Just a quick one this week…
This week started Monday at 4am, off to Middlewich to tip some of last weeks import, then off to Ellesmere Port to tip the rest. From there it was down to Ilkeston where i was instructed to “Load a Machine” for Switzerland. 7 Hours later i was loaded, but nigh on out of time, soparked in their yard and used their showers before heading for bed.
Tuesday starts at 3, and straight down to Dover where they day pretty much ended, I booked onto the boat at 0753, and finally boarded at 1515! Looking at the back of the same trailer for that time does start to ipiss you off after a while. Once off the boat, i had 50 minutes left, so i headed for Steenvoorde for the night.
11 hours off and Wednesday starts, and its just a matter of running down to Muttenz tonight, so no real pressure. A nice easy relaxed run to Lux, diesel at Marks then off down to Strasbourg, where the wind really started to pick up, and down by Colmar it was bordering on plain old dangerous, so i had an hour or so at Koenigsbourg Services to let it calm down a bit. A Polish Wagon and Drag had been blown over just past the services heading south, but was facing North on the Sothbound Carriageway! Once clear of that it was nice and easy to the Swiss Border, and straight round to Muttenz for the night.
Thursday starts at 5am, and its off to Goldach out on the Austrian Border by Lake Constance. Being that early its an easy run across, albeit hempered slightly by weather but nothing like yesterday. The Sat Nav takes me straight to the drop, and the crance is sat waiting for me when i arrive. They were none to happy with the way the UK side had loaded it and it took 3 hours to take all the ancilliaries out of the trailer before the crane could take the main 16T machine out thru the roof. Once it was out, i closed the trailer up, and headed off 6km up the road to Steinach to load a full deck of Boullions for Maldon for delivery Monday Lunchtime. That loaded, i was due to exit Swiss thru Kreuzlingen and out into Germany, but i needed to see the Boss for some Expenses, so it was back to Zwingen, then off up to the St.Louis border, before heading for Strasbourg, calling it a day at Koenigsborg Services just short of 14 hours, as a 45 minute break was needed.
Up at 4 and on the road at 1915 as soon as 9 hours was up, i had to byass the normal n83 route as it has a ban in it until 6am, so up the A35 then to Strasbourg. Lovely and quiet for a change and on to Keskastel for my Vignette. WInd was picking up again but no time for faffing round, i wanna go home. Up into Lux, where due to Traffic i dive into Berchem for diesel and come out ahead of the truck i was behind before i left the motorway! Luckily the pumops were deserted though. Up thru Lux and the bottom end of Belgium, i pull off into Tellin layby for an Hours break. The Gendarmes are sitting in wait for any trucks breaking the overtaking ban, and they had a field day, in the hour i was there they must have had 20 trucks! Break over, its a nice run to Dunkerque where i arrive at 1345 and get booked onto the 1400 boat, nice result for the 2nd week in a row! I spend the crossing in the company of another Uniex Subbie and once off the boat its into Customs, where after a calculation , i work out i am 31 minutes short to get home tonight. Not happy i hand ,my papers in and go the pub across the road for a beer then bed.
Saturday is nice and easy, up at 0130, leaving the docks at 0200, and its a breeze round the M25 and back to Leighton Buzzard. The only reason o started this early, was so i was home by 5, and that would give me a clear 48 hours off until it all starts again on Monday.
And here are the pictures…
4am Monday… What an awful time of day.
Heading into the Shell Plant at Ellesmere Port
A very wet trip across the A50 to Ilkeston.
Roof Slid back, waiting to load in Ilkeston.
Just a few pictures whilst loading the machine…
3am Tuesday in Ilkeston… Another awful start time…
Off over the Medway Bridge…
Early Morning Sunrise on the M2…
Heading into the Docks, Chaos is just around the corner…
Yep, Chaos indeed…
And this is a good part of the reason why… Seafrance.
I booked on at 0753hrs, and was lucky to get on the 1400, which left after 1500!
And for those 7 hours, I had to look at this…
Sitting in the lanes waiting…
More Chaos….
Finally we board the boat, behind my favourite Polish truck!
A very wet trip across past Mons…
Taking Break at Wanlin…
Pretty much every overhead sign had wind warnings…
The best place for all those Smart cars…
There’s always one isn’t there…… He had no money…
Bright sunshine round Strasbourg….
Soon to be replaced with Very high winds at Colmar…
One casualty of the high winds…
Wednesday night at Muttenz — The place was deserted.
Day cabbed 143 with a Hiab in place of the 5th wheel.
Off the motorway and into Goldach, on the side of Lake Constance.
Ah, I want that crane…
The Swiss were not impressed to see how their machine had been loaded by the English…
Smart Norweigan R560 Scania
All stripped out, now the task of unloading begins…
Just a few pictures of the unloading process…
Loaded and heading for home…
It cant be a bad life being a Swiss Car Transporter Driver…
Nice empty Motorway’s heading for Basel…
Heading out of Birsfelden for the Border…
Queuing across the border into Luxembourg.
Fuel Stop, Berchem.
This Dutch driver thought it was amusing to try and take a break on the pumps, he was soon put right…
And the reason for the traffic in Luxembourg was…
And that ends this weeks diary, as my camera went flat and I had no more batteries!
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