Dafproblems:
Conor:
OK so I’ve just Google mapped both Tankersley and where I’m at at Howden to our Bellshill subbys depot.It’s 234 miles from Tankersley, it’s 233 miles from Howden - both places you’re going the A1M, A66 route. Looking at the industrial area at Tankersley we both have the same distance to the motorway, about a mile or so tops.
Assuming an absolutely perfect run, one of our fastest motors and literally a couple of minutes driving in the yard setting off with no traffic delays or roadworks whatsoever and sitting on the limiter over the A66, and I mean sitting on it literally slowing down only for the 40MPH section at Kirkby Thore where the speed cameras are the furthest I’m making it is Hamilton services. From experience of doing that over the last 20 odd years I’m pulling into Hamilton services with my arse nipping with at best 5 minutes left - if I do the speed limits on the single carriageway sections I’m not making Hamilton, if I get held up by the traffic lights at Penrith, especially on the roundabout at J40 where you can get hit by three sets of reds, I’m not making Hamilton or if I am I’m running in with a minute or two left. I certainly don’t have enough time to drive the extra 8 miles to the Bellshill depot and especially have even a few minutes I’d need in the yard.
We do not do Bellshill, even though technically each driver could do it twice a week. We have typically 10 wagons a night in two lots of 5 doing a night trunk up with Scottish loads and we do a changeover. Used to be Lockerbie truckstop, now just a bit before then, when it’s quieter then some will change over at Penrith truckstop. What my company does is send up half the wagons on an early trunk to meet and change over with the Scottish drivers then send the other half up 4hrs later. The Scottish drivers do the first change over then bob back up to Bellshill, drop off, pick up another trailer then go back down to the change over to meet the drivers from the later trunk run. Works OK, nobody is running to the limit, to their max hours, nobody is stressed.
.I’ve heard howdens is moving to eurocentral. Wincanton this time. Howdens is like a ■■■■ in Scotland every few years it pumps someone else. Everyone’s had a shot at it. Used to do Bellshill to Runcorn 10 odd year ago when dhl had it and that was fairly tight time wise especially if you had a full load of timber going south.
This post made me laugh tonight. Had one pass me on the A50 and was calling it a ■■■■ hah