This time next week I will be starting my new job, with Robinsons of Worcester!
Never done bulkers before so a bit into the unknown!
Very much looking forward to having my own truck (09 Actros, in pink of course), instead of sharing as I do currently.
Well done on the job front.
One thing I learned from bulk tipping is make sure the connector is on tight before tipping otherwise the tipper ends up stuck in the air and needs draining manually.
It can get messy with the hydraulic fluid if its old kit. (Note I don’t know the history of the company so only a generalisation).
Get to grips with the PTO before getting loaded if its possible.
Best of luck and let us know how it goes
Good luck with the new job
im sure you will get training on them only ever drove small tippers myself and I was told always look up before tipping and do so on level ground
Make sure the ground is good and level, keep the tractor and trailer in line (straight) be extremely careful when opening the rear door/door’s watch out for the load coming out or the door whacking you in the face, I used to keep a short length of scaffold pipe to knock the ring up the handle before jumping out of the way.
As a general rule the trailer will flap about a bit when fully elevated this is normal due to the flexible nature of the trailer chassis you will (depending on the material carried) come across a load where the weight is unevenly distributed, use the terrain to compensate if possible IE: if the load is heavy on the nearside try and get the offside into a dip, this is not always possible.
Someone once told me if 2 sections of the ram are out and it’s still upright they everything will be ok I have only put this theory to the test on about 6 occasions and it went ok. Make sure you disengage the P.T.O after tipping and the body is fully lowered before driving off.
Always ask if unsure, and keep a spare pair of brown trousers in the cab for the first couple of weeks.
What happened to the job at AIM ? just being nosey like 
Two years ago I did a few weeks on a tipper with absolutely no prior experience on them at all. I loved it when I was going all over the place, but hated it when stuck on a set run with several shunts per day between points A and B. Those shunts in question were biomass loads from the docks at either Immingham, Hull or Goole going to Drax power station which is a nightmare of a place with its millions of rules and regulations. Worse though was the nature of the load, which being considerably light, would be heaped quite high and above the rim of the tipper body and in my inexperience I more than once got my rope/strap (whatever its called!) that you use to pull the sheet over, burried in the load and would have to climb up and walk knee deep through peanut husks or such like to thread it through and out of the load. Another issue was also pulling the sheet over as the load was so high, when you’d pull itd just push against the heaped load like a bull dozer and as the rope/strap wasn’t that long, when the sheet would come over the egde, you’d get a load of crap coming down on your head. Not a problem when you’re home every night or can get a shower, but crap when its a maximum hours, go go go type of tipper job and they dont pay for parking so at the end of the day you’re in a layby/industrial estate and covered with whatever load you’ve been carrying.
One thing you will notice on an 09 truck on tipper work, if its got the old type of digital tacho is that it’ll eat your time like a fat boy eats cakes. You’ll have a lot of shuting and moving forward in line at some places. I regularly lost an hours drive at places just to move forward from the start of a queue to the end and get tipped, do this a few times a day in Drax power station type places and your productivity is seriously reduced. Companies will want you to do “one more load” because you’ve got an hour or 90 minutes left but on an old digi you could well find yourself out of driving time after shunting forward waiting to get tipped so keep that in mind before commiting yourself.
shade:
What happened to the job at AIM ? just being nosey like
Nothing really happened with it, they are a good bunch to work for.
I just don’t really enjoy rdc work, and the opportunity came along to move away from it.
I would go back to work for aim, I really don’t have anything bad to say about them, the worst thing is probably the shared nature of the trucks.
Be prepared for plenty of thumb twiddling at the feed mills, they can be murder, waits of 2-3 hours are not uncommon.
run sheeted loaded and empty
I hope you like pink!
Paul
hitch:
run sheeted loaded and empty
you wont want to do that if you’ve just tipped stone or salt then reloading meal, meal will stick to a wet body like the proverbial to a blanket. when at mill you’ve not been to, ask the weigh bridge guys, most will put you right. bulk work is easy enough, just dont be afraid to ask questions
Tipper drivers are often in a hurry and a lot of the places you’ll load or tip at will be automated and leaving you wondering what the heck to do. I found a good way of not learning the hard way how to do things would be to let someone else go ahead of me and watch everything he did. He’d be eager to crack on so would jump at the chance or getting done quicker and it enabled me to see how things should be done properly at some places where there was nobody around to help. It may have cost me 10 minutes longer to get loaded but thats better than overloading and then having to tip out the excess which is always a risk. Many places wont let you out the gate if your’e over weight, I think Immingham Dock weigh bridges used to be something like 44,250kg or there abouts or it wouldn’t even print a ticket.
When the box is in the air you’ll (at one time or another) poop yourself & think it’s ‘going over’ when a cloud floats by and makes it look like the trailer is moving!!! Lots of good avice ‘above’, feed mills do keep you hanging around & you’ll quickly learn which ones are the worst, Grampian @ Llay, Lloyds @ Oswestry & Wrexham spring to mind, some of the feed products will tip out the door, some the hatch & some you’ll be useing the grain sock as it keeps the mess to a minimum.
Good luck, & don’t try to keep up with experienced blokes, you’ll be better off learning at your own pace.
Ross.
I’ll keep an eye out for you as Robinsons tip often at FWP Matthews at Shipton Under Wychwood.
I have recently started some tipping work, and wasn’t too impressed when on my second day, my mate, in an identical unit and trailer to me, fell over on his side next to me as I was waiting for my turn to tip 
A couple of tonne of lime stuck at the top of his trailer, and although everything seemed tickety boo and nice and level, as he started to house the tipper it just went over, nice and slowly like a tree being felled, then flipped the unit over on the nearside right smartish.
Luckily he was OK, although he went for a check up at the hospital to make sure.
I reckon it is good to be quite bold when tipping, tickle the revs and get the thing up there sharpish and get the load moving without any fannying around. Also, never reverse or you could bend the door or hinges.
Welcome to the world of Pink. Dont crash Isabella, as its named after the bosses daughter. Good bunch of guys to be alongside. Be prepared for a bit of stick - re wearing of a pink shirt! Its water off a ducks back to us guys now - but we are all dreading the day when a Pink Onesey turns up!
Dont forget when doing bulk tipper work to overtake as many people as possible on the downhill sections so they can all get stuck behind you as soon as you hit the next incline and start doing 20mph
Schofield:
Dont forget when doing bulk tipper work to overtake as many people as possible on the downhill sections so they can all get stuck behind you as soon as you hit the next incline and start doing 20mph
All these years in the job & nobody ever enlightened me to this, I’ll remember to try is some time.
Ross.
Me too - Schofield you are a genius