Done a few shifts a good few years ago so it might have changed (probably not) but if your doing store delivers its most likly like this …
1st) of you need to find your vech "its over there some where " when asking about the keys so to look for it, was told its in them , yes it was the key was WELDED in the barrel!
2)next problem was that the tacho head(old round kind) had no tacho key in it ! so if you didnt have one yourself you needed to find the T/M to open it for you to insert your sheet ,and at the end of your shift remove it (not sure wot you was ment to do if stopped by police/Vosa etc)
3)next thing to do was get on a bay ,one time i was there there was two drivers FIGHTING over who was on the next bay next ! ,once on the bay some wee chapy should bring over your load for you to load your self (hope you have a hook■■?) dedpending on wot doing some stay on the wheels some come off ! great fun eh,
4)going to customers once your there you need to start the “dance” take off there order ,take back yesterdays emptys and off course the emptys that yesterdays driver never took back from the day before ! so then you have all these empty baskets at the back , your load in the middle and the back !
next customer shuffle emptys to side remove order from middle and start the al over again!
5)back at depot remove all emptys , fuel up and abandon truck in car park !
Altho i will say in there defence once got class 1 shift taking a load of emptys baskets down to some where near leeds to be washed ! and brought back a empty trailer ! so cant ask a easier shift than that!!!
Ive done Garratts green in Birmingham on the agency too. They had a special arragement with the agency where tey only paid day rate for night work. Ok if your stuck for work I guess.
The trucks were all wrecks, bits hanging off, smoky engines e.t.c. The staff were plesant enough until you came to them with a problem, “no hook to unload the trucks? not my problem” I also found that the electrnic passes to go over the QE2 bridge were almost always empty so I had to pay to go over myself, were they bothered? Nope! A could of times I refused to leave the depot as the trucks or trailers were unroadworthy or they hadnt given me the right tools for the job or hadnt given me the address to where I was going. They really dont like “being [zb] about by drivers”
When i did my stint for ‘kwik save’ the good old bakery drivers would make me lots of o/t.
They were always in a rush, so being a decent chap i used to let them, and the milk lads tip before me, whilst i made tea for everyone .
And the reason they run old beaten up tackle is cos most of the drivers would half demolish the loading area or clean up any posts or walls that were anywhere near the back entrance (of the job you 'orrible little man), generalisation, maybe but i’ve seen it so many times.
Funnily enough we had some ropey tackle on kwikies as well, however we liked it that way, as no ‘juggernaut drivers’ wanted to work for the firm, or youngsters luckily (no kudos in driving a 3 series day cab, but you find a better unit to blind side reverse a trailer a complete 180’ off a one way street down a i in 8 loading dock) therefore the job didn’t get carved up and the pay was very good, ( as there was often a shortage of drivers…just the way we liked it).
If somerfield hadn’t taken over kwickies i’d still be there and not back on the transporters.
Juddian:
When i did my stint for ‘kwik save’ the good old bakery drivers would make me lots of o/t.
They were always in a rush, so being a decent chap i used to let them, and the milk lads tip before me, whilst i made tea for everyone .
And the reason they run old beaten up tackle is cos most of the drivers would half demolish the loading area or clean up any posts or walls that were anywhere near the back entrance (of the job you 'orrible little man), generalisation, maybe but i’ve seen it so many times.
Funnily enough we had some ropey tackle on kwikies as well, however we liked it that way, as no ‘juggernaut drivers’ wanted to work for the firm, or youngsters luckily (no kudos in driving a 3 series day cab, but you find a better unit to blind side reverse a trailer a complete 180’ off a one way street down a i in 8 loading dock) therefore the job didn’t get carved up and the pay was very good, ( as there was often a shortage of drivers…just the way we liked it).
If somerfield hadn’t taken over kwickies i’d still be there and not back on the transporters.
I was never like that when I worked at Sherburn.I always wanted to tip first,and get off.Never mind sitting there asleep in the yard.You’d never have caught me doing that.
Juddian:
When i did my stint for ‘kwik save’ the good old bakery drivers would make me lots of o/t.
They were always in a rush, so being a decent chap i used to let them, and the milk lads tip before me, whilst i made tea for everyone .
And the reason they run old beaten up tackle is cos most of the drivers would half demolish the loading area or clean up any posts or walls that were anywhere near the back entrance (of the job you 'orrible little man), generalisation, maybe but i’ve seen it so many times.
Funnily enough we had some ropey tackle on kwikies as well, however we liked it that way, as no ‘juggernaut drivers’ wanted to work for the firm, or youngsters luckily (no kudos in driving a 3 series day cab, but you find a better unit to blind side reverse a trailer a complete 180’ off a one way street down a i in 8 loading dock) therefore the job didn’t get carved up and the pay was very good, ( as there was often a shortage of drivers…just the way we liked it).
If somerfield hadn’t taken over kwickies i’d still be there and not back on the transporters.
I was never like that when I worked at Sherburn.I always wanted to tip first,and get off.Never mind sitting there asleep in the yard.You’d never have caught me doing that.
Ken.
I worked for Wellingborough, and do you know after all the years and all the different jobs i’ve done, i enjoyed this most of all.
I only visited Sherburn twice, i always preferred the shop deliveries (esp central London, more excuses for delays and some interesting scenery if you went the best routes .
My favourite drop was Clapham shop, we used to start blooming early and get there for 6am, but they wouldn’t touch you until at least 9, all on the clock of course, just 200 yards from the underground station, imagine the scenery.
Unbelievable, but i saw a letter in the traffic office from an alleged driver complaining about this drop and suggesting we started 2 or 3hours later to arrive more on time…can’t believe the morons we have to work with… the letter vanished, wonder what happened to it?
I used to do multi drop Londons a lot, some of the other fella’s would nearly be in tears at the prospect, but being an old softie, i’d swap with them. (lambs to the slaughter) my halo may have slipped a little over the years though.
Funny isn’t it whenever you get that job you’re really content and happy with, it always comes to an end.
I’m sorry you Sherburn lads were rushed off your feet all the time though
ALLIED BAKERIES …Sheffield deliveries are now run from Bredbury (Stockport) bakery. Half the fleet are 05 plate DAF 18 Tonne Rigids (Direct Deliveries)… Other half are X plate or Y plate well abused machines … i mean well used machines !!! Shuold be getting old fleet replaced soon (Me hopes !!! )
Asda Tesco Sainsburys Allied Bakeries manufacture these branded
Bread / Morning Goods in house at :
GLASGOW
GATESHEAD
LIVERPOOL
STOCKPORT
STOKE
WEST BROM
CARDIFF
READING
STEVENAGE
WALTHAMSTOW
ORPINGTON
Each manufacturing plant has its specified products it manufactures… product is then Trans Shipped ( Run by CEVA ) to all uk Manufacturing plants/ distribution depots.
Most Direct Delivery Routes begin at 4 am / 5 am latest… Deliveries usually completed for
10 am. then back to Bakery to unload empty baskets … usually home for noon …1pm is average finish time.
Its a good job if you dont wanna be down the road all week … but only if you can get out of your pit at 3- 4 am !!!
IF YOUVE HIT IT …ITS TOO LATE !!! GET OUT N LOOK !!!
