One of the agencies I signed up with has got me a start tomorrow with a pallet Network haulier…
hourly rate is low but its road time and Class 2 experience that I need, so fingers crossed for a gentle first step into the mystical world of professional Driving!
I’ll let you know if I managed to take the armbands off!! 
Wish me luck 
good luck mate! you’ll be fine,just enjoy your day 
Take your time , don’t let the planners bully you to work on your legal tacho and WTD breaks .
If you’re on a tracker , they will be watching you .
There will be collections to do , either when empty or still on delivery routes .
The places pallets go are rural , residential , so narrow lanes and customers who expect four pallets that weigh a ton each , to be dragged over a lawn , shingled driveway, broken patio slabs or up a steep hill .
All that using a pallet pump truck .
You are in your rights to refuse to deliver a pallet, in that case bring it back to base for redelivery .
Customers pay a cheap rate but expect first class service .
If they say " Well , the regular driver, or last driver did this and did that " , ignore them , it didn’t happen.
Normally, you have to plan your delivery routing , or ask experienced drivers for advice .
Don’t forget to strap everything before leaving the yard , the same for collections .
Expect customers ringing your cab phone for an ETA for their delivery , add extra time in case of a problem .
Thank you for the advice, really appreciated.
Lets see if my excitement lasts??
toby1234abc:
Take your time , don’t let the planners bully you to work on your legal tacho and WTD breaks .
If you’re on a tracker , they will be watching you .
Can you explain what these terms mean?
If you are delivering via tail lift, make sure someone in the yard shows you how it works properly before you go out - Same goes if you get one of those odd semi-automatic Scania boxes with a clutch
Don’t let the office rush you - 10 minutes late is better than an hour or more filling out the insurance forms and ■■■■ test.
Good Luck
Oh and if in doubt, strap it.
TruckerWannabe123:
toby1234abc:
Take your time , don’t let the planners bully you to work on your legal tacho and WTD breaks .
If you’re on a tracker , they will be watching you .Can you explain what these terms mean?
Sometimes people can try and force you to work through your legally required breaks. You must have at least a 45 min break after 4.5 hours of driving, which can be split into a 15 min and a 30 min during the 4.5 hours. Those are the tachograph break laws.
The WTD (Working Time Directive) states that for 6 hours of work (driving and other work) that you must have at least a 15 mins break. For working between 6 and 9 hours you must have a 30 min break and for over 9 hours a 45 min break across the shift in total. However, the tachograph breaks also count towards the WTD breaks. It’s confusing!
Some companies also use a tracking device on their vehicles so they can see where you are, where you’re going, etc
I hope that helps
Hayley
Thanks Hayley for explaining the situations where a driver can be exploited .
Another tip for unloading a heavy or awkward pallet .
If the lorry is equipped with air suspension on the front axles , raise that , then lower the suspension on the rear of the vehicle .
That way , you are using gravity to roll back the heavy pallet to the back , then on to the tail lift .
Lastly , if you have a ton or more of goods , if it starts rolling , and you can’t stop it , let it go , if it falls off the lorry , that’s what insurance is for , not for you in hospital .
Day one done.
Got to company 0800 and introduced myself, they gave me a 30 second intro to their PDA and paperwork gave me the keys and sent me to strap down my load. Thank god I did my test in a manual as this 6 speed Merc is on the wrong side of 500k and the gear selector feels like it’s full of porridge!!
did my vehicle checks and then went and asked for 1 bulb to replace a dead one, the body work although intact looked as though it had been in a few ditches.
One thing I did today that most probably do in this type of work, As I checked off my load against my paperwork I marked down the location on the bed against each pallet. I felt that it would stop me looking like to much of a newbie and having to open both curtains at every drop.
Headed out did 9 drops (tail lift stayed firmly closed as I didn’t have a pump truck), only 3 farms and the rest were builders merchants and the like. got back to the depot at 1730hrs. parked up and that’s when the pannick set in. Why wont my tacho card eject, why does it say “unable to eject?”. then it dawns on me, put the ignition back on you tool!! for a second I thought I had not put it in at the start of the shift… 
Paperwork and PDA returned and the TM said see you Monday, so I can’t be that bad!!!
Thank you again for all the advice and “check twice cut once” is the motto of the day
off to a good start then Snaggle! at least having a wreck of a motor in the first place,they won’t notice a few extra dents and scrapes