I know this has been touched on in one of my previous posts and im sure it will improve slightly more. Just wondering if there is something im missing.
I drive regularly the same route with maybe the odd extra stop(s) on the odd day(s). yesterday I left the yard at 6am ish took me 2 3/4 hours recorded driving time to get to my first drop. Today I had less to load so I was out of the yard at 5:30am was at the same drop with just 1.5 hours recorded driving time. I know traffic in London can be a bear but 1 1/4 hours difference for just 30 mins later seems a little steep to me.
From what I have read (if I have understood correctly) the tacho works on what has been happening for the majority of that minuet ie 29 seconds other work (stuck in traffic jam) 31 seconds moving = 1 min driving. obviously that is worse case scenario but it wouldn’t take many of them over the course of the journey to bump it up a bit.
Hi Coop’s
You need to post up the start and end (1st drop) locations, as leaving the yard half an hour earlier and driving into London can easily make that difference in drive time, especially if your using the popular major routes. I’ll bet a pound to a penny the more experienced drivers will be busting a gut to get out of the yard early if there running into London.
On my old truck (2008) I’d loose an hour easily if I got stuck in stop start traffic.
In fact I was a bit naughty and I’d often pull out of my parking space In The yard, only about 10 feet, and the tacho would record a minute of driving and I’d stick it on break for 15 minutes whilst I had a cuppa.
Can’t do that with my newer one (2013) as you have to actually drive the thing for a sensible period to get It to register and our yard isn’t big enough to get it to register without shunting back and forward several times.
Kwikfit:
Hi Coop’s
You need to post up the start and end (1st drop) locations, as leaving the yard half an hour earlier and driving into London can easily make that difference in drive time, especially if your using the popular major routes. I’ll bet a pound to a penny the more experienced drivers will be busting a gut to get out of the yard early if there running into London.
the yard is in medway and the first drop is south Kensington. The route I go roughly (still not that familiar with the place names) onto the a2 from the yard follow the a2 black heath Deptford new hythe? turn left onto queens road round the oval and Vauxhall cross over Vauxhall bridge buck house road then right then follow the signs for south Kensington I end up running along the south side of hyde park.
Yes there are sticking points mainly the a2 at Gravesend and further up the a2 especially where the lights are just before I turn off for the a2. but the majority of the time I might not be running at maximum speed but im doing 30 or more. so its not until I get to black heath that I have issues. The sat nav wants to take me through black wall tunnel but I am too chicken to take a 7.5 that way and deal with all the muppets in the tunnel.
the guy that was doing the round before me and I shadowed for a couple of days managed to do the whole thing within 4.5 hours driving or at the very least get back out past Dartford before needing a driving break. At least that’s what he said (when I shadowed him we shared the driving so neither of us needed a driving break)and he always left after 6.
Edit. To be completely honest the guy I shadowed did moan at me that I didn’t race through gaps or upto traffic lights that have been green for a while because as a new pass I don’t have the confidence or the ability and while I don’t go past things at crawling pace I don’t go past them at 20 mph either.
I would say give it a couple of months and you might pick up the pace a bit. But seriously, as long as your getting the work done and not getting driving hours infringements daily, then who really cares? The job is full of enough ■■■■ as it is, and driving around london is hardly the best, your just going to end up getting yourself down/ stressing out or even worse having a heart attack convincing yourself your not good enough for it, because your constantly bench marking yourself against a bloke who done the job alot longer than you. Just chill out, if management say anything or start giving you stick, tell them to find someone else to do it. Theres other stuff out there, where you dont have to stare at the clock trying to work out where you could have saved ten minutes.
Above all don’t try rushing about like your henchman does it will only end in tears with you possibly in court facing serious charges.
There is nothing wrong with the route you are taking at the moment, if you wish you could try slight alterations.
You could go through the Blackwall Tunnel, artics go through it and so do single deck buses. Most savvy drivers of heavies put their right indicator on when approaching the bends and straddle the lanes more than needed to prevent the muppets driving alongside.
However having put Kent to South Ken into AA Route planner it would seem that your sat nav is likely to try to take you along the Mall which is a definite No No. You can be prosecuted for taking a trade vehicle through the Royal Parks.To avoid that you will be going via Victoria which is probably one of your bottlenecks.
Keeping it simple, for a 7.5t you could try from the North side of Vauxhall Arches taking A3205 Nine Elms Lane past New Covent Garden market to here:
and taking the right fork into Prince of Wales DriveAt the Queen Circus roundabout outside Battersea Park turn right onto Queenstown rd/ Chelsea Bridge road A3216 . Cross the river and continue straight on to Sloane Square. Go round the Square and stay on the A3216 Sloane Street until it meets at a T with the A4 at Knightsbridge at the start of the Brompton rd. Turm left and take the right fork onto Knightsbridge A315. You will now be running West along the south side of Hyde Park/ Kensington gardens on your original route to South Kensington.
Many routes across/around London are similar in legth and time. Last week I had to drive (car) twice from mid kent to Northwick Park Hospital. The AA gives South around M25 and M4, A312; or North around M25 and A1; or Dartford Tunnel North Circular. I tried all plus M25, Burgh Heath, A3 Kew Bridge Hanger Lane. All within 15 minutes of each other.
If youre in heavy traffic and choose to allow a gap to open up, boot it, stop, repeat you will save tacho driving time. Youll also burn more fuel, brake and clutch material, and have a rougher time generally.
Trickling along steadily is much more sensible, but will register more drive time.
Is it worth it?
cooper1203:
the guy that was doing the round before me and I shadowed for a couple of days managed to do the whole thing within 4.5 hours driving or at the very least get back out past Dartford before needing a driving break. At least that’s what he said (when I shadowed him we shared the driving so neither of us needed a driving break)and he always left after 6.
Edit. To be completely honest the guy I shadowed did moan at me that I didn’t race through gaps or upto traffic lights that have been green for a while because as a new pass I don’t have the confidence or the ability and while I don’t go past things at crawling pace I don’t go past them at 20 mph either.
Ah yeh the firm’s teararse d/head hero …we all have to put up with them clowns at every firm.
Take no notice of him mate, he’ll be like the rest of his ilk, dead before 60 after burning himself out with life long stress trying to impress his boss…don’t end up like him.
Don’t try and emulate that clown, do the job at a safe and sensible pace, and keep a clean licence (and an easier life. )
Franglais:
If youre in heavy traffic and choose to allow a gap to open up, boot it, stop, repeat you will save tacho driving time. Youll also burn more fuel, brake and clutch material, and have a rougher time generally.
Trickling along steadily is much more sensible, but will register more drive time.
Is it worth it?
That’s it in a nut shell I don’t have the ability to drive around like that and as someone else said its a lot more likely to end up in tears. especially with all the other hazards in and around London.(I am amazed that some have managed to get to the age they are) At the moment I am being paid for the hours I do. so if it takes me an extra hour or two its not “dead time” and no one is calling me or asking me where have I been.
all this is purely my conscience wanting to do a good job for a company that has given me a start.
cooper1203:
I know traffic in London can be a bear but 1 1/4 hours difference for just 30 mins later seems a little steep to me.
Doesn’t come as a surprise to a lot of us. Even the M62/M60 around Manchester is like that. A difference in setting off time of just 15 minutes can see 30-45 minutes added to a journey from Hull to Trafford Park. And when it comes to school half term you can save 30 minutes each way on that journey due to the reduced traffic.
From what I have read (if I have understood correctly) the tacho works on what has been happening for the majority of that minuet ie 29 seconds other work (stuck in traffic jam) 31 seconds moving = 1 min driving. obviously that is worse case scenario but it wouldn’t take many of them over the course of the journey to bump it up a bit.
Digital tachos have reduced driving time. On the old analogue ones you’d basically be recording driving time continuously in stop start traffic where a digi now records some of it as other work and because there were no digital readouts you’d count the time from when you put the clutch out to set off until when you got to your drop as all being driving time.
Having lived in Rochester until last Monday I can definitely confirm for you that leaving the yard in Medway 15/30 minutes later in the morning ‘IS’ the difference to your extra drive time, period.
The A2 between Medway and the Dartford tunnel exit is a proper mad bun fight at that time of the day, mainly down to the volume of traffic rushing too the Dartford crossing and the lack of speed cameras to temper the high average speeds.
Rushing at traffic lights and driving like a ■■■■ will not make that time up EVER, knowledge on short cuts and less busy routes will make the difference, you’ll pick up on these routes as your experience builds, let the job come to you, rushing to make it fit will only stress you out and judging by the amount of posts you’ve posted you’ve got enough to be thinking about (meant, as to be expected from a newbie) with Tacho rules etc. It appears your TM is being reasonably helpful and your covering your work, if he is half good at his job he will be feeding the work to you that he thinks your capable of and as your experience builds so will the work,
Good luck
I agree with Kwikfit the M20 is a madhouse at 6am too, in fact it is a madhouse earlier than that since much of the cross channel traffic is using it as well. You can make a slight difference to your ability to get out of the yard in the morning by doing a walk around check the night before and discovering the light that doesn’t work or the need for screenwash which may delay you tomorrow; you probably refuel anyway. I’m not saying don’t do your pre-shift checks in the morning - you must - but at least you are less likely to discover something which holds you up and you won’t be queueing to wash the screen, lights and windows off.
There are probably other things you can do the day before as well if you have time left.
You might also find this usefull for planning since it is large scale and large format.
…we all have to put up with them clowns at every firm.
to wash the screen, lights and windows off.