Whats the worst driving job you ever had,?

[hammer]

spy:
I bet you do! Sounds like a nitemare!

Anyone got any stories of terrible none driving jobs? I did a short (3 nights to be exact) stint sorting carrots on a production line. Thousands of carrots flew past and you had to pick out the rotten / broken ones! 12 Hours nights doing that really was mind numbing. Not to mention the fact that I was one of the 3 or so english speakers. In fact, when I look back it makes my ropey courier job look like a dream. The only amusing part of the job was everyone was so focused on the moving belt if someone turned it off we all staggered sideways!

Never again!

I did a 6 weeks stint as a data entry clerk. Typical day; arrive 8am, switch on PC, go and get big pile of questionnaires / application forms, return to computer and enter ALL the data onto the computer . Go home at 5pm. Mind-numbingly boring…although happily carrot free!

[big_mac]

anything that involves parcels,wont even go near the places,

3000 boxes 80 drops and to collect as well.

bugger that.

[mrflibble]

scania245:
depends on the boxed quantity radioactive and infectious are the only classes of hazardous goods that have a zero tolerance ie any amount is covered by A.D.R.

If that’s true, then pretty much every driver driving for Tesco/Sainsbury/B&Q/Asda would need ADR, to be able to deliver smoke alarms (since they contain a very small radioactive source).

[dieseldave]

MrFlibble:
If that’s true, then pretty much every driver driving for Tesco/Sainsbury/B&Q/Asda would need ADR, to be able to deliver smoke alarms (since they contain a very small radioactive source).

MrFlibble, you’ve taken the same approach as ADR itself!! That’s exactly what I meant earlier in that ADR kinda lets people get on with the job and doesn’t get too heavy handed too quickly.

Smoke alarms with a very small radioactive source come under yet another kind of ADR exemption (relating to radioactives) for “consumer products which have received regulatory approval.” So a full-load in the case of smoke detectors is totally exempt.

The rest of the dangerous goods that the supermarket guys carry will almost certainly be Limited Quantities- so they can carry a wagon-full, and as far as the driver is concerned, none of ADR applies.

[lovlyperson]

Coffeeholic:

thecoder0:
Coffee do you run out of DHL Hatfield I was over the road Sunday morning at Bookers.

Yep, that’s where I work.

me sometimes too

[lovlyperson]

BIG MAC:
anything that involves parcels,wont even go near the places,

3000 boxes 80 drops and to collect as well.

bugger that.

got once,middn of August and pretty hot a Load Grain and a shovel to unload them at the Mill
but my start was better
Delivering Milk by Night to Shops and food to Kindergarden by Night.Rest was then Saturday and Sunday

[scania245]

knew you would get back to me but its what ive been taught on a standard ADR course

[dieseldave]

scania245:
knew you would get back to me but its what ive been taught on a standard ADR course

Honestly scania245, the only way I’d “get back” to you is to offer an explanation. You’ve just hit the nail on the head mate, because you had a “standard ADR course,” exactly as you said. You only repeated what you’d heard. The ADR course is designed to meet the Regs as they affect drivers, it’s not designed to turn a driver into an instructor or a DGSA. IMHO, that would take at least two more weeks to achieve. (With an extra couple of hours nasty homework per evening ) I can’t imagine firms doing without their drivers for that long, let alone standing for the extra costs. (Guesstimate = £1500 - £2000 per candidate.)

I’ve seen your other posts and noticed that you’re experienced with ADR. If you remember the earlier courses you took, there wasn’t anything on tunnels or security, for instance. Now there’s a requirement on us to show a film and give an explanation on both, but with no increase in the timetable or syllabus. So something had to give. That “something” was that the course had to be speeded-up. Personally, I don’t like it but that’s the ruling from SQA, Training providers and instructors have no say in the matter, because SQA’s authority over us comes directly from the Department for Transport. SQA also tells us which areas/subjects/topics to cover and at what depth.

I reckon that you’d easily remember that it was a driver’s duty to know whether the Regs applied or not, but that changed on 10/05/04. Without going into technicalities, the responsibility is now mostly on the consignor and the owner of the vehicle. (The “carrier.”) Your memory of TC 0 wasn’t wrong, it was only incomplete, because it’s not possible for an instructor to have fully explained it in the time allowed. I’d say that’s because your instructor isn’t required to expand any further than he/she did. Some of the answers that I give on here are from memory, but most have to be referenced in my ADR books. The reason is that a lot of the exemptions are specific to a particular substance. There are approx 3,200 “things” authorised for carriage. You’ve got me on one of my soapbox subjects now, but I’ll keep it to saying that I wish there was more time allowed, so that better explanations could be given. My problem then would be that some of the guys would want a “word” with me for overloading them with excess info not needed for the exams. It’s impossible to please all of the people for all of the time.

Here’s a thought: How would you have reacted, if the instructor told you that you had to stay half-an-hour over and above the published timetable so that you could have the better explanations??

Just so you get a balanced view, here’s my take on this**:** If I extend the day, I’ll either get strung-up by the guys, or the training provider would ask me to account for why I did it . If I shorten the day, I’d get it in the neck from SQA. Either option leaves both me and the training provider open to some sort of disciplinary action. BTW, I’m self-employed, so any problems would follow me around for a while. Ultimately, SQA could remove me from the list of approved instructors. Now that’s what I call a rock and a hard place, but I’m not complaining because it keeps me sharp.

[kingfisher60]

1984 second job I had was driving an post fix ‘M’ reg, AEC, 6 wheel rigid flat bed, running paper out of Imperial Docks in Gravesend. The cab was a day sleeper, where you pulled the Bunk off the bulkhead wall and folded it down over the steering wheel. At 6ft tall even sitting in the seat my head was rubbing on the roof, so as you can imagine there wasn’t a lot off room, I had to provide my own sofa cusions because the previous driver had nicked the leather off the bed, I drove with a blanket round my legs because there wasn’t a heater, even in the summer. I think the last straw was the suspension, metal springs which had seen better days, every corner, loaded or empty the tyres were rubbing on the cross members for the flat bed shreading them. I was given a run to Astley near Manchester, two days out, two days back, on the second day I pulled off the M6 onto the east lancs road and got stopped by the ministry. Passenger foot well full of ropes and spare sheets etc, passenger door wouldn’t open, frustrated ministry man standing in the rain asking me for my plate, which was on the passenger side. I think he threw the book at me that day , defective this defective that broken this broken that and to cap it all no operators license, as far as I know that truck is still in Manchester, I hitched home. Needless to say I didn’t have a job when I finally got home. Thanks for the memories, learnt a lot that trip.

[talisman]

Mine was driving for Lynx Express as a day driver. I was given the run to the north of scotland out of Dundee. Run took in perthshire, and did all of the rural stuff up into the back of beyond.

Typical day. up at 5:30. Arrive at yard. Handball around 3 tons of random parcels into an old Luton. All of this had to be in order and with 30 - 40 drops all spaced across north scotland this could be a nightmare. Esp as most of the addresses consisted of things like - Lark croft, perthshire.

Get out on the road about 8:30 and finish most days by about 6.

And for some reason the very north of scotland seems to be pupulated solely by americans. Try asking for directions in Tressait or even pitlochry in summer - no bugger lives there.

could easily be a fourteen hour day.

That didnt last long.

I remember loading one day, stepping back from the bay and seeing that the van had a list to the left, unloaded everyting, and then reloaded to even out the weight, when i looked again the list was still there. Jumped down to discover a flat tyre. Had to unload again to fix it, and they reload all over again to get on the road Not a happy bunny that day!

[wheel_nut]

The worse job ever was DHL East Midlands airport. I applied after almost 20 years doing European and took the job because it was local to Ashby where I lived then. The previous mr’s wheelnut wanted me home more and I decided to try it… a mate of mine had been there for 5 or 6 years and he talked me into it. He is still there and loves the freedom it gives him.

Start times varied between 9pm and 1.30am and after loading truck and driving to DHL station you tipped and parked up. At teatime you woke up again and loaded up, drove back to the airport and tipped. You went home between 10pm and 2.30 in the morning and did the same thing the next evening.

I was employed as relief driver so did every run which I suppose was a variety but it took me a long time to learn all the postcodes and station codes. As i only did 6 months on the road for them it was the worst year of my life

paul@midway will disagree. He had DHL imprinted through his body

[Lucy]

Nightfreight. When it was still franchises. In deepest darkest Dorset. In a 15 tonner. 'Nuf said.

[andyroo]

Anything that routinely involves more than 10 drops a day is rubbish if you ask me, it’s the way you can be ■■■■■■ about by people and waste so much of your time. You know…security or reception send you to point a, point a send you to point b, point b says you need to see the goods in man, he’s at lunch for another half an hour…etc etc

[ezydriver]

Pop Larkin:
34 years completed this November and apart from the last 5 or 6 years on agencies - never had a job and I ain’t admitting to me being the worst job I’ve had!
Looking back, I’d have to say the first 5 years as an OD were the worst. Not that they were bad - far from it. It’s just that I discovered by mistake that at the end of the week what I earnt driving other people’s lorries was better than when using my own. OK, the invoice was smaller, but by the time the running costs of mine were taken out, it was far better not to have it. And that was without the extra time spent on paperwork and maintainance.
Some jobs seemed bad at the time, but once you’d worked out that the rain that was clean as it fell was always oily as it ran down inside your sleeve when you pulled the ropes, that sheets didn’t roll up well when frozen and would blow off the load in the wind just as you’d climbed up to spread them out, that tilts were best tied down before stripping them in the wind, that wooden roof boards in tilts actually bent a long way before breaking and if they did break you would stop falling after about 8 foot anyway. That soaking wet, freezing cold and hungry, an A series ERF isn’t the best accommodation for the night and that scraping the ice off the inside of windows wasn’t the best way to start the day. That when the man at Aachen looked up and said ‘problem’ then he usually meant it. When the Austrian at Salzburg said ‘problem’ he certainly meant it! That even when the sea was smooth, a flat bottomed freighter is still going to be bumpy and that it took practise to catch the coffee as it slid past.
All little inconveniences that came with the job, but looking back, it was fun, folk were helpful, cafes did good food and offered the chance of some Russian Roulette before plunging into the crater filled park. Trailers used to creak and groan when they were heavy and tell you when they were thinking of falling over. Mirrors were minute, usually misted up or frozen, but usually only needed one piece of string to tie the arms to the front bumber to stop then folding into the doors when you managed to cajole the beast up to 40mph. Silent neutral actually worked better down hill than the piece of wood wedged onto the throttle on the flat. Log books could be started when you were sure you’d get home, or filled in quickly as the ministry man approached, usually knowing what you were doing.
The job just ain’t got no fun in it anymore!

A fantastic read. I loved that. Thank you, If you ever have time to write anymore, you’ve got one admiring reader here!
Once again, thank you.

[kls]

Andyroo:
Anything that routinely involves more than 10 drops a day is rubbish if you ask me, it’s the way you can be ■■■■■■ about by people and waste so much of your time. You know…security or reception send you to point a, point a send you to point b, point b says you need to see the goods in man, he’s at lunch for another half an hour…etc etc

A mate regulary does 8-10 drops in and around london in an artic all for £6 and hour! i wish i worked there…

[wheel_nut]

That when the man at Aachen looked up and said ‘problem’ then he usually meant it. When the Austrian at Salzburg said ‘problem’ he certainly meant it!

How very true