I load with 2 drops last night. The first drop has a note in capital letters on the paperwork. 9am booking MUST BE ON TIME. Not mustn’t be late, must be on time. So knowing how some of these places turn you away if your more than half an hour early I parked up a few miles away for 15 mins, then got here at 08:45. I’m now told that someone with a prior booking has only just got in and I’m going to have a long wait. So what’s the bloody point in saying a HAVE to be on time at 9am?
Oh well. At least I get paid by the hour!
All I care about is arriving on time, what they do after I get on site isn’t my problem.
Think yourself lucky it’s only hours, we’ve been unloading for the last 6 days and still not empty yet …
This sort of thing did used to wind me up on agency, because the delay quite often meant that the next day’s work went out of the window because I would finish too late to be able to meet the next day’s start time with a different company.
In this instance it would be more fun if the Must-be-on-Time referred to the second drop. 
Years ago…
All the way up from Italy with peaches on for a six in the morning booking at Asda Wigan. Get there on time and then sat around making the usual phone calls after an hour of not being tipped.
Finally leave at half nine. Can you guess where and when my second drop was? Yes, Asda Normanton for ten in the morning.
yourhavingalarf:
Years ago…
All the way up from Italy with peaches on for a six in the morning booking at Asda Wigan. Get there on time and then sat around making the usual phone calls after an hour of not being tipped.
Finally leave at half nine. Can you guess where and when my second drop was? Yes, Asda Normanton for ten in the morning.
guaranteed your greeting there was…nothing to do with us…not our problem,your late…
Radar19:
All I care about is arriving on time, what they do after I get on site isn’t my problem.
Not particularly bothered about the on time bit tbh. If I am late then it’s likely that a few days prior they had kept me waiting for a ridiculous amount of time in the first place. You reap what you sow.
Anyway, they obviously want the stuff as they ordered in in the first place! I don’t actually drive around with 26 pallets on thinking “oh look, a factory, I’ll pop in on the off chance that they want some stuff”!
the maoster:
Radar19:
All I care about is arriving on time, what they do after I get on site isn’t my problem.
Not particularly bothered about the on time bit tbh. If I am late then it’s likely that a few days prior they had kept me waiting for a ridiculous amount of time in the first place. You reap what you sow.
Anyway, they obviously want the stuff as they ordered in in the first place! I don’t actually drive around with 26 pallets on thinking “oh look, a factory, I’ll pop in on the off chance that they want some stuff”!
I
A few years ago I was taking a trailer to an electrical retailer in Corby. Was delayed by the traffic on the way up and got to said retailer slightly late. This was the week before Christmas when the PS3 had just come out. The security guard said " we’re rejecting your load because your late". Oh well I replied, I take it that you don’t need these PS3 consoles then■■?
Funnily enough I was tipped.
About 10 years ago, I had 3 pallets on for a 1330 booking at Tesco MK. Arrived at 1245, left site at 2000. Remains my record to this day 
If I ever turn up late for a drop I just lie through my teeth (provided it’s not a full load)
So if I was late for say, an Asda Wigan, I’d say “well I’d have been here in plenty of time, if your colleagues at Warrington were half as competent as you” (always blame another arm of the same company)
Some days if that does the trick, I’ll actually have the cheek to lie about running out of hours too. Asda Wigan tipped me faster than I could bugger about with the curtains. They put 4 forkies on it.
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Rowley010:
I load with 2 drops last night. The first drop has a note in capital letters on the paperwork. 9am booking MUST BE ON TIME. Not mustn’t be late, must be on time. So knowing how some of these places turn you away if your more than half an hour early I parked up a few miles away for 15 mins, then got here at 08:45. I’m now told that someone with a prior booking has only just got in and I’m going to have a long wait. So what’s the bloody point in saying a HAVE to be on time at 9am?
Oh well. At least I get paid by the hour!
Was this for Tesco, or possible Stobarts ■■■■■ Tesco by any chance?
When I worked for Stobarts, doing Tesco deliveries, just as Ieft I noticed a lot of delivery notes had at the top “Must be delivered on time, must not be late or early”, or something like that. Apparently the top 100 Tesco stores in the country had collectively complained to Stobarts about unpunctual deliveries, claming that they didn’t have the manpower or organisation to deal with early or late deliveries. As a result, for the top 100 Tesco stores, drivers may not be more than 30 minutes early or late for a delivery, they must arrive on time.
It was all well and good, but they’d give you a drop from Goole at 10:00, to say, Cleethorpes, the delivery time being 13:30. So, basically a driver has to toss it off in a lay-by for an hour and half. All it takes is 10 drivers to wait around for an hour a piece in one day, and it’s a day’s wage down the swanny for Stobarts, it’s a very inefficient way to work. Drivers can’t get back to reload for another shop because they’re sat in lay-bys waiting for their slot. It’s not bad for drivers I suppose, less work, more POA, paid by the hour, but it’s crap for the hauliers.
It’s down to the planner to get you at a certain destination for a timed delivery.
If you’re late…it’s their fault.
cav551:
This sort of thing did used to wind me up on agency, because the delay quite often meant that the next day’s work went out of the window because I would finish too late to be able to meet the next day’s start time with a different company.
In this instance it would be more fun if the Must-be-on-Time referred to the second drop.
One of my first jobs as a truck driver was multi drops with tilt trailers, most drops didn’t have delivery times, but every so often we got them, we told the planners, unless it was the first delivery, then times were pointless, especially if it was one of the last drops.