London multidrop used to give me sleepless nights and have me heaving my guts up on the the run down the M40 when I first started.
But like anything, you only get good at something by doing it.
I deliver mainly to hotels all over the city, similar kinds of drops to 3663/Bidvest/Brakes, but non-food. Heavy chemicals, or bulky stuff like bog rolls and napkins. A 300kg sack truck tends to last me about 3 months and I’d say well over half of my drops are palletised.
I start at between 2 and 3 most mornings and rarely work less than a 12 hour day.
Can’t remember the last time my satnav came out, often wonder what percentage I’d get if I took “The Knowledge” tests.
When I started, fair play I had a 60 plate old-style tacho, I’d have a twitchy ring, wondering if I’d make it back in less than 10. I now go in in a 12 plate Class 2, and rarely get back to Crewe having gone into hour 8.
Taxis, motorbikes, and cyclists are the biggest worries these days.
Trade/Maintenance people parking vans on or close to loading bays and are nowhere in sight; Until I get my taillift down, start wheeling the pallet out onto the dock when I hear the usual “I need to get out mate.”
Winseer:
^^^^ that’s just it - “store deliveries” especially in London are all about unloading/reloading with crap meaning that you spend about 2 hours a shift driving, and 10 hours doing dustcart duty or pivoting dollies over a dock leveller that’s like a continental shelf off the end…
If you want to spend more time in the cab than on the back of your own wagon (which isn’t even allowed in some yards - odd that inconsitency eh?) - you really need to get some distance work that involves a skill not many others have - like the ability to work nights, weekends, and shifts over 12 hours…
Forget Hiabs, Moffets, Roping and sheeting… A bod is required for the job that will just get on and do it. Senior drivers aspire to actually driving for most of their shift. Newbies can get valuable experience of how crappy the job can be - by starting on multidrop deliveries in a major city like London…
I have no issue with working 15 hour shifts. Just give me an auto and send me off all over the motorways and I’m a happy driver. Over the bank holiday weekend I did 3 days of driving from Lincoln down to Dartford Sainsburys and then on to Asda Erith. Loved every minute of it… Apart from the Dartford crossing… And the roundabouts.
Ya bunch of pansies! Try being an agency driver in Iceland Enfield 10 years ago, good grief some of their stores were fun. Like Elephant and Castle underground. Never delivered to a shopping mall though, always shopping centres to me
hitch:
a lot of these places were built to be serviced by rigids
25 years ago
40 foot dont you mean 13.6 metres
13.6 is 44 ft
Winseer:
A 10 metre trailer is closest to what we used to call “40 footer”.
As pointed out a 10 metre is nowhere near 40ft. You’re thinking of 12metres, like the old tandams. Many of the urban artics with active rear steer are 10 metres and they are the most manoeuvrable truck I’ve ever driven. I loved whizzing about in them. But then I took the time to learn how to drive them, unlike a surprising amount of drivers who used to get back and ask shunter to put them on a bay!
I was thinking of when 40ft referred to the length of the entire combination. Back in the days when all cabs were day cabs. Leyland road trains, Seddons, etc.
The now long gone Woolworths Rdc at Swindon.By the narrow loading bays,there were concrete posts and pillars.
You would see bits of truck lying on the ground.
Cab mirrors.
If late,you got the “Punishment bay”.
You could be there 7 hours if you arrived on time.
I’ve done supermarket deliveries for Tesco and I thought a few of their older stores were a little challenging until I’d done work for Waitrose. Nearly every store around London and the SE was a challenge. Anyone else ever done work for them ? Small yards and plenty of blindsides …good experience and a nice company though !!!
markoc:
Anyone else ever done work for them ? Small yards and plenty of blindsides …good experience and a nice company though !!!
Its better than tesco I’m guessing:)
I got banned for wearing navy blue trousers instead of black ones.
If a firm isn’t paying well over the odds for it’s drivers - I’m not going to see the “upside” unless I’m a full-timer I’m thinking…
I’d rather do a 12-15hr at Tescos. I know what I’m getting there. I just don’t do it mid-week anymore, because the money is crap midweek, and they have a nasty habit of trying to get you to do a 15 hour on “day rate”. They get real cheesed off when I pull my card after one trip out, having made sure I walk into the office after at least 8 hours into my shift - so I’m not obliged to remain!
Nowdays, I just don’t bother with all the ducking and diving. I’ll stick to the weekends, and whack it all the way for 12-15 hours every shift I do. Everyone’s happy now.
Winseer:
Nowdays, I just don’t bother with all the ducking and diving. I’ll stick to the weekends, and whack it all the way for 12-15 hours every shift I do. Everyone’s happy now.
I don’t bother with weekends or holidays anymore, never get the hours in to make it worthwhile.
