First I’d like to say im only 20 and I have my full class 2 (will be going for class one soon), all I ever wanted to do was be a driver, I start my first job next Monday.
The job I start is starting me in a 7.5 tonne and ill work my way up when I feel confident.
I just need some advice please, like what’s the best way to make my deliveries on time etc and how can I make sure I keep to my driving hours etc?
I don’t really know to many roads of the top of my head I tend to rely on my sat nav until I get used to a bigger vehicle and get used to the roads better.
Any advise on the above or how I can keep myself safer would be appreciated.
You’ll struggle the first few weeks getting deliveries off thinking how am i ment tae do all this. But you learn runs, you learn the best times to go to different customers. Always do 15 then a 30 in regards to breaks it will always give you more flexibility in regards to both wtd and driving time. Tipping on card is commen place to get things done. I do it myself when required but i always make up the break on my way back the depot.
Give your truck a good pui every morning learn all its niggles and if possible always take the truck into the garage yourself so defects don’t linger.
Dont mind about the sat nav as you can get out of a lot of trouble with a 7.5 tonner, i used to use the sat nav everyday couldn’t see maself without it but i never use it now. If i get a new drop i have a swatch on google maps and off i go.
Be confident with your driving not arrogant. Trucknet is only a thread away if you have a problem it has helped me many a time.
And finally enjoy yourself drive, plenty of pretty girls with low cut tops and short skirts kicking about to keep you amused
The best advice I can give is dont be afraid to ask the drivers at your company regarding times, they have done the jobs, if they are regular drops then they know how long from base to drop.
If the Transport manager is a helpful soul, then your start time should reflect the time needed to travel to that particular job plus a bit of time in hand for those niggling things that can go wrong.
All in all enjoy your job…like I used to once!
I dont tend to worry one jot about those timed deliverys. My deliverys get there in my organised and relaxed fashion.
I feel giving drivers targets and expected delivery timings may put drivers unsure of the run,and location under more pressure than needed.
Which in turn makes the driver sacrifice safety for speed as they are always clock watching and rushing around wanting to meet unrealistic targets.
it wasn’t that long ago when i was starting out, so let me give some advice!
IGNORE the times on the sheets, they are a guide NOT A target! Take your time while driving AND unloading, its EASY to forget something and hurt yourself or others. sat-navs are fine, but use a proper map to get you between places, and use the satnav to take you in the last mile or 2!
keep an eye on our driving time/WTD times, if on a digi tacho press the down arrow and all the info is displayed for you! if on a manual, get an app for a smartphone called “trucker timer” its a VERY handy thing to have!
as merc0047 has said, SPLIT your rest breaks! it allows for more flexibility! if you start at 6am have a 15 late in the morning to keep the WTD happy You’ll need it before 1300 anyway), then have your 30 later if you need it for the drivers hours regs! i tend to look for a nice layby to stop in around 1100, that then gives me 2 hours scope to find somewhere suitable before i run out of working time! ive found with ALOT of multidrop work, you might actually only use 4 hours of drive time in a 10 hour shift! the rest of the time is spent waiting for forks, and doing handball!
best advise I was given before I started was to always drive safely no matter what because if you are running out of time and you need to get a move on and the office are ringing telling you to make a couple of unexpected collections before you go back etc its very easy to put the foot down and and take risks you wouldn’t normally take but just remember that if if you have a crash it goes down on your record and you will find it nearly impossible to find work as a driver in the future so just something to think about when your out on the road don’t let anyone try to rush you because its your licence and its you that will pay the price if you cause an accident. anyway best of luck you will get the hang of it after a couple of weeks.
It will be tough for a couple of weeks but you will start to build up a memory of drops & customers, then each day will get easier.
If you know your run the night before-plan it on google maps, you can also zoom in to street view, so you can often ‘drive’ down the street before you’ve even been there to check out the drop.
Start early enough to do your checks, paperwork & secure the load (I very rarely get away from the yard within 30 minutes)
Example-
M/Keynes-Office Depot, Ashton u Lyne @ 10.00am
usually takes 3.5 to 4 hours, so I would be in the cab no later than 05.30 & try to be rolling by 06.15
(With a travel mug of coffee in my cup holder !)
Once you have left in good time, traffic jams/diversions/breakdowns are not your fault, so just call the office with any delays & let them worry about informing the customer.
Keep to speed limits & don’t let the ‘Hero’ 56 mph boys push you along the A roads, give 'em room to overtake when it’s safe, but if you are on a bendy road ‘Tough’ they will have to wait behind you (I pull into a lay-by if I get traffic building up behind me but you can’t stop in every one)
Give yourself plenty of room in city’s, I was in London, Hyde Park yesterday & they all want to push past, so I just straddle the lanes & keep them away (it will always be ‘your fault’ if one of them hits you with loads of hassle !)
Take your time & within a few weeks you should be enjoying it (its a lot better than working on an office or factory !)
Not a lot more I can add that hasn’t been said before.
I’m learning a new route and it’s like day one again!!! The only thing I do differently is sometimes take the 15 min break a bit earlier if I need to take a time out and relax a bit.
Recently I couldn’t find a drop off in 5mins, rang the TM and he had me running around for two hours, his call. It might destroy the timings but make it THEIR CALL not yours.
Ask! A big man no no! ■■■■■■■■. One place, it happens more than you think, I was looking for didn’t have the company name on the outside. This one was property sharing a section of the yard to the rear down the side street. If I hadn’t asked I would never of found it.
If you have pallets and collections don’t be frightened of asking the loading/unloading forklift operator to shuffle the load around. It’s easier than using a hand pump truck and haven’t been told no yet! Just don’t take the Micheal and have them swap it all around, just a little every stop.
Other than that keep to the speed limit, use google map/street view, keep to the speed limits. and keep your TM informed of issues that make you late. An example is one drop said tail lift required. Tail lift SWL was 500Kg the pallet weighed 1200Kg. Hand ball required to split on to three pallets, only a 15min delay but let them know.
Good luck and welcome to the industry. Tell you now, you will get lost, you will panic,you will miss delivery times, you will hit something,do not let it get to you,we`ve all done it, but most of all you will get experience and after a while you will enjoy it.
Get a proper truckers map book, do not rely on your sat nav alone.
If your going to be doing regular routes be polite with the customer and the forkie and try and build up a rapore with them, on multi drop the forkie can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK A FELLOW DRIVER.
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TELL YOUR TM YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PAIR OF HANDS.
Enjoy the job pal, you will soon get into it.
dowahdiddyman:
Good luck and welcome to the industry. Tell you now, you will get lost, you will panic,you will miss delivery times, you will hit something,do not let it get to you,we`ve all done it, but most of all you will get experience and after a while you will enjoy it.
Get a proper truckers map book, do not rely on your sat nav alone. If your going to be doing regular routes be polite with the customer and the forkie and try and build up a rapore with them, on multi drop the forkie can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK A FELLOW DRIVER.
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TELL YOUR TM YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PAIR OF HANDS.
Enjoy the job pal, you will soon get into it.
A lot of good advice and this just about sums it up ,the only thing i will add is 7.5t vehicles can be a little hard to drive sometimes ,they bounce around like a cork in a tub full of water especially when empty .
The bit i have highlighted is very important ,the lads working the forks are simply doing a job the same as you ,if they are on a break or tipping another truck there is nothing you or your transport manager can do about it so just sit back ,relax and use the waiting time to plan your next drop ,check your times and have a bit of crack with other drivers (just buy a BS monitor from Halfords)
good luck ,after 2 weeks you will be wondering what all the fuss was all about.
nearly forgot ,another thumbs up for Trucker timer ,an excellent app for drivers even if you are only using a digital
As a friend of mine quoted ONE DROP AT ONCE.
My quotes are Take 2 breaks rather than miss one.
and one thats stood me in good stead is.
Work smart not hard.
Good look and go safely
Remember that the most valuable cargo you will ever carry sits in the cab behind the steering wheel. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. Once you are on the road, you are in charge. You make the decisions.
Enjoy yourself - life is too short to get wound up at numpties.
At any hardware or kitchen shop they sell kitchen timers.Salter is the brand.I set mine to nine hours driving or ten.
You will get customers that insist on six pallets of compost or horse pelletts to be pulled over a gravel stoned track to put the pallets behind the wall or stable at a ton and half per pallet.
All because the regular driver does it for them.Say no.Dump it.Get it signed and go.
To be honest on some routes it will be hard to stivk to 40 mph all day on a single track road.Or never get back in time.
Watch out for low bridges and farmers that chat for an hour as they do not see anyone all day.w
On country lanes car drivers do the speed limits for the motorway.
And will not give way to you or slow down.At school times they double park and cause chaos to ferry kids.
When the truck stops it adds two minutes to the driving time.
Tupperware boxes for pens and bits and bobs.A good bag or holdall.With side pockets or zips to put all the gubbins in.Thermos for tea and coffee.If you spend £3 per day at motorway prices that is £500 per year.
If in doubt the truck wont fit down a tight spot or lane walk down and have look.
When reversing cars will drive two inches behind your bumper and sound their horn in annoyance.
Be careful of a heavy pallet that may run away when you are pumping it off to the tail lift or back door.
If you can not stop it let it go.If the truck has suspension you can raise the height and use gravity to get pallets off.
Secure the pump truck with an old tyre or it will break the goods.
Defiantly drop the sat nav as soon as you feel confident enough. Map books make you think a little more and will get you in less ■■■■■ than a sat nav will. Take as much advice from others as you can get, it may seem like sometimes people at your work are getting at you and having a dig if they see you doing this wrongly, there not dont take it to heart listen to them they are trying to help. I found it very difficult at 18 to take constructive criticism but everything I have been told has stood me I’m good stead. Pick wisely from who you do take advice from, just because you see some drivers tearing around in 7.5 tonners or have lorrys that are beat to death doesn’t make it acceptable practice, it is your office look after it. If you are running late and have a panic on as hard as it will be on a Friday night when you want to get home just accept your going to be a little late. Being half hour behind for a drop is easier to explain to the boss than ringing them to explain you’ve ripped a mirror off or had a knock because you were trying to make some time up.
Most off all enjoy the job and have fun. Good luck .
get a decent uk map with bridge heights, then familiarise yourself with it. then do the same with a decent european map. you never know with this job, you could be on uk work when your employer says “fancy a trip to turkey?”
it does happen.
When i got my HGV2 licence i learnt on the job working for an air cargo company.
Steve the other driver taught me about the tacho, how to load & tie things down.
All he wanted was for me to pass the knowledge on to other new drivers when i could.
