Our next 'Meet the Team' features our HGV/HIAB Driver, Tommy Mulligan, who carries out a very important role within RiverRidge as he makes his way around the province collecting our customers' bales! Find out more about Tommy's typical day below.
5:30am: I usually start work at 5:30am at RiverRidge’s Duncrue site. I get the keys of my lorry before doing the necessary vehicle checks, which have to be logged onto my iPad. I then head off on my run, which is different every day, but mainly follows a similar route each week.
9am: At this time, I am driving around the province collecting cardboard and plastic, most likely listening to the Nolan Show or U105. I collect mostly from the big supermarkets and also large engineering companies and generally, the customer bales the plastic and cardboard. With the HIAB lorry, I lift the bales and strap them down, then I’m back on the road to the next customer. Getting to know customers and their needs is really important e.g. when they need bales lifted and what days, etc.
11.30am: This is my lunch time, where I stop and have a bite to eat. Most days I bring a packed lunch, however occasionally, I treat myself to a takeaway!
2pm: By this time, I have done about four to five runs to our depot in Mallusk, delivering the bales that we have collected from our customers, which could range between 10 to 15 per day. During my drop offs at the depot, I have to reverse the lorry into the tipping shed, before the operatives lift the bales off my lorry with a forklift truck.
2.30pm: If the HIAB lorry is not being used too much or if the collections for the day have been done, then I will head out on one of the ‘Roll on Roll off’ lorries to help out.
4pm: Around this time, I check over the lorries, making sure that everything is correct and safe, then I head home for the evening.
7pm: This is usually my time to relax and unwind, and where I normally watch some TV, whether that is Netflix or football. I am a big Liverpool FC supporter and have followed the team since I was a youngster.
9pm: By 9pm at night, I am usually in bed as my alarm goes off at 4:30am. Once I waken, I grab a cuppa and head off to work for my 5:30am start!
