Abbie joined TJ Waste in 2019 and worked as a Customer Service Assistant until moving over to Transport to take up this new role in January 2022. In her spare time Abbie enjoys watching Fareham Town FC and walking her two dogs, Sprocker-Poo Dixie and Spoodle Hope.
WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE?
The core purpose of my role is to manage and maintain relations with the network of third party hauliers that work for us. This involves building up good working relationships with both the drivers and the companies, making sure they’re happy with the work they’re getting and what they’re being paid. I also ensure complete compliance across the board – making sure that all drivers are legal and compliant to work with us.
I liaise with the individual driver as well as the site that they’re delivering to or collecting from, coordinating the operations so that everything runs smoothly. It’s really important to keep both sides happy so that everything continues ticking along nicely. We have some owner-drivers, some companies that will dedicate one truck to us daily, and others who dedicate their entire fleet to us.
I always endeavour to match drivers with the types of jobs that they prefer to keep them happy in what they’re doing and maintain a good rapport. I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know the individual drivers as well as the staff in the company offices. Communication is key!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOVE FROM WASTE TO TRANSPORT…
I wanted to progress into a role with greater responsibility but I love working for TJ and didn’t want to leave so I decided to go for an internal move within the Group. As I managed the sub contractor skip work for Waste, when this role came up, it appealed to me as I had relevant experience. It was the part of my Waste role that I enjoyed the most so I was excited to be able to start doing that all day every day in this new role!
HOW HAS TJ SUPPORTED YOU?
The transition was simple as I moved over with the New Year. I finished working for Waste in December 2021 and when I returned in January 2022 I was a Transport employee. They’ve been very supportive of the move; I started a course – CIM Level 4 Award in Digital Marketing Techniques – in 2021 and they allowed me to complete that even though I’d changed roles.
It was funded and supported by TJ and they’ve continued to invest in me, encouraging me to develop my skills. In the New Year I’m undertaking the Leading with Impact course at PETA Training as I expressed an interest in moving to a leadership role in the future.
When I moved over I was completely new to the aggregate side of things, so they gave me extensive training to enable me to understand it all. I spent several days with one of our knowledgeable commercial managers, going through all the different aggregate types, how they’re made and what they can be used for etc, so that I had the knowledge I needed to do my job.
The support really has been amazing! This was a new job role, so I’ve been lucky to be able to shape it to suit me, my strengths and what I enjoy doing. For example, the CIM course got me interested in internal comms and although that wasn’t intended to be part of this role, the management team have allowed me to take this on which is awesome and another string to my bow.
WHAT ARE THE MOST INTERESTING PARTS OF YOUR ROLE?
I love the planning side and I also enjoy the reporting (despite all the spreadsheets!) because it allows you to see that what you’re doing is making a difference and having a positive impact. It enables you to see the bigger picture and keep on top of what’s going on. It’s definitely given me a better understanding of how TJ operates and what it takes to keep a company running efficiently and effectively.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR ROLE?
Juggling everything! Trying to keep everyone happy and make sure everything is as it should be can be hard work but it’s also incredibly rewarding when you achieve it. It’s important to identify the difference between a genuine issue and someone just having a bad day and to keep in mind that even if they’re frustrated and voicing their concerns, it’s not me they’re frustrated with, just the situation. But I’m the one who has to resolve these issues so I always keep a cool, calm head. I like the fact that the drivers feel they can voice their concerns to me as it shows that they trust me, which is great.
WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS FOR 2023?
To continue progressing and improving my skills and building up the third party haulage side of the business. I’d love to get into some kind of leadership role in the future so that’s something I will continue to work towards too.
WHY IS TJ A GREAT PLACE TO WORK?
The team is great! Everyone wants to teach you and develop your knowledge. They want you to know as much as they know, which is great as it makes you feel valued. Everyone’s lovely!
Meet some of our other team members or find out more about TJ Transport’s services!
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