Drivers mate. What's a fair division of labour?

[howatsi]

Many years ago I used to deliver “pop to shops” and good driver’s mate was worth his weight in gold. The driver was responsible for the lorry and load, but a good drivers mate would make a hard job easier

1. A good one would read the map and plan your drops on route, especially if the driver wasn’t the best at the 3Rs.
2. Do the paperwork and collect the cash.
3. Jump out of the cab to help with tight manoevures, plenty of hand signals and banging on the tailboard!
4. Check out where the goods needed to go and start unloading the crates which the driver had picked for the order.
   Some of the roles would be switched around to suit, but it was all about teamwork as the more you delivered the bigger the bonus

And if he was good you wouldn’t mind him having a nap on the way back to the yard, because he had done slightly more graft than you had

Finally a good drivers mate ended being up a good mate, especially when he put his hand in his pocket for the first few rounds after a hard day’s work

[b1_ggk]

howatsi:
Many years ago I used to deliver “pop to shops” and good driver’s mate was worth his weight in gold. The driver was responsible for the lorry and load, but a good drivers mate would make a hard job easier

1. A good one would read the map and plan your drops on route, especially if the driver wasn’t the best at the 3Rs.
2. Do the paperwork and collect the cash.
3. Jump out of the cab to help with tight manoevures, plenty of hand signals and banging on the tailboard!
4. Check out where the goods needed to go and start unloading the crates which the driver had picked for the order.
   Some of the roles would be switched around to suit, but it was all about teamwork as the more you delivered the bigger the bonus

And if he was good you wouldn’t mind him having a nap on the way back to the yard, because he had done slightly more graft than you had

Finally a good drivers mate ended being up a good mate, especially when he put his hand in his pocket for the first few rounds after a hard day’s work

Spot on that from my Britvic days, apart from the beer the tight gits

At places where weve had a van lad its generally been 50/50, or the kid takes the gear in while the driver turns around (generally van work) but it is amazing just how much paperwork the driver has to do when its raining

[shuttlespanker]

gogzy:
we didnt even speak about how we were going to do this it just generally went that way, usually because while id be emptying the bins the driver would be off sorting out the paper work or something or collecting money (i hated that bit so avoided dealing with money and still do to this day)

but this was all back in the day before i could drive trucks.

that would have been last week then

[redear]

60/40 if hes a mate 55/45 if double manning driver 1 knocks doors and sets up ■■■■■■■ driver 2 starts unloading (then swap at 4 1/2 or 6) or if its agancy mate driver dose 90%

[gogzy]

shuttlespanker:

gogzy:
we didnt even speak about how we were going to do this it just generally went that way, usually because while id be emptying the bins the driver would be off sorting out the paper work or something or collecting money (i hated that bit so avoided dealing with money and still do to this day)

but this was all back in the day before i could drive trucks.

that would have been last week then

cheeky git, mind you it was only last week you stopped wearing nappies

[orys]

grumpybum:
I’m assuming you get paid more than the drivers mate.

I accepted recently a wee job for one home delivery company - only because it was one drop in Peterhead and I wanted to get out from Glasgow after long weeks of local multidrop and shop deliveries. The driver mate was with me. As it was agency and 7.5 tonner, I was paid 6. So was he. But he was paid for break and I wasn’t. So in fact he got more than me for this run, and he only worked for couple of minutes…

Good for him

[orys]

I was recently doing lot of cash and carry deliveries. I had a driver mate with me, in most cases Indian or Pakistani, and they were working as a hell.

They knew all the shops, they were dealing with all paperwork and speaking to the customers (who, being Pakistani or Indian, have a habit of ignoring the driver presence and speak in Pakistani language to the driver mate, who then translates into english “The gentelmen wants you to move your truck here or there” etc.

They were also doing more work. For example, unless the pallet is heavy and needs two people, they were moving it, saying “You drive the big truck, I drive the small truck”.

As for handballing the stuff - it was usually 50/50, but I was given a choice if I prefere to stack the stuff or to wheelbarrow it into the shop.

Apart of that their attitude was “you are the boss, you need the break, just tell and we stop wherever you want”.

Some time ago I was also doing some job for well-known-drink-distributor, when most of mates were Scottish and much older than me. Some of them were really terrible. They expected me to do most of the job, either saying it, or just plainly avoiding doing their share. And off course we had constantly some clashes about “working on break”. I was telling them: “1st: it’s illegal, 2nd, I am not paid for my breaks and therefore I don’t care if you are out to the PUB tonight or not”, so off course it did not made me many friends…

There was also a Polish driver mate there, who was working like crazy, very strange (I had him once, he was saying “Ja to po prostu ■■■■■ lubiÄ™ zapierdalać” which stays less or more for “I simply ■■■■■■■ like to ■■■■■■■ work ■■■■■■■ hard” and they expected me to be like him because I am Polish as well… They were also still commenting on my driving and having some issues that I reported the van unroadworthy due to wobbling wheel and scary play on the steering, and then in the garage they changed wheel and said “it’s all right”.

I told agency: I can go to the cash and carry instead of drink distribution. I don’t care that work is harder if I am treated with respect and the driver mate is actually a great help, not annoying furnishment of the left seat…

[newmercman]

I used to deliver soft drinks around the center of London in a 16 tonner, 10 ton off & a few tons of empties back on everyday, sometimes to shops, sometimes to pubs, which meant cellars obviously I had a van boy, as I was the one who signed the load in & out I used to stay on the lorry & throw stuff down to him & he’d run it into the shop/pub if it was a small delivery, if it was a big one, we used to do the same, but he’d stack it all on the ground & we’d both run it in, over the course of a day everything he shifted, I shifted first, but he would go further with it

I loved that job, it was hard work for sure, we used to have a double everything breakfast before the first delivery, come 11am we were in McD’s or a fish & chip shop, then in the pub for 6 or 7 pints on the way home & a big dinner waiting on the table, I’m 6’ 1" & in those days I weighed 12 stone with not an ounce of fat on me, we used to carry 12 cases of Coke cans up & down flights of stairs like it was nothing, could’ve carried more, but you can’t see over the top of them then, nowadays I’m still 6’ 1" & I get out of breath pulling my socks up

[drew30]

I started as a DM years ago, and had a really good guy called Bob as my driver. I did all the paper work, checking the load, reading the map, cleaning the cab of the truck and lugging as much of the stuff as I could. Bob would drive, “help” unload the kit, and most importantly teach me how to do the job.
One day the TM came to me and said “Bob reckons your pretty sharp, do you fancy going out in a puddle jumper?”

I think they call it an apprenticship!

[waynedl]

I was on B&Q home deliveries for a while, 18 or 26 tonne truck with drivers mate, delivering kitchens and bathrooms.

I’d normally drive from Mcr to Carlisle or West Wales for my 1st drop, then work my way back in towards base.

DM gets 2.5hrs or so kip in a morning.

I had 1 that told me to knock on the 1st door whilst they were doing the paperwork, they got politely told that they’d had 2.5hrs to do the paperwork and if they didn’t get it sorted and get knocking on the door, it’s a damned site more than 2.5hrs walk back.

Most were ok, they were on daily rate though (job n knock) so didn’t like me stopping for my breaks, so I agreed that I’d take my break whilst they delivered to a customer, then they’d ask me to help with a heavy item… Funny as ■■■■ when 15mins later I started my 45 again

I did around 12mths on this and the DM’s knew where they stood, I was docked 45 mins for my break, so I’m not gonna work through it, I take no ■■■■, but I’ll graft and get the job done - NOT expect them to do all the work.

1 final thing, sometimes, these DM’s that do nothing but this all day everyday, expect you to work like they do, but, chances are you’re on agency?, you do your back in or whatever, you’re off work with no money. Stick to reasonable limits. I think legally 25kg?? but 35 - 40kg is reasonable for most of us to lift regularly, but whatever you feel comfortable with - all depends on size, shape and where it’s going.
Worktops were my problem, not so much for the weight as much as the grief I’d get if I scraped wallpaper or something trying to move it on my own, ■■■■ that, 2 people or DM on his own

[happy_keith]

darkseeker:
‘…everyone else gets their head down while you drive, how’s that fair!?..’

Unless you’re boring them, and on this Father’s Day too, who is the Daddy of the wagon?

Especially if that Daddy has the lecky windows, volume, equaliser, heater & brake pedal larks, etc to play with? Those babies ensure that through their keen & random usage (but when safe to do so, eh, Rog?) combined with well-timed cries of ‘WATCHOUT’ & ‘OMG’, etc, no-one is physically capable of sleep with him as their ‘partner’.

Obviously, ban all pillows and items of comfort in the crew compartment through signing off (?) a Risk Assessment concluding that they’re a fire & loose article hazard, etc.

Don’t get mad, stay even by keeping them wide awake & pleasantly amused through engagement with the entire vehicle entertainment suite that is all yours. And woe betide if little fingers interfere.

Next

[gezt]

is this really a big enough deal to warrant 2 pages. a driver does what a driver does i.e loads/unloads a wagon end of.
in days past and in days present a driver is responsible for the load on his wagon ,not the mate/traffic bod or the boss but him and him alone. so you unload it or whatever. if you don’t like it go work in an office or summat. its what we do, it’s called “getting your hands dirty” it called “working " it’s called being part of a team”
IT’S CALLED WORK"
sorry no offence intended but todays drivers seem to think the roundish bit in the cab is all you need to handle.
go do some “proper” driving and you may enjoy it
why is todays drivers being work shy
now i prob have offended some peeps

[dunno_then]

gezt:
[u]is this really a big enough deal to warrant 2 pages.[/[/u]b] a driver does what a driver does i.e loads/unloads a wagon end of. **
in days past and in days present a driver is responsible for the load on his wagon ,not the mate/traffic bod or the boss but him and him alone. so you unload it or whatever. if you don’t like it go work in an office or summat. its what we do, it’s called “getting your hands dirty” it called “working " it’s called being part of a team”
IT’S CALLED WORK"
sorry no offence intended but todays drivers seem to think the roundish bit in the cab is all you need to handle.
go do some “proper” driving and you may enjoy it
why is todays drivers being work shy
now i prob have offended some peeps
[/quote]

Maybe not? But you’ve had your say. Let others do the same.

[gezt]

Dunno then?:

gezt:
[u]is this really a big enough deal to warrant 2 pages.[/[/u]b] a driver does what a driver does i.e loads/unloads a wagon end of. **
in days past and in days present a driver is responsible for the load on his wagon ,not the mate/traffic bod or the boss but him and him alone. so you unload it or whatever. if you don’t like it go work in an office or summat. its what we do, it’s called “getting your hands dirty” it called “working " it’s called being part of a team”
IT’S CALLED WORK"
sorry no offence intended but todays drivers seem to think the roundish bit in the cab is all you need to handle.
go do some “proper” driving and you may enjoy it
why is todays drivers being work shy
now i prob have offended some peeps
[/quote]

Maybe not? But you’ve had your say. Let others do the same.
[/quote]
agreed sorry