shift manager cant belieive how i manage to get in and out the places in half the time the other drivers do…
well from some observation i have noticed a lot of the drivers other firms included are a bit offish and ignorant with warehouse/office staff if there stuff isnt ready 5 minutes ago …
i take the not to bothered approach and learn the names i need to know at the places i go to and engage in some kind of mutually pleasing conversation …
and i guarantee the next time i,m in they have remembered me and not messed about getting the paperwork , not messed about allocating me another trailer and in one case on bloke even works past the compulsory industry standstill dinnertime and either finishes unloading me or reloading me . and for that favour i move the truck to anywhere in the yard he wants it to make our lives easier . plus the fact he doesnt hold me over the dinner hour and the half hour build back into work mode …
i dont continuosly(sp) hassle a shift manager for a gate pass to get out i ask him once and then wait for it . and again this has worked as i normally now get given a gate pass to get out before i have barely got out the cab to pull the curtains back
its hard to at times i know but it does work being nice
You clearly reap the benefit from your approach and it proves that if you can manage your frustration, which I’m sure you still feel occaisionally, keep your head, make a point of knowing peoples names, and not show the pressure people will respond.
Every now and again you get some [zb] determined to be a pain, or just has a bad attitude, but you just treat them with the contempt they deserve and move on.
what did one firm say the driver is our ambassador who represents our
firm to the customer therefore he/she must at all times be prepared to
act to a standard which will not damage the firm
It is a well known fact that people buy from people not firms, so the individual people relationship is very important, whether your selling a product , a service or a company image, what you say and do does colur peoples opinions.
Think of the situation with Nathan at BK and turn that around to you and someone who you are dealing with and ask yourself, was I right, do I care?
My mate was saying, the other day, that when he started working for the firm he’s currently working for, he got to know the warehouse staff and flt drivers from the start.
He now says that when he turns up at work his load is loaded and strapped properly, the curtains are closed and buttoned up, his paperwork is always in drop order and his vehicle is always fuelled (including fridge tank)!!!
The other drivers, apparently, are always moaning that they never get the same treatment and that the warehouse staff etc. are all miserable wotsits.
It shows what a bit of common decency between folk will do!
I look at it this way they are all customers & its the customers they pay my wages so look after them. Ok some can be right z/b but even they can surprise you sometimes.
Life’s too short . Works for me as well . I speak as I’m spoken to myself. If someone wants an argument, they’ll get it & are given the opportunity to “start again, because we got off on the wrong foot - didn’t we.” If they’re helpful, then it’s thankyou very much. If not, then I’m paid by the hour, so what do I care?
I’m 100% in agreement on this one. The number of “notoriously bad” places where I’ve never had a problem is incredible. It’s not just because I’m female either, I know many girls who’ve had trouble at the same places.
Sure, there have been days where it’s all gone pear-shaped ( Fridays, usually ) and the poor sod on goods-in has copped the brunt of my lousy mood…but I always make a point of apologising and making it clear that I know it’s not their fault before I leave.
I guess a few years in their shoes as a forkie helps, mind. It’s amazing how much some of these poor put-upon souls lighten up once they know you truly understand what it’s like to be in their shoes…I guess it’s the same as it is for most of us when you find a forkie who’s an ex-wagon driver. Might not get the load on or off any quicker, but you both leave the encounter feeling a bit better for having “dumped”…
It’s the same with gatehouse/security guards - and goods-in wallahs in offices, for that matter. The snottier they are the bigger smile they get from me…a tactic which is far more effective than jumping up and down and being snotty back. It just disarms them completely. That and responding with a wink and a cheery “Will do, you’re the boss” (taking care not to sound sarcastic). Ego massaged, they’ll get on and treat you like an equal then…
Number one thing I always try and remember. Usually people who treat you like [zb] are doing so because someone treats them like [zb]… so brighten their day and behave how you would like them to behave towards you, and they’ll respond accordingly. You might even make someone’s day.
Cabhopper:
Always treat people as you wish to be treated. If they do not respond, take your cue from them. I find it works well. [/quote
Thats the way I work too.
Obviously, I have the occasional ‘off day’, the same as everyone else . But as a general rule, it works for me. I also usually give them a ‘shall we try again?’ opportunity, after I rip a strip off them when they start on me .
. I speak as I’m spoken to myself. If someone wants an argument, they’ll get it & are given the opportunity to “start again, because we got off on the wrong foot - didn’t we.” If they’re helpful, then it’s thankyou very much. If not, then I’m paid by the hour, so what do I care? 
) and the poor sod on goods-in has copped the brunt of my lousy mood…but I always make a point of apologising and making it clear that I know it’s not their fault before I leave.
. But as a general rule, it works for me. I also usually give them a ‘shall we try again?’ opportunity, after I rip a strip off them when they start on me 