Dot Com Accidents

[Nomad]

Not exactly what I asked, I'll try again.

Faulty = intermittent failure of mechanism, OK when checked by driver but known to MM that it had the intermittent fault, but still allowed vehicle to be used.

Should MM suffer summary dismissal.   

[mexicopete]

Nomad I've driven for Dot.com during my time and sometimes the first you know that there is problem with the locks on the chiller/freezer  doors on the van is when a member of the public flashes you to let you know you have lost the green trays whilst going round a corner.These faults are repeatedly reported and not fixed as the vans are needed for deliveries.

[happyreturns]

I thought I had answered, however, anyone who is responsible for a van being on the road with  faulty doors as you describe,where the incident described took place, should be dismissed, manager or assistant..

[happyreturns]

What is also disturbing about the incident is,

"When the couple returned home they called Tesco customer services and were told to take it to their nearest store"

what idiot said that, they also need to be disciplined, someone should have gone round to collect it straight away  thanking the people who found it.

[lifeguard]

Happy returns going back a couple of years to mercs I was driving for tesco the freezer door would often come open on a corner. All the drivers lost their frozen at least once. This fault was on all the vans but i do not remember hearing of which ever Muppet from head office ordered those vans being dismissed. It is very easy to forget to secure the shutters

[happyreturns]

It is very easy to forget to secure the shutters

Now that is plain carelessness, it has to be easier to remember that as part of your job you have to secure the shutters, there can be no excuse in my book.

[wheelspin]

The mercs have a complete history of bad door latches and I have sent one to the mechanic after I shed a load on a roundabout.

Instead of kicking and screaming, blaming the driver,  lets have a RELIABLE mechanism that alerts the driver  that there is a door open before he drives off, as the driver is only a human after all. 

As regards names and addresses with phone numbers    .   All I need is a phone book and i have thousands of them.   


.   

[gomezz]

The latest Iveco van freezer/chiller door locks occasionally have a habit of not securing properly or even worse look as if they are are secure but the bolt works loose through the normal vibration of driving.  It looks secure, it feels secure but it *can* come loose.

[Nomad]

So it seems like being a high probability that it was not the drivers fault, even though some were quick to summarise as to that being the most likely outcome.

Strange how some are always quick to see the possible failings on one side but not the other, almost has to be dragged out of them 

[AlexW]

I must be the odd one out then as, in the near 10 years I've been driving, I've never once had a door come open on me nor have I ever lost so much as a single tray from the back.

[stewi1405]

Mercs were terrible for the door locks even the shutter locks wre terrible and broke a lot.  the new bodies have much better locks on them and better system of lockimg as well. But as some have already said you can check and check but it can still fail. Always give the doors amd good banging shut and then another thump before you fet back in.

[horatiocain]

On the new ivecoo vans the ambient can be a problem, especially for their first few months and after cleaning, if you hit pot hole or speed hump the bar for the shutter shifts and can come open, then it slowly rises with every bump, including the evil gear changes of the awfully gearbox, and then you turn right and see stuff flying out.
This isn't just our vans but the new ASDA ones too, it's a known fault and yet was not fixed for the new vans, the manual locking handle is actually worse on the new vans because just like the shutter bumps can trip the spring and unlock the handle.

All of these points were pointed out to tesco but they went ahead anyway

[pendulum]

There's a buzzer warning circuit for "mains powering fridge/freezer" and "footstep down". You wouldn't think it would be a big deal to add 3 switches to the doors and wire them in to the pre-existing system.

Some of our drivers have hit cars with their swinging doors. I nearly did once. I agree they look shut when they're not and the roller can definitely work its way up sometimes.

As for that moron finding a reach and saying a burglar could have used it... she has made my 2014 shortlist for biggest idiot, currently #1.

[gomezz]

As for that moron finding a reach and saying a burglar could have used it... she has made my 2014 shortlist for biggest idiot, currently #1.

In theory they could mark all the items for all the customers as rejected then gone into the store the van came from to return the trip to generate a load of costly refunds.

[nuttyjim]

They would have to have some understanding of the system to know how to do that though surely ?

[admin]Please do not quote the last post in a thread. Nomad[/admin]

[Hawkridge]

Someone who doesn't work with Tesco anymore done an absolute blinder. in an IVECO driving back to store, managed to run it into a ditch. Apparently "Blacked out". I only put that in bunny ears because he was a bit of a dodgy character shall we say.. Anyway, front end was totally smashed. all the way up to the front wheels.
7k's worth of damage done (What i heard from a TL Anyways). Should of been a write-off anyways as the airbags didn't even deploy let alone the cost of damage. But no, they decided to repair it and ever since then it's proberbly spend more time in the workshop after it was deemed road-worthy and had more spent on it then its worth. Would of probably been cheaper and easier to get a brand new van...
Anyways, after his blacked-out reason Tesco wouldn't let him drive for a while and 2 months later he left and now drives for ASDA!

[wheelspin]

This guy was caught on camera mid accident.   

Looks like a nasty one.   

https://www.facebook.com/IftheCrossroadsWideLetHerSlide/posts/925687654140172

[tut tut]

Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with many of the things that are going on by management within our structure. But this is clearly one of us ( or someone pretending to be ) by this being shown to the whole world what chance do we have to recover ??

[Nomad]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/disgusting-tesco-delivery-van-filmed-6380161

A driving instructor has captured the moment a Tesco delivery driver narrowly avoided crashing into one of her pupils after overtaking and then sharply turning left

 

[therustingretailgiant]

I've seen a driver return to store with roof tiles splashed all over the roof and part of a tree. He still denied hitting anything.

[wheelspin]

We have had a few as well. 

To be fair.  They are fairly big vans for novice drivers .  The tail swing is over 1.5 meters.   

They are tricky to maneuver into tight spots even with experience. And they are higher than 90% of bungalow soffit and gutters systems.

Dont be to harsh on him.

[sep1985]

We had a strange one last week, an agency driver took out one of our vans with a full load (900 kg).  He came back 4 hours later without a mark on it. Now that's a bloody miracle !

[Ron]

Years ago after interviews for new driver in my store they decided to give the job to a woman with no experience of van driving instead of a man who had an hgv license and years of multi drop ffs, probably due to having to employ woman or some such legislation to increase fairness for women in the workplace or due to the fact she could probably talk more  . This is all good and fine except on her first night out she flew of the motorway on a bend and toppled the van, writing it off and blocking four lanes for a few hours and never came back. I heard she survived the experience but thought it was not for her anymore.

[DotComBoy]

I find it incredible that a car driver is put in a van with a big ass and expected to take an assessment with NO instruction or help whatsoever. A couple of hours professional tuition could save many potential accidents.

I find it irresponsible that the cooler and freezer doors do not have a simple "door open" alarm on them.

I find it dangerous that the vans do not have a reverse camera and dashcam as standard.

I find it cavalier and downright irresponsible sending vans out that are "defected" because nobody can get through to management about safety (till it's too late)

I find it totally unreasonable that there is no health and safety procedure in case of an accident on site, or on the road where the driver is incapacitated. If there is a problem, no-one ever answers the phone!!!

YOU are responsible for the vehicle you drive, if it's not 100%, you're the one who loses their license and/or gets fined. It's not worth it. If in doubt, get your manager to drive it! (about as rare as seeing a manager at a grocery rumble!).

However, poor maintenance, unsafe practice and management aside, this is the best job (especially at this time of year).

End of rant - apologies if these issues are elsewhere.

Working at Tesco's is like being a Mushroom - kept in the dark and fed on sh**

[wheelspin]

I find it incredible that a car driver is put in a van with a big ass and expected to take an assessment with NO instruction or help whatsoever. A couple of hours professional tuition could save many potential accidents.

You should be recruited on the bases that you have experience driving big vans . Which is the case for a lot of stores, in fact some of our drivers have C grade and above licence grade.

I find it irresponsible that the cooler and freezer doors do not have a simple "door open" alarm on them.

This was tried and it did not work.   A broken or faulty buzzer is a pain.  One should train themselves to check before setting out. A quick glance in the mirror will highlight an open door.

I find it dangerous that the vans do not have a reverse camera and dashcam as standard.

The Union would kick up a storm about spying on drivers..  At least Mandate my union would.    I agree a camera would be handy though.  It would need to be a factory fitted cam though. 

I find it cavalier and downright irresponsible sending vans out that are "defected" because nobody can get through to management about safety (till it's too late) 

You as a driver should not take out a van that is defected.  You as a driver have a right to ground a van.  Once you do this, the van must remain in the yard. Tesco do not want you taking out a broken van.  Its up to you to stand up to middle management over it.  You will get hung out to dry if you have an accident due to a defect you did not report.  Not the duty manager who tried to tell you to go out anyway.   Im not talking about a side marker bulb..  But I would not take out a van with a defective headlight, indicator or tail light, Let alone any problem with engine or brakes.  Do you have silver trained drivers or managers?   
   

I find it totally unreasonable that there is no health and safety procedure in case of an accident on site, or on the road where the driver is incapacitated. If there is a problem, no-one ever answers the phone!!!

Call the emergency services.   In this situation, who cares about stock in the van or waiting customers.  There is really nothing immediate a manager can do to help you .   If you are not hurt, follow the instructions in the back of your log book which you should have also been taught in your bronze training.

YOU are responsible for the vehicle you drive, if it's not 100%, you're the one who loses their license and/or gets fined. It's not worth it. If in doubt, get your manager to drive it! (about as rare as seeing a manager at a grocery rumble!).

However, poor maintenance, unsafe practice and management aside, this is the best job (especially at this time of year).

End of rant - apologies if these issues are elsewhere.

As you agree basically with most of my response , I would urge you to stand up to your managers and make a very big deal about the problems in your store.  Call the confidential number,  email the head of dotcom , jump up and down in anger to your union.    You should notice that your drivers are usually more outspoken than other staff in your store, I think the job makes us like that.  We are on our own out there and have to stand up to hostile or violent customers on our own.   One develops a thick skin and has a lower limit of BS.    Get your guys together so ye are all singing from the same hymn sheet.   

We have our manager tortured with union meetings and bring backs.  A good manager's response to this will be to make sure everything is perfect for drivers in future.  To cover their own backs.

Working at Tesco's is like being a Mushroom - kept in the dark and fed on sh**

RIght on the money there!!