Well-Jell:
.
It is hard when you first start out driving, i struggled to get 6-10 drops off when i first started, i saw everything as a delay that all cost a few minutes each, sounds daft but they all add up.
You should get quicker over the coming years but probably will still struggle, i now find 15-18 drops to be the perfect number to get off in one day which has taken me exactly 3 years to speed up.
A word or warning though, as said before, class 2 multi drop can be brutal, no matter how much better you get and how much faster you can go, some company will want you to go faster, like how i now think 15-18 drops a day is the perfect number to get off in one day it doesn’t stop companies wanting 35 drops out of you each day, putting you right back to where you first started weather you are now faster than you used to be years ago or not.
I had 3 years of this before i realised i was fighting a losing battle and needed to get onto class 1 for an easier life, i now start class 1 training in less than 2 weeks from now.
It’s very easy to want to throw it all a way and give up, but why should you just because of greedy companies wanting to throw more work on you, if you got into this work because you love driving then save up some money and get yourself onto class 1, you cloud find yourself doing a 1 drop trunking job to a RDC.
I hope you don’t give up on driving for a living, i came close a few times and now been less than 2 weeks away from training am glad i never, remember, the smaller the vheicle, the more drops you’ll do, move down to 7.5 tonner and you’ll have even more drops than you have now, move down to 3.5 tonner and you’ll have even more drops than that, if you want to win this battle of multi drop, you’ll need to move up vheicle size.
Good luck.
.
I like what you’ve said but with increase in vehicle size comes long periods of waiting. The problem with that is the traffic office think you are nattering and wasting time. I’ve found with Class 1 one ends up with more problems like load securing with recycling bead bags… one has to take the time to secure perfectly but even then the devils move.
I had 6 drops all in pallets for some pubs yesterday. Some I could pump truck the pallet in some had to break down and hand ball. All drops blind, I do check them out on Google maps first. Got to first drop at 7am. Clocked out of depot at 1pm. Although I was only half hour from depot and the drops quite close together. How much driving are doing?
It isn’t quite the usual type of multidrop I do. But I have been doing it for three years nearly. Was trained, was double manned when I first started. And was pretty slow for the first six months.
dieseldog999:
the jurys out on this one…anyone else?
if…genuine,then if your no better by the end of next week,then its not the job for you and back to maccy d or kfc as a colleague for you as your productivity input is pathetic.
you should be able to do 6 drops a day using a wheelbarrow.
im thinking someone will take the hook about not being trained and the other hooks like not knowing where anywhere is and being a classic snowflake in respect of " im useless but its everyones fault" till we see where this one goes,but if genuine,then get off multidrop and get a different job even if its still driving that your capable of doing.
most traffic offices tend to want you to be productive,and its not unreasonable to tell them to sod off,but this is assuming your doing a days work to start with.
if its a proper job,then work with them,if your a limper and your as bad as you say,then nobody will care and you can just work somewhere else with whatever shifts you can scrape.
aint it sad that you think the worst of 1 off posters when it reads like this?
That’s the spirit SP696969,
Keep undermining new drivers with your superior work and driving abilities.
You have now earned your PLATINUM d!ldo. This is a special edition only awarded to the best super truckers. It can be mounted directly to the seat for superior comfort.
Just a couple of points for the OP - I did plenty of multidrop when I first started from vans to class 2 and until you know your round (where all the back doors in High Streets are, people to see etc) then in most cases you have no choice but to rush around despite what people say else you will never get the job done, just make sure you don’t hit anything. You might get a bit of leeway for a couple of days (depends on the firm) but not much, at the very least you need to be improving enough to show you will be ok fairly quickly. It was also rare to get the chance of going with another driver for a day to learn the job. It’s not ideal, but unfortunately that is the way it is with a lot of multidrop firms
I’m honest enough to say that although the first few firms I worked for were crap, I was also crap having never done multidrop before, but the more you do it the better you get. You will have 2 choices where most companies are concerned, either complete your round or find a new job. Most firms I worked for weren’t interested in quite valid excuses, they just want the job done. After a week or two you should have been to most places once and have it cracked so you don’t need to rush, but initially you are screwed unless you know the area very well beforehand.
If it all goes ■■■■ up don’t stress about it because there are always vacancies for multidrop drivers due to it being hard work, and the next job you will be better prepared for.
Personally I don’t like working too hard so I did my class 1, a couple of years multidrop was more than enough
It seems like instead of watching Songs of Praise on a Sunday, you need to sit at the kitchen table with a road map, Google Earth and study the local roads and rivers, bridges and railway lines.
If the truck is loaded for you, they generally know which order it should be in, one problem you may have is that you may have to collect some returns, packaging or empty cages, so that can mean extra work at the next drop, taking them off again to unload the 2nd drop.
Even a ten year old delivering newspapers has to learn his route, where the dog lives and who gives you a tip at christmas.
I currently work for a company as FTE and have been delivering goods to customers since January 21. I found this post as i were looking at ways to speed up my day delivering as i normally have an 11 hour day. When i said about this as i’m salaried they said work faster.
There are some goods points here which i’ll try out but the issues i have are below.
Address wrong with missing road names or postcodes.
Company names incorrect.
House names with no numbers or road names so again another call to the office.
Different area everyday.
They say other drivers do the area and get back in 8 hours so it can be done.
All deliveries are on pallets unless its a light item then its just put on top of other pallets. I have a manual PT and a tail lift for the job and its a 12T vehicle.
This week I’ve had my own vehicle brake down, the replacement vehicle had no brakes and no the third one has a broken seat. I’ve also had delays in a warehouse when the fire alarm went off and a Radiation alarm went off so i had to sit in an office until it was clear.
I’m now 2 1/2 weeks into a multi drop job and my first few days were long ones.
There was so much I didn’t know, however I’ve learned quite a few things that have helped me knock a lot of time off my deliveries.
The tail lift has little barriers that pop up to stop the cages rolling off the end, this allows me to take 2 cages at a time on the tail lift instead of 1 at a time and hanging onto it for dear life so it doesn’t roll away as the lift slopes right at the bottom.
The cages are easy to collapse down and interlock with each other like supermarket trolleys thus creating extra room and enabling me to organise the back of the lorry.
3 some cages have next to nothing in them, it’s easier to take out a couple of bags or boxes than it is to drop the tail lift and remove then collect a cage.
I’ve got used to my run and now I know where I’m going, I also know the little details about the drop which help me speed it up.
I’ve got the store numbers stored in my phone! Not all stores have a buzzer at the delivery door meaning I’ve got to some how get their attention to let them know I’m there so I just phone them.
I bought myself a great Truck Sat Nav that has really cut short my delivery times.
My first few days were 11 hours but now I’m flying through my route in about 8 to 9 hours
Very similar for me and I don’t have the answers but maybe some positive thoughts.
I’m 7 days into palletline work. Went for an assessment - my first one after passing test. They said I was ok, gave me a loaded truck and some paperwork and sent me out 2 hours after arriving at the depot. Wasn’t really told how to do anything. Had to work out tacho, ratchets, curtains and poles, securing loads, pallet truck, tail-lift, etc, etc. 7 days in and I can manage 9-11 deliveries in a day (usually 1-2 pallets per delivery) though I’m usually last back to the depot at night. Occasional collections. Total 80-120 miles.
Navigation is the biggest issue. Many residential drops in places the truck doesn’t want to fit. Can’t find a satnav that won’t take me down country lanes. Keep getting stuck down school streets at pick-up time! Already lost two wing mirror covers but nothing worse I’m glad to say.
Most of the other drivers are half my age and they seem much faster than me. But I get the drops done and the customers seem happy. Company keeps telling me that we only do a kerbside service but try telling that to all the little old ladies I deliver to. So I do spend too long with each drop but I want to leave happy that I’ve done a good job.
I’m expecting the conversation about being too slow but I don’t really care. I’m proud of my work. I left a 6 figure IT job to follow my dream. I’m not moaning about the £12ph I’m on now. I enjoy the work despite the difficult bits,
So, my advice, decide what good looks like to you. Be proud of what you achieve every day. And don’t worry too much what anyone else thinks.
Every one is slow when they first start out having to find the places with incorrect addresses etc. not to mention the enthusiastic goods in people that are so helpfull and willing to take the stuff/answer the door /acknowlege your standing there. i used to have to come up the a2 heading into london with the first drop in kensington. i was supposed to start at 5am however if i wasnt out of the yard by 5.15 i would easily loose a couple of hours with the traffic at blackheath newcross vauxhall bridge etc so i was on a back foot before i even started. all it ment was i came in 30 mins early so i could load and go by 5 that made a vast difference.
my advice
if your going into areas you know try and plan to avoid known sticking points. Set your stall out with these goods in people early. if there is a goods in it goes to goods in unless there is a department on the address that is easily accesible. If they dont want to take it tell them to sign the notes refused. call your office and tell them they wouldnt take it. If you have a collection that isnt there in the agreed place ie goods in/out and wont be in 5 mins or so call the office
all this comes down to attitude as well. i have seen people sit for an hour because they cant get with in 6 inches of the goods in and all they have is a packet of stamps. if its safe and reasonable to do so walk to the goods in.
if the people in the traffic office are any cop they will soon work out that its not your fault it takes you an hour to drop off one box/pallet. as well as keeping them updated they cant then phone you and scream at you for being behind when they have told you to wait.