Getting to know dumper driver Richard Stickland

He might spend his days sitting down on the job, but that’s what he pay him for. So we won’t hold it against him. Meet Mackoy dumper driver Richard Stickland, a key member of our groundworks team. When Richard’s on the job things get moving – quite literally. He’s the manpower behind our dumpers, an important part of our plant and our Mackoy fleet.

We took Richard aside for a very brief Q&A to find out exactly what it’s like operating an articulated truck for a living. And what attracted him to dumper driving as a career.

So Richard, our resident dumper driving expert, what exactly does a dumper driver do?

To put it in as simple terms as possible, a dumper driver operates a piece of plant delivering different materials across a building site, wherever they need to go. Obviously you’re dealing with a lot of heavy materials on a build so a dumper gets everything safely across site from A to B.

How did you get into dumper driving for a living?

You could say it’s my son’s fault. I work with him and it turns out I actually really enjoy it, so that’s how dumper driving came about for me.

Do you need any training to get into it?

Yes absolutely. At the end of the day you’re driving a powerful heavy-duty vehicle around a building site where people are working and there are all sorts of potential hazards. So it’s pretty important you’re fully up to speed with what you’re doing. Especially as site standards are constantly being reviewed and updated. I’ve recently just had NPORS training to gain a certificate to drive the new Hydrema 912F compact dumpers Mackoy recently invested in.

That actually brings us on to our next question… what’s the best innovation / improvement you’ve seen during your time at Mackoy?

For me personally it would have to be the training we get to do our jobs. Mackoy are really hot on making sure everyone who comes on site is properly inducted and they know their stuff. Any time a new piece of plant gets introduced or a new tool everyone has to undergo the proper training to make sure they know how to operate it. They really take health & safety seriously at Mackoy and aren’t afraid to invest in proper training to keep us groundworkers, and everyone on site for that matter, safe.

Let’s say for a minute that you weren’t a dumper driver. What would you do for a living?

If I weren’t driving dumpers I’d be a mechanic. I’ve always had an interest in cars so being a mechanic would definitely suit me.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?

Just the usual stuff really, relaxing with my wife, going out to eat every once in a while, and catching a film at the cinema. Those are the things I enjoy doing most when I have some free time.

Thanks Richard, last but not least, what one thing could improve dumper driving in your eyes?

In terms of my own experience I think just getting in more driving time really. That’s the best way to get better at what you do and improve on what you know.

This year we introduced two brand new compact Hydrema dumpers to our Mackoy fleet, which now stands at over 150 plant vehicles. These, and other new innovations such as air digging, are just a couple of the ways we always strive to improve our site toolkit, and the way we operate at Mackoy.

Over the seven years since we started we’ve worked with the UK’s leading housing developers, delivering full groundworks infrastructure to hundreds of new homes in Britain. And we’re constantly taking on new contracts, and new clients, all the time.

To see the opportunities we have available on our team, both on site, and at head office, check out our Mackoy Careers Page.

Categories: About Us , Groundworks , Plant Machinery , Dumpers