May be doing first multidrop job soon. The deliveries will probably involve parking in busy high streets.
How do drivers overcome access issues to shops i.e. only double yellows left to park on, no unloading bays etc.
Abandon it where ever is safest, do the quickest handball possible and move! 
Pretty much what the guy above said, and just hope you don’t get a ticket.
When I see the the drop I park there and then just incase I cant find it again ! then go and ask where they park. Got one drop on double yellows at a set of lights, talk about chaos but apparently have a 20 min window.
The traffic wardens can not give a ticket if they see you in the “act” of unloading or loading, the best thing is to lower the tail lift to the pavement and have the back door half way up so you do not get robbed and they can not climb in to pilfer the load.
Some drivers have to drive around and around for half an hour to find a free place to park up and unload.
If you get a ticket tell the boss as they may have arranged the client to pay the parking fine to receive their goods.
Thanks toby for the advice.
It doesn’t matter if there are yellow lines - you are still (in most places) permitted to unload even on double yellows. Look for the yellow markings on the kerb (double marks - no loading, single marks - loading permitted at certain times only).
But don’t go unloading in the zig-zag area at pedestrian crossings - you can get points on your licence for that one!
You may get a traffic warden saying i should give you aticket.When this happens remain calm and polite and he or she may say you got ten minutes to unload.
London is a law unto itself though
I was going to mention London - the only place that I have got tickets - they are particularly officious up there - as I’ve stated before, they’re ALL about making money - you even have to pay extra to use the streets! Elsewhere, just don’t damage anything and the wardens will usually allow a measure of leeway, just observe the times on the signs.
If you do not agree with the ticket you can contact the ombusman and get a refund.I got a ticket where the sign was partialy covered with over grown foliage and branches.Got a refund.
Don’t worry too much about the dreaded double yellows, I usually set the tail lift to the floor and drop the rear shutter whilst i’m in the premises, not had a ticket yet! Although i HAVE had some disapproving looks off parking wardens, including one tapping his watch! 
beware the pedestrian only sections, i’ve only had to do it once, but dragging a pallet truck with a loaded pallet of goods, half mile through a pedestrian only town centre is a right pain in the arse! While your doing this you have extreme parking ticket paranoia going on 
if you happen to see a parking warden, I have found a quick word can usually ward off a ticket! they will if your pleasant give you 10 or 15 mins to get sorted!
HTH
B…
Oh yes.The pallet truck through pedestrians that can not hear or you see you coming and nearly get run over with nine feet tall boxes being wheeled to the shop.One time it was quicker to.park in one plce and pallet truck pallets to three shops rather driving to each unloading bay at the rear of the shops.
Thanks again all for the help. This forum is a godsend for a newbie like me. Its great to hear from people in the know.
PaulNowak:
London is a law unto itself though
Only if you don’t know what you’re doing…
Good little document there. Although it hints you shouldn’t park on the pavement, this one states you musn’t :- londoncouncils.gov.uk/policy … arking.htm
Again, IME, they will try to get you if you do.
Talking of London i delivered tiles to Gabby Logans new build house in Richmond.She was out at the time but hubby was in and out of the house.
An angry neighbour was stood by truck and taking photos as he accused me of breaking the pavement slabs and would tell the council so my boss would have to pay up.
When i parked up the pavement was cracked before i got there and he was ranting and raving about all the delivery trucks making a noise and a disturbance.He had set up commitee group to address his concerns with other rich locals.
I had to half block the road to unload and ran out of time so parked there all night much to the annoyance of the well to do brigade.
Snudger:
Good little document there. Although it hints you shouldn’t park on the pavement, this one states you musn’t :- londoncouncils.gov.uk/policy … arking.htm
But it still specifically states that loading/unloading on the pavement “where there is no other way” is acceptable “in very limited circumstances”.
There is a significant difference between “parking” and “stopping to load/unload”.
I never gave it a second thought when I was regularly doing deliveries in London - If the vehicle got a ticket I just handed it in with my paperwork at the end of the day and let someone else worry about it (and I used to get them at least once a week in Young Street, Kensington). Certainly not worth wasting my breath getting into a discussion about it with the Warden.
if possible get the tricky ones done as early as you can, Ive only been doing the job 2 weeks but ive learned that if its a busy street with limited parking and ive got 2 or 3 pallets to drop in one place I get there at 8.30 or before it and get as close to the shop as I can, drop the tailift and wait in the cab, by nine o clock when the shop opens the street is packed with lorries, vans and cars and you will see the same lorries driving round and round trying to find a space big enough for them to park, if your new to the job like me you want to leave the parking as easy as possible for yourself.
toby1234abc:
Talking of London i delivered tiles to Gabby Logans new build house in Richmond.She was out at the time but hubby was in and out of the house.
An angry neighbour was stood by truck and taking photos as he accused me of breaking the pavement slabs and would tell the council so my boss would have to pay up.
When i parked up the pavement was cracked before i got there and he was ranting and raving about all the delivery trucks making a noise and a disturbance.He had set up commitee group to address his concerns with other rich locals.
I had to half block the road to unload and ran out of time so parked there all night much to the annoyance of the well to do brigade.
Sounds very similar to a drop I did one evening in Birmingham. I was delivering to a house but it was very close to a corner so I put two wheels on the pavement, did’nt want a car racing round the corner and hitting the vehicle.
An old boy, retired with nothing to do apart from moan, appeared and straightaway accuse me of cracking the slabs on the pavement. I think 99% of them were already cracked. I told him to get a life! He lived about two houses from the place I was delivering to. He sent a letter to my company moaning, my manager laughed when I told him what I’d said, the old boy also mentioned it in the letter. At the end of the day my boss said you can legally park two wheels on the pavement whilst doing a delivery for upto 20 minutes. I’ve been doing the job three years now and really don’t care if I annoy ppl anymore. If I get the vehicle out of the way so traffic can pass somebody will moan I’m on the kerb etc.
Also had an old bird moan at me once when I was parked taking a break, why are you outside my house. There was no parking restrictions whatsoever, I pointed this out and she huffed and puffed and went back inside
N I M B Y’s… Not In My Back Yard