Got a feeling (touch wood) that tonight’s gonna be a half decent night so I’m making a start on a diary and I’ll let you know how it goes a.s.a.p;
As you may know, I’m working nights (through an agency) for brakes at Grantham. Last night was my second time out in an artic (though all week was supposed to be class 1) and it went much better than my first day but there didn’t seem to be much to write about.
As always, the first step’s to sort a route out - I’ve stopped using my satnav now because you can get away with less in an artic (especially when your reversing’s a bit shakey ) But I’m finding streetview’s an excellent tool because I can see the road for myself. Here’s the route to the first place I’m going, the other’s nearer home but I’m not sure where yet
darkseeker:
I’m finding streetview’s an excellent tool because I can see the road for myself
Streetview is fantastic. In preperation for my first C+E run (maybe trunking for Yarsley in Heywood soon) i have just invested in one of them mini laptops to use streetview and the satilight view to see what the loading areas are like. I need an area the size of a fotball pitch to reverse Also i’ve prepared for days i can’t get a connection so downloded microsoft autoroute (60 day free trail) for optimising the route (good for multi drops) and google earth.
I just need to save up for a truck nav now.
Did i miss anything?
Arrived at Brakes in Grantham just before my start time of 22:45 and collected my paperwork, my unit’s **07 dvk and trailer 30, so a long winded search of the yard later and I cant find it I did however find **07 dvR and, thinking it was a typo checked it’s trailer - no, 15! So that cant be right, eventually the shunter tells me that’s my truck after all and I settle in for the night. Walk round done and digi card in and done interrogating me and it’s time to go cause some more chaos on Britain’s roads
Through security, more paperwork filled in and a seal on the back door and I can finally get moving. I must stop for breaks on the bays apparently as they’re desperate for my backload from yearsly’s old yard in bilsthorpe near newark fair enough I suppose.
So, shoot up the A1 at a staggering 51.5mph god knows how I manage to control the thing at such speeds (read - stay awake at such speeds ) and arrive at hemsworth after about an hour and a half of gulping redbull and singing (badly) to relieve the boredom
on the bay with three shunts, trying to work out why the thing keeps stopping before I’ve reached the buffers, nothing under the wheels or in the way and I eventually get it in place and squeeze a 19min break in before I’m off again.
Reach my collection at yearsleys and get given bay 18, after a fair bit of messing about I eventually dump it where it is as it’s stopped itself again anyway and go to check I’m in the right place (and notice the crowd who must’ve been wetting themselves at my rediculous reverse). After watching a shunter or warehouse bod chatting up one of the girls in “goods in” up for nearly 15 mins I’m finally given some attention (cant say I blame him, bit old for me though) and I’m told to put it on 19 for some reason, hey-ho - more practice! All goes well except I’m not quite central and the dock leveler won’t quite go on the trailer (and the bloody thing stopped itself again! wtf!?) I’m told to put the nearside trailer wheels right on the line and it’ll be fine, guess what - it’s too far left now one more go and I ignore all the “helpful” tips and just get it perfectly central and job’s a good 'un! “See!? told you that’d sort it” says the guy standing on the dock leveler “bloody thing keeps stopping itself” I said, “yeah, they’re fitted with that parking angel thing” apparently, what a ■■■■ idea
Squeezed another 20min break in but a quick calculation tells me I can make it back without going over 4.5hrs driving time or 6hrs work, which is exactly what I did! Same run again tonight, really enjoying my new license at the moment and gradually improving with the reversing. Nights are good for this too because there’s usually less people to make you feel daft
Only one photo tonight as I was in a bit of a rush;
Interesting diary darkseeker , sounds like your enjoying yourself & gaining experience as well . The google maps are good to see what a place looks like , but, beware sometimes on screen places (like parking bays) can tend to look larger than they actually are in reality , so you can find that you have less room to turn/reverse in. Happy days trucking
Your doing excellent. There is no looking back now you got your first foot on the ladder.
Now before i passed my C+E i only did home delivery work and never had to reverse onto a bay. What i want to know is this. If your trailer has barn doors that have a seal tag on them, before you reverse onto bay who is authorised to break the seal?
Also when your on bay and being unloaded, the green light comes on to tell you the have finnished unloading and its safe to drive off. Now do you sit there waiting for the paperwork on a green light or is the green light to tell you to go into traffice office to get it. Sorry if they seem like silly questions but would like to know what the whole RDC procedure and etiqute is.
Actually, that’s a good question about seals and I’m now a little worried about it too! Not had barn doors WITH A SEAL yet.
I’m struggling a little with bays at the moment because you have to be so accurate! Green light usually means go get paperwork if there is any. Some places, particularly morrisons, want you off the bay first so their next victim can get on.
If your trailer has barn doors that have a seal tag on them, before you reverse onto bay who is authorised to break the seal?
Not you!! Each RDC will have it’s own way of dealing with this - just ask. It’s a perfectly sensible question.
Also when your on bay and being unloaded, the green light comes on to tell you the have finnished unloading and its safe to drive off. Now do you sit there waiting for the paperwork on a green light or is the green light to tell you to go into traffice office to get it.
Normally they want you off the bay so I would pull off and then collect paperwork provided there’s not too much walking involved!
Thanks for that info. I’m sure i will have many more questions before i get my first run out It was so much easier when i passed my PCV. The bus company would type train you on every type of bus they had, ticket trained, radio trained and everything about the job. So much to learn, but this forum is great. Thanks everyone
First night in an autospastick last night 'orrible thing!
Daf XF105.410, very nice looking truck - masses of space in cab and slightly more comfortable than the Axors I’ve been driving (can see now why they’re called back-sores). The gearbox worked well but seemed to insist on being in too high a gear all the time and took forever to change down on hills (usually too late), reversing wasnt too bad but the extra complication didn’t really help with my reversing Which seems to have took a step backwards.
Sadly no pictures, I would’ve looked a bit daft taking pictures after taking so many shunts
Pleased it’s the end of my week though - I’m knackered!! Back again on sunday night same run though so nothing much to write about. Bishop stortford on friday I think so I’ll try to get some pictures etc sorted for that.
Hi Darkseeker
Do you still go out now with nerves as was on first night or do you feel you got it ok and just get on with it
the reason i ask is looks like next week i may have my first job trunking and to be honest im terrified of that first run what if i mess up cant find a place, put digi card in wrong and no one there to help all I have been given from agency is time sheets high viz jacket and a pair of steel toe capped boots and wait for call was excited when came out of agency but now starting to get a bit nervous !!
ZigZag:
Your doing excellent. There is no looking back now you got your first foot on the ladder.
Now before i passed my C+E i only did home delivery work and never had to reverse onto a bay. What i want to know is this. If your trailer has barn doors that have a seal tag on them, before you reverse onto bay who is authorised to break the seal?
Also when your on bay and being unloaded, the green light comes on to tell you the have finnished unloading and its safe to drive off. Now do you sit there waiting for the paperwork on a green light or is the green light to tell you to go into traffice office to get it. Sorry if they seem like silly questions but would like to know what the whole RDC procedure and etiqute is.
From newbie to not so nebwbie now
It depends on the place you’re going to. In my experience, the vast majority don’t give a toss and tell you to rip it off yourself. Once you’ve been to the same places a few times you get the idea and will know whether to wait for them to check it or to just rip it off, open up and get backed on. If anyone does bother to check, it’s usually only gate security on your way in or out.
Hi Rob. I was actualy going to ask if it was usualy the security who would usualy take the seal off. So if i ever come across this i will just ask at the gate.
I have just orderd the trucking handbook too and reading on here about range change with splitter to give me more sleepless nights
Jennie:
i may have my first job trunking
Hope it goes well for you I was hoping to start night trunking but looks like thats all changed now and my agency has other plans for me.
Jennie:
Hi Darkseeker
Do you still go out now with nerves as was on first night or do you feel you got it ok and just get on with it
the reason i ask is looks like next week i may have my first job trunking and to be honest im terrified of that first run what if i mess up cant find a place, put digi card in wrong and no one there to help all I have been given from agency is time sheets high viz jacket and a pair of steel toe capped boots and wait for call was excited when came out of agency but now starting to get a bit nervous !!
jx
To be honest, I never got time to be nervous! I rushed to grantham excited about getting out on my own, paperwork chucked at me with directions and I was off
Since then I’ve not been nervous, strangely, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been half asleep working nights or if it’s because (being nights) I’ve known there wont be many people about I think the couple of years driving rigids has helped too.
Don’t worry about it - you wouldn’t’ve got your license if you weren’t good enough and everyone’s been great so far
This is on rigids trunking so hopefully not much can go wrong , its going to prob be nights so when they said trunking i have just assumed will be from depot to depot might be wrong anyway only time will tell gonna get that lorry drivers handbook over the weekend every little helps as the saying goes !!!
anyway thanks for answer
Very nice Diary, sounds like you’ve settled in and enjoying the job
Jennie:
Hi Darkseeker
Do you still go out now with nerves as was on first night or do you feel you got it ok and just get on with it
the reason i ask is looks like next week i may have my first job trunking and to be honest im terrified of that first run what if i mess up cant find a place, put digi card in wrong and no one there to help all I have been given from agency is time sheets high viz jacket and a pair of steel toe capped boots and wait for call was excited when came out of agency but now starting to get a bit nervous !!
jx
That’s more than I got from my Agency
One ‘job’ last week was in a ‘new’ Scanny, manual gearbox which looked was very strange to me, having never seen this type before, I then tried to get the key in the ignition and it wouldn’t turn. Trying to find somebody at 0415 is hard but I did, we looked and the steering lock was on, doh Then I went to put my digicard in and I couldn’t open the cassette thingy. I found this chap again and he explained how to do it.
I find everyday is ‘new’ when doing Agency work. The only thing that concerns me is reversing, every job I plan my reverse before I get there, the ‘plan’ seems to fall apart when I get to the ‘job’. Reversing just gets harder. Strange
Hi all just reading through the above posts and they are very interesting,could anyone post up a link for the truckers handbook and where to purchase it.
CTRALLYING:
Hi all just reading through the above posts and they are very interesting,could anyone post up a link for the truckers handbook and where to purchase it.
Jennie:
This is on rigids trunking so hopefully not much can go wrong , its going to prob be nights so when they said trunking i have just assumed will be from depot to depot might be wrong anyway only time will tell gonna get that lorry drivers handbook over the weekend every little helps as the saying goes !!!
anyway thanks for answer
J x
sorry didnt mean to high jack ur thread
try not to worry too much about your first outing in a truck. As an agency driver you are expected to be useless any way. I don’t mean to cause offence by that thats just the way it is. the best advice I can gice is just to ask if you are unsure of anything
darkseeker:
reversing wasnt too bad but the extra complication didn’t really help with my reversing Which seems to have took a step backwards.
Don’t worry about it DS…you will still have the odd bad day after 6 years
Gradually over the next few months the balance will shift and you will have less and less bad days. You will know when you have cracked it when you have a bad reverse but really don’t give a monkeys.
) But I’m finding streetview’s an excellent tool because I can see the road for myself. Here’s the route to the first place I’m going, the other’s nearer home but I’m not sure where yet 
Also i’ve prepared for days i can’t get a connection so downloded microsoft autoroute (60 day free trail) for optimising the route (good for multi drops) and google earth.
I did however find **07 dvR and, thinking it was a typo checked it’s trailer - no, 15! So that cant be right, eventually the shunter tells me that’s my truck after all and I settle in for the night. Walk round done and digi card in and done interrogating me and it’s time to go cause some more chaos on Britain’s roads 
fair enough I suppose.
one more go and I ignore all the “helpful” tips and just get it perfectly central and job’s a good 'un! “See!? told you that’d sort it” says the guy standing on the dock leveler 
same run though so nothing much to write about. Bishop stortford on friday I think so I’ll try to get some pictures etc sorted for that.
