Yesterday I got lost. Yes, it does happen sometimes. Not badly you understand, in fact I knew exactly where I was, and where I needed to be, I just couldn’t work out how to get there. I had just two drops; one was easy, Asda Magna Park, the other? It was a storage depot near Derby. All I had was a company name and a postcode, I could have had a map, but as the transport clerk had no other details than me, it wasn’t likely to be much help. I also have a truck satnav which was lucky because I had a tall trailer.
As with most trips, I totally ignored the satnav until I got to the motorway junction I needed, in this case M1, 25, but once I’m off the motorway in an area that I am not overly familiar with, I have no choice but to follow it.
I followed my satnav through local streets, town centres and rural roads, after about 5 miles you start to think, “Is this the right road? How much further can it be?” especially as I didn’t see any signs for the village I needed. Eventually though I came to a roundabout, and there was the name I was looking for. I entered the village, and listened as my satnav said “in quarter of a mile, turn left” Wrong!!! It was a weight limit. I had a look down the street, just in case the depot was at the entrance, but no, all I could see was houses, and parked cars, no way was I going down there!
I carried on, looking for somewhere to turn around; 3 miles later I found somewhere. I made my way back to the village. By now it was rush hour with school buses, and commuters filling the road. As I approached the turning, I stopped and asked a lady on her way to the bus stop, where this place was. She told me it was down the road my satnav had told me to go down, but I needed to go to the other end of the road, and had to go to the next town, and then work my way out from there.
The problem was, the postcode covered a street, one part with a weight limit on, and the other without one, and because I didn’t have information as to which end I wanted, my satnav took me to the nearest point for the postcode. Now apparently, this depot was an ex-army depot, hidden away to keep it from the Germans. Well I am happy to report, it worked. As I was talking to the lady, a German artic pulled up, and the driver asked me how to get to this depot. He followed me and eventually, after a 5 mile detour we both got there.
So what’s the big deal? I hear you ask. It happens all the time. Well I wasted about 30 minutes and covered an unnecessary 10 miles simply because I didn’t have all the information I needed. At a time when bosses are constantly chasing us for better MPG, by not giving us all the information we need, they are losing thousands. Now someone somewhere had the full address, I’m not pointing fingers because it could be anyone of a number of people from either company that neglected passing this on, but let’s just look at the costs involved.
So I wasted about 10 miles of fuel and 30 minutes of driving. If I did this every day, that’s 50 miles a week. Let’s be kind and say that I average 10 MPG, that 5 gallons a week I waste, or about £300 a year. Multiply this by say 20 units/drivers for this particular depot, that’s £6000. Now, multiply that by say 100 for the number of depots this company has in the UK which makes £600,000. If every driver earns £10 per hour, that makes an additional £2,500,000 in wages paid which gives a grand total of £3,000,000 of lost revenue simply because the driver was given an incorrect address. Even the biggest hauliers should sit up and take notice at that.
I am sure that some of the old school drivers will say such things as “in my day we used to navigate by t’stars” or “Satnav? What you need one of them for? You great big wuzz!” But personally I would prefer a pay rise, an easy route and less frustration and stress! We have the technology, so why not use it?
I totally agree. Why can it not be made common practice to include a FULL address with any special details when dealing with hauliers. The fact of it being a regular customer or not shouldn’t come into it, especially as some companies have either a high turnover of staff (the crap ones), or lots of different agency drivers.
It takes the same amount of time on the phone or the same amount of fax paper so why not do it? An email is even cheaper.
If the postcode you were provided with took you to the street then how would the full address from your gaffer have made any difference? 
Was you running out of Bicester by any chance ?
Rob K:
If the postcode you were provided with took you to the street then how would the full address from your gaffer have made any difference?
Sorry, i should have made it clearer, it was on the same stretch of road, with the same postcode, but a different street name. If i had the name, then my satnav would have taken me to the correct entrance to the road.
M G b:
Was you running out of Bicester by any chance ?
yep! 
truckerjon:
Rob K:
If the postcode you were provided with took you to the street then how would the full address from your gaffer have made any difference?Sorry, i should have made it clearer, it was on the same stretch of road, with the same postcode, but a different street name. If i had the name, then my satnav would have taken me to the correct entrance to the road.
Are you sure about that? Different street names have to have a separate postcode. You can have more than 1 postcode for 1 street name but not the other way round, so if the actual address wasn’t where the satnav directed you to from the postcode you put it, then either the satnav is broken or you were given the wrong postcode.
Whereabouts was the storage depot?
Was it in a village called Hilton, nr Derby?
Antos:
Whereabouts was the storage depot?
Was it in a village called Hilton, nr Derby?
west hallam
whats wrong with using an A-Z or better still a Navigator, i never leave without it, far better than the SAT/NAV, and yes i have a TomTom, but i only use it for the speed camera and low bridge alerts.
TDG by any chance?!
why can’t haulage companies use software like on-line forms use. If the WHOLE address ain’t there then you can’t go further with the order. We have the technology why not use it to everyones advantage.
why cant the driver who does the drop the first time do a map which can be filled and then photo copied for each driver who does the drop afterwards,i always do one when its a new drop,hand it in then for rest of drivers its easy.
much better than sat-nav,a-z,s etc
you didnt get lost
you became geographically mis placed
its too hard for companies to provide the correct delivery address
truckerjon:
Yesterday I got lost. Yes, it does happen sometimes. . All I had was a company name and a postcode,
Yep it does happen, and normally when youve got 5 minutes left to booking time and its getting dark.
On more than one occasion ive phoned destination directly to get directions if things are not clear by other means.
Mobile phone - direct enquiries - phone them directly - get directions straight from horses mouth . Job done 
Now in owr day youff,
we`de carry 10 sacks o thruppeny bits and a ferrett, and park truck reet up close ta red or yella or blue phone box , en tap inta BT via the AA roadside box ter call em. 
And to this day I still carry an RAC/AA box key dont ask me why 
trux:
Mobile phone - direct enquiries - phone them directly - get directions straight from horses mouth . Job done
That method might be ok during the working week but at weekends you tend to get some muppet security guard that came from the next street on his push bike to work & doesn’t know his left from his right.
In If doubt pull over and google the çompany then either check out google earth or call them myself. Never ever trust some numpty who sat in the offfice who gets a kick out of passing the buck.
This has been an issue since I started driving 25 years ago and no doubt long before that. Any driver should be provided with the full address and post code along with a contact telephone number. If I was running my own company it would be done. I find it incredible with all the emphasis on saving fuel/ reducing costs etc. that the industry has never got to grips with this. It’s not rocket science!
Better, accurate signposting. Full correct address and phone number, preferably one that puts you through to someone who could give you directions.
But then again why would anyone want to make a driver’s life easier.
Aye Pinnacle Storage can confuse, much easier to come in off Spondon to Trowell road and turn up Cat and Fiddle lane. I learnt this when I lived in Banbury and was running Vauxhall cars in there from Purfleet and Luton. It is West Hallam that confuses the job 