Job description: Driver
Introduction
As a driver you are our representative on the road and we will lose customers if you do not drive carefully and show excellent road manners. You are part of a team and must work in with other staff, particularly yard staff, and must never be rough on the vehicles or drive unsafely.
We will not continue to employ drivers who are impolite, rough on vehicles, uncooperative or who drive unsafely. If you do not keep cab of truck tidy, do not report damage, do not look after trucks. You do not have a job
Get your paperwork right, it will save stuff ups and time for office staff.
You must be efficient with your deliveries and stick to the following rules.
Start & finish times
We expect you to be clocked on and be ready for work at the specified time and work until deliveries are completed for the day. This will frequently take you past an 8 hour day, particularly in spring and on Fridays. Weekend drivers must also be available to start early and finish late. Customers expect to get their products at the specified time so you will get interrupted breaks etc. and your job depends on their business.
Drivers are never to work more than 4 hours without at least a 15 minute break. This is an occupational health and safety ruling.
Payment: handling money
If the invoice is for over $150 and is COD, when nobody is home do not drop the products take them back to the nursery; of course ring in when possible.
Make sure you do the following things.
(a) The white hand-written invoice or the computer generated invoice is to be left at the job with the retail customer if at home, if customer is not at home, leave the invoice in the mailbox.
Never leave our trade customers invoices on site, either with the customer or anywhere on site, it makes it very difficult for the tradie to deal with their discounts which we intend for them.
(b) All deliveries are to be written up before you leave the job. Cash payments are to be placed into an envelope with full details written on it. Cheque payments are to have all the relevant information written on the back, (this includes invoice numbers, home address and licence number) and account deliveries are to be written onto your running sheet accordingly. If for some reason a C.O.D customer is unable to pay on the spot, firstly ring the yard manager and on his advice to tip you should put all the invoice information on to an envelope with a clear reason why it wasn’t paid and it should be put into the box in the yard shed at Bulleen Art & Garden. It is your responsibility to check if a customer who has claimed to be trade in fact is, if they quite obviously are not, then you will need to call the yard manager and he will take the appropriate action.
(c) Always knock on customers’ door or give your horn a quick beep while filling in delivery book even if delivery instructions appear clear, this will save muck-ups. Most deliveries will be to the nature strip, but some times customers will want you to drop down their drive. As a driver we need you to assess the situation and decide if any damage is going to occur from the weight of the vehicle driving across the cross over and then their drive. It is safest most times to suggest to the customer that the truck is far to heavy for the concrete path and you think the nature strip is a far safer place to drop off. Don’t hesitate to call the yard manager if it is likely a dispute will arise from this situation. Try to avoid tipping on the footpath. Leave pedestrian access. Never back in anywhere that requires you to fold in the mirrors. If the access is that narrow you shouldn’t be going in there.
Organising deliveries
It is your job to assist the person co-ordinating the yard in every way possible.
When we are busy or if there is one more delivery to do, you should be able to, after dropping the money at the yard shed, get out of one truck and straight into the next without wasting any time at all.
If you are operating the yard without the assistance of the yard manager work strictly to the delivery allocation job description.
Dealing with customers
Because you are frequently our only personal contact with customers you must at all times be polite. You must also be considerate on the road, a sign written truck attracts a lot of attention and poor driving is frequently reported to management. Do not waste time talking to customers, the next customer is waiting. Your job is to deliver the material to the nature strip or beside the truck. At no time do we expect you to carry sleepers or cement around to a customer’s back yard. Customers are frequently going to ask you to carry heavy weights, if a difference occurs ring the yard manager. Be sensible in this regard (possibly help elderly people if weights are not excessive).
Trade Customers
This group of customers are our most valuable. They must be given priority where possible. The trade customer calls us for deliveries because of our convenience, we are saving them time and money. If our service is not up to standard they will quickly go elsewhere. Ensure every load is delivered on time and is correct. A missing bag of cement costs everybody.
A new trade customer is a valuable commodity. These people keep us churning along especially in the quiet months. If you are visiting a new trade person for the first tell them about the services that we offer, ask them if they want to become a member of the trade mailing list, there are yellow forms in all of the trucks which you can give to the tradies or preferably get them fill it out while you are there.
Driving
(a) Do not risk getting bogged or stuck, take the load back if necessary. Customers will ask you to do the impossible. It costs more than $150 every time you get bogged and another customer may be kept waiting. A good example of this is driving onto a school oval during winter. Do not go down a drive that you can’t fit down without folding in your mirrors. It is too risky to reverse without the use of your mirrors. Customers are going to try to bluff you, check situation out thoroughly and if you are in a no win situation with the customer ring the yard manager. Always talk directly to the yard manager and not through a third party, as often messages get mixed up and its possible that mistakes will occur. When you’re at the site of tipping, use your own discretion whether or not you can get your vehicle in and, most importantly, whether you can get it out again. Don’t let the customer try to persuade you, make up your own mind. You must be 100% sure. It is often best to walk on the area yourself, but do not take risks with getting bogged or tipping the truck over.
Work out your route before leaving the nursery, a lot of time can be saved without rushing if you think and organise yourself.
(b) Trucks must be parked in the nursery, not left in the yard roundabout or main drive. Trucks that are parked in the yard at the nursery must be reversed parked for safety reasons.
(c) Before tipping always be extremely safety conscious, accidents will happen and they can be serious
Check for overhead wires, spouting, etc. your life is on the line.
Make sure it is sufficiently flat, tip trucks tip over very easily when they have a few tonne in the air.
If you go under a low point remember the truck will rise after tipping. ALLOW 6″ CLEARANCE ON WAY IN AT ALL TIMES.
After tipping make sure tailgates are closed and there is no product left in the tray.
Courtesy
If you cut a customer off on the road they are lost to us. If you let another driver in you might win a customer. Customers are where your pay comes from so look after them.
(e) No private passengers are allowed in the truck at any time.
(f) Braking.
Use engine brakes as follows.
Do not use engine brakes in wet.
Do not use engine brakes when truck empty except in emergency.
Turn engine brakes on and off as required, do not over use the brakes or leave on all the time. Use gears and brakes together sensibly, it will reduce wear on truck.
(g) Gear changes. Never force vehicles into gear, double clutch on way down gears when necessary.
(h) Warming trucks up and leaving them to idle. You can do a lot of damage to motors by working a cold motor to hard with a heavy load or leaving it idle for a long period. Warm the truck for short period and do not work it to hard when it is cold. Long periods of idling can allow the fuel to wash oil away from the rings and increase wear. Never leave truck idling for any length of time.
(i) Fuel. Do not wait until truck is out of fuel before filling. All drivers must know how to bleed the fuel injectors in case you run out of fuel.
(k) Care on road. Show extreme care all the time you are driving on the road. Double check before changing lanes and do not exceed the speed limit. Passing a few cars will cost us if you give a bad impression on the road or have an accident. We want you to be efficient but safe on the road, we prefer you think to save time but not rush. Never exceed the speed limit in a Bulleen Art & Garden vehicle.
(l) A driver who does not adjust the mirrors every time they get into the truck is a slack driver, poor mirror adjustments will cause unnecessary accidents. It is most important that you wear your seat belt while driving a Bulleen Art & Garden vehicle
(m) Report all accidents and damage. No matter how small the damage to the our vehicle or how small the accident may appear it must be reported to the yard manager.
(n) When handling fragile goods (eg pots, gallery items, plants) take time to secure the item from any impact by cushioning the base and the sides, and strapping the item in.
(o) A critical time factor is the route you take, plan your trip in its entirety before you leave and organise all paperwork for trip. Deal with the customer efficiently and try to minimise turnaround time in yard by being organised.
(p) It is very important that main driver for day has the mobile phone at all times. This will save a lot of time if we have to get in contact with you.
General
(a) Definitely no drinking, use of marijuana or illegal drugs, before or during working hours, we feel a responsibility to report our drivers or machine operators to the police for drink driving or for use of drugs. Such behaviour will result in automatic dismissal as stated in your terms of employment and agreed with staff in the Bulleen Art & Garden Certified Agreements. While operating machinery or driving trucks at Bulleen Art & Gardens your blood alcohol or other drug content is strictly zero.
The above policy has been implemented due to the significant risk such behaviour puts your fellow workers, the general public and our customers.
(b) Your job is not straight driving, if we run out of deliveries you are expected to do whatever work is going straight away. To give yourself or someone else a change you might be swapped to another job at times.
(c) It is you responsibility to take the drivers mobile phone with you on all deliveries and to take it from truck to truck. It is vital for you to be able to contact customers from the job site or to ring the nursery. It is also necessary for the nursery to ring you with late invoice changes or tipping instructions. This phone is not for personal calls.
(d) Handling fragile goods. Take time to secure the fragile item and cushion the base and sides.
(e) Never do any private shopping etc. at all when on deliveries.
(f) After all deliveries with loads covered with tarps, the tarps should be folded and stored away upon arrival to the soil yard.
(g) All drivers are required to clean their rubbish out from trucks at the end of every day.
(h) Everyone in the yard is expected to bag product in slow times, stay back occasionally to do a bit of bagging. All spare time on weekends should be spent bagging, not painting forks etc. It has to become an expectation and a list should be left every weekend with what to bag.
(i) At times you will be expected to shovel products off the back of the truck. This is part of your job, this may be for separate customers or the same customer.
Maintenance of vehicles
The trucks must be checked for oil and water every Tues, Thurs & Sat mornings. Also check that your mirrors are adjusted every time you get into the truck and that you have a shovel before you leave on your first delivery. Keep your trucks clean and tidy. Poorly adjusted mirrors will cause accidents.
Report all mechanical problems to yard manager promptly. We want our vehicles to be in mechanically good repair and safe.
Blinkers & brake lights must be checked and operating all the time, this is another major cause of accidents. Poor brake pressure is another major risk, a loaded truck will not be balanced if tyres are not properly inflated and expensive wear will occur.
Check fuel level before driving out gate and never risk running out of fuel.
On a weekly basis trucks should be thoroughly checked over i.e. water, oil, air cleaner, greased and cleaned out. (This will be done by full time staff only, i.e. Manager or Driver).
Safety at BAAG is more important than customer service!
At all times take great care while working with vehicles. Always look over your shoulder before backing the tractor AND TAKE YOUR TIME NO MATTER HOW BUSY WE ARE, NEVER TEAR AROUND. We have a good safety record in the yard and we will only maintain it if you make a continual and concerted effort, having a late night or feeling a bit sick is not an excuse for incapacitating someone for life as can very easily happen with machinery.
Children are not allowed out of the cars in the bulk materials area and always take great care when they are around. Do not touch the bucket levers while customers have their hands in or near the bucket.
All yard staff and drivers must wear dayglo safety vests or dayglo shirts at all times. The yard manager will enforce this. These are supplied as part of your uniform.
Lifting. Do not lift anything that you find difficult. Always seek assistance from other staff for heavy or awkward weights Never get the customer to help you. Use the fork for lifting whenever possible and be sensible where you position products on trucks so lifting is reduced. If there is more than 2 bags of cement to be loaded always use the fork lift to raise the load and then slide cement onto the truck. When you have finished operating the fork lift, always remove the key from the ignition and hang it on the hook above the drivers head.
Back injuries can be eliminated if you are sensible with your lifting and lift properly, get your manager to show you how to lift if you are unsure. Never attempt to lift a weight or in a situation that you are unsure of. Always get help. As the driver for Bulleen Art & Garden you are solely responsible for your own loads. You must check before leaving that your load is tied down and covered properly. Always wear gloves when handling rocks, sleepers or pavers and avoid lifting with customers. Where this is necessary, ensure that you control the lift. Do not rely on the yard person to have loaded the truck properly, as they may have been called away before they tied the load down. Drivers must be completely competent tying knots and ensure that your load is completely secure and safe. A product falling from the back of your truck could easily cause a fatality.
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
Environmental Policy and expectations of staff.
Bulleen Art and Garden aims to deliver a service to its customers that recognises the importance of environmental issues, both local and global. In this respect, concentrating on long-term custom, we are prepared to sacrifice individual sales to offer customers a range of environmental gardening options and outcomes.
Bulleen Art & Garden is prepared to sacrifice sales, but not customers on environmental issues. For example, if a customer asks for a more toxic spray than needed, we expect staff to suggest an alternative, even if it means not selling a product at all. However, we do insist that staff do not get into arguments over the environment with the customer, which may lead them to shop elsewhere. Our policy is strong customer education.
Bulleen Art and Garden aims to take the lead in respect of retail nursery practice, to encourage customer interest in an environmentally friendly approach to gardening that encompasses the following issues:
– To foster the concept that our land and gardens, however large or small, are not ours to ‘do with as we wish’, but rather, something we have the responsibility to care for and enjoy, leaving it good health for those who follow us.
– Fewer adherences to strictly formal garden design.
– Increased interest in produce gardening.
– Increased awareness of the environmental benefits of using native and indigenous plant species within the garden.
– A style of garden design and practice that encourages the use of water
and conservation principles.
In light of these aims, staff at Bulleen Art and Garden are encouraged to consider the environmental implications of any advice they give to customers. It is hoped that staff will avail themselves of environmental information and literature available at the nursery, so they are able to give informed advice to customers.
Staff members are also encouraged, where possible, to draw to the customers notice environmental initiatives, information handouts and signage throughout the nursery.