Frequently as an employee when I was young,occasionally handing out a fat lip on the way.
Several times as an agency driver because agencies have to be trained to know what you will and won’t do.You have to walk off the job and go home to prove your point.
Two places I definitely wouldn’t go were Coca Cola at jct.41 and Chep Pallets in Pontefract because I expect to be treated with respect,not like a dog.
Yep…
I was put out to be mentored for a while with a number of guys.
First one was great - learnt loads. Had a lot of fun and laughs.
Second one was great - but he had enough of the firm so he left. He gave me some great confidence. When he left, he told me, I think you are a very safe driver and could really get up on the drivers scoreboard.
The third was a good guy.
The last one was a mentalist. I put up with so much $h17 off him it was not true. Proper grass, noting down others reg numbers and telling the office… trailer legs no wound up properly by other drivers he has seen, drivers parking where he thought they should not be… the list goes on.
One day I took 3 shunts to get into a space. His retort was … I was holding up an international transport operation as I was taking too long.
Each time I reversed into a space, he would state I was not not straight. In the end, I had to take pictures to show I was straight enough, as I knew he was out to cause issues.
Anything minor, he blew up into a big issue and wrote it down. Not to be discussed with me … but to grass me up to the office… including not doing daily checks in the right order (I wanted to start by checking the dog clip, he wanted to check the trailer reg plate), using the company onboard computer to update jobs/drops (as he did not know how to use it) so he would call the office when he arrived and departed at tips, asking a customer if I could use their toilet, talking to drivers who were not from our company (in case i gave away company secrets??) and showing an interest in drops we were tipping at and what the firm did.
Final straw was when I took a shunt to get the unit under a trailer. He said I was taking too long and not listening to him.
Marched into the office and spouted off to the bosses.
Before I had a chance to say or defend my actions he stormed out as I had left the unit in a dangerous position (next to the trailer I was hooking up to… nothing else in the yard). It was like mental torture 12 hours a day.
Told the boss - I will make it nice and easy for you. I dont intend to come in and be treated like cr&p by this cretin. If you as a company are prepared to look the other way when this is going on (as I am not the first person to tell you this)… I wont be back.
Walked out - simple.
I put up with it at the time, as I needed the job to pay the bills. Looking back I would have dealt with it a little different.
The bad news is this has knocked my confidence. Did not drive for about 18 months.
I have an assesment soon. Lets see what happens.
I work with a bloke who allegedly was getting loaded with Chep pallets when he got a phone call from where he works now to ask him in for an interview.
He tells the forky that his employers have called and pulled him out and leaves chep with a part load. Heads back to his yard throws them the keys and ■■■■■ off up the road for his interview.
Walked off…
Loads.
Memorable ones include a bakery in Wakefield that got no further than ‘I see the agency has sent another no-hoper’ at which I turned around and went home.
Pilkingtons lying to the agency about a trunk run which tuned out to be shunting in the yard all night and hand-balling about twenty lorries. That was a walk off.
Doing local runs out of Tadcaster brewery which turned out to be the biggest ‘wind the agency guy up’ session I’ve ever been involved in. Everything I did was wrong, I mean everything. I parked my car in the wrong place, my hi-viz wasn’t good enough, my boots weren’t really grippy enough if there was a spill etc. Utter cobblers from possibly the most obnoxious shift manager I’ve come across. The ■■■■ taking went on all night from picking the wrong trailer, loading the wrong stuff, driving too fast in the yard, hooking up wrong. The last straw was about 5 hours into the shift when they told me to run to Normanton and then back again. I wanted a break but they said I couldn’t have one. I can still picture me leaving the whole thing on the weighbridge with the engine running and the door left wide open as I walked calmly back to my car.
Many times,and more drivers should stand up to these imbecile firms.
Cheers
yourhavingalarf:
. Everything I did was wrong, I mean everything. I parked my car in the wrong place, my hi-viz wasn’t good enough, my boots weren’t really grippy enough if there was a spill etc. Utter cobblers from possibly the most obnoxious shift manager I’ve come across. The ■■■■ taking went on all night from picking the wrong trailer, loading the wrong stuff, driving too fast in the yard, hooking up wrong. The last straw was about 5 hours into the shift when they told me to run to Normanton and then back again. I wanted a break but they said I couldn’t have one. I can still picture me leaving the whole thing on the weighbridge with the engine running and the door left wide open as I walked calmly back to my car.
Yeah, I would’ve walked at the hi-viz part already. I only walked out on my very first job right after high school. I was this guy’s “technical assistant”, he had a business selling things on ebay which was a way to make money back then. 3 months in he’d find something to moan about every day. Fortunately he was often away on business trips so I could work by myself. One day he came back, I finished my day and went home. Then he calls me and starts yelling at me on the phone because I didn’t lock the door at the building’s entrance (the lock was broken but he wouldn’t listen). I didn’t show up for work again
Other than that I’ve always left jobs in a civilized manner, giving proper notice, shook hands etc. even on agency. Since I started driving I’ve had plenty of urges to quit on the spot (gave in only once). I suppose I just haven’t been in this business long enough 
I did a couple of agency jobs a few years back - first for a scaffolding company who gave me a 10 year old DAF LF, no rear plate and ■■■■■■■ out air. Everytime I’d hit the brakes in the yard it’d drain the tanks and that annoying DAF noise comes on the dashboard. Boss sent his “fitter” out who said it was fine and that I should just go easy on the brakes. Boss tells me I’ve wasted his time, told him he wasted mine and walked off - got paid a full day by the agency.
Second one was a used pallet company - they loaded and strapped it for me - their dodgy straps kept coming loose on the A3, had to stop in laybys every 5 min to fix them. Owner calls up saying he’s been watching me on the tracker and I’m longing it out so I get paid more. Turned the truck around, left it outside his yard with the key in the ignition, walked off.
Never had a decent experience driving for scaffolding firms apart from TRAD.