A day in the life of skip lorry driver Teddy Tekle

The roads of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire weren’t quite what former safari guide Teddy was used to in his previous career.

But while Teddy – full name Tedesse Fentaw Tekle – has swapped wildlife for the world of waste management, he’s still got a beast to wrangle into shape every day.

From the crack of dawn to the end of the working day, the enthusiastic Ethiopian is constantly working to ensure his lorry is roadworthy and ready to deliver the best skip hire service possible.

Early start

Teddy’s alarm goes off at 5.30am.

The first task on his to-do list is to prepare his lunch before he heads to the skip yard for a 7am start.

Once he gets to his lorry, Teddy meticulously inspects it, from checking the lights are in working order to looking for leaks. These checks are done twice daily.

If there’s anything amiss, Teddy takes a picture and uploads it to the FleetCheck system, which forwards an email to the site manager, general manager and managing director.

“The checks are so I can be sure I’m safe on the roads, both for myself and other road users,” explains Teddy. “It gives me a good feeling that everything is checked and issues are fixed promptly.”

After completing his checks and being signed off by the site manager, Teddy is ready to begin his busy day of delivering and collecting skips across East Anglia.

Packed schedule

Teddy uses a tablet to keep track of his packed schedule.

Using driver management software PurGo, Teddy is able to check updates for his day’s jobs and communicate with customers to let them know he’s on the way.

“I’ll go through my list of jobs before I set off to make sure all the addresses are correct. You’ve got to be ready for everything,” says Teddy.

Teddy was trained by long-time SunSkips driver Rory Finn, who prepared Teddy for all the variables involved in skip lorry driving.

“I got my HGV licence last year,” explains Teddy. ”I didn’t know much about skips at the time, but I got the interview and fortunately they gave me the opportunity.

“In some ways, the job became more challenging as I went on. New challenges came up. But as I got better and more skilled, it also got easier. It’s fascinating work!”

From navigating through traffic during rush hour to tricky situations where he has to manoeuvre a skip into a tight space, Teddy’s cool-headedness forged during his decade on safari certainly comes in handy.

End of the day

If Teddy finishes his rounds early, he’ll ask if there are any extra jobs he can squeeze in.

Failing that, he’ll prepare for the following day by spending some time getting his cab in order.

“Teddy’s cab is always spotless,” admits site manager Richard Wyartt.

“I’ve got a new lorry. So I do everything I can to look after it,” adds Teddy.

According to Teddy, a good lorry driver needs to be “calm, patient, and highly alert.”

He says, “You have to stay aware of your surroundings and make conscientious decisions all day.”

“You need eyes in the back of your head,” adds Richard. “If you’re not aware of your environment, you could end up driving over a manhole cover. Then you’ve got people’s satellite dishes to look out for…”

As the day comes to an end, Teddy reflects on his journey so far and the sense of accomplishment he feels.

“Every day is a learning experience,” he says with a smile. “I’m really getting on well with the people here at SunSkips and I’m so glad I had this opportunity.”

SunSkips is proud to offer opportunities to dedicated professionals like Teddy. If the life of a skip lorry driver sounds good to you, keep your eyes peeled on our careers page for new vacancies.