This month, a day in the life features a tanker driver aged just 22! Fuel Oil News speaks with Jack Popplewell, tanker driver for Dice Fuels, and runner-up of the Young Person of the Year in the 2024 UKIFDA annual awards, to discover how Jack spends a typical day.
Jamie Popplewell, Director at Dice Fuels and Jack’s father, added additional insight into Jack’s career to date: “There will be a few raised eyebrows when we say we have a fully qualified ADR driver at just 22 years old, people might ask is that a bit young? But, of course, we all have to start somewhere in the industry.
Jack has the advantage of working for Dice Fuels Ltd, in Aylesford, Kent, a business owned and operated by his father and stepmother Sally. Jack is one of four drivers working within the business, with his stepbrother, James, driving our largest rigid tanker.
“Sally has been in the industry for nearly 20 years, and I oversee the transport side of the business and keep the drivers in check. Jack started working for the company when he was 19 years old. At that time, he was driving the rural delivery van we had from Just Tankers, it was a bespoke vehicle professionally built with a 900 L ADR tank, meter and equipment squeezed into the back.
“He spent three years on the van doing small emergency deliveries anything from 250L up to 900L, and in that time he built up some valuable experience to carry him forward with a career and a move onto the tankers. It’s been wonderful to see Jack out on the tanker. He is an asset to the business.”
Jack shares his typical day with us.
MY ALARM GOES OFF AT…
4:30am
THE FIRST THING I DO IS…
Cuddle our dog Pablo and run the shower.
I PREPARE FOR THE DAY AHEAD BY…
Preparing my delivery route the night before and knowing exactly where I am going first and what time I should be expecting to arrive at that delivery point.
I CAN’T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT…
A pack of Haribo, and saying goodbye to my dog and my partner Holly.
MY TYPICAL DAY
I always try and leave my house at 5:15am, aiming to get to our families yard for 5:45am.
I spend 30 minutes warming up my truck, doing my checks and making sure everything is in order for the day ahead.
Once this is complete, I can head out onto the open road heading towards my first delivery point. Arriving at my first delivery point between 7 and 7:30am.
After doing a few deliveries, I usually find a quiet layby to take a 15-minute taco break, this usually consists of eating some fruit and reading a book.
After a few more hours, and more deliveries, it’s time for lunch and I find another quiet place to stop for my 30-minute taco break. After
eating my delicious lunch I spend the final minutes of my break catching up with my partner and seeing how her day is going.
As my break ends, I spend a few minutes checking my final delivery points of the day. After finishing my deliveries I then head back to the yard arriving between 3 and 5pm, park my lorry up and refuel it for the next working day. This gives me a head start for the morning. Finally,
I reverse my lorry into its parking spot. Before leaving, I check around my vehicle once again to make sure that I’m not going to have any unexpected surprises the following morning.
MY MOST MEMORABLE WORK MOMENT IS…
the day I found out I was UKIFDA runner-up in the young person award, as I was delivering to one of our regular customers when I first found out.
THE WORST PART OF MY JOB…
I couldn’t pinpoint a part of my job that is the worst. My job is fulfilling and challenging and keeps me on the ball, I wouldn’t change it.
BEST PART OF MY JOB IS…
Interacting with customers! I love to meet new and interesting people every day. Every job is different!
I RELAX AFTER WORK BY…
usually walking my dog; it’s nice to get out into the fresh air and just relax after being in the truck for the day.
MY FAVOURITE MEAL IS…
My lunch; my partner makes me a smashing lunch every day of the week (thanks Holly)
ON MY BEDSIDE TABLE IS…
My phone charger, alarm clock, wallet and Rubix cube.
THE LAST THING I DO EACH DAY IS…
Set my alarms for the next morning.
I’M NORMALLY IN BED BY…
9 pm
Image credit: Dice Fuels
