A day in the life...
of Whistl driver,
ALANBORRELL
When he gets hismotor running Alan Borrell loves nothing more than being out on the open road. We catch upwith him to find out what it takes to be aWhistl driver andwhy he’s so particular about being prompt.
I get towork… aroundmidday. I clock in, domy daily walk-around check on the vehicle, logging the mileage andmaking sure there are no defects on the van to report, always remembering that the daily runsheet, once signed at the transport office, is a legal document. Then I pick upmy run schedule. This lists all my regular customers, their addresses, any additional collections and the volumes of mail that might be expected. I hit the road… once I’ve loaded the van with all the necessary consumables (trays and mailing sacks), that customers will need to send their mail and parcels the following day. Then I leave the Rugby depot and get going! customers’ mailings from around 10 locations in the Leicestershire area. I have a really good relationship with my regular customers who include companies such as Blaby District Council, Santander and DMGMedia. I take pride in the fact that I always make sure I’mprompt and equipped with all the necessary consumables customers need for organising their mailings. I travel… up to 120miles a day collecting
I enjoy listening to… audiobooks whilst I’mout on the road. At the moment I’m enjoying The Forsyte Saga. There are 34 discs to get through so it should keepme going for a while! The best part of my job is… having the freedom to be out on the road andmeeting customers. Being semi-retired I really enjoy getting out and about and love the variety of the role, particularly having worked in a factory for 34 years! You need to be… fit to be a Whistl driver and obviously have a clean driver’s licence! It’s a physical job loading and offloading boxes, bags and crates all day. Thankfully I’mquite an active person so I don’t find this a problem. impression with customers by always turning up on time, being helpful and ensuring their questions are always passed on. If possible I always try and answer any queries on the spot so that customers feel they can trust me. I guess that’s probably why I have such a good relationship with my regular customers. I never like… being late! I like tomake a good
I endmy day… by heading back down the M1 to the depot in Rugby where I unload the trays of mail, mailing sacks and parcels onto yorks before pushing them into goods inwards for processing. After handing in my paperwork I clock out around 7.30pm thenmake the 50-minute journey home to Northampton where I live. Out of hours… I enjoy walking in the Lake District, cycling and the odd round of golf! I have taken part in many charity fundraising events over the years. One of my greatest achievements was walking across the Andes to raise money for the British Heart Foundation 10 years ago. A little known fact… is that I used to be a policeman many moons ago!
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Whistl Magazine • Autumn 2016
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