Takeaway delivery driver - Find your way around?

[Seigi]

Hi there,

So I've got an interview tomorrow with Dominos for a delivery driver job on one of their mopeds, it all sounded fun - Speeding around town, actually having a destination (as oppose to just wandering about) and getting paid for doing it but the thought never crossed my mind until I got offered the interview of - How will I find my way around? What are people's suggestions?

Has anyone done this line of work? How soon do you pick up the general location of places (because surely you'll mostly be delivering to repeat customers)

I've thought of using my phone as a satnav, I can enter in a string of addresses and it'll prioritise each one by the closest then take me on the route, but then I have to either find a way to mount it (I haven't seen the scooters/mopeds yet) or just listen to it.

Any other suggestions?
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2008 Honda CBR125 (sold) / Suzuki DL 650 V Strom (Current bike)
Mod 2 Passed: 03/09/2013

[GeorgeB.]

Do the manly thing and just glance at a map when you leave. And then stop to ask for directions.

If it's an area you sort of know, just stick your satnav on your phone with an earphone in and just listen. Whenever I've needed to look at the satnav, it's gone in the map holder in my tankbag, but you may struggle with that on a moped.
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Current: '99 Fazer 600 | '99 Range Rover P38 4.6 HSE
Previous: Keeway TX125 | CBF 125 | CB400SF Project Big One
CBT 04/12/12 | Theory 03/12/13 | MOD 1 06/01/14 | MOD 2 13/01/14

[Seigi]

See, i do have a phone holder and a strap which straps onto my handlebar on my motorcycle but I'm not sure if it will even fit the moped because I don't know if they have the handlebars exposed, or anywhere I could strap it.

Stopping asking for directions at 11pm will probably end me up in the middle of nowhere thanks to some drunkard ;p

I do know the area reasonably well, it's a small city and I've lived in two completely different parts of it.
____________________
2008 Honda CBR125 (sold) / Suzuki DL 650 V Strom (Current bike)
Mod 2 Passed: 03/09/2013

[GeorgeB.]

Unlikely you'll get a holder the handlebars, however the mirror stalks should be around the same width. You should be able to get your holder onto those
____________________
Current: '99 Fazer 600 | '99 Range Rover P38 4.6 HSE
Previous: Keeway TX125 | CBF 125 | CB400SF Project Big One
CBT 04/12/12 | Theory 03/12/13 | MOD 1 06/01/14 | MOD 2 13/01/14

[map]

[Polarbear]

Don't attach to the bars unless it can be removed easily when you go to deliver your pizzas. It won't be there when you come back.

I'd get an A-Z. You will only need it for a short time till you get to know where everything is.

The asian taxi drivers in MK don't have a fcuking clue and if they can manage, I'm sure you can
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Seigi]

[Marmalade]

Phone on charge will do you.

You won't need to input a stream of addresses, you'll have 1 drop to do if they have any sense, maybe 2 but you won't progress to 3 drops until you've got experience and proven you've got it right.

3 drops, how hot is that pizza going to be at the last delivery?

If it's a busy store, you'll have 3 minutes between walking in the door and walking back out with your next delivery, charge on the bike.

What city are you in? I may have a street map i can sell you for slightly under £48

Many of the booking/delivery systems have a mapping service attached, when you book out your job, look at the pin om the map, see where it is and off yu go.
As you get more experience you won't need a map, look at the screen and off you go.
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Nobby the Bastard: How yo tell the difference between the actual japanese and her just screaming because she's had live fish stuck up her arse? [url=https://www.nicks-shop.co.uk/bcf-goodies-15-c.aspGet BCF stickers and things here[/url] Reflective helmet stickers - Legal requirement in france - Clicky

[Atomic Punk]

When I started as a courier, in the eighties, there was no satnavs, not tinternet, I used this thing called a map or more precisely an AtoZ.

The world is in trouble if you have to ask.
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I may have lost my way but I'm way ahead of schedule.

[wr6133]

I deliver for Papa Johns

Satnav........... not a chance. Take too long to faff around with, nowhere to easily mount it without buying your own mounts, battery will die, it will get stolen if left on the bike.

You learn the delivery area pretty fast. Booking out system should have a map link, just remember the direction from store and then the names of a couple of roads leading to the place.

It's not fun you will be riding a badly maintained shit heap in all weather at all times of the night. Delivering food to ungrateful shits that more often than not will bitch and moan that the delivery took 15 minutes and 30 seconds while they were expecting it in 15 minutes. There will be shithole estates where you have to almost run the delivery to the door because the local feral bastard kids will strip your bike in the time it takes you to blink.

I've had around 4 prangs doing it this year, 1 was a SMIDSY, 1 was me being a dick and 2 were down to the bike not being road worthy. One of those due to it not being roadworthy has got me still on opiate painkillers a bit over 4 months later and the chances are I'm going to have a permanent limp due to nerve damage in my spine. My wife still has to help me get dressed and do my boots up. On Sunday just been my sellotaped in place headlight fell out, I had to walk down a dark country lane to find it, bodge the wires back together and return to the shop with a flickering full beam light, riding one handed as the other hand was holding the light.......... the response was more tape and get on with it.

If that doesn't put you off then you are as certifiable as me, so have fun (or not as is the case).

Meef does it too he may have a more positive experience to share.

[P.]

[wr6133]

[_Iain_]

[P.]

[_Iain_]

[wr6133]

[Marmalade]

If it's that pile of shit in the Salisbury branch, it is hotwired (by me) and you have to stick your finger in a hole and wiggle to get the seat up to fuel up.
I happened to walk in there to speak to the pizzaiola who I know, after someone had lost the key to it. i did my best (worst)
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Nobby the Bastard: How yo tell the difference between the actual japanese and her just screaming because she's had live fish stuck up her arse? [url=https://www.nicks-shop.co.uk/bcf-goodies-15-c.aspGet BCF stickers and things here[/url] Reflective helmet stickers - Legal requirement in france - Clicky

[wr6133]

[Marmalade]

You don't appear too far from me, if you do want to do couriering, get in touch.
They always seem to be looking for people in Saliisbury, I was asked to go in and do a few shifts when i was bodging their bike..
They seem like a decent bunch too, sure there are worse places to be based.
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Nobby the Bastard: How yo tell the difference between the actual japanese and her just screaming because she's had live fish stuck up her arse? [url=https://www.nicks-shop.co.uk/bcf-goodies-15-c.aspGet BCF stickers and things here[/url] Reflective helmet stickers - Legal requirement in france - Clicky

[P.]

[Snorty]

Worked at Pizza Hut for a while, it's pretty easy to find your way around as long as you're not an idiot. You just learn the main roads themselves and then you can just remember the rest.

I worked in a bad area though so the tips were minimal if at all. (Even had some people waiting for their penny change).

It's OK, certainly makes your bike feel faster when you get back on it. Sometimes it's frustrating seeing a set of lights at green when you have the throttle pinned and not getting there.

Get paid to ride around listening to music? Great! (in summer...).

It's GOD AWFUL when it rains though, believe me, no chance to get dry.

I did de-restrict my moped between deliveries once though

The mopeds won't go fast enough to break the 30 limit really.
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Current: Yamaha FZ1 '07 | GSXR 750 SRAD

Past: CB125TDC | TZR125 | GPZ500 | CBR600F3 | ZX9-R | GSXR1000 K4

[notbike]

Ahh mate it's well fun actually. Just remember if you get the Honda innova, to push the gear pedal halfway back and whack open the throttle, then release the pedal.. What happens next should be hilarious.

No but seriously, Tuesdays are usually busy for dominos what with the whole buy one get one free deal, so using a satnav will be tricky while on the move. Fridays and Saturdays are pretty busy too, but other than that you get to just chill, yesterday I did like 2 deliveries in 3 hours thats how not-busy it was.

What I did when I first started out and didn't know the area well was get the order in the back of the bike, ride down to a side road, whip my phone out and plug the postcode/street name into google maps and figure it out in my own time. That way the boss wasn't there stressing you out like "what are you doing on your phone?!" etc. If you really have trouble with directions, use a satnav with earplugs, I did this for a while with thin in-helmet speakers, worked a treat.

The area of delivery is usually small, but you'll always need to glance at the map before leaving for some roads, you never learn it all. I been working there 6 months and most of the time I don't need to look at the map anymore, but you get those unfamiliar roads sometimes. Some of them aren't even on our map at work lol you pretty much need your own map of some sort.

Dont bother rushing around and getting stressed, ask colleagues to point to where a place is on the map and stuff, get advice on a route and plan ahead while you're waiting for your order to be cooked up (if it isn't busy). Customer wont really give a fuck if you deliver it in 40 minutes just say the kitchen is overwhelmed because it's so busy. (I blame kitchen for everything, works 99% of the time)

You'll get tips sometimes, usually I'll get peanuts though, on some days you'll find you magically managed to get £20. What I've heard you can do (that I totally do not do because it is against the rules!) is ask the customer if they wanna buy some extra dips (you can say it's a new initiative at dominos and whatnot) and then pocket the money. Sell em like half price at 20p each and by the end of the night you got a couple extra quid. Wouldn't do it with larger things like drinks though, more noticeable.

At my branch you also get a free personal pizza with 2 toppings at each shift, or a small if you're closing. You'll get sick of it, I did.

Ehh dunno what else, good luck man it gets easy fast, just stick it out for a couple of months. Also pick your own bike, tell the manager you don't feel safe on the bike until you find one that you like. Personally I was very picky with my bike and I'm glad the fuckers finally repaired the puncture, had to use this death-machine suzuki piece of shit that was falling apart for a month while the incompetent mechanics were taking so long to come fix it.

Also keep petrol receipts, keep delivery slips all until end of the day. I say keep your tips separate also.

Edit: What you can expect on your first day is following someone around btw, I dont think you go out on your own at first if you've never done it before. Pay attention and get the colleague to explain what he's doing.

[rhys1005]

I worked for papa johns in selly oak, Birmingham. Pizza delivery rider.

Shit pay, shit hours, wanker of a boss, all other members of staff hardly spoke English and were some of the stupidest people I've ever come across, bikes not maintained, dangerous, boiling hot in store being forced to keep bike gear on and stand by the ovens, manager had no respect for anyone. Got about £2 in tips per night sometimes nothing.

What else... Oh yeh.. no hygiene what so ever.. Cockroaches, rotten food, no gloves to make food, handle money before making food, scratch arse between making food.. Umm.. Food is picked up off the filthy floor if dropped, food re heated if made too early. Don't give the a manager hassle he will spit on your next order.

Basically it was slave labour and in the year I worked there 16 people joined and quit. The ones who stayed were Romanians working for £3 a hour, although 4 of them eventually quit.

I too thought 'wow being paid to ride a motorcycle and eat free pizza/ piss about' yeeehhh it's not quite like that. Anyone can get the job with a cbt and a pulse, not many stay though.

I'm on 5 times the wage I was on working at papa johns and I also actually enjoy it.. great colleagues, great hours (weekends.. Never again once you become a delivery boy) respectful manager, company van, pay for education, good future etc etc

Basically don't do it. Don't let them take you for a mug.

[Seigi]

The main issue for myself is, I've been in education all my life (22) and I have literally zero 'real' work experience so anywhere offering me an interview is a real treat.

I didn't realise that you would only have to deliver 1 order per rideout/2 max. I had in my mind that the boxes would hold about 10 pizzas, so 5 - 10 deliveries per 30 mins would be optimal. I guess my imagination was far more efficient than it actually is. if it is just 1/2 deliveries I could remember them off by heart easily.

The area I'm from is pretty low crime really, or at least in my experience. I live in Carlisle, if anyone knows the area.

I don't think they've had the mopeds long, maybe a year, so hopefully they shouldn't be completely shitty in condition.
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2008 Honda CBR125 (sold) / Suzuki DL 650 V Strom (Current bike)
Mod 2 Passed: 03/09/2013

[bikertomm]

Like fuck would I be risking life and limb on a wank chinese scooter

Especially as winter is approaching. Fuck that.

No experience you say? Sort your CV out and see if you can blag some experience locally working for free for a week or 2?

Good luck either way!

(I was a delivery driver, 3.5 tonne van just turned 18, and that was bad enough.)
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!