lidl

[curnock]

Cabhopper:
:x Not sure if I’ve been to a Lidl, but have tipped Aldi few times, and it’s the same thing. Remember my first visit and nearly coming to blows with the guy at the desk, and all because HE did not explain the situation.
Apparently, your Company gets £30.00 from Aldi/Lidl for you to unload your trailer ( so THEY KNOW you are expected to do it ).

I was asked if I had used an electric truck before…No
I was then offered training…Do I get a certificate, then?
Then asked if I would be able to offload trailer without damaging anything…Don’t know, how good is your training?
If that’s you’re attitude, you can take it back…Fine, sign paperwork.
Then a nice young lady turns up and shows me what it’s all about, like don’t walk in front of machine, walk to one side…OK, whats this big red button for?
If you touch it. or it runs into you, it switches truck power off…If I am not walking in front of it, how is it going to touch me? Why is it fitted??

So I proceeded into the trailer, drove the truck as far as it would go under the pallet and pressed the raise button. A beautiful sound of a pallet being dismantled under the load…this happened on all 26 pallets. Funnily enough, it has happened every time I have been to one of these places.

I am told this method of working has something to do with German efficiency. I used to load at a place in Belgium. Lad had a ride on electric pallet truck, capable of taking two pallets at a time. He could load me with 26 pallets in less that 10 minutes. On that basis, he should be able to tip me in 10 minutes. Say he came and worked for Aldi/Lidl with similar equipment, and tipped 4 trailers per hour, would they pay him £120.00 per hour? Ruins the efficiency argument doesn’t it??

if youur company’s paid £30 per trailer it should go into the drivers paypacket,jobs would be worth doing then,i’d go there everyday of the week…!!!

[silver_surfer]

Holy thread revival Batman. That was over 7 years old before your last!

[denis_f]

Silver_Surfer:
Holy thread revival Batman. That was over 7 years old before your last!

he’s been waiting for someone to unload the trailer

[quinny]

Wow.

[suffolk_reeferboy]

I like self tip places, in out shake it all about off down road as quick as you like . No sitting in waiting rooms

listening to dull drivers recalling their entire weeks work and discussing the benefits of the new volvo fhmxlr820

over the Daf cfxxl lfhm821 Plus I am paid tip bonus , more tips more money , even if I wasnt I still prefer these

self tip joints, its not rocket science and I am hardly being exploited for doing so , its the job .

[bald_bloke]

O

Quinny:
Wow.

7 years and 7 months that’s gotta be a record surely for a thread revival

[lovlyperson]

allikat:
The footplate thing is interesting, since all the warehouse bodies are given ride on type leccy pallet trucks (I worked warehouse at Lidl RDC Worle once for my sins). All of us had them, and we had almost no training, yet they count as propper forklifts under H&S do they?
Oh dear…

Just count as Forklift if seat is fitted

[cliffton_27]

go to the one in bridgeend and they give u an induction regardless if u have tipped lidil before or not but to be honest its no big deal unless u get one were they insist u take pallets back

[kentman]

I quite often have to deliver to Lidl RDC’s.When you hand in your paperwork you have to fill in a form stating whether you need training on electric pallet trucks.No one i know asks for instruction,they just get on with unloading.where do we stand with health & safety if we or anyone else gets injured

[qhunter]

I think you already know the answer to this one. You also need to consider that if someone gets hurt at the hands of an untrained user you can expect that liability will be placed with that user.

Not saying don’t do it, just be aware of the consequences.

[billy_sastard]

I did a bit of agency driving for Stobarts a while back. Had 26 pallets of fruit juice in cartons, around a ton per pallet. On the goods in desk, they had the same declaration thingy, asking if I was authorised to use them. I didn’t sign it as I’d never used one. Went round to the bay my trailer was on, with a normal pallet truck, when the warehouse lad said,“You’ve no chance with that, get y’self an electric one.” When I told him I’d never used one before, he just said you’ll get used to it in about 2 mins.

[thebear]

Are you saying that after all these years, you still have to unload yourself at Lidl?? I went there once about 9 years ago and sat there all day waiting for them to unload me. I was happy enough. Had a good sleep etc
As I remember, H&E issues were raised at this ‘unload yourself’ attitude

[Lasurazes]

ALDI’s the same aint it?

Mal.

[rob_k]

Yep Mal. I remember going to one of these places a few years back with a load of bananas from Fyffes. Can’t remember whether it was ALDI or LIDL. It was off the first junction of the M60 when you come off the M62 at the M60/66 junction. Think it was LIDL.

Anyway, I’d already had a bad day with pallets falling over in the back and stuff because of the way Fyffes had loaded it, ie. small pallets at the front with big pallets behind isn’t a good combination. I’d restacked them twice already

I got there and knowing that I had to unload it myself already I collected a leccy pallet truck and got stuck in. It was one of the big ones though, which collect 3 pallets at a time and you need an area the size of Kent to spin them round.

The pallets weren’t normal ones either, they were really narrow and you could get four across in the trailer, each of them were stacked about 5ft high with trays of bananas. Now those leccy pallet trucks aren’t smooth at all when giving them some “gas” - the leccy motor is either on or off, there’s no “smooth mode” in between. So I picks up 3 pallets, reversed them out of the trailer and then started swinging them round and eased off the “gas” a bit too much which cut the motor off and the truck jerked. Inevitably, the whole lot went over and there were thousands of bananas everywhere.

I heard one of the warehouse lads start laughing and heard him say “[zb]” under his breath. Needless to say that control of my temper instantly vanished and told them they’d have to pick the [zb] up as I wasn’t doing it. Also made a good show of pointing out to them that unloading the trucks is what they’re paid for, not me. I’m paid for, and employed to drive the wagon not be a warehouse monkey.

When the manager came down and told me to pick them up I told him to shove them in a place that doesn’t get much sunlight. “Well you won’t get your paperwork signed then”. “Do I give a flying [zb] ?”.

Pointing at the floor, told them there’s your bananas, now I’m pulling off the bay. Grabbed the truck keys and pulled off. It went down a storm with Fyffes when I got back; dumped the wagon & trailer in the middle of the yard, got in my car and left.

Like I said, it had been a BAD day from the start - got out of bed the wrong side and then it quickly got worse and I’d had enough. I’ll take so much [zb] without batting an eyelid but then when folks blatantly start taking the pee I flip

Later found out that I’d been sent there because their own drivers refused to unload the wagons themselves Point made I think.

[davey_driver]

It’s interesting how the Driver is expected to unload at these places, I think if I was in that position I’d be simply saying something like:

Sorry mate but Health and safety at work requires me to be trained on the equipment before I use it, so if you’ve got an instructor with half a day to spare along with notifying my gaffer that YOUR company will be paying my wages for ME to learn how to do a job to YOUR requirements, i’ll be more than happy to learn, as for using a manual Pallet truck, under Health and Safety at Work act, I’m not prepared to attempt to move the pallets on my own as I believe I may cause an injury to myself due to the weight involved.

This is all legal and above board and basically putting the ball back in their court. If all drivers did this, they would soon empty the bays to ensure more trucks could get on them, 3 bays with 3 trucks sitting waiting and nothing being done, sharp puts them into touch with reality.

[muckles]

kentman:
I quite often have to deliver to Lidl RDC’s.When you hand in your paperwork you have to fill in a form stating whether you need training on electric pallet trucks.No one i know asks for instruction,they just get on with unloading.where do we stand with health & safety if we or anyone else gets injured

I’m not sure if the fact you have signed saying you are able to use an electric pallet truck would clear Lidls of liability. They are responible for the H&S of all persons in thier wharehouse. If you injured somebody whilst using thier equipment then the HSE might consider that by not checking that driver were able to use the equipment they have failed in thier duty. However the driver would also be in trouble for falsly stating that they could use the equipment.

[cabhopper]

Not sure if I’ve been to a Lidl, but have tipped Aldi few times, and it’s the same thing. Remember my first visit and nearly coming to blows with the guy at the desk, and all because HE did not explain the situation.
Apparently, your Company gets £30.00 from Aldi/Lidl for you to unload your trailer ( so THEY KNOW you are expected to do it ).

I was asked if I had used an electric truck before…No
I was then offered training…Do I get a certificate, then?
Then asked if I would be able to offload trailer without damaging anything…Don’t know, how good is your training?
If that’s you’re attitude, you can take it back…Fine, sign paperwork.
Then a nice young lady turns up and shows me what it’s all about, like don’t walk in front of machine, walk to one side…OK, whats this big red button for?
If you touch it. or it runs into you, it switches truck power off…If I am not walking in front of it, how is it going to touch me? Why is it fitted??

So I proceeded into the trailer, drove the truck as far as it would go under the pallet and pressed the raise button. A beautiful sound of a pallet being dismantled under the load…this happened on all 26 pallets. Funnily enough, it has happened every time I have been to one of these places.

I am told this method of working has something to do with German efficiency. I used to load at a place in Belgium. Lad had a ride on electric pallet truck, capable of taking two pallets at a time. He could load me with 26 pallets in less that 10 minutes. On that basis, he should be able to tip me in 10 minutes. Say he came and worked for Aldi/Lidl with similar equipment, and tipped 4 trailers per hour, would they pay him £120.00 per hour? Ruins the efficiency argument doesn’t it??

[irlamsdriver]

Nettos is exactly the same at South Elmsall in the fact that you have to unload yourself with a pallet truck or with an electric one if your prepared to sign the paperwork. The first point though I’d like to raise about this is not about the RDCs but the companies we work for. Under the H&S Act our employers have a responsibility to ensure that we are trained adequately, I have never received any manual handling training form a single company I have worked for in the transport industry. Whether its just for opening the curtains, or lifting up the tail lift manual handling training is something which we should all be shown. Anybody who incurs an in injury whilst loading or unloading should bear this in mind. Secondy it is no good just asking for this training verbally it should be put in writing. that way when your employer turns around and says they have shown you etc you can say erm no you havent here is my request etc etc etc. As a Union trained Health and Safety rep I am appalled so far at the utter lack of Health and Safety training within the road haulage industry in general. Health and safety is everybodies responsibility.

However that said when I was tipping 26 pallets of washing powder at Nettos with a manual pump truck I noticed the Weetabix guy next to me was having his truck unloaded for him. How come I asked. His reply was that Nettos had been told by his company that if they wanted the stock they unloaded themselves, it is not their drivers responsibility.

Nuff said.

[Lasurazes]

Rob K:
Later found out that I’d been sent there because their own drivers refused to unload the wagons themselves Point made I think.

I reckon so Rob! Its a mugs game thats for sure, I think Daveys got the right idea, cause enough hassle to them as it aint worth it!

Mal.

[oddsodz]

Irlamsdriver:
Nettos is exactly the same at South Elmsall in the fact that you have to unload yourself with a pallet truck or with an electric one if your prepared to sign the paperwork. The first point though I’d like to raise about this is not about the RDCs but the companies we work for. Under the H&S Act our employers have a responsibility to ensure that we are trained adequately, I have never received any manual handling training form a single company I have worked for in the transport industry. Whether its just for opening the curtains, or lifting up the tail lift manual handling training is something which we should all be shown. Anybody who incurs an in injury whilst loading or unloading should bear this in mind. Secondy it is no good just asking for this training verbally it should be put in writing. that way when your employer turns around and says they have shown you etc you can say erm no you havent here is my request etc etc etc. As a Union trained Health and Safety rep I am appalled so far at the utter lack of Health and Safety training within the road haulage industry in general. Health and safety is everybodies responsibility.

However that said when I was tipping 26 pallets of washing powder at Nettos with a manual pump truck I noticed the Weetabix guy next to me was having his truck unloaded for him. How come I asked. His reply was that Nettos had been told by his company that if they wanted the stock they unloaded themselves, it is not their drivers responsibility.

Nuff said.

I had the same there when delivering coke told them i drive the truck thay are my duties,yours are to tip the wagon.Thay did not tip the wagon so i pulled out went to the yard at nottingley dropped it off and some one else took it in,more fool him!!!