The pallet distribution networks are utter chaos at the moment and have been since just before Easter. I work for Gregory distribution out of Plymouth and the amount of freight coming through we just can’t cope with.
In the last 3 weeks 10 drivers have left due to the chaotic working conditions and being offered more money elsewhere, in some cases doing something different to multi dropping pallets. There has been a rather muted response from the company offering a £500 ‘bonus’ to any employee recommending a new driver who will stay for a specified period, the cynic in me thinks that if the best money in the area was being paid nobody would leave and you would have a choice of the best drivers wanting to work for the company, but what do I know.
Horses for courses mate. In a former life I did quite a few cash in hand night shifts for various pallet networks and tbf it was quite relaxed and not rushed at all. However, that was just to the hub and back. The thought of doing the actual daytime deliveries and collections holds zero fascination for me, I’d be loathe to take on anything with time constraints.
Apart from ■■■, I’m really good at beating my PB at that! 
I don’t blame them I done pallet network delivery for 10 years for pallex through 2 different haulage companies best thing I ever did was get out of doing that type of work constantly waking up every morning with a back ache all caused by the heavy pallets that you are expected to unload on a tail lift and pull about with manual pallet pump truck a few months before I did leave the company bought a couple of electric pallet pump trucks that made the job so much easier but still weren’t enough to make me want to stay
It’s like anything else, if the money is good you will always get drivers (and good drivers.)
If the money is crap you struggle, and get the dregs with a very high driver (and dreg) turn over.
trucker10:
I don’t blame them I done pallet network delivery for 10 years for pallex through 2 different haulage companies best thing I ever did was get out of doing that type of work constantly waking up every morning with a back ache all caused by the heavy pallets that you are expected to unload on a tail lift and pull about
Our resident ‘Authority on every subject under the sun’’ specialising in work related back injury makes an appearance in 5 4 3 2… 
(Followed by another 3 page exchange with Luke. )
robroy:
trucker10:
I don’t blame them I done pallet network delivery for 10 years for pallex through 2 different haulage companies best thing I ever did was get out of doing that type of work constantly waking up every morning with a back ache all caused by the heavy pallets that you are expected to unload on a tail lift and pull aboutOur resident ‘Authority on every subject under the sun’’ specialising in work related back injury makes an appearance in 5 4 3 2…
(Followed by another 3 page exchange with Luke.
Great minds or …
Nah, I doubt it. Got it in one. 
Only 3 pages 
cheers Ray
I’ve just quit night trunks as the shift became 12 or 13 hours each night routinely. The overtime made the money respectable but would be knackered by the weekend and tired at work most shifts.
Im sure the freight volume will settle down but the new firm that took us over had mixed in some outbound general into the night shifts so chance of a couple of hours on the bunk each night was gone anyway.
njl:
I’ve just quit night trunks as the shift became 12 or 13 hours each night routinely. The overtime made the money respectable but would be knackered by the weekend and tired at work most shifts.Im sure the freight volume will settle down but the new firm that took us over had mixed in some outbound general into the night shifts so chance of a couple of hours on the bunk each night was gone anyway.
That sounds like the yellow muppets who to the company over I used to work for in Eastleigh
New pastures
bigstraight6:
The pallet distribution networks are utter chaos at the moment and have been since just before Easter. I work for Gregory distribution out of Plymouth and the amount of freight coming through we just can’t cope with.
In the last 3 weeks 10 drivers have left due to the chaotic working conditions and being offered more money elsewhere, in some cases doing something different to multi dropping pallets. There has been a rather muted response from the company offering a £500 ‘bonus’ to any employee recommending a new driver who will stay for a specified period, the cynic in me thinks that if the best money in the area was being paid nobody would leave and you would have a choice of the best drivers wanting to work for the company, but what do I know.
I was in a local “pallet thingy shareholder” gaff last week helping out for a few hours, and it was the first time the “trunks” had returned before 07.30 in a long time apparently, and one of the members down Somerset way has told the “network” that they cannot service the next-day element until further notice, and to expect upto 5 days to get “your” pallets delivered once they land in their gaff, and this lot are not tin-pot
I think all pallet delivery companies i.e Pallex, Palletways, Palletline are all in the same boat, I’m on my third pallet delivery company.
I do pallet delivery in a 18t and we have been hammered for the last few weeks also, 2 drivers have left/leaving, the job would be so much easier with a Powered pallet truck, Ive used them and they are great, as we don’t do much residential work the company wont buy them, which is stupid as some firms don’t have forklifts.
They’ve only just got new lorries with barriers on the tail lifts, which they’ve had to buy cos the old trucks couldn’t go in the clean air zones!
robroy:
trucker10:
I don’t blame them I done pallet network delivery for 10 years for pallex through 2 different haulage companies best thing I ever did was get out of doing that type of work constantly waking up every morning with a back ache all caused by the heavy pallets that you are expected to unload on a tail lift and pull aboutOur resident ‘Authority on every subject under the sun’’ specialising in work related back injury makes an appearance in 5 4 3 2…
(Followed by another 3 page exchange with Luke.
I’ve actually done pallet network work too so that’ll be something else he can dismiss!
Pallet network class 2 work is what you do as a newbie to earn your stripes. Once you’ve got them you’re straight out of the door if you’ve any sense and into the better work, ie. where you don’t have collections to do or ■■■■ about collecting cages on store delivery work.
bigstraight6:
the cynic in me thinks that if the best money in the area was being paid nobody would leave and you would have a choice of the best drivers wanting to work for the company, but what do I know.
Not necessarily. It’s not always about the money, a few times I’ve taken a pay cut to go to another job. I left truck driving in 2017 to go back to electronics engineering/IT. Managed a whole 10 months before a combination of crap management constantly meaning not getting kit until the 11th hour to put systems together, well long established industry wide working methods not being followed by the development team resulting in me writing the first technical manuals for the system that’d been written in half a decade and the tedium of set working hours and static workplace saw me leave and go back to driving.
I think they’re all (pallet networks) in the same boat at the moment. We use Palletforce but have dabbled with Pallex and Palletline and personally I’ve found Palletforce to be the most organised of them but even they’re struggling.
But yeah at the end of it is the drivers. I do general distance stuff so don’t get too involved with that side bar the odd daytime trunk if needed, but I know the lads are fast getting fed up with the volumes. Not just the volumes but the relentlessness of it too and we’re seeing numbers of people leaving which has prompted talk of a pay increase (just talk at the moment) in an effort to stop it.
There’s definitely something going on as our lot are rammed too. They run their own pallet network effectively along with partners for the outer reaches. It started maybe 4 weeks ago and we keep being told its only temporary, but no signs yet.
Can’t work out what’s caused it. There was a little blip after that B thing, plus you’d maybe expect another blip after things unlock, but from the pallets I see, I can’t really see a pattern. Has been maybe an increase in building materials but does seem mostly across the board.
Regarding Palletforce and similar, I do wonder if there’s something in the partner contract stating if you can’t deliver in a reasonable time, you get booted or hit with a penalty? Its not good for the reputation of the people sending the pallets into the network.
One thing it has done us focused minds further up as we now get a more decent payrise and more meaningful bonuses (not fuel usage or any crap like that). I think the IR35 thing helped a little too as lots of agency drivers have been dropped no doubt across this sector especially.
As for Gregory’s, I thought they were part of a collective with Swains etc? Not sure if this applies to the pallet network stuff?
Its always been chaos at those pallet places, i used to go to UPN in fradley and all the drivers are running around opening the curtains, your waiting in a queue however it doesn’t make sense as the marshal will let other lorry go infront of you, then you got other pallet places were driver are opening curtain on the road not even in the premises. Fork lift drivers are dangerous im glad were not allowed to leave the cab either dangerous or luck not sure.
Anyways i read a facebook post today there looking for owner drivers in pallex or something along them lines for this kind of job
Worked for Gregory doing pallet work too . Just left 2 weeks ago . As a couple other members have said the last 4/6 it’s went mental . Management told the drivers everybody is expected to do 2 runs . Pallets being double stacked . You name it . We did have electric pallet trucks and they were brilliant I will say that .
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the ‘just in time’ method is fundamentally flawed. If the stuff coming up overnight is going out, any hint of a delay is going to mean drivers sitting waiting when the places they are going to are sitting open. I have always thought that a driver should be at his / her first drop at opening time, but it seems the ‘just in time’ method leaves drivers struggling to get away before 11 to 12 o’clock with a significant drive to get to the first drop. I’ve also noticed an increasing tendency for customers to restrict goods-in hours.
I’ve no idea why people can’t order things earlier rather than insist on next / same day delivery. What is so important that it needs to be there next / same day? Really? The world isn’t going to end ffs.
To be fair…
It always seemed like chaos at every hub I went to.