Franglais:
Self tip/load, not a problem. Be it with a hand or electric pallet truck, or just being there to “supervise” and or check/count the load, no problem. We dont need an "us n` them" attitude. All muck in for an easier life.
Now, I know that there are some horrible jobs (some supermarket RDCs) where the driver is assumed to be a thieving, accident prone fool, who should be isolated in a dirty little box?
Monday morning " sorry Franglais we’re letting you go , the guy in the warehouse with his fork lift licence is taking your job. "
We’re isolated in a dirty little box because drivers can’t be relied on not to drive off a red light, and since it’s a DRIVERS waiting room Who makes it filthy and dirty
…
It must be the cleaner that ends up clearing all the crap that’s left by oh yeah who… yep THE DRIVER .
AndrewG:
Do some actually insist youre in a waiting room rather than your own truck??
Tesco, Iceland and some others do. Personally I prefer Lidl & Aldi… self tipping get’s you off your backside… Although the staff at Lidl & Aldi do tend to be pig ignorant pillocks.
Iceland Warrington = sit in waiting room, Iceland Enfield = sit in cab, Iceland Swindon = sit in cab when being tipped, all run by XPO, although at least 2 of these sites allow you to use the staff canteen, at no point do they force you to sit in the waiting room.
Having different rules on different sites run by the same company is annoying, and leads to problems with drivers.
Jingle Jon:
Although the staff at Lidl & Aldi do tend to be pig ignorant pillocks.
And that’s the problem I have with it. Not against the principle of it, more the administration of the principles
The thing is it’s not just pull it off the motor, it’s place it in set places on the goods in floor and if you’ve got 26 pall with 26 different products your putting stuff all over the place.
I don’t mind pulling 26 pall off the Back and dropping directly in line but even then your taking jobs , it used to be when unloading you did it to the back door of the trailer and that was it.
Jingle Jon:
Although the staff at Lidl & Aldi do tend to be pig ignorant pillocks.
And that’s the problem I have with it. Not against the principle of it, more the administration of the principles
The thing is it’s not just pull it off the motor, it’s place it in set places on the goods in floor and if you’ve got 26 pall with 26 different products your putting stuff all over the place.
I don’t mind pulling 26 pall off the Back and dropping directly in line but even then your taking jobs , it used to be when unloading you did it to the back door of the trailer and that was it.
Its been the same at lidl/aldi for the last 20+ years Middleton was the first I did should have been stopped then but never was, so no way it can be moaned about, apart from the time it takes these days used to be quick turn around but not any more.
And that’s the other issue, time. I’ll be honest, been out of the rdc game for a couple of years, but from about 5 years ago, and until this past Friday according to a mate who was in one, Lidl has turned into a regular 4-5 hour turnaround. That’s pretty much unheard of at any Tesco or Sainsbury’s. And I mean it’s regular with Lidl. Passed about 7 am arrival, it’s the same story every day in every dc. Tesco and the likes have their moments, but not to the same extent
Franglais:
Self tip/load, not a problem. Be it with a hand or electric pallet truck, or just being there to “supervise” and or check/count the load, no problem. We dont need an "us n` them" attitude. All muck in for an easier life.
Now, I know that there are some horrible jobs (some supermarket RDCs) where the driver is assumed to be a thieving, accident prone fool, who should be isolated in a dirty little box?
Monday morning " sorry Franglais we’re letting you go , the guy in the warehouse with his fork lift licence is taking your job. "
We’re isolated in a dirty little box because drivers can’t be relied on not to drive off a red light, and since it’s a DRIVERS waiting room Who makes it filthy and dirty
…
It must be the cleaner that ends up clearing all the crap that’s left by oh yeah who… yep THE DRIVER .
go figure who’s at fault …
Cmon a FLT driver isnt licenced to drive even an “easy-peasy” “all singing, all dancing” truck. And if they did I daresay I could learn how to drive a FLT.
Youre right that some drivers are their own worst enemies regarding facilities, but Ive found that generally better, cleaner premises are keep that way. If a small badly ventilated room, is inadequatly cleaned, then it will be less respected, and will only get rapidly worse. I wont defend dirty drivers but a nasty little box to wait in is NOT going to engender a co-operative attitude. Treat drivers, as other human beings, well and most respond well. Treat drivers like fools or cattle and guess what? Thats who will be content to stay in the job.
Drivers who cant be relied on not to drive off when unsafe? They exist, true. Wheel locks, handing in of keys, etc seem like a sensible precaution to me. I know Im not about to drive off, but the place Im tipping doesnt know me, so should take precautions. No reason not to allow me to sit in the cab and do whatever I wish.
Would I ■■■■.
I aint a teararse artist, I’m rarely in a hurry, I’m not slightly interested in trying to impress my boss like some, as I have nothing to prove. I get paid by the hour, so they can keep me waiting as long as they like, if it was my own motor that would be different, but it aint.
You should have the right to sit in your truck not some ■■■■ hole waiting room, if it has been immobilised with a suzie lock, and keys handed in.
Any excuse rhetoric for not allowing this is pure h&s ■■■■■■■■ spouted by d/heads…end of.
As for Lidl and Aldi, I do not like being forced into it, it should be optional, but I console myself by telling myself it is good excercise.
I rarely do rdc jobs (thank Christ) so tbh it is not a real issue to me.
How about refusing going into these ‘unhealthy’ waiting rooms on H&S grounds (playing them at their own game?)… Saying you may catch something that could then put you on the sick preventing you from working…■■?
Stay in your truck, that YOU know is clean, ‘safe’ and healthy as it’s basically your home…■■
Goldfinger:
How about refusing going into these ‘unhealthy’ waiting rooms on H&S grounds (playing them at their own game?)… Saying you may catch something that could then put you on the sick preventing you from working…■■?
Stay in your truck, that YOU know is clean, ‘safe’ and healthy as it’s basically your home…■■
Twill never happen for a number of reasons… including (not exhaustive): It’s their property and they can ban anyone from their sites. You wouldn’t last more than one ban from one (RDC) company to find yourself out of work.
Then suppose there was any chance of your idea getting off the ground… you would get zero support from other drivers and hauliers… it’s a dog eat dog - every man and woman for themselves… these days.
eagerbeaver:
I have done Lidl and Aldi with previous employers, and to be honest even though it gives you a bit of exercise and it gets you out of there quicker, you are basically becoming part of the low wage and lack of jobs problem.
My experience of tipping at Lidl in Livingston, you were never out the door any quicker having sat waiting 2 hrs with a pager to get a bay, then waiting again til the monkey on the desk checked it off & did paperwork. As for the ‘exercise’…walking beside an electric pallet truck is hardly doing you a lot of good in real exercise terms.
OVLOV JAY:
And that’s the other issue, time. I’ll be honest, been out of the rdc game for a couple of years, but from about 5 years ago, and until this past Friday according to a mate who was in one, Lidl has turned into a regular 4-5 hour turnaround. That’s pretty much unheard of at any Tesco or Sainsbury’s. And I mean it’s regular with Lidl. Passed about 7 am arrival, it’s the same story every day in every dc. Tesco and the likes have their moments, but not to the same extent
There’s no measure that you can say this or that company is better - more of a depot to depot issue. I’ve sat for hours at all of em and been turned around in short order at all of em… well all the one’s I’ve been to… which is a bloody lot.
Some people at these RDCs though… really do have a bad attitude and that is something that can and should be dealt with. And toilets… time we all started taking pics on our phones and posting them online for the public to see… wading around in urine at supermarket back-end - that will effect their bottom line and something we can all do anon etc.
Jingle Jon:
Some people at these RDCs though… really do have a bad attitude and that is something that can and should be dealt with. And toilets… time we all started taking pics on our phones and posting them online for the public to see… wading around in urine at supermarket back-end - that will effect their bottom line and something we can all do anon etc.
Some can be obnoxious, yes, but I do feel sorry for some of those working in these warehouses. I only have to visit then occasionally and it gets me feeling miserable. Imagine working in them all day, every day? No wonder the poor sods are fed-up and we dont get much of the sunny welcome wed all like. And although we moan, I reckon we`re mostly better off than them.
robroy:
You should have the right to sit in your truck not some [zb] hole waiting room
The point isn’t where you spend the waiting time to tip and load.It’s more a case of what were previously job and finish 4 hours driving 45 minutes break 4 hours driving trailer/demount swap/drop trunking jobs.Suddenly turning into a 10 hour shift of which only around 4 hours is driving.With the driving time saved being a case of you will/have to work in the warehouse.
busteredwards:
As for the ‘exercise’…walking beside an electric pallet truck is hardly doing you a lot of good in real exercise terms.
There are plenty of air freight and loose loaded freight operations,among other distribution ‘opportunities’ out there,where you can get all the handball and heavy manual handling work you want,if that’s your scene.
I don’t really care if they are miserable or even the reasons why (they chose the job same as we all did). I can live with that.
It’s being ignored or being spoken to like muck that’s guaranteed a response from me.
It takes 2 seconds to say “I’ll be a minute” and never an excuse to be rude - I’m polite to them, even if there is an issue with the delivery - I expect the same in return.
nick2008:
You’ll be expecting the pilot of a A380 to start walking down the isle dishing out meals as soon as the planes taken off
I once caught a plane from Birmingham to Norwich. It was a twelve seater i think, and once we were pointing in the right direction, the pilot got up and poured coffee or tea for those who wanted it.
Be it an RDC or otherwise, I can’t stick people who are just plain rude. Never used to have bother from all sorts of people some years ago whether it was management or forkies etc. you dealt with on a tip, we all had a job to do and done the best we could. You’d get the occasionally ■■■■, but that happens in all walks of life but I don’t recall it ever being anywhere as bad as it is now.
peterm:
As has been said, when you’re involved in the loading, you can make sure it goes on right.
30 years ago the loaders knew what they were doing.
The supermarket RDC loaders knew how to load and importantly how to secure the load,
The forkies knew how to load timber etc.
The crane oppo knew how to lift slew and lower ( most still do)
And drivers of flatbed work knew that if it ain’t restrained it’ll move
Dead right, except for paddy near Bridgwater that dropped no less than four pieces of concrete pipes off my trailer with his loader, exclaiming with each one “Oh it’s collapsed”
