So, I don’t generally take the ■■■■ with ‘access only’ areas as my employer is pretty reasonable with a ‘just do what you can’ approach to work - we always get given way too many jobs and just have a fair crack at them. Traffic office admit the rounds aren’t achievable by a mortal being and won’t moan unless they think you’re being lazy or dragging it out.
Lately, head office are reviewing 20 mins of each driver’s footage daily and next step is live streaming cameras. These are already being trialled and drivers have been pulled up on trivial things like leaving the drivers door open whilst tipping a bin on a secure customer site, and also one guy apparently pulling a bin incorrectly. So I figure that driving down restricted areas is more likely to get me a slap on the wrist than praise for doing more work, contrary to other places where drivers have to use every ‘shortcut’ available to get finished.
I’ll always take the next road to get around a weight restriction and it usually only costs me an extra minute or two, but today got me rethinking that.
Did a new job in a village just outside the main city I cover on Tuesdays. Next job was six minutes through a weight restriction so I decided to try the next road. Also weight restricted. I carry on driving for another 5-6 mins and every bloody road which Google maps wants me to go down is 7.5t access only. At this point the arrival time is still at 6-7 minutes so I’ve already taken almost quarter hour to do a six min journey.
I then exit village and arrival time jumps up to 9 minutes, but it turns out to be a fairly tight road where I’m having to take it steady in case I meet cars. Takes about 15 mins to get there, meaning I’ve now driven for 25 bloody minutes to do what would’ve been 6 mins in a car. And this is to tip one bin of recyclables. Just one of 50 jobs, so a different situation to if it was a general haulage job where I’d only have 3-5 a day and more time was spent offloading (as opposed to barely 60 seconds onsite).
So, would it be reasonable to go through the ‘access only’ next time to avoid a 6 min journey becoming 25 mins and me skirting along the top of the town and back down again to end up barely 1.5 miles from where I started? Seems logical but then I’d imagine it’ll still cause chaos for the nimbies if all trucks make this same decision and I can kind of see their point.
This isn’t a ‘what would you do?’ question so much as ‘what is the technically right thing to do?’ as the latter is what my employer will expect and there’s a high likelihood of them seeing my route if I do this week in and out.
Is there a point at which it would be considered reasonable to use this route for access or is it only acceptable if there is literally no other alternative (e.g. delivering to a street within the restricted area).
Apologies for the rambling post to accompany my rambling countryside journey.
Play them at there own game, if the pointy shoes are micro-nanaging every aspect of your day,and trying to pick fault, then when you come to a restricted zone, Stop… phone office, ask what should I do… Firmly out the ball in their court .
Access only is for drops/collections that are actually in the access only area. Otherwise you don’t go down them. If plod catch you, you’ll find they are suddenly very expensive toll roads!
If it makes the job longer, then tough. If the office aren’t happy, ask them for written & signed instructions to go down these roads. See how long it takes for them to change their tune.
I’ve nothing but contempt for outfits that give out runs that are impossible to do legally. You can be damned sure they won’t back you up if it comes to a prosecution. So don’t try to be a company hero. Just plod away at the job. Your priorities should be 1-safe. 2-legal. Only after these two should you even think about 3 which is actually doing the job.
adam277:
Livestream? Why are you still working there.
Exactly!!
I would be more concerned about the live cameras than how to deal with them.
If it’s on trial, nip it in the bud and tell them you’re all jacking if they fit them, they’ll soon change their minds.
As for ‘access only’ you only use it for …well, access only.
‘Access/Weight Limit’ DO NOT USE this route as a through route. Go around, DON’T ring the office etc. It’s NOT their licence and, as they’re not driving, NOT their choice. Take the legal route, regardless of the time taken, and return at your proper finish time-END OF!!
Drivers have got to take a stand against this amateur computer planning ■■■■■■■■! I’m still amazed at how many drivers out there are staying upright in their seats without a backbone!! Grow one quickly and tell the transport office to do one.
Cheers for the replies all. I will put the ball back in their court then.
To clarify, though, they haven’t put me under any pressure to drive down areas I shouldn’t. We’re just short of drivers and have taken on work from another large depot so there is usually more than can be done.
But I don’t get pressured. All the camera stuff is from head office and at a local level things are pretty good. I just do my 9.5 hours and then tip off and nothing is said. Pay is decent too. £14.60 p/h for Class 2 with bonus on top and I only collect cardboard and DMR.
Tailschwing:
Cheers for the replies all. I will put the ball back in their court then.
To clarify, though, they haven’t put me under any pressure to drive down areas I shouldn’t. We’re just short of drivers and have taken on work from another large depot so there is usually more than can be done.
But I don’t get pressured. All the camera stuff is from head office and at a local level things are pretty good. I just do my 9.5 hours and then tip off and nothing is said. Pay is decent too. £14.60 p/h for Class 2 with bonus on top and I only collect cardboard and DMR.
Still can not understand how you can accept a ■■■■ camera monitoring you all day as acceptable, whether from ‘head office’ or not.
You say they’re short of drivers, if that ain’t a start for some bargaining power I don’t know what is.
They only come up with these ■■■■ type schemes because they are allowed to.
I have one of those event cameras that go off if I brake hard or whatever, which is ■■■■ bad enough, constant monitoring and surveillance is a step way too far.
The only ones who find it acceptable are the …'Well if you’re doing nothing wrong etc etc ‘’ crew.
If honest I’ve used a few. And 90% of the time there fine.
How ever don’t use any in London/ greater London.
I did once delivering to a place.
Delivery was 1 mile away. Coudlt see a better way.
The access was fine. But work got a letter and a fine which they paid.
I find it incredible that a so called professional driver will post on a forum asking for advice as to whether it’s ok to break the law.
Quite obviously it’s not.
Even more worrying is that another driver advised that he should stop at the sign and phone his office to ask if it’s ok to break the law.
I’m embarrassed to admit my occupation in company of others.
Blackrat:
I find it incredible that a so called professional driver will post on a forum asking for advice as to whether it’s ok to break the law.
Quite obviously it’s not.
Even more worrying is that another driver advised that he should stop at the sign and phone his office to ask if it’s ok to break the law.
I’m embarrassed to admit my occupation in company of others.
Im embrassed about your self righteous indignation.
The signs say 7.5t except for access. Its driver discretion how they do it.
If the government didnt want trucks down the road they wouldnt of had a sign that is so ambiguous.
In some places you can drive round the entire village and see nothing but 7.5t signs.
So what would I do if I was OP? I would find the shortest and safest route. If there is a designated road HGVs take to pass through then I would use that. Even if it takes longer.
Also as a bin lorry are you not allowed to go through 7.5t signs? Or does that only apply to council owned bin wagons?
Either way mate. 50 ‘collections’ in a what I imagine is a class 2 rigid is frankly crazy. Especially considering you also have to deal with the cameras.
I’d be looking for another job if I was you.
Blackrat:
I find it incredible that a so called professional driver will post on a forum asking for advice as to whether it’s ok to break the law.
Quite obviously it’s not.
Even more worrying is that another driver advised that he should stop at the sign and phone his office to ask if it’s ok to break the law.
I’m embarrassed to admit my occupation in company of others.
You come across as a proper [emoji110][emoji110][emoji97][emoji97][emoji97]
Blackrat:
I find it incredible that a so called professional driver will post on a forum asking for advice as to whether it’s ok to break the law.
Quite obviously it’s not.
Even more worrying is that another driver advised that he should stop at the sign and phone his office to ask if it’s ok to break the law.
I’m embarrassed to admit my occupation in company of others.
You come across as a proper [emoji110][emoji110][emoji97][emoji97][emoji97]
Blackrat:
I find it incredible that a so called professional driver will post on a forum asking for advice as to whether it’s ok to break the law.
Quite obviously it’s not.
Even more worrying is that another driver advised that he should stop at the sign and phone his office to ask if it’s ok to break the law.
I’m embarrassed to admit my occupation in company of others.
Well, it’s not that simple.
I have several other jobs where I’m required to enter the access only area and have similar predicaments where driving an extra 15-20 mins around the perimeter means I can approach from closer to the job and save about half a mile less of driving through the restricted area.
If I’m doing a job in the area and have to enter it anyway (as opposed to just cutting through) I wasn’t sure whether it might be understood that doing a massive detour to save a few streets worth is a bit OTT.
adam277:
Also as a bin lorry are you not allowed to go through 7.5t signs? Or does that only apply to council owned bin wagons?
Either way mate. 50 ‘collections’ in a what I imagine is a class 2 rigid is frankly crazy. Especially considering you also have to deal with the cameras.
I’d be looking for another job if I was you.
Tbh, the likelihood of being stopped is very low in a bin wagon, but of course it’s my employer I’m worried about not the cops. We defo have to abide by weight restrictions as we’re not doing domestic/residential collections so don’t really have much reason to be in these areas most of the time.
50 jobs isn’t actually much on trade waste tbh and the early shift who work while the roads are dead do much more, sometimes double if they do retail parks where they might have say 8 customers on one site.
I did 48 jobs today and was back in the yard two hours early having already tipped off, due to the roads being quiet atm and was still paid for the whole shift so can’t complain really about a 7.5 hour day. My jobs are usually only a few mins apart, aside from the odd 10-15 min drive when changing area, and I can usuay tip a container and be back in the cab within 30-60 seconds.
It’s not the graft that many people think. I drive into a yard, reverse up to the bin so I’m almost touching it, hop out, push it about a foot and that’s it. DMR/cardboard bins usually only have about 30kg in them too so it’s not exactly like handballing stuff. But I’d be less keen to do GW or food tbh. The DMR trucks don’t get used for.anything else so they’re pretty clean and non smelly.
We have a customer that is a very well known crisp manufacturer that has its factory down a very tight country lane with 7:5t restrictions at both ends, in this instance their is no choice but to go through the width restriction.
If you can access your delivery/collection point without going through a restricted area then that is the route you should follow regardless of the time taken.
If you get caught by the authorities it’s you that holds the can as I can sure as hell bet your company boss want tell plod “I told him to officer its my fault and yes of course I will pay the fine for him”
Stick to the law it’s your licence and your reputation do this and bring any excess work back each day.
Oh and as for the cameras that’s a no from me if I worked at your firm I would hand in my notice and then work my notice period going at the pace of a snail.
So I figure that driving down restricted areas is more likely to get me a slap on the wrist than praise for doing more work, contrary to other places where drivers have to use every ‘shortcut’ available to get finished.
