Hi guys, looking for your advice if at all possible
I start a new HGV job next week doing night trunking. The run is from Tankersley in Barnsley to Glasgow and back again. Apparently its possible to do it in the 9 hour drive but only by literally a few mins each way and thats if all clear. Ive agreed to start off on 2 days a week minimum just in case i run over into a 10 hour drive but if i manage to do it in the 9 hour then I can do another shift as only 2 10 hour drives allowed per week.
My question is this, if you were doing this run, how would you plan to take the breaks. I know i need a 45 on way up and a 45 on way back but im not sure how to best utilise the time. Have a break after a certain miles covered? After 3 or 4 hours driving? Certain services or lay by’s? Im basically trying to plan and be as efficient as possible. Thanks everyone
Are you agreeing to only work 2 days in the whole week?
Or just that run for 2 days a week?
You can drive for 9 hours a day up to 5 shifts a week as a starting basis without factoring in doing a 6th shift which you can also legally do, if you have the driving hours available to do so and the required weekly rest to do so. 2 of those days you can extend your driving to 10 hours in a week.
A max of 56 hours a week driving and 90 hours driving in any 2 consecutive weeks. So the more hours driving you do one week up the max of 56 hours reduces the amount of driving you can legally do the following week generally.
Where abouts around Glasgow? No chance in 9 hours. We do one from Trafford Park to Hovis Glasgow, that’s minimum 4 hrs 15 on a good run. Drop and swap so I just have a 45 when I get there.
If it was a bit further and into a 10hr drive I’d probably stop at Cairn Lodge or Hamilton for 45. Have 15 when i get there. Then half hour about Tebay. You get the idea…
dannyp0000:
I start a new HGV job next week doing night trunking. The run is from Tankersley in Barnsley to Glasgow and back again. Apparently its possible to do it in the 9 hour drive but only by literally a few mins each way and thats if all clear.
It isn’t. It never is other than Xmas holidays. M1 has roadworks on a night from J42 to 47 at various points. There’s long term roadworks on the M74 and on a night time they involve full closures and the best you’re looking at is an extra 10 minutes, the worst an hour. They’ve just started doing roadworks on the A1M from Leeming Bar southwards for at least the next week so that’s another 5-10 minutes depending on who you end up behind on the diversion. If you choose the M60/M61/M6 route then you’ve got the possibility of roadworks on that route at various points up to J33 of the M6. We’re also going into winter proper and there will be no route over the Pennines where you’re going to be able to sit on the limiter.
Also don’t forget you’re going to need to have driving time spare at both the destination and when you get back to the yard to put the truck where they want it to go for unloading, to fuel and park up back at base. And depending on how good your reversing is, how busy the yards are and how big they are that could account for another 10 minutes driving.
You are going to be double breaking it, especially when you start out. So what I’d do is take a break on the way up and start looking for somewhere when I was getting around 3hrs 45m of driving. What I’d then do is take a note of what driving time I had left then after setting off see what places further north I could have reached within that time, allowing say 15 minutes. So if you take a break at 3h 45m driving I’d look to see if there was anything else further north over the next 30 minutes.
TBH if they’re expecting you to be able to do it in a 9hr drive every night and expect you to do it 5 nights a week instead of just two then sticking you on a shorter trunk I’d be looking for somewhere else to work because it will be as stressful as hell and you’ll be like the paddies racing for the boat at Cairnryan up the arse of everyone trying to shove them up the road because you can’t let off the limiter for a second, peeing in a bottle because you can’t afford the extra 2 minutes driving to pull into Todhills garage for a pee.
You say you are a new driver,.don’t fall into the trap of letting them push you and take the ■■■■, if you do they sure as hell will.
If that run is tight you can bet your life that some bell end in the past has set that pace to impress his boss in a …‘‘See how good I am and how fast I can get round it’’ kind of way,.so the rest of the drivers are daft enough to try and keep up with him.
I’ve seen it many many times in my long years in this job,.and it is a job ffs…not an excercise in seeing how much you can do in the allocated time like some kind of endurance exercise.
Breaks are there for YOU…never mind about how far you can get, and where to stop.
They are there for YOUR welfare, NOT for some clown in an office to work around, to enable him to get you to do some near hand impossible shift.
Their purpose is to make sure you can be refreshed during a shift , and to prevent you from driving whilst tired with all the cluster ■■■■ of crap that situation will bring,…and the more consecutive shifts you do running like your arse is on fire to meet a tight as arse holes schedule, the possibility of it gets more likely that you WILL have some kind of ■■■■ up situation, especially on a night trunk which imo is far more tiring than working through the day if you ain’t used to it.
Basically take your breaks when YOU want and/or when YOU feel the need,.and do not drive whilst tired.
So as a new driver you have asked advice about breaks, I have given you good advice, which will ensure you have a more pleasant and relaxed working life,you have two choices, you become a safe and professional driver, or you join the ranks of the ‘tear arse ing f/whits’ as Conor describes.
A bit of even better advice?
Tell them to ram their stress laden job, leave it for the numerous idiots in the trade,.and get yourself something better and easier.
You asked for advice, you got advice …Take it or leave it,
You’re welcome.
Assume, as said by others, that it is a 9hrs plus drive…but on rare occasions it may take just under 9hrs.
You will always need to take a driving break in each direction.
Any slight hitch occurring after the time you would have had a break, then you are over the 4-30 and you are in the wrong.
Taking that driving break will inevitably put a couple of minutes on the drive as you slow, pull off, park, accelerate and manoeuvre onto the road again. (see above: assume always 9+hrs) Really, it`s not worth chasing the under 9 time.
If that sounds a job you want, then fine.
If you think you will need more shifts and need the 3rd shift, then look elsewhere.
As already said youll likely need a 45 on the way up, and if you can get a 15 in Glasgow, Youll be OK with a 30 on the way back.
Id try to get past the 2hr30 or 3hr mark on both drives, but dont see any advantage to going much further.
Assuming you will be doing over 4hrs30 each way, then many prefer to do a 15 break after a while, followed by 30, later on. Personal preference. See how you feel on any particular day.
A night trunk that long is a hard slog, certainly not something i’d be wanting as a new driver nor after years on the job, it should be a changeover trunk meeting the Glasgow driver half way.
Try it by all means, but set your stall out from day (or rather night) one, don’t be doing everything to prerpare for the run without your card in only slotting it in just before you charge out the gate with your arse alight, you really should show 15 mins of other work before departing to check your vehicle over clean the lights/windows etc, same on return not whip the card out as you charge through the gate.
Lets see now, min 15 mins from starting work, 4.5 hour drive each way, 1.5 hours of breaks, 30 mins changeover etc, 15 mins min when you get back assuming part of the job isn’t leaving the trick clean for the next victim.
So far you’re knocking on 12 hours and that’s IF the run can be done in 4.5 both ways and nothing goes wrong, @ 12 hours plus you’ll be hitting either tail end of evening peak period or joining the morning peak period when your eyes are out on stalks, then you have time travelling to/from work, when exactly do you propose to sleep or do anything other than work/sleep, hope its paying £200+ a night.
Tell you what that job is mate, its a killer, just entering winter going well north, freezing fog snow ice etc are inevitable, what might be feasable on a quiet moonlight summer night is a whole different kettle of fish when the weather changes, remember you’ll be in the dark the whole shift, you are right to only agree to 2 days but youy just know they’re going to try and force you (peter’s gone sick, charlie’s kid is in hospital etc) to do more.
You’ve had excellent advice from every poster, the only things I would add are that the 15 at Glasgow is a good idea but it will be on the way back when fatigue sets in, particularly that horrible time when if it is starting to get light again, so never feel that you have to set off again after 30 minutes simply because you have already had a 15, if you need 45 or an hour - or more TAKE IT; if you are a bit late back it won’t make News at Ten, spreading the lorry across the motorway could. Also just because it is a long run, never feel pressured to drive faster than a speed at which you feel comfortable in the conditions - it’s winter it gets foggy, and it rains or snows: above all keep your distance from the one in front and as a new driver (and forever more) you need to avoid copying the ridiculously short gaps you will see between so many lorries.
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.
If this job has you running up two nights a week, fair enough. If they’re expecting more than that without double manning the answer is can’t be done and that’s from someone who has been doing it for most of the last 8 years with the last few years being most nights of the week. Depending on what time you’re setting off will also have a considerable impact. At best I’m hitting Ecclefechan J19 on the A74M between 3h15m to 3h30m if I’m on a late hitting J44 A1M just above the A1/M1 split around 8.30pm and anything up to half an hour more added to that even with no accidents if I’m on the earlier run hitting J44 around 5.30pm. It takes the Bellshill drivers just under 1hr 30m driving to get to Bellshill from there and that’s without the roadworks on the M74 from J12 upwards there’s been for the last couple of months. It especially can’t be done at this time of year when the A66 gets closed to high sided vehicles on a regular basis. Whether you choose to go M62/M61/M6 or go A69 when the A66 is closed both options add another 40 minutes driving in each direction without accounting for the roadworks which both options currently have with full closures on a night - J33 on the M6, Junctions 65-68 on the A1 around Gateshead.
My advice for this run is to not even attempt it in the one hit, I wouldnt accept a job that not only needs to max out your hours but becomes a battle to make the run in the variying road conditions. I woudn’t do it and like other experienced drivers would recommend you should look elsewhere for a job. This type of run is not a day job albeit on the night, let some half wit try it and deal with the stress that it will cause you. Whoever has planned this run is taking the michael. It may be possible but that is at the very best of conditions with no traffic to deal with, this has been planned on a computer by a non driver. It is virtually impossible to not get any roadworks or traffic delays travelling this distance.
Don’t know the lad, maybe he’s sound,.maybe he’s sensible who knows.
But a tenner says he won’t take a blind bit of notice, and just go at it like a bull.at a gate to get his foot in the door,.as many do and have in the past.
And that is why the job is like that in many firms,…and will continue to be so until somebody either gets killed or tells them just to go and ■■■■ themselves before someone does.
robroy:
And that is why the job is like that in many firms,…and will continue to be so until somebody either gets killed or tells them just to go and [zb] themselves before someone does.
The drivers are at fault for agreeing to this type of work, companies that take on this work are cutting corners to achieve it. The responsibility and duty of care towards drivers is seriously lacking here.
A driver that refuses to undertake these type of runs are also in very short supply. Therefore it will continue.
dannyp0000:
Hi guys, looking for your advice if at all possible
I start a new HGV job next week doing night trunking. The run is from Tankersley in Barnsley to Glasgow and back again. Apparently its possible to do it in the 9 hour drive but only by literally a few mins each way and thats if all clear. Ive agreed to start off on 2 days a week minimum just in case i run over into a 10 hour drive but if i manage to do it in the 9 hour then I can do another shift as only 2 10 hour drives allowed per week.
My question is this, if you were doing this run, how would you plan to take the breaks. I know i need a 45 on way up and a 45 on way back but im not sure how to best utilise the time. Have a break after a certain miles covered? After 3 or 4 hours driving? Certain services or lay by’s? Im basically trying to plan and be as efficient as possible. Thanks everyone
Good luck with that, it’s about a 4-hour trip each way in a CAR!! Come to think of it this is probably how the planners have worked it out using google maps which will say 4 hours journey time and they will think they are allowing you an extra half hour each way, I have had this situation loads of times when numpties who don’t drive lorries work out the run thinking you can drive at 70mph. I was once questioned why I would need a night out for a journey from Wigan to Harwich and back
robroy:
And that is why the job is like that in many firms,…and will continue to be so until somebody either gets killed or tells them just to go and [zb] themselves before someone does.
The drivers are at fault for agreeing to this type of work, companies that take on this work are cutting corners to achieve it. The responsibility and duty of care towards drivers is seriously lacking here.
A driver that refuses to undertake these type of runs are also in very short supply. Therefore it will continue.
Agree.
Drivers are their own worst enemy,.and on the whole put up with any old crap without question or resistance…then they repeat the ‘‘management speak’’ bs that has been used to ‘‘sell’’ that crap to them…look at posts on this forum.
Hi thanks everyone for your advice i really appreciate it,
I dont want to be one of those idiots who try their luck and end up stuck, no driving hours left, no plan etc etc.
Its also possible depending on any closures ill end up over 10 hour drive and not make it back as this run leaves no leeway for anything to go wrong.
Ive decided to cut my losses and look for something else without the stress/constant clock watching and racing about needed just to get there and back in time. Just not worth it. Thanks again everyone.
Good call about giving it a miss and trying elsewhere for trunking work, maybe try find out what other agencies are about, I remember reading somewhere that they have agency on the BOC Cylinder work from Brinsworth on days and nights, could be worth a look
