Done a few agency gigs but fed up being messed around, so I’m diving in full time from Monday on class 2. Doing pallet network multidrop so should keep me busy enough. Any tips appreciated on planning etc and anything need to take apart from Hi vis vest/coat, boots and licenses■■? Taking my satnav even though they have them built in as a just incase.
Welcome to the forum mate! 
I’m sure you’ve seen that a few of us have posted advice on a pallet thread in the last couple of days.
Best of luck pal…
main thing…bring your sandwiches and a drink of juice/water…i never leave home without them 
Good luck mate. I’m doing exactly the same from the 31st. Let us know how you get on.
carryfast-yeti:
main thing…bring your sandwiches and a drink of juice/water…i never leave home without them
Haha that seems easy enough to remember.
Doobz84:
Good luck mate. I’m doing exactly the same from the 31st. Let us know how you get on.
Will do. Il let you know of any balls ups so you won’t do the same! 
ValleysTrucker:
Doobz84:
Good luck mate. I’m doing exactly the same from the 31st. Let us know how you get on.Will do. Il let you know of any balls ups so you won’t do the same!
Haha awesome idea. Tell me EVERYTHING so I wont do the same. Hope you enjoy it. What were you doing before? Desk job?
If the job is day runs and you are home every night, I would take a sleeping bag,pillow and wash bag kit just in case of being stuck out for the night due to a road closure, or a breakdown and the working hours are up .
There is nothing worse than sleeping in your clothes in a cab .
Multi drop may involve narrow lanes in rural areas where cars practice for Fomula one .
Awkard and heavy pallets to be pump trucked over shingle or paved driveways or up slopes.
Some weigh over a ton such as turf, paving slabs, timber, or a few of what I had once, was huge bags of flour for a bakery out the tail lift, if it runs away, don’t try and stop it.
Keep customers away from the unloading process.
They always stand in the back to be nosey and distracy you with chatter .
I had customers expecting 12 pallets of compost to dragged down a grass drive then split down to be handballed over her garden wall .
Some farms may leave the keys in the tractor or Manitou to.unload yourself as farmers are at the market or have bad backs on delivery day .
Mind loose farm dogs that may bite and look out for metal rubbish in the grass where you turn which will puncture the tyres .
No I’m currently at a factory job I finish Friday. Il let I know no problem.
ValleysTrucker:
No I’m currently at a factory job I finish Friday. Il let I know no problem.
Oh ok. Well good luck mate and hope you enjoy it.
toby1234abc:
If the job is day runs and you are home every night, I would take a sleeping bag,pillow and wash bag kit just in case of being stuck out for the night due to a road closure, or a breakdown and the working hours are up .
There is nothing worse than sleeping in your clothes in a cab .
Multi drop may involve narrow lanes in rural areas where cars practice for Fomula one .
Awkard and heavy pallets to be pump trucked over shingle or paved driveways or up slopes.
Some weigh over a ton such as turf, paving slabs, timber, or a few of what I had once, was huge bags of flour for a bakery out the tail lift, if it runs away, don’t try and stop it.
Keep customers away from the unloading process.
They always stand in the back to be nosey and distracy you with chatter .
I had customers expecting 12 pallets of compost to dragged down a grass drive then split down to be handballed over her garden wall .
Some farms may leave the keys in the tractor or Manitou to.unload yourself as farmers are at the market or have bad backs on delivery day .
Mind loose farm dogs that may bite and look out for metal rubbish in tywhe grass where you turn which will puncture the tyres .
Thanks for the pointers some really good tips there. Yeah day work to start off just to get used to how they work and routes etc. Should be fun!
Some multi drop drivers become good friends with regular customers.
If the delivery normally arrives at a certain time, the customer will have the tea or coffee made prior to getting there .
One lad I know was not delivering where he goes regularly but the factory caught fire and the fire engines blocked his lorry for a few hours with drops not done .
Check the tail lift and pump truck works before leaving the yard .
Clients pay for a booking time slot or an A.m. or p.m. delivery, failure may mean a penalty .
I seen a few drivers rather than actually strapping every part of load down, just tightening up the straps along side each pallet behind the curtain?? Also with the curtain is it just the case of hook one end in and tighten other end and hook straps up on outside??
ValleysTrucker:
I seen a few drivers rather than actually strapping every part of load down, just tightening up the straps along side each pallet behind the curtain?? Also with the curtain is it just the case of hook one end in and tighten other end and hook straps up on outside??
An experienced driver will learn what does and doesn’t need extra strapping other than the ‘internals’ (name for straps hanging from roof).
Internals should always be used, but some things that are heavy/unstable and lightly to move about should be strapped down to the bed with ratchet straps. You wouldn’t want to appear through the curtain as you take a bend would you?
Do not consider the curtain to be restraint, there are ‘load bearing curtains’ but don’t go there, and as a newbie the answer is simple…
STRAP THE CRAP OUT OF IT!
(It’s better to learn what you can get away with later, than find out what you can’t straight away! 
)
But see the guys in the yard and play your Newbie card pal!
As for securing the curtain and tightening the poles, I suspect a YouTube video would explain it better…
Cheers Evil, I knew you would come in handy somewhere! 
Finished my last shift earlier so all set for Monday now. Seems like ages getting a start but it’s finally here!
Good luck on Monday, hope it all goes well, remember two things and you’ll be fine…
- Slow and steady wins the day, you’re a truck driver not a Formula 1 driver
- There is no such thing as a daft question, only a daft sod who didn’t ask
Reef:
Good luck on Monday, hope it all goes well, remember two things and you’ll be fine…
- Slow and steady wins the day, you’re a truck driver not a Formula 1 driver
- There is no such thing as a daft question, only a daft sod who didn’t ask
Cheers Reef, first day I’m bound to learn hell of a lot along with a few balls up! That’s what being s newbie is about in it! Haha
Few more questions! Think I’m driving an auto Mercedes so where would the switch for exhaust brake be located??Also if I didn’t do 4.5hours driving is it before 6hiurs working time I need a 45break?
ValleysTrucker:
Few more questions!
Ask the firm how that truck operates mate, as it will be a lot easier to grasp than any attempted explanation on here.
As for driving breaks, you need to understand these are separate to WTD breaks.
So if you don’t drive for 4.5 hours, you don’t need a driving break.
And if you don’t work for 6 hours, you don’t need a WTD break.
But if your shift is going to be over 6 hours (or longer) you’ll need to have at least a 15 min break before 6 hours occurs.
(If your shift is between 6-9 hours then you’ll need breaks totaling 30 mins which can be split into 2 x 15 mins
And If your shift is between 9-12 hours then you’ll need breaks totaling 45 mins which can be split into 3 x 15 mins
When you take these breaks should ensure that at no point in the shift do you work constantly for more than 6 hours!)
The easiest thing for a Newbie (probably doing multi-drop) is to take a 15 about 3-4 hours into their shift, and then to take a 30 a few hours later. This will keep the WTD happy and reset your driving time at the end of the 30 min break. Sorted! 
Cheers for reply. There’s a few things I need to be shown so il ask about truck then before I set off. As with the driving hours etc I’ve got the basics now I suppose the more I do then full time now i will get in a certain habit to make it easier as you said like taking a 15 a few hours in etc. Thanks Evil.