Anybody know anything about these people?
Seem to be mainly based in East Yorks but they are now opening up in Norwich and looking for staff.
Somebody I know told me they have 6x2 Stralis rigids with an auto box and a 270 motor in…any good to drive?
They are quite a large chain.
I used to deliver for Polypipe to them and went up as far as Berwick. They always seemed very organised at every branch I went to.
Check out their website:
The auto boxes in the Stralis are a doddle to drive so you shouldn’t have any worries there.
I might have asked you this before Killsville but did you ever deliver Polypipe to a little tiny Jayhard shop in Ewell near Epsom?
Thanks for the info on MKM, I’d already checked the website out and they seem very professional in what they say.
Andyroo:
I might have asked you this before Killsville but did you ever deliver Polypipe to a little tiny Jayhard shop in Ewell near Epsom?
No.
I usually did either the North East or Hampshire & Dorset. Didn’t work for Polypipe for long - kicked them into touch before I decked the TM! 
andy idiot proof stralis boxes tryed stalling one in semi didnt work just selects the right gear to set off in even in semi so you wont have any trouble with the box mate and good luck with the job 
They’ve got a depot in Chelmsford, it opened about March '07
All of a sudden there was a brand new shiny Stralis running around, I’d never heard of them before so I looked them up. The nearest branch at the time was Lincoln or somewhere so they must be pushing to the south east. I think they may have 2 wagons here now.
Dunno anything else about them other than they always look smart & tidy.
That’s good to know, I’ve never even driven an automatic car before, let alone a lorry.
What about reversing …for those 5 shunt reverses on ■■■■■■ ground to get into a place you’ve no right to take a lorry into that we have to do on this work.
I’ve a feeling they might be rear steers too.
8wheels:
I’ve a feeling they might be rear steers too.
That’d be handy, the 6x2s where I am now are steered but it’s the second axle which lifts and steers, makes bugger all difference!
killsville:
Andyroo:
I might have asked you this before Killsville but did you ever deliver Polypipe to a little tiny Jayhard shop in Ewell near Epsom?No.
I usually did either the North East or Hampshire & Dorset. Didn’t work for Polypipe for long - kicked them into touch before I decked the TM!
Well done, I did too. Crap gear (go round the roundabout over the A1 too see if trailer wheels were turning) and about 10000 drops in a step frame. No thanks !
As for the Stralis if it has a steering rear axle they’re extemely good.
Well ive stalled my stralis 310 6 wheeler rear steer on a hill LOL 
Mackem:
Well done, I did too. Crap gear (go round the roundabout over the A1 too see if trailer wheels were turning) and about 10000 drops in a step frame. No thanks !
You would have had it easy on the artics. I was on the wagon & drags.
If I wasn’t doing body swaps, I was running out of two factories (different products on each body) with drops all over the place. They usually sent you to places that you couldn’t get into with the drag on so you would have to swap the body to do the delivery then swap it back afterwards.
Their favourite trick was to load late (leave late morning) then still expect you to get back, even though you probably had a dozen or so drops miles apart.
Killsville - I used to work in the Loughborough Polypipe transport office, what a mess that was, none of the depots talked to each other and we had empty trucks running all over the place.
bet it wont stall on the flat.the only time ive known them stall is when from a standing start on ahill you push the throttle to hard and it throws a fit and stalls
nichia:
Killsville - I used to work in the Loughborough Polypipe transport office, what a mess that was, none of the depots talked to each other and we had empty trucks running all over the place.
Sounds familiar!
The route planners didn’t have a clue either. When I was there, on more than one occasion, I had two drops on the same industrial estate, yet they were planned several drops apart. If you could not get a forkie to lift most of your load off to get to their stuff, you had no option but to do the drops in the order that they were loaded - it usually meant you got back late or didn’t get back at all.
My complaints to the transport office usually got no response!
Only having a grotty FM7 with low roof, I wasn’t keen on nights out.
I remember one polypipe driver had that problem delivering me some stuff, they’d loaded him arse about face, we didn’t even have a pump truck let alone a forklift…he tried to get ours out from underneath… end result was about 30 6m of 4" underground all over the high st. How none of them hit a car i’ll never know.
I used to get on well with the drivers though, nice bunch in general.
Now you’re talking Andy. Here is the evidence from one of my loads.
Look at the Underground pipe. The pack in the top stillage had 50 lengths in it which was my 3rd drop. The full pack of 57 lengths in the bottom stillage was my 2nd drop. The pipe I was actually delivering was the 20 lengths laid loose in the bottom of the stillage.
It was only because the site needed the pipe urgently that the forkie kindly swapped the load round for me.
Why they can’t sell set pack sizes is beyond me (say full or half packs). Loose underground pipe is a nightmare to carry.
Look at the following picture - this is what the loaders leave trailers like!
And i would be the second one to leave it as well.
I seem to take less tempting to sod off back home every day
Forgot to mention that it was howling with wind and rain in the second picture. 
Don’t know what happened to the health & safety policy that day. When I had my induction day, they rammed H&S down your throat - they weren’t interested in my ability to drive a wagon!
killsville:
Forgot to mention that it was howling with wind and rain in the second picture.Don’t know what happened to the health & safety policy that day. When I had my induction day, they rammed H&S down your throat - they weren’t interested in my ability to drive a wagon!
They’re probably more interested in your skills at repairing them - 1st day out the driver said “be a bit careful when you open the (back) doors” ah well both welds had gone at the bottom of the doors - open both and the whole thing collapses. They had axles fall off and various other minor maintenance issues in my short time. As for H&S don’t make me laugh. Throwing 6m pipe off the top of a 15ft curtainsider whilst hanging onto the roof. Trailers were so full you couldn’t pull anything out - some went back full they were so jammed up. They also had had stillages that were taller than the trailer apperture - laugh a minute watching customers trying to get them out - usually ended up on he floor sideways.