Well i’m not gonna go into major detail as i’m sure most of you know what airport work involves. Either dropping of exports or collecting imports from various airlines etc.
On the whole my driving has improved & ive got the gearbox sorted on my usual truck, 4 over 4 with a splitter. Ive also had to use the old p reg merc with the semi auto eps box & ive even got to drive a newish man which has the little button on the gearstick meaning you don’t have to use the clutch. I think it’s a good thing that ive managed to get the experience with using different types of gearbox.
Other things ive learned recently are opening & closing the curtains which i had never done before. I know how to use the air roller system on the trailer including how to raise & lower the trailer depending if your loading or unloading.
I definately feel alot more confident driving the artics now as i’m more used to the size. I still remember the first time i sat in an artic, i can remember feeling extremely nervous & thinking how big it seemed.
My reversing has improved somewhat in the 5 weeks ive been driving. I can get on the bays at the place i work for in 1-2 shunts on most occasions even though they’re quite tricky to back onto as they have the bars on the floor.
Alot of the places i go at the airport i don’t have too much trouble reversing onto the bays as most of the time there is plenty of room apart from a few occasions when they get really busy. However there is a few places i still dread going to as the area between the lorry parking & the bays is extremely limited & even the experienced drivers can be seen to struggle on occasions. I will get better though as im always learning new tricks & no matter how much trouble i have i intend to stick at it as it can only get easier with practice. it’s true what most people have said, most drivers will help if you ask as they’ve all been in the same boat before. However i have come accross a few who are quite happy to sit & watch you struggle.
Apart from that im getting on alright & have had no major incidents to speak off apart from the little setback i had earlier on in the week. I was reversing onto a bay in the place known as the horse shoe ( shoreham rd) at heathrow airport. As i was reversing i heard some other drivers tooting their horn, Looking in both my mirrors i could see nothing that caught my attention so carried on reversing. Theres always alot of tooting that goes on so i thought nothing of it. Anyway they tooted again & the next thing i hear is a loud crunch
I had failed to see 2 small concrete posts that were situated right on the corner opposite the bays. They were so low down i didn’t see them in my mirrors, i had caught the nearside rear light unit on the unit as i swung round. The guys on the bay said i’m not the first driver to do it & i won’t be the last. I rang my company & told them & they were fine. I still felt like abit of a prat though. Next time if i hear any tooting i’m getting out to take a look!!
Other then that i’m getting on great & loving every minute of it, i know i’ve made the right career choice now for sure although airport work isn’t the most exciting work out there & can sometimes mean alot of waiting around.
The man truck i got to drive
My usual truck