I have agencies phoning me up offering me work, but as soon as they mention it’s RDC stuff I refuse. On various internet jobsites I have put " I am looking for a HGV driving job that won’t mean I’ll spend my life waiting to be unloading in distribution centres".
Was going to put “waiting for semi evolved morons to unload my truck” but thought it was a bit strong. 
allikat:
And if they hqave no loo facilities for drivers when I need them? Fine, I’ll take the truck to the nearest place that has them, and i’ll come back when I feel like it.
This has happened to me when i was with my dad in the school holidays, had to collect car parts for us to deliver to switzerland that week.We had two collections from this place and our book in time were 11:00am and 3:00pm. We arrived on site at 10:30am. Things did’nt get of to a great start,they said i was’nt allowed on site 
,but they would make an exception this time but i was’nt to go there again. We went round to where we was to get loaded, the first collection went on fine. The fork-lift driver then said park in that bay over there as we cannot load your second collection until 3:00pm. My dad said so can we use your canteen and your toilets, the fork-lift driver pointed to a portaloo and said thats your toilet and no you cant use our canteen,you are not allowed any where inside the building,the fork-lift driver then went. By this time my dad has had enough and was’nt prepared to sit here with only a portaloo for a toilet and only a packet of crips for us to eat,so we decided to go down the road to find somewhere that had proper toilets and something to eat. We went round to the security office to tell him what we was doing, he then said that we was unable to leave the site, because they would not let us back in! My dad then phoned up his boss and explained what was going on, the boss said he would sort it out, we was able to leave an hour later and was told not to return to the site before 3:00pm
My dad has now refused to go to that place again.
MAD28:
allikat:
And if they hqave no loo facilities for drivers when I need them? Fine, I’ll take the truck to the nearest place that has them, and i’ll come back when I feel like it.This has happened to me when i was with my dad in the school holidays, had to collect car parts for us to deliver to switzerland that week.We had two collections from this place and our book in time were 11:00am and 3:00pm. We arrived on site at 10:30am. Things did’nt get of to a great start,they said i was’nt allowed on site
My dad has now refused to go to that place again.
If all drivers started adopting this stance with these places the industry as a whole would take a turn for the better. Your dad gets my vote. I would have done exactly the same.
ibm and compaq have the wheel grabber and bumper lock and can only be released by the guys inside.i went in to a place in kirkcaldy where they make you put trl brake on disconnect red air line and hand keys to security.and if you don’t they won’t tip or load you.when i hand my keys to anyone i tell them that if anything happens to truck inside or outside cab you will be held responsible as you have keys.and i walk away towards canteen if they have one and i’ll sit there and let there people come and get me.why should i run around looking to see if the red light has changed to green,if they want truck off bay come and get me. 
Argos zebidee’s me off big style. The fact that you’ve got to keep an eye on the board to see when they want you on the bay is worse than the waiting time itself.
At least if you knew it was gonna be 3 hours before you could get on the bay you could get your head down.
I’m sure the office staff great pleasure in watching you sit there staring at a board for hours on end and I’m also equally sure they take great pleasure in watching you get on your bunk and eventually doze off through boredom and then set it going for you to get on a bay when you’re asleep.
When you’re still sat there 5 hours later and you go in and ask how much it’s going to be they say they had the board wanting you on bay 15 3 hours ago 
hollywood:
Do a lot of places ask for the keys DAFMAD? Do they check you are not in the cab?
Because of the amount of personal stuff kept in my cab I would have to refuse to leave the truck unattended. If they are worried about it moving why not just drop the trailer.
Yes, Hollywood, Most RDC’s and food maufacturers collection points seem to do this.
Last time I went to Hams Hall, I swapped my Truck key for another key and handed that in and then went back and had a snooze in my cab. And they still unloaded it, but, still at their normal speed, extra slow.
Which just gos to show what a complete load of rubbish this idea is. Seems these places assign a ‘safety rep’ who has no experience or training. He does a ‘risk assessment’ on most things, including the safe unloading of lorries. Whatever this ‘rep’ decides are risks are taken as gospel, and written in stone No matter how badly it is undertaken or how many ommissions there are.]
DAFMAD:
Which just gos to show what a complete load of rubbish this idea is. Seems these places assign a ‘safety rep’ who has no experience or training. He does a ‘risk assessment’ on most things, including the safe unloading of lorries. Whatever this ‘rep’ decides are risks are taken as gospel, and written in stone
What’s with the rainbow colours, like 
steveo999:
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That worked well Stevie
My first RDC delivery was at the sainsburys (ithink) in Dumfermline. Due to wrong addy (see thread on addys) I was about an hour late for book in slot, so I sit and wait 2 hours to get on bay. When I finally get on, hand keys in etc I end up waiting another hour and still no ones offloading truck.
Look at time and hours left for day walks into office and asks how long they going to be, ‘you were late’ they said ‘you’ll have to wait’.
Thats Ok I replied I’m agency driver so give me the keys back I’m setting off home. But we need the load threy said. HA weakness. So I gave them 5 mins to get someone on truck and start unloading or I’m going. Wagon was tipped in 20 mins.
took 15 attempts though…
This rule is nothing to do with health & safety, allthough it says that. This rule is because people working for hours on the dock can’t stand the thought of you sleeping or relaxing as they work.
A few months back I did a delivery to BJ’s warehouse (a very big chain of discount stores) in Westborough MA, I had delivered to many of their other stores in the past and had no trouble. It was 5.00am, I was put on door 1 and got in the sleeper. The supervisor knocked me up and told me I could not sleep in the cab, but must sit in the waiting area, I was very angry and felt like telling them to stuff the load, but I wanted the backhaul, which was a few miles away. I sat for 3 hours in a steel cage, in a no smoking area and watched the lazy gits smoking as they worked inside.
On returning home I emailed BJ’s head office and told all. Not only did I get a fully appologetic email by return, but the day manager from the store concerned phoned me to ask who had told me to get out of the cab, and who was smoking on the dock ? I was told by BJ’s that providing you drive a sleeper cab and are not sitting at the wheel staff have no right to make you sit in a waiting area.
On other occassions when the keys have been asked for, XPEDX for instance, I have dropped the trailer on the dock, and moved my tractor away, they have no excuse then.
You have better rights there. Iremember in 1993 at Woolworths distribution at Castleton, nr Rochdale. a similar problem happened when after waiting for 6 hours, a driver asked to use the canteen, as they had removed his keys on the dock, HELL – we all wanted to use the canteen, he was refused so asked for his keys to take his tractor to a truck stop, he was refused that. The driver phoned the local police to complain of being held against his will, the police agree’d and threatened tp arrest the manager.
From that day on all visiting driverrs were allowed up to the staff canteen and no keys were taken
By the way, the driver tale is true, before you say other wise, his handle was ‘Hop Scotch’ he drove for Matchbox-fedex and I could tell you his real name but not on an open forum like this. 
Rob K:
I’d do exactly the same as I did there anywhere else if they said they didn’t have any facilities. I just won’t put up with treated like a turd, so I gave them a few of my own.
Respect 
MAD28:
Things did’nt get of to a great start,they said i was’nt allowed on site
There’s a ‘new’ argos at Barton-U-Needwood ‘A38’. Same thing; this driver turns up to tip with his lad with him. The boy was not allowed on site and had to sit in the security gate house with just a toilet for 4 hours!
I delevered to UPS J41 ind’ est, they ‘ve a little warehouse there opp’ Morissons. You had to hand you’re keys into the office.
On another occasion, I did a delivery through the night. The office was closed and no-one gave a fig?!
I even went to an empty loading to bay to ask for a green light from the lads who had finished tipping me and were starting on another wagon. “Oh we hav’nt time for that, just pull off.” The loading ramp had been left in the trailer as well and dropped as I pulled away.
From one extreme to the another I thought??!!
The thing is it’s not that straight forward, as them being a bunch zebidees. You can blame this new ‘claims culture’ ‘no win no fee’ too. Employee claims have gone up ten fold in the last ten years. Then there’s the H&S risk asessment thing. Companies usually employ an outside consultancy, they then have to abide with their ‘ideas’ which I admit are usually crap! Some places have Risk assessments on view call me a sad [zb] but I read 'em. NFT at Alfreton have theres up in the transport office.
Also companies cannot get or won’t pay for insurance to cover vistors using facilities etc. And anyone who as submitted a claim can consider themselves partly to blaim (me included). The way round that is simple you sign a disclaimer before you enter 
But what really Ps me off; is they build new RDCs without, and still don’t plan effective facilities for visiting drivers!
May be a good idea to start a mass boycot of these places! 
But if we do; and you’re in the supermarket or buying a new tv and the prices have risen 
'cos the RDCs have spent millions on driver facilities you can’t moan.
Well RobB39, I’d say the best solution is to disconnect the trailer. Then park the unit up out the way, the shunter can come and tell you its done.
Funny thing, I’ve heard Wincanton Brockworth, won’t let you do this. Very weird seeings as they load their own trailers with no unit under them. Just proves to me they are talking out of their bums, double standards.
Oh and RobK. It might as well be Rainbow, or is it The Muppet Show at these places.
A lot of this H&S ■■■■■ gives me the bile. Its bloody tiresome, unless you like that kind of thing I spose. Makes me wonder how we managed to survive and even exist here seeing as all this bollox wernt about to protect us! The one that makes me laugh, (and I always break) is the old no smoking in your cab! Cheeky ■■■■■■■■■
They don’t trust you------why should you trust them?
As i’ve said before, " the cab is only an extension of your home. Would you give your house keyes to a stranger?"
you should ask for a receipt or make out a POD for everything in the cab
A lot of the H&S is eurocrat carbage ‘jobs for the boys again’.
Just like the new driver training/assessment proposals. Assessors assessing drivers, assessors assessing assessors. A lot of ■■■ going in here me-thinks.
h&s what a joke,we have a canteen in the depot (which is open to all visiting drivers and kids that come with mum & dad),but the staff that run the canteen where told to remove the red and brown sause bottles. 
i don’t know the reason behind this,but we have to buy the sause in the packets now at 5p ago now.i think it’s going to far now,wtf are we going to do with the plastic sause bottle’s smack the cook for a crap dinner
where will it stop
Taylor Barnards/TNT at Elsham Wold near Brigg (handling Kimberley Clark stock) have a very sensible compromise on this one. They give you a choice of whether you’d rather hand in your keys or have a red airline lock fitted (pain in the arse because it sticks sometimes and takes forever to get off).
Kimberley Clark’s at Barton have wheel-grabbers…but they also have one bay at each of the 3 warehouses without in case your wagon can’t take it (eg.faring damage risk, etc), in which case they take your keys.
Both places have a good rest-room area if you wish to wait outside your cab (no canteen, but you can’t have it all), KC’s even have showers in both blocks!!!
Credit where credit’s due and all that…