Hi All
Well just had a call from One of the agents I use 
I always smell a rat when they ask how I am ( morning Roy and how are you this fine day ) 
lol .
How do you fancy doing a Stobarts Run 
for your first Class 1 Job my question (is it store work ie TESCO ) their answer ( yes but ) My answer NO thanks ive seen them poor buggers trying to get parked outside the stores in Blackpool … Spar was bad enough with a Rigid .
I dont think that would have been a good start would it 
if it had been trunkin or traier swaps i would have had a crack at it but not store work …Plus it was warrington depot and i live in Blackpool mind you not as bad as the job offer yesterday from another Agent lol will you do a Hiab job for us in WHITEHAVEN LOL . as it happened I was working anyway but Whitehavens 2 hrs 15 mins drive from here thats a days work just getting there and back … 
Certainly would have been in at the deep end there 
For Whitehaven, you could have negotiated travel on top from the agent. I am sure you will have set out the max distance as ground rules when you signed up. Any further and you should be looking for money on top to cover fuel and extra working hours.
Hopefully they come up with something a little easier for you for your first Class 1 job soon mate.
Dean
That shows maturity Roy, its all too easy to say yes to any job only to regret it later.
iDriver
Yea you are right Dean i did set out my rules lol i get 45p a mile tax relief but it was the 2 hrs 15 mins each way i didnt wanna do lol 
…
Idriver lol yea mate im not gonna bite of more than i can chew on the first artic job mate just going to ease myself in gradualy ive been in some tight spaces on the Spar job with a Rigid let alone an artic plus with timed deliveries it makes it that little bit more of a rush … So I will just wait till a trunk or trailer swap job comes along I know its not gonna be long and better than looking like an idiot by messing up first day .
WOW I must be psycic lol (if that how ya spell it lol) I knew it wouldnt be long but didnt think they would phone back today with a better offer i just had a call from the same Agent asking if i would do a streight depot to depot run for Spar well thats better so its off from Preston to Brum and Back and my first Class 1 job and its a 5.30 pm start That will do nicley for a start
Excellent. Take it easy and let us know how you get on 
YAMBOL57:
WOW I must be psycic lol (if that how ya spell it lol) I knew it wouldnt be long but didnt think they would phone back today with a better offer i just had a call from the same Agent asking if i would do a streight depot to depot run for Spar well thats better so its off from Preston to Brum and Back
nice one yambol hope it all goes well and try and get some pics
jx
Well had a great night for once biggest problem was reversing on to the Bay lol (stupid boy ) did it blind side but managed after a few shunts other driver said lol why didnt you turn round and come in the other way ( thought yard was one way ) so loaded then off to brum well Blackmores in the Blackcountry realy small yard so asked the shunter to pop it on a bay and he did (nice bloke ) …then off up the road to their reasycle center to pick up a load of empty cages OMG had to back into a factory unit doorway with about 4’’ on each side and no shunter two shunts and in i went much to my suprise loaded then back up the M6 preston reversed onto bay but this time not Blind side lol unload and finnished was home for 3 am …Happy Chappy now
Glad you had a good night an now you have done a shift with no probs the agency will be calling you again u made it great news
jx
I’ve seen threads from drivers in the Professional part of the forum who have turned work down for whatever reason and they get slated. You guys in this sub forum are alot more understanding
I drove past a loading bay a few weeks back. I saw an artic reversed in there on the bay. I would have loved to see how he got in there because the street itself is a one way street with three lanes. This is in Birmingham and all three lanes are always rammed with cars. Birmigham drivers are brain dead and ignorant. He must have just put his hazards on and pulled across three lanes and said You Will Be Stopping as he does a blind side reverse. If I had a decent camera phone I’d take a photo of the bay
Hey. Sounds like you had a great night. You have picked up some ‘real world’ skills and I bet you can’t wait to get back out there.
Great stuff. Let’s hope it’s not too long before they call you for something else
Hi Dakota
I dont know why they get slated but I made it clear to all the agents im with what I will and wont do right from the start that way there is no mistake’s made and they respect that 
im now with 7 agents but there are only two of them that i will go out of my way for and they only ask if they are realy stuck .
But they are the main two that gave me a chance when all the others said we can only give you 7.5 ton work
way back in April 2011 since then i have gained C and CE cats and now all the others are phoning with stupid Jobs ie will you travel to whithaven for a days work class 2 Hiab lol a 240 mile round trip .( the two yr expeariance rule goes out of the window when it suits them) but as for store work uhh I did try it and didnt like it at all some shop keepers are ok and but there are the one’s who think you are a servant sent by God to hand ball all their goods to the store room or even the relative shelves in the shop lol while they sit with a cup of tea / coffee behind the Till /counter 
…the last straw was a ** 
** in Nelson who was having 8 cages with choclate /wines/spirrits /and cigs who wanted to sit on his arse wile i carried each item in from out side (didnt want cages in shop) and place them on the floor near the corrasponding shelves and he didnt want to keep an eye on the cages out side to stop jack the lad nipping of with his goods …Ive since heard that he is now closed as a huge supermarket has opened just down the road Good im glad .
Plus I didnt spend £400 last month upgrading my Hiab ticket to remote and geting a moffet ticket to Nursemaid shop keepers or be treated like their own personal slave lol .
Any one who does store work full time every day deserves a Medal in my eyes 
trying to park outside half of them is an Art in its self and thats before the handballing starts .
Uhh im getting depressed just thinking about it pmsl .
regards Roy
Hi Dart and Jen
Yep infact im still buzzin went to bed at 630am back up at 8.30 am not to tired at all I just had to turn down 2 jobs from two other agents for today but i dont care im working tomorrow On Cass 2 at Tom Martins all pallet work … thats the thing with agent work either they all call on the same day or no one calls lol BUT I HAVE BROKEN THE ICE NOW and it feels good when an agent phones with a poxi job and i say no sorry mate i cant let the other agent down as they gave class 1 work …without two yrs expearience .
Respect works both ways so out of 7 agents i think in the next couple of weeks i will pick the best 3 and just stick with them … . Drivers Direct and Acorn people both have Cliants who will exept new drivers but you have to have your own Public liability Insurance if self emoployed …
Thanks and regards Roy
I’ve delivered to Tesco stores in Blackpool for Stobarts loads of time, and never had a problem. There are a lot worse believe me.
Mind you for your 1st Class 1 run maybe not the best start to build confidence.
Not all store work is hard,i do alot for sainsburys the little stores all you do is put cages on tail lift lower to ground and then it’s up to shop staff, big store back on bay and leave them to it very easy work.
Hi Keano / Mac
lol yea the Agent told me that the tesco staff unload off the tail lift but i dont trust him lol he told me Spar was not hand balling too but i think i did right for my first day on class 1 as it ended up a better job after all back onto bay unload then onto other bay load empies and back to base now that suits me
Mac i bet the tesco on Lytham road near witherspoons a pain back door round that tight little dead end back street saw a stobarts driver ther the other weeks blocked in by 3 cars owners who had gone off shopping … No I Know my capabilities and thats not one of them Yet anyway
I do a fair bit of ASDA trunk runs when not on boxes…pick up trailer, drive to RDC, drop trailer, pick up empty, drive back, sometimes two runs in one shift… absolute piece of ■■■■, apart from occasional grumpy ■■■■wit to deal with. ■■■■hauling cages about…
Yep Truckulent Sounds Good to me mate I hate them cages but last night was a doddle lol I told the Agent weeks ago now no more little Spar drops ive had it now with that [zb] So when he phoned the first thing he said was its Spar but not the usual stuff just one run to brum drop off and then back NO HANDBALLING at all
when i said ok i will do it if you are stuck he said good cause its class 1 . but I did have help unloading for once and then loading the empties back on so made a big difference … he phoned this morning to tyhank me an ask if i would go back aslong as its not the shop drops So I Have now said yes but no more shops .
YAMBOL57:
How do you fancy doing a Stobarts Run
I dont think that would have been a good start would it
Well it seems to be working out for you but in my opinion you’re turning down work for soft reasons when others on here are begging.
When I started in 2005, I was 26. I took any and all work and after holding my Class 1 for two weeks with a few runs under my belt I worked for British Bakeries in Wigan on the Agency. I was doing 8 drops per day to Tesco and Asda all over the North West (including Blackpool Tesco). It was hard to find them, (no directions to speak of), some of the approach roads were a ballache and some of the bays or unloading areas were awkward pigs and I sweated a few times.
I think it was the best thing I did. I went from having no experience to a fair bit in the few months I was there and not being daunted by any bay or reversing excersise. I was driving MAN TGA’s aswell, so not the easiest to reverse blindside, (due to the height) from a one way street with parked cars on both sides!
I worked as a Tramper for Stobarts and whenever you do a Tesco store the trailer is loaded and you get a detailed direction sheet of how to get there. On the reverse of the sheet is what to do at store, how to approach the unload area and any hazards etc.
Unloading can be a pain but the back door lads help and you can be done in 30 mins.
I think you’re daft for turning down Class 1 work of any kind. Don’t get me wrong, I hated Stobarts and only lasted 3 months Tramping but I’m glad I did it. Even though I had 6 years experience, it was more experience to add.
Store work is good for honing your reversing and a lot of it is at night so you can make your 500 shunts when no-one is looking!
Good luck anyway.
Hi yambol I think your doing the right thing as why put yourself all the worry and stress when you can have the easier job , and your being honest with the agency and they dont mind as they giving you class 1 work good on ya for sticking to your guns at least you know you wont be bringing the truck back bent as you took on more than you could chew just for the sake of taking a class 1 job
keep on trucking hun
jen x