My 1st Week

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
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Hi all I have posted this in the Newbie Forum, but thought it should go here too!!!

17.00 Monday Tuesday arrived & was joined by another driver that they had just taken on, but he 'd been driving years, had just left Tescos ( said they were crap ).

Anyway 1st 2 nights were mainly classroom based, Health & saftey, Company policies & procedures, how too use there equipment-trailers-curtains-straps etc all invaluable information for me, as truthfully I hadnt got a clue.

We also took out 2 trucks, 1 was an automatic Man Truck, lovely to drive and then the, i think it was an EPS shift thingy magig Mercedes, also very easy to pick this up & nice to drive.

Wednesday - we were both put with another driver, I had an old guy who didnt look best pleased too have me aboard…but i did try my best to make conversation but he wasnt having any of it.
We had to pick up a trailer from the Trailer Park & take it to CovPress. Took about 15mins to get there, where we were told to drop it outside for the shunter, who would bring us a loaded one back…about an hour later.

From there we had to take it to Vauxhall Luton…took about an hour and half, open the cutains & wait for the Forkie to unload & load it back up with empties.
Take this back to Covpress, where driver said we would take an hour break…within minutes he was snoring his head off.

Now its 3.00am the hour is up and i’m working out the times thinking we aint gonna get this done by 5.30
Couple of Coughs later i eventually awoke him and away we went…now i have to admit @ this point with no conversation no music even i was feeling a bit tired, but put this down to being a passenger.

Got to Luton & was back on the road to return to Depot @ around 5.30
Now a couple of times during the night i noticed we’d drifted into different lanes but put this down to wind etc… eventually I realised this guy was falling asleep

He was getting beeped by other truckers & was really making me feel very uneasy…then we were running off @ an angle on the hard shoulder when i had to shout @ him, he didnt answer pulled it too a stop & got out for a whizz ( yeah right i thought to myself )

Well hopefully the fresh air had woke him up & i thought we’d ok now!!! how wrong I was…still drifting and when we had left the M45 on to the A45 into Cov we were heading @ a 45degree angle towards the central reservation barrier I was shouting & i was bracing for impact we were on the grass as he woke & struggled to control it, which he did then he proceeded to laugh it off!!! i’d literally [zb] myself he had truly frightened me.

One more time i had to shout @ him about 10 mins from depot when we were about to hit the kerb…unbelievable…he proceeded to tell me he’d only had an hours sleep the day before.
Anyway got back all in one peice, only cause i was with him, finished for 7.30

Thursday- Thankfully I had a different driver real topbloke nothing was too much trouble for him to explain- - And he gave me Both Drives back to Depot
We had to take a trailer to Desford ( Cat MG Landrover ) wait for a loaded one & ME bring it back apart from putting this one on the Bay, he said you can do the next one when it’ll be a bit quieter.
Then we had to take a trailer up to Huntingdon for a trailer swap with a salvesen guy from Bury St Edmunds.

I hitched all up & drove back again loved it Music on good conversation ( & i even overtook a couple of other trucks )
Back to depot no one around & proceeded to try and put it on the Bay, now I got there in my mind a few times, but it has to be perfect for the Scissor lifts so it did feel like I’d been shunting about 15mins by the time the unloaders were happy…but it’ll come.

Friday - I came in asked who’m i with tonigt then? to which the TM said how do you fancy going out on your own? Gulp YES… what are you comfortable driving…I’d like a Man truck please……thought you’d say that he replied

And he gave me the keys to one I had to take a trailer to Ford @ Daventry & bring one back.
So i did my checks, found which bay my trailer was on and i hooked it up, checked & double checked every procedure…went to pull forward so could check the load etc wouldnt move…so got back out checked the trailer brake got back in still no go…breathe relax check everything again then asked another driver, just report it mate…so i did workshop said they’d send someone down, as i got back to me truck I told the shunter, good lad he came over & then explained to me that I’d been pulling the wrong Button @ this point it felt like the whole yard was there Oh well.

Gets back in & pulls away, then realised I hadnt put on my licence plate luckily I hadnt left the yard, when i got to the back I hadnt even shut the Doors , shows you what can happen when you are distracted …Lesson Learned.

Got to Daventry no probs, took my time some very tight chicanes once inside there place, got to where i needed to go & dropped the trailer, was told they hadnt got one for me to take back yet & wait till one was read. Expecting a long wait when within 5mins told 1 was ready.
Found it Gulp it was a Double decker, again just took my time & got back to depot for the reverse on to bay…thankfully the shunter was there to spot an advise me in— felt like an age but got it on

Was then asked to go back solo ( no trailer on ) & bring one back again. Got there & was told they hadnt got one for me, so he phoned someone & they gave me another trailer to bring back.

So goes out to find it…eventually found it, the curtain straps were all undone, time to put the quick lesson i’d had into practice, after a little messing around sorted it out…did my checks then hooked it up…released the trailer brake & could here a continuous hissing from underneath the trailer so checked i’d done everything right, I had& then looked for another driver to chek it for me, but there was no one around So I had to ring the depot, now i knew they thought ITS THE NEW LAD!!!, we’ll send another driver who is there to you…he comes running from another loading Bay, & says straight away yep you have a leak & you did the right thing to phone in, phew

He rings them back & tells them I do have an air leak, they decide to get me to take it outside & then drop the trailer for him to take back?
He said he would asess it as he goes??

Back to depot for about 12.00pm feels like I’ve been out all night my head feels like its about to explode, the TM told me not to worry your doing fine which did make me feel more relaxed.

Now the Ford run finishes @ 12, so they put me with another driver for his run to 3 ford Dealers in Liecester, another top Bloke who explained everything as we went & gave me loads of tips. But would not have fancied the reverse he had to do out of the HGV Ford he did

Back for 3.30 & all done…what a week What A NIGHT, boy have I learned a hell of a lot this week, but know I’ve a hell of a lot more to learn yet.

Sorry for the long post, I’ll try & break it up with some pics a little later.

Wills

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Congratulations on your first week, Wills!!!

Thankfully, you got some decent guys who were prepared to help a newbie. You got the deep breathe thing right as well! Never panic, mate and it will all sort it self out. Good Luck for the future

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Nice one Wills. First week is always the hardest and it seemed to go OK.

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Importantly you know your limitations. That should go a long way to keep you out of trouble. You never stop learning.

Sounds like the TM is OK, ask sensible questions and he’ll probably be pleased that you didn’t chance something and get in a sticky situation.

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very good. :smiley:

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Well done mate - first week is the worst, and at least you are with a company so you get to know the lie of the land !!

G

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Nice one Willis.Shame about the old codger.

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yep i agree well done.

i had a quick trip into leeds then out on my own.

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Well done mate, it gets easier after the first week. Hope it goes well for you.

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Thanx everyone,

know i’ve got a hell of a lot to learn, & will never stop but I am not afraid to ask for advice & I wont risk anything.

As for the old codger, what would you have done??

& One more question, is there a knack to connecting the air lines, as I’ve struggled on a couple of em?..

cheers

wills

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wills:
& One more question, is there a knack to connecting the air lines, as I’ve struggles on a couple of em?..

Unless there is space to get in and get your back against the cab they’re a pain in the arse. Although i’ve seen the occasional “Geoff Capes” who can lean through and do it with one hand almost!

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did some agency for salvos at easton and they were a nice helpfull bunch, one place i didnt mind going

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As for the ‘Old Codger’, the Health & Safety at Work Act places upon any employee, you included, a responsibility to take action upon such a situation, and any failure to do so could lead to you being prosecuted.

Having said that. It obviously puts you in a difficult position.

The ‘acid test’ is if, next week he ‘wiped out’ family members close to you. How would you feel?

Experience has shown that most of the major companies monitor what appears on these forums. Whether it is done by the companies themselves or through ‘facilitating’ organisations who search forums and bring to the attention of companies, in whatever sector of employment, negative comments, I’m unsure. But certainly, little goes unmissed that is posted on the Net.

Is there a ‘knack’ to coupling air lines. Yes. I’m one of those people that can (sometimes) connect the Red line one handed. But that comes from practice.

If you are having problems then, in a crouched position, hold the connection in one hand, and the collar in the other hand, and then put your elbow into your knee, and push with your knee. Your legs have far greater strength than your arms. Your lower arm acts as a rigid rod.

It works a treat. As testified by someone that asked a similar question some years ago.

Doing what I do now, I rarely swap trailers, but a few days ago I had to go to a place where trailers have to be ‘juggled’. Arrive with an empty trailer. Drop it on the road - which itself is on a gradient. Couple up to a loaded trailer, which is on a downward gradient towards a (closed) roller shutter doors. Pull it off over a ‘humped’ verge (which means that raising the suspension is not enough - the legs have to be partly wound up).

Drop that trailer on the road. Then recouple to the empty trailer and put that in its place. Stopping short of that closed roller shutter door. :wink:

Then couple up the the loaded trailer and making sure that it was ‘road legal’

And this was with fridge trailers. So it was all ‘split coupling’

I’d ‘assessed’ the job as taking the best part of an hour. It took 30 minutes. The number of times that I checked parking brake/legs/connections would possibly cause some members to roll about with glee.

Do I care. :smiling_imp:

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Thanks Krankee I have PM you…

& thankyou for the tip on getting them hoses on :laughing:

wills

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Krankee:
If you are having problems then, in a crouched position, hold the connection in one hand, and the collar in the other hand, and then put your elbow into your knee, and push with your knee. Your legs have far greater strength than your arms. Your lower arm acts as a rigid rod.

Yes but you forgot to mention the bit about watching your knee like a hawk as you do this, so that it doesn’t touch the bottom leading edge of the trailer leaving you with a big dollop of grease on your knee. :imp:

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Rob K:
Yes but you forgot to mention the bit about watching your knee like a hawk as you do this, so that it doesn’t touch the bottom leading edge of the trailer leaving you with a big dollop of grease on your knee. :imp:

could have done with knowing that before Friday :cry: made a right mess of me jeans… dont get me uniform till after 12 weeks probation so will have to be more carefull till then

cheers Rob

wills

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Rob K:
Yes but you forgot to mention the bit about watching your knee like a hawk as you do this, so that it doesn’t touch the bottom leading edge of the trailer leaving you with a big dollop of grease on your knee. :imp:

which only happens when lazy idle drivers cannot be bothered to lower the air on the unit when backing under the trailer therefore eliminating the chance of getting said grease on the front of the trailer!!!

In case you’re wondering what I mean, Wills … that grease only gets there when the fifth wheel runs into the edge of the trailer cos the driver hasn’t dropped the air on the unit. Drop the air and the fifth wheel goes under without touching that leading edge, then raise the air and hey presto. Really only works if either everyone at the firm does it or you only pull your own trailer week in and week out.

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Yep know what you mean TheBear, its a check I’ve got into my head after being showed it on my assesment drive for Amtrak!!! i stop just before the trailer lower it, then go back & raise it when 5th wheel underneath, so as not too smash the lights on tractor unit.

But as you said its no good if no one else is doing it, & I think thats gonna be the case with salvesens, lots of trailer swaps seems to be there thing.

Cheers mate

wills

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wills:

Rob K:
Yes but you forgot to mention the bit about watching your knee like a hawk as you do this, so that it doesn’t touch the bottom leading edge of the trailer leaving you with a big dollop of grease on your knee. :imp:

could have done with knowing that before Friday :cry: made a right mess of me jeans… dont get me uniform till after 12 weeks probation so will have to be more carefull till then

cheers Rob

wills

Yes, another one you’ll find out - especially with Salvo’s - is that the lines get absolutely lathered in grease. Assuming you’re right handed and the gantry is on the offside, to avoid getting grease on your cuffs and arms, put the yellow line on first (furthest away) then the leccy lines and ABS and do the red line last. The usual pattern is that the yellow line is on the top right and is pressurized (not all are - I don’t think the Volvo’s are pressurized) so you need to get some oomph behind it so do that one when all the others are still out of harms way. The leccy lines are usually along the bottom with the ABS in between them so do those next and then do the red line last as it’s above the others so you shouldn’t get any grease from the others on you.

If you put the red on first like most drivers seem to do, you’re then fumbling about with your forearm and elbow in prime position to get covered in grease from it while you fish the other lines out. :bulb:

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Rob K:
the yellow line is on the top right and is pressurized (not all are - I don’t think the Volvo’s are pressurized) so you need to get some oomph behind it so do that one when all the others are still out of harms way.

dont know about all units, but if my yellow aint got pressure behind it :bulb:
Its time to go back to the cab and apply the vehicle handbrake before releasing trailor brake :blush: :blush: