UK Transport Crisis?

[Truxx]

Well the shortage of HGV test examiners has finally bitten me.

Here in S Wales they only get paid £27k a year and many have left to earn much more as commercial drivers. The upshot of this is that whilst our driving school needs 15 or so tests a week we’re now down to half that.

So whilst the country is still short of HGV drivers, and we have applications for driving courses by the hundred, we cannot train them because DSA cannot test and thus cannot license them and I have had my hours dramatically cut.

Fewer hours doesn’t present a serious problem for me as I will go agency driving instead but the system needs close attention to get it fixed somehow and there appears to be little enthusiasm from the minister for transport to do anything constructive .

You could always recruit/train and qualify your own It's only a 2 week course.

 

[Roger Out]

So today I took my truck to our Mercedes commercial garage for routine maintenance. As I parked up I got chatting to a guy from a drinks distribution company, who was doing his daily checks. Just bit of small talk really, but I’ve seen his company advertise.This is on an industrial estate.

I asked the driver what his shifts are like and what the job involves. It’s two man crew job delivering kegs and barrels to pubs and restaurants. He admitted it’s hard graft, but seemed happy enough. He was wearing shorts and a polo shirt so didn’t seem too over health and safety.It’s around the south east, 7am start to 5 pm finish. Mon to Friday with the odd Saturday thrown in on a rota, he said it’s 1 in 5 Saturdays.

Am I mad to consider applying? I’m sure many people wouldn’t want to work delivering for a brewery or drinks wholesaler.

I’m mainly after getting my weekends off,whilst the kids are still young to spend family time with.

Mon to Friday is extremely difficult at my place, long wait so that’s a no go.

 

[exbluejob]

So today I took my truck to our Mercedes commercial garage for routine maintenance. As I parked up I got chatting to a guy from a drinks distribution company, who was doing his daily checks. Just bit of small talk really, but I’ve seen his company advertise.This is on an industrial estate.

I asked the driver what his shifts are like and what the job involves. It’s two man crew job delivering kegs and barrels to pubs and restaurants. He admitted it’s hard graft, but seemed happy enough. He was wearing shorts and a polo shirt so didn’t seem too over health and safety.It’s around the south east, 7am start to 5 pm finish. Mon to Friday with the odd Saturday thrown in on a rota, he said it’s 1 in 5 Saturdays.

Am I mad to consider applying? I’m sure many people wouldn’t want to work delivering for a brewery or drinks wholesaler.

I’m mainly after getting my weekends off,whilst the kids are still young to spend family time with.

Mon to Friday is extremely difficult at my place, long wait so that’s a no go.

What would you lose by going for this other job? It's not my industry but reading comments in here there is no shortage of work.

 

[kieren21]

So today I took my truck to our Mercedes commercial garage for routine maintenance. As I parked up I got chatting to a guy from a drinks distribution company, who was doing his daily checks. Just bit of small talk really, but I’ve seen his company advertise.This is on an industrial estate.

I asked the driver what his shifts are like and what the job involves. It’s two man crew job delivering kegs and barrels to pubs and restaurants. He admitted it’s hard graft, but seemed happy enough. He was wearing shorts and a polo shirt so didn’t seem too over health and safety.It’s around the south east, 7am start to 5 pm finish. Mon to Friday with the odd Saturday thrown in on a rota, he said it’s 1 in 5 Saturdays.

Am I mad to consider applying? I’m sure many people wouldn’t want to work delivering for a brewery or drinks wholesaler.

I’m mainly after getting my weekends off,whilst the kids are still young to spend family time with.

Mon to Friday is extremely difficult at my place, long wait so that’s a no go.

Never done it but my opinion -

It’s bloody hard graft and I imagine it’s a pain in the arse with some of the drops being in some god awful positions.

BUT

It does seem a job that some take to like a duck to water.

If it’s what you fancy - have a go.

I don’t know where you are in the country but is it that hard to find Mon-fri day man position?

 

[Arte_et_Marte]

Tank transporting was ruled by bridges: either ensuring they were strong enough to go over, or high enough to go under.

Imagine the scene. Ex Fusileer "Budgie" Mc Somethingorother has got his Stalwart carrying transporter wedged under a bridge.

"Let the tyres down" says the SSM before zooming off on his white bike.

Two hours later and Budgie is just packing his airline away, having let the air out of all 26 wheels, then re-inflated them.

"Not the tank transporter ones idiot - the Stalwart ones"

Good old Budgie.

As you know, the bridging maps we used in BAOR were a thing of beauty.

 

[ste14w]

Pretty sure I was there last week

If so it has a huge matrix sgn that lights up if you are to tall for that bridge

Is that the one on the way to Hinckley?
One of our lads hit that, totalled a trailer, completely flat packed it, load everywhere.
His excuse was his Satnav told him to go that way

 

[jagman2]

Is that the one on the way to Hinckley?
One of our lads hit that, totalled a trailer, completely flat packed it, load everywhere.
His excuse was his Satnav told him to go that way

Yeh that's the one

Dirty great matrix sign that lights up and yells at you that you're to tall at the roundabout before it

 

[Roger Out]

Never done it but my opinion -

It’s bloody hard graft and I imagine it’s a pain in the arse with some of the drops being in some god awful positions.

BUT

It does seem a job that some take to like a duck to water.

If it’s what you fancy - have a go.

I don’t know where you are in the country but is it that hard to find Mon-fri day man position?

I’m in the south east. Lots of Mon to Friday driving jobs, mainly food delivery type jobs such as Brakes.
The local dust carts have recently upped the wages following on from strikes. Round here the dustcart drivers are on £13.50 per hour Monday to Friday. Job done by 2.30.

 

[Roger Out]

What would you lose by going for this other job? It's not my industry but reading comments in here there is no shortage of work.

Lots of work about, all over I think.

 

[ste14w]

So today I took my truck to our Mercedes commercial garage for routine maintenance. As I parked up I got chatting to a guy from a drinks distribution company, who was doing his daily checks. Just bit of small talk really, but I’ve seen his company advertise.This is on an industrial estate.

I asked the driver what his shifts are like and what the job involves. It’s two man crew job delivering kegs and barrels to pubs and restaurants. He admitted it’s hard graft, but seemed happy enough. He was wearing shorts and a polo shirt so didn’t seem too over health and safety.It’s around the south east, 7am start to 5 pm finish. Mon to Friday with the odd Saturday thrown in on a rota, he said it’s 1 in 5 Saturdays.

Am I mad to consider applying? I’m sure many people wouldn’t want to work delivering for a brewery or drinks wholesaler.

I’m mainly after getting my weekends off,whilst the kids are still young to spend family time with.

Mon to Friday is extremely difficult at my place, long wait so that’s a no go.

I've done that job, and I really enjoyed it.
If you get crewed up with a lad you get on with, the time flies by, and we were always made welcome by the customers.
Hard work is halved when there is two of you.
Another advantage is that if there are dodgy park ups, your oppo will get out and bank you.
If the money is better, I'd give it a go.
One thing all the experienced drivers on here will tell you is that the transport industry is a big merry go round, we all chop and change our jobs and many of us will have worked for the same company more than once.
And a good driver is always welcomed back by his old boss.

 

[Truxx]

As you know, the bridging maps we used in BAOR were a thing of beauty.

I used to travel everywhere with all of them, carefully laminated then strung together into a mahoosive book.

 

[Truxx]

I've done that job, and I really enjoyed it.
If you get crewed up with a lad you get on with, the time flies by, and we were always made welcome by the customers.
Hard work is halved when there is two of you.
Another advantage is that if there are dodgy park ups, your oppo will get out and bank you.
If the money is better, I'd give it a go.
One thing all the experienced drivers on here will tell you is that the transport industry is a big merry go round, we all chop and change our jobs and many of us will have worked for the same company more than once.
And a good driver is always welcomed back by his old boss.

Ah.
A drayman. Excellent work but hard graft. And it is not that long ago that a pint was taken at each drop.

 

[Arte_et_Marte]

I used to travel everywhere with all of them, carefully laminated then strung together into a mahoosive book.

Ditto. They took hours to put together, and my map book went into my MFO boxes at least twice, on my postings around Germany. Call me Jack. I don't care.

 

[ste14w]

Ah.
A drayman. Excellent work but hard graft. And it is not that long ago that a pint was taken at each drop.

Yup, whoever wasn't driving never went thirsty.

 

[Roger Out]

I've done that job, and I really enjoyed it.
If you get crewed up with a lad you get on with, the time flies by, and we were always made welcome by the customers.
Hard work is halved when there is two of you.
Another advantage is that if there are dodgy park ups, your oppo will get out and bank you.
If the money is better, I'd give it a go.
One thing all the experienced drivers on here will tell you is that the transport industry is a big merry go round, we all chop and change our jobs and many of us will have worked for the same company more than once.
And a good driver is always welcomed back by his old boss.

Was this for a brewery company, out of curiosity? Or a wholesaler?

 

[ste14w]

Was this for a brewery company, out of curiosity? Or a wholesaler?

It was a wholesaler, The Beer Seller, got bought out years ago by somebody.
Also did it for a company called Barrs, soft drinks manufacturer, the advantage of that company was that every now and then if you were HGV1 you got a nice easy day trunking every now and then.

 

[Roger Out]

It was a wholesaler, The Beer Seller, got bought out years ago by somebody.
Also did it for a company called Barrs, soft drinks manufacturer, the advantage of that company was that every now and then if you were HGV1 you got a nice easy day trunking every now and then.

Oh ok. One thing I forgot to ask the driver , was are they always double manned..? If the drivers mate doesn’t turn up,goes sick etc , would the driver be expected to go out on their own and do the deliveries…

 

[ste14w]

Oh ok. One thing I forgot to ask the driver , was are they always double manned..? If the drivers mate doesn’t turn up,goes sick etc , would the driver be expected to go out on their own and do the deliveries…

No, if a job required two, then two went.
Sometimes crews were swapped around, so everybody knew everybody elses run, for when holidays or sick days occurred.

 

[syrup]

So today I took my truck to our Mercedes commercial garage for routine maintenance. As I parked up I got chatting to a guy from a drinks distribution company, who was doing his daily checks. Just bit of small talk really, but I’ve seen his company advertise.This is on an industrial estate.

I asked the driver what his shifts are like and what the job involves. It’s two man crew job delivering kegs and barrels to pubs and restaurants. He admitted it’s hard graft, but seemed happy enough. He was wearing shorts and a polo shirt so didn’t seem too over health and safety.It’s around the south east, 7am start to 5 pm finish. Mon to Friday with the odd Saturday thrown in on a rota, he said it’s 1 in 5 Saturdays.

Am I mad to consider applying? I’m sure many people wouldn’t want to work delivering for a brewery or drinks wholesaler.

I’m mainly after getting my weekends off,whilst the kids are still young to spend family time with.

Mon to Friday is extremely difficult at my place, long wait so that’s a no go.

Are you Class 1 and where abouts are you?

The drayman are known as secondary deliveries it can be hard graft that's why they always have vacancies

The money and easier life is in Primary Brewery Transport
Collecting the drinks direct from the manufacturer and doing deliveries direct to customers

No manual handling or hard graft

Pull up open the curtains or back doors at deliveries and most trailers are pre loaded at the depots

Class 1 Driver

Class 1 Driver

jobs.gxo.com

 

[re-stilly]

So today I took my truck to our Mercedes commercial garage for routine maintenance. As I parked up I got chatting to a guy from a drinks distribution company, who was doing his daily checks. Just bit of small talk really, but I’ve seen his company advertise.This is on an industrial estate.

I asked the driver what his shifts are like and what the job involves. It’s two man crew job delivering kegs and barrels to pubs and restaurants. He admitted it’s hard graft, but seemed happy enough. He was wearing shorts and a polo shirt so didn’t seem too over health and safety.It’s around the south east, 7am start to 5 pm finish. Mon to Friday with the odd Saturday thrown in on a rota, he said it’s 1 in 5 Saturdays.

Am I mad to consider applying? I’m sure many people wouldn’t want to work delivering for a brewery or drinks wholesaler.

I’m mainly after getting my weekends off,whilst the kids are still young to spend family time with.

Mon to Friday is extremely difficult at my place, long wait so that’s a no go.

Did that when I just left, it can be bloody hard graft and you have to be careful as some publicans will offer you a pint as a thanks if you drop the stuff to the cellar for them. Normal kegs are not too bad but when you get to the 36 gallon ones (Timmy Taylors came in these) then it is a serious bugger getting them in to a cellar with no hoist.