Alistair is a fully qualified HGV driver at Travis Perkins Fort William, a town in the West of the Scottish Highlands. For Alistair, living and working in the Highlands is a little different from what might be perceived as the usual HGV driver experience. Navigating rural roads and the busy tourist seasons, he’s always on the ball to make sure he keeps himself and others on the road safe.
Alistair has been driving with the Travis Perkins group since September 2013, starting in a 6-wheeler Scania Rear Mount, but, since having it from new, he has been full time on the wagon and drag. This truck is the only one of its kind that we have in the company which does multi drop deliveries. Alistair explains that day to day it needs serious planning, but since finding their feet with it, it is an absolute godsend for rural drops. ‘It gives us the 26-tonne payload capability; ideal for rural deliveries.’
‘I pride myself on giving excellent customer service’
We know there are many reasons why driving is a great career choice. When asked what he likes about his role, Alistair said ‘For me, what I really enjoy and love about the role is meeting people. I am fully aware that sometimes we are the only contact customers have on face to face with Travis Perkins, therefore I pride myself on giving excellent customer service and always try to go the extra mile for our customers.’ Working for our customers is one of our key Values, as we know the success of our business relies on the strong relationships our colleagues build.
Having previously worked for a different builders’ merchants, Alistair thought it was a little too corporate for him. He felt that the link between senior management and troops on the ground was non-existent, whereas at Travis Perkins our roots are firmly led by our family values, and it shows in the loyalty that the colleagues give back.
Learning and development opportunities
Within all the businesses of the Travis Perkins Group, we create opportunities for progressive careers in driving. Our colleagues have access to the company’s online iLearn system, which offers a wide-ranging menu of courses and opportunities which can be used to develop knowledge in new areas. Alistair has taken full advantage of this and is seeing his skill set grow.
‘I am constantly embracing new learning challenges within the Fort William branch, we are continually trying to raise the bar, all while maintaining high levels of Health and Safety. That is critical around here, we always look out for each other to make sure we are being safe, both in branch and on the road.’ Safety, for us, is everything, so this is music to our ears.
‘My advice to anyone considering joining the TP family is 100% do it.’
‘What would I say about Travis Perkins? Everyone is so approachable and helpful with advice, and there is always more to learn and get involved in if you want to. I am currently learning new skills on our new delivery management system OpenFleet. This means I can learn how to organise and schedule all our deliveries as well as keeping a day-to-day eye on all operations.
I recently took up a role in the office in Branch Operations Management which I’m really enjoying. The options for our drivers to progress through the group are vast, and your career progression is what you make of it. I am looking forward to a fresh challenge and driving the team forward.’
Become a fully qualified HGV driver like Alistair
The Travis Perkins Group are hiring drivers across the UK. If you’ve been inspired by Alistair’s story, and you’re looking for a career with exciting progression opportunities, browse our available driver jobs today to find out more.
