So did a farm collection of cages for a parcel company, was running late and this kid came up to me. No idea how old he was but he looked early-mid teens. Said he was going to load me using a tractor with some fork blades on. OK I thought, this’ll be interesting.
Tell you what he was one of the best fork lift drivers I’ve seen in many a year. Chucked the cages on all from one side and had it loaded up all nice and square in next to no time. No messing about and even when there was a problem he was on it straight away and sorted. It was a hell of a tight place too - I had to take a short urban trailer there because of the lack of room. I’ve seen forkies who’ve been doing it donkeys years who can’t drive that good and this kid hasn’t even left school.
Must’ve been driving the things since he could just about touch the pedals.
Went to drop a pallet of chemicals (just under a tonne) at a place once. This pleasant woman in her thirties sez, sorry drive, but my hubby uses the forklift but he’s not here. And then said that hubby had given one, yes one, lesson on how to use it and would that be okay. I said lets give it a go and she was fantastic, had a real gift for the machine, smooth and safe. Everything went brilliantly, her first live pallet and she was so chuffed.
I work for a family firm there’s my boss and his brother and there mum in the office. His brothers lad who’s now 18 but 8 when I started working for them could get in a jcb or 360 and i ■■■■ you not if you had an itch he could scratch your back with the teeth on the bucket. A shy lad no arrogance or cockiness to go with it he just grew up in a lorry or up the yard. He would go with his dad every sat and school holidays when I first started he came with me one sat morning we don’t use sat navs just a-z’s and our own knowledge for the whole morning I never opened a map book his memory of road names residential and main was unbelievable.
When I was around 10 years old I was driving fork lifts and loading shovels, and then around 12 driving Mk1 amd Mk2 Atkis with no power steering both feet on the dash to turn the steering to parking them up and they all had to be linded up spot on or I got a kicking Lol not at the time.
This was going to work with my Dad at what was D&A Transport Longton lancashire. Sadley this never happends anymore due to red tape, most firms wont even let you have them on the road with you in the school hols.
Our 14 yr old can drive most trucks, in his bedroom , on Euro Truck Simulator…
he has the full controller, steering wheel, pedals and gearstick…
BUT, he really needs to control his road rage…
