Day in the Life of A General Haulage Driver

Bit of a lie in for the first trip out on general haulage with RK Transport, set a 4.30 am alarm for a 5.15 pick up ready to head to the yard to start around 6am.

First up was to do the daily vehicle checks and hook up the trailer. We had 2 collections and deliveries to do locally. I thought we were in for an easy day, but it turned out to be a bit of an eye opener.

We were collecting pallet racking from a disused warehouse and were delivering the load to a different warehouse a few mile away. The first location didn't open until 8, so were made our way over and on arrival stopped at the gatehouse to check in and then waited in the yard for them to open.

Once they opened we had to drive inside the warehouse and then wait for the a forklift to load the racking. This took quite a while as the load had to be loaded evenly across the trailer and there was only on forklift loading. I used this time to venture down the other end of the warehouse to use the toilets. I was quite lucky as it had previously been a working warehouse there were actual female toilets on site and they were really clean. After a mission of a walk back across the warehouse it was just a waiting game in the cab whilst were were being loaded.

When it was finished it needed to be strapped down and secured before we could leave. Once everything was checked we were ready to leave and head to the delivery point.

Although distance wise it wasn't far away traffic conditions can never be predicted and it did take a while to get to the 2nd destination. On arrival we had to wait for the forklift drivers to arrive to unload us. Again this was a slow process and involved a lot of waiting around.

Once the load was off we did checks and were on our way again. We stopped at a local petrol station with services around the corner from the collection point to grab a cheeky Greggs for breakfast, proper trucker. I did have to use the toilet at the services and the facilities were not great, only the disabled loo was in use and the floor was flooded. Not ideal as there were a lot of other truckers stopping to use the services and the facilities were poor. I was also left massively disappointed when I got back in the cab and realised they had given me a vegan sausage roll rather than a proper one.

When we arrived back at the collection point we were able to go straight into the warehouse to be loaded again. This was a slow process and involves a fair bit of waiting around. When the load was on and strapped and were were ready to leave we were held up by another driver who had pulled in the doorway and was being loaded. Not ideal and something that can't be helped but adds a delay to the day and in turn causes the day to run behind.

When the other truck was load we were able to get on our way back to the same deliver point. This time traffic was not on our side and due to accidents causing delays and traffic build ups enroute we needed to stop at the services for a break. It was a chance to get some food and use the toilets but added extra time on to the working day.

When we were ready to leave we headed off to the delivery point, however when we arrived the forklift staff had already left so the driver had to unload himself. Luckily he has his licence and is able to do this otherwise we would have been stuck.

Finally after everything was off the trailer we could head back to the yard.

I have to admit I never fully appreciated how much one small set back can impact the whole day in the haulage industry. I also never realised how much waiting around there is in some sectors of the industry.

There is a whole load of variety under the umbrella of General Haulage so this is just a small snippet. RK mainly load and deliver steel and although a lot of their work is local to the Midlands, they do cover the whole of the UK so some jobs will involve nights out.

Drivers are usually told what jobs they will be on job day before and sometimes know several days in a row so they can try to get a head start if early finish for next day.

For anyone looking to get into the General Haulage sector it would be ideal if you like driving, can work on your own and think on your feet. It can be physically demanding, and you need to be able to couple and uncouple trailers, have the ability to navigate tight or unpredictable spaces for loading and unloading.

The main downside to the job is the hold ups you can face which can then impact not only your working life but also your family and social time, so it is not good if you have regular commitments which are time sensitive.

General haulage is a versatile sector so it is recommended new people to it learn new skills, like strapping loads, sheeting and roping which is now a bit of a dying art.

General haulage does offer opportunities for new passes, so could be a great sector as a foot in the door and to gain experience.

https://www.rktransportservicesltd.com/

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