So after a good few months of hunting high and low for a start I got one! Was out with an experinced driver for the first two days then thrown in at the deep end from there on out! The jobs pretty good 3-8 drops max, you finish when you finish somedays early and some days late, 6 on 2 off on a rolling rota. 1st day out on my own I was ■■■■■■■■ myself! Its nothing at all like driving on your test and theres nobodybin the passanger seat telling you what to do and where to go! 1st day over with no issues and no damage 
Same again for the 2nd day started at 10 and was home 3 hours later!!
Day 3 however the game changed! Here you go drive here your route, kne id never done before, and heres the keys, to a 12 plate daf with a gearbox id never used! Id also never driven anythimg bigger than a 12tonner and this was an 18! ■■■■ it you have to learn at some stage so off I went. Got to the 1st drop and it was tight as hell in between bollards and a tight as ■■■■ left hands
er. I was checking my left mirror for the kerb, got round, parked up and started unloading, then the manager of the hotel appeared from nowhereand shows me the corner of the building i had just taken out! ■■■■ I thought thats it sacked already! Phoned the offi e they said carry on and well sort it later. Get back tk the office and got a bollocking but the tm was understanding luckily!
Im now in my 2nd week n still here, and taking my time and alot of extra care everywhere!!
Jobs a goodun will post some pics when i get home!
Ouch!! Get you ■■■■ ups in early n rest will be plain sailing.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before but if in doubt get out and look for the tell tale damage of previous deliveries.
Chin up it soon be Monday again.
You should know the score by now…where are the pics?!
Make ■■■■ sure that the damage is fresh dont take the blame if it wasnt you there will be a least a corresponding mark on your motor.At least your boss is being understanding about it.
I was checking my left mirror for the kerb, got round, parked up and started unloading, then the manager of the hotel appeared from nowhereand shows me the corner of the building i had just taken out!
at least it will be a bit wider now.
The learning starts after you pass your test, We all remember how scary it was 1st time out on your own , And we’ve all done a bit of damage . So you’re in good company here 
Keep up the good work drive .
Trukkertone:
At least it will be a bit wider now.
Great you got a start. Hopefully you have learned from your error of judgement. And as has already been said. If in doubt. Get out… And look.
Hope 2nd week goes a bit smoother for you.
What you did wrong was Concentrate on the little curb and ignore the big building. I’ll try n find some pics so you know the difference in future.
Anymore advice ? Just ask
my advice to the op is to do a risk assesment before entering places you dont know as this is what i do even after 30 years driving them lol
The sensible thing on tight drops is ask someone at the drop how drivers normally do it.
The problem is the answer they’ll often give you will be nonsense. 
Thanks for the advice folks I give that corner a very wide birth now! For your amusement below are some pics
hgvhgv:
Thanks for the advice folks I give that corner a very wide birth now! For your amusement below are some pics
A bit of Duck tape will sort that out. 
That’s not too bad so you’ll have to try harder at causing havoc.
I’d have said! Prove I done that?
Don’t worry you’ll hit many more things yet, just make sure you learn from them.
Trust your own judgments, don’t always listen to people telling you we’ve had bigger than that in here and don’t trust people who appear from nowhere and start backing you up because they’re normally only looking at one corner of the vehicle.
Also remember that accidents cost more than diesel so if you have to go round the block again, come at it from a different direction or have a hundred goes at it then do it. The only person you have to answer to is the bloke giving you the work and he’d rather you waste a bit of diesel than cause his lorry to be of the road getting repaired.
Oh and don’t be afraid to ask for something to be moved like a pallet or the managers car, apologetically and politely always works best even if he has parked it like a knob.
Well mate I think you have been extremely unlucky there 
Looking at the pic’s the damage to your truck appears to be along the very top edge of the van body, an area that would have been well out of your vision with your mirror’s, I bet there’s been other fella’s at your place have done exactly the same, so your boss knows it can happen to the best of his team. Just reckon you need to weigh the job up a bit more at delivery points. Maybe in the future and if necessary approach from a different angle and keep your nearside further away, if possible when reversing keep your offside as close as possible and parallel to something like the kerb or a painted road line marking and as long as youv’e sussed out the clearance on your nearside you should be OK. Also as others have said if you can get someone responsible to watch your nearside all the better, but you need to make sure you tell them where you want them to be looking or they will not really be any help to you.
All the best mate
Regards
Dave Penn;
Wasnt me mate, must have been that agency that just left…
Was like that when I got here mate
Sorry, did you actually check the roof of the truck? Doesn’t seem to be any visible damage so assume you rubbed the roof along the overhanging edge of the building? I’d be very careful they aren’t pulling a fast one on the new boy.
hgvhgv:
Thanks for the advice folks I give that corner a very wide birth now! For your amusement below are some pics
If you did do the damage can’t believe you didn’t notice or hear it catch.
Sent from my iPad.