I began my career with Pall-Ex nearly 11 years ago now, around the same time I decided to start learning English at a local college. I started out as an agency forklift driver at Pall-Ex, before moving into a full-time job with the company.
I liked the culture and the team I worked with, so I was pleased to join them permanently once I had the opportunity. After a few years, I was promoted to the role of shunter driver, which I did for another few years before joining the ‘Warehouse to Wheels’ program. Warehouse to Wheels was a great opportunity for me, it broadened my career prospects and gave me the skills I needed to progress within the company. I had my training funded by Pall-Ex which enabled me to gain my HGV C License, join the driver team and find a job I really love.
Now, I enjoy every day out on the road. I take pride in my work which sees me regularly come in the top 5 in the monthly driver league. I usually start work between 3 and 5am with a typical day involving early shunts followed by direct deliveries to our customers, which allows me to work across different jobs and gives me more variety in my day.
Going from an FLT driver to an HGV driver was a big change for me, but after completing Warehouse to Wheels, I was excited to get started in my new role. Getting used to the size of the lorry was quite challenging because it is a completely different driving experience than being behind the wheel of a car. But now I am used to it, it is something I really enjoy. I love my job and I love driving; every day is different, and it gives me the chance to visit some great places.
The road transport industry is very important in the UK because it has a big impact on everyone’s day-to-day lives. Without lorries, we wouldn’t have any food in the supermarkets or fuel in our cars, or any of the goods we buy in the shops or online which Pall-Ex deliver every day, so it is important that we celebrate National Lorry Week because it raises awareness about how the industry benefits us.