My first ever trucking job on my own. how did it go?

[muddyjames]

Ruddy appauling is how it went.  

 It is my first and VERY last. My task was to go to Leicester from Banbury, pick up some croissants and then get down to Ocado in Hatfield by 9:30pm. Well, that didnt happen.
I got so lost around Leicester that another driver had to find me and show me the way to the place we needed to be. Going around Leicester I ended up in 2tonne weight limit zones. They had times of when it is enforcable and not but so much writing I couldnt see the times and the signs were half way down a road with no warning of it coming up. If I had got caught I would have been in so much pooh. I have a nasty feeling a red light camera got me too. I passed the lights on green and just as I went through they went to orange and the trailer passed them in red and I think I saw a flash. The company was down small roads that I wouldnt have believed sat nav anyway and not gone down them. Then the bread had all fallen over and needed a forklift to open the back door. 90 trays of bread ruined and the other driver very kindly helped pick it all back up. We spent 1hr 30 there doing that. I gave him a tenner to say thanks. I did hear him say on the phone that 2 different typs of trays had ben placed around each other and I didnt stand a chance, but even so. Still doesnt look good. He could have just sat in his lorry and said "your problem" but he didnt. I was supposed to be in Hatfield for 9:30, got there at 1:15am. By the time I had unloaded and re loaded I didnt leave there until 3am and got back to the yard at 5am JUST inside tacho time I think but not working time directive rules. Then I had to unload the lorry again and park it up and refuel etc. Before I set off they said I should be back by midnight. When I left Hatfield I was asked how many trays I had unloaded and taken back. When I said I had no idea and didnt know I was supposed to have been counting them the woman through a hissy fit. Oh, And I couldnt find Ocado in Hatfield either and very nearly got caught by pc plod using a phone whilst driving. I was putting it onto loud speaker at a set of traffic lights as he cam up the side of me. I HATED doing it but it was the only way to get guided in AGAIN. I got given no directions on how to get to either place, just a map with an arrow on which bared no resemblence of where I needed to be. Nobody told me the lorry had sat nav with these places programmed in either and so there was me using my sat nav which obviously thinks I am a car and can go do down any road no matter how narrow. So I ended up 6 hours late and some VERY wee weeed off managers at the bakery. I dont think they will be having me back. I wont be going back either. I have come back with more oil and grease on me than a car mechanic and very disgruntled. Driving the lorry I loved and didnt hit 1 kerb. If I could pick a lorry up just before a motorway and drop it of on a slip road I wil do that.
The search for a new career will start now. I am looking at last nights experience as it is a tick in the ambition box and done it, but now it is time to re focus on what to do for a living.

I have just phoned the boss at the agency to say dont use me again and take me off thier books and he had heard it wasn't a good night. ah well, time to move on. a very expensive thing to happen but ho hum.

[Saffy]

police force are recruiting

[muddyjames]

I keep thinking the police and fire bregade. I am not sure I have the right mind for police as I couldnt handle the little ejits at work. It could toughen me up though and make me a better person.

[adafish]

stick with it fella, we all have our bad days...ya gotta start somewhere..

[Saffy]

I keep thinking the police and fire bregade. I am not sure I have the right mind for police as I couldnt handle the little ejits at work. It could toughen me up though and make me a better person.

no not fire service, no not that.... I wouldn't like to think you're a fireman somewhere (driving around looking for the fire), Jesus no.

[gtomo2]

Yea dont be put off by your first day. Other divers have had worst first days. Finding a new place can be hard. best thing to do is ask a driver to do you a map of it.
I still have bad days like yours and have been driving trucks for a long time now.

Once did agency work for a express courier firm about 37 drops around north and mid wales think i brought about 27 back to the depot as i could not find them.
Ask you agency to start you on things like bin wagon driving or sunblest bread type work. Its a good starting point as the routes are all pre set.
Stick with it you will be ok.

[Drift]

I keep thinking the police and fire bregade. I am not sure I have the right mind for police as I couldnt handle the little ejits at work. It could toughen me up though and make me a better person.

no not fire service, no not that.... I wouldn't like to think you're a fireman somewhere, Jesus no.

As long as he isnt driving the truck  :lol: :lol:


Seriously, things will get better with experiance ;)

[muddyjames]

my down fall in life is finding places. I always get lost and in a lorry into places in the back end of no where is not good. I couldnt find adocado on a huge busines park! Mainly because I was told I go past it then go round the roads and back in again, so I was looking for it on the a1001 but couldnt see it, mainly due to it not being by the road! And the map they gave me ust pointed to a big square blob of grey which was the park and no roads in it!

[Disco Matt]

If the agency are willing to give you another chance then take it. Talk to them. You've put a lot of time, effort and money into getting that HGV licence, I wish I could afford to do the training.

You can buy special trucker versions of Tomtom that will avoid narrow roads and low bridges, that should help with finding places.

[frosty]

  We all have carp days driving lorries..I now know there are certain driving jobs I dont like and wont do..fridge work, skip work,general haulage or work for any of the big firms (tescos, or stobarts type thing) arent for me, however tippers, low loaders, builders merchants, hook loaders and recovery are for me.

  When I first left the army I went into brake brothers at Grantham as an agency driver over the xmas period, they sent me down to london the day the sales started with 8 drops, the first 2 were in underground delivery areas which were a nightmare and the 3rd involved reversing into a nccp car park which was above a woolies, I had to wait 45min in order for the car park attendant to clear a route in for me and find his broom as he used that to hold the phone lines up so the lorries could back in! I decided I didnt want to play games like that and as I was running out of driving hours (id spent over 2hrs in a traffic jam) I headed home. the transport manager then rang and used every way of convincing me I should finish my drops including threats of violence! Funnily enough when I got into the yard he changed his mind and ran off! I vowed there and then never to do fridge work again!

   Theres only one way to get experience in the haulage industry...and thats to keep at it fella

[adafish]

we have agency drivers now and then delivering for us, a MEAT WHOLESALER..., they usually helps us load the trucks with meat...Fair play to them, don't think what they should be doing. The even carry the carcases of Lambs, Pigs and sides of Beef..

[robkav]

I agree stick with it, theirs lots of different types of hgv work out there you just need to your niche,
My first day as a machine driver when i was 18 the site agent asked me to dig a long trench between to buildings, so i started going at it like a bat out hell to get it done a.s.a.p, done it and felt really proud with my self untill i got out of the machine to discover that i had gone through two drains, 3 gas pipes and had the machine stuck between the building and said trench  :oops: :oops: :oops:
We all have to learn some how   :D

[bilge rat]

1st day is always bad , dont give it up yet plod on do ya best. something will come right ..alan

[paul_humphreys]

Dont give up, just look for a better place.

I have just done 8 months driving lorrys since I passed my C and C+E. I start a new jon on monday driving a fully loaded 44T. I have never drive one with a load :shock:  I look at it like this, worst that can happen if I crash, kill myself and loads of others and make my wife rich (I have lots of life cover). So if that does not happen all is good :dance:

Paul

[mobi]

james don't give up keep trying!!!

first off change the settings on your sat-nav. don't use shortest route change it to main roads/route.
get some good road maps, they do a truckers map (alot cheaper than the truckers sat-nav) ask other drivers before you leave.
take your time, if it means holding a few cars up for a few seconds do it.
get a bluetooth headset or at lease a cable headset they're cheaper than a fine and points.


go back to your agency tell them you were having a bad day and you want to give it another try.
and stop giving drivers tips if he didn't want to help he would'nt have!!! :lol: at most buy him a 20p coffee out of the vending machine.

[BeJay]

James, as said above a few times don't just give up, you've spent a lot of money to get your licence, OK so you had the first day from hell but you survived so learn from it, that's how we all got our experience, I've been driving HGV's for over 30years now and I can still drop a bollock now and again, it ain't the fact that you make mistakes, (we all do now and again) it's  how you learn to extricate yourself safely from them when you do make them that counts. give yourself a month however the days seem to go so at least you'll know you gave it a fair chance, you'll be surprised how much you'll learn and how much easier it'll get in that time, and if you'll let me give you one or two tips,

invest in a really good map book like the AA truckers one, 1.5 miles to the inch, over 4,500 low bridge heights and 1,700 weak bridge limits, and most important well over 200 truck stops and cafes  :lol: you'll find it a godsend first time they give you a fully freighted 15/16' high trailer.

allways check how your load is being loaded, if the forklift driver puts it where you don't want it make him move it to where you do, ultimately the safety of the load and more importantly other road users is down to you the instant you take the motor out onto the road.

if you've got autoroute on your puter try and find out the address of where you're going the next day and have a look on autoroute the night before and print youself out a street map of the immediate area so you can take it with you, I can find my way to any area or town/city but still find this useful if it's some drop/pickup I haven't done before.

and don't be afraid to ask if you're unsure of something, most of us don't bite (well only occasionally) and if you get talking to some old/general haulage drivers ask them to show you how to tie a dolly or a double hitch properly into a rope and how to throw a loop in it and use your weight to tighten it just incase you need to rope and sheet a load someday, (not too mutch of this these days but very useful to know)

and finally I'll pass on something the guy who taught me over 30 years ogo drummed into my head (and it stuck  :)) always spend an extra 10 minutes checking your load is safe and secured properly before leaving the yard, it could well save you hours at the side of the road (not to mention a lot of embarresment and possibly money and points if plod turns up while you'r trying to sort out the mess because you didn't do it properly in the first place)

hope you find this useful and eventually make it as a trucker, good luck, Jack.[/b]

[muddyjames]

cheers guys for all the advice etc.

I think investing in heavy duty ratchet straps maybe a start too instead of using the shocking tension straps that are mounted to the lorry and so confusing to use. I thought my laod was secure but the way the lorry was loaded with different style trays next to each other which a; I couldnt see as they were right at the front of the trailer, b; had no idea that 2 different types would be a problem, c; didnt know there were 2 different types could all lead to the load moving and making the tension straps un tension or bend the hook at the end so it poped off the rails. 1 tray was snapped in half!! Other drive said he had never seen a snapped tray before. Only me!!!

I was hoping to buy a truckers atlas before I did this run but couldnt find a decent one in time.

Mobi. I was SO grateful to the chap for helping me I felt I needed to give him something.

The tacho hours I know the rules like 4.5hours driving 45mins break etc, but actually implementing them was such a ball ache in such a huge way. I got to the point that I had no idea if I was legal or not or how much time I had remianing in driving hours or WTD. How do you guys all keep track of them? I tried using the stop watch on my phone but even then I got confused and sometimes forgot to lok at exactly what time I had arrived or departed from somewhere and looked approx 5 mins later. The joys of bin lorries having just a book to fill in with what you did is so much easier than a machine monitoring every last detail.

I am still in 2 minds whether to do it all again or not. I am still on the no side by a majority, just down to having such a nightmare trip. If I could find a company that sends me on a run to exactly the same place every single day and I go with a driver for the first time then yes I would do that. Finding silly little places in amongst houses or hatfield business park, no!

[TDi90]

Come-on mate. Be happy.  :P
Life goes slowly if you are unhappy - particularly in a job. Take the positives from it.

[beast5680]

when i started with an agency they put me in a dairy that delivered to tesco, the company put me with one of the old hands to show me the ropes for the first trip then i was on my own.
I managed to block a high street thinking i could reverse onto a loading dock at one place ,no one told me you had to unload in the road and push the trolleys in :oops: There were 45 routes out of that depot and a 3rd were considered bad runs, i got all the bad ones, i think they did it to see if you would stick it, as said get a decent map book and the other thing i did was make a note of each route i got as the agency would ring me and say "you,ve got run 18 this weekend" i would know where it went before i got there, dont fret about getting lost everybodys done it

[LiftedDisco]

James...

First off... don't give up!

I remember pointing you at Towcester Health Centre for your medical some time ago... you have put too much into this to throw in the towel...

Agency driving can be horrible - I did weeks and weeks of Marks and Spencers when I first started... Milton Keynes is above the shopping centre and because the delivery route is one way, it's a blind side reverse in.  When they leave cages around the loading dock (and more outside the shop opposite) it gets very, very tight!

Likewise - the moment when I arrived at a job to find that the 'qick trip, one drop' actually meant a wagon and drag (  :shock: ) to the Heads of the Valleys road (name says it all really....) in a LEFT HAND DRIVE TRUCK.... [-X  [-X

When I (eventually) got there, it was to find that their loading bay was at different height to the wagon so we handballed something like 50+ washing machines etc out of this blasted heap...

Oh how I hated that night...

Seriously, try for some night trunking (if your other work allows...) as it tends to be collect truck, drive, unload..

Keep at it!

[frosty]

  Ive found the best way to keep track of drivers hours is to write em down! using a stop watch is ok but if you forget to start/stop it throws you out completely whereas if you put say 0600-0645 then for your next stint you put 0652- but forget to put your finish time for that leg down until your out of the yard you can guestimate your times and you wont be far out and youve got at least a partial record!

 its difficult to find a good agency..i found manpower was staffed by office bodies who were general recruiters and had no idea about hgv specifics whereas driver hire had ex drivers or ex forces personnel in the office who would help out as much as they could (they even brought me a flask of coffee and a pastie out when i had a hiab lorry sat up to its belly on a site until 2 in the morning!) starting on an agency is a steep learning curve, they often dont have the time to train drivers, your expected to be very capable and adaptable...stick with it though and youl get there

  

[stretchy]

talk about being dumped into the deep end. mate just look at the big picture you are just a guy out there trying to make a living witch is more than some! dont let thease people get to you.. youve had a bad day some breads gone over big deal.. at the end of the day this seems like the company beeing stingey. they should have let a guy who knew the route go with you a few times and invested in some proper straps maybe printed of a few maps circling the place. it is not your job to provide anything for the company unless they will reburse you the cash.
been in a similar situation myself.  do not let the company take the [throw it] out of you but if you like it just try and talk it out how they can make it easyer and more efective for you.
get back in there, even if its just until you fined something better

stretchy

[gtomo2]

Dont worry about WTD to much it just a avarage over normally 18 weeks to make sure to only "Work" for 48 hours so its only drive time and work thats included Not rest or poa.
If you use a digi tacho then forget the stop watch it will be wrong as digi tachos work i there own time. Just use the menu on the digi tacho to see your drive time and work time.
I normally write down my times like when i start work and times i start driving and end driving etc. Just k
get yourself a note book to write it all in so you know were you are up to.
And a good aa truckers atles can set you back about £25 but its cheaper then the £60 the police can charge you. Most truck stops and motorway services sell them.
My sat nav is set for mid way on shortest/fastres way and set high on motorway and major road and low on minor roads plus dirt track is ticked off (have found one error with that as most ind est roads are classed as dirt or unclassed roads so it wont bring them up).
if it a new to me drop then i use my truckers atles to get me close then use the sat nav to bring me in checking the route it says with the atles.
And as said before  just ask a driver they will help you out.
Bit of advise i was given years ago is very simple: If in doubt Dont. Its works great for me.
But most of all stick with it you will get better and in a few years will be laughing about your first day truckin.

[lurch_917]

james just stick with it  from what you said you tried running before you could walk never a good idea . or are you one of these new wave drivers you know the sort that see us just pointing it in a direction and it gets there . thinking i can do that . dont get me wrong if your a real driver you wont let this beat you , if not have fun behind your desk

[DiscoDan]

Isn't it a legal requirement that the haulage company provides you with a bridge height warning system, and as these are so expensive the allowable alternative is the AA Truckers atlas. We get issued with these as a new driver with the company.

Don't give up, bad days always come along, all the problems you mention are common. Try everything the agency offers you, it will all count in your experience later in your driving life. Turn up early so you aren't rushed leaving the depot. Take time to sort your stuff, check the truck and load. Get defects fixed before you leave, and ensure the load is secure. You don't have to provide anything, it's the employers responsibility to provide spare bulbs, up to date tax disk, load restraint straps, etc etc. Don't be afraid to go back into the office, ask for what you need.

Try the mobile web for Google maps when finding places. Stop and ask, even if you block the road while doing so, be assertive, this can be better than getting stuck down a street you can't get out of.

Basic rule I was once told... 'don't go into somewhere you don't know you can get out of again.' If necessary park and walk it first.  I did this only recently with a residential street in Manchester, when asked why I was late I explained my caution, transport manager didn't have a leg to stand on.

Good luck.

[Sider]

Isn't it a legal requirement that the haulage company provides you with a bridge height warning system, and as these are so expensive the allowable alternative is the AA Truckers atlas. We get issued with these as a new driver with the company.

Nope, the legal requirement is for the vehicle to have the height visibly displayed inside the cab. As long as they put the sticker/note pads/or even paint it on, they have fulfilled their obligation.

[frosty]

   it may be a legal requirement but the firm i work for and the 2 before that didnt have height markings in them..i pack a cheap 5m tape measure in my bag..does the job!

[paul_humphreys]

If it is a recovery, then it does not even have to have the hight in the cab!!

But I did my first night in a lorry this week!! All ok. I also got with the auto box ok, just the 3 over 3 is taking some getting use to. 4 over 4 is fine :)

Paul

[frosty]

  try a foden with a 380 cummins and an eaton twin splitter with a sharp clutch..you either wheel spin or stall! lol

[landmannnn]

Sounds frustrating but, is that all you've got???

Having run transport ops for supermarket and store deliveries I have some far worse examples

- the driver who got his trailer stuck turning on a high street, I had to get a crane in to lift it and put it back on the road

- the driver who left his handbrake off on a south wales valley street, it did over 10 cars and 3 shops, imagine the paperwork.  

- the phone call from the police, an agency driver had given up, dumped his tractor/trailer and taken the train home, the station car park not designed for 40' trailers!

- the artic driver stuck so badly on a single track road it took 3 days to get it out, he had gone 4 miles up the tiniest lane before realising his mistake!

- countless bridges bashed, gearboxes destroyed, fridges put on +25 instead of -25, farmborough deliveries to farnborough, wrong trailers delivered to the wrong place, hi-jacks, rta's