Worst D.C

[anonymous-user]

So which ones do you least look forward to?

My top 2 are....

Co-op Coventry when its full, when you have to drive out of the entry gate into the road to get on bay 1 you know its tight!! I hate this place when all the bays are full

Sainsbury Stoke. no matter what happens you are there for at least 4 hours in a room with no windows, st tv, st vending and about 10 seats for 30 plus bays, christ, I was in there the other week with just 2, yes 2, other lads and it still took 4 and a half hours.
Tesco's may be taking over the world but I am rarely in there for more than 90 mins

Anyone else.................

[chilistrucker]

used to hate argos basildon, any tesco, and sainsburys at corby.
got to agree though, tesco in general seem to have got much better.
i just hate the imposed, "you must sit in this room" even when they have your keys, some places still won't let you wait in your truck.

[martin mrt]

I think this handing in keys and waiting in silly rooms absolutely bonkers, its either one or the other IMO

Thank Christ I don't deal with such Distribution centres

[Jimbo.]

martin mrt said:

I think this handing in keys and waiting in silly rooms absolutely bonkers, its either one or the other IMO

Thank Christ I don't deal with such Distribution centres

You'd be surprised at the number of incidents wherein vehicles are driven off whilst being loaded (which these procedures are meant to stop). Granted you'd have to be having a really bad day to miss the big red light in yer' mirrors, but we're all human and we all have brainfarts from time to time.

The "waiting in a room" bit also helps yard security (unknowns wondering around) and keeps people in one place should it need to be evacuated.

[ZR1cliff]

Jimbo. said:

martin mrt said:

I think this handing in keys and waiting in silly rooms absolutely bonkers, its either one or the other IMO

Thank Christ I don't deal with such Distribution centres

You'd be surprised at the number of incidents wherein vehicles are driven off whilst being loaded (which these procedures are meant to stop). Granted you'd have to be having a really bad day to miss the big red light in yer' mirrors, but we're all human and we all have brainfarts from time to time.

The "waiting in a room" bit also helps yard security (unknowns wondering around) and keeps people in one place should it need to be evacuated.

Surely just handing in the keys would be enough? Then the driver could go back to his cab, have a sleep, do paperwork and the rest.


At DC's where you are allowed to be in your cab I normally climb in the back, have a sleep, then I'm all fresh for the next leg of the journey.

[chilistrucker]

i can understand that "drive offs" do happen, even on a red light.
but why don't more of these d.c's adopt the line lock system? job done.
loading bay staff nice and safe, and driver has full access to his/her cab, perfect.

[ZR1cliff]

chilistrucker said:

i can understand that "drive offs" do happen, even on a red light.
but why don't more of these d.c's adopt the line lock system? job done.
loading bay staff nice and safe, and driver has full access to his/her cab, perfect.

They have that at Cullinas, a good fail proof system. Just got to make sure the anti spray flaps are out of the way of the sensors.

[ZR1cliff]

My vote goes to Asda DC Dartford. Always a long wait to get on the bay. Then when they've unloaded you and checked your load off, they go for a break.

Mind you, eight and a half hours in Lidls was a mission, although since then they seem to have brushed their act up a bit.

[vryes]

ZR1cliff said:

My vote goes to Asda DC Dartford. Always a long wait to get on the bay. Then when they've unloaded you and checked your load off, they go for a break.

Mind you, eight and a half hours in Lidls was a mission, although since then they seem to have brushed their act up a bit.

Asda Dartford is my nemesis, was in there on Friday for 4 hours and only had 6 pallets for them. There was a period of over an hour where some guys had been tipped all the bays were empty and they still didn't call anyone forward, also how does it take 90 mins y check 6 pallets of identical product

[ZR1cliff]

vryes said:

ZR1cliff said:

My vote goes to Asda DC Dartford. Always a long wait to get on the bay. Then when they've unloaded you and checked your load off, they go for a break.

Mind you, eight and a half hours in Lidls was a mission, although since then they seem to have brushed their act up a bit.

Asda Dartford is my nemesis, was in there on Friday for 4 hours and only had 6 pallets for them. There was a period of over an hour where some guys had been tipped all the bays were empty and they still didn't call anyone forward, also how does it take 90 mins to check 6 pallets of identical product

Mate, you're lucky they didn't go for a break and forget you. Nearly every driver I talk to has had a dire experience at Asda DC Greenhithe/Dartford.

I go to a soft drinks DC called Lansdell at Whitstable. A decent sized Company, but nothing of the size of Asda.

Asda could learn loads from a relative small sized Company. No quicker are you in at Lansdell and they're even helping you pull the curtains. Then two forklifts are on your load and it's unloaded within ten to fifteen minutes. Five minutes more to check the paperwork and you're on your way.

You can be away in 20 minutes. So why does it take so long for Asda Dartford to unload and check a load ?

I would like to see Vosa have a say in Unloading/loading times at some of these DC's as some of these companies can add a lot of avoidable stress and uneeded delays in the haulage business.

[GC8]

Is the answer not in many cases, because they can?

[ZR1cliff]

GC8 said:

Is the answer not in many cases, because they can?

Sad as it is, I agree.

[MagicRMorris]

Asda Doncaster. 3 hours to check 2 pallets of books. I could have read them all in that time.

[Hooli]

MagicRMorris said:

Asda Doncaster. 3 hours to check 2 pallets of books. I could have read them all in that time.

If it's any consolation, they are as slow & st on the tills there too.

[Jimbo.]

ZR1cliff said:

GC8 said:

Is the answer not in many cases, because they can?

Sad as it is, I agree.

IME, the "targets" around which these places revolve are purely on the picking/packing/loading side of things, and not the goods-in side of it, hence goods-in normally consists of one guy, a fork-lift and four bays :/

[GC8]

Id been meaning to post along similar lines. Theyre geared up towards meeting outbound targets and care little about goodsinwards unless you have something on that they need.

They act this way because they unfortunately, as I mentioned in an earlier post.

[rumple]

NorfolkInClue1 said:

So which ones do you least look forward to?

My top 2 are....

Co-op Coventry when its full, when you have to drive out of the entry gate into the road to get on bay 1 you know its tight!! I hate this place when all the bays are full

Sainsbury Stoke. no matter what happens you are there for at least 4 hours in a room with no windows, st tv, st vending and about 10 seats for 30 plus bays, christ, I was in there the other week with just 2, yes 2, other lads and it still took 4 and a half hours.
Tesco's may be taking over the world but I am rarely in there for more than 90 mins

Anyone else.................

Sainsburys stoke hasn't got a good name at all, its had a few companies run it , the latest being DHL, years ago I worked for a firm that had an 1800 booking everynight, it delivered beer, 26 identical pallets, it never got back to base ( 10 minutes up the road) before 2200, pretty poor really but as it has been mentioned they do it because they can, when I was on Containers I did enjoy walking into goods in at various RDC's and saying 'you do know you are now on demurage'

[ZR1cliff]

Went to Tesco's new DC in Reading yesterday. The place was in a right mess, out side lorries were every where and struggling to find parking spaces. I walked into the driver's packed waiting area, where some drivers had been for many hours. I waited over two hours and then asked how long it would be before I could get on a bay - the answer...............7-8 hours!!

In the end, after phoning the transport manager I was pulled out and took the load back to the yard, along with a few other loads that had the same problem. Hope they find their feet down there and get over the teething problems. For everyones' sake.

[Fun Bus]

More fun and games to come when they move the Harlow DC to Dagenham. Asda have a new site opening in Bristol in September too.

[GEARJAMMER]

I do Biffa waste at Enfield a lot (loading containers with bails) they take the keys and let you sit in the cabs and all was fine, then one day they said you have to fit an air line lock and left me with the keys, i told them it seemed pointless and they very proudly told me it was'nt and was the safest method, so when i was loaded and told to pull on the weighbridge i said to fella watch this, i'll show you how good your air line lock is, got out the cab hit the shunt button on the trailer and pulled off the bay with airline lock still attached...... THEY WERE'NT VERY HAPPY!!!!!! lol.

As for Tesco a trick i learnt when we done the Daventry/crick site was to put the trailer on the bay and drop the trailer and go off site, give tehm your phone number and they'd call us when its tipped.

I absolutely hate being locked out my cab, the only place i don't mind it is at Stobarts at Coalville where instead of waiting in the drivers room they let you wait in the staff canteen and i gotta admit its a good canteen with good cheap food and normally a friendly bod to chat to.