Load it yourself!

[DrWazzock]

More and more I hear from lorry drivers that they are asked to load their own lorries using the farmers equipment as often there is nobody around. Some are rightly not very happy about it. I wouldn’t have thought this was acceptable in terms of putting the driver’s true working hours over the limit.
We always load lorries ourselves and would consider it very bad form to ask the driver to do it.
What happens elsewhere? Are things really so tight that farms can’t find their own staff to drive loaders nowadays?

 

[grainboy]

Two words,
Insurance, liability, !!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

No way

 

[7610 super q]

I would always load myself. The old Manipoo has certain quirks....

We get very little notice of grain collections here though. Ranging from at worst a wagon arrives unannounced, to an hours notice. Not really good enough on a mixed farm to clean and dry the bucket, let alone get the barsteward forklift started. I always raise an eyebrow when folks on here tell us small arable farms are part time jobs......I tend to file these comments in the ignorant twait section.

 

[Spud]

Known, regular, preferred hauliers sometimes load themselves here. No drama

 

[grainboy]

Grain only bucket shouldn’t need cleaning ?

 

[grainboy]

According to the rules !

 

[Daddy Pig]

I would have thought that so long as the driver has the correct ticket to operate the Loader and the machine passed its test and all insurance is in place and the tacho is set to other work rather than break its technically OK.

 

[Spud]

I would always load myself. The old Manipoo has certain quirks....

We get very little notice of grain collections here though. Ranging from at worst a wagon arrives unannounced, to an hours notice. Not really good enough on a mixed farm to clean and dry the bucket, let alone get the barsteward forklift started. I always raise an eyebrow when folks on here tell us small arable farms are part time jobs......I tend to file these comments in the ignorant twait section.

Mend the bloody forklift and source a grain only bucket for fudge sake man, if you didn't have all that hassle it wouldn't take forever to do anything

 

[GeorgeK]

I would have thought that so long as the driver has the correct ticket to operate the Loader and the machine passed its test and all insurance is in place and the tacho is set to other work rather than break its technically OK.

I would think at the very least the operator should have a site induction, specific machine and task training, appropriate risk assessments in place and probably some provision for lone working.

 

[Spud]

I would think at the very least the operator should have a site induction, specific machine and task training, appropriate risk assessments in place and probably some provision for lone working.

Just get the frigger loaded

 

[7610 super q]

Do folks have grain only trailers then ? I'm pretty sure folks store grain in livestock sheds too ?

 

[Spud]

Do folks have grain only trailers then ? I'm pretty sure folks store grain in livestock sheds too ?

No, but trailers are more seasonally used than the bucket.
Livestock sheds have livestock in them here

 

[7610 super q]

No, but trailers are more seasonally used than the bucket.
Livestock sheds have livestock in them here

 

[Spud]

View attachment 997264

No issue here, never put crops in stock sheds here because they're always full of animals

 

[7610 super q]

Oh, and........

Manitou MLT629-120

@ACEngineering . Enquiring for my landlord . Price for an Iskra starter motor for this machine . Also a bottom door complete with hinges. PM me please

thefarmingforum.co.uk

Anything else ???

 

[DrWazzock]

If the loading is contractually part of the service then I see no problem with it. But if it isn’t then it’s wrong to expect the driver to load it and it shouldn’t be expected in my view.

 

[ollie989898]

Fudge me, there are plenty of 'loaders' on farms I wouldn't want to sit in, much less expect someone with no knowledge of the machine to load their own truck with it. An accident waiting to happen. If the hauliers are a regular gang and have the necessary tickets, and know the machine, I'd be happier but still not ideal. This sort of thing surely keeps an average farm manager awake at night? You've verbally instructed the haulier to drive your loader, if anything happens HSE will be all over you and your insurers, too. If the driver was to bork your shed, bucket or hit his wagon, whose insurance is paying that?

Also unfair on drivers expecting them to do anything because of their hours. I would ask if they want to help with the sweeping/shovelling up if it means they get away a bit faster but wouldn't ever expect them to do anything or insist that they do anything.

Also, yes a driver might be able to safely load a truck but if he isn't familiar with the loader, like any of us, he won't be able to load it 20 minutes like someone more familiar with the machine might. There isn't the money or time in the job to be fudging hauliers about. They need to have the paperwork done and be loaded up and gone pronto. If you fudge them about they won't want to stay in the corn job.

 

[roscoe erf]

I would always load myself. The old Manipoo has certain quirks....

We get very little notice of grain collections here though. Ranging from at worst a wagon arrives unannounced, to an hours notice. Not really good enough on a mixed farm to clean and dry the bucket, let alone get the barsteward forklift started. I always raise an eyebrow when folks on here tell us small arable farms are part time jobs......I tend to file these comments in the ignorant twait section.

a section getting fuller by the day

 

[Derrick Hughes]

It's fine to be blasé about these things but on who does the buck fall
Do you ask for proof of driver certificates