to do in a day he rings me back and tells me to tip at coventry and then reload at Wolverhampton and back to newark and them home to morley. It’s now 3pm and im still waiting to be unloaded 10 mins later im told to revers in the warehouse break the seal and pull back the curtains, I don’t know how to so I spoke to another driver and said i had just passed and have never done this before he shows me how to undo the straps and pull back the curtains nice bloke, anyway its all washing machines, fridges, tvs etc eventually get unloaded and get my paperwork signed it now 15.50 so I set off to wolverhampton get stuck in traffic and arrive there at 6pm its closed, I ring the agency and that’s closed i don’t have their mobile number. This is where i started to panic so I thought ■■■■ it head straight back to morley and dump the wagon in the yard. arrived back at dhl at 20.45 through the keys on the dashboard jumped in the car and went home stupid i know.
About 30 mins later the agency ring and ask what’s happened I explain that i panicked i didn’t know what else to do, she was astounded that i had just left the keys in and went home saying that expensive kit and could have been stolen but the yard was full of people so i doubt it anyway she said she will put it down to experience but i don’t think i will be hearing from them again. Id gone over my 4.5 driving hours so thought it would be best to get out of there, So now i just feel like i have wasted my money and don’t know what to do. help

2

Difficult situation but it certainly wasn’t your fault. In the circumstances I think I would have done the same (come back to Morley). If the depot is closed when you get there and you can’t get hold of the agency then you’re snookered. As a last resort I would have phoned directory enquiries and got the number for DHL at Morley and phoned them up. However, the chances of anyone answering the phone at that time of night (it will be the office number you’re given of course, not the traffic office/warehouse one) are pretty slim. Therefore you’re left with no other option but to come back to the yard.

As Morley is a 24hr depot though (iirc) then you should have gone into the office and explained what happened and also pointed out that it wasn’t your fault you didn’t have any contact numbers and that your agency weren’t answering the phone. That was your biggest mistake, by dumping the wagon and running off home although I would have been [zb] off with it too. Chances are that the agency will refuse to pay you for it too, going by what they’ve said. Sounds to me like you’d be better at another agency anyway if that’s their attitude (which agency is it? Sounds like Protemp in Leeds).

When I do agency work I always make sure of the following before leaving :

  1. Is there enough fuel in the wagon to do the job? If not, then where do I fill it up, have I got a fuel card to fill it up and do I know WHERE it can be filled up?

  2. Do you want me to phone in after each drop/collection?

  3. Have you got a contact name and number if I have any problems, and also an OUT OF HOURS contact name and number for when the day shift goes home (VERY IMPORTANT).

Let us know how you go on.

3

Im with contact industrial down at container base, I have been down today and had a chat with them and i will be getting paid, I was getting confused with all the hours, rest periods, etc. but it was discussed and i sort of understand it all now. Dumping the wagon was stupid but lesson learnt and their giving me a 2nd chance im doing 7.5t work tomorrow and then hopefully class 1 trunking which im told will be easier next week.

4

Andy_:
Im with contact industrial down at container base, I have been down today and had a chat with them and i will be getting paid, I was getting confused with all the hours, rest periods, etc. but it was discussed and i sort of understand it all now. Dumping the wagon was stupid but lesson learnt and their giving me a 2nd chance im doing 7.5t work tomorrow and then hopefully class 1 trunking which im told will be easier next week.

Never had owt to do with Contact. I know their rates aren’t anything to write home about though. It’s a steep learning curve when you’ve just passed. Don’t be afraid/shy/embarrassed to tell people it’s only your 2nd day at it and you don’t know what you’re doing - any decent bloke will be more than happy to help you and show you the ropes. You’ll soon pick it up but just ask on here if you’ve any probs. :slight_smile:

I know when I first started on plant work I didn’t have a clue where to start. All I could see was this heap of chains and strange cork screw-like things. Had to be brutally honest and ask W T F do I do with these then?! Bloke who was there laughed and thought I was kidding but I would have still been stood there now trying to figure it out if I hadn’t asked. Never be afraid to ask :bulb: :slight_smile: You soon pick it up when you’ve done it a few times. :slight_smile:

5

Will do, cheers fo the advice.