Been offered a job driving a Cement Mixer . I don’t know much about the work so would appreciate some advice before I take it. Driving milk tankers at the moment.
It’s a Marmite job - Some love it, some hate it.
It’s definitely not a job for the faint hearted or anyone who want’s an easy life, but, for the right person, it can be a fascinating job, taking you to some amazing places.
It depends a lot on where you are and what jobs the company has on. If there’s a major civil job going on, you could be delivering to the same site for 3 or 4 years. Otherwise every day could be different.
The job can be long spells of waiting followed by periods of proper concentration, or it can be non-stop.
The things to remember are:
- You’re dealing with a “live” product - It’ll set in about 3hrs unless there’s retarder in it. Delays and going to the wrong site are really not a good idea.
- In the UK the drum spins “up” on the driver’s side, so with a “std” 7.5 cubic mtrs of concrete weighing ~ 18t all that load is forced up the right-hand side of the drum (looking forward). If you go into a left hander too quickly, you’ll be on your ribs in no time
- Concrete is a corrosive substance (despite the way some gangs work with it stripped to the waist without gloves or glasses) It WILL affect your skin & eyes if you don’t take care.
- The loading, discharging and driving all contain a higher than normal risk level, so expect the pointy shoe brigade to be all over you … PPE is mandatory and forget just wearing a hi viz vest it’s full 5-point PPE
- Chances are that you’ll be loading in a working quarry (or could during the course of your work) - Most drivers don’t routinely work inside the active part of a quarry, so there’s a learning curve there too. Do NOT expect a full loaded dump truck to stop or alter course for you
- You will very rarely get anywhere near you 9hrs of driving time so it’s easy to forget about your WTD hrs (Working Time Directive). You have to stay on top of them.
- If you have an interest in the world around you, you’ll get to see some great things that others may never see.
- Due to it’s nature, it looks good on you’re CV - Mixing is not a job for the brain dead, or they’ll be fully dead
You’ll very soon be expert at off road driving, diff-lock usage, traction control (or not), camber assessment, steep climbs and descents. - Keeping yourself and the truck clean is a permanent, ongoing task. If you don’t keep the inside of the drum clean you’ll VERY soon have build-up (which weighs a lot) and before you know it, you’ll be a ton or more overweight (or at least your truck will be!)
- Shift length is almost never know at the start of the day. A delay on site, a problem with the plant, a need for a bit more concrete (what’s called a “balance”) can all spoil your plans.
- The better companies pay you from the moment you arrive at work to the moment you leave with no deductions for breaks. That’s because you’re not really in control of when you get to take a break. However, making sure you DON’T need a driving or WTD break when you’re loaded is a key responsibility for you
- If you’re working for a quarrying company and the mixers go quiet, you can always jump on a tipper for an easy life
There’s loads more but for now hopefully that’s given you a taste … If you have further questions - Ask 
Ken
Oh, and by the way, it’s a Concrete mixer not a Cement mixer
Concrete is the product made from Cement, aggregate, water and additives - Just help you avoid getting laughed at by the other drivers
Everything ken says.
I didn’t do it for long but working in summer was a lot better than winter.
Thawing out water lines in the freezing cold gets old fast.
Sites can be crap, easy to get punctures /get bogged down.
Maybe I was unlucky but concrete plants seems to attract some of the most ignorant unhelpful, grassing, ■■■■■■■■ you can imagine.(Staff not drivers). But generally customers are ok.
I drove a 4 wheeler for a while doing a lot of private jobs. It was quite common to make £100 a week in tips by making a bit of effort to get a bit closer etc, and this was 20 years ago.
Be wary of pointy shoe ■■■■■ trying to sign you up to be an owner driver. Read slavery, I mean franchise agreement very care fully.
And don’t believe what they say about “potential” earnings.
Like I say this was 20 years ago so things might have changed, but some how I doubt it.
Haha, never got a tip on a bowser (mixer) best job for that was driving a scaffie a week before xmas! Was still eating shortbread at Easter and plenty of folding too
The company I drove the 4 wheeler for had a strange system for cash sales where the customer paid the driver on delivery.
So if say the bill was say, £153.50, you would often get £160-180 and a ‘keep the change drive’.
Kept me in beer anyway 
Which was nice.
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@Semigloss … Did you go for it??
Do you mean Ready Mix (Big Drum that goes round) or Volumetrics?
Dinny Ken:
@Semigloss … Did you go for it??
I’d like to know, too
You absolutely nailed the info part!
Here’s another bit…
When you get to where they’re pouring, usually, footings, and they ask you to “Wet it up a bit, driver, mek it run around the corners”
2 choices now…
1…don’t!
2…Write, in your delivery notes, iPad or paper, “Foreman George Smith asked for the full load to made into a 3 inch slump”
Get him to sign it before you add water.
3…Don’t.
At some point, on some job, someone will be there to take a sample for testing.
If you’ve made it too wet it will fail the test. You will take the blame for it to be dug out and replaced.
Loved my couple of years on the concrete.
Back in the 80’s, wages…took home 60 quid. Slightly better than my brickie mates.
Went in on Sat mornings to deliver some stuff we’d “Acquired/retained” over the week…another 60 quid.
Happy days.
i supplied the stone to a Redland Readymix plant for 16 years in a tipper,but never fancied going on the mixers…but i did deliver a couple of mixer loads in my artic tipper when we were flat out…the paddies on site weren’t very impressed
Hi, was thinking of trying to get a concrete mixer driver job. I am currently on ADR gas cylinders class 2. The problem is everywhere once mixer experience. Any suggestions on how to get the experience or any agencies that will train you etc. Thanks