Is there anyone on this board which has experience of doing this type of work?
What kind of skills are needed for the role? Do they now use software to assist? I am a HGV driver and I’ve applied for such a role. Any information would be most welcome.
Fragonard:
Is there anyone on this board which has experience of doing this type of work?What kind of skills are needed for the role? Do they now use software to assist? I am a HGV driver and I’ve applied for such a role. Any information would be most welcome.
Skills? 
Judging by the knowledge and abilities of many of them, as long as you have a pulse you’ll be fine.
robroy:
Fragonard:
Is there anyone on this board which has experience of doing this type of work?What kind of skills are needed for the role? Do they now use software to assist? I am a HGV driver and I’ve applied for such a role. Any information would be most welcome.
Skills?
Judging by the knowledge and abilities of many of them, as long as you have a pulse you’ll be fine.
And either good at darts or have a large hat to pull pieces of paper out of like the FA does at FA cup draw time
I took a job as a traffic planner, did it for 2 and a half years then packed in. Stress levels through the roof, earache from customers, nannying drivers, staring at a screen all day wondering how tf you could make it all work,constant paperwork to sort. I’d been driving for 30yrs before that so knew the job inside out but some drivers don’t care about that and think they know better. Went straight back to driving, far easier. We used a system called Mandata,it was pretty simple to use as long as you uploaded the correct load details, the IT crowd had a lot of it pre-loaded with regular jobs
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I had a transport planner who cycled to work everyday because he didnt even have a car licence.
He was doing the routing for like 30+ trucks.
So, I do not think you need any skills.
ps: He was terrible at it though. And yes, he would often send artics to do residential drops that could be done in a van. I quite enjoyed the challenge though. 
I did a 2 year stint at it. Never ever again.
The handholding of so called lorry drivers was unbelivable. The amount of times I had the driver on the end of the phone complaining he couldnt find a particluar site (church lane was the best one, “Head for the ■■■■■■■ church you moron”) and I had to have the tracker open on the monitor guiding him to site.
The amount of bellyaching and crying from drivers was unreal.
I couldnt wait to go back to the far easier job of pointing the truck down the road.
GOG47:
I took a job as a traffic planner, did it for 2 and a half years then packed in. Stress levels through the roof, earache from customers, nannying drivers, staring at a screen all day wondering how tf you could make it all work,constant paperwork to sort. I’d been driving for 30yrs before that so knew the job inside out but some drivers don’t care about that and think they know better. Went straight back to driving, far easier. We used a system called Mandata,it was pretty simple to use as long as you uploaded the correct load details, the IT crowd had a lot of it pre-loaded with regular jobsSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What your saying is the computer did the planning whilst you tapped a few keys. Before computers programs took over,planners invariably had road experience and planned with their knowledge and paperwork accordingly.
Reading some of the previous postings on TNUK a degree in obscure subject along with lily white hands and pointed shoes seem to be the norm for planners
lolipop:
GOG47:
I took a job as a traffic planner, did it for 2 and a half years then packed in. Stress levels through the roof, earache from customers, nannying drivers, staring at a screen all day wondering how tf you could make it all work,constant paperwork to sort. I’d been driving for 30yrs before that so knew the job inside out but some drivers don’t care about that and think they know better. Went straight back to driving, far easier. We used a system called Mandata,it was pretty simple to use as long as you uploaded the correct load details, the IT crowd had a lot of it pre-loaded with regular jobsSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What your saying is the computer did the planning whilst you tapped a few keys. Before computers programs took over,planners invariably had road experience and planned with their knowledge and paperwork accordingly.
Reading some of the previous postings on TNUK a degree in obscure subject along with lily white hands and pointed shoes seem to be the norm for planners
Did you actually read my post. I was a driver for 30yrs, I knew the job inside out, you loaded jobs into the computer but you still had to plan them out to drivers, thinking two or three moves ahead. You didn’t just push a computer key and it all magically came together, that’s where knowledge of the job came in. I’m glad I tried it to get another perspective of the job but I would never go back to it, every driver should try a few weeks in a busy traffic office,they wouldn’t be so quick to ■■■■■ and whine when they get given a load they don’t like
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adam277:
I had a transport planner who cycled to work everyday because he didnt even have a car licence.
He was doing the routing for like 30+ trucks.So, I do not think you need any skills.
ps: He was terrible at it though. And yes, he would often send artics to do residential drops that could be done in a van. I quite enjoyed the challenge though.
I think your PS rather disproves your assertion…
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Fragonard:
Is there anyone on this board which has experience of doing this type of work?What kind of skills are needed for the role? Do they now use software to assist? I am a HGV driver and I’ve applied for such a role. Any information would be most welcome.
Firstly, is this a ‘real’ post. It seems doomed to abuse. And secondly,
Going by the previous posts, some of the most vocal anti-planners have 1st hand knowledge of the stresses of the job and haven’t been able to stick it. So, next post that berates a planner needs to be referred to this thread.
In much the same way as a drivers role has been dumbed down over time, so has the need of knowledge for planners etc. At my old place they knew the basics rules of drivers hours (4.5hrs driving at a time etc) but anything deeper than the absolute minimum and they were lost. Dont get me wrong I used that lack of knowledge fully to my advantage by throwing some of the deeper rules at them and they’d never argue because they didn’t know any better.
When I was an ops manager with stagecoach I was very young for the role so I made it my duty to know everything because people try and catch you out because “they’ve been doing it longer so must know more than someone young” but it didn’t work. But that was me showing gumption. There was no obligation for me to learn anything other than what was in a book or a course.
Having said that, a few people mentioned nannying drivers and god ain’t that the truth. Out of nearly 200 drivers I could realistically trust about 10% of them to function without micro management. But then again in bigger firms that gumption has been trained out of people over time so you now end up with people who can’t do the job themselves.
It’s partly why I’m slightly worried about working for Tesco from tomorrow as I’ve always “done it my way” not through arrogance, more through learned experience but I guess I’ll have to adapt or move on…
LazyDriver:
Fragonard:
Is there anyone on this board which has experience of doing this type of work?What kind of skills are needed for the role? Do they now use software to assist? I am a HGV driver and I’ve applied for such a role. Any information would be most welcome.
Firstly, is this a ‘real’ post. It seems doomed to abuse. And secondly,
Going by the previous posts, some of the most vocal anti-planners have 1st hand knowledge of the stresses of the job and haven’t been able to stick it. So, next post that berates a planner needs to be referred to this thread.
Why wouldn’t it be a real post? These jobs are advertised and people apply for them. In this case, I am one of those applicants. Where I work now, we have software which does the planning. But the managers rely on it too much as the system doesn’t work that well. But apparently, they’ve spent so much money on it they have to use it type of thing.
I am interested in being Transport Manager down the line so I thought that this post would be a stepping stone as it largely a post to assist the TM at this company. So I am interested to know more about the job from others on this forum who may have some first hand knowledge. Thank you.
Did It for nearly 30 years, started out as a driver, then owner-driver then decided to take a nice easy job as a planner (LOL), manual at first looking at maps and using my own knowledge of journey times to try and plan, later computerized (took a lot of fun/skill out of the job). Like a lot of things in the industry over the years, it became less and less enjoyable and much more pressured, trying to please multiple masters.
Drivers ■■■■■■■■ about other drivers (why does he get that run etc), drivers ■■■■■■■■ about their deliveries (sorry, yes you have to go to London - that’s where the customer is) bosses on your back (that MUST BE DELIVERED ITS VERY IMPORTANT - then delivery rejected for being 10 minutes late/the wrong spec/not ordered), earning a lower hourly rate than the guys that you are supposed to be supervising. And nowadays with mobile phones,24-hour contact, never being able to switch off, etc.
Would I do it again - HELL NO!, only a job to be used as a stepping stone to another desk-bound career. At the moment if it was me I would stay behind the wheel, I think there is going to be a couple of good years to be a driver ahead.
EDIT: I finished my career in transport as an Operations Manager, just in case anyone thought I was bitter about never moving up the career ladder, I had worked for big and small companies - to be honest, had some great times - but they become less and less over the years
You need to be able to sit down and press keys on a keyboard and that’s it, the guy who does our planning in a large busy pallet network business has never driven a hgv, isn’t allowed a driving license due to epilepsy and rarely leaves the county he lives in.
It’s all software.
As its been said computer planning has become the norm,the problems begin when in theory the computer is right BUT in practice they are openly way of the mark. Programs are set as if everything runs as per book, and that Drivers once they leave base can run at road speeds with no hold ups like roadworks /diversions RTAs etc etc. How many times have runs been computer calculated as it takes X amount of time to get somewhere, for example 3hrs.22 min exactly,and it should only take X amount of time to tip and the bods in the office or the customer think its absolute gospel.that I presume is when the tempers get frayed and frustration sets in on a daily basis
Years ago I worked on a contract delivering kitchens to houses,the Company introduced a computer system of what they thought was going to be the bee`s knees of planning. Working on post codes,only problem was it could not understand that you could possibly have 2-3 deliveries in one post code or more than 1 delivery in 1 town per load consequently we had 4 vehicles delivering within 2 streets of each other instead of 1 vehicle. After a very short time the program was made redundant.
lolipop:
As its been said computer planning has become the norm,the problems begin when in theory the computer is right BUT in practice they are openly way of the mark. Programs are set as if everything runs as per book, and that Drivers once they leave base can run at road speeds with no hold ups like roadworks /diversions RTAs etc etc. How many times have runs been computer calculated as it takes X amount of time to get somewhere, for example 3hrs.22 min exactly,and it should only take X amount of time to tip and the bods in the office or the customer think its absolute gospel.that I presume is when the tempers get frayed and frustration sets in on a daily basis
Years ago I worked on a contract delivering kitchens to houses,the Company introduced a computer system of what they thought was going to be the bee`s knees of planning. Working on post codes,only problem was it could not understand that you could possibly have 2-3 deliveries in one post code or more than 1 delivery in 1 town per load consequently we had 4 vehicles delivering within 2 streets of each other instead of 1 vehicle. After a very short time the program was made redundant.
Paragon ?
Curry’s used that and it was carp 
one run it had me going over the 2 level crossing in Worthing 4 times ( both crossing can be down up to 1/4 hr at a time 
) so I changed the route around as I used to be a dustman in that town and knew the roads so I was only going over them once and cut 2 hours off the run 
lolipop:
Years ago I worked on a contract delivering kitchens to houses, the Company introduced a computer system of what they thought was going to be the bee`s knees of planning. Working on postcodes, the only problem was it could not understand that you could possibly have 2-3 deliveries in one postcode or more than 1 delivery in 1 town per load consequently we had 4 vehicles delivering within 2 streets of each other instead of 1 vehicle. After a very short time, the program was made redundant.
That was certainly a problem with early planning programs. Modern ones are a tad more sophisticated, although some companies will soldier on with what they are used to, faulty or not. It is a big investment though, so you can’t really blame them.
Anyway, sorting routes is probably the easy part of the job. A lot of them will be regulars anyway, so you just have to slot in the extras. The tricky part is dealing with a bunch of people who are all convinced that a) They could do a better job than you. b) They are getting more than their fair share of the rubbish work. c) They can’t take ‘that’ truck because the radio doesn’t work. d)That driver is barred from Tesco and another’s wife is seriously ill so needs to be kept local. And d) There is always the one who absolutely has to be home in time for tea on Friday.
You might have some drivers who never call, even when they have a problem, and others who phone constantly to tell you about how bad the traffic is in London. I used to compare my job with a kindergarten teacher’s, or akin to herding kittens.
Santa:
lolipop:
Years ago I worked on a contract delivering kitchens to houses, the Company introduced a computer system of what they thought was going to be the bee`s knees of planning. Working on postcodes, the only problem was it could not understand that you could possibly have 2-3 deliveries in one postcode or more than 1 delivery in 1 town per load consequently we had 4 vehicles delivering within 2 streets of each other instead of 1 vehicle. After a very short time, the program was made redundant.That was certainly a problem with early planning programs. Modern ones are a tad more sophisticated, although some companies will soldier on with what they are used to, faulty or not. It is a big investment though, so you can’t really blame them.
Anyway, sorting routes is probably the easy part of the job. A lot of them will be regulars anyway, so you just have to slot in the extras. The tricky part is dealing with a bunch of people who are all convinced that a) They could do a better job than you. b) They are getting more than their fair share of the rubbish work. c) They can’t take ‘that’ truck because the radio doesn’t work. d)That driver is barred from Tesco and another’s wife is seriously ill so needs to be kept local. And d) There is always the one who absolutely has to be home in time for tea on Friday.
You might have some drivers who never call, even when they have a problem, and others who phone constantly to tell you about how bad the traffic is in London. I used to compare my job with a kindergarten teacher’s, or akin to herding kittens.
I used to reckon 90% of drivers worked away no problem, the other 10% seemed to take up 90% of your time
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msgyorkie:
I did a 2 year stint at it. Never ever again.
The handholding of so called lorry drivers was unbelivable. The amount of times I had the driver on the end of the phone complaining he couldnt find a particluar site (church lane was the best one, “Head for the [zb] church you moron”) and I had to have the tracker open on the monitor guiding him to site.
The amount of bellyaching and crying from drivers was unreal.
I couldnt wait to go back to the far easier job of pointing the truck down the road.
My mate did the job for a few years, he’d back you up on this. He was a big lad so it didn’t phase him but sometimes it did almost come to blows between him and the drivers.