By Writing La Presse de la Manche
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This week, we present to you Adilson Gomez, truck driver for 8 years. Today, he works for the Noyon company, in Tourlaville (delegated municipality of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Manche), and he loves his job !
Heavyweight driver, he has not always been. He has had a lot of jobs, working in particular in security or as a formworker. The displacements that this entailed, incompatible with his family life, pushed him to change paths.
Car and truck enthusiastAdilson really wanted to pass the truck license.
On the construction sites where I worked, I liked to watch all these drivers who arrived en masse and maneuvered. It fascinated me, I saw myself in their place.
He therefore spent his license CThen EC Heavywhich makes it possible to drive vehicles up to 26 tons, then Super Heavywhich makes it possible to drive vehicles of 44 tons. And finally, Adilson passed the FIMO trainingmandatory and lasting one month, which allows you to learn all the transportation regulationsamong others.
The passion for the profession
“Driver, it’s not having your buttocks in a truck and then, go ahead, we’re driving! It’s much more than that, ”explains Adilson, who is now completely fulfilled in his profession.
Once he obtained his permits, he began to practice via I’interim. “I’ve done tipping semis, regionally for everything related to site supplies, etc. I did a little fridge, I did the road. “Then he arrived at Noyon and one thing is certain, he feels very good there.
Here, I do courier services, that is to say delivery in small carriers (19 tons) to stores, businesses and individuals. I also do regional and long distance. The other day, for example, I delivered near Carentan, then Vire. I leave Cherbourg in the morning and return there in the evening. And sometimes I go away for a whole week.
Daily
“It’s part of the job, we’re early risers,” says our driver for the day.
A typical day for him starts around 6 a.m., when he arrives at the warehouse. From there, he will begin by filling in the documents required to ride. This is called consignment notes or CMRs, vouchers on which are noted the identity of the driver, the serial number of the tractor and the semi-trailer, the nature of the delivery and, very important, the PTAC. The goal is for the truck to be full without exceeding the 44 tonne limit.
Then, place to load. “The driver’s mission is also to get all the merchandise in the semi-trailer. In the beginning, we do stupid things. We go in, we go in, and then we realize that there is nothing that goes in the end. So in this case, you go back down and then you start again. But once you get used to it, you know. We know how to store our pallets so that in the end, the doors close! “says Adilson, a specialist in giant tetris.
Around 7 a.m., once everything is ready, our driver takes to the road and delivers according to the addresses indicated. He empties his truck, he reloads. He exchanges with customers, that too is part of the job. And he will do this until the end of his working day, until he returns to the warehouse. A truck driver’s day at the wheel cannot last more than 9 hours, over two periods of 4.5 hours of driving with a break of 45 minutes to 1 hour between the two.
The interior of my truck is like home. I clean it, I maintain it. You should know that we spend more than 9 hours in it, sometimes we eat there, sometimes we sleep there. I like it clean!
I’interview of his workspace is something important to Adilson. “There is also the brand image of the company for which we work. Arriving with a clean truck is paramount as the customer can come to your door and watch. So if it’s not clean, it’s not terrible, ”says Adilson, making us climb into the passenger seat.
Business card
The road freight transport driver drives a heavy road vehicle (total authorized laden weight – GVW – greater than 3.5 tonnes) in order to transport goods (products, vehicles, etc.), in medium or long distance according to labor and road transport regulations and customer satisfaction requirements (deadlines, compliance, etc.). He/She carries out transport-related operations (load securing, signing off documents, checking goods, etc.). He/She can perform loading/unloading operations and follow-up maintenance of the vehicle.
Access to the job
This job/profession is accessible without a diploma or professional experience. A CAP/BEP in road driving, road transport service can facilitate access.
Truck licenses C, C1, CE, C1E (previously C or EC) supplemented by the Mandatory Minimum Initial Training -FIMO- are required. A periodic renewal of the FIMO by the Compulsory Continuing Education -FCO- is required.
A tachograph card is mandatory for driving goods transport vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Specific authorizations (ADR training certificates) may be required depending on the products transported (petroleum products, radioactive, etc.) defined by a UN code. Good physical condition (visual acuity, hearing, reflexes, etc.) is required.
One or more Certificate(s) of Aptitude for Safe Driving -CACES- subject to medical fitness, to be renewed periodically, may be required.
The practice of a foreign language may be required for international transport.
Exercise conditions
The activity of this job/trade is exercised aboard vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tons on behalf of transport companies, industrial or commercial companies, heavy vehicle rental companies with driver, the army, in contact with operating personnel, customers, customs services, etc. It varies according to the type of vehicle (tanker, livestock truck, car transporter, etc.), the nature of the freight (dangerous products, etc.) and the traffic area (regional, national, international). The activity can be carried out on weekends, public holidays, at night and involve being away from home for several days.
“You have to drive to become efficient”
“The challenge of maneuversthat’s what I like about this job,” smiles Adilson.
Once, in the Paris region, I entered a small street where I don’t think anyone would have put a pack of cigarettes between two cars. There was a lady watching and applauding at the end of my maneuver. It’s little things like that that we remember.
“Managing the length, the width… Seen from the outside, this may seem complicated, but in fact it isn’t”, explains Adilson who admits having had very good trainers at Secam. And then “we become efficient while driving”, of course. It’s’experience who does the rest.
So to all those who would like to get started, Adilson assures you that you have to be dynamic And motivated. Driving enthusiast Also. Be autonomous And attentivethat is essential.
“What I dread is accidents, especially for the users opposite. We drive a 44 ton at 90 km/h, it does not forgive. Knock on wood, I’ve never had an accident! “, he confides to us. Completely aware of responsibilities he wears and at the same time so happy to practice his profession at Noyon, we leave Adilson at the foot of his truck, ready to hit the road again.
Coraline SIMON
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