Clive da Silva, HGV Driver and part time transport scheduler

HGV Driver and part time transport scheduler

“Being a HGV (heavy goods vehicle) Driver I get to meet a variety of people and go to a variety of places. It also gives me the chance to see what great stock some of our customers have.”

Potential to learn and develop

After some career changes over the years, my wife who works for ForFarmers, told me that there were some jobs available at the company. So I put an application in and got given the opportunity to work in the production planning department. A new driver training scheme came about and again I was given the opportunity to get on the scheme. Management saw that I had the will and potential to learn more and develop so I have since learned how to do the transport scheduling.

Afbeelding: Clive-in-line

On an average driving day I am up at 5am and at work for 6am. The night before I will have planned my routes and called any customers that I will be visiting. I do my walk around checks on the wagon in preparation to make deliveries, load the truck if required and then set off for my day of work.

If I am unsure of a farm I will be visiting that day i.e. where the bins are on farm my colleagues are always there to help and support, some of them have done the job for years and have an excellent knowledge of the farms we visit and are able to give me some tips and advice. 

Due to the area we service I am out for most of the day with multiple deliveries. When I get back to the mill, I clean the truck and pick up my work for the following day.

Not just numbers

What I like about my job as a HGV driver is the variety of places I go and people I get to meet. It also gives me the chance to see what great stock some of the farmers we service keep.

I like to work for the best. ForFarmers offers me this opportunity and offers me a structured way of working. The challenge in my job is to give the best service to our customers, and in doing so contributing to the image of ForFarmers as the number one in the industry.

I appreciate the fact that ForFarmers recognises the people and that they are not just numbers as is sometimes the case in some large industry leading companies.