Meet Jess Rees, Weighbridge Operator

Jess has worked for TJ for four years; she moved from an Administrator role at Head Office to Weighbridge Operator at Butser Quarry last year and is thoroughly enjoying her new role. Outside of work, Jess enjoys drawing and spending time with her Husky Max, who is a big softie!

What does your role involve?

I joined TJ in 2017 in an administrator role which I really enjoyed. When the pandemic hit last year, unfortunately my position was no longer needed. I was really pleased to be offered another role rather than be let go and I was happy to move into the role of Weighbridge Operator at Butser. I appreciated the gesture and felt truly valued!  

My main task is to book vehicles in and out. Vehicles come in with materials to offload and go out with materials to transport and I’m responsible for checking the loads, making sure everything is correct and that the weights are right too. This can be for TJ’s own haulage vehicles or external commercial vehicles.

If loads arrive that aren’t fully compliant (for example if hardcore isn’t clean as it’s mixed with soil or grass etc), I have to turn them away. Our customers are well informed about what is and isn’t allowed so it doesn’t happen often. We offer free tipping for commercial vehicles to bring us their clean hardcore or tarmac – this is a huge benefit for companies as they don’t have to pay for disposal. We then repurpose these materials by using them to manufacture our own recycled aggregate, iBlend, so it’s advantageous to both parties as well as the environment.

What’s your career background?

I’ve had a range of jobs over the years; I’ve worked in a call centre, a warehouse and I was a carer for a while – I’ve had some very different roles that have enabled me to gain varied experience, which is valuable for any onward role. I’ve gained a lot of customer service experience and my communication skills – both on the phone and face to face – are very strong too and this experience has helped me do well in both my roles at TJ.

What are the most rewarding parts of the role?

I’m a very easy going person, which enables me to deal with the busy periods well and in a calm manner; knowing that I do this well gives me great satisfaction. I find being able to help people with any queries very rewarding and the same goes to helping my colleagues. 

When the new tablet system came in recently some of the drivers were finding it challenging to get used to, so I was happy to help them become more familiar with it and help iron out any issues for them. It was also a little challenging though, as due to the COVID guidelines, I wasn’t allowed to actually touch their tablets so I had to give guidance from a distance! 

I get on well with the drivers and everyone on-site and we all have good working relationships. I knew some of the drivers from when I was working in the office and that made the move even easier.

What are your aims for 2021?

There’s scope for me to gain some vehicle driving experience which I’m keen to do. I’m hoping to train to get my shovel ticket, which will allow me to drive the shovel vehicle around the site, meaning I’ll be able to help load materials on to the lorries during quieter periods, such as weekends. It would be great to be able to do that this year!

What do you like most about working for TJ?

I really enjoy working for TJ; the directors are brilliant and have been so helpful and supportive. There’s also a great team atmosphere – I love interacting with the drivers everyday and learning how everything works. I’d never been to a quarry before I started working here so it’s been great to see what goes on!

Meet more TJ team members and find out more about the services we offer and the work we do.