I was delivering to a bakery today (miserable buggers, complained 'cos I’d arrived early) and baker starts on about “the flour doesn’t do xyz” when I told him “I just deliver it…No I idea how it’s made, no interest in baking etc etc.” Right or wrong attitude? 
I’m not alone where I work in thinking this, out of nine drivers only one actually has any product knowledge or actually knows anything about/actually cares.
Does anyone else get involved product wise or as drivers do we just stick to what we know?
I’ll only want to know about something if it interests me.
m1cks:
I’ll only want to know about something if it interests me.
Me too mate. Like pay rises.
I was a baker for a bit too long,if he moans again tell him to add some malt extract to his doughs.When I had trouble with the flour I phoned the mill,dont know what a driver could do about it.
alamcculloch:
I was a baker for a bit too long,if he moans again tell him to add some malt extract to his doughs.When I had trouble with the flour I phoned the mill,dont know what a driver could do about it.
Ah that might explain why we send the odd sack of “malted concentrate” to places that buy our budget/lower grade flour. TBH I could take sacks of sand to them and I wouldn’t care. Knowing I can dump it and run without carrying it is far more appealing. Quoting “insurance reasons” when new customers ask for it to go downstairs is something I do show enthusiasm for (even if it’s bs ).
“We have a technical department who will be able to help you and their number is…, now do you want to accept delivery or not?”
Cotswoldcrunch:
I was delivering to a bakery today (miserable buggers, complained 'cos I’d arrived early) and baker starts on about “the flour doesn’t do xyz” when I told him “I just deliver it…No I idea how it’s made, no interest in baking etc etc.” Right or wrong attitude?
I’m not alone where I work in thinking this, out of nine drivers only one actually has any product knowledge or actually knows anything about/actually cares.
Does anyone else get involved product wise or as drivers do we just stick to what we know?
Turn the chat round m8 and give a earbashing about your lorry ,watch him turn off and want to get shut of you, 
I’m a nosey ■■■■■■ I always ask what I’m carrying or delivering and what it does or what it makes and how that’s done and so on and so on, two reasons really I believe it builds a good rapport with customers. Who doesn’t like talking about there toys!? And secondly beats the loneliness out of the job 
10 mins chin wag cup of coffee and a bit of knowledge
I know a lot about the kit I deliver. Been in the tools/plant game since 2000.
However sometimes it’s better just to plead ignorance of “just a driver” if something’s wrong. If I know it’s a pain to sort or the customer is unhappy with his kit refer them back to the office. Quite happy to help if I can and time allows.
Had a brief spell delivering flat pack furniture, now that stuff I really could just look at the customer, shrug my shoulders and say " I just deliver the stuff buddy" no interest in the stuff!!
CraigM:
I know a lot about the kit I deliver. Been in the tools/plant game since 2000.
However sometimes it’s better just to plead ignorance of “just a driver” if something’s wrong. If I know it’s a pain to sort or the customer is unhappy with his kit refer them back to the office. Quite happy to help if I can and time allows.Had a brief spell delivering flat pack furniture, now that stuff I really could just look at the customer, shrug my shoulders and say " I just deliver the stuff buddy" no interest in the stuff!!
I was similar to you when on tippers mate. Having driven plant on site and in quarries I knew the ins and outs and big Tonka toys are far more interesting than baguettes and bread rolls.
seth 70:
Turn the chat round m8 and give a earbashing about your lorry ,watch him turn off and want to get shut of you,
Yes mate but my opinion of Dafs has softened since driving this one. Apart from the odd topping up of oil and water it’s a great motor. Lovely bunk, CF spacecab and great on fuel and adblue. My only complaint is that it doesn’t tip the load off. 
That’s what office wallers are for.
I’m an anorak with a thirst for knowledge, so yeah, I have a pair of sandals, no beard though as yet.
Yes I do. I have been there and laid the turf, and borrowed endless tonnes of topsoil.
So when a domestic customer asks me, I’ll give them any help they want.
Yesterday I earned a tenner in my pocket because I dropped 6 bags of topsoil over a low front garden wall and stacked the bags 1 on top of the other so the poor guy only had to dig up and out of 3 bags not 6, and he didn’t have to barrow it down a shallow flight of steps and an extra 30ft. It was no skin off my nose, it took 30 seconds to explain how it would easier for him my way, and maybe 10 seconds a bag longer to unload, and he duly showed his appreciation afterwards.
But I wouldn’t have not done it next time, had I not got that tenner, because I don’t want to see someone bust their hump for nothing. Everyone says work smarter not harder, but not everyone does it.
Delivering chilled stock to Kerry foods in Durham, and noticed “long eggs” on the manifest. I asked what they were, and was told they were 12" long hard boiled eggs that go into Gala Pie. I told him to sod off, because I thought he was taking the p*ss, so he got one and, sure enough, a foot long hard boiled egg - same diameter as an ordinary egg, rounded at the ends…but 12 inches long!
So, I learnt something new and I’m glad I asked.
I often run through the operation of the forklifts when delivering to new customers.
Only on Thursday I dropped a flt off for a film production company on location, I had to phone them for access as it was an unmanned site so they sent a guy to meet me, he couldn’t drive the flt so asked me to park it in a corner, which I did then toottled off.
About a couple of hours later I get a phone call asking if I am the guy who delivered the flt, so I confirm I am and they explained their flt driver had not turned up and they needed to move the truck but didnt have a clue how.
By this time I am 80 miles away, so I talked them through operating the flt over the phone, seems they had it running but it wouldn’t move, they left the handbrake on and I only knew that as I overheard anther guy calling the guy on the phone a ■■■■ when he realised what he had done
Cotswoldcrunch:
I was delivering to a bakery today (miserable buggers, complained 'cos I’d arrived early) and baker starts on about “the flour doesn’t do xyz” when I told him “I just deliver it…No I idea how it’s made, no interest in baking etc etc.” Right or wrong attitude?
I’m not alone where I work in thinking this, out of nine drivers only one actually has any product knowledge or actually knows anything about/actually cares.
Does anyone else get involved product wise or as drivers do we just stick to what we know?
I dont care about the product, but did have a bakery customer in Cricceth explain why they where ordering 3x more bags of flour from AMD than Hovis. As I understood that they hadnt ordered flour for some time, and it was usually the other way around with 3x more flour ordered from Hovis. Apparently theyd normally mix the flour in a 3:1 ration (hovis/AMD) but apparently the bread was coming out slightly yellow, theyd had the firms techno people in to explore why the bread was coming out strange.
TBh I was actually pleased we where delivering less bagged flour to the place, as it was a PITA to handball the 100+ bags into
sayersy:
Delivering chilled stock to Kerry foods in Durham.
Is the canteen there still upstairs?
peirre:
Cotswoldcrunch:
I was delivering to a bakery today (miserable buggers, complained 'cos I’d arrived early) and baker starts on about “the flour doesn’t do xyz” when I told him “I just deliver it…No I idea how it’s made, no interest in baking etc etc.” Right or wrong attitude?
I’m not alone where I work in thinking this, out of nine drivers only one actually has any product knowledge or actually knows anything about/actually cares.
Does anyone else get involved product wise or as drivers do we just stick to what we know?I don
t care about the product, but did have a bakery customer in Cricceth explain why they where ordering 3x more bags of flour from AMD than Hovis. As I understood that they hadnt ordered flour for some time, and it was usually the other way around with 3x more flour ordered from Hovis. Apparently theyd normally mix the flour in a 3:1 ration (hovis/AMD) but apparently the bread was coming out slightly yellow, theyd had the firms techno people in to explore why the bread was coming out strange.
TBh I was actually pleased we where delivering less bagged flour to the place, as it was a PITA to handball the 100+ bags intosayersy:
Delivering chilled stock to Kerry foods in Durham.Is the canteen there still upstairs?
No, the whole factory has been closed for years. Used to be a good breakfast, though.
Peirre, I know you shouldn’t be happy to lose customers but isn’t it nice when you hear that 100 bag handball for that miserable git baker has been lost to another mill?
We gained some really crap ones in London last year (manky places of “colonial descent”) from ADM. Happily they were bad payers so we don’t do them anymore…
seth 70:
Turn the chat round m8 and give a earbashing about your lorry ,watch him turn off and want to get shut of you,
I’ll try that next time:grin: