Tippers or Mixers?

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello folks,

My first post - but I’ve lurked on these forums for several years now :wink: and it’s certainly a great place!

I passed my Class-2 back in 2001 and, like a lot of newbie’s, I struggled to get a foot-in-the door for ages. I wanted to avoid agencies - which limited my options somewhat - but I persevered. Eventually I was given a break by a large company driving an eight-legger tipper on bulk clay work - some aggregate work too.

Going from passing Class-2 in a little Leyland Freighter with no range-change or splitter, to a fully-loaded MAN 30.262 with a 16-speed slap-over box was an eye-opener! Especially with a two year gap between test and job!

Well, I loved the tipper work - and later progressed from the old (and gutless!) MAN to a much nicer ERF EC-11. Again, the ERF was an eight-legger tipper with a 16-speed box - range switch, not a slap-over this time!

The job was great fun, and I met some excellent characters amongst the other tipper drivers. But it was all to end - and all too soon. :cry: Sadly, for me, the job only lasted five months - the company decided to close the depot where I worked, as well as three others - the drivers either relocating to non-driving jobs within the company, or taking redundancy. I opted for the latter.

Anyway, I’ve wanted to get back on tippers but all my searching has been to no avail. Recently a large quarrying and concrete company I contacted - who run a large fleet of tippers - contacted me saying they didn’t have any tipper vacancies but did have a vacancy for a Class-2 mixer driver. Well, I should be meeting the boss sometime this week. But I’ve no experience with mixers, and I’m not 100% sure it’s the job for me. I have no desire to get my Class-1 - nor do I want to spend my nights in some lay-by, or drive endless motorways or get involved with any sort of multi-drop job.

Yes, I am choosy! But I guess I’m a tipper driver at heart! :smiling_imp:

Basically, how different are the two jobs - mixers and tippers? Is one “worse” than the other - or are they quite similar? I’m not really talking about the driving side, as I’ve read on these forums that mixers can be a nightmare. I’m really talking about the actual job as a whole.

If the company were to offer me the job I guess it would be wise to take it as they do run a large tipper fleet. I imagine should a tipper vacancy arise in the future it would be easier to transfer within the company?

2

Dont you feel the urge to use your redundancy money to get a class one.
At least then you can go on the bulk tippers.
I havent done either job so cant really tell you much, other than what ive read, be carefull with mixers ! there was a thread in the newbee section somewhere on mixers, try searching at the top of the page and see what you find !

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trucknetuk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic. … ght=mixers

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know bugger all about mixers but i would take the previous advice and go for class 1 (c & e) and go for bulk tippers. I know Ways will give a new driver a start although in S Molton they are a way from you. like you i am now and i think in my heart will always be a tipper driver, Be in exeter in the morning so wathch out for the blue white and gold bulker witha girl at the wheel. :smiley: :smiley:

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I never done mixers, one of the few things I aint done as it goes, but, I have a mate that did it for douglas’s for over 10 years and i reckon if he could do it anyone can, he’d be the first to tell you! :laughing: :laughing: On sites, ive done bulk, muck shifting, 8 leggers and artics, and block work, all I can say is the mixer blokes seemed to be in the biggest rush! :wink: Lanslot, if I were you, i’d have a go, and see if they offer you a tipper job later on…if you dont take to the mixers, and you never know, you might do, it really aint rocket science though, and keep away from the footings! :wink:

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On a lot of jobs they are looking for a driver with the relevant licence that they can teach the job to.
Knowing zb all about a type of work is not always a bad thing.
I would guess that if you like tipper work you’ll enjoy mixer work.

7

Thats right Daxi, and anyway, if you go in a job and they know full well you aint ever done it, you get a lot of slack for at least a week! …or maybe a day! :wink:

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lansalot,ive done tipper work and mixer work as an owner driver. you will soon learn the ropes on the mixers and you have the advantage of having experience driving on sites.
the only reason mixer drivers are in a bigger rush than tipper drivers is because the majority are owner drivers and want to get as many loads in as possible.
the down side to mixers is you very rarely get a quick tip! it can involve a lot of waiting and tipping time,but you will become a wizard at reversing cos they want you in places you wouldn`t expect to get a car. good luck :wink:

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Hello all,

Thanks to those who replied to my original post - it’s appreciated! :slight_smile:

Gurner: I can’t really use my redundancy pay to get a Class 1, as I didn’t get any redundancy pay! :wink: I wasn’t with the company long enough.

Nessa: Yes, I’ve seen a few of Way’s trucks around. I used to run clay to/from Victoria Warf in Plymouth, and Way’s would often be there delivering grain to the warf’s silo. Can’t remember seeing any rigids in Way’s livery though… S Molton would be a schlep for me, too!

Well, I met the boss yesterday and we had a long chat - he said there were two others he had to see and that he’d get back to me. True to his word, he 'phoned me tonight and offered me a start on Monday - 07:30 at their main quarry, which is about 20-miles from me.

First day I’ll be going though the usual H&S stuff, plus going out with one of their tipper drivers - basically so I can be shown the intricacies of the Fuller 9-speed constant-mesh 'box! :open_mouth: :open_mouth: Yes, the company run mainly Foden’s - and all constant-mesh! They have some ERF’s with the Eaton twin-split too! I mentioned to the boss that I’d no experience with constant-mesh 'boxes - and he said; “Well, if you don’t give it a go you’ll never know!” :open_mouth:

After (hopefully!) getting to grips with the Fuller, I’ll be shown the mixer side of things. Again, this is likely to be a Foden. I will spend a few days at the quarry - then both I and the mixer will be based at their Plymouth mixing plant - approximately 1.5 miles from my house! :slight_smile:

Mal:
… all I can say is the mixer blokes seemed to be in the biggest rush! :wink: Lanslot, if I were you, i’d have a go, and see if they offer you a tipper job later on …

Mal, I mentioned tippers to the boss and he said they base no tippers at Plymouth - they are all based at their main quarry and there were no vacancies at present. However, he mentioned the fact that two of his tipper drivers will be retiring in April of next year. Providing I can hack the mixer job he saw no reason why I couldn’t go for one of those positions when the time came. It would mean a longer commute, but that would be a small price to pay!

daxi:
On a lot of jobs they are looking for a driver with the relevant licence that they can teach the job to.
Knowing zb all about a type of work is not always a bad thing…

The bossman said much the same Daxi. :astonished:

english_jock:
… the only reason mixer drivers are in a bigger rush than tipper drivers is because the majority are owner drivers and want to get as many loads in as possible …

That’s the good thing about this firm - they own and run the fleet. The bossman said he’d sooner a mixer get to a job safely than have the thing turn over because it was rushing! This was after I mentioned to him that the only thing I knew about mixers were they are top heavy! :open_mouth: Their mixer work is predominantly site based, with the odd domestic too. He mentioned a couple of major building projects happening in this area soon.

Well, Monday will be the day of reckoning! It’s been twelve months since I was in the eight-wheeler saddle - so I’m going to be pretty rusty I guess.

We shall see - at the moment I’m squinting through a veil of trepedation! :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

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Chris, from what youve said, it seems to me you could well do OK with them, they dont expect you to know everything! Good Luck!

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An interesting letter in last weeks comical motor about mixers and operators licensing

Apparently if you are mixing cement you are not technically carrying for hire and reward :confused: :confused: You cannot carry anything else and the sand, water and cement are part of the process

Let me dig it out and type it up.

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Sir LANs-a-lot:
Can’t remember seeing any rigids in Way’s livery though…

there’s a couple :wink: