Again!

I went in to arrange the next step on my scheme to get me driving at my works today. I finally tracked down Claire, the manager who set up the arrangement. She confirmed where I was up to; I’d been out with the drivers on my days off, now I was going for another assessment.

Which in itself was a change of plan. I have done an assessment, been out with the drivers, the next step was supposed to be some reversing practice in the yard with the assessor and going out with a driver with him doing the delivery and me driving the truck back.

I’m not in a position to argue the toss so I said ‘yes, assessment it is’.

She got on the ‘phone to one of the other managers. A lengthy conversation later she said ‘as you’ve not fulfilled our usual recruitment criteria, (ie having two years driving experience) we will have to talk to the customer (Iceland) and see if they will let you drive our trucks.’

FFS!

1, They used to run a ‘warehouse-to-wheels’ scheme so should of already ironed all this out.

2, As they haven’t they should have realised they would have to sort it out.

3 They should have sorted it out before having me come in on my days off, unpaid.

The conclusion was; she is going to have to bring it up in the period review (when Iceland bosses and my DHL mangers get together). There to agree a policy and ‘set it in stone’ so it is not an ad hoc affair, with decisions being taken on the hoof.

That is four weeks away.

So I have to wait four weeks until I get a decision as to whether I can drive for DHL or not.

If I can, the assessment is going to be a ‘live review’.

Which is to say, I won’t be driving around a test course or practising in the yard, I will take a truck out and make a delivery with the assessor watching me. And, again without any sort of practise, back it through parked cars and into the delivery area.

No pressure there then.

I couldn’t even reverse it in to an open bay on my first assessment, and that was in the yard.

No point in worrying about that yet. I may not even get the chance to try.

In other news, disaster has struck with my training.

About two weeks ago I went out with a driver who was recovering from a nasty bug, which I duly and promptly caught. It was totally enervating so I didn’t train for a week.

When I got back to it I realised I should be doing a twenty mile run, to keep up with my training schedule for the Welsh marathon in eight weeks. Also I’d received the latest edition of Triathletes World, in which they stated that to train properly on a treadmill you should set it at one degree. I tried to do so on my run. That one degree makes a massive difference!

No wonder I thought I was getting so much quicker! I gave up after eight miles because I was dying of overheating.

So I went out the next day (admittedly it was blowing a gale) to run the twenty miles. At an ‘easy’ pace it should have taken me two and a half hours.

I did get lost, it was beastly windy,  and my feet got soaked in the first mile so I quickly developed blisters which duly popped. Still. It took me two hours fifty five minutes!

I had to stop for a quick breather three times!

For shame!

I think I’ll have another go tomorrow. Now I know the course, know what to expect, and if it’s not blowing a gale I should do better. I seem to have lost a lot of road running capability while I’ve been training in the gym.

Who knew? You’d think that when you run on the flat it is flat. Bugger.

That has left me a bit shaken. It was such hard work for such a crap time and I really didn’t have anything left to give for six more miles. There are no hills on treadmills. Or strong winds. Back to road running I think.

Later,

Buck.

PS My orchid has just opened its first new flowers after I cut the dead ones back and ‘forced’ it by chilling it! Green finger success!