If your doing just a few postcode areas then say example OL11 2JE Put the OL11s together. if you got 20 parcels in OL11 put the numbers together on second part of the post code 2JE put the 2’s together and so on. It’s no way perfect but Its gets you out the depot quicker than stuck there till 12 mapping it all out with ya highlighter pen!
Adam_Mc:
Doesn’t sound like I gave good advice…but when he eventually finds something better, he’ll fully understand why I was so blunt!
I used to work for Tuffnells (Big green parcel machine). I took a job driving 7.5t/18t and occasional van days on the basis that after 3 months crash free, I’d be put on their artics or wag’n’drag…I never got given my own run…I thought I had been, but it was just holiday cover. Because I didn’t have my own run, I couldn’t learn a route and was always being pulled into the office for not dropping off all my parcels…but how could I? I had a satnav and always had a normal road map too…but what I often found was the addresses were often wrong in some way or another so it took ages to actually find destinations.
Then there were the timed deliveries…Some of these were miles and miles apart, but they somehow wanted all 60+ drops done over 2 counties. One day I had a cold…next day I was pulled into the office and sworn at for not having a good attitude because I “didn’t sound happy” when speaking to people…no [zb] sherlock.
The trucks were loaded in some order…but as every loader was different, you couldn’t get used to an order. Most of the time when we drove a van, we had to load it ourselves…you’d think that’s all fine and dandy, but it wasn’t because they only gave you 30 mins to load it, but as the addresses were wrong, it was impossible to work out an order to load it in…then they’d pull you in the office for not finishing your run, not understanding why you couldn’t figure out a route, even when you showed them the addresses which were wrong.
My only escape from that job was the fact I had already gained my Class 1 and with that I simply walked into the office mid week and said I’m off on Friday…blunt as that!
Now I still had a house of my own, still all of my bills, my car, food to buy…all the same stuff as you lot, but you know what, I was so determined to stay afloat I found a way…despite being as blunt as my first reply!
I signed up to various agencies and told them I will only drive for class 1 companies with the odd class 2 truck…I knew work would be thin so I took up a part time mini bus school run. I done it, so there’s no reason why anyone else can’t do it…economically, times are better now than they were when i was up the [zb].
Adam_Mc:
Doesn’t sound like I gave good advice…but when he eventually finds something better, he’ll fully understand why I was so blunt!
I used to work for Tuffnells (Big green parcel machine). I took a job driving 7.5t/18t and occasional van days on the basis that after 3 months crash free, I’d be put on their artics or wag’n’drag…I never got given my own run…I thought I had been, but it was just holiday cover. Because I didn’t have my own run, I couldn’t learn a route and was always being pulled into the office for not dropping off all my parcels…but how could I? I had a satnav and always had a normal road map too…but what I often found was the addresses were often wrong in some way or another so it took ages to actually find destinations.
Then there were the timed deliveries…Some of these were miles and miles apart, but they somehow wanted all 60+ drops done over 2 counties. One day I had a cold…next day I was pulled into the office and sworn at for not having a good attitude because I “didn’t sound happy” when speaking to people…no [zb] sherlock.
The trucks were loaded in some order…but as every loader was different, you couldn’t get used to an order. Most of the time when we drove a van, we had to load it ourselves…you’d think that’s all fine and dandy, but it wasn’t because they only gave you 30 mins to load it, but as the addresses were wrong, it was impossible to work out an order to load it in…then they’d pull you in the office for not finishing your run, not understanding why you couldn’t figure out a route, even when you showed them the addresses which were wrong.
My only escape from that job was the fact I had already gained my Class 1 and with that I simply walked into the office mid week and said I’m off on Friday…blunt as that!
Now I still had a house of my own, still all of my bills, my car, food to buy…all the same stuff as you lot, but you know what, I was so determined to stay afloat I found a way…despite being as blunt as my first reply!
I signed up to various agencies and told them I will only drive for class 1 companies with the odd class 2 truck…I knew work would be thin so I took up a part time mini bus school run. I done it, so there’s no reason why anyone else can’t do it…economically, times are better now than they were when i was up the [zb].
what colour is the sun on your planet
I don’t fully understand that comment but I think it was yellow…but I was so unhappy driving the big green parcel machine I didn’t notice if there even was a sun
If your doing just a few postcode areas then say example OL11 2JE Put the OL11s together. if you got 20 parcels in OL11 put the numbers together on second part of the post code 2JE put the 2’s together and so on. It’s no way perfect but Its gets you out the depot quicker than stuck there till 12 mapping it all out with ya highlighter pen!
I am sure you can get it for around £35 if you look around, the other thing is get a gps dongle and you can use it as sat nav as well as a good route finder, on top of that there are plenty of POI’s so you can add bridge heights, speed camera’s etc etc as well.
One of the best M$ products for your money IMHO
ZigZag:
If you have a laptop. Install microsoft autoroute 30 free trail. Type in all the postcodes and timed critical deliveries, press optimise route and it will calculate every drop in route order including all those before 9 and 12 o’clocks etc You dont need to be connected to internet to use it either http://www.microsoft.com/uk/homepc/autoroute/default.mspx
I’ve got free internet on my phone and am finding google maps/satelite/street view can be handy when looking for addresses.
thanks for all the advice every1. its a great help.
by the sounds of it im quite lucky then , the devices we use are called " saturn" or something similar, its the thing you sign on the screen with the little plastic pen when accepting a parcel!
you scan up all the parcels , the devices gets the entered addresses , which some of them were missing information but not many…
then after all are scanned you press optimize and it places them all in the order it thinks will be quickest , which i guess is very handy! the thing has a built in sat nav and you click the next parcel, it will only let you drop them off in the order it tells u to , yes the only problem i had was the post code it takes you to is often far away from the actual place i need to be!
i had to bring back about 6 parcels out of 35 i was given (pretty low amount! but it was my first day ) with about 4 unable to locate the address and 2 adverse weather, could not get up the back roads!
it would of been alot easier to locate them had it not been pitch black and the house names covered in snow thoe!
Ill post how it goes tomorrow then , fingers crossed! and thanks for all the tips , ill see if i can get away with writing a small number on each to mark the order there to be dropped.
Multi- drop is one of the hardest jobs in haulage. As has been said wrong addresses and timed deliveries then all of the rules and regs.,not easy.I would say keep your load in order and maybe move parcels into the cab for your next drop,also if you have phone NO. of your client call ahead check that they are home and find out what colour house any thing to make finding it easier.I have known a few who have walked away from Tuffnells .
Adam_Mc:
Doesn’t sound like I gave good advice…but when he eventually finds something better, he’ll fully understand why I was so blunt!
I used to work for Tuffnells (Big green parcel machine). I took a job driving 7.5t/18t and occasional van days on the basis that after 3 months crash free, I’d be put on their artics or wag’n’drag…I never got given my own run…I thought I had been, but it was just holiday cover. Because I didn’t have my own run, I couldn’t learn a route and was always being pulled into the office for not dropping off all my parcels…but how could I? I had a satnav and always had a normal road map too…but what I often found was the addresses were often wrong in some way or another so it took ages to actually find destinations.
Then there were the timed deliveries…Some of these were miles and miles apart, but they somehow wanted all 60+ drops done over 2 counties. One day I had a cold…next day I was pulled into the office and sworn at for not having a good attitude because I “didn’t sound happy” when speaking to people…no [zb] sherlock.
The trucks were loaded in some order…but as every loader was different, you couldn’t get used to an order. Most of the time when we drove a van, we had to load it ourselves…you’d think that’s all fine and dandy, but it wasn’t because they only gave you 30 mins to load it, but as the addresses were wrong, it was impossible to work out an order to load it in…then they’d pull you in the office for not finishing your run, not understanding why you couldn’t figure out a route, even when you showed them the addresses which were wrong.
My only escape from that job was the fact I had already gained my Class 1 and with that I simply walked into the office mid week and said I’m off on Friday…blunt as that!
Now I still had a house of my own, still all of my bills, my car, food to buy…all the same stuff as you lot, but you know what, I was so determined to stay afloat I found a way…despite being as blunt as my first reply!
I signed up to various agencies and told them I will only drive for class 1 companies with the odd class 2 truck…I knew work would be thin so I took up a part time mini bus school run. I done it, so there’s no reason why anyone else can’t do it…economically, times are better now than they were when i was up the [zb].
what colour is the sun on your planet
Reading his posts on another thread i actually think the sun shines out of his a.r.s.e!
Im on my second stint at DPD, it is a horrible job to get into but within a few months you will pick up the main roads in each area and once you no them you get a good picture in your head and things start getting easier. what i would advise is to go through the pile and put it all in post code order eg, YO8 1, YO8 2, YO8 3 etc. by doing this you have more chance of remembering which parcel for which address, then scan it all and optimize it as you have been doing, then once its optimized if your in the sticks and here there and everywhere then with map in hand scroll through and check that it flows from village to village with out taking you from one to the other then back again, if it does then before you get your saturn authorised you can change the order. when your happy with it scroll to the last stop find the parcel put it on the van then work your way up obviously loading your first stop on the back end. the quicker way is once you have optimized go to view pick up a parcel scan it and see what drop number it is then write it on the parcel and keep going till there laid out 1-35 for example then load from back to front then its on the van in order. as for finding places, as soon as the satnav gets you to the road then start looking straight away dont rely on it to take you to it, also if you see postman pat, ask him! even if you only just pulled onto the road, they 9 times out of 10 no all the house names and the occupants. as for farms etc most are marked on phillips street maps. also when you are scanning up if there is a phone number on the parcel, type it in with address so when your driving there it right in front of you and it saves valuable minutes. you will be doing 80 stops in no time mate
Hopefully you havent been conned into becoming an qwner driver multi drop at 1.60 a drop, its a rip off and should be outlawed you just can;t make a profit from what I have been told and as for home delivery at 70p a drop, well say no more.
I done multi drop in a 12 tonner, at first it takes time if you do not know the route but my only advise is spent a little more time in the yard planning your route with a map book (sat navs are ■■■ for this sort of thing) and stacking your load in the way you are happy with, and at each place allways ask what time is convinient for them as you never know they may be a regular customer and you can adjust your route as time goes by, stick at it and you may like it (sorry for any spelling mistake had a few, being that it is the christmas holidays) oh and good luck.
I can’t add much to what’s already been said; only that you seem to have started pretty well, and given a few weeks you’ll probably do OK.
I did several years on Courier Express (which became Parceline, now DPD of course) and in those days you’d got a battered A to Z, no mobile phone only a 2-way radio which worked when it felt like it, and still had 100 drops round Nottingham. Also did six years for Nightfreight, and never had a regular run; I was the relief.
The biggest curse, as you’ve probably already found out, is private houses.Factories and offices are a doddle. As has already been mentioned, the postie is your best friend here. Don’t be afraid to ask. And make friends with your loaders; a good loader’s worth his weight in gold on this job.
And don’t take any notice of the “big boys” on here who ■■■-■■■ the multi-drop drivers. Most of them think multi-drop means two RDC’s which they’ve been going to for the past ten years.
thanks guys, shane that was very helpful. also gnome , thanks
i drove prison vans for 3 years then i got in a bit of bother and had to leave… anyway i got this dpd job through a friend who works there and i think im with the agency guy at the moment although they said they need a 7.5T driver full time working for dpd not the agency , so im just doing my best for a couple of weeks in the hope i get the full time position.
all very confusing not even sure how i get paid yet, got to do an invoice the guys going to go through it with me next week he said.thanks again i best be off to bed now bright and early tomorrow
calebs gramps:
Reading his posts on another thread i actually think the sun shines out of his a.r.s.e!
I think you’ll find that’s what is known as a ‘glowing personality’…the light has to come from somewhere and since logic comes from my mouth, light comes from my arse! Don’t hate me because I’m great.
hi , itd be great if you could keep the slagging matches out of this thread theres no need for it and it doesnt benefit any one . thanks
I was all geared up for it today and got told theres not enough work out there so got told i wasnt needed this is no good because now i wont get paid for today .
does any one know any other ways of getting work , iv applied for all sorts of driving jobs online but it seems no luck yet. i cant be living on the edge like this with work one day and nothing the next thanks for any more info/advice guys.
Joe89:
hi , itd be great if you could keep the slagging matches out of this thread theres no need for it and it doesnt benefit any one . thanks
I was all geared up for it today and got told theres not enough work out there so got told i wasnt needed this is no good because now i wont get paid for today .
does any one know any other ways of getting work , iv applied for all sorts of driving jobs online but it seems no luck yet. i cant be living on the edge like this with work one day and nothing the next thanks for any more info/advice guys.
The parcel job will slow right down after Christmas as will just about everything else, unfortunately. It will be just a case of keep trying, if you have any local animal feed mills, call in there as it is approaching their busiest season. Sorry I can’t be of any more help and good luck.
Have you got your HGV licences Joe? I had a couple of days where I was sent home…Another reason why I left as the wages at Tuffnells were bad enough as it was.
Just double checked and its actualy a 60 day free trail 
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/homepc/autoroute/trial.mspx
this is no good because now i wont get paid for today .