Been browsing this site for a good few years getting tips, etc… but only registered the other day as I’ve never been one for social media.
Been doing multidrop since I got my class 2 eight years ago and did my class 1 four years ago but never really used it much. I had noticed my productivity was going downhill for a while for reasons I couldn’t really explain. Kept failing to hit targets each shift, taking longer to plan routes on occasion couldn’t seem to even get my head around following a simple route. Eventually was sent to hospital and a small benign brain tumour was found.
Treatment was pretty straightforward (albeit losing a small part of my nut ) and my consultant is happy for me to carry on driving but he has suggested that I am going to continue to experience problems if the job is unstructured with a lot of quick thinking involved, plans changing at last moment and too much stress so the job needs to be very routine oriented. This pretty much rules out going back to multidrop work.
I’ve never done any other driving work and as I am about 8 years away from retirement I don’t want to re-train so I’m wondering what driving jobs might suit me. All I can think of is trunking but don’t really know much about it. I doubt it is all A to B every day, week after week but this might be what I need.
Trunking is pretty much A to B with the occasional C & D thrown in now and again,all pretty straight forward which may suit you…glad to hear your back to full (ish) health must of been quite a scary time!!
Ps losing a bit of you brain is fine,I rarely use 90% of mine anyway
It sounds like trunking would be ideal for you, depending on the company you work for you may not be on the same run every day/night but it’s always going to be pretty straightforward.
I will give you a word of advice though, if you go on trunking make sure you have a hobby that taxes your brain, otherwise what the surgeons took away could be nothing compared to the brain damage that a mundane job like trunking can do
Trunking is pretty much A to B with the occasional C & D thrown in now and again,all pretty straight forward which may suit you…glad to hear your back to full (ish) health must of been quite a scary time!!
Ps losing a bit of you brain is fine,I rarely use 90% of mine anyway
Thanks mate. Bit scary. But only small so not a lot of treatment was required just a small operation. Could have been a lot worse.
It sounds like trunking would be ideal for you, depending on the company you work for you may not be on the same run every day/night but it’s always going to be pretty straightforward.
Good luck
Thanks tachograph. Is it a lot of sitting around in RDC waiting rooms? I’ve heard that containers (a few companies near me) may be suitable but there is a lot of waiting with that. I don’t mind some handball. Does truncking involve any or is it going around picking up, dropping off trailers?
Seen a couple of videos of someone backwards and forwards moving trailers around. Is that trunking as well or just one type of job?
I will give you a word of advice though, if you go on trunking make sure you have a hobby that taxes your brain, otherwise what the surgeons took away could be nothing compared to the brain damage that a mundane job like trunking can do
Is it that bad? Might need a few more options. Shunting came to my mind as well (what’s left of it).
Trunking is pretty much A to B with the occasional C & D thrown in now and again,all pretty straight forward which may suit you…glad to hear your back to full (ish) health must of been quite a scary time!!
Ps losing a bit of you brain is fine,I rarely use 90% of mine anyway
Thanks mate. Bit scary. But only small so not a lot of treatment was required just a small operation. Could have been a lot worse.
It sounds like trunking would be ideal for you, depending on the company you work for you may not be on the same run every day/night but it’s always going to be pretty straightforward.
Good luck
Thanks tachograph. Is it a lot of sitting around in RDC waiting rooms? I’ve heard that containers (a few companies near me) may be suitable but there is a lot of waiting with that. I don’t mind some handball. Does truncking involve any or is it going around picking up, dropping off trailers?
Seen a couple of videos of someone backwards and forwards moving trailers around. Is that trunking as well or just one type of job?
I will give you a word of advice though, if you go on trunking make sure you have a hobby that taxes your brain, otherwise what the surgeons took away could be nothing compared to the brain damage that a mundane job like trunking can do
Is it that bad? Might need a few more options. Shunting came to my mind as well (what’s left of it).
If you’re trunking for TNT or the like, you’ll drop a trailer on a bay and pick up your return trailer from a different bay. There may be some waiting for it to be loaded, but it won’t be long.
Trunking for a pallet firm will be pretty much the same, but it’ll involve curtains and a side tip. Unless you’re coming back empty, it could be a long wait to be reloaded.
Wouldn’t touch shunting tbh,great in the summer but a vile job in the winter and when it’s ■■■■■■■ it down…12 Hours of that a day is best let to those without a licence
It sounds like trunking would be ideal for you, depending on the company you work for you may not be on the same run every day/night but it’s always going to be pretty straightforward.
Good luck
Thanks tachograph. Is it a lot of sitting around in RDC waiting rooms? I’ve heard that containers (a few companies near me) may be suitable but there is a lot of waiting with that. I don’t mind some handball. Does truncking involve any or is it going around picking up, dropping off trailers?
Seen a couple of videos of someone backwards and forwards moving trailers around. Is that trunking as well or just one type of job?
As Captain Caveman 76 said get on class 1 trailer swaps and it’s the easy life and usually with very little hanging around
Compared to general multi-drop any form of trunking is likely to be boring but like any job you make the most of what you’ve got, if you’ve got any parcel delivery companies in your area you’ll probably never touch any part of the load, on some runs you may have to wait while the trailer is loaded/unloaded while on other runs it may be a straightforward trailer swap.
I can’t comment on container work because I’ve never done it, from what I’ve heard there’s copious amounts of hanging around which is why it wouldn’t suit me at-all.
Captain Caveman 76:
Trunking for a pallet firm will be pretty much the same, but it’ll involve curtains and a side tip. Unless you’re coming back empty, it could be a long wait to be reloaded.
Pallet system trunking can be okay if you just want a there-and-back job. Nights are best, and if your base is within a couple of hours of the hub, you can often get a few hours kip between unloading and loading.
Being new to this industry and indeed new to civvy street I dont feel qualified to offer advice but what I would like to say is GOOD LUCK with what ever route you next take .
Been browsing this site for a good few years getting tips, etc… but only registered the other day as I’ve never been one for social media.
Been doing multidrop since I got my class 2 eight years ago and did my class 1 four years ago but never really used it much. I had noticed my productivity was going downhill for a while for reasons I couldn’t really explain. Kept failing to hit targets each shift, taking longer to plan routes on occasion couldn’t seem to even get my head around following a simple route. Eventually was sent to hospital and a small benign brain tumour was found.
Treatment was pretty straightforward (albeit losing a small part of my nut ) and my consultant is happy for me to carry on driving but he has suggested that I am going to continue to experience problems if the job is unstructured with a lot of quick thinking involved, plans changing at last moment and too much stress so the job needs to be very routine oriented. This pretty much rules out going back to multidrop work.
I’ve never done any other driving work and as I am about 8 years away from retirement I don’t want to re-train so I’m wondering what driving jobs might suit me. All I can think of is trunking but don’t really know much about it. I doubt it is all A to B every day, week after week but this might be what I need.
Cheers.
Steve.
Hi Steve. Just want to make a quick comment on your tumour. Five weeks ago I had two tumours(cancers) removed from my right kidney. They were malignant but I’m going to be ok. Tumours are also known as cancer. Anyone with cancer or who has been treated for cancer or cured is covered by disability laws. With regards to employment that means your current employer has to make 'reasonable adjustments; if possible, to your work or if you go for a new job a employer cannot discriminate against you because of this…no body can. Hope that helps.
Thanks for all the tips guys. Need to have think about it.
Glad your okay peter s. I quit my job a while back now so not really an option to carry on there. Still got a bit of time to run on my sick note.
To be honest I don’t really want to go down the class 1 road. I think a lot of the advice I’ve been getting possibly more class 1 than class 2. I’ve been used to class 2 for so long that class 1 seems a bit alien to me. Didn’t really enjoy the training or the few times I’ve used it. Didn’t do it out of choice. It was a present. Think maybe it would just add to the stress.
) and my consultant is happy for me to carry on driving but he has suggested that I am going to continue to experience problems if the job is unstructured with a lot of quick thinking involved, plans changing at last moment and too much stress so the job needs to be very routine oriented. This pretty much rules out going back to multidrop work.
