A few years ago before I retired me and my son had gone down to operating one truck, a MB Actros megaspace and I was doing a little agency work.
One day went into Woolworths at Castleton, where I had reluctantly been many times before, and they had some nice new Actros’s on hire. I was informed that I couldn’t use one of these because I had not been trained!Not a big problem, a truck’s a truck to me as long as it is reasonably clean and works.
Soon after they tried to send me out with a double decker tail lift, guess what my response was…not been trained! ( I don’t like heights anyway)
yorkshire terrier:
Totally agree, while changing a trailer bulb at services the other day a driver walked past with super clean hi vis vest and Bluetooth ear piece in his lug and said I wouldn’t be doing that I’d be calling for the fitters.
Now I’m no big mechanic but changing a trailer bulb or headlight bulb etc is basic knowledge and a driver should know how to do these things.
But we are just a small firm and we all just muck in and do stuff like this.
Yeah but if he were an agency driver he’ll be paid by the hour
yorkshire terrier:
Totally agree, while changing a trailer bulb at services the other day a driver walked past with super clean hi vis vest and Bluetooth ear piece in his lug and said I wouldn’t be doing that I’d be calling for the fitters.
Now I’m no big mechanic but changing a trailer bulb or headlight bulb etc is basic knowledge and a driver should know how to do these things.
But we are just a small firm and we all just muck in and do stuff like this.
Yeah but if he were an agency driver he’ll be paid by the hour
Most companies nowadays insist you do not change bulbs etc. and await fitters or change units…
I watched a driver change a headlamp bulb on an old scania, he took off the 6 screws then the lamp fell on the floor and smashed, the retaining clips that would hold the lamp in and make it swivel had been snapped off.
Needless to say, said driver was blamed for the damage and the agency he worked for had to stump up for a new one, Needless to say, policy now is not to do it.
Not trucks, but still a daft training issue.
We have a FLT with 2 meter forks where I work.
I cannot drive it as I have not had training on it.
Yet I can carry 2 meter long pallets, 3 meter x 3 meter cages, and 6 meter pipe with no training.
/go figure.
Radar19:
Only had a week of driving on the job. I’m thrown a set of keys and told to get on with it! On Monday I was asked to drive a split shift, I’ve only ever driven auto’s and straight sixes. That was one hell of a day.
A split shift? To me, that’s a four hrs on, 4 off, 4 on again shift, like the bus drivers work. Do you mean a splitter/range change?
trubster:
Most companies nowadays insist you do not change bulbs etc. and await fitters or change units…
I had 1 H&S bod freak out when I tipped the cab to chance an headlight bulb on a DAF LF, as it was far easier to tip it, than crawl under it in the rain.
Last week the side repeater on a DAF wasn`t working, just a simple bulb change, but the office bod insisted on calling the DAF fitter out
Actrosman:
And now I’ve been asked if I would mind covering another run next Tuesday/Wednesday as they can’t get an agency driver to (drum roll inserted) go into London!!
Sounds fair to me. I’d make all them Londoners come out to the M25 to collect their stuff.
Perk of being agency driver pick n choose where you work and where ya go
I remember when I got my class 1 it was a case of a weeks training because was on car transporters then thrown the keys and crack on. None of this sitting in the truck with a ‘trainer’ this the lights this is the wipers etc. You’re a driver use ya head and get the job done. To much BS nowadays
Radar19:
Only had a week of driving on the job. I’m thrown a set of keys and told to get on with it! On Monday I was asked to drive a split shift, I’ve only ever driven auto’s and straight sixes. That was one hell of a day.
A split shift? To me, that’s a four hrs on, 4 off, 4 on again shift, like the bus drivers work. Do you mean a splitter/range change?
Yea, it was a range changer. I’m getting slightly better at it now, still crawling round roundabouts though.
Radar19:
Only had a week of driving on the job. I’m thrown a set of keys and told to get on with it! On Monday I was asked to drive a split shift, I’ve only ever driven auto’s and straight sixes. That was one hell of a day.
A split shift? To me, that’s a four hrs on, 4 off, 4 on again shift, like the bus drivers work. Do you mean a splitter/range change?[/q
Yea, it was a range changer. I’m getting slightly better at it now, still crawling round roundabouts though.
Won’t be long before it’s second nature. I loved them, 16 speed daf 95 with a collar on the stick. Up and down for the range change, side to side for the splitter.
( I don’t like heights anyway)
