Hi guys i have a start date with night freight and was just wondering what there like to work for? Its through an agency and the pay isnt great but its a start on the ladder to get some expierience!
Ill be working on the B and Q side of things doing multidrop (15-25 a day they said)
Can anyone give me advice on multidrop as well, whats the best practices etc
Thanks
Kev
drummerkev:
Hi guys i have a start date with night freight and was just wondering what there like to work for? Its through an agency and the pay isnt great but its a start on the ladder to get some expierience!Ill be working on the B and Q side of things doing multidrop (15-25 a day they said)
Can anyone give me advice on multidrop as well, whats the best practices etc
Thanks
Kev
It will be hard work mate…
Personally I steer clear of multi-drop as you generally earn less to work a lot harder. Some folk love it, but most are glad to get out. If you haven’t had any experience of it prepare to be knackered and fairly stressed at first. 25 drops a day is no joke unless the addresses are very close together, and even then it can be hard work.
No idea what the specifics are with Nightfreight multi but I’ll wager the above comments are pretty accurate. Get yourself some decent A-Z maps of the area you’re working in and perhaps a decent truck sat nav…most can be programmed with multiple addresses.
Good luck mate, hope it works out for you…it’ll certainly keep you fit. 
15 - 25 drops a day is a walk in the park even for someone with no multi-drop experience. It’s all about the routing, take the time to work out the most efficient route before you set off, the last thing you want to be doing is doubling back on yourself all the time.
GBPub:
]15 - 25 drops a day is a walk in the park even for someone with no multi-drop experience. It’s all about the routing, take the time to work out the most efficient route before you set off, the last thing you want to be doing is doubling back on yourself all the time.
Yes…but it depends on the distance between drops…6 drops a day hard work if you’re having to cover a lot of miles or if the addresses are all in the pedestrianised areas of unfamiliar towns…many miles apart…
Either way, trunking beats it hands down!
Multidrop can be very stressfull…unless your not easily wound up…i wouldnt touch it for love nor money…ok for a young bloke to get some experience…im in the old ■■■■■ club so i would not cut it…but good luck a starts a start.
…Whatever makes the hands of the clock go around quicker surely?
I’d rather be busy for a 12 hour shift than sitting in RDC waiting rooms and even rest rooms for a good part of those same hours…
multi drop
you can either do it or you can’t
I did it for 11 years
I have not done B&Q but I the general idea is the same.
Read all the delivery notes before you do anything else. There may be time constraints, phone before, etc.
Take advice from the other drivers - they will usually help if asked and may sort the route for you if the office don’t do it. If there is anything you aren’t sure about - ask.
Check the load as much as you can for security and quantity - different firms have different procedures and the best is where you supervise and check the load yourself. if the truck is already loaded, open it up and have a look.
When you get to a customers house, unless the deliver is small, check that it is the right place and that there is someone home. You don’t want to lug stuff up the drive and then back again.
Make sure you get a clear signature for all deliveries - get the name, time and date too if that is required. (It helps when you get the call later asking when you are going to deliver stuff you dropped an hour earlier). Take care of the paperwork too - you don’t want to lose any. Never let the customer take it off you - they are apt to put it down somewhere and then forget where.
Follow any instructions about phoning in to the letter. They may only want a call if there is a problem or they may want one after every delivery.
Stick your tacho on drive all the time you are working. Make sure you stop and have a proper break.
Park the truck up at the end of the day in the condition you would like to find it - don’t leave newspapers, sweet wrappers, ■■■ ash or any other rubbish behind.
It will be hard at first but it gets easier as you learn the ropes - at least you will be home every night at a reasonable time.
Santa:
I have not done B&Q but I the general idea is the same.
Read all the delivery notes before you do anything else. There may be time constraints, phone before, etc.
Take advice from the other drivers - they will usually help if asked and may sort the route for you if the office don’t do it. If there is anything you aren’t sure about - ask.
Check the load as much as you can for security and quantity - different firms have different procedures and the best is where you supervise and check the load yourself. if the truck is already loaded, open it up and have a look.
When you get to a customers house, unless the deliver is small, check that it is the right place and that there is someone home. You don’t want to lug stuff up the drive and then back again.
Make sure you get a clear signature for all deliveries - get the name, time and date too if that is required. (It helps when you get the call later asking when you are going to deliver stuff you dropped an hour earlier). Take care of the paperwork too - you don’t want to lose any. Never let the customer take it off you - they are apt to put it down somewhere and then forget where.
Follow any instructions about phoning in to the letter. They may only want a call if there is a problem or they may want one after every delivery.
Stick your tacho on drive all the time you are working. Make sure you stop and have a proper break.
Park the truck up at the end of the day in the condition you would like to find it - don’t leave newspapers, sweet wrappers, ■■■ ash or any other rubbish behind.
It will be hard at first but it gets easier as you learn the ropes - at least you will be home every night at a reasonable time.
That sounds like ‘sound’ advice to me! thanks for that mate.
Im really looking forward to starting. I must have phoned 15-20 agency’s yesterday and 95% of them all wanted experience etc. Just want to get some experience under my belt now and crack on, and start to hopefully cherry pick jobs!
Anybody know trucks they run as well? i was told i would be doing class 2 and not 7.5T but all of there delivery trucks appear to be 7.5T Or im just being daft!
does driving 7.5t make a difference?
Santa:
7. Stick your tacho on drive all the time you are working. Make sure you stop and have a proper break.
Why would i do this? I thought I would have changed onto other work while loading etc?
I’m on class 2 with night freight. Did 3 months agy then got taken on full time in Sept. Only thing is I’m out of Grantham on vacu lug contract. No idea about other depots, but I love my job. Hope that helps
Any decent boss will know that if he sends you out blind onto an unfamilar run with loads of drops that it will take you a lot longer than the regular driver who knows all the short cuts and could do the job in his sleep. Don’t worry about being judged on how long its taking you, which is an easy trap newbies can fall into, especially because you will probably get every customer reminding you that the regular driver gets their earlier. If your on agency then your paid by the hour, just crack on at your own pace.
Many love doing multi drop, especially if you get your own regular run. When I was at Robert Wisemans I did 15-25 drops a day, did the same runs, knew all the customers by name and what orders they had, got free brews along the way etc. really enjoyed it for the most part. Early hours got to me in the end though.
As said, the main thing is not to get stressed, I get to fired up and it would finish me after a fortnight or less.
I tip my hat to the guys who do multi drop as I couldn’t stick it thats for sure!
Good luck fella.
I’ve heard night frieght is abit of a cowboy outfit…
Anyway good luck with the job, the key to multi drop is flat out everywhere and dont stop for a chat.
Saaamon:
I’ve heard night frieght is abit of a cowboy outfit…
LOL, funnny you should say that, when I worked for BRS back in the late 80’s we used to work on their motors, old ford cargo’s and Leyland road runners at the time. They were beat to ■■■■■■ death, not a good bit left on them! We used to call them “■■■■■ freight” (rymes with night) back then.
Suppose it’s like anywhere with a few depots. Depends which one you work out of.
GBPub:
15 - 25 drops a day is a walk in the park
If you’re in a sprinter van maybe. Not in a bloody wagon. Unless - as Truckulent said - they’re fairly close together.
Plus it has to be a case of drop and go for at least 90% of them - no messing about having to wait for people, or in queues, or uplift a million empties, or strip down pallets and put the stuff in bloody alphabetical order in someone’s kitchen for them… etc. Otherwise, even just 5 drops can take you an age, let alone 25.
My record is 42 round north london, delivering furniture to room of choice and unpacking.
drummerkev:
Anybody know trucks they run as well? i was told i would be doing class 2 and not 7.5T but all of there delivery trucks appear to be 7.5T Or im just being daft!does driving 7.5t make a difference?
99% of them are MAN