If you spend any time on the roads around the UK, chances are you’ll have spotted one of Olleco’s striking climate emergency vehicles. To give you an insight into the lives of the people behind the wheels of our fleet, we interviewed Jordan. He is one of our oil drivers and plays a key role in helping us maintain our position as one of the UK’s leading fresh cooking oil delivery service and collector of used cooking oil. We caught Jordan at the end of his day as he returned to our Northamptonshire depot, where he was about to clean his vehicle and prepare it for the next day’s deliveries and collections.

Could you talk us through a typical day for you at Olleco?

I generally start my day here at the depot at about six. We drive split-bodied vehicles that divide the fresh cooking oils that we deliver from the used cooking oil we collect. I load up each section of the vehicle - putting on the fresh cooking oils that have been ordered on my round and loading up clean, used cooking oil drums and bins to replace the ones I will be collecting during the day. 

Many of our customers reuse the containers the fresh cooking oil was delivered in, to return their used cooking oil which saves space and helps with their recycling. The customers using larger quantities of cooking oil tend to use the 60 litre drums, 120 litre bins or 1000 litre IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers).

We use trolleys to deliver and collect at most places but customers using IBCs need a forklift to load their used cooking oil onto the vehicle. It’s quite strenuous work but I like that aspect of the job - it keeps you active and healthy which is important. Some driving jobs can be a bit sedentary.

What sorts of places do you collect from?

We deliver to and collect from anywhere that uses cooking oil. So that is everything from small country pubs and restaurants to football stadiums and hospitals. My round includes exhibition centres, supermarket chains, food factories, football grounds and prisons. The most exotic place I go to is a safari park where I have to drive through the enclosures to get to the pick up point so I see quite a range of wildlife on my travels.

The area I cover includes Birmingham and Warwickshire and some days my round takes me as far north as Cannock, which can make for quite a long shift when you’re coming back to Northampton.

What are the challenges of the job?

Used cooking oil can be messy stuff and has a way of getting everywhere if not properly managed. Sometimes containers develop holes or splits which can develop if customers have put oil in when it is very hot and hasn’t been allowed to cool. If we are wheeling used oil over surfaces such as stone or gravel, we have to ensure that they don’t leave any marks so we will put covers over the trolley wheels. I’ve been working with it for four years now so I know how to handle it but you do have to give your hands a really good scrub at the end of the day.

Theft has become an increasing problem so you have to be quite security conscious with the vehicle, making sure it is secure between trips to collect oil. Sometimes you will have thousands of litres by the end of a round making it quite a valuable cargo. Because I tend to do the same routes people get to know you which is nice and helps with security. Customers seeing a familiar face and the Olleco uniform are reassured that their oil is going to the right place.

Traffic can be a bit of a challenge, especially on the narrow roads around Warwickshire and at Christmas time but you get used to it and when you know the routes well, you know where the problem areas are.

What do you like about the job?

I love being out on the road. No two days are ever quite the same. I’m happy with my own company so it’s great just being able to get on with the work. Sometimes we do go out with another member of the team. Usually when one of us is learning a new route and that’s good for a bit of a change. It is quite demanding work but I enjoy the physicality of the job, it keeps you fit - handling weights.

As a Dad, it’s also good knowing you’re doing something to reduce climate change. The vehicles get quite a lot of attention and people often come over to talk about what we do. One man thought we recycled the cooking oil back into cooking oil again so I had to put him straight and explain that we converted it into renewable biodiesel. 

Do you have a message you’d like to share?

There aren’t many driving jobs where you are actually delivering a positive effect on the environment. Because we supply fresh and collect used cooking oil in the same vehicle, we’re helping our customers save a lot of carbon miles. And, of course, we’re reducing the impact of all those other vehicles on the roads by making sustainable biodiesel from all the used oil we collect.