Hi all I have posted this in the Newbie Forum, but thought it should go here too!!!
17.00 Monday Tuesday arrived & was joined by another driver that they had just taken on, but he 'd been driving years, had just left Tescos ( said they were crap ).
Anyway 1st 2 nights were mainly classroom based, Health & saftey, Company policies & procedures, how too use there equipment-trailers-curtains-straps etc all invaluable information for me, as truthfully I hadnt got a clue.
We also took out 2 trucks, 1 was an automatic Man Truck, lovely to drive and then the, i think it was an EPS shift thingy magig Mercedes, also very easy to pick this up & nice to drive.
Wednesday - we were both put with another driver, I had an old guy who didnt look best pleased too have me aboard…but i did try my best to make conversation but he wasnt having any of it.
We had to pick up a trailer from the Trailer Park & take it to CovPress. Took about 15mins to get there, where we were told to drop it outside for the shunter, who would bring us a loaded one back…about an hour later.
From there we had to take it to Vauxhall Luton…took about an hour and half, open the cutains & wait for the Forkie to unload & load it back up with empties.
Take this back to Covpress, where driver said we would take an hour break…within minutes he was snoring his head off.
Now its 3.00am the hour is up and i’m working out the times thinking we aint gonna get this done by 5.30
Couple of Coughs later i eventually awoke him and away we went…now i have to admit @ this point with no conversation no music even i was feeling a bit tired, but put this down to being a passenger.
Got to Luton & was back on the road to return to Depot @ around 5.30
Now a couple of times during the night i noticed we’d drifted into different lanes but put this down to wind etc… eventually I realised this guy was falling asleep
He was getting beeped by other truckers & was really making me feel very uneasy…then we were running off @ an angle on the hard shoulder when i had to shout @ him, he didnt answer pulled it too a stop & got out for a whizz ( yeah right i thought to myself )
Well hopefully the fresh air had woke him up & i thought we’d ok now!!! how wrong I was…still drifting and when we had left the M45 on to the A45 into Cov we were heading @ a 45degree angle towards the central reservation barrier I was shouting & i was bracing for impact we were on the grass as he woke & struggled to control it, which he did then he proceeded to laugh it off!!! i’d literally [zb] myself he had truly frightened me.
One more time i had to shout @ him about 10 mins from depot when we were about to hit the kerb…unbelievable…he proceeded to tell me he’d only had an hours sleep the day before.
Anyway got back all in one peice, only cause i was with him, finished for 7.30
Thursday- Thankfully I had a different driver real topbloke nothing was too much trouble for him to explain- - And he gave me Both Drives back to Depot
We had to take a trailer to Desford ( Cat MG Landrover ) wait for a loaded one & ME bring it back apart from putting this one on the Bay, he said you can do the next one when it’ll be a bit quieter.
Then we had to take a trailer up to Huntingdon for a trailer swap with a salvesen guy from Bury St Edmunds.
I hitched all up & drove back again loved it Music on good conversation ( & i even overtook a couple of other trucks )
Back to depot no one around & proceeded to try and put it on the Bay, now I got there in my mind a few times, but it has to be perfect for the Scissor lifts so it did feel like I’d been shunting about 15mins by the time the unloaders were happy…but it’ll come.
Friday - I came in asked who’m i with tonigt then? to which the TM said how do you fancy going out on your own? Gulp YES… what are you comfortable driving…I’d like a Man truck please……thought you’d say that he replied
And he gave me the keys to one I had to take a trailer to Ford @ Daventry & bring one back.
So i did my checks, found which bay my trailer was on and i hooked it up, checked & double checked every procedure…went to pull forward so could check the load etc wouldnt move…so got back out checked the trailer brake got back in still no go…breathe relax check everything again then asked another driver, just report it mate…so i did workshop said they’d send someone down, as i got back to me truck I told the shunter, good lad he came over & then explained to me that I’d been pulling the wrong Button @ this point it felt like the whole yard was there Oh well.
Gets back in & pulls away, then realised I hadnt put on my licence plate luckily I hadnt left the yard, when i got to the back I hadnt even shut the Doors , shows you what can happen when you are distracted …Lesson Learned.
Got to Daventry no probs, took my time some very tight chicanes once inside there place, got to where i needed to go & dropped the trailer, was told they hadnt got one for me to take back yet & wait till one was read. Expecting a long wait when within 5mins told 1 was ready.
Found it Gulp it was a Double decker, again just took my time & got back to depot for the reverse on to bay…thankfully the shunter was there to spot an advise me in— felt like an age but got it on
Was then asked to go back solo ( no trailer on ) & bring one back again. Got there & was told they hadnt got one for me, so he phoned someone & they gave me another trailer to bring back.
So goes out to find it…eventually found it, the curtain straps were all undone, time to put the quick lesson i’d had into practice, after a little messing around sorted it out…did my checks then hooked it up…released the trailer brake & could here a continuous hissing from underneath the trailer so checked i’d done everything right, I had& then looked for another driver to chek it for me, but there was no one around So I had to ring the depot, now i knew they thought ITS THE NEW LAD!!!, we’ll send another driver who is there to you…he comes running from another loading Bay, & says straight away yep you have a leak & you did the right thing to phone in, phew
He rings them back & tells them I do have an air leak, they decide to get me to take it outside & then drop the trailer for him to take back?
He said he would asess it as he goes??
Back to depot for about 12.00pm feels like I’ve been out all night my head feels like its about to explode, the TM told me not to worry your doing fine which did make me feel more relaxed.
Now the Ford run finishes @ 12, so they put me with another driver for his run to 3 ford Dealers in Liecester, another top Bloke who explained everything as we went & gave me loads of tips. But would not have fancied the reverse he had to do out of the HGV Ford he did
Back for 3.30 & all done…what a week What A NIGHT, boy have I learned a hell of a lot this week, but know I’ve a hell of a lot more to learn yet.
Sorry for the long post, I’ll try & break it up with some pics a little later.
Wills