the maoster:
■■■■■■■■ to that. Fridges, boxes, tankers or tippers. Anything else can go whistle.
Yep I’m past the age of doing curtain side work in Al, weathers ,
Now seen the light of box work
robroy:
Done 2 trips/ 2 trailers to Egger Hexham today, took 40 straps off put 40 back on,.what a [zb] ■■■■■■■■■
You go into the yard now and it is lit up on the illuminated sign.,.first thing you see…‘All loads 20 straps’
Not on our loads. We’re still allowed to use four straps on stacks that are 2 packs high, five straps on stacks that are three packs high so that’s 12 straps or 15 straps a load. Maybe it’s because we use decent straps, 5 tonne pull down ratchets with tension gauges on them, the drivers tighten them down properly and they don’t end up being turned to sawdust by the end of the street due to how much they’ve moved. We had a truck go over on the A70 and the chipboard didn’t move, it got put back on it’s wheels with the chipboard still strapped to the trailer. I’m carrying it from Scotland to Howden most nights of the week and don’t have any move and I’m not hanging around.
Unfortunately companies/owner drivers that try to rush it or aren’t strong enough to strap it down properly, use the wrong kit like lightweight short handled push up ratchets and straps as well as the odd idiot who has tried to use internals have knackered it for the rest of you. They’ve also knackered it for us too because at Auchinleck they use a stupid system where you drive into one end of the shed and slowly crawl through it in a queue as vehicles get loaded so we get held up by everyone in front putting 20 straps on a load. It’s not uncommon for a driver to end up being sat behind someone strapping down at the exit for an hour. Quite why they can’t do it the same way they do at Hexham god only knows, the shed is big enough.
The worst part about that rule though is that you can still put 20 straps on it and it’ll still move if you’re not using the right gear and drivers aren’t tightening them enough. That’s the reason we use pull down ratchets and have tension gauges on all our chipboard ratchets so you know they’re done tight enough. You may tighten them enough most of the time but when you’re ill and strapping them down you may think you’ve done it tight enough because it feels like you’ve put the same amount of effort in as you usually do but because you’re a bit weak you’ve not done. Tension gauge takes all that guesswork out of it. And they aren’t expensive either, it’s literally nothing more than a U shaped piece of plastic that fits over the bottom bolt in the ratchet handle in the loop at the end of the webbing strap. When both sides of it are clamped together then the strap is tensioned enough. When I’m doing a changeover with the Bellshill drivers I just open the curtain, walk down the row of ratchets and just look at the tension gauges. Don’t need to tug on the handles because as long as those jaws are shut on the tension gauge it ain’t moving. If you’ve followed our fleet eastbound over the 66 on a night you’ll know we’re not hanging around on the bendy bits and almost all of us have 26/27 tonne of board on.
Conor:
robroy:
Done 2 trips/ 2 trailers to Egger Hexham today, took 40 straps off put 40 back on,.what a [zb] ■■■■■■■■■
You go into the yard now and it is lit up on the illuminated sign.,.first thing you see…‘All loads 20 straps’Not on our loads. You’ll not see a Howdens lorry putting 20 straps on either at Hexham or Auchinleck. We’re still allowed to use four straps on stacks that are 2 packs high, five straps on stacks that are three packs high so that’s 12 straps or 15 straps a load. Maybe it’s because we use decent straps, ratchets with tension gauges on them, the drivers tighten them down properly and they don’t end up being turned to sawdust by the end of the street due to how much they’ve moved. We had a truck go over on the A70 and the chipboard didn’t move, it got put back on it’s wheels with the chipboard still strapped to the trailer. I’m carrying it from Scotland to Howden most nights of the week and don’t have any move and I’m not hanging around.
Unfortunately companies like Ramage and companies/owner drivers that use cheap lightweight short handled ratchets and straps as well as the odd idiot who has tried to use internals have knackered it for the rest of you. They’ve also knackered it for us too because at Auchinleck they use a stupid system where you drive into one end of the shed and slowly crawl through it in a queue as vehicles get loaded so we get held up by everyone in front putting 20 straps on a load. It’s not uncommon for a driver to end up being sat behind someone strapping down at the exit for an hour. Quite why they can’t do it the same way they do at Hexham god only knows, the shed is big enough.
Maybe because Howdens are a direct collecting customer rather than a contractor delivering to a customer? and they have maybe dictated the amount of straps in a condition of purchase ?
To be fair many drivers as well.as Howdens, strap them down properly, with decent straps, but like I said the professionals are made to suffer for the inept,.the type of whom you mention.
You’ll maybe scoff, or disagree,.but I usually ratchet up max by hand,.then about 3 clicks with a piece of timber strapped on to protectors,.never had any issue in terms of movement or damage.
As for Howdens, they have/had at least one balloon the same as every other firm, I was 2 trucks behind him about 4 or so years ago coming off the M6 at Penrith, when he took the roundabout too fast on a left turn presumably going to truckstop,.and rolled it, I may be wrong but I think he did lose the load that night.
robroy:
To be fair many drivers as well.as Howdens, strap them down properly, with decent straps, but like I said the professionals are made to suffer for the inept,.the type of whom you mention.You’ll maybe scoff, or disagree,.but I usually ratchet up max by hand,.then about 3 clicks with a piece of timber strapped on to protectors,.never had any issue in terms of movement or damage.
I just do them by hand so you do them even tighter than I do. At our spot if you can’t tighten them enough by hand then you’re not allowed on chipboard. They do periodic driver assessments and one of the things you have to do is still show you can tighten a board ratchet enough by hand.
I’m sure plenty, probably most do it enough but unfortunately a lot don’t and they also have drivers who drive like pillocks with it on like a certain company from the North East that has silver units and trailers and hoon down the A70 like they’re auditioning for Hell Drivers.
Conor:
robroy:
To be fair many drivers as well.as Howdens, strap them down properly, with decent straps, but like I said the professionals are made to suffer for the inept,.the type of whom you mention.You’ll maybe scoff, or disagree,.but I usually ratchet up max by hand,.then about 3 clicks with a piece of timber strapped on to protectors,.never had any issue in terms of movement or damage.
I just do them by hand so you do them even tighter than I do. At our spot if you can’t tighten them enough by hand then you’re not allowed on chipboard. They do periodic driver assessments and one of the things you have to do is still show you can tighten a board ratchet enough by hand.
I’m sure plenty, probably most do it enough but unfortunately a lot don’t and they also have drivers who drive like pillocks with it on like a certain company from the North East that has silver units and trailers and hoon down the A70 like they’re auditioning for Hell Drivers.
Yep,.I know the outfit you are on about.
Do you use the ‘pull down’ type ratchets where you get more tension on?
We use the ‘push up’ type (technical terms btw 
) yep once over I had the strength in my upper arms enough to get sufficient tension, but my temperamental dodgy shoulder prevents me these days 
…so it looks like I’d fail the Howden test.
beefy4605:
you get one caution from a manager before being barred .
Face bothered?
At 59 years old, I haven’t really got that long in the grand scheme of things before I retire. Having been in the industry since the age of 11, I no longer care about any little ■■■■ in an office barring me off site. The more the merrier.
Luckily in my current job, there are only 2 of us on it, and the relationship with the customer is brilliant. They leave us to get on with it and don’t dictate what we can and can’t do.
Quinny:
beefy4605:
you get one caution from a manager before being barred .Face bothered?
At 59 years old, I haven’t really got that long in the grand scheme of things before I retire. Having been in the industry since the age of 11, I no longer care about any little [zb] in an office barring me off site. The more the merrier.
.
I know exactly what you mean mate.
I was threatened with a ban as ‘punishment’ about 10 years ago by this jumped up little prick.
I asked him to put it in writing … in case somebody was going to let me in agsin by mistake…it just threw him completely
■■■■ infringements, drivers fearing getting one and being devastated when they do …although I do try and run 100% legit,.I simply could not gaf if/when I get a one, and make it crystal to whoever hands me it.
We have these ■■■■ cameras that go off for 10 secs or more after harsh braking or whatever, they get you in and react as if you are a kid in the headmasters office 
…I just say ‘‘I aint going to pretend that I’m bothered as I dont agree with these ■■■■ things’’.
I dont think they are used to that reaction.
It is just years of increasing b/s in the job that has got me that way,.I just dont ■■■■ care anymore. 