Doulton Tosh

Cargo Handler (following on from a Port Logistics Cadetship)

Doulton came into the business as one of our Port Logistics Cadets – joining us in March 2021. Even before his cadetship, Doulton identified that he’d like to be a Cargo Handler. Fast-forward a couple of years, and that’s exactly what he is. We are proud of Doulton's success. He’s a valued team member and a great ambassador for our cadetship programme.

How long have you been at Port Otago?
Since March 2021.

What did you do before you came to Port Otago?
Straight out of school, I went into hairdressing – following in Mum's footsteps. I did that for five years, including my apprenticeship. During Covid lockdown, I was sitting around doing nothing, so started helping Dad at NZ Post. That was my first taste of the logistics industry and soon after I applied for the cadetship. The process started with the Dover^ test, then I did the physical fitness, which wasn't too bad. Then it was a medical, hearing and vision, and drug and alcohol tests. I also had to climb a straddle – to check I was good with heights.
^ Computer-based psychomotor assessment tool.

What did your cadet role involve?
The first two weeks were induction, health and safety, first aid and getting my forklift licence. I spent the next 10 months in Warehousing, starting in the dairy sheds. I'd never touched a forklift until I arrived here, so the first little bit of time was watching everything. They didn't let me work any machinery until I was competent enough, then they increased my hours in the forklift from there. The dairy sheds were always busy and it was a good mix of driving the 3-tonne, right through to the 12-tonne forklifts.
Then I went to Harbour Cold for their busy season, doing lots of big discharges off fishing vessels. I was working 12-hour shifts, so doing the big hours, but was used to that from hairdressing. It was a constant stream of work for three months.
Next was two months with the Depot team on the Washpad and a month in Repair, using hand tools, welding and painting. It involved working outside in all weather, doing rubber seal repairs. My time in Repair was good for building up my awareness of being around big machinery.
Then it was onto the Container Terminal, doing lashing and twist locks, and finally learning to drive the straddles.

What does lashing involve?
Lashing work is the most physical job at port – and I enjoy the physicality of it. You always lash with at least one other person and work for two hours, then have a 40-minute break.
Lashing involves locking the containers into place on the vessel, using long metal bars, and removing the bars, when a vessel is being unloaded.
The lashing bars are “one-high” (where the bars are 2 metres long and weigh about 20kg and “two high” (3-metre bars weighing about 30kg, making them a two-person job to pick up).
A bay* is usually about 12 boxes wide and anywhere from one to seven boxes (containers) high. You have a couple of lashers on one side of the ship, and a couple on the other. There are usually eight lashers operating on a vessel at any one time.
* Bay – a single container block running from one side of a ship to the other; rows – run lengthwise from bow to stern; tiers – the vertical layers of containers.

How was it learning to drive a straddle carrier?
I started learning to drive the straddles when I was still doing my cadetship. The trainer took me over to D Shed, where there’s only one straddle so you don’t feel any pressure while you get used to the size of the machines and being around them. Like lashing, straddle driving is also two hours on, then a 40-minute break.
At the time I was learning, they were looking for more Cargo Handlers. The person teaching me to drive the straddles asked if I’d thought about applying. It was the job that I wanted to do, but I felt bad about not completing the cadetship. I spoke to the People Team and they said ‘that’s the whole point of the cadetship – to find what you enjoy – so go for it’. That was September 2022.

How was the transition from Cadetship to Cargo Handler?
I moved across seamlessly. Because I was up to scratch with lashing, it was straight into driving on the main terminal, where there is more machinery around.
You start in “yard general”, which involves moving containers from one row to another. They leave you doing that for a while.
Then it was onto Road and Rail for five or six months, so you really get used to the straddle driving and yard lay out. Road/rail involves moving boxes on and off trucks/wagons and working with other people to land the box correctly onto the four corner points.
Finally, you’re allowed under the crane – the high point of straddle carrier driving. You’re taking containers away from the ship, when the vessel comes in, and then containers to the vessel, for export.

How is it straddle driving under the large ship-to-shore crane?
The Lander is a person on the ground under the crane, coordinating activity with the crane driver. There are four lanes under the crane. Lane 1 has no heavy machinery. It’s where the Lander is based, as well as the Lashers installing and removing twist locks when containers are coming on and off the ship.
So we have three “live” lanes for straddles. It’s all about spatial awareness. You drive up to the crane when the spreader (crane mechanism that secures and lifts the containers) is out over the ship. The trainers want to see that you are comfortable under the crane and working in with other machinery. You then learn to choose which lane to go into, depending on where the other straddles are that are coming and going under the same crane.

What's the best part of your job?
The job is skills-based, which I enjoy. I challenge myself to do things as quietly as possible – that is, with as few movements as possible. The job never gets monotonous, because of the different hours and roles.

What's the worst part of your job?
It would have to be the hours or working outside at night, when it’s cold and raining and blowing.

Do you have your eye on a particular job at Port?
My end goal is to operate the ship-to-shore crane and to learn the jobs that come along with that. But I’m in no hurry because, in the meantime I’m enjoying straddle driving even more than I thought I would.

Would you recommend the cadetship?
I did the cadetship strategically, because I came from hairdressing and didn’t think I had a great chance of getting straight into Cargo Handling, which was what I ultimately wanted to do. I really did not think I’d be in the Cargo Handler job within 18 months. It worked out better than I ever imagined.