For the first time ever i walked off a job this morning. An agency i do work for asked me to go to the Dentressangle Co-op job at Andover this morning to do a trunking run. When i got there they were totally unaware that i had never been there before but eventually gave me a Health and Safety booklet to read through, which i did. Then another one with all the store delivery procedures, which i was rather baffled by as i was going to do a trunk job. Anyway, eventually someone gives me a a hand held computer / bar code scanner and a load of paperwork for 5 drops to Co-op stores around Portsmouth. I go out into the yard and find the paperwork matches up to a 6 wheel rigid that is plugged into the mains running the fridge. Now i hate big rigids at the best of times and i look at this thing with multi temperatures and the computer that no one has explained and think ■■■■■■■■ to this. I walked back to the office, put it all on the counter and said politely. Here you go mate, this is not what i signed up for, i’m out of here. And left.
You would think (wouldn’t you) that they would have someone to show you what they expect you to do and what all the procedures are rather than just chucking you in the deep end like this. Anyway, doubt that i will be working at the Co-op again.
Pity, you were on the clock and could ■■■■ about all day whilst they eventually found someone to show you how to do it…kerching.
I used to love several drop work like this, if the job was rated at 11 hours as a newby with no knowledge you could have slipped 15 in there and no one would have batted an eyelid, even when used to it the more drops the more excuses for delays, kerching.
Straight hit trunking work is boring as buggery and no money in it.
Own goal there mate.
i would of stuck the minimum payment time set by the agency and let the guv know your not trained on this vehicle, if you get some free training out of it bonus, if you get sent on your way you did everything in your power and have got paid
Juddian:
Pity, you were on the clock and could ■■■■ about all day whilst they eventually found someone to show you how to do it…kerching.
I used to love several drop work like this, if the job was rated at 11 hours as a newby with no knowledge you could have slipped 15 in there and no one would have batted an eyelid, even when used to it the more drops the more excuses for delays, kerching.
Straight hit trunking work is boring as buggery and no money in it.
Own goal there mate.
If only all the other drivers thought like that when I was doing agency work.
pulled my first fridge last night,i told the transport bod i did`nt know how to set the temp,so he said just ask somebody.
yard shunter set up my outward trailer,and another driver set up my inward trailer…i will now be adding experienced fridge driver to my cv. 
Carryfast:
Juddian:
If only all the other drivers thought like that when I was doing agency work.
It was funny as hell when i worked full time for Kwik Save, you’d get in at 3am and there’d be some geezer (often full time) nearly in tears running round like a headless chicken, ‘‘got three drops London and i can’t do London.’’
Being a decent sort of stick i’d offer them to swap for my straight hit Grimsby, and they’d be so grateful. 
They went off happy and got 9 hours, i went off in a saintly glow complete with halo and spent 13 to 15 happy kerching hours perving at the totty, as you do… 
Juddian:
Carryfast:
Juddian:
If only all the other drivers thought like that when I was doing agency work.
It was funny as hell when i worked full time for Kwik Save, you’d get in at 3am and there’d be some geezer (often full time) nearly in tears running round like a headless chicken, ‘‘got three drops London and i can’t do London.’’
Being a decent sort of stick i’d offer them to swap for my straight hit Grimsby, and they’d be so grateful.
They went off happy and got 9 hours, i went off in a saintly glow complete with halo and spent 13 to 15 happy kerching hours perving at the totty, as you do…
I used to work at Kwikkies/Somerfield, and from our depot that did Grimsby, (Sherburn in Elmet.) we didn’t do London.
Unless you mean Godmanchester?
Ken.
Horses for courses I suppose, wether you can be arsed doing multi drop for the longer hours and consequently more money or just want to get the minimum 8 and do a one hitter.
I’d have done the same as the OP. I wouldn’t have minded if the agency had told me it would be 5 drops in a rigid and i’d agreed to it but going in expecting a doss trunking run and then getting landed with that isn’t on in my book.
The scanner called an mdt is not needed if not trained. Multidrop in a rigid is easy life with only 5 drops, co ops always easy to find. Speaking to a shunter, planner or driver might have helped. But perhaps your one of the many bods on here who don’t really need the money anyway.
I know how you feel about big rigids I hate them with a vengeance but you could of earnt a good days pay today with it being Saturday and you were unfamiliar with everything, a good 12 hours pay and then out for a nice slap up meal and a few beers as a reward that’ll been me.
Hmmmm. Think the OP could have handled it much better.
I don’t see any evidence in his post about a call to the agency to see if they can sort something out, or any evidence that he tried to explain to someone in the client’s management structure that he’d been booked for a trunk run. All he had to do was tell them he couldn’t do lifting or whatever; that would’ve put the ball back in the agency’s court and kept his nose clean. Effectively he’s just walked off the job, and let the client and the agency down; probably also screwed it for the decent class 2 drivers on the agency’s books who probably rely on this sort of stuff for their bread and butter.
Since he posts as “ex-Haulier” I’d be inclined to think that he’d be aware that the job can change at a second’s notice which this evidently has. Perhaps that’s how he got the “Ex”? 
pavaroti:
The scanner called an mdt is not needed if not trained. Multidrop in a rigid is easy life with only 5 drops, co ops always easy to find. Speaking to a shunter, planner or driver might have helped. But perhaps your one of the many bods on here who don’t really need the money anyway.
I don’t think thats fair on those of us in that very fortunate position who are doing this because we choose to rather than because we need to…
Notwithstanding the fact I count my self to be very fortunate to be in that position I would never ever just give up and walk away from any job without exploring every option available to me.
I would have probably had a few words to say to the agency after the job to make sure they didn’t see me as one who would accept any old tosh they feed me. But as=t the end of the day, I would still have gone to this job had I been in the same position as the OP but armed with all the correct info from the agency.
I would then have explained the position to the TM/dispatcher, asked for a brief on the wagon and the MDT from another driver and made clear that the run was going to take a lot longer than it would take an experienced driver. If they are then happy, I would finish the day having added much needed experience to my CV and hopefully opened another door for the future.
I really can’t understand comments like "i hate big rigids at the best of times”. What on earth did the OP think he would be driving when he got a licence?
I bet there are dozens and dozens of newbies on this forum and beyond that would have given their right arm for this opportunity and given it their best shot.
iDriver
The same thing happened to me but I did the shift and refused to go back
I have never done fridges, this reminded me why.
Walking off site without notifying the agency is a sure-fire way of getting you black listed. I have been sent to companies where the agency has told me one thing and the company has told me another, along with ‘we told the agency you were covering xyz area but not how many drops’.
Likewise I’ve gone into a company and should have done 4 drops in London and have given me the choice to change to other areas because the London one is always a problem with access and the like. Those were both in rigids, but being only Class 2 that is to be expected right?
If you don’t know how to operate them it is always worth asking and getting shown. Although saying that I ran out of diesel in a truck because I was told to leave the fridge on all the time, even when empty!
My attitude to being sent to a job where I was told one thing and another happened would just be to tell the agency not to send me there again and what I was told and what happened were two different things.
Now, if you’d gone into Dent in Andover and they’d given you a 7.5t with 20 drops on then you’d have a reason to moan over a one hit trunk somewhere… I’ve already done the 20 drop run and it was stressful, but I was then ‘invited’ back to do some actual trunking for them, although it later on clashed with another late PM run for another company that was on more money…
But if you refuse work, or go and then refuse work then the agency are less likely to give you more work as it is their reputation on the line with the customer. 
The secret is to ask, ask and ask again, if i’m not familiar with a different wagon or tail lift for instance i ask the shunter, if i don’t get the reply i want i ask any amount of drivers or office staff ( in a good manner) until i get the answer.
Remember most good drivers are only to happy to help others and give advice, i would have strung it out like others say and learnt something maybe to my advantage.
Quinny:
Juddian:
Carryfast:
Juddian:
If only all the other drivers thought like that when I was doing agency work.
It was funny as hell when i worked full time for Kwik Save, you’d get in at 3am and there’d be some geezer (often full time) nearly in tears running round like a headless chicken, ‘‘got three drops London and i can’t do London.’’
Being a decent sort of stick i’d offer them to swap for my straight hit Grimsby, and they’d be so grateful.
They went off happy and got 9 hours, i went off in a saintly glow complete with halo and spent 13 to 15 happy kerching hours perving at the totty, as you do…
I used to work at Kwikkies/Somerfield, and from our depot that did Grimsby, (Sherburn in Elmet.) we didn’t do London.
Unless you mean Godmanchester?
Ken.
I worked for Kwik Save for a while when they opened Wellingborough. Used to cover about 200+ shops from Hull & Grimsby, Sheffield Barnsley Derby Oxford down to Eastbourne & Dover and god knows how many poxy places they had in London. As he says you could clock up the hours around London, but it was nice to have a one hit Hull now and again.
iDriver:
pavaroti:
The scanner called an mdt is not needed if not trained. Multidrop in a rigid is easy life with only 5 drops, co ops always easy to find.
I would have probably had a few words to say to the agency after the job to make sure they didn’t see me as one who would accept any old tosh they feed me.
I really can’t understand comments like "i hate big rigids at the best of times”. What on earth did the OP think he would be driving when he got a licence?
There’s nothing wrong with rigids or drawbars it’s the type of work that matters.It’s possible to be given zb local multi drop work with an artic whereas there’s nothing wrong with a four or six wheeler loaded with 4 or 5 drops of long distance bulk deliveries/collections with realistic timings and night/s out if needed.
In my experience the time to ‘have a few words with the agency’,if they try to pass off zb local multi drop as trunking or long distance bulk,is before doing it not afterwards.Because if not they usually will put you down as a mug and you’ll find yourself getting even more of the zb work not less.
The problem is that the industry is getting more and more orientated towards local multi drop zb work so things can only get worse.
