The Operators' Voice

A long week

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:45:17 +0000

long week was spent in Wales. I 've been there 4 times in the last week.

All four times I have been to Magor just off the M4, all at the Wilkinson's depot and all at the ridiculous time of 6 am.

Two of the delivery's were for 1 plt at a time.

After the Wilkinson's I went on to the Air craft component factory for a 7.30 delivery, they didn't open until 8.30 and they didn't come out of the tea room until 9 am.

I saw an amazing factory in the hills,completely abandoned and in ruins.

I was up in the hills for a large part of the day and the only things around were the sheep, even if they were trying to hide.

I soon flushed them out.It really was amazing up there and to be getting paid to see it was a bonus.

Some of the roads were better than others .

This is what was eventually delivered , the picture was taken before it left for Wales though.

This was Cardiff in the morning when things were looking pretty bad, luckily the weather got a lot better.One road I went down took me twenty minutes to get out of. Backwards!

I should of followed this trucks idea and stayed put.

One of my delivery's was next door to a very busy printers, they just had a big order for 25 Billion...

This is where all the angry welsh farmers hang out.

I didn't spend all week in Wales, I escaped once to the sea side for another of our regular Trunks to hunstanton and found most of it still open.

I parked up here and watched this guy unload a few cars while I had my 45 minute break and ate some fried chicken from Tesco.

I overtook this on the way.

Some of the weird factory's on the estate included a cold storage place and this gruesome looking business.
Another Welsh trip took me Asda in Cardif, but you wouldn't recognise it.
My last day including a Saturday trip from Newcastle to home was in the company of a couple of lovely looking ladies...

and an Angel.I slept in the lorry at a place called the Stockyard, a truck stop on the M18 that is a pub with a massive parking area for trucks.

Its a very busy bar that serves a full carvery every night as well.

I was back on the road for 4 am though because I had to get back and pick up another loaded truck to take some stuff to a bank in a village near us.

It was an AM delivery and I was doing great until....
Yeah , ripped the whole front off the truck on a bollard after pulling out of the bay I was parked in.

I have no defense and rang the boss straight away, luckily his phone was engaged.

I delivered the load and then rang again and he seemed to take it pretty well.

I'm glad it wasn't my lorry but I am sorry for the driver its not nice to leave your truck on the Friday and find it wrecked on the Monday morning.

It was an accident but I should of been more careful and adjusted my seat and mirrors when I got in the truck instead of just bombing off and not checking my blind spots.

I was cheered up to see this crash on the way back home though.

I was feeling sorry for myself on the way back to the yard to show the boss's( yeah they were all there) when I went past this.
It was in the ditch with a policeman and looked pretty smashed up. I think its a TVR.

It put my front bumper into perspective anyway.

Surrounded by the chavs

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:39:47 +0000

I was sent back to wales for 7 delivery's and 3 collections spread over the day and all precision timed to within a few minutes of a 10 hour driving day.

This was one of my collection's, the customer was having a bonfire while the kids were learning how to tip scrap off an old transit tipper truck, while it was tipped up.

Another collection was next door to this night club on an Industrial estate.

I was to park for a 9 hour rest and then back up to our yard to meet a trailer that leaves every morning at 7 to Liverpool docks.

I forgot my camera so I didn't get many pictures of my two day adventure around Wales and the west country but I did get these pictures on my phone.

I took in Frome, Glastonbury, Westerby and finished in Cirencester.

I found a truck stop that was owned by the council and right next to a Tesco and a Mc Donald's.

When I took the printout from the digital Tacho I was impressed to find I'd done exactly ten hours driving.

It was early evening and I settled down for an early night because I was going to have to start at 4 ish to get back up in time for the trailer.

It wasn't long until I regretted my choice of parking.

I could hear a thumping noise, getting louder and louder and then more and more thumping noises followed. What on earth was that I thought?

I looked out of the curtain and my heart sank.

There was a line of blinged up vauxhall nova's and Citroen's roaring through the gate, wheels spinning , lights glaring and sound systems blaring.

It wasn't long before the car park was full of noisy chavs all revving their engines and blasting out their stereos.

One chav had a mic on his system and a sound effect machine and kept me awake for hours with his stupid shouting.

I eventually fell asleep at around 11 0-clock when I guess they must of all had to get home for their tea.

I made it up to our yard for about 6 am and thinking I was due a little rest I went into the office with my paperwork from the last few days, Ha silly me , I was loaded again for that Tesco were I had wanted to kill someone.

I was to load next door to the Tesco at a customer of ours in Crick and take it straight to Wembley after wards.

The Tesco was completely different, the girl behind the counter smelt great and looked a hell of a lot better than the hag, she was even polite, helpful and dare I say it, even nice. Tesco could be on to something here, employing , kind, helpful and polite staff could catch on.

I was out in little under 15 minutes and on my way to Wembley a little later.

I found the drop in Wembley easy just of the Harrow rd in a tower block called Wembley Point.

I was told where I needed was on the 21 st floor so I asked at reception if they could call up to them, she didn't want to but I explained I had 15 pallets of photo copiers in the car park and I wasn't able to carry them up 21 floors alone.

Unbelievably, the person on the other end of the phone decided to reject the delivery and said to come back on Monday........

I hope they have to pay for that because to me that seems like a real liberty.

I'm back to Wales on Monday and Ill be taking my camera .

Ill leave you with this joke from MOTO motorway services.

Stuck out without a forklift.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:42:17 +0000

After the weekend from hell I was looking forward to a nice easy Monday run up Oldham and then a few drops to Acrington and then Midlewich to a building site on the A530.

The drops were really easy but they did involve a visit to Shaw, the biggest warehouse in Europe that is operated by Shopping Direct for Littlewoods.

Its an old mill and looks like something out of Charles Dickens.

I have never seen such old fashioned loading bays.

When you finally get backed onto them the unloader doesn't pull the pallets off, they unpack every pallet and send the goods down on a conveyor belt.

My box's didn't pass the size criteria which is 300 cm square so it was all rejected.

Great news when the rest of your loads are all tail lift jobs.
I did find these imprisoned TR7's that needed a little TLC.

The next few places were building sites and I had trouble getting the goods off because of these opened up and loose pallets so it was all going to have to be handball.

I was then due in a Somerfield on the M6 and that's when every thing unravelled.

I had one pallet and it had one box on it.

Razors, no wonder they cost so much .

It took me hours and hours to get unloaded and then get all the paperwork back.

I went to use the toilet here and found that someone had removed it.

This was the other toilet, not very safe.
and no locks on the door.

Another example of second rate services.

But Somerfield seem to think its funny

While I was waiting for Somerfield to release me I was told by the boss that The forklift driver at my next drop was finishing at 4 pm so I would have to park up near the drop and tip in the morning.

That's great.

"Find a layby" he said, Er no I got three pallets of ipods and a pair of bulging curtains saying "Here, Look at me"

I don't fancy being a victim thanks very much.

I drive to Lymm Services and I was really impressed.

It was like a little village , A lorry drivers oasis.

Everything you need is there, safe (ish) parking facilities including 24 hour restaurant, and a bar.

The MacDonald's was just around the corner and even the toilet facilities were passable, apart from a few dubious holes drilled in nearly every cubicle, what's all that about?

I had a decent rest and didn't hear any fridges or trailer changes at all and woke up at 6 to get yesterdays drops off.

When I found the building site I was told they dont even have a forklift, we had to handball all 20 concrete posts off the side and over to the place they wanted them..... "Forklift, ha" they said.

I collected my load for today from this place where the boss has immaculate taste in cars.

When I looked at my notes I noticed it was going to Wales for 6 am !

It went here . lots of pics because it was a two hour wait.

The rest of the day was spent getting back from Wales and putting up with with dick head lorry drivers.

I was passing this slow container truck on the hills and when it came to a slight slope he came
flying past me and then sat next to me to leave me hanging time and time again.

That's not all he left hanging by the looks of it.

I left him to it and sat on 50 the rest of the way up the M5. Ill leave the petty minded behaviour to the small men in big trucks.

I'm happy with my 12 toner.

I'm comfortable in my skin.

A few weeks worth of Lorryday

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:39:26 +0000

Rejected , refused , sent packing, what a waste!

Posted on Thursday, October 08, 2009 by lorryday

First Day out in the 18 tonner for weeks and it turned out to be another 15 pallet, 15 drop day.

It was all around the villages of Leicestershire including a few very pretty, but also very tiny farms.

The pallet for this farm was the size of a cowpat but I had to go through three sets of electric gates, down a long drive, past this house and into the courtyard beyond to deliver it.

My next delivery couldn't of been any more different.

It was only a few miles away but before I could get into the premises I had to wait to be directed past ....... A train !!

The man in the Hi Viz is very important, he waves his arms as you go by and without him you wouldn't be able to get past. Honest.!

I had loads of other encounters throughout the day but most happen so fast they are hardly worth speaking about so a few pictures will speak for me.

Instead of a car of the day I have decided to award a Hedge of the day today.

This was my last drop of the day before a collection of crimble cakes that filled the truck up and had me sweating in the back loading them off the back door with a pallet truck.

This was going north today on the way to a complete waste of time.

For people of a sensitive disposition look away now because some RDC,s don't keep the bays as clean as they should do.

I was in Pontefract today at a budget supermarket at 6.30 am for a 7 am slot.

I was sent to the bay and had to pull right up to this lovely sight.

It was a squashed rabbit, right in line with Eddies front wheels.

I was in the 7.5 today again so I had a close up view of this poor little wabbit as the crows, picked and pecked over its corpse right in front of my windscreen.

I went into the goods in handed in the paperwork, signed my life away regarding the self tip policy that they have, and went and stood by my bay.

I pulled the pallets off and then waited next to them for grumpy, the dwarf to check them over and sign my release papers , (I mean my notes) and make my escape.

Well grumpy ummed and ehhrred and oohhhhd and ahhrred and then went to find somebody with more authority than him, (not hard I would imagine)

He eventually came back and he had turned into Happ, Hurray I thought, at last I'm out.

I'm sorry to say that the reason for his complete change in persona from joyless porg into happy elf was to my downfall.

"Were refusing you drive" he said, with a smile on his face."We cant match the order numbers up".

"The boxes have 60 pieces in and our paperwork says they meant to have 20 in, they all gotta go back"

I went back out to the front and was handed my keys. It was like a light had been shone on all the staff, I had unknowingly made all of their days.

They all looked, and acted, overjoyed.

There was nothing I could say.

They had made up their mind so it was time to call the boss and explain why I would be carrying an extra ton around with me for the rest of the day.

There was one thing I wish I had of said though. It went some thing like this.

"Stuff your stupid store , and for fuck sake, clean the dead rabbit off your bay!"

Saturday, 10 October 2009

The end of the week

Posted on Saturday, October 10, 2009 by lorryday

Just a few pictures today of what I saw, a few simple delivery's and observations along the way.

I was at a Plumb centre in Gainsborough for 7 am and then due at Boots in Nottingham for 9. It was a bit tight making the time slot but this queue helped me out.
It was finally my turn and after being given a pager, I was sent to sit on a bay.

After a quick check for dead rabbits I parked up and waited.

I was supposed to pick up some more scattered neutrons for the power station on the way back home so I planned my route to minimise traffic because Nottingham is traffic hell.

I planned it past this power station . Ratcliffe. It was having the security upgraded.

I had to go back up to the airport for the neutrons and that took me past Donnington Park, New home of the British Grand Prix. I hope its better than the old one here

Parked up waiting to be loaded I found this camper van parked far to close to this lamp post for my liking.

I was finished by 12 o-clock and thought I was due an early finish since it was Friday but no.

I was to come back and get loaded for a drop in Boreham wood.

Welcome to the M1 on Friday afternoons.
These were taken on the way back up.

He wishes this was blurred by speed. I just couldn't get it focused properly.
This camper lives not far from our yard and I have to pass it most mornings on the way to work.

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

A week on the big stuff

Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 by lorryday

I was on sick cover today and was expecting an early morning wake up call.

As it turned out I wasn't needed until 10.

I was finally given a lorry to drive at 11, it was a 26 tonner.

I was sent over to Burton on Trent for a 12.30 drop at Waterstones.
It was right next to my old friend the Coors Brewery.

After a bit of messing around with different departments I was unloaded .

After driving back with the orange light flashing and no one in the office willing to divulge the fuel card pin number I was heading for our fuel bunker in Lutterworth.

They were busy mending this trailer !!!

A huge hiss of air as I released the fuel cap told me I was pretty much running on fumes so the tank eventually took over 250 litres.

I rang the office and was told to come back and collect another lorry and take it to get loaded.

It was another 26 tonner, this time it was a Scania that normally carried one of our moffets.

I had it loaded and back within the hour and then just when I thought I would be finished I was given yet another wagon, this time it was an 18 ton Iveco stralis.
These are the gear controls on the Iveco.

I had to take it over to one of our high security customers and get loaded. I was given a security cord to wrap around the truck and left in this cage while they loaded it up.

The office rang and said I was taking the 26 tonner to Stoke and Stafford in the morning and that's where I am now, sat in Screwfix's driver room in stoke, locked out of my cab where I took the precaution of bringing my laptop with me just in case I was here a while.

The new rules at this depot mean you cant sit inside your cab while you are being tipped. The room is OK but If I didn't have this I would be struggling to entertain myself with this radio station playing Vera Lynn !..
This is what I would look like with a class One licence .!

I escaped from the war years and now I'm at the other Screwfix depot in Stafford This time I'm allowed to sit in my cab.

I saw this appeal on the way.

I am on the bay and waiting for my green light to turn red.

A 30 minute break in Corley next to this poorly trailer.

I was called over to Coventry to load up for Citylink, next to the airport and was loaded by this forkie.

This is citylink and a load of empty forklifts all parked up.
You drive inside and then wait for them to unload you, and then Freedom !!

I went over to Wincanton to load a wagon for Thatcham and then I was allowed to go home early.

I'm going to Maccesfield in the morning in another Iveco stralis and then next Monday I get my own truck at last.

Its an Iveco Eurocargo 12 tonner on a 59 plate.

I have enjoyed driving the big trucks again but I will stick with the new Iveco for a while as it gives me stability and it also means I don't have to drag a massive bag around with me everday and search for a reg number in the dark anymore

Bay 13, Unlucky for some

Posted on Friday, October 16, 2009 by lorryday

I'm writing this instead of getting banned from a shit hole Tesco site, 30 minutes from my home on a Friday night.

I have been messed about and had time stolen from me by this company too many times.

I started in Milton Keynes and had a moron talk to me as if I was an idiot.

I suppose I must be to put up with it really but, I had to move the truck I was in, off the bay and open the curtains up because the truck was too low for the dock leveller to reach properly.

The way he explained it you would of thought I had designed the truck and the leveller and I was lower than shit on a spade to him.

I felt like dragging his smug smarmy fat arse off the bay and ruining his day, but instead I let him ruin mine.

The last time I had been to this RDC in Milton Keynes I had found a pallet of rotting wine dumped at the side of one of the bays.
I had written about this RDC last month, Well, surprise, surprise, It was still here . Tramps.

I was eventually released from Tesco MK and set off on the way to Tesco at Crick, a legend in the RDC world, were time stands still and pagers and yellow paths rule.

I went into goods in and was told in the usual delighted and very pleased with themselves way that goods in people talk to us they were all on a break, and no, I don't know anything and no, I cant help you and no, there is nothing I can do.

I was invited to come back at 6.30 and seeing as it was 5.45, I was not best pleased.

They tried to make me wait in a room the size of a toilet, it also stank like one.

At 6.30 I went back to the hatch in the office It was now occupied by a hag!! , she stank and she had the sort of face that soured milk ,
The hags lair. It Stank.

She didn't look up at me for 3 minutes, ( I counted) and when she did, she didn't speak, she waited for me to speak.

"Bay 13" I said "I was told to come back at 6.30", "Well they on a break " she said.

"I was told you were on a break 45 minutes ago" I said.

"They not here" she said "what can I say?"

" Well what happens now" I said "I heard them unload it, the lorrys empty"

"Well they got to check it" said the Hag, as if I was thick.

"Its one Pallet" I said , "how long can it take?"

What gets me is not what they say, but how they say things.

I don't mind delays and hold ups and problems, that's life. But rude, ignorant and selfish behaviour, just for the sake of it, I find that intolerable.

I couldn't't actually talk in her office any more because the smell of the sweat was making me retch whenever I opened my mouth, so I came out for some air.

I had only told her I was on bay 13, I was reporting in as directed ,and she jumped down my throat and assumed I was stupid.

I am sick of this company's shit treatment of drivers, without us here, shovelling this shit for them, they wouldn't have any shit to sell to their customers, me being one of them , although I am cutting my club card up after typing this.

I'm going back in now to try and get my keys and my paperwork back....

Back again !

I have been told its three loads on one pallet and is therefore causing the checkers a probleIm.
I was told by the checker , a very nervous looking individual that he would let me know when it was finished.

I got the paperwork after waiting another hour!

I had seen the checker walk past me and over to the other truck on the bay next to me. I assumed he would be true to his word and call me when he had finished checking my one pallet so I sat and waited as instructed.

I eventually went back in and found my paperwork and my keys sat on the ledge.

When I picked up my paperwork, hag said "We called you three times"

They seemed so thrilled with selves, the whole office, I was literally lost for words.

I only took one pallet in, imagine if I had of been full?

I had walked around the yellow lines in the yard so often, I thought was in The Land of Oz.

One pretty truck parked up even longer than I was.

I am doing the post backwards this week so here is the begginging of the week , before it all went wrong.

I love seeing the Army lorry's on the road , these lads were part of a massive convoy on the A 14 on Wednesday.

My last collection on Wednesday was here at Knights of Old.
A very rare sight these days , A real record shop, selling vinyl. Youngsters ask your dads.
A very trendy scrap yard in Daventry home of the trendiest working mans club as well

My Favourite RDC is Pearsons In Rugby, Penguin Books. Friendly staff, fast tips and free coffee machine.

I have read over this post since writing it on Friday when I was howling mad and I stand by every word.

I'm in my new permanent truck tomorrow so I hope I have a better day to report.

Thursday, 22 October 2009

New lorry, New runs

Posted on Thursday, October 22, 2009 by lorryday

I was given my new truck on Monday and straight away I was tested.

The boss had called me in on Saturday to give me a chance to pack my bedding in nice and early because they had planned for me to be out all week.

I was due in Wales early and wasn't expected back that night.

I was lucky though and managed to squeeze the whole day into 9 hours and 40 minutes driving time.

This was where we pick up the seats for CAT, this is the seat out of a digger.

Tuesday I was told you were definitely out , a short drive down south to Bedford and then collect the nuclear stuff and straight up to Hartlepool.

Things didn't work out again though and I ended up sitting at the customer for four hours while they loaded me.

That meant another night in my own bed and an early start in the morning to get to the power station for 7.30.

When I got back to my truck and checked my load I found a pallet of beer for Carlsberg had been added so I was going to Billingham first.

When I got to the power station I was parked up by two jobsworth at the delivery bay and left for a few hours.

After watching these two no-marks, drink tea and stroll around in their oversize high viz coats that went down to their knees and made them look even more insignificant than they actually are, ( hard I know but true) I was getting more and more annoyed.

These blokes hadn't read my paperwork or even checked what I had or who had ordered it but I was just parked up and left.

After watching various DHL, Parcelforce and other carriers including the water man, come and go, I decided drastic action was called for so I called the powerstation and told them I was sitting outside with an important delivery for them.

I was put through to the right department and within 5 minutes they had sent an escort down and called me up to the main security gate.

After a cab and person search I was allowed on site and unloaded.

Its not everyday you see a warship next to your drop off point.

A complete waste of two hours but at least I was finally out of there.

A long drive back down was made a little harder with a series of collections and same day delivery's from Nottingham to Hinkley so I did another 14 hour day.

Im out of my new truck already for tommorrow but only because the boss found out I have a full ADR ticket and he has decided to get it plated up for Hazardous goods.

Nothing much happened today , I was out in a rented truck for a few hours and then judt had to hang around the yard doing a few minor collections and then home for 3 pm.

I have got my first night out on Friday though so I wont get back until Saturday morning.

Saturday, 24 October 2009

Friday night is . . . . .dirt night

Posted on Saturday, October 24, 2009 by lorryday

Car of the day had to be this amazing Ford Cortina estate I found this morning .

I was sent up to Newcastle on Friday with 7 delivery's to make on the way up.
York, Scarborough, Stockton on tees, Billingham and then 3 in Newcastle.

This was the first drop in York.

I was supposed to get as far down as I could with whatever hours I had left and then park up for the night.

On Saturday I was to come back around 8 am and and do a few local delivery's .

I found a few nice sights along the way.
This was the christmas lights in Whitby

St James Park.

I want to focus on the facilities that truckers are asked to put with.

I am one of the lucky ones because my company actually pays for parking , whether empty or not, although what we are actually getting for our money is anybodies guess.

I went up as far as Cramlington but even though I had two hours driving left the A1 in Newcastle took most of those off me near the Angel of the North.

I had planned to get down the A1 and use one of the many truckers truck stops but I was forced into a Moto services called Barton.

This driver had the right idea , he was picked up by his Mrs and left the wagon where it was.

What a place, It was chaotic to say the least and very confusing for a first time visitor as well.

The cafe is on top of the hill and a BP garage lies at the bottom with a massive fuel bunker including Ad blue next to that.

There is a sign on the cafe door saying to pay for parking before you order any food, So I climb up the stairs and climb some more ...............

When I asked to pay for parking, the girl behind the counter tells me you have to pay at the garage, that's at the bottom of the stairs.

When I got back up to the cafe for the 2nd time I was ready to order but there was very little food on offer .

It was 5 o-clock on a Friday night, some would of thought peak time.

The special board was chicken tikka and rice so I chose that, mainly because I couldn't face a full breakfast which is all they seemed to be able to provide.

"We ain't got rice" said the unattractive and unhelpful girl behind the counter.

"You can have it with chips" she said.

How hard is rice to make then ? I wondered.

I declined her offer of any anything else and sat down.

I noticed everything closed at 9pm and wondered what facilities would be open after that time as I was planning on leaving at around 4 pm.

After finding the facilities I decided I was better off without them.

The cost of parking was £10 but the facilities were practically non existent, Actually I wished they were non existent.

£10, that included a £3.50 food voucher, but not a free shower. They actually wanted money to go in here!

I have to say that the place was a disgrace but the food that I had was actually quite tasty.

It might have something to do with the fact I hadn't eaten for 12 hours but I have to say I did enjoy the food
But regarding the facilities Ill leave the last word to Moto themselves.

The start of the line

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:19:04 +0000

With all the pictures I take during the lorry day, some always get left out so I have decided to feature a collage of them all at the beginning of my blog .

I was out in a 7.5 t (again) on Monday and had a fairly easy collection in Doncastor at Polypipe.

Every thing was very civilised and I was out in 20 minutes.

I saw this truck with a novel advertising slogan "The Only Thing We Don't Deliver" next to this picture of the baby.

I had a few local collections and then went and fuelled up the truck.

As usual my Nemesis was waiting for me at the fuel bunker.

I don't like dogs and dogs don't like me. They say dogs smell fear, well this dog must have a smellfest every time my truck pulls up.

He jumps up from wherever he is sitting and runs up to me, barking and snarling and basically showing off.

My heart is always racing and I try to laugh it off and say things like hear boy , and nice doggy but he never falls for it , he just barks louder.

I hope his bark is worse than his bite.

After my run in with the devil dog I was sent to collect a load for the next day that was going to a Nuclear power station at the end (or beginning depending on your personal north- south divide) of England in Kent.

I was briefed before the visit by the boss and kitted out in full PEP kit, hard hat,gloves, glasses, ear defenders and hi viz.

I looked like Homer Simpson although a lot slimmer and only a little bit yellower.

After the long drive up to the power station and the reassuring signs saying I was in a nature reserve and a place of outstanding beauty and not a Nuclear reactor site, I saw the start of the line.

The first pylon in England, the beginning of a link that makes its way to a field near my house and beyond.

I thought it was rather exciting.

To get unloaded I had to find my way to sub station B, hanger 7 along the path marked park energy routing zone and park at the double gates. easy !

An hour later I was still waiting. I had actually ran out of hours on site having arrived after a 4 hour and 17 minute drive down from Leicester.

When they eventually turned up to unload me I asked them what I was delivering.

Something called Scattered Neutrons. They sit in the nuclear reactor like a sort of filter and they are replacing all of them.

I had brought Three down with me and the took up all the space on a 7.5 t.

They cost £50,000 each (before delivery) and there are roughly 800 in the reactor.

Looks like our firm will be busy for while yet then.

Car of the day today on the way back up from Kent.

Im in an 18 tonner tommorw and its on Palletways so a nice late start (8 am) hence thats why I could post this tonight.

PS couldnt resit another collage sorry.

Out of respect

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:10:27 +0000

The new conspicuity regulations are the last straw for me. The last morsel of respect I have for the rule makers in this industry has now gone.

I see 'they' (Paul Clark) are now talking about deferring the introduction of these regulations because of the cost to industry. Have 'they' gone completely insane? The cost of a few stickers is infinitesimal on the price of a new truck.
What really gets me is the total lack of thought that is behind this. In the past we have had extra lights and reflectors added, fair enough, but now we have to have reflective stickers to show the outline. How far away do you need to be able to see the side of a truck, the next county? The motorway at night is going to be ablaze with lights! You probably won't notice the cars and what chance have motorbikes got?

What about the real 'knights of the road' that have been so completely ignored. The best people in this industry. The people that have pride in their work and the trucks they drive! How's Captain Scarlet or the Lord of the Rings going to look with a bloody great reflective stripe through the middle of them? I spoke to one such driver, after admiring his truck, the other day. He said, *&%£ that, they're not going on.

And the RHA say it's too small an issue to get involved. How pompous of them. Like they are doing other things!

What about a bigger issue for them like - priority for trucks leaving service areas? Or is that too small too. . What about the first 18 year old to kill a family when he rolls his truck onto them at a roundabout because he's playing boy racer's. That must also be too small. The reduced age limited happened in the blink of an eye because the industry will be desperate for drivers in a few years and it is taking desperate measures to recruit them. Methods commonly used in other industries are not the way. (ie. Training/Youth opportunities)
I don't know many people that wanted to be career drivers. I got my licence in 1984 because I heard you could earn £500pw driving to Italy. (Plus c'est change. . )
Others I know drove to finance studies or wanted to pay their mortgage off in 5 or 10 years.

Create an industry where you can earn £1000 pw driving (eg. minimum haulage rate) and employers will be able pick the 'wheat from the chaff' and pride and professionalism will be restored naturally. Instead it is being imposed on us through the Driver CPC (The Emperors New Clothes) and more oppressive rules and regulations than you can shake a stick at.

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. he runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, His drivers are all British drivers with around 20 years' experience.

lorryday unplugged

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 08:35:14 +0000

Tuesday morning I went into the office and was given the keys to another fleet vehicle , 54 reg Iveco Euro cargo .

It was very clean and had stickers everywhere inside the cab reminding me to keep it this way.

I plugged in my usual electronic equipment and nothing, I felt a dread in the bottom of my stomach as I realised that the socket wasn't working.

I didn't know how I would manage as I don't know my way around that well without my sat nav.

I have a map but it only covers main roads not A-Z of anywhere apart from London.

I didn't have much charge left in the tom tom because I had used it without plugging it in the day before on another truck and I was panicking.

I had to use one of those paper map thingies.

I found a box in the truck and dusted it off, It had lots of those paper thingies inside so I took the one marked WALES on it and tried to plan a route.

After a race with Honda and a small break for swans on the road I followed the google car into Wales.

It was a lovely day and I got around really easily considering I didn't have a clue where I was going.

I planned my routes instead of following the route.
I went deep into Wales and as I found my way around without the Sat Nav, my confidence grew.

I missed all the other things that I usually plug into the truck like my DAB radio and my ipod but listening to local radio was interesting.

I heard Michael Chopra saying he was feeling confident about breaking his 8 game goal drought for Swansea and when I got home I heard he scored 4 times.

I was back in time for my dentist appointment.

I had booked an evening visit.

The dentist sat me down and extracted a tooth. I wished I was still lost in the Valleys.

I spent my break periods looking for the fuse box in the truck and when I found it and also found out that nothing was wrong with the fuses I reported it to our workshop as a fault.

Now when I got back into the yard, I was expecting the team to swarm all over my truck like Lewis Hamiltons pit crew, fix me up and send me back out in the morning like a champion, but all I got was a trainee mechanic, with the wrong screw driver asking me where the manual to the truck was!

It was eventually checked over and I was told that since there was power going to the socket,they couldn't find anything wrong with it,even though it didn't work and since it was a part they didn't stock , it would have to stay broke.

Now I am usually in a truck for a day of two but this week lucky me, I am in this all week.

Here is a useless piece of plastic called a tom tom.

And here is where it used to live.

I was in the London for the rest of the week and making good use of my otherwise redundant A-Z.

One place I had to find was the tube station in Acton.

These guys couldnt count and had to unpack all the track and count each and every peice.

I found a van with the most immaculate bathroom facilities. yes I said bathroom facilities.

No matter what kind of day your having I find a good Polar bear picture can always lift your mood.

A car of the day wasn't going to make it on the road anytime soon.

Sat Nav mark two fails to live up to the challenge of Zero power in Reigate.

But then I find a tiny sanctuary in West London called Stockley Park , home of BP and other blue chip company's like Apple and Sharp,where I was heading to.

I couldn't believe it when I was in reception asking for the goods in office.

A breathless man rushed in, he was wearing a cycling helmet and all sorts of security paraphernalia on a massive belt.

He also wore the obligatory hi viz flashing crossing his body and an earpiece.

I panicked thinking it was the police and because he was breathlessly mouthing at me I assumed someone had been tampering with the lorry.

Eventually his red cheeks paled and he managed to speak.

"Your Parked on the grass" he said.

"pardon"

"Your Wheels , there on the grass" he said again.

"Oh" I thought it might of been on fire or something the way you way you rushed in like that " I told him.

"You can't park there" said Robo- Warden.

I smiled to myself, said sorry and reversed to where I had been directed.

You cant ever win so why compete?

A trip back up the motorway and a diversion to our Reading yard on the way home took me past a lot of military vehicles.

The reason I was sent to reading was, A factory near us in Leicester had a collection they needed bringing up to them that day urgently. I was finished in London so I picked it up around 1 pm.

It was going here where the road was closed. I eventually picked my way around the schoolkids and the parked cars on the diversion route and told the security office what I had.
"Oh great" he said "they been waiting for that"

"Park up on the left and they'll be with you" he said.

I parked up next to an empty arctic that was being loaded with empty pallets.

An hour later I was parked up next to a half empty arctic that was being loaded very slowly and very neatly with empty pallets.

I asked the forklift driver if I was in the right place to be tipped with the Reading stuff they had wanted.

"We've been waiting for that" he said.

Priceless.

I live about ten minutes drive from this factory and it was the one place that had held me up all day.

From London to reading, Thatcham and back home again.

Friday I was in Twikenham, after my dailey commute to Reigate and I was getting the hang of not using the sat nav, (well not on the straight bits, I just used it on the bendy roads)
and found this grand looking building.

I had to drop three pallets off just next door to the home of English Rugby. It looked very intimidating , all concrete and glass.

I couldnt resit this picture of a plane landing on the roof of this lorry as I made my way back home.

Up the M40 this time and past my car of the week.

Most cars have matching interior to the bodywork but this car has a matching driver to the interior !

But is he happy?

I think so YES.

I cleaned and polished the inside of the lorry of as per the instructions on the orange stickers before handing the keys back in to the transport office.

I am in the rented truck again next week and I just hope I never see that accoustic truck ever again.

A week of pictures

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:11:35 +0000

I was out every morning before 5 am this week and although it shows In my pay packet, It also shows in my eyes.

I'm shattered and after a week of sleeping and driving and driving and sleeping I have had no time for anything else.

I have taken pictures of my week on the road and I have tried to post some stuff but I had a software failure out on the road while using Explorer instead of my preferred browser Firefox!

When I arrive at home its a quick shower, dinner with the kids and then I'm in bed just after them so I have had no time to write the blog up.

Here is the week as I remember it in pictures.

A very pretty farm my first drop of the day

This was the M25 usually such a bleak place to be in the morning but this was the start of a great day( weather wise at least)

This is what it soon turned into .

I was wondering how this driver could see out of his windows.
Another early morning and sitting at the customer until 9 am waiting for them to turn up.
This was new when I arrived. The M25 again and this was 6.30 in the morning. messed up the rest of my day as well by making me late in .......
Chelsea.............

Earls Court............

White City..............And Wembley.I was just making up time and hoping for an early finish for Friday when I turned up at my last drop of the day at a place just off Wembley way called Europarts.

It should be called Europrats because they couldn't organise a car parts center at Wembley.

The customer car park is here.Exactly the same place as every single goods in wagons entrance and all of their own dispatch vans as well. Its like Piccadilly circus, nothings moving. except its noisier because everyone seemed to be leaning on their horns.Their own wagons were arriving and cutting in front of genuine car part customers and hurling abuse at them if they so much showed a raised eyebrow.

The store security were little more than useless and did nothing to help the mayhem.
I just parked up out the way until it sorted itself out and the coast was clear.

I was making good progress back home on the M1 until this car decided to say hello to the crash barrier and slow 18 miles of motorway down to a crawl.It was just before Toddington and because I had been practically crawling along since London I stopped for a 45 minute break and found the car of the day.

Its not this though and its not a car...............................

Its This ,I have asked the experts at the big lorry blog to explain what it is but it looked very sure of itself to me.

I'm back out in the Go Cart on Monday , switches for gears so Ill have more time to fire off my screen mounted camera

Three days of blogs from London

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:30:32 +0000

The dafftest drop I do

Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 by lorryday

Two cars of the day:

This Bentley was better in real life

and this Range Rover went on and on and on ...........

I went to a regular drop we do In Swiss Cottage London in a ridiculous location.

The shop is here at the end of this tunnel.

We have to park here on these lines. and deliver these.

This is the warning.

and this is the man putting on the ticket.

and this is the ticket.and that's the routine at that delivery every day of the week.

London .

I went to the Heathrow drop again today and then home. A short break on the M1 and a wait for an easy collection and I was done.

I did see a CO-OP lorry stating the bleeding obvious.

Return of the nerds

Posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 by lorryday

The blogger wont let me move the pictures around for some stupid reason.
This car was car of the day. An Audi S5,It was matt black and looked fantastic but the photo came out crap, sorry.

A famous poet was born here but I couldnt get close to the plaque.

This was the M25 at 6.30 this morning while a car was side swiped by a left hand drive truck.

These tippers bullied me out of the way
on the north circular.

This is the world famous city of London, just of the M4 motorway. Somebody's home.

I was on the M25 this morning going along nicely when everything stopped.

Further down the road there was a car on its side and a foregign lorry parked up looking guilty.

I was back in Chiswick this morning . The scene of Revenge of the nerds. http://danny-lorryday.blogspot.com/2009/08/revenge-of-nerds.html

I was back for revenge and armed with a powerful weapon. Knowledge.

I asked the office the procedure regarding this particular drop and I was assured that I didn't have to drag pallets down the bus lane,up the pelican crossing and then to the front door of the shop while several hi fi geeks stood watching.

My manager thought it hilarious to think I had actually done .

I arrived at the shop and armed with my newly acquired knowledge I was ready for them.

9 o-clock came and I gave the paperwork to the head nerd and casually mentioned I was going to put the pallets on the tailfit and then they could take it from there.

Fine, they said and that was that, my battle was over before it had even began.

It was such an anti climax that like a fool I even offered to help them unload.

"No thanks" said head nerd.

I had to deliver each pallet to the back of the truck as they needed them so I was going to be in the back of the truck for a few hours because they tick off every item as they meticiously unwrapped each pallet.

Eventually I was so fed up standing in the wagon, waiting like a spare part, that I caved in and dragged the rest of the pallets down the bus lane,up the pelican crossing and up to the front door of the shop.

Ill add more to this post later including pictures when I get back home.

I got home a little earlier than usual because they let me knock off when I got back from my collections so I had a bit of time with the kids, which was nice.

The boss rang as usual to let me know what where and when and give me the reg number of the wagon I'm in. (It can take ten minutes to find the truck some mornings).

Anyway I'm back in Chiswick again.

I'm sick of these nerds.

Round 3

Posted on Thursday, September 17, 2009 by lorryday

This was my mode of transport today , a double sleeper !!

After checking for visitors and making sure I was traveling alone I was off down south again.

After passing the homeless I arrived at nerds ville
Head nerd had come in for the delivery on his day off and was in is "own clothes"

It was like an off duty policeman , the jeans the hoodie and the baseball cap !

But what made it funny was the Bow bells accent , he was all cockney geezer and lovely jubbly!.

But him being "OFF Duty " made the whole delivery a lot faster than usual and I was gone before Ten.

I was into the city today with lots of delivery's in SW1.

It wasn't long until I saw and heard the car of the day
It went off , weaving through the traffic and I kept slowly pulling up next to it over and over again.

!st drop in Sw1 was here in "The Mews"
Easy drops today but really difficult to get to through the traffic.

Past Fortman and Masons food store . I was 5 minutes too early to see the clock strike 11.

Two figures come out when it gets to the hour.
Tourists (and lorry drivers) point cameras at it, every hour on the hour!

Past Piccadilly Circus (twice)

Round Trafalgar square (twice)
Past this lady on the fourth plinth (yes Twice)This is what all us truckers will be driving in the future.

Even the JCB's look cool in Central London

These Old mods went past me followed by a film crew in a camera car.Past St James palace and down into this blind ally , where my delivery was.

This was my last London attraction on the way home although I did have another 7 drops while I was down there today, and a collection as well.

I arrived home at last , oooh arhhh its good to back up North !!!

Middle England

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:22:36 +0000

I was in middle England today and I have to say to, as pretty as it is. It is as boring as hell.

No one was stroppy, rude or ignorant.

there was nothing to complain about or even take pictures of.

I saw thatched cottage after thatched cottage.

I took pictures of sheep and trees in desperation just because there was nothing else happening.

I was out from 5 am until 5.15 pm and, other than carrying out my delivery's, absolutely nothing happened.

Even the radio was boring today.

I had made a CD to play in the truck but even that failed to help entertain because my youngest had been seen polishing the kitchen floor with it on Sunday afternoon and it skipped incessantly all afternoon.

Even the pallets to middle England were boring. 7 pallets, 7 drops.
Here we go...................

First drop at 7 am Plumb center in Biscter.
The next drop was a regular customer in Thame.

A slighter more interesting sight of a mini in the air at BMW factory in Oxford.
Everything looked pretty and neat in middle England even the security huts.

This was the loading bay at Canon in Milton Park Abingdon.
Here are the village pictures.

See I told you it was pretty but boring.......

This was the last commercial drop, the rest were private houses do I didn't take any photo's After this I was free to make my way back to reality.

I was so bored I even sat behind the ugliest camper van in the world while it navigated these country lanes at 30 MPH.

And I practically raced to get behind this when I spotted it after taking a pit stop.

I'm back in North London tomorrow for what must be one of the most ridiculous drops in History

A week of wagons

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:08:04 +0000

I was in 5 wagons in 5 days last week.

I'm sick of swapping my gear from one to the other and living out of a rucksack on the road.

I can't settle into a routine because I am always moving in to a new vehicle.

Along with the new vehicle also comes a new type of work and a new Transport manager.
For instance Monday I was in a 7.5t (surprise) and I had a certain type of run.

Long and early.

I also have the the 7.5 t transport manager.

This means I know he will ring me after my drops to see if I am finished, and when I'm clear he'll give me some collections.

In the vans I get a new Transport manger and he will ring me all the time and give me garbled instructions to places I have never heard of and expect me to be a mind reader and know exactly what they want and where its going , even before they know themselves.

The work is all courier and its all delivery's that are needed yesterday.

Then there is the palletways network.
This is similar to the courier work, but in bigger vehicles.

I am back in a wagon a week next week and its the faithful 7.5 t MAN, on hire to us its a 58 reg, day cab.

Its a nice truck to drive and the gears are push buttons. Easy.

I was out in London early on Monday but luckily I wasn't in the city, just the suburbs.

This was blocking my way into a regular drop at the Airport.
I was off to my drop and was directed past the roundabout that was 1/2 mile away from the customer and sent on an 8 mile diversion because of this accident.I was then sent to Aylesbury to find a shopping centre , I finally found it, underground and into Superdrug.The next morning I was sent to this place
It was barely on a map and the roads were so small I was literally breathing in passing through some of the lanes .

I had to ring up the site and be directed past the jam shop sign , under the weeping willows, over the tiny bridge, down the track and you will come to the house.
and Wow ! what a house , it was a shame to churn up his lovely lawn and dump it on his driveway, but they ordered the stuff!.

I was at an air freight forwarder in the week and they even let the visiting drivers park in their yard overnight!

Now that's revolutionary!!!!.

This beast had more CCTV than an inner city housing estate.

I had to visit an Argos I had been to a few times before and I had nothing but bad experiences there the last times I had been so I wasn't looking forward to it much.

I hadn't been for a while so I typed the post code into the sat nav and this was the route it told me to take

I took another way just off the A38 and a massive industrial estate.

I has a similar experience to last time. I long, long weight and to make matters worse It was a 3.30 pm slot.

Then work rang and told me I was due into the NEC for a collection at 6 pm !! I had started at 6 am that morning.

I sat watching the containers being swapped around and they finally tipped me just after 5.30pm

On the way to the NEC I saw a whole compound of these.

I made the NEC for just after 6 .30 and found my way to hall two straight away.

The security directed me right inside and it was an easy twenty minute load with the tailift and homeward bound.

One slight problem getting home was this ignorant git.

I did the right thing and moved over to the middle lane to let him come in from the slip road and instead of letting me back in, he stayed out there. Even worse, he started to try and take me in the left lane.

He could just match me for speed on the flat and he passed me down hill, but going up,he was slipping behind me.

If he had of let me pass and then came around me from the middle I wouldn't of minded, but he decided to be an arse, an ignorant arse, so I played dumb and hung in the middle until my exit. M69. Naughty but nice.

My last day on swap shop was in the 18 tonne Scania , what a dog!
It had over 600,000 K on the clock and it drove like that was the 2nd time the speedometer had been there. It shaked and it rattled, but sadly it hardly rolled. It jerked.

I jerked into this wood yard and scared most of the customers to death including the owner of this sunbeam , who seemed very reluctant to get any closer.

The next delivery were more used to ugly , noisy , and shaky wagons turning up . It was British Gypsum near Loughborough.

After jumping and jerking though every provincial village in the north of Leicestshire , I was finally on my last delivery, It was an old farm under here.

They were building these .

They look rather nice on there own , but I don't know what a whole cul- de- sac of them will look like.

Excuse the rubbish photo but I was scared to let one hand off the steering wheel to fire off a shot on the windscreen cam when I saw this genuine antique van.

My delivery's were over and I was sent to collect all the delivery's for Monday. Palletways never sleep.

There is always more crap to deliver , more crap that simply has to get there, more puzzled brows to scratch and shoulders to shrug when that urgent delivery turns up on their pristine customer car park or their leafy suburban street and know one has the foggiest who ordered it.

A week of Lorrydays

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:22:17 +0000

My two pennys worth on the RDC debate.

I was sent to a Tesco RDC today in Milton Keynes.

I was dreading it because , as drivers will know. RD C's are horrendous.

They are often unforgiving places with cold,humourless staff, petty rules and regulations that dominate your visit.

Time also often stands still.

There is always a barrage of signs to navigate, controlling every step you take, including (if your lucky and they allow you to use them) your toilets breaks.

It seems from my experience that the bigger the company , the worse the RDC. They all fail in some area, even if they get some things right.

The Tesco I visited today was an example of getting some things right but still being a horrendous experience.

Ill explain the whole procedure from the front gate so you get an idea of how things work there.

I pulled up at the gate and rang the intercom to gain access.

After a few minutes I was asked for my reference number and booking time.

I was booked in at 9 am but I had arrived early, it was 7.45.

This is the best way to make your stay a whole lot longer because they seem to get really annoyed when you are early.

I was told to find an empty parking lane and write the lane number and phone number down on the notes and hand them into the office.

I was given a pager and told to wait in the truck until it went off.

At 10 30 it went off.

That's 2 hours and 45 minutes after I arrived.

This had given me time to make use of the facilities on offer and I have to say the whole site was dirty and messy.

This pallet of wine was rotting away on the front.

The toilet was out of paper and the sink was filthy and out of soap.

This lager was also left abandoned out in front of an empty bay.

I was guided by the yellow lines to the drivers room where I found a coffee machine and a TV showing Jeremy Kyle.

I think that us drivers must be a changing breed because the coffee machine was sold out of Cappuccino, Latte, and Mocha chocolate.

The only drink left was white coffee and tea.
Even the hot chocolate and the soup were empty .

I have been wondering if tuning the TV into Jeremy Kyle was done on purpose or a cruel act thought up by a disgruntled employee to exact revenge on an early driver.

By the time I took the photo This Morning had started.Evil !

I was beeped at 10.30 and told to go to bay 24 and hand my keys in at the office.

I was still sitting in the truck, keyless and clueless at 11.30 and nothing had happened.

20 minutes later and there was movement on the rear of the truck.
The sides of the loading dock started inflating and wrapped around the rear of the lorry sealing it.

After a few moments the sides deflated again and a loader asked if I could open the curtains up because the truck was too low to fit on the dock.

I was in the 10 ton Iveco which usually fits on most docks, but there is always a first time for everything I suppose.

I had to wait for the forklift driver to come around the front and unload me or side tip me, to give it its technical term.

This made it even longer until I could leave.

The boss was now ringing me, asking what was taking so long and I didn't really have an answer except , I'm at Tesco! Its what you expect to do at a Tesco.Wait.

I mentioned humourless staff and I have to admit that today they were all OK.

I'm not saying anyone smiled or commented on the weather or made even the slightest attempt at polite conversation but they did their job to the minimal requirements with at least courtesy and efficiently. which is all they are required to do I suppose.

I did feel a little bit embarrassed by the facilities because there were several foreign drivers including two immaculate looking french drivers waiting, and they looked less than impressed.

I was finally given a code and released at 12.45.

I have posted about RDC's before and they never come out very well which makes me think that they must all be crap.

I went to one that bucked the trend once It was penguin book warehouse known as Pearsons. the staff were really friendly and helpful and the coffee was free.
See how easily pleased we are ?

A long day made longer

I wrote this post just after I got home from work and I was pretty pissed off at the time.

I didn't post it on the night because I wanted to reflect on how I felt and I didn't want to say things I didn't mean, well I have reflected and I still want to say these things.

I have no hard feelings against work though and I would never be deliberately disruptive or awkward. I just want to stay legal.

This is the original post

A long day is made a lot longer when you are not appreciated.

I will tell you about my day and why I am feeling pissed off.

Its the first time I have felt like this since starting this job but its my own fault and has been coming for a while.

I was meant to be at a very important customer of ours in Norwich for eight and that means me leaving the yard in Leicester at 4.30.

I usually get there at about 7.30 and have to wait for the staff to arrive.

I am asked (told) to leave the truck on break while tipping ,which usually takes about 2 hours.

I picked up a Pallet of returns from Norwich as well as the nine empty ones from my delivery.

I set off at 10 o-clock to Lowestoft to deliver One pallet to a plumbers yard.

Straight out of their yard and on to PTS in Attleborough.

I was there for about ten minutes and then I had to get to Cambridge for an important collection that was due on an aeroplane for Friday.

This was the train crossing at Attleborough.
This was a sign for self pick Strawberries , what else?

This was the view from the cab at Snetterton.

I spent 15 minutes at the Cambridge collection and put it on break again, even though I was tipping for nine of those minutes.

I was very low on driving time by now so I rang the office and explained I was going to be 30 minutes late for my Corby collection.

I was meant to be there before 3 pm because that's when they close.

I rang the office and explained but the manager told me to go for it and get there for 3 o-clock

Like a fool I did. It put me five minutes over my 2nd 4.30 hours driving period.

I was really low on fuel and had to ring in for a fuel card pin number and drive a little out of my way to get to a BP garage.

I was asked to collect 2 plts from one of our regulars.

I went back down the A14 and up the M1 . Just as I was about to Join the motorway , a few miles from my drop, the same TM rang to berate me for choosing the wrong route and asking why I hadn't gone across country through Market Harborough.

I have been both ways before and I know that the main road is always faster, so why would he even bother trying to piss off a driver who has flogged himself all day and only had a 30 minute break on a 13 hour shift?

Sometimes this job( Lorry drivng) is shit!!

Back from holiday was a wake up call

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:12:18 +0000

I was back to work on Tuesday.

Being on sick cover after the Bank holiday was never going to be easy, but 4 am with my awful work phone ringing with the pre set ring tone waking me up in a panic was horrible.

I had a run to Kingston upon Thames and then a drop near Heathrow and then finish, so It wasn't that bad when I finally got into the groove.

I took a few pictures of the things that caught my eye on the motorway going down

This camper looked really clean but was going about 35 MPH and was really annoying every one, It wasn't overtaking me. I was in the slip road

The Kawasaki race team went past me in this impressive motor home

Talking of race teams, this Red bull tractor couldn't have been pulling the new car could it?
No wonder they seem to of slowed down a bit lately if they are making the cars out of that load.

Now this was a beautiful car, R8 UFO, it was trying to fly but sadly, the M25 had clipped its wings.

I arrived at Kempton park and saw this houseboat on the River Thames, bigger than my house.

I passed Kew Gardens and just managed to fire off a snap of another famous London Landmark.

I was finished in Kingston and had to make my way to Heathrow.
These local Leicester lads have been doing quite well lately, they seem to have been fly posting a few London buildings

This is the first 59 reg car I saw on new reg day.

I was looking for somewhere to stop and usually use Toddington because it has an M&S shop that is good value considering it's on a motorway.

There were no spaces.

It was absolutely packed, a good sign for the industry but no good to me on an empty stomach.

I was back in the yard by three and home soon after, lucky me, another 4 am this morning.

Ok Rant time.
I was on the way to work this morning and switched on the radio to hear the M1 south was shut until 8 am, great this meant a diversion to the A1 via the M6, it meant another 30 minutes on the journey but it didn't matter because I was going here

Superdrug in Harlow.

I eventually found it on top of a shopping centre called the Harley Centre.

I had to go down in the filthy lift and drag my two pallets through the cluttered and dingy walkways to be greeted with a grunt and a door shutting in my face.

The shop didn't want the delivery and the lady who answered my bell ringing didn't even have the decency to hang around to explain.

I could hear her through the door telling her supervisor she wasn't in the mood for delivery's!! Can you believe some people?

I didn't realise you could tell your boss you weren't in the mood, I wasn't in the mood when I got up at 4 am to drag this crap all the way down south, share a lift with the ingredients that make all MacDonald's and navigate a roof top full of 44 ton arctic's all trying to back onto the same 6' wide shelf.

The supervisor opened the door and explained, very politely they didn't expect it to be this much but they were willing to take it. Oh happy days. Taking the stuff your company has ordered and paid to be delivered to you, it could catch on.

After Superdrug I went over to a building site in Dagenham to drop off a One ton piece of European Oak beam.

I opened the curtain up to show the customer what I had for him.

He looked shocked at the size of it.

"Its the size of a tree" he said.

"Well it used to be one I replied.

Lost for words I got back in the Lorry while they worked out how to get it off.

Eventually I suggested a fork lift. Another Eureka moment from Lorry day.

Before I thought of using a fork lift they were seriously contemplating asking these lads.

There all on community service, it says community payback on their backs!.

I gave my favourite carpark (The M25) the slip this afternoon and got back to the yard for 3 pm again.

Thats a habit I dont mind keeping.

I might send this to biglorryblog . I think it was the reason for the slow traffic on the M25 earlier.

Norwich tommorow at 4 am again so time for sleep.

Dudley let me have both barrels

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:30:59 +0000

An early start and straight into Dudley for 7.30.

I found the place really easily but I wished Id never bothered when I got there.

I always thought the people of Dudley would be a funny, friendly bunch , possibly because that's the image Lenny Henry projects of Dudlonians!

The ones I met this morning where neither funny or friendly , they were foul.

I pulled up at the gate of the factory and straight away I thought I must of drove through dog shit , the way the guard looked at me.

When I handed him my paperwork,he looked disappointedto find it all in order.

He grunted and jerked his head in the general direction of a city link trailer and I set off to find the goods in office, hoping for a better reception.
Well I didnt get it.

I stood at this makeshift desk, reading a list of rules as long as any ones arm and watching this woman on the opposite side of it, doing anything other than look up at me.

Eventually she lifted her head and gave me a withered look , but without her even speaking, that look asked me what I wanted, and told me she didn't actually care so just hurry up and go through the procedures as fast as you can.

I handed her my paperwork and then stood there. I had never been here before and I didn't know the procedures.

At every drop, there are different procedures, and they are never anything like the rules and regulations they always have posted up on the wall.

Because I stood there and didn't scuttle off into my lorry, she snarled the words "Go and wait in the cab until we need you" at me.

I went and waited, and when they wanted me, they opened a gate and pointed at where to put the lorry.

After the lorry was unloaded I went back inside to get my notes , big mistake!

She barked "Stay there" and pointed to a spot next to the truck and explained that I had only just been unloaded and the goods would now have to be counted and checked and only then would my notes would be signed and returned to me.

I have mentioned about biting my tongue on here before but I have to say this was becoming a feast.

I tried to cheer myself up by photographing this camper.
and this classic Merc.
I was driving past this motorcycle factory and I had never heard of Swift before.

It was a massive factory and had a Kawasaki shop on the end of it.

London was waiting for me when I got into my truck the next morning and it all seemed a bit stepford wives for some reason.

I was in early and had drops in all the posh places, and every where I looked there were women everywhere jogging and dads pushing buggies,talking on there mobiles.

I made delivery's at Westminster view apartments and at St Georges Cathedral on Westminster bridge Rd and every body looked like clones of each other , it was all very surreal.

I finally got out of London and found my way to my last drop, a tiny village in the wilds of nowhere and disaster struck.

Up until now I have been either very lucky or very careful with the trucks they have entrusted into my care but that luck eventually ran out.

It wasn't a drama or a high speed crash or anything serious , all I did was break a rear light but it still meant I had to phone up the bosses and tell Id broken their truck.

It was a little bit worse because it was on hire to us to get us through a busy period and was going straight back out after my 14 hours in it.

It happened when I drove through this ford on my way to the last drop of the day. I had rang for directions as advised on the notes so I knew it was the right way , 2nd house on the left after the ford the professor had said.

I know it doesn't look very bad but believe me , I was gutted I had damages to report , I was doing so well , 9 weeks without so much as a scratch and then a poxy ford and the rear light grounds out going through.

When the warning lights came on in the dash ton tell me I had a fault I thought I had got water in the lens , when I jumped out to look it was completely smashed.

When I got back to base they were fine about it and were fitting a replacement while they were loading the next job on for the other drivers run.

These guys could run a pit stop better than Maclaren.

I was a lot happier knowing that they didnt see it as a big deal

On call all week

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Car of the day.

I was employed at this firm as a full time ,"Spare Driver" and so far I have had a vehicle to drive every day since I started in June.

There are two of us 'Spare' and usually we are both kept busy, but this week I have been on sickness cover.

I was told to keep my work phone with me and be ready if any one rang.

Monday morning at 5.30 I woken up with the phone ringing and asked to get in for 6 " A nice little run over to Cambridge "said the voice on the phone.

The truck was another 7.5 t ! I put my stuff in and found my notes Cambridge first, but then Hunstanton , then Norwich , then Attelborough and then back to Cambridge. No wonder the driver rang in sick.

In fact I think he was sick because he spent so long in this filthy truck. It smelt like rotten feet, I swear I moved my face to a certain position and I gagged. It was simply disgusting.

It didn't get any better all day.

It had grease and grime in every single crevice of the cab controls , they were all black with dirt and all the rubber areas around the steering wheel and gears had crumbs and fag ash and even worse , I saw nail clippings.

I was cursing the smelly sod all day.

I sprayed all the cheap aftershave I had been bought for Christmas in various parts of the cab but it made little difference.

Driving through the fens on the way to Hunstsanton.

This is where I was caught up in a sandstorm on the beach at Easter.

I drove right past where we stay.

Don't you just love the traffic in Norfolk.
Even at the sea side, a goods in, is just a goods in. This one was right on the sea front at Hunstanton.

I came to a cross roads and decided to keep going straight.

My Norwich drop makes fish tanks and my 8 pallets were going to the USA . They wern't ready so I had to sit around for a while while they picked the last few.

I watched this arrive at the factory opposite.

My Attelborough drop was right in country at a house called Hogweed House , he was trying to sell it, good luck with that !

This was the car of the day just for being exactly what is says on the tin.

I was out till 7.30 pm and after another break at Cambridge to put me 30 minutes into a ten hour drive I was overtook by this clown.

I was in a truck that easily cruised at 56- 57 MPH but this rushed past like the wind.

I was told to stay at home until called today , its 1. 30 pm now and still nothing so , hopefully thats a free pass for the day.