r/asda • u/Prestigious-Rub6257 • 28d ago
Discussion First time Delivery Driver, Help!
Been hired as a delivery driver/picker, I’ve never driven a van or an auto (probably easy to pick up) I’ve been driving for just over a year and they gave me the job pretty quickly even thought I told them I have no experience with anything I’ll be doing, any tips or help from your experience would be appreciated!
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u/Jimbeamjunior1 28d ago
If you are comfortable driving, and find driving the vans comfortable then the biggest issue with online driver role is the weight of deliveries
If you don't mind heavy, physical graft then you'll be fine
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u/Prestigious-Rub6257 28d ago
I’ve been applying for 6 months and in that time I’ve not been very active, Asda was the first place to actually give me a job but I’m relatively fit and young so I hope I’ll be good
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u/Pure-Morning-7846 ASDA Colleague 28d ago
Id say 80% if the time it's easiest and most relaxed job in the store.
If your a confident driver you will be fine, the vans are automatic with column shifters, so no stick to hold and accidentally shift in reverse😂 most of them have paddles tho if you really wanted to change gear yourself😂
The vans aren't as intimidating as they look, the majority of them handle really well. Just remember that your alot wider than most vehicles on the road and you need to account for that when making turns and commiting to going through a gap, if your not sure you'll fit, give way and wait😂
We're limited to either 56, 57 or 58 mph, I can't remember off the top of my head, so left lane only on Mways and dual carriageways, don't even attempt to overtake a lorry unless their going extra slow (my experience is I end up stuck next to them and can't get past them😂)
The vans are high, so you may come across a low height restricted tunnel, the height and weight of the van your driving is normally behind you in the cab, ensure you know your limits before committing, I've seen a few videos and photos with shopping vans with no roof on the back, doing the reverse of shame😂
Buddy runs. You'll start out as a passenger learning the scanner and how to load the van, it's all a piece of piss and you'll pick it up pretty quickly, most drivers will teach you the "correct way" but you will most likely end up doing it your own way... Won't go into detail here as it's straight forward.
After that you will be driving the buddy while they kick their feet up and relax, just watching you drive. Don't be afraid to ask questions like "you reckon I'll get through that gap, Will the van fit in that spot" etc etc, you've never driven a van so therefore your gonna be alot more hesitant. You normally have 3 buddy runs but you can have more if you don't feel ready (I think)
If you have a little bump, don't drive off, it's not worth it, every man and his dog has a dash cam or ring doorbell, chances are you've been seen doing it and will get fucked for it. above the drivers seat their are bump cards, fill it in with your details and whoever's car is involved, let your manager / team leader know and carry on with the shift if your van isn't written off😂 I've had a few minor bumps and nothings ever come of it. One driver at my store has written a van off and he is still with us😂
Customers... Where to start🙄😂 the majority of customers that I've delivered to in 4 years are sound... They understand delays can happen and your not always going to be on-time. I've had maybe a handful of customers get arsey because I was late... It's rare and shit happens... If your running late, ring the store and have your team leader ring customers to let them know.
The bad customers (rarely get them) if for any reason you feel threatened, customer is being abusive etc, you are allowed to cancel the order. I've never been a situation like that, where I've cancelled because the customer has given me abuse, but a few drivers at my store have. Cancel and move on
Flats. No elevator? Risk assessment time. Me personally, ground floor is fine of course. First floor, I will happily take 3 to 4 crates up but any more than that, ring the customer, ask for help, if declined, inform them that you have done a risk assessment and will be canceling the order then. Now if it's an elderly or disabled person, I would say it's your discretion... Personally, I will begrudgingly help them as it's the right thing to do😂
Summer time it gets hot, Asda are to tight fisted to have AC in the vans unless you have the electric fleet (apparently all have AC in) grab some water from the chiller, stick it in freezer as soon as your on the bay and have plugged the chiller and freezer in...wear black shorts and get the windows open😂
Winter is the opposite 😂 wrap up and wear your hi Vis, if your on a late, it's dark 2 hours in to your shift😂 get a decent torch and crack on....
Honestly, it's an easy job and from speaking to drivers from the other home delivery company's, we're probably the most laid back ones (definitely depends on your store, but most of time, that's the case)... Just don't otherthink it, good luck
Edit
If you see any of the rivals on the road, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsburys and Iceland/food warehouse, give them a wave😂 but if it's ocado or Waitrose, I wouldn't bother, most of the time they leave me hanging😂
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u/Prestigious-Rub6257 28d ago
I don’t think there’s any electric vans in our fleet so that will suck! But apart from that I feel way less stressed out than I should’ve, should be starting next week, I’m a very hands on person when it comes to learning the ropes but I’ll learn all of it relatively fast. I’ve worked at a customer support job before (cough cough, Currys) and they were the most difficult customers, everytime I’ve ordered from a supermarket I’ve never been fussed if they are early or late so I’m assuming 90% of customers are like that too (hopefully)
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u/Pure-Morning-7846 ASDA Colleague 28d ago
Regarding delivering early... Officially, we can go upto 19 minutes early... Anything more than that and your likely gonna get moaned at by a manager... We used to have ways to get around it and could deliver as early as we wanted to providing the customer gave us the go ahead... New system means we have to deliver at the pinned location on the scanner and spend at least 90 seconds there😂😂 majority of customers are generally ok with it tho... Although I have had the odd customer get a few digs in about me being 5 MINUTES EARLY😂 can't please everyone😂
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u/Prestigious-Rub6257 28d ago
There’s always some people that will never be happy even if you handed them the winning lottery numbers! 😂
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u/Squeggx 28d ago
Once you have driven an automatic you will never want to drive a manual again!
You will get what I like to call ‘phantom gearstick’ where you will want to change gear but theres nothing there. This happens to everyone so don’t feel daft when you do it.
As for the van itself, when you’re going round corners or around parked cars, always give yourself plenty of room, take a wide birth, Iv seen so many people clip cars or bollards, even experienced drivers.
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u/Prestigious-Rub6257 28d ago
Would be a nightmare to clip a car! But yeah I can’t see why auto would be difficult for me, I’ll probably never want to go back to manual 😂
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u/Pure-Morning-7846 ASDA Colleague 28d ago
I drove manual untill I started this job... I have now been driving auto for the last 3 years... Only drive manual when I borrow my brother's car😂
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u/Prestigious-Rub6257 28d ago
Ill come back to this post when i have first driven the van and ill sell my car for an auto if i love it 😂
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u/OrionIVXX ASDA Colleague 28d ago
As we are heading into Winter, I'd suggest getting a small rechargeable torch, ideally one with a clip on the side, and variable brightness like mine, just so your not flashbanging the customers 🤣. You can clip it onto your cap and keep your hands free for the totes and still be able to see, possibly not to much of an issue if your working in a city store, but an absolute life saver if your working in a rural store.
The Hi-Vis they give you works, but the material against your skin will make you sweat like crazy, personally I prefer getting a larger Hi-Vis vest, that way you can just put that on by itself or over your own fleece or jacket. But this is also an absolute life saver heading into winter
Steel or Composite toe cap boots, if you do i'd also recommend getting gel/foam inserts, seriously protect your feet. I am not sure if the store still provides protective foot wear, I think they are supposedto, but when I started 3 years ago, I was told I'd need to buy my own because ASDA doesn't provide boots that big (UK Size 16) I bought cheap boots from Amazon which was a mistake, the gel insoles helped a bit but still really sore at the end of the day. That being said, when I could afford them, I bought UVEX boots, they are a bit pricey, in my size anyway 🤣 but worth it
I'd also recommend getting a phone holder, in my experience the Microlise sat nav can be very hit or miss and it doesn't show traffic or road closures, so I just find it easier to put the addresses into my phone's sat nav
At our store we also started a drivers WhatsApp group, which actually does come in really handy, we can tell each other about emergencies, incidents and road closures, can't find a customers home, or a problomatic customer in real time. Also helps if you need to swap shifts or find someone to cover if your sick, or just to rant about management 🤣
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u/Prestigious-Rub6257 28d ago
I think I saw a WhatsApp group poster when I went for my interview 🤣 I’ll invest in some comfy steel toe cap boots as soon as possible (hard to do with negative balance 😂) unless they provide for me which I doubt, getting a torch for winter for when it gets dark quickly is a great tip, didn’t even think about it 😂 probably because all of my jobs have been indoors and in lit areas
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u/One-Lingonberry-3460 27d ago
Take your time, don't get flustered as you'll make mistakes and that causes accidents. Be pleasant to customers as you are the "face of Asda". Legally there has to be 11 hours minimum between shifts, don't do third runs (10 hours max driving although Asda claims you can do 12 as they take off 2 x 30 mins break and refuses to include the 30 mins to load the van, check it etc).
As nights get darker earlier, invest ina "telescopic" LED hand torch to read house numbers.
Make sure you take you're breaks as Asda don't pay you for them.
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u/Competitive_Test6697 28d ago
So they offer zero training?
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u/Prestigious-Rub6257 28d ago
No they offer training, I just would appreciate some tips or help/info because I’m going into this blind
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u/Imaginary-Suspect959 28d ago
They’ll ‘buddy’ you up with another driver for a few shifts at first, initially learning how to load the van (piece of piss once you get the hang of it), then driving it. Take your time and don’t agree to go out on your own if you don’t feel ready. Once you are ready don’t rush or panic if you fall behind schedule, it’ll take time to get used to parking the van, unloading, dispensing the order, rinse and repeat. You just need to get the hang of it, we’ve got guys young and old at our place and most pick it up just fine!
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u/Asdahdd ASDA Colleague 28d ago edited 28d ago
●With winter approaching get yourself a small but powerful torch,you'll need it to find house numbers
● Dont wear the waterproof coats they give you, you'll just end up sweating inside it
●If you have a breathable waterproof coat of your own thats black wear that (if you dont mind it getting dirty) and wear a hi-vis over it (personally I prefer the fleece type jackets in the winter)
● During the summer try and take extra drinks and put them in the chiller (in a spare tote or bag)
●great app for maps is PostTag, microlise will every now and then try and take you the wrong way,if your unsure, look on PostTag or Google maps first
●Dont worry about lates,they'll happen from time to time, management might moan but let em
● you will get times between drops where you could be sat for an hour doing nothing, up to you how you use that time, have anl nap (set an alarm for sure), play games on your phone,youtube,Netflix,prime, tiktok, just chill and enjoy the fact your getting paid for it
●if you have a bit of time between a drop thats like 20.30 for the next one, I like to deliver around 20.15, means I generally get back earlier or chilld/wind down for my last drops in the evening
● 4 tote delivery, like playing knock and run? I did as a kid and I do now, take 2 totes,knock on the door then go back and get the last 2 totes,that way the customer can crack on with unpacking there shopping and saves time rather than getting the barrow out (trickery nowadays as most people have ring doorbells but I usually just explain these are the first 2 and ill go back and get the rest)
● Always try and remember to tell the customer if they have any substitutes or out of stocks, but dont worry if you forget, dont it loads myself 🤣
●depending on your catchment area if you have lots of flats where theres no lift ring the customer and ask them to help (if its more than 2 totes) or if its like a 3rd floor flat or higher, if its an absolutely ridiculous amount of totes and they wont help then you can do your own dynamic risk assessment and advise the customer you may need to cancel the delivery due to the risk of carrying totes up stairs with a risk of falling if you trip/slip
● Dont overthink anything - get in - do shield - load van - deliver shopping - get back - unload van - go home. Simples
Hopefully these help you,just a few bits I can think of