Hello folks,
Its been a while since I’ve posted on the forum, mainly due to being busy with life changing jobs (again!) So I thought it maybe interesting doing a little diary of my ‘first week’ at Mcdowells.
My day starts at Keighley due to leave 04:00 heading down towards bristol, so arrive at 03:15 to put my stuff in the motor and away I go. Sadly not the case as I was needing my driver pack for the week and a fuel card otherwise I wouldn’t be getting far! As like anything it wasn’t in my lorry so, had to wait for the guy to come in bang on 4am to get my pack & defect book!
Eventually get my driver pack & fuel card, and go to fill up with ad blue in the yard to my luck with the pump not working so will call in at tibshelf to get the ad blue and fill up both the wagon and myself!
Untitled by jonnytruckfest1, on Flickr
Get into tibshelf no problem, getting used to a few things again like the manual gearbox coming from my old Iveco I have kept going to press the D button a few times 
Also dropping down to an 18 tonne rigid compared to the 26 tonner, takes some getting my head around with not having that extra length and the rear steer axle also!
I take 15 minutes in tibshelf answering the call of nature and getting through the que at McDonalds for breakfast as I didnt have anything before I left the house this morning. Not much of a tea or coffee drinker so coke was the obvious choice.
Untitled by jonnytruckfest1, on Flickr
Once fed and watered both myself and the lorry time to hit the road for the long drive down to Bristol! Nothing too eventful whilst going down, although as I said above getting used to this truck from the Iveco is taking some doing, to the archers driver who probably thought I was blowing my horn at, I apologize As I went for the screen wash it would have been where the horn is on the merc! Doh!
I pull in for half an hour on the way down, as I was dozing off a little bit behind the wheel being up since half two and only getting a few hours sleep probably didn’t help!
https://flic.kr/p/psFNRX by jonnytruckfest1, on Flickr
I eventually get to Bristol, running out of the factory shop warehouse here this week where I get told I’m loading for staple hill, roughly half an hour down the road from here so on three and a half hours drive time still enough time even if I get a little lost along the way 
I get asked if im empty where I proceed to say ofcourse, until I take a walk to the back doors where I notice a seal around the handle, no paperwork in the cab this morning to tell me.otherwise, I break the seal to find half a load of pallets. The first time I forget to check inside the lorry to see if im loaded, was kicking myself for hours! Thankfully it was only 7 pallets I had to load on so could get the pallets tipped off when I get back as apparently they were returns to come back.anyway so I was lucky there but in future ill always be double checking!
https://flic.kr/p/pKfxH1 by jonnytruckfest1, on Flickr
Shockingly enough I got to staple hill no problem fairly easy to get to and didn’t get lost! was told to look out for the shop turn right after its by tescos and back.into where there’s some black gates…just a shame they don’t tell.you about having to stop in the entrance to the car park of Tesco to open the bloody gate 
I get tipped no problem, and have to say the woman who helped me unload the lorry was quite tidy one perk of the job I suppose
https://flic.kr/p/oNnM9M by jonnytruckfest1, on Flickr
https://flic.kr/p/oNjMT9 by jonnytruckfest1, on Flickr
I get back to the yard in good time for a bit of lunch and a chance to clean out inside the box van as sadly.as an agency driver cab hopping is the name.of the game and some drivers tend to have no respect for the equipment with what seems to be a good load of bird seed spilt all over the place, which when gets trodden on, flattened with pallets just looks and is pure disgusting! Sadly I do take pride in my.job and equipment whether im in it for a day or a week, it says a lot about your image turning up in a clean or dirty motor, its all about giving the right image out!
I get the returns tipped off, from both the shop and the yard 
and loaded up for my drop in wales tomorrow. Into Cardigan, never heard of it before but hell I’ll go wherever, just keep the wheels rolling I suppose you could say the old cliche ‘living the dream!’
Until tomorrow folks, stay safe out there 
Cheers
Jonny
Edit: I should add I’ll be updating daily so as not to forget my week! Plus a bit better insight writing from inside the tin box
Thankfully the guy offered to go with me to direct me so very greatful for that as not many folk would go out their way like that to help! Sadly no pictures of how much of a ■■■■ this was to get to, but thankfully i won’t be going back there this week! 
. Even more puzzled by how you did Cardigan to Keighley in 3 hours. Given where Cardigan is and what the roads are like round there it would take at least 4.5 hours if not more.
All delivery spots that have a down slope are a pain in the ■■■, especially with a big rigid van and if there is no-one to watch you onto the bay it can be really difficult to gauge the right stopping point as the top of your van body will be closer to the top of bay because of the slope and no flat level before it, it might only be a couple of inches but that couple inches means a tap on the cladding. As long as this hasn’t put your job in jeopardy just take it as a lesson learned, don’t beat yourself up over it just move on, you have only done what every other driver has done at some point in their driving career.
