HGV night trunking.... Is it as easy as they say?

Рет қаралды 29,476

Күн бұрын

I swear by night trunking for new drivers to gain experience BUT be careful what you sign up for!
RDC's, depots, etc are easy.
Pallet distribution hubs are insane! My advice to any new HGV driver going to a pallet hub is ask as many questions as possible before you set off and ask for help from staff when you arrive at the hub.
Safety first, cover yourself, ignore the rushing impatient ones who whizz around like idiots.

Пікірлер: 71

@jamesnoonan7450 Ай бұрын

Major respect mate, I'm a bus driver at Stagecoach. I have been for 7 years now. A lot of the lads in my depot left to do what you do. I stayed because I love bus driving ! Safe driving fella great video

@TruckerMurdock Ай бұрын

Hey we like what we like. If you love your job that's what matters more than money. Respect to you for living the dream rather than chasing the £££'s.

@bellastaffypearmapearman2666 Ай бұрын

did that for 3 years hard graft trying to stay awake. respect drive❤

@TruckerMurdock Ай бұрын

Thanks mate, I appreciate it. To be fair my late Dad (God rest him) taught me how to deal with shift patterns way before I became any kind of driver, let alone Class 1. You're right that some love nights, some struggle, and it's vert true you need to stay alert all the time. Should I do a video on how we adapt to sleep patterns etc?

@bellastaffypearmapearman2666 Ай бұрын

@TruckerMurdock yeah why not. anything to teach people the right way is a good thing.i used to do hayes west London to Birmingham and back every night. enjoyed the work but some nights were scary as I would lose time on the m40 as if I had drifted off. never did just felt like it. Tough gig. On days now and love it

@TruckerMurdock Ай бұрын

@@bellastaffypearmapearman2666 that's definitely on my "to do list". Thanks mate.

@WEAREDERBY1884 2 ай бұрын

Respect for what you do 👍

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

Thanks mate :)

@marktucker208 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for this. When i get my licence im thinking night trunking might be a great way to get some experience, these pallet places look terrifying tho

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

Night trunking is a good place to start as the roads are quieter and the only hassles are roadworks really but you soon get used to that. If you can get RDC work for the likes of supermarkets or parcel companies etc that's pretty easy, so are trailer swaps. The trick with pallet hubs is ask advice before you go, ask the staff questions when you get there, and talk to other drivers too, plus most pallet hubs will give you a "New driver" sign to go in the windscreen so they'll go easy on you.

@EddieWatts-j9i 2 ай бұрын

Or containers can be a good way to build experience. Again quiet roads on nights but closures and diversions to negotiate

@EddieWatts-j9i 2 ай бұрын

Thank you, interesting perspective on pallet work

@marktucker208 2 ай бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock Thanks for the response mate, appreciate it.

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

@@marktucker208 no worries mate. I do try to respond to comments whenever possible

@davidpenn6133 2 ай бұрын

I don't like doing night work. I did one for Pallet Line from Preston to Bilston. Started at 5.30, went to Fulwood, pick up more pallets, could be 5- 15 pallets. When i got to Bilston for 9pm, unloading in 10 minutes, park up, go to bed. Chap would knock you up at 3.30am, load up & be back in yard at Preston by 6.30am, & go home.

@banglaline3859 24 күн бұрын

I thought you can only drive for 9 hours and twice a week 10 hours. Can you explain to be the driving hours and WTD for the job you did. I am trying to gain experience as I am going to be doing my theory very soon.

@davidpenn6133 24 күн бұрын

@@banglaline3859 got my time wrong. Start 17.30pm. From Preston to Bilston & back via Fulwood 5 hours driving, tops.

@milesg5556 Ай бұрын

Top respect to you chaps 😊

@TruckerMurdock Ай бұрын

Thanks mate, we appreciate it 😃😃😃

@banglaline3859 24 күн бұрын

What time did you start the job and what time did you finish ? What time did you have your break ? Was it a split break or a 45 minute break ? I just trying to get experience as I will be taking my test soon.

@TruckerMurdock 24 күн бұрын

On that Swadlincote run it was 5pm start. I would have a 15min break on the way down to the hub, arrive around 9-30pm, pull the curtains back, once in the tunnel and being tipped the tacho would go on break. More often than not tipping would take longer than 30mins which gives me the required break time, if it was quicker than 30mins I would drop the empty trailer, hitch up to the loaded return trailer, then have a 30min break before leaving the hub. Arrival back at Gateshead would generally be around 4am, open up the warehouse, drop the trailer inside, park the unit outside, finish at 4-30am or 4-45am if I have to lock up the warehouse. Rochdale was simpler. Start at 6pm, no stopping on the way to the hub, back in to the bay, curtains back, then on break for at least 2 hours, usually get back to Northumberland at around 4am-ish. With trunk runs and bulk deliveries/collections the break times and finish times are often dictated by the tipping and loading times. If they're quick you'll finish early, if they're slow you'll finish later. I always assume they'll be slow so if they're quick it's a nice bonus. Good luck with your test, fingers crossed for you mate.

@banglaline3859 24 күн бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock awesome information 👏 thank you so much. Looking forward to your informative video. Stay safe.

@TruckerMurdock 24 күн бұрын

@@banglaline3859 no problem mate. I see you're an Everton fan, so was my late Mrs and I spent a few years in Litherland with her, many a pint was drunk in the Royal Oak near Goodison, I'm a rugby fan, she was the footy fan, but a good atmosphere. I was 7.5 ton over there covering Merseyside, Lancashire, The Wirral, and North Wales. My claim to fame was delivering to Duncan Ferguson and him giving me a get well card for the Mrs when she was in ICU cos he knew she was a big fan, a very nice chap indeed.

@stugill4513 2 ай бұрын

apart from you moving the shap to the a6 not the m6 that was very intresting thanks

@DirigiblePlum69 Ай бұрын

It looks like wacky races in there pal @ 31:00 😂

@TruckerMurdock Ай бұрын

Oh they can go faster than that when it gets really busy later on. Yeah the first time you go in there and see them whizzing around you're like "WTF???" ha ha ha.

@DirigiblePlum69 Ай бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock 🤣👍

@itzowenzxzx3945 2 ай бұрын

I really want to get into driving a lorry but I’m only 20 does this matter

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

I was told most companies want drivers over 21 or 25 for insurance reasons but there are a lot of young drivers starting out. I'd advise calling the local agencies to find out how many employers have no age restrictions. Good luck with your ambitions mate :)

@icewallowcome4955 2 ай бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock I started my hgv driving at 18 and joined a family owned business at 19, im now 20. I'm based south west so we're short as it is.

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

@@icewallowcome4955 thanks for the info, that will be very helpful to the OP. It's greatly appreciated :)

@richardmartin8851 2 ай бұрын

why is the sat nav on when you know where you are going just saying

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

It's for things like sudden diversions or unlisted road closures mostly, it's there as a back up already programmed with the destination so no messing around. It also gives an idea of my ETA if there are delays with traffic etc so I can let people know about arrival times if need be. It's a "just in case" option and it's come in handy a few times.

@biohazard7785 Ай бұрын

bro said: 👃

@JockWilson-m4u 6 күн бұрын

It used to be easy.but now with all the road and juc closers at night its a joke

@TruckerMurdock 6 күн бұрын

I agree to an extent but this week I've been on days doing Northumberland to Leicester with 10am start and nights with closures etc is still way faster. Yeah the amount of roadworks at the moment are insane and my main gripe is they don't seem to coordinate closures so HGVs aren't held up too much. The regions should plan things together according to major routes and not just on local traffic.

@sleepercell9926 2 ай бұрын

That would be my dream job.

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

It's quite easy to get into via agency, you just need to find a good agency.

@sleepercell9926 2 ай бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock I had my Class 1 for a year. I had been doing Class 2 work for a year before that. The agencies froze me out completely. They ask if you have a years experience on class 1 before you even are considered, and in most cases it’s 2 years. Luckily I found a flexible recruitment consultant that got me into Menzies on a temp basis. It’s going to be hard as I’m practically a new starter and I expect a rough few months while I learn the ropes but I got a lucky break just at the point I’d almost given up and had resigned myself to class 2 Multidrop work. I have my first shift tomorrow.

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

@@sleepercell9926 well done on getting a start on Class 1. I had the same issue with a former agency where once I reluctantly agreed to do some Class 2 work they bombed me with it and no Class 1 work. They even pushed for 7.5t and van work. My current agency are excellent and keep me on Class 1. Menzies seem good I'm told so get in, ask loads of questions, talk to the other drivers, and learn as much as you can. Enjoy the ride mate, the fun starts here 😀

@sleepercell9926 2 ай бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock Thanks mate. Just got back from my first shift. Went reasonably smoothly. Reversing onto the bay seems to be the chink in my armour though. I'm gonna really have to practice that and hope nobody notices. Had to shunt 4 or 5 times just to get the trailer aligned and on the bay. Loved not doing 15 to 20 drops in a class 2 trying to park in a high street though. Looks like this is the way i'm gonna have to go though.

@32hosky 2 ай бұрын

What place is that mate looks hectic

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

TPN main hub at Swadlincote. And yeah it's pretty lively there 😂

@alexmacdonald7016 2 ай бұрын

Are you doing the night trunk tomorrow to tpn

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

Yes, I'm on it for the next 4 weeks at least. Then on a different hub for a different client

@alexmacdonald7016 2 ай бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock I'm up there tomorrow night on 2nd trunk for company my dad works for

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

@@alexmacdonald7016 what company are you with? I'm on trunk 3 for Tyneside Express. If you see me come say hello. I have a black baseball cap with the name "Murdock" in yellow.

@alexmacdonald7016 2 ай бұрын

@@TruckerMurdock we will be in plain white merc actros and normally on bay 42

@TruckerMurdock 2 ай бұрын

@@alexmacdonald7016 I'll be in the yellow Tyneside Express MAN, usually arrive around 11pm, (the other 2 arrive way before me), we try park opposite bay 24 as it's usually drop and swap but often live load on trunk 3. Hoping for a fast load on Tuesday as I switch to Trunk 1 on Wednesday which is the fast track and shorter shifts.

@WhateverItTakesLIVE Ай бұрын

what sat nav you do you use

@TruckerMurdock Ай бұрын

It's unbranded and bought from an Ebay shop called ByTruckers4Truckers well over 2yrs ago. Truck It Prayle has the same and Kev Tee reviewed one with direct comparison to his £300 Garmin and they both worked the same but this only cost me £80. I tested mine alonside an expensive Snooper and no difference at all, both gave the same instructions exactly. The ONLY differences between mine and expensive satnavs is it doesn't give realtime traffic and if you want an update you buy a yearly memory card for £20 with all the latest updates on it. If you want realtime traffic updates you can run Road Lords or Google Maps on your phone for traffic and the satnav for directions (obviously NEVER use Google Maps in a truck for directions).

@andrewpatter1943 Ай бұрын

Nights is easy

@DaleSteel Ай бұрын

Running old trucks is no good in the time critical game. Need to get rid of the shitters

@garyclayton5406 Ай бұрын

Night trunk is lazy man's job..to hub and Back....

@TruckerMurdock Ай бұрын

To be fair there's a yes and no to that. Some runs are very easy, some can be difficult when companies plan for say 3hrs 45min driving time, maybe 4hrs drive, then you get hit with roadworks they don't factor in, maybe an accident that shuts the road, another trunk carrying your stuff is delayed and it delays you and others, so yeah things can go wrong quite often. I agree that on a good night you'll get a flyer and it's a doddle but by no means expect it every night. It only takes one idiot on the road to give us all a bad night.

@Nickbaldeagle02 28 күн бұрын

Lazy man's job? Sign me up.