So a few weeks ago I arranged to go out with the lovely Amy from Dromgoole & Sons to find out more about what she does
Amy has been driving for the company for 2 years, and in that time was lucky enough to drive the iconic Peaky Blinders themed tipper, before being handed the keys for 'Purple Rain' at the end of last year.
I arranged to meet Amy in North Wales where she was working between a quarry and a building site for the day. I timed it well and managed to get parked up not far from the quarry and Amy picked me up on her way past.
Her latest truck is a beauty inside and out. The white and purple features are similar to the fleets 'Pegasus' and both stand out for all the right reasons. In Fact I spotted Pegasus heading up to the quarry whilst I was waiting for her. For a quiet little town the road to the quarry was a hive of activity with a constant flurry of trucks passing. The perfect place for any truck spotter to get their fix.
As she had just loaded at the quarry when I got in, the next stop was a building site a few miles away. It was a nice drive and gave me chance to speak to Amy to find out more about how she started in the industry and more about the job and truck.
We arrived at the building site, which was through a housing estate and up a small rural road, skillfully Amy reversed on to site and was instructed where to unload. The tippers are remotely controlled from inside the cab, and Amy's truck includes a camera which shows the inside of the trailer so you can see exactly what is happening without having to leave the cab, apart from to do any safety checks. Once tipped it is a trip back to the quarry to collect another load.
The quarry is situated at the top of a hill a short drive from the housing estate where I parked. On entering the quarry we stopped at the gate house to sort the paperwork for what we needed and then was directed where to load. Again this is all done remotely and the plant machine drivers take care of the loading. On leaving the site we stopped on the weighbridge to complete the paperwork and headed back to the building site.
We stopped in a lay by for a 30 minute break between the trips. This gave me chance to grab some photos and chat more. One thing I picked up on was the lack of facilities available for drivers. For females in particular the lack of accessible toilets does make toilet trips more challenging, as it's not as easy for us females to just stop and pee. So if you are a female looking to become a driver just remember it is worth perfecting the toilet technique in the bushes as it may come in handy.
Amy explained that most of her work involves trips to a quarry or yard to collect loads, and then deliver them to site. Although days like the one I experienced were a series of repeat trips between 2 sites, typically 7-9 drops a day. The overall job provides a lot of variety and no two days are the same. You get to travel to new places and meet new people too. Generally she only works Monday to Fridays, unless there are additional jobs or big contracts which require weekend work.
If you are looking for a job with minimal manual work, but that still gives you the freedom of the open road tippers could be the job for you.
It also provides familiarity when visiting the same quarries, so you get to know what is required and what you need to do fairly quickly. Which again is perfect if you are a bit of a creature of habit, or like many suffer with the anxiety of new places and new things.
Although there are the occasional jobs which require nights out, tipper work tends to be more locally based, so this is perfect for people who don't want to spend time away from home on a regular basis. It could also be a good step into the industry for this reason, and many companies accept class 2 and new passes for this type of work.
There are lots of companies based throughout the country who offer tipper work, so if it is something you want to get into it is worth contacting some of them to see what their requirements are and what work they have available.
From speaking with Amy and experiencing her day first hand I can see why it is an appealing area of the industry for many to get in to.
#dayinthelife #tippertrucks #tipperdriver #haulageindustry #dromgooleandsons #femaledrivers #youngdrivers #insight #work #careeroptions #truckdriver #logistics #haulage #scania
コメント