gb1:
Never been in this situation, but I can imagine the response if refusing to hand over the keys. What are your legal rites, and has anyone refused before?
I have asked nicely to keep them before now, mainly in the summer, in order to run the aircon periodically, as I’m heat intolerant. I’ve always included the undertaking on my part not to move the vehicle until someone specifically comes and tells me I can do so, and because I have genuine reason it’s never been a problem.
There are in fact very few situations in this job where a polite request and a genuine reason won’t produce results.
A driver i used to work with handed a false set of keys in at an rdc but they sussed it straight away ,when after 2 hours he asked why am i not getting tipped they said hand in correct keys and we will.Lesson learnt always handed correct keys after that.Bet the guy who spotted it got a gold star that week or promoted!
Sad thing is that handing in the keys doesn’t guarantee that the driver remembered to apply the park brake! I’ve seen a wagon roll off a bay before when the unloader entered and braked transfering his kinetic energy to the wagon.
I find most people are jobsworths about it.
To be honest i don’t rally blame them, i prob would be as well because if smeone does drive off a bay and it turns out you have let them keep their keys then they are up the creek without a paddle.
I wouldnt do somthing like that to put my job at risk, so guess i can understand them not wishing to do that either.
Problem is with the people making the rules, that don’t have a clue.
I can live with handing over my keys, doesent bother me too much. I can live with having to drop a trailer.
What i really cant be bothered with and hate is, you must sit in a tiny office for three hours at a time waiting in your truck being unloaded that is soul destroying. Espec when its busy and you can’t even get a seat.
I did a collection for knauf out of their yard down Kent way somewhere i think. There you have to reverse inside, drop your trailer then pull out the door and they close the door behind you, when you are loaded they let you back in to strap and close your curtains.
I think the Transport Industry as a whole should speak out on this absurd crass situation… 
Kenny1975:
What i really cant be bothered with and hate is, you must sit in a tiny office for three hours at a time waiting in your truck being unloaded that is soul destroying. Espec when its busy and you can’t even get a seat.
Morrisons chilled at Wakefield,is a prime example.
Ken.
beattun:
i always pull the ignition key off the ring and just hand in whatever random keys are on the ring, once i was asked after unloading to move the truck down to another bay for a reload, which i did, forgetting about the whole key thing.
nobody even noticed, theyre too wrapped up in their own red tape to have a clue anyway (this is australia btw but it seems like the same setup)
Heh-heh…been there more than once myself.
daleyboy:
I did a collection for knauf out of their yard down Kent way somewhere i think. There you have to reverse inside, drop your trailer then pull out the door and they close the door behind you, when you are loaded they let you back in to strap and close your curtains.
There’s a paper mill at Ellesmere Port that’s quite ridiculous.
You have to wear safety boots, a hard had and get this, safety glasses in a reel warehouse. Despite wearing all of this, when you are being loaded you must stand behind a barrier well away from the motor and you must stand in one of the small areas behind this barrier that they’ve painted green and if you stray out of it, they stop loading and can ask you to leave the premises.
Absolutely barking mad.
Quinny:
Morrisons chilled at Wakefield,is a prime example.
Ken.
you know Im going to have nightmares tonight now youve reminded me about that place 
On a slightly different note,
how many of you are asked to leave your car keys behind when you take the truck out of the yard?
I was asked friday to do this when I turned up for an agency job, they stated that if theres a fire etc, they can move my car
[quote="peirreOn a slightly different note,
how many of you are asked to leave your car keys behind when you take the truck out of the yard?
I was asked friday to do this when I turned up for an agency job, they stated that if theres a fire etc, they can move my car[/quote]
Fluff that. they could do anything while you are away, plus how many people leave things in thier car (like the stereo in the glove box, cash in the ashtray) im not saying everybody is a scally but how many times have you been to a job and thought to yourself “i dont trust that bloke over there!”
ZB em. dont do it, i would rather park my car on the road than give some scrote i dont know the keys
If it need stars its not allowed animal
This & all the other health & safety rules are thought up by people whose only role is to think up new things 
I’ve been driving for over 20 years & have never seen anybody pull off a bay whilst being loaded/unloaded, there are pictures on display at some places but they all use the same picture so it proves that it has happened ONCE, but who knows the circumstances, it could be that a green light was shown by mistake or any number of other explanations that were not the fault of the driver.
I had an incident at Bookers in Hatfield recently, I booked in wearing my hi-viz & was asked if I had safety boots, ‘yes’ I said ‘they’re in the lorry’ I was then TOLD to put them on, I said that I’d rather not as I have size 11 feet & do not feel in control of the lorry whilst wearing them as they hit both pedals at the same time, the greasy fat slob in the gatehouse then started mouthing off that I wasn’t allowed on site without them, I went to the lorry & got them out & showed the bloke & said that I would wear them when out of the cab, this was not good enough & I was told that I would be refused entry until I was wearing them. I enquired as to how they would improve my safety in the cab of my lorry as I was hardly likely to be run over & reiterated my case of me not feeling that I was in control of my lorry whilst wearing them, which surely defeats the object, anyway after a few minutes of this I relented & put them on, pulled through the gate & slipped them off, put them on to book in & took them off again to go on a bay, I was tipping a container so went on a loading dock & at no time did I come within 20ft of a forklift, when I eventually tipped I returned to the gatehouse & booked out with my jeans rolled up to the knees & no shoes or socks on at all, that showed them 
What a riduculous situation, admittedly I made matters worse with my ‘principals’ but FFS what does it matter whether you’re wearing boots or not while in the safety of the cab
As has been said, its just an excuse for the idiots to excercise what little bit of control (read power) they have been given.
Jumped up bloody ticket tickers the lot of em.
Also, I wonder if you could ask for the forklift keys to be handed while you make your way to and from the booking in office?
Has anyone been to the pallet network hub at Rugby?? I refused to get out of the cab on many occasions. Telling them to open the curtains cos thier FL drivers thought they were driving dodgems!!!
when i did drive truck full time I never handed keys in…I did get banned from 1 place…also why do drivers stay in a tiny cabin and not complain or leave…cattle gets treated better than some drivers if u dont like the conditions say so.if enough drivers complain or even leave the site something will get done…I sometimes get asked to put hard hat and high viz while on a few sites when doing tyres which is fair enough when there is cranes up high.But have been asked to put gloves/glasses/boots/high viz on while at a warehouse doing a forklift in the middle of the yard while it was closed!!!
I dont see what the problem is… i dont know if its the same for all trucks…but in my daf…the radio works…the heater works…lights etc…without a key…my only gripe is how far we have to walk at some plants to hand the keys/notes in…
Of course…they could all copy the rule of thumb at all British Bakery sites and make you drop your trailer for either loading or collecting…which really is a pain in the b/side.
Most Sainsburys have a hook at the shutters to put your keys on, which is a good system. Our company have the same system and access to a tv room…coffee…tea…cold drinks etc…and lets face it…most srivers choose to stay in their trucks anyway…
if the rdc ,s dont trust the drivers why dont they wheel clamp the truck until they are finished
Speaking of trailer brakes
How many put them ON when dropping of a trailer. ?
How many check there ON before picking up a trailer ?
I have never had a problem with handing my keys in, as long as I can stay in the cab,
this site says
Unauthorised vehicle departure from a loading dock is one of the most common hazards in the warehouse. This occurs either because the trailer ‘creeps’ away from the dock as it is being loaded/unloaded, or because the truck drives off, thinking it is OK to do so.
maybe this is why they want your keys.
or this
there must be more, but I can;t be bothered to look for them
Every employer has to do a risk assessment of every procedure they carry out. Show what risks have been identified and the measures they have implemented to alleviate the risk (or minimize it). If they don’t and summat goes wrong you’ll be getting your big fat claim in; it’s as simple as that.
Ask to see the risk assessment. Say “I can alleviate that risk. I can apply the trailer brake”
Numb-ty says “What’s to stop you taking it off before we’re finished loading unloading?”
“What’s to stop me havin’ a spare set of keys??!!” you retort - ENGAGE BRAIN T C 
So their little H&S measure is a load of zb!
That’s why some RDCs have you sat in a room away from vehicle altogether. 
They not only have to pay compo to their unloaders if something goes wrong they will be fined by the H&S executive if found to be negligent. All H&S procedures have to be reviewed every 6 - 12 months. So expect more of the same dudes.