I got to Lynx at about 07:15 for a 07:30 Start doing bulk.
At about 08:10 a guy comes in and gives me a set of
keys and tells me to put the truck on a bay to be loaded
which I did. The vehicle did not start first time and it
would only start in one position or the starter made a noise.
After a while the truck was loaded and I had to go to the
office for the paperwork.
In the office a guy tells me that another bloke off the
night shift will come with me and show me where the first
3 drops are and then he goes home from the 3rd drop as
he lives just round the corner. The usual driver takes him
as this guy cannot drive.
So off we go to the truck and get everything sorted and ready
to roll this where the fun starts. I released the hand brake
and the back wheels would not move and a warning light
came on with a number 3 near it. So I put the hand brake
back on and built air pressure back up to all warning lights
out and no buzzing noise. But as soon as I release the hand
brake the air gauges drop and that buzzing light with the 3
appears again. So I go to the office and tell them and he
phones there garage up who are coming to another vehicle
anyway and he said he will take a look when he gets here.
As I got talking to a Lynx driver who was waiting for a vehicle
again before he could start work told me the usual driver reported
the starter motor problem and also mentioned a problem getting
it in to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gears but as not mentioned it lately.
He also said that the trucks where not getting looked after and
neither where the staff and a few drivers who where there agreed.
He also said if you report a fault they look and talk at you as if it’s
your fault.
A guy comes in the room and said you need to build
the pressure up and I said I did until warning devices went out.
So an artic driver who drives an erf also said lets go and have
a look at it. So off we go and the same happens to him so he
as another go and revs it for about 2 minutes and it was working
now . He noticed the rev counter not working and opened
the tacho head twice for no more than few seconds but I hope I
don’t get any infringements as I had a tacho in and you are not
supposed to open it are you.
So me and this guy who I had to take home set off about 09:10 and
he said go down the motorway where we it a bit of traffic but it was
not to bad. I asked him where we was going and he said those
units on west bawtry road and I thought at the time maybe It would
have been better going the road way instead of taking the
motorway but It was to late by then and with all those traffic lights
ect the road way may not have been the quickest route. They guy
got out and helped me even though he did not have to.
After doing the 1st drop I knew where the second drop was as
I have done some driving work for them. I decided to take my
route as is directions where not to clear and It turned out I was
taking the route the other driver go’s anyway. After the second
drop I had to rely on his directions for the 3rd drop and we only
took 1 wrong turn but it was easy put right as I knew that bit of
road from another job I did.
At the 3rd drop At the 3rd drop he went home and I thanked him
for his help and then went to the office where I got told by a
young woman that it was not booked in to the next day so she
went and got another woman who cancelled the one
for next day and said you will have to wait until 11:00 as they
are on break. I said ok and went back to the truck and turned it
around so I could drive out when done and opened the curtains ect.
I had about 10 minutes to wait so I had a drink. The forklift driver
came out just before 11:00 and ask’s me to move the pallet truck out
from the pallet so he can get the forks in. I climbed up and over
stretched myself and felt like I pulled a muscle in the back of my
leg but managed to carry on. I could not get the pallet truck out as
who ever loaded the truck put a piece of wood under the pallet truck
which like jacked the back end up of the pallet truck then put the
loaded pallet on it. So I asked the forklift driver to get is forks in and
just lift it a little so I could pull the pallet truck out which I did and
then he got there 2 pallets off and said your place are crap at
stacking and I told him I was a agency driver for just that day and
his reply was they not respect you then as they don’t respect there
drivers.
I then did up the curtains with my leg still aching a little bit and
then got back in the truck where I got a call from the office asking
where I was and what was done. I said 3 drops where done and
I was on my way to my 4th and his reply was just crack on then
as you have a collection to do as well. I just said ok and that was
the end of that phone but I did think to myself what does this guy
think I have been doing as I haven’t had a break yet and when I
got home I worked out from the tacho that I set off from Lynx about
09:10 and got to the 1st drop about 09:35 and the 2nd for about
10:05 and the 3rd about 10:40 and I don’t think that is to bad in
my opinion.
I set off for the 4th drop and my sat nav played up and went back
to the main menu when I was at a cross roads. So I pulled over
around the corner and put the details back in and it was keep
going back to the main menu and when I was trying to put the
address in it was keep putting previous places I have been in.
On the 3rd time I put the address back in it accepted it and then
was fine all day.
My 5th drop was a unit just behind the don valley stadium and I
had to turn left off attercliffe road. I had a bit of the back end of
the truck still in lane 1 as taxis where parked up both sides.
I driven about 3 inches away from the cars on my side and
about 6 inches on the passenger side. A guy who owns the taxis
comes out and I ask him if he can drop them back a bit and he
just shrugs his shoulders and starts to pretend to clean a car just
so he can watch to make sure I don’t hit a car. I managed to
squeeze through and got to the drop and had to handball a few
goods off.
On the next drop I had to take a different route as my truck was
14.6 and so was the bridge. I carried on and did all the other
drops with out any problems except when I got to outokumpu in
sheffield. The address I had was for cars only and hgv’s had to
go to the new gate a mile away near sheffield airport. I had to have
the truck weighed in before you can enter site and I weighed in
at 8020kg as I only had 9 box’s on. I did my last 2 drops here then
set off back to Lynx but stopped for another 15 minute break to take
me in to the next driving 4 1/2 period and had a drink.
After my break I got a call from that guy who phoned me this
morning asking where I was and I said on my way back to the yard
and he gave me the address for the collection and I had to be
there in 40 minutes time. So I set off and made the collection time
by about 10 minutes.
When I got to the collection I had to reverse of the road in to the
building which I did but had to be careful as there was box’s
of glass on pallets down the drivers side. Inside I got talking to the
boss who used to be a truck driver and told me that this was
not a timed delivery and that Lynx are going to loose there
business as apparently they have put 9% on there charges and
this company’s bill is already £150,000 a year and they are going
with a company called APC I think it was called.
If I got asked to work for my local Lynx branch again I would have to
think about it as the office staff have no respect for you and one
young lady was a right nasty piece of work. I enjoyed the driving and
the work was not that hard.