Nancy Clarke BJ Clarke
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Nancy Clarke, transport manager of general and agricultural haulier BJ Clarke of Overton-onDee in Wrexham.
Monday
7.30am. Mondays are always an early start as paperwork from Friday and the weekend needs processing. By 10.30 all the transport is fully booked. This gives us a good start to the week as all the signed delivery notes and invoices are typed up and sent out each Monday. Jobs need to be rated and drivers' time sheets calculated. After lunch the delivery notes are ready for the drivers for Tuesday. We update the computer just before 5pm. If only transport was as easy to run as this.
Tuesday
At 7arn an unhappy driver rings me at home from Ellesmere Port—he is not booked in. At 7.30am I get through to the office and the booking number is sorted out. At the office the fax is full of delivery alterations for the week, which happens a great deal with the tanker deliveries. A driver calls who is tipping a load at Warrington. The unloading is slow and he is concerned about his afternoon timed load. It is going to be one of those days. After lunch the traffic is all planned and driver Keith sets off to Swindon to off-load at 8pm. When I get home the telephone rings constantly. My driver has been trying to get in touch as the load was rejected at Swindon. I telephone our customer at home and after a lengthy call with Swindon, it is decided in the early hours to return the load to Wrexham to be repacked
Wednesda\
Today is wages day and I am trying to get the wages completed and details faxed to the bank by 10am before the telephone gets too busy. The transport is fully booked by lunchtime. My husband Brian has phoned into the office and as usual forgotten to tell me to order diesel. I barter the oil company down on price and plead with them for delivery next morning. I was hoping for an easy afternoon but at 2pm one of our best customers needs two vehicles for three days. The only way I can cover this is by doubling up the work with the night driver and moving one of the loads to another day.
Thursday
We need to ensure all the computer entries are up to date as our computer consultant is due tomorrow to close the accounts for the past three months. The cattle feed transport is very busy and we are also doing a lot of tipping work from Liverpool. I am trying to organise a fast tag for the Mersey Tunnel which will make life a lot easier than raiding the petty cash each night. My son James has phoned in to say he has unloaded a load of chocolate in Lancashire and the weighbridge has broken down. Another driver is collecting a load from Welshpool and has been delayed due to floods and I need to inform the customer. My husband drives one of the vehicles full time but when he gets back today I need him to go over some quotations as we always work closely together in all aspects of the business.
Friday
Not a good start to the day. I have a vehicle in Liverpool waiting to collect loaded tanks from Ireland but due to the weather the boat cannot dock. The phone has not stopped. An urgent load of syrup is required at Newcastle-upon-Tyne for first thing Saturday morning; three tankers need loading in Manchester and the gamekeeper from Ruthin needs a load of wheat urgently. Who can work on Saturday? After lunch I'm told the the boat at Liverpool is still bobbing up and down out at sea. The tipper is delayed at Liverpool due to computer failure. I hope he is not delayed too long as I have organised two new front tyres to be fitted to his unit at our yard. My driver phones at 3pm. The ship has finally docked and believe it or not our tanks are nearly last to come off.
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