907,511km (563,924 Mile) Mercedes. (52 Plate)

Soldato
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R124/LA420 said:
Back to how it was when they first built the Market Drayton site then! (don't know if you recall that far back mate)

As far as the planning permission is concerned, I heard it today whilst chatting to some of the workers @ Market Drayton.

You'll have to let me know when your next about mate, i live a stonesthrow from the factory, pop round for a brew!!
 
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Phil W said:
You'll have to let me know when your next about mate, i live a stonesthrow from the factory, pop round for a brew!!

Truckers never turn down the offer of a brew ;)

I'll try to arrange something.

wormzog at hotmail dot com - MSN.
 
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Phil W said:
I have no idea why culina don't expand, they always have Agency and other companies doing runs for them.
To expand you need more staff, more trucks and bigger premises. All of these cost money and force you to make commitments. all it takes is for your marketplace to suddenly hit hard times and you find yourself saddled with larger bills to pay and a smaller income.
It's far easier to sub contract work, then the instant times get tougher you simply stop using them.

It's the same reason so many companies use agency staff too.
 
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MNuTz said:
Lay-bys and cafe's the great escape for the lorry driver, trust me mate, ive worked in 4 different despatch companies, drivers never turn up on time, they all want loading first and they will lie through their teeth to get out asap. :)
Perhaps that's due to YOUR company allocating unrealistic delivery slots. Working in a depatch office, i'd have thought you'd worked it out by now that transport is not and can never be an exact science. just because a journey took 2hrs 30 yesterday doesn't mean you can bank on it taking 2 hrs 30 today.
 
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Phil W said:
These trucks run pretty much 24/7. They come into the yard, fuel up, go through the wash, we tip the pallets off them then they park up and minutes later the next driver who shares it walks in and goes out on a run.

I have no idea why culina don't expand, they always have Agency and other companies doing runs for them.

And now i know why you all roll in at the same time and make my job a pain in the arse, its because you all park in laybys ;)

Phil

I reckon that'll boil down to the contract Culina have with their drivers, it seems to me (I'm agency) that the drivers are paid a salary for a given amount of hours say 12 for example.

Thus, for his money, the driver isn't going to exceed 12 hours to get back to the depot at the end of a shift - which would make your life easier I'd imagine -, this is why all of the laybys on the A41 near Market Drayton are full of Culina trucks! - The driver is effectively getting a few quid extra by booking a night out, even though he's 10 minutes from the yard!

Even if I were on a salary, I would'nt sleep in the truck that close to base - I prefer my own bed! :D
 
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The_Dark_Side said:
Perhaps that's due to YOUR company allocating unrealistic delivery slots. Working in a depatch office, i'd have thought you'd worked it out by now that transport is not and can never be an exact science. just because a journey took 2hrs 30 yesterday doesn't mean you can bank on it taking 2 hrs 30 today.

actually matey, we have a firm on site called Davis Haulage, we load those during the day. Our problems arise at night when other companies (Corby, NFT, McBurnies etc) are due in.

The best parts is, they set their own book in times, i just have to perform miracles to get them loaded hence why i often go 12 hours without a break!

Im not talking 30-60 mins early or late here, we have one lorry due in at 9pm every single night. What time does he come in? between 4pm and 5pm! We dont even get his load plan until at least 7pm.

I am fully aware of the difficulties facing drivers, from bad weather to traffic, im not stupid so please dont speak to me as though i am.
 
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MNuTz said:
im not stupid so please dont speak to me as though i am.
Ok, not a problem. Although it sounds like you're acting that way at work and either you, your employer or a combination of both are acting unprofessionally.
MNuTz said:
i often go 12 hours without a break!

Three words for you to think over.

Working
Time
Directive.
 
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MNuTz said:
hence why i often go 12 hours without a break!

You make them wait if you haven't had your break. Your employer can get into a LOT of trouble for not letting you have your due breaks, our company is insistant on it, if theres nobody to take us off then the job waits.

If they don't understand or get angry, then they are pointed to our supervisors where they are told the same as us, breaks are a requirement.

Chep often comes in at the most inconvenient times, they often wait for us to tip them anywhere between 15mins and an hour before we tip them, they just have to live with it!
 
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Spotted you last night coming in about 6.30 mate, you waved to me when i was coming down from the yard and then i was back up going around in circles waiting for 5mins before i went back down the bottom!

Would have come to say hi but was too keen to clock off :D
 
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gurdas said:
If you buy a proper Mercedes model, you won't have any issues. And by proper I mean the S Class.

You know as well as I do that despite the ultimate awesomness of the 99-06 S Class, it is NOT a paragon of epic reliability, generally speaking.
 
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[TW]Fox said:
You know as well as I do that despite the ultimate awesomness of the 99-06 S Class, it is NOT a paragon of epic reliability, generally speaking.


heard theres a few poorly resprayed models around aswell :p

Sorry should have said thanks for the update R124, was very rude of me.
 
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Phil W said:
Where as the new one mings.

The cheap new ones do(can you even get a cheap new S class?) i saw one today with no bodykit and standard crappy wheels. On the other hand the S320 cdi with huge wheels and sporty looking kit a million times better. Sort of like the difference between Se E60 and sport E60.

The new C class looks good in sport form aswell, a mini S class really.

New A class = fail.

Being around the M74/73 and M8 all day i spotted a few trucks. A good few where 2 axle rigids with trailers.....those must be damn annoying to drive?
 
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Caporegime
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Phil W said:
Spotted you last night coming in about 6.30 mate, you waved to me when i was coming down from the yard and then i was back up going around in circles waiting for 5mins before i went back down the bottom!

Would have come to say hi but was too keen to clock off :D

LOL I can't remember 6:30 the other night! was I on foot in the yard, or, in my car? - doing nights, evenings feel like mornings and the confusion makes my brain hurt! :o

Don't let my cheery wave fool you, I'm anything but cheerful at the start of a shift! ;) :D

Understand entirely about you wanting to clock off - its the best part of working tbh.

Off for my "weekend rest" now (yes I know its Wednesday!) we'll get that brew next week mate. :)
 
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