I’ve got an interview/assessment later on in the week at Yodel in Shaw, has anyone done one of these?
Whats its like? I’m a new class 1 driver so I’m a bit apprehensive, never been on a loading bay/dock/tight parking bay before, do you think I’ll get cut any slack in this respects?
any info/advice appreciated
Never done an assessment for these people tbh, but I have done assessments before. I’d say whether they cut you any slack or not depends entirely on how desperate for drivers they are!
That may sound harsh, but I genuinely mean no offence by it mate; any assessor worth his salt will appreciate that even experienced guys can get nervous on an assessment, doubly so for a relatively new licence holder. So as long as you aren’t a danger on the road they may accept that real world practice will have you hitting the bay’s like a good 'un. However if they have plenty of drivers to pick from they may not be willing to give you the time to develop as let’s face it they are a business with targets to meet.
My advice (easy to give from an armchair) is be honest about your lack of experience with the assessor, relax and drive like you are on your test. You WILL NOT impress him by showing him how quickly you can hoon around.
Also a good tip is to ask him his advice on different scenarios you may face, everyone loves to have their egos massaged and you asking his advice gives the impression that you actually value his input. 
Good luck anyway.
If you answer…“Yes I can throw a parcel over a back gate” You’re in!
That’s only on the vans Vern. There was a time when I was the trainer/assessor for the vans side and some of the muppets put in front of me did not even get past the interview stage.
Having said that, before that I did some trunking but I never had an assessment.
Drive it like you are on your test.
I had an assessment for Yodel at Hatfield a couple of years ago.
Good advice from Driver-Once-More,drive it like your on your test.
They were keen on uncoupling (amongst other things) don’t jump out and pull the pin first off,quite a few experienced drivers did and they failed them.
Trailer brake and legs down first,then the rest.
Try and relax,easier said than done I know,but give it a go.
Good luck
Ramon123:
I had an assessment for Yodel at Hatfield a couple of years ago.Good advice from Driver-Once-More,drive it like your on your test.
They were keen on uncoupling (amongst other things) don’t jump out and pull the pin first off,quite a few experienced drivers did and they failed them.
Trailer brake and legs down first…
Try and relax,easier said than done I know,but give it a go.
Good luck
I still tend to stick to how I was taught B.L.A.C.K so i wont be puling the pin first lol
what else was in the “amongst others” category 
thanks for the replies BTW
Watch out for the blindside angled trailer bays at Shaw, they’re a bit tight with not much room to move at the front. Hopefully your assessor will find a relatively easy one for you - my experience is that they’re not out to get you, they just want to make sure you’re safe.
Good luck!
Oh fan dabby bloody dozy !! angled blindside reverse with no room in front to straighten up, just what a newbie wants 
I am soooo looking forward to this now
MancunianAndy:
Oh fan dabby bloody dozy !! angled blindside reverse with no room in front to straighten up, just what a newbie wantsI am soooo looking forward to this now
Not only that but the assessor is a fanatical red who’s middle name is Busby… Good luck 
I really hope you’re are joking, on the plus side at least he should be full of optimism for the upcoming season just glad my assessment isn’t at the tail end of the season, he’d have ran out of optimism by then
No he’s ok actually, but here’s a tip for you, rock up in a Man U shirt, and I’ll guarantee you have cracked it.
You’re welcome.
An assesment may involve a tachograph rules test, an induction meeting on how they want things done.
Health and safety briefing on their site and what is required at customers premises, the do,s and dont,s .
For the driving part, it may invole picking up a trailer, go out on the road for a short time.
Back to the depot to drop the trailer.
I don’t think it will involve a tight reverse on a bay .
Ask lots of questions, it does not matter if you get nervous .
I do shifts for Yodel and i have been there lots of times and only the shunters are allowed to maneuver trailers on/off bays
so you are more likely to be asked to reverse it into one of the trailer park bays
and yes the trailer park bays along the side of the building are blindside but the bays are 3 trailers deep so it only gets difficult when they are full and you are putting one of the last trailers in but i doubt they will get you to do that as ive seen even the most experienced of drivers needing to be guided in as it quite tight
you will be fine
Yodel is mostly about drop & swap work, so they’ll be very hot on correct procedures for safe coupling and uncoupling. Remember your B.L.A.C.K. mantra and you should do okay, and don’t worry about the tight bays by the sound of it. I was often in there on a Sunday when presumably most of the fleet was back in port so there weren’t many spaces left, and I usually ended up with the tight blindside ones (and no, no-one ever helped guide me in… 
).
Remember to take note of the trailer height too, and change the indicator in the cab. Yodel has several different makes of trailer so you need to be aware of your heights. Be careful to adjust for the fifth wheel ride height of the cab if it is different to the assumed ride height marked on the trailer.
For example, I think the trailers all assume a 1250mm ride height, but the new Actros fleet all run at 1320mm (they have a sticker on the back to tell you this). That means you have to add 70mm (about 3 inches) to the trailer’s marked height to compensate.
If you get that done I expect the assessor will be impressed - but probably not enough to compensate for your footballing loyalties by the sound of it…