mmeessii:
Wow… What an interesting array of answers… Thanks and ■■■■■ UK… What you mean by dreaded hatch…
Also just wondering why does most of you dislike RDC deliveries/ supermarket deliveries…?
If I could I would go look for ADR jobs… Heard they are relatively easy and better paid then most. Not to bothered about Monday to Friday jobs tbh…
Deliveries to stores wasn’t too bad, ok a few cages to push around, but not really a problem, although I only really did it to Co-op stores round East Anglia, loads of country roads and small town to navigate, made the jobs more interesting than sitting in traffic on a motorway and you got to talk to the people.
RDC work however, basically get there at a specified time and end up waiting around without any idea of when they might manage to remove 26 pallets from your truck. No information, ask for information and get looked at like you just had a crap on their desk.
When I first started driving you could at least sit in your truck, and therefore listen to the radio or make a brew with your brew kit, last time I did a bit, I had to sit in a waiting room, with a crap coming out of the telly and a vending machine if I was lucky. There are only so many hours you can be on duty, so you plan your day and think I know I’ll stop there tonight or I might get home tonight, then as you sit there and wait and watch your plans go to ■■■■.
I have tipped at some good places over the years, but not many. I much prefer dealing directly with the people unloading my truck, my first full-time haulage job was multi-drops with a tilt trailer (Ask your Grandad
) loads of graft but delivering to small places, small industrial units, or factories, dealing directly with the owners or goods in staff and getting the job done quickly and being able to stop for breaks and for the night at somewhere you wanted to, not forced to because you’ve run out of time.
What I’ve been doing for the last few years is even better, working for race teams, where you get a say in how the truck is run,to the point where you are running all the teams transport and you work with some really great people,(and a few knobs) a good group of people is what makes a good race team and normally staying in hotels. traveling round Europe and beyond.
And what I’m doing this year is freelance, working for different race teams or prestige car manufactures taking their cars to circuits for test days or to PR events, working as part of their team and that does mean some graft, but also includes having a laugh and plenty of banter, it also means if they go somewhere nice to eat I get invited, I get to stay in the same hotels and eat where they eat, paid for by them and as it is seasonal work I know I have to get paid enough during the season to avoid having to go onto agency during the winter, I think I’ve manged that, but still the odd job coming in to avoid getting totally bored.
There are plenty of downsides to both of the jobs and I’d be the first to tell you about being on your feet for hours on end or having a late one when they’ve shunted the car, but for me the upsides far more than make up for the down side.