I have had the worst day

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Well what a day.

I work(ed)!! for a company called Nigel Rice out of Beverley, they do multidrop with Palletways, i got in at 7am and started as usual, went to my first drop no probs and i notice my second one was down a deadend street, this gave me no option but to reverse down, i started my reverse and then i notice a red mondeo on the right of me, as i went to go round this my wagon (17.5t rigid) swung out and caught another car on the passenger side, i pulled forward to get away and noticed the red mondeo so i stayed to the left and hit the car again.

By this point there was at least 6 cars waiting to go round me, leaving me nowhere to go, so i admit i panicked, ive only had my class 2 8 months, i pulled over to the side ot the road and swapped details with the garage whos car it was and rang my boss, nothing was said and i carried on, i get back to the yard and he gets me in the office and says he letting me go!! Ive only had one written warning, is the legally allowed?

Sorry for the long thread but im so wound up and upset i dont know wat to do!!

Ben :cry:

2

How long have you worked for them??
Have you had a verbal warning?
How long ago was your writen warning?

3

How long have you worked for them??
Have you had a verbal warning?
How long ago was your writen warning?

Worked for them since Sept 2003
I havent had a verbal warning
My written was in November

4

Sorry because of the fact that you havent been employed for at least 1 year you do not have the right to go to a tribunal!

5

Sorry to hear you’ve had a crap day. I can fully sympathise with you. 6 months after I passed my test and got my first driving job I had 3 accidents in as many weeks. After the third my boss “let me go”. I didn’t have any written warnings before that. I can’t give you a legal standing, because in Scotland it is different (here they can ask you to leave within six months of your start date with no notice or without any disciplinary action - they can just say “leave” and you can’t argue).

I will say this. Sometimes it’s best to just go with your tail between your legs and find another job - even though it’s upsetting and really knocks your confidence. Because if you fight your corner, more often than not your boss will look for a reason to get you out legitimately and you’re labelled as a trouble-maker. It’s hard though, especially as you did the right thing and phoned the gaffer and owned up instead of saying nothing and getting hauled into the office by your ear.

My advice, chalk it up as experience. At least you’ll not make the same mistake twice. I learnt about tail-swing the hardway - by tearing the side off a Vauxhall Cavalier with the corner of my Tail-lift in a narrow street!! :blush:

Hope it all works out for you. :wink:

6

First and foremost Ben…

You are not the first driver to have a knock !!!

I at one time thought the insurance company was printing claim forrms with my details already filled in…

Remember this… most importantly NO-ONE was hurt, and you are at home safe and well.

Driving is a learning curve… with no end !!! we all learn somehting new every day normally by our mistakes

Look back at the incident and you decide what went wrong and then you will know how to avoid it in the future, Knocks like this will make you a better driver if you recognise your error and resolve to do it different next time.

You will get another job, there is plenty out there!!! :smiley:

Take this experience and use it to show your next employer how you learn and adapt…

This is not the end of the world, but in many many drivers cases just a natural progression :open_mouth:

Good luck mate

7

cheers Trucknet and Lost pup and the critic, im already appyling to all the agencys in the area, it just winds me, there are people there that have done worse than me and they get away with it, ah well, the only way is up i suppose, night get with a firm that give me nights out eh!

Ben :unamused:

8

sorry to hear off the day you have had. i suppose we all get days like this. but if there is one small bit of advise i could give you is this. if you go to a drop that you ain’t been to b4 and it looks tight stop some where safe and go down and have a look. or stop and get out and check your space at the back of you.if you hold people up then thats tough just do your job and forget everyone else. at the end of the day it’s you that takes the rap for it.we all learn by our mistakes, so just take it on the chin and learn from this. :wink:

9

How long have you worked for them and have you had any other knocks?

It seems a bit rough to let you go for a bit of a knock, even the most experienced driver makes the odd mistake, I hit a car in my first week of my first HGV job, phoned the boss filled out the form and he even said not to worry these things happen. Your boss should look at it and on the job training that somebody else will now get the benefit of.

10

Ive been there since sept 2003, they have a reputation for going through drivers, i had an ‘incident’ in Nov when i skidded on sum black ice down a farm track and ended up half in a ditch, there was no damage to the wagon and it didnt need recovering!!

Kit Kat of you trained out of Leconfield you might well know the company, blur and yellow lorries?

To look on the bright side im already looking, just seen a job for Brian Yeardly out of Pontefract, i know its far but if there are nights out then it would work out cheaper for me rather than the 200 miles a week i did to and from work!!

11

sorry you had a bad day, but it happens to the best of us, why would you want to work for a company that does not understand that, plenty more jobs and another lesson learnt :wink:

12

Is the farm incident what you got the written warning for?
It still doesn’t sound like a bad driving record, so you might be better off out anyway.
I don’t know anything about the company, but I quite often see Willows trucks round my way and they are based in Hull.

13

Willows are the green and white wagons, they are based in Hull, Nigle rice is based in Beverley, i got the warning for the farm incident, i cud have got it out with the help of the farmer but i thought id better be honest!!

Ive decided im better off out, im not going to lie and say i didnt enjoy the job because i did, just want more cash and more nights out!! not that much to ask is it!!

ben :unamused:

14

Sorry I meant have you tried Willows for a job as they are local. :laughing: :laughing:

15

I will tell you one thing that you may or may not know about BY at Featherstone.

A friend of mine worked for him on 2 occasions some years back,doing continental,and he was never home,and I mean,never home.He would often find himself weekended over the water,or if he did get back to this country,he was quite often turned around in Kent to go back over.

The first time he worked for him,he didn’t mind,but her indoors wanted to see more of him,so he left.After a while,he got itchy feet,and went back to work for him,and again,the same scenario cropped up.It got to the point where his missus gave him an ultimatum,the job or her.

While I’m not trying to scaremonger you,I just thought you ought to know what goes on if you plan on having nights out.

On the subject of accidents…even the experienced among us have the odd indiscretion.For example…

I was at Bransholme shopping centre before Christmas,delivering to our customers store,and as usual,cars were parked in the loading bay despite signs telling them not to do so.I had a 45ft tri-axle on,and as I swung round,I managed to drag a Citreon Saxo along with me by the front wing.

The owner,a rather pretty young lady, :slight_smile: appeared with her mum,and uttered the immortal line, ‘Oh,I’ll know not to park there again.’ To which I replied, ‘Your ■■■■ right there love.’

Ken.

16

I had been driving trucks about 8 months and was up in the North East. Reversed the rigid out of the customers yard and drove off.
About 20 minutes later, got a call from the office, “Drat, have you hit a car?”, answer “No, why?”.
It transpired that I had indeed hit a car, they got me on video, so hands up, yes I did hit it.
Answer, “The owner of the car has been sacked”, “What?”, it appears it was the 4th time it had been hit, and he had been given written warnings not to leave his car there, deliberately, so some trucker could write it off for him so he could get a new car.
There are some baskets out there that will do this sort of thing.

17

Ben!
Sorry you had a bad day mate. I do know Nigel Rice and they can get through a few drivers. If you do UK for yeardley you will be home more, They wont send you on the continent without some experience and most of the european lads are class 1 anyway.

Try HB Holt at Gilberdyke and Howden. I know they do some work for ricey but they have there own work as well. Small family firm with decent trucks. they are 3 brothers but their mother is boss whatever Eddie tries to tell you.

18

Dratsabasti:
There are some baskets out there that will do this sort of thing.

I used to do that! :blush: :blush:

I had an old Clio that was destined for the scrapyard. I always parked on the road as close to the entrance into the yard where I worked in the hope that one of the drivers would smash it as they came out the gate. Never happened though. Got a new car now, park that as far away from wagons as I can now! :wink:

19

Not sure if you got a weeks pay in lieu of notice,you can if you want you go after them for that and if they say they dissmissed you instantly (zb) because they had you carry on,yes they can dissmiss you but after 4 weeks they must give a weeks notice. :bulb:

language edit mrs mix

20

If you take into account the amount of drops you do on this sort of work (I work through a depot for Pall - Ex) then the numbers say your going to hit something sometime. I think it was a bit harsh letting you go, you might want to consult with Citizens Advice over it. Personally I think your better off out of their as the boss sounds like a ■■■■■ I side with Kit Kat on the get out and look front. Failing that I totally refuse to go anywhere near at least a couple of drops a day and take them back to the yard… Hope the job hunting goes ok :wink: .