Hey guys. New to this forum so firstly would like to say hello.
Been driving rigid now about a year. The driving part is straight forward but it’s everything else that goes with.
I didn’t think multi drop would ever be easy but take the rough with the smooth right■■?
Jobs supposed to be job an finish but if we get back to early because of a light load then we’re expected to stay on until midday. (Start at 4:30am)
Delivery addresses are sometimes wrong so we have to double back on ourselves. No prebooked room at a B&B on an overnight shift without sleeper cab. Pallets being built in the wrong order so at the next drop you have to split down a pallett to get at items or pallets loaded up into truck in wrong order without room to manoeuvre them around an having to climb over them.
Is this story all too familiar to newbies starting out not knowing any better??
I guess I’m looking for an opinion from someone that knows what to expect in this industry and what the best end goal would be to balance work/family life with a good standard of living (decent wage)
DayDreamDAVE:
Hey guys. New to this forum so firstly would like to say hello.
Been driving rigid now about a year. The driving part is straight forward but it’s everything else that goes with.
I didn’t think multi drop would ever be easy but take the rough with the smooth right■■?
Jobs supposed to be job an finish but if we get back to early because of a light load then we’re expected to stay on until midday. (Start at 4:30am)
Delivery addresses are sometimes wrong so we have to double back on ourselves. No prebooked room at a B&B on an overnight shift without sleeper cab. Pallets being built in the wrong order so at the next drop you have to split down a pallett to get at items or pallets loaded up into truck in wrong order without room to manoeuvre them around an having to climb over them.
Is this story all too familiar to newbies starting out not knowing any better??
I guess I’m looking for an opinion from someone that knows what to expect in this industry and what the best end goal would be to balance work/family life with a good standard of living (decent wage)
Thanks in advance.
Get used to it mate. All you can hope for is someone getting a top job in your place who can sort the ■■■■ out and that means usually firing loads of people who should not even be employed.
I was getting planned for 8h and most times ended up having a 12h day. ■■■■ delivery locations, ■■■■ customer shops with ■■■■ poor places to park let alone put the stuff. Place I just left has had no end of issues since they laid off some staff in warehouse then told rest they are changing their contracts so trucks not loaded and all sorts. Funny enough I watched a video before I got in there and the guy said he has a work/family balance shame it’s not the actual story when you start there lol.
I know 7 an half hours is a good day mate. I’m not stupid enough to think that I should be getting shifts like this all the time.
But on a few occasions when it has happened I’ve been kept back from going home. They soon forget all the 12 to 16 hours shifts you’ve done to warrant an early finish every now and then. That’s all.
DayDreamDAVE:
Hey guys. New to this forum so firstly would like to say hello.
Been driving rigid now about a year. The driving part is straight forward but it’s everything else that goes with.
I didn’t think multi drop would ever be easy but take the rough with the smooth right■■?
Jobs supposed to be job an finish but if we get back to early because of a light load then we’re expected to stay on until midday. (Start at 4:30am)
Delivery addresses are sometimes wrong so we have to double back on ourselves. No prebooked room at a B&B on an overnight shift without sleeper cab. Pallets being built in the wrong order so at the next drop you have to split down a pallett to get at items or pallets loaded up into truck in wrong order without room to manoeuvre them around an having to climb over them.
Is this story all too familiar to newbies starting out not knowing any better??
I guess I’m looking for an opinion from someone that knows what to expect in this industry and what the best end goal would be to balance work/family life with a good standard of living (decent wage)
Thanks in advance.
Get used to it mate. All you can hope for is someone getting a top job in your place who can sort the [zb] out and that means usually firing loads of people who should not even be employed.
I was getting planned for 8h and most times ended up having a 12h day. [zb] delivery locations, [zb] customer shops with ■■■■ poor places to park let alone put the stuff. Place I just left has had no end of issues since they laid off some staff in warehouse then told rest they are changing their contracts so trucks not loaded and all sorts. Funny enough I watched a video before I got in there and the guy said he has a work/family balance shame it’s not the actual story when you start there lol.
Cheers jax. I hear you. All the things you mention ring true even in my short window of experience.
New calls being added without being told until that morning, loading bays with parked cars in, clutter in shops not helping you get the delivery through.
An can you say anything…nope! Because the customers always right I’m told an I’m the face of the company and have to be mindful of the face. Bite tongue or get a slap on the wrist!
DayDreamDAVE:
I know 7 an half hours is a good day mate. I’m not stupid enough to think that I should be getting shifts like this all the time.
But on a few occasions when it has happened I’ve been kept back from going home. They soon forget all the 12 to 16 hours shifts you’ve done to warrant an early finish every now and then. That’s all.
DayDreamDAVE:
I know 7 an half hours is a good day mate. I’m not stupid enough to think that I should be getting shifts like this all the time.
But on a few occasions when it has happened I’ve been kept back from going home. They soon forget all the 12 to 16 hours shifts you’ve done to warrant an early finish every now and then. That’s all.
16 hour shifts?
Yeah. By the time I’d got to my destination an done all the drops for that day I’d clocked up a total of 16 hours working including driving.
DayDreamDAVE:
Yeah. By the time I’d got to my destination an done all the drops for that day I’d clocked up a total of 16 hours working including driving.
DayDreamDAVE:
I know 7 an half hours is a good day mate. I’m not stupid enough to think that I should be getting shifts like this all the time.
But on a few occasions when it has happened I’ve been kept back from going home. They soon forget all the 12 to 16 hours shifts you’ve done to warrant an early finish every now and then. That’s all.
My advice would be, not to try and get such an early day. Work out what is the earliest that they’ll let you go, maybe 2pm or 3pm, and then gear your day around that, so as you get around your drops, if its going a bit to smooth, take a bit longer at a few of your later drops, don’t rush in and rush out grab a brew, read a paper. At regular customers get chatting with receiving guys, This can also help on the times when it all goes pear shaped, as they will be more likely to help you.
When I was on groupage, I had a few regular customers, at one (delphi Dunstable) if I arrived early and the yard was empty, I dive straight in, get tipped before the booking, then go and park in the waiting yard and have an hours kip, it would look like I’d parked and booked in, and waited, and then got pulled in and tipped and away, when it was the other way around
There is no way that they can know whether your being held up by the customer, or dragging it out, if you stay on customer premises.
DayDreamDAVE:
Hey guys. New to this forum so firstly would like to say hello.
Been driving rigid now about a year. The driving part is straight forward but it’s everything else that goes with.
I didn’t think multi drop would ever be easy but take the rough with the smooth right■■?
Jobs supposed to be job an finish but if we get back to early because of a light load then we’re expected to stay on until midday. (Start at 4:30am)
Delivery addresses are sometimes wrong so we have to double back on ourselves. No prebooked room at a B&B on an overnight shift without sleeper cab. Pallets being built in the wrong order so at the next drop you have to split down a pallett to get at items or pallets loaded up into truck in wrong order without room to manoeuvre them around an having to climb over them.
Is this story all too familiar to newbies starting out not knowing any better??
I guess I’m looking for an opinion from someone that knows what to expect in this industry and what the best end goal would be to balance work/family life with a good standard of living (decent wage)
Thanks in advance.
I would look for other options and would not put up with it, I drove agency 3 month to see what I liked, opted for plastic facia delivery 2 nights out max a week with sleeper cab and your lorry no one else drives, all on class 2, Good luck look up plastic in the area nice clean work I have 3 firms near me in kent.
The company I’m with now paid for me to go through the license so have some time left in contract yet. I had thought about paying myself then go agency until I found one that suited me but I thought at the time I’d got lucky with the offer I took.
Isn’t work and pay uncertain on agency though??
DayDreamDAVE:
The company I’m with now paid for me to go through the license so have some time left in contract yet. I had thought about paying myself then go agency until I found one that suited me but I thought at the time I’d got lucky with the offer I took.
Isn’t work and pay uncertain on agency though??
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Not this time of year leading up to Christmas tbh. I’ve had no end of calls offering me work. Good job I left my CV on total jobs cause I need a job now but I’m not in a rush to take any crap
I’ll bare this in mind. Already had enough only 1 year in and can’t really see it getting any better there if I’m honest. What would you say is the better option. Class 1 or 2? Is it worth going for?
Well I think most class 2 jobs seem to mean you have to handball lots where as class 1 you most likely don’t interact with the load.
ADR network seem to have some good class 2 and class 1 jobs on their but gotta go Ltd or use Umbrella company so no good to me but they seem to have the big guys like Sainsburys and Asda where you don’t interact with the load much. I spoke to one Sainsburys class 1 driver at one of their stores and all he did was bring cage to back of truck and lowered it down on tail lift and the staff took it in store and that pays 32k plus overtime. He did make me laugh when he said all 300 staff are English.
DayDreamDAVE:
I’ll bare this in mind. Already had enough only 1 year in and can’t really see it getting any better there if I’m honest. What would you say is the better option. Class 1 or 2? Is it worth going for?
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I would say Class 1 is better more options I find it better work although I have never done multi drop from van unto class 1
That’s barbaric! 
