First things i would like to say Hi.
I am here due to much pestering by Jessica,s dad (it,s all your fault mate).
I do a diary on another site,and Alex has been at me to post it here.
General background ,i work for a small (although could be classed as medium , family run haulage business).
Our main work is round timber out the forests in Argyll ,on the west coast of Scotland.
We do the General part in General haulage (anything you can put on a truck ,and some things you shouldn,t).
What follows is a week in my life.
Pictures were taken in the Autumn last year.
Monday -I start from home with an empty trailer (unusual for me ), loading a timber boat from the British Waterways pier at Ardrishaig.
The timber s coming from a job we have ont the Kintyre peninsula.
A half hour drive on substandard A class road A83 between Ardrishaig and Tarbert (lots of the roads are now in a bad way ,but this one is one of the worst).
Then we turn off onto a single track road
Through the small forestry village of Torunturk and finally find what can only be called a dirt track across a field (finding now that as returns for the cut timber is dropping ,the quality of road to extract it has also dropped), this one you would be worried taking a land rover over.
On the way out the trailer wheels are very near the edge of the track (no room for error ).
The round trip takes around 2 hours (plenty time to study the scenery and local houses).
Lots of the houses are older stone built , much nicer and will last years longer than the quickly knocked together wooden kit and block one,s we supply materials for now.
There are 4 of us running today and the cb is full of good natured banter and windups.
Gavin waits for me in a layby on the single track (don’t want to meet anything on some of the corners, but we will come to that later).
The pier is very peaceful and strangely warm in the autumn sun.
The sea looks calm enough that even a land lubber like myself would venture out in a boat today.
At the turn of the century Ardrishaig was a main stopping point for steamers bringing goods and passengers from Glasgow (road network was even worse than it is now LOL).
Now other than the timber boats ,its only yachts and small creel boats that tie up here.
Six grab full,s and i am tipped.
4 loads takes most of the day , then its back to the job for a load of 3 meter chip wood for the chipboard mill at Auchinleck.
Scenery is still stunning as the day moves on.
As i said earlier the single track road is narrow but also has some very nasty little bends on it.
You have to keep the truck going on these bits and hope you don’t meet anyone coming the other way (OK with the other log motors as we are all speaking on the cb ,but not so with cars).
So there i am trundling through Torunturk on my way home , have met Davie and knowing that i have another 10 Min’s or so before Gavin is anywhere near (much too relaxed you know).
I approach a very nasty hairpin , select manual on the auto box and put the boot into it.
At this point it all goes wrong!!!, a car appears round the corner and dives into the side of the road (thinking he is doing the right thing), quick decision time, i hit the weight transfer button and start lifting the tag (more traction), still powering on for the hill,i have had to cut in slightly to pass the car (who disappears on his way), then start to pull the nose round for the hairpin.
Only as anyone who has driven a tag will know ,when you lift it the front end can (and does lift), no steering !!! ,so off the throttle to bring the front down and try to steer , bugger i am across the road and on the verge ,so i have to stop !.
No problem ,just reverse down and start again,WRONG !!.The weight of the trailer is dragging me backwards towards the edge of the road (cant steer the bloody thing), so dump the tag and try again, ehrrr nope ,all it does is spin the drive wheels and still the trailer is pulling me back ,OH ■■■■ !!.
Finally i admit defeat (knowing when you are stuck is a great thing lol), i am still on the road (well kind of), i shout Donny in the loader and very sheepishly explain the situation (and me an experienced driver!).
Its amazing how many cars suddenly appear when you block a road. I explain that i wont be long and the loader is on its way (only 2 miles along the road).
One guy starts giving it the,“i have seen this before,you will need emptied and we will be hours”.
i have to politely tell him (well i am causing the problem), that when the loader arrives we will be seconds getting it out.
In under 5 Min’s Donnie is behind me with our loader, it is built on a 6x6 chassis same as the council gritters and still has the snow plough attachment on the front , our mechanics have built a frame and rubber buffers.
I am back in the cab and the loader is in behind and pushing me up the hill (amazing how a swift boot up the arse can get you going lol).
Total time stuck is 11mins but much more damage done to reputation and pride.
I quietly make my way home as the mobile goes wild with workmates ripping the ■■■■ out me.
Tuesday- I head to the chipboard mill at Auchinlek.
On entry you have to have a sample of wood taken (fancy wee power saw with a box to collect the sawdust).
Then i pull round into the yard and join the Que.
Gavin is in front of me this time.
Our loads are tipped directly into the mill (sometimes it goes into stock).
Then the two of us head for loads of concrete blocks (both for Oban).
its nice to run with someone , chatting on the cb makes the miles fly.
Once tipped i reload for Lockerbie (well for the next morning lol).
Wednesday-A load of 2.5m pallet wood today , to the mill at the side of the M74.
I get an early start from home and arrive to find i am 12th in the Que (would have been better to have stayed in bed).
Eventually i get tipped and after phoning the office i am off to Grangemouth docks for a load of fish food.
As i arrive i find that i have to join another Que.
Some of the other lads have been waiting for over 4 hours to get loaded (phone the office again and let them know about the hold up and then wait).
As i walk around the docks i spot this monster
Although it is registered in Denmark it is driven and operated by Scots.
They are moving parts of windmills around the docks (unloading them off a ship from Denmark).
Eventually i start to load.
My load is made up of half ton bags (you have to place a wooden board between the layers ,to stop the bags shifting).
Once loaded its sheeting time, no wind or rain ,so it all goes on neatly.
5 hours after arriving i get away.
Its too late to get delivered so i head home again (three nights in a row ,Mrs will be getting fed up with me lol).
Thursday-The day dawns as i walk to where i park my truck.
Looks like it is going to be another nice day.
My fish food gets tipped at the fish farm outside Barcaldine ,near Oban.
My next load of timber is coming from high above the village of Dalmally.
The rest of the lads are loading at another job a couple of miles along the road and i get a shout on the cb to go and get turned and Donnie will be along soon.
I get into the turning area and it looks like there is not enough wood for a whole load!.
I shout Donnie and let him know there is not enough wood, but i get a reply from “Jim” ,one of the forwarder drivers ,he is on his way out the forest with the rest of my load.
His progress is painfully slow as it is very steep and grossing 35 ton the forwarder has a hard task climbing .
Finally he gets onto the flat ground.
Constant 8 wheel drive and band tracks its a go anywhere machine lol.
The visibility is fairly good (well over the big bonnet could be better).
Donnie arrives soon and loads me off the forwarder and makes up the load with what is sitting on the ground.
Once loaded its a quick run to the paper mill at Irvine (just over 2 hours).
And when tipped i am going back for another load of pulp about 5 miles from where i last loaded.
The loading point this time is about 2 mile outside Tyndrum.
The top turning area is very slippy and a joint decision between myself and Donnie , means i have a tricky reverse.
I have turned round this corner and have to reverse round this tricky wee bend.
There is quite a drop on the n/side.
On my way back i stray too near the side and give myself a little scare (you can see by the marks i am closer than i would like to be).
Once loaded and thankfully out of there i head for Paisley.
The Walneauk truck stop in the center of paisley is a common stopping point for guys from my area.
When i arrive i find another 4 of my workmates there.
We end up at the “Last Post” a brewers fayre in paisley town center.
A pint and a curry for Under £6 , cant complain about that.
Its nice to get away from the truck for a while , actually its something that’s been slowly going out the job for a while , the chance to socialise with other drivers and basically have a laugh.
Friday-Irvine again.
This morning could have been a disaster ,well at least it might have been a pain in the ■■■■ !.
The guy on the weighbridge comes out to check the diameters,and sizes of the timber on the load.
This doesn’t happen very often , but it happens on the very day i have an over sized bit of pulp.
They are going to reject the whole load for one bit of timber (would end up taking it to the chipboard mill, but some smooth talking and i manage to get it and one of the other crane motors on site picks the bit out the load).
Helps that i know a lot of the other drivers ,and most of the guys are very helpful ,even when they don’t work for the same company.
The driver with JST transport is going for a load of chip wood next ,so he just takes the bit with him (top bloke,one i owe him).
Cant see that happening in an RDC can you ?.
I weigh out and thank the guy on the weighbridge for letting me in,no point in getting grumpy at him as it may backfire another day.
I am only 3 Min’s round the corner to my reloading point.
A load of blocks to Oban again.
They have started getting them on the floor now , no pallets.
A much safer way to carry the blocks ,as they had a habit of falling over when on pallets, or the pallets actually collapsed!.
Jewsons Oban is the delivery point.
It takes a wee while to tip as the guy is just getting used to the new lift on the forklift.
Once i get this off i, i head for home .
I drop my trailer and am told it will be loaded over the weekend (some of the guy,s work Sunday to Thursday).
So end,s an eventful week (some good ,some embarrassing).
Thanks for looking (hope it hasn,t been too boring).
and really looking forward to reading and learning some more about your workaday life.
