So I have an interview with Bidvest next week. Working for them through agency. Anyone got any tips ? Pretty sure there is an assessment drive involved too.
Ta.
Parking restrictions don’t apply to Bidvest.
A Bidvest driver jacked in to take the job I jacked in, carrying flour sacks. Make of that what you will.
My advice is get on the weights and build those muscles as you will need them. The planning is horrendous I saw drivers screwing up their manifest in the morning and throwing it at the boss 
The staff turnover is very high, most drivers looking for another job. Most of the runs are difficult with near impossible delivery addresses where you need to get people to move vehicles etc. You will certainly know that you have done a shift there 
Anyone got any tips ?
Stay in bed more greif than it’s worth…
Is it for Logistics or Foodservice?
Logistics is generally fewer but larger drops to the likes of KFC and Burger King, but some still involve a lot of handballing.
Foodservice (fka 3663) can be delivering pretty much anywhere to places that are barely big enough to get the truck into, or driveways with overgrown trees, or on streets where you have to park hundreds of metres away from the delivery. And generally loads of handballing.
Muckaway:
Parking restrictions don’t apply to Bidvest.
That’s true, we were told that for a time the company were appealing every ticket they got in London and basically caused the entire appeals system to grind to halt. It got to the point where some London Boroughs made concessions to unload at certain agreed times.
Logistics vehicles in particular were getting ticketed at the same places every day, like outside a KFC at 6am.
So nobody has anything good to say about them ? If this is the case how do they stay in business ?
Frankeh:
So nobody has anything good to say about them ? If this is the case how do they stay in business ?
Brits love to moan & talk zb, I bet there are some loyal members of staff who’ve been there for years & do the job day in day out.
You might be lucky enough to get the prison runs delivering food. You are expected to do several prisons a daydepending on distance, local prisons you would be expected to do around 6/7 in one shift and you are knackered after the first 3. You load with pallets it takes two body builders to shift and take a full load to say Liverpool prison then come back and reload to take another to say Durham Prison. It is very hard work.
Pimpdaddy:
I bet there are some loyal members of staff who’ve been there for years & do the job day in day out.
Could be either of these;
1.Such animals they can’t get a job elsewhere. Some Bidvest wagons look wrecked.
2.The ex army type who does anything he’s told without question, even pointlessly lumping stuff upstairs when they’ll bring it back down to use it (very common with bakers. Why store flour upstairs?). Find another way and said ex squaddie will just declare you a lazy git.
alder:
It is very hard work.
Why not get the prisoners to tip it when you get there, they’d do it in no time…!?
Pimpdaddy:
Why not get the prisoners to tip it when you get there, they’d do it in no time…!?
We do here, just pull the cage through half a dozen sets of gates and doors, but once in the kitchen the inmates pull it all out in no time.
One of my colleagues had them asking him if he wanted to “earn a bit extra” for delivering extras with with the food!
Glen A9:
We do here, just pull the cage through half a dozen sets of gates and doors, but once in the kitchen the inmates pull it all out in no time.
One of my colleagues had them asking him if he wanted to “earn a bit extra” for delivering extras with with the food!
I was thinking more of staying in the cab, lock the doors & let them crack on[emoji16]
The prisoners do help once the pallets are off the truck and in the doorway to the kitchen. Some do come out a little to help but it is getting these 1 tonne pallets off the truck that takes of out of you. The floor is slippy as hell being a fridge and thawing with the doors open So you are slipping and sliding trying to tug a heavy pallet to the tail lift. You have to try it to realise what a ball ache it is and you unload 15 pallets at a time at one prison, then back for reload for the next. I lasted a week 
Glen A9:
Pimpdaddy:
Why not get the prisoners to tip it when you get there, they’d do it in no time…!?We do here, just pull the cage through half a dozen sets of gates and doors, but once in the kitchen the inmates pull it all out in no time.
One of my colleagues had them asking him if he wanted to “earn a bit extra” for delivering extras with with the food!
I don’t like the sound of that.
No wonder Bidvest has got a reputation for wanting strapping lads rather than your avererage “Dixon” type hundred pounder… 
Yeh. He’d get pounded by a hundred allright.
Hahaha…spot those that wouldn’t wanna do a days graft…pallet trunks only is it boys? First mention of any Foodservice companies has the so called ‘ard lads’ running for the hills!
Actrosman:
Hahaha…spot those that wouldn’t wanna do a days graft…pallet trunks only is it boys? First mention of any Foodservice companies has the so called ‘ard lads’ running for the hills!
[ZB] right mate. Paid to drive not labour. Just because stuff was handballed in the days of starting handles and steam rollers doesn’t mean we all should do it now.
Cue the “you aren’t a proper driver if you’ve never sheeted a load in the rain after loading 15 tons yourself” type war stories (other insomnia cures are available). 
For the assessment keep the vehicle upright you’ll pass
Surely an interview with Bidvest goes something like this…
“Can I have a job…?”
“let us think…yep you’re in…when can you start?”
Closely followed a day later by…“I quit”.
alder:
The prisoners do help once the pallets are off the truck and in the doorway to the kitchen. Some do come out a little to help but it is getting these 1 tonne pallets off the truck that takes of out of you. The floor is slippy as hell being a fridge and thawing with the doors open
Doing that graft, they should give you electric pallet trucks - when I was on pallets and saw turf, bricks, paviours and other assorted crap being loaded on, I used to blag a set if I could. I had some limestones blocks once - they were so heavy that two us couldn’t drag the pallet truck down the bed to the taillift on the level. So when I got back to the yard, I asked a couple of handy loaders if they could jump and try and move it and they were shocked how difficult it was. I think it gave them an eye opener - so used to having their hydraulic friends.