Hi guys I’ve got interview with tuffnells this Friday , I am a new pass class 1 with no experience in class 2 . I’ve been struggling to find any sort of work to be honest. As obviously need more experience. Need couple of questions answering
The pay says 31k but with an 4K bonus for turning up paid every 3 months . Does anyone have more insight to this as from what I’ve read they can take it off you for silly things .
The job I am going for is class 1 wag and drag does anyone have experience doing this with tuffnells ?
Really need a foot in the door with this industry. Thanks for your help much appreciated
Mattdriver1:
Hi guys I’ve got interview with tuffnells this Friday , I am a new pass class 1 with no experience in class 2 . I’ve been struggling to find any sort of work to be honest. As obviously need more experience. Need couple of questions answering
The pay says 31k but with an 4K bonus for turning up paid every 3 months . Does anyone have more insight to this as from what I’ve read they can take it off you for silly things .
The job I am going for is class 1 wag and drag does anyone have experience doing this with tuffnells ?
Really need a foot in the door with this industry. Thanks for your help much appreciated
Be prepared to be in the limiter everywhere you go and as fast as possible round every bend and overtake and cut in on other trucks.
Tuffnels seem to be driven by numpties these days always in a mega rush. But like tipper drivers. Lol
But it’s a step in the door onto better things in time maybe.
All you’re looking for is a start & tuffs is the perfect job for a newbie. Use it to smash some things, make all the newbie mistakes. Get your head around the tacho/regs then move onto better things.
Like already has been said be prepared to be flat to the mat everywhere & ready to drive some really old sheds.
About the bonus well it is that just a bonus, make sure your can survive on the basic before accepting the job but of course ask about it in the interview.
Their wagon and drags use A-frames, so have two articulation points. Forget everything you were taught during C+E training about reversing - it largely doesn’t apply to A-Frames. Good luck.
Yes done some agency 20 odd years ago at a guess out of Newark , one of the jobs was upto Sheffield , they took drag off & then I think it was solo down to brierly hill , pick up drag & back to Newark , did I think Northampton / London if I remember right , I do not remember the chasing round like a headless chicken as described on here , maybe that’s a employed thing , I was agency
Only issued I had was I turned up for a shift to be told there driver who was meant to be on holiday had cancelled it , so I wasn’t needed, I wasn’t bothered as guaranteed I think 9 hrs , may of been 8 , can’t remember , went home to get a phone call from agency saying they now had a run to London , I say no thanks , agency said didn’t think you would as your getting 9 hrs , another phone call saying they’d bring the lorry to Grantham ( sounded crazy to me ) but again no , agency said we understand , never went there , or wasn’t asked for again , preferred B&Q any way , 5 mins from house so worked out well
My info is from 20 yrs ago so maybe not relevant , but easy job , and I can’t remember chasing round
the maoster:
I’ve not noticed any Tuffnells motors for ages. Maybe I’m just unaware of them but they were everywhere at one time.
Theve had a change of colour a while ago all there trucks are white now with tuffnels painted on the side …so they don’t stand out as much as when there were green…
Your probably be seeing them all the time now you’ve just never noticed them
Did a couple of shifts for them many’s years ago on agency when I lived in Kent.
Leave depot (Erith?) with wagon and drag , get to 1st depot (Northampton?) shunter took truck away and came back with different trailer, then up to Birmingham, leave wagon and drag there and bring a different wagon and drag back to home depot.
Then go home. Was easy work.
Mattdriver1:
Brilliant thanks for all the advice. Will go for it and see how get on . Will have a look at A frames on the internet.
They’re very hard to get a grip of. You have to steer the unit in the same direction you want the trailer to go, it’s completely the opposite to an artic or the most common wagon and drag on the road. My mate used to have one years ago, took him an age to get used to it not helped by the fact the trailer was shorter than his wagon which at least isn’t something you’ll need to worry about with Tuffnells. My uncle took him to an airfield and they spent a day murdering cones until he got it but once he did he could put it in places you wouldn’t get an artic in. I can put an artic anywhere its possible to fit but best I could manage with the thing was managing to reverse in a straight line down a shed on Hull docks. I once took it to a spot once to do a delivery in a L shaped yard, couldn’t get it out and a forklift had to tow it out.
In some way being a newly minted licence may be an advantage as you’ve not got years of learned and ingrained behaviour when it comes to reversing so you won’t be having to fight your instinct to turn the wheel the opposite way to the way you want your trailer to turn.
Done a week of nights out of Haydock about 3 weeks ago, on an Artic though. Easy enough one phone call all week, straightforward enough and helpful bunch in the yards I went to, Lanark and Lockerbie.
I did a bit for em ont agency with this wagon & drag,multi drop but with a van lad who knew the route,not my cuppa tea to be honest out of Shepcote lane Sheffield
this was better but a lot of handball