Collection during milking

lefthooker

This is something that drives me mad and has happened a few times this summer but on each occasion the driver went to collect another farmer and by the time he came back I was finished. It came to a head during this week.

I try to have the machine starting around 4:30/4:45pm and had a few stands milked when the lorry drove in after 5. I asked the driver could he collect someone else or give me 20 mins. He said I was the last in the area and he'd been up since 2am. Neither my fault I thought. Explained to him that if he collected the milk now it'd be 6 days without the tank getting washed. So he said that he'd collect now and they'd be in another area 15-20 miles away tomoro and that they'd come and collect what was in the tank so that it could be washed. Sounded good to me but I wanted that guaranteed so he put the bossman on the phone.

He says;
The lorry is in the yard now and he can collect the milk or I can hold it for another 3 days. I said I don't want 6 day old milk and I don't want 6 days between the tank being washed cos I wasn't going to hold up milking for 30mins to wash the tank. He said he was in another area tomoro and he wasn't going to drive over and collect me just so I could wash the tank. I said I saw the lorry drive up and down past my entrance earlier and told him about the other times when the driver would collect another man, he said they're not obliged to come back to me and I'd be left with it. I said take it this time but you know my hours for milking and that if it happened again I'd tell him to wait or collect someone else and I'll be onto the creamery about the samples for the next collection. Which I duly did the next morning.

How would you guys have handled that situation?

mf240

Sounds unusual.

Milk lorry comes here at same time every second day and I work around that.

Never had a cross word and never will.

If he comes at the same time every evening why don't you wait for him then milk.

He can't be in every yard at the perfect time and he can't be going around in circles burning diesel trying to keep everyone happy.

whelan1

had a problem a few years ago,milkman would come at 8.15 am and drive into yard through cows- this was on my outfarm - i went to the dairies rather than dealing with the driver, remember he is the guy taking your milk samples... milkman comes here now at 4am which is perfect as there are no smallies around to be worried about.. also give the milkman a few bob at christmas to keep him happy

lefthooker

Thing Is the lorry has no set time and can come any time during the day, how can you work around that? And the drivers are on the lorries long enough to know each farmers usual milking times.

I had no problem with the driver at all and there wasn't a cross word between us but it was his boss' "**** you" attitude that got my back up. I rang the creamery the next morning and asked the fella there to take a note of my next samples. Also Whelan, we have 4 or 5 different drivers so its rarely the same driver collecting.

I know not everything runs to plan for the lorries but they should know drivin into a fellas yard in the middle of milking is not on. But like I said it was the **** you attitude that did it for me

whelan1

mmm that would annoy me too, wouldnt kill him to work around you

delaval

First and foremost it is illegal for your milk to be left on farm for six days. By law 6 milking s are the max allowed remain on farm.

Your issue is with your processor. I would not enter into any negocitions with they're agent. The lorry owner works for the processor, you supply the processor.

I would let them collect when they wish and inform milk manager if tank is not washed. You need to make this someone else's problem.

On milking times I would not change. He can adjust his route to suit you not him.

The last person you need to be arguing with is the driver as you will be meeting him 3-4 times a week.

mf240

Ya the no set time Makes it impossible for you so he should have given you the 20 minutes to finish.

My guy rocks into the yard at the same time every collection so easy for me to plan.

lefthooker

whelan1 wrote: »

mmm that would annoy me too, wouldnt kill him to work around you

The previous times, it happened to be the same driver each time. I'd hear the lorry coming in and go out to the dairy door. As he was turning in the yard he'd roll down the window and ask how long till I finished. Usually I'd only want 10-15 mins and he'd go collect the next lad and no big drama

lefthooker

delaval wrote: »

First and foremost it is illegal for your milk to be left on farm for six days. By law 6 milking s are the max allowed remain on farm.

Your issue is with your processor. I would not enter into any negocitions with they're agent. The lorry owner works for the processor, you supply the processor.

I would let them collect when they wish and inform milk manager if tank is not washed. You need to make this someone else's problem.

On milking times I would not change. He can adjust his route to suit you not him.

The last person you need to be arguing with is the driver as you will be meeting him 3-4 times a week.

I think cos he's a contracted haulier running a fleet of lorries and tanks he's a law unto himself. And there's no desire from the creamery to "give him a rap on the knuckles" cos "ah that'll happen from time to time". 3-4 times to be exact.

I've had a few occasions when there was 8 milkings in the tank and once 9. No extreme weather issues, they just forgot. I rang after the 7th to tell them, I even rang after the 8th cos they had forgot that I rang. I contacted the milk manager and there was no problems with quality but he was to have a talk with the contractor.

quadboy

The lad that useta collect our milk would even put the machine washing for us a few times if no one was up

delaval

quadboy wrote: »

The lad that useta collect our milk would even put the machine washing for us a few times if no one was up

That's his job

quadboy

delaval wrote: »

That's his job

Oh right

whelan1

delaval wrote: »

That's his job

had a blow up here during the snow as lorry driver left dairy door open and all the taps in dairy froze:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

jersey101

We have a non irish lad driving the lorry that collects my milk. There is two gates into the yard here one at the road and one in the yard we always used to open up two of em for him but there has been an unreal amount of robberies in the area this summer so we leave the top gate closed now and as we get collected at night i dont think its smart any more to leave it open. Any way this lad must not have liked having to open it so he now leaves the tanks on and there all frozen then in the morning. I left a note for him on the wall asking him to turn off the tanks and what does the lad do get a black marker and writes on the wall "open gate please" . I have plastic sheeting on the walls in the dairy and now this writing won't come off.

Markcheese

I'm surprised there's not set collection "windows" , hauliers margins are so tight that wouldn't have thought they'd want to spend time or diesel backtracking or driving into yards more often than they need to...

delaval

jersey101 wrote: »

We have a non irish lad driving the lorry that collects my milk. There is two gates into the yard here one at the road and one in the yard we always used to open up two of em for him but there has been an unreal amount of robberies in the area this summer so we leave the top gate closed now and as we get collected at night i dont think its smart any more to leave it open. Any way this lad must not have liked having to open it so he now leaves the tanks on and there all frozen then in the morning. I left a note for him on the wall asking him to turn off the tanks and what does the lad do get a black marker and writes on the wall "open gate please" . I have plastic sheeting on the walls in the dairy and now this writing won't come off.

I wipe it off with his head!!!!
My driver used to open and close the gate. I had to remodel the entrance so installed an auto gate 5 years ago. Wouldn't be without it now

Mulumpy

Have a new driver this year. Had a few probs in the spring starting off because of my irregular hours milking. But he's a sound guy and works around me now. Will look after him at end of the year.

MFdaveIreland

RE- black marker on wall on plastic. It may come off if you get another permenant marker and scribble over it a few times , the ink will actually break the old ink up, then you can wipe of with a cloth.

Im just wondering why OP has milk sitting for 6 days, I didnt think they left it that long

SomethingElse

MFdaveIreland wrote: »

RE- black marker on wall on plastic. It may come off if you get another permenant marker and scribble over it a few times , the ink will actually break the old ink up, then you can wipe of with a cloth.

Im just wondering why OP has milk sitting for 6 days, I didnt think they left it that long

Acetone might work too (nail polish remover). If somebody wrote on my walls they'd be the one's removing it.

delaval

SomethingElse wrote: »

Acetone might work too (nail polish remover). If somebody wrote on my walls they'd be the one's removing it.

You're dead right, I'd lot a lump of cow shyte on to the drivers seat, well I wouldn't but I'd feel like it:D:D

jersey101

Ive only met this lad once when i had to tow him up the road during the snow. I dont think ill wait up till four in mornin for him. I rang the man that owns the lorry he's a very nice lad and would bend over backwards for any one. He said he would talk to him about it. Said he told him before to be obliging to the farmers because they can make it awkward for you to get milk. ie. leave machines in an awkward place. Ill try the nail polish remover the sisters have plenty of it.

delaval

jersey101 wrote: »

Ive only met this lad once when i had to tow him up the road during the snow. I dont think ill wait up till four in mornin for him. I rang the man that owns the lorry he's a very nice lad and would bend over backwards for any one. He said he would talk to him about it. Said he told him before to be obliging to the farmers because they can make it awkward for you to get milk. ie. leave machines in an awkward place. Ill try the nail polish remover the sisters have plenty of it.

That young fresher you met last week might have some also. A great chance to get her to the hayshed;););)

A guy in my group has a arse of a driver and to solve this problem he fitted a bottom filler to his tank so driver must wait

delaval

I've noticed on many farms in the UK 2 tanks so driver can come as he/she pleases

whelan1

delaval wrote: »

I've noticed on many farms in the UK 2 tanks so driver can come as he/she pleases

i have 2 tanks, very handy but hard on electricity

lefthooker

MFdaveIreland wrote: »

Im just wondering why OP has milk sitting for 6 days, I didnt think they left it that long

I wasn't left with 6 days milk, I was threatened with it cos I didn't want to let the driver collect the milk in the middle of the evening milking cos I wouldn't be able to wash the tank. So what I ended with is a tank that hasn't been washed in 6 days.