Been ringing a few companies for jobs and literally sending out a lot of letters like over 70. One company that I like the look of is T.M.C, nice
looking trucks. Rung them, said how about a job, said they’ve
got vacancies for experienced people as we go into a of building sites.
What the hell does that mean? I can’t driving into a building site cos I’m not experienced enough that sounds like cr*p to me.
Does anyone know anything about Danbury Haulage. They run tippers out of a pit in Chelmsford, do they take new drivers? Sent them a letter this week so see what happens with that. I want to drive a tipper. I don’t want to be delivering bacon and bread at 5am. Rather stick with my boring office job.
You could try Bushcade at Ingatestone, when I passed I talked to him about starting off. He was going to take me out on a Saturday morning for assessment but after it got cancelled twice I’d sorted something else. Steve Marta is your man, according to a guy I worked with he was a bit particular about things being done this way or that.
You’d be better off ringing TMC, Danbury Haulage + Kings transport and explaining that you’re keen and are willing to go out on an assessment.
If you get a job on Danbury Haulage, you’ll probably ending waving at me as most of them flash / wave the Danbury Plant motors.
Rich80:
… said they’ve got vacancies for experienced people as we go into a of building sites. What the hell does that mean? I can’t driving into a building site cos I’m not experienced enough that sounds like cr*p to me. …
Nope, it’s not crap! Building sites can be very awkward to drive in, especially some of the smaller sites. You inevitably have to reverse into the site and there are often many obstacles in your way. It’s often like negotiating an obstacle course… Backwards! Factor in a rainy day, Numpties appearing and disappearing from view (yes, in the perfect world there should be a banksman - but often there isn’t), rough / boggy terrain and you have a recipe for potential damage to either lorry, building site equipment, Numpties and / or materials.
Gotta agree with LANs-a-lot, building site work is hard!
Tell me Rich, what makes you draw the conclusion that their requirement is “crap”?
Have you ever done site work in a truck?
Have you ever driven a truck with more than 2 axles?
Do you know anything about turning cirles in 6- and 8-leggers and how they differ from each other?
Do you know what a diff lock is and how to use it?
Do you know how not to use it and why?
Do you know what a cross lock is and how to use it?
What experience do you have that has taught you about traction, how to achieve it in slippery and challenging circumstances and how to regain it when you get stuck?
Can you back accurately and precisely around numerous obstacles without stopping or needing a shunt - because if you do either you will get stuck?
Know anything about PTOs?
The list goes on and on…and whilst you will never learn some of the more job-specific stuff above until you actually get on to the tippers, any employer looking to train a driver up needs to at least be confident that they can do the basics, like the backing, and understand the basics, like traction control and use of a diff lock. All of which you can work on in a far more basic and less challenging job.
You are at the bottom of the ladder. You have to climb it a rung at a time, just like any other career. Gaining a licence does not make you a driver, it simply allows you to carry on learning alone. You will never stop learning in this job, but you need to perfect the art of walking before you try and run. Very few of us have been lucky enough to walk straight into our job of choice - you have to work your way there. Deliver bread and bacon at 5am as a stepping stone. Everyone else had to.
We had a lad start at our place, didn’t know much about PTO’s, had only done a couple of weeks on a site lorry.
On our 4 wheelers, the PTO doesn’t automatically knock out when you lower the ■■■■
He ended up driving with the PTO still engaged. 2 miles later he had burned the clutch out and wreaked the gearbox
needless to say that was his first and last day with us.
In some ways tippers are easy but in others they blooming hard.
Lucy:
Have you ever driven a truck with more than 2 axles?
Not a rigid no
Lucy:
Do you know anything about turning cirles in 6- and 8-leggers and how they differ from each other?
Err no
Lucy:
Do you know what a diff lock is and how to use it?
Yes and err no (edit: I do now )
Lucy:
Do you know how not to use it and why?
No (edit: I know not to leave it on once off the soggy stuff)
Lucy:
Do you know what a cross lock is and how to use it?
Nope (edit: yep and not used one yet but i would assume its only a good idea to use it if you intend travelling in a straight line )
Lucy:
Can you back accurately and precisely around numerous obstacles without stopping or needing a shunt - because if you do either you will get stuck?
Yep
Lucy:
Know anything about PTOs?
Nope (edit: yep had a go with them now too)
there you go ive had my class 2 for 7 years and my class 1 for 2 years and i would not let an employer send me out in x amount of thousands of £££’s of truck because i dont know ■■■■ about this type of work (edit: but i know a little bit more than i did when i originally posted this which is why i edited it just to show you that as you do more over time you learn more hence you become more experienced you cant expect to know everything 5 mins after passing your test) …but hey if your more experienced than me Rich80 then good on yah kiddo you deserve to walk in to your perfect job
Cor Blimey, just shoot the guy and be done with it why not. He hardly said he’d come along and p*ss it and still get an extra load in whilst staying legal.
I think it’s a case of not understanding some of the potential hazards involved.
Why not try and explain rather than criticise.
Sites are full of hazards, and good observation is critical. Most tipper firms will be running several motors in and out of a site all day, so there is potential to learn from the other drivers and see how they do it.
All of the firms he’s looking at are running 8 leggers, which on the down side means a crap turning circle. However they are comparitively short and have no rear overhang unlike other rigids with huge tail swing issues.
He just needs a firm that’s willing to help him and hopefully help themselves to get a decent driver.
Rich80:
said they’ve got vacancies for experienced people as we go into a of building sites.
What the hell does that mean? I can’t driving into a building site cos I’m not experienced enough that sounds like cr*p to me.
We all need a firm to help us when we start, I was lucky cos I found 1and have now found another 1 now I have gone back on the lorries.
However he is not going to get anywhere with the attitude above (highlighted bit)
Lans-a-lot, and lucy have explained and I just gave an example of what can happen when it goes wrong.
What the hell does that mean? I can’t driving into a building site cos I’m not experienced enough that sounds like cr*p to me.
…and…
I want to drive a tipper. I don’t want to be delivering bacon and bread at 5am. Rather stick with my boring office job.
…that got my hackles up.
Too many Newbies come through here all cocky and won’t do this, won’t do that. They have to except that they are starting as a beginner and need to work their way up to where they want to be.
Harsh, maybe, but true. Attitude is all, if he wants a chance.
Lucy:
Do you know anything about turning cirles in 6- and 8-leggers and how they differ from each other?
Out of curiosity, what’s considered approximately as a normal wheelbase (between front axle and first drive axle) of those 8-leggers with 2+2 axle configuration that seem to be popular over there? I’m asking just to get some kind of view how their turning circle compares to 6-leggers.
Rich80:
I don’t want to be delivering bacon and bread at 5am. Rather stick with my boring office job.
To be fair, when I passed my test (not too long ago) the thought of getting up @ 3 am to deliver hovis didn’t appeal much to me either I would have done it but I was lucky & knew someone pretty high up in a readymix concrete co.
I got 2 1/2 days training & was sent on my own! I’m sure the batcher picked my first job as a joke… Oh boy, it opens your eyes to how much you don’t know
After 12 months or so I left & drove tippers for a while, then onto general haulage. I’m now working for an owner driver back on mixers & to be honest, it’s the best out of the 3… 7am start, mostly finished by 5 (but in summer can get to 6 ish) & decent money.
To Rich… the company I used to work for are always on the lookout for mixer drivers, they set one on 3-4 weeks ago… just passed his test in january so keep trying there are people out there who will give you a chance, just be prepared for a very steep learning curve & crap wagons… I wasn’t & it came as big shock!! Passing your test & actually doing the job are worlds apart but having the right attitude & being prepared to listen/learn is the key.
Lucy:
Gotta agree with LANs-a-lot, building site work is hard!
Delivering to cash sale customers who think a mixer is the same size as their astra is a bit of a challenge, after that most building sites are a doddle… once you have the experience!!
Rich80:
I want to drive a tipper. I don’t want to be delivering bacon and bread at 5am. Rather stick with my boring office job.
Whats the problem? Delivering bacon and bread or doing it at 5a.m? To me, there’s nothing wrong with either. If you want to drive a tipper, fair enough but why criticise someone elses job? If the issue is getting up early, I don’t think wagon driving will be for you. Early starts rule in this job!
Anyway, for what its worth all I’ve ever driven is tippers and (very occasionally) mixers. If you get the job, keep your eyes and ears open and if you don’t know ask someone who does. If you are honest with the experienced drivers, they will help. If you go in like Billy Bigtime thinking you know it all, they won’t bother with you. I was lucky, got a job and listened and learned from 5/6 other good blokes. Not all the advice they give you will be cosher but you’ll learn to filter the rubbish advice from the good stuff. All the best with your job hunt.
I don’t think he’s criticising anyones job Hammer, he’s just saying he doesn’t want to do it himself. I don’t want to be a Newsagent for instance but it doesn’t mean I don’t respect the work they do.
It would be a boring world if we all wanted to do the same thing I reckon.
Out of curiosity, what’s considered approximately as a normal wheelbase (between front axle and first drive axle) of those 8-leggers with 2+2 axle configuration that seem to be popular over there? I’m asking just to get some kind of view how their turning circle compares to 6-leggers
On our 8 wheelers we tend to have short wheelbases for tippers and hook loaders as they only have a fairly short body, or have longer wheelbases for things like the twin skip loaders and plant vehicles with full length bodies.
6 wheelers are fairly easy, similar to a 4 wheeler especially when configured as 6x2 with lift axles, you just end up with a bit of an overhang. The longer 8 wheelers take a bit more thought as you have to make wider turns to squeeze around corners, an 8x2 with a lift axle would probably help a bit but it’s the twin steer axle that really limits manouverability. An 8 wheeler with a lifting second steer axle would be the best thing, I don’t know why it’s not done as you get units with lifting steer axles.
8wheels:
– but it’s the twin steer axle that really limits manouverability.
Interesting. I would’ve though it doesn’t affect that much to maneuverability.
Now that I know it might affect more to the maneuverability than wheelbase, can you give some sort of measurements what could be typical wheelbases of 6- and 8-wheelers doing for example tipper work. I’m just asking out of curiosity as I don’t have faintest idea what tipper wheelbase could be. I’m pretty sure it’s less than that 5.2 metres + tag axle I’m used to, but how much, is a mystery to me.
8wheels:
An 8 wheeler with a lifting second steer axle would be the best thing, I don’t know why it’s not done as you get units with lifting steer axles.
I’ve wondered the same. Liftable second steering axle isn’t anything impossible to build as even small Finnish truck builder Sisu offers that kind of axle layout (click for a picture). I’m sure there would be demand for this kind of layout over there but I haven’t heard of any other make offering this same solution.
Interesting. I would’ve though it doesn’t affect that much to maneuverability.
Take a 6x2 with a lift axle, with the tag lifted it’s just a 4x2 and is fairly manouevrable, drop the tag and you are making the turning circle bigger, adding a second steering axle is a similar reduction.
The problem (as I see it) is that axle 1 steers at 30 degrees (or whatever) and axle 2 steers at 15 degrees (whatever the exact figures are I don’t know but axle 2 steers a hell of a lot less) Surely that has got to have something to do with it.
Because I like 8 leggers I always have a look when I pass one, and have noticed that there is a surprising number of them that have been stretched from twin steer units, when you look at the gap between axle 1 & 2 it is greater than a conventional one. Someone told me that if you get the geometry right they are more manoueverable.
I’ve never seen one with a lift twin steer though, Bearing in mind that most 8 wheelers (tippers, mixers, plant, takers & roll offs) probably travel at least 50% of the journeys empty of part load I find it strange.
There was some thought about converting my 6x2 to an 8x2, if it ever happens I shall suggest looking into a lift axle (it should work as it’s already been stretched from a unit) and I’d end up with an axle configuration like the SISU either 4x2, Chinese 6 or conventional 6 or 8x2.
Very occasionally you see an 8 wheeler with a single steer and three rear axles. But not often.
Kyrbo, the second steer is added to allow the MGW to go up from 26t to 32t, and the steering aspect of it is a necessity, as you would need Belgium to turn around in without it, not to mention a rubber plantation to keep it in tyres… It’s down to greed, in other words…
The reason they don’t fit lifting steers comes back to the same thing. Payload is all with tippers, and lift mechanisms are heavy. If the cost of reducing the payload is greater than that of using a few more tyres, then it would be economically foolish to fit. Obviously whoever does the maths for these things is simply going for the best option in revenue terms.
First I just mention little mistake I made on earlier post, where picture I linked featured a lorry with lifting twin steering axle, not just steering second axle like I originally wrote.
8wheels:
Interesting. I would’ve though it doesn’t affect that much to maneuverability.
Take a 6x2 with a lift axle, with the tag lifted it’s just a 4x2 and is fairly manouevrable, drop the tag and you are making the turning circle bigger, adding a second steering axle is a similar reduction.
The problem (as I see it) is that axle 1 steers at 30 degrees (or whatever) and axle 2 steers at 15 degrees (whatever the exact figures are I don’t know but axle 2 steers a hell of a lot less) Surely that has got to have something to do with it.
Yes, I know the effect but I had thought steering axle would practically negate that effect. At least that’s what happens with the 6x2 Volvo with lifting and steering tag axle I’ve driven which practically behaves all the time like 4x2 despite the load or if tag axle is up or down. That definitely wasn’t the case with old lorry used in the same work as it had same wheelbase and normal, lifting-only tag axle.
As I’ve never driven 8 legger and apart from that Volvo only other vehicle with more than one steering axle I’ve driven is old Scanny 143 artic so I really can’t argue with you and Lucy on this matter. And although I drove about a weeks worth with that Scanny I can’t count anything on that experience as it was second artic I drove and with the first one I only drove for a day… So maybe I just believe that for some reason 8 wheelers just are more awkward than 6 wheeler with similar wheelbase would be.
8wheels:
Very occasionally you see an 8 wheeler with a single steer and three rear axles. But not often.
That’s most common axle configuration for 8 wheelers in Finland. Lifting and steerable second axle, drive axle and liftable tag axle or double drive bogie. 2+2 configurations common over there are very, very scarce sight over here.
Lucy, operators over there should consider themselves lucky as they can worry only about revenue and not that much about traction.
I would have done it but I was lucky & knew someone pretty high up in a readymix concrete co.
