A Weeks Diary of a Animal Feed Bag Lorry Driver

[pimmer73]

well here we go this isnt going to be as exciting as euromats, jacko22 or switchlogics antics but its an insight into our job, me and molepower was talking one day and he suggested we both done one to compare the bag side to the bulk side of the job !! so here goes lads and lassies !!!

Part 1

Monday 30th jan
start at 04.15 one of our lorry and drag guys is already there so gates unlocked (Mole valley feed mill huntworth Bridgwater),went to take a pic of mine and molepowers lorry together but batterys in me camera are flat searched cab for some more none there ( great start to doing a diary ) loaded the lorry friday afternoon so all ready to leave after doing me checks and getting the coffee sorted ! Got 2 farms today over in wales so off we plod up the M5/M4 take a 30 min break on the A48 near Barry as told farmer friday i wouldnt be there until 07.30 first farm is at Llancarfan and he got 10 tons of minerals (which they mix with the silage/maize to feed the animals )after a short wait for one of the guys to start work we were tipped and on my way by 08.00 back up on to the A48 2nd farm was about 20 mins down towards Bridgend farm right on the main road quality ! 1 ton of sheep rolls farmer there waiting with forks on the tractor in and out in 5 mins quality pays to ring um up day before with ETA ! empty by 08.30 and off now to our mill at Calne for my 2nd load.had a 30 mins break at Leigh Dellamere where i got some batterys

into our mill at Calne by 11.15 loaded 4.5ton for our SCATS shop at Dorchester for me for tomorrow and 9 ton for another guy to deliver to Stores at Barnstable and Bude tomorrow ( Calne mill bag feed in differant brands for differant shops )

all strapped down and curtains done up and on my way back to our mill by 11.45, arrive back at 13.45 tipped what wasnt mine loaded 8 ton for 4 farms tomorrow around Dorset .

rang first 3 drops up and gave them a rough ETA dieseled up gave lorry a quick wash saw Annies Pride tipping in our mill didnt get chance for a chat thats twice now he must think iam a right unsociable git !! sorry andrew !! all done clocked out at 15.30 , 421kms ,6.5 hrs driving.

Tuesday 31st jan
04.15 start two of the lorry and drags are pulling out as i try and get in the gate well 4 farms and one shop today decide to start furthest away and work my way back so its off down to upton near poole told farmer yesterday be there 07.00 so got plenty of time to plod down there , checks down and hit the road at 04.35, unevetfull trip down thro ilminster,yeovil, apart from being pushed around dorchester by TheTaff (sorry mate got out of your way as quick as i could !!) had a 30min break/sleep on the way arrived at 07.00 3 x pallets chat with farmer gone by 07.20

back thro wool to owenmoigne for next 2 pallets

they were shocked when i turned up as they only ordered it yesterday i said i rang and left you a message yesterday that i was coming and what time i was turning up he said "o only check that once a week on a sunday "!! Farmers hey !!
pallet forks broke so first handball of the week 2 helping on my way by 08.30, phone call on my way to the next farm just the otherside of winterbourne abbas as they dont live there so when i get there they are waiting with the forks in and out in 5 mins 1xpallet , next one of our little SCATS shops in dorchester another 5 ton gone

2 ton left (sheep feed) looking at map and with the address a house address thought this drop will be a pain left message on phone to say i was 10 mins away got there to find farmer in road waiting for me told to back in next to tractor and trailer and chuck it on there ! (lovely old Ford 6610 tractor memories of my youth driving them about !)

all tipped by 10.30 up to clay pidgeon for another 30mins break then poodle back the mill. after ringing into our mill i am told that i got 10 drops around mid/north devon tomorrow and that 6.5 tons is minerals that we collect from our feed supplement plant in bridgwater

and 1.2 ton from a store we have called square foot i gather all that up and take it back to our mill where i have 3.5 ton of feed to make the load up, i sort it all out and load it into some kind of order for tomorrow ring first 4 farmers up, first one sorted for 6 oclock prompt !! dieseled up clock out at 16.30, 279kms ,5.5 hours driving

[markoyl]

nice one mate

[pimmer73]

Part 2

Wednesday 1st Feb

04.45 start today first farmer not up until 06.00 checks and paperwork done (left tacho in head overnight woops ) left mill at 05.10 for short trip down to Tiverton, no sign of molepower this week must be in hideing !! first 2 farms done by 06.35 and short drive up thro South Molton out towards Umberleigh quite alot of snow left around here from monday and very icy off the main roads and on the lanes , 3rd farm fine in and out in 5 mins and a good bit of turning if i say so myself

the next 2 farmers moaned that i was turning up at there busiest time but tough got alot to d o!! well first guy had tractor all ready forks on door open ready made me wait 10mins just to prove a point then was as good as gold !! next farm was changing milk tanks and had early milk collection and was genuinley busy so decided to have 30 min break about amile away

in and out in 5 mins bit blimming icey getting out , the more you unload the less weight you got on your drive axles

next farm bit of a drive away down the other side of winkleigh drive down lane bit flooded
eventually get to farm got 2 ton of minerals for here

on my way by 10.10 to the 7th drop drive down thro winkleigh arrive at 10.40 where an american worker tips me in no time , next is in a village called Black Dog up in them hills so decide to stop on top hill out of morchard bishop for my lunch

handballed a ton off had help from farmer so nice and easy 9th was at a village called Ploughill was down a very long icy track

perfect timing as the farmer was just coming in for his dinner and was able to unload me , one left now happy days over the otherside of Bickleigh near tiverton , glad i phoned him up as he advised me to come up thro from silverton as the roads up tho bickleigh bit to tight for a lorry
chucked off last 10 bags and all empty bang on 2 oclock (never thought i would have done them all by then !!)
rang in an was informed that i had a second load 11.5 ton to our shop in bridgwater

then over to Square foot and our feed sups plant to collect 6 ton to go with the feed back at our mill for tomorrows load .ahhh caught molepower sneaking off with another load at 17.15 he had a bad day waiting att the docks to get loaded then when he got back the mill they put another load on him up to tetbury tonight !!

all loaded dieseled up and first 2 farmers rang booked off a 18.00, 288kms, 7 hours driving

[scott84]

Good diary mate, that sort of work is right up my street!

AaronR

[pimmer73]

Part 3
Thursday 2nd Feb
first in mill this morning 04.15 start for todays events i am loaded with 4ton of minerals for a farm at kemble , then 4 ton of feed for a farm at hook near swindon then on to our mill at Calne where i have 2 ton of minerals for them , then load 8.5 ton of feed to go with the 3.5ton of feed and 1ton of minerals i already have on for 2 farms near devizes and Scats shops at Devizes,Andover and Salisbury. checks done and on my way at 04.35 up the M5/M4 grab 30 mins in leigh dellie then at first farm by 07.00 4ton tipped in 5 mins quality place then on down to malmesbury thro brinkworth to hook another quality tip 5 pallets off

into calne mill by 08.15 loaded and on my way by 08.45 next farm at Bromham north of devizes in and out by 09.00 Scats shop at devizes got 1.6 ton for them arrive at 09.15 to find the scats main delivery there from michaeldever
so while waiting heres a little discription of our shift pattern we are on a 4 weekly shift with 3 lorries and 4 drivers the 4th driver covers our days off and the other 3 have there own trucks (i have been the 4th driver coving molepowers and 2xscania 8 wheelers until november when i got issued this lorry ) Week 1 is mon-fri work sat off , Week 2 work mon and tues, wed and thurs off work fri and sat morning (well suppose to be but normally all dayish ) Week 3 is work mon-thurs and Week 4 is work wed-sat so get a nice long weekend every 4 weeks !
anyway tipped and out of shop by 09.50 next is a village called All Cannings please ring before so i tried no answer so get there no one about so handball 1.5ton of myself old trick gives um time to hide lol !
all done by 10.35 and off to Scats store at andover only got 45 mins driving so break needed en route so stop up on salisbury plain and watch the army helicopters messing about for 30 mins

down thro upavon and ludgershall arrive at midday tipped and gone in 30 mins
down thro amesbury to Scats shop at salisbury for 13.00 in and out of there nice and quick one farm left at little langford on the way home on the A36 have a 25min wait here for them to finish lunch with the sun shinning thro the windscreen they had to wake me up lol

phoned in got to get 7ton of minerals from feed sups to go with 7ton of feed from our mill for delivery around dorset tomorrow , all loaded phoned and book off at 17.30, 390kms, 7.5 hours driving

[dave_the_renegade]

Great pics and job description.My dad did animal feed deliveries for 45 years,only difference was two cwt sacks up granary steps and no pallets.Also go to the docks for feedstuffs and handball the load onto the lorry off a conveyor belt.Kept you fit except for back problems.
Cheers Dave.

[sidevalve]

It’s changed a bit now Dave. Maximum bag size is 25kg, and we’re not supposed to handball any more than 3 tonnes per consignment; mind you that can in theory end up as 5 drops all handball, but that’s pretty unlikely!

Some of the bags are only 20kg; I once asked our mill manager why and he said it was for Elf ‘n’ Safety reasons. Yeah, right, so instead of having forty chances per pallet to trip over the cat, bang me nut on a beam or fall down the steps I’ve got fifty now. Clever, eh?

Nice diary Pimmer. Think I saw you on the M4 last Monday.

[pimmer73]

Part 4
Friday 3rd Feb
Bit colder this morning and my car wouldnt start so took the wifes she said in a deep sleep that she would sort it bless her , so 5 drops around dorset today 1st farm at Compton Vallance 4 ton of sheep rolls told him i will be there at 07.00 so plenty of time to plod down there ! all checks done pull out of mill at 04.50 think i will go yeovil , clay pidgeon and turn in just after grimstone cause farm that side of village , had to wait for farmer as he doesnt live here and after 5 mins he turns up with loader and forks so tipped and on my way by 07.20 at 2nd farm within 20 mins ton and half handballed shed level with lorry so nice and easy had a hand aswell so no probs and nicely warmed !wife phoned grandad taking me little girl to pre school and eldest son off school with bad cold ! third farm down otherside of Burton Bradstock 1.5 ton off by hand got help from farmer so nice and easy, onwards as someone would say next is a big farm at nettlecombe bit narrow up there

only had one van and car to reverse out of my way which was lucky got 3 ton of minerals for them arrive at 09.40 , had a very wobbly pallet (must have been my driving haha)
so after he took off the 2 white pallets of limestone he lifted it down for my bless him saved a mess lol , on my way out by 10.00
phoned next and last guy up advised to come in thro chard junction to next farm at forde abbey got 4 tons of minerals for a goat farm arrive at 11.05 tipped and gone by 11.20

time to find a lay-by homemade fish pie (well yesterdays)allong with a mr bens rice today
got a second load today 7ton to our shop in bridgwater so back to our mill on route i pick the wife up
as she got no work and no car and grandad doing childminding duties ,load up for the shop in and out of there within 15mins which is amazing over to our Square Foot site to pick up 1ton and feed sups plant 8 ton for monday to go with 3 ton of feed from our mill for 8 drops around north devon monday all dieseled up couldnt wash lorry wash all frozen up booked off 16.00, 235kms, 5.5 hours driving.

well i know this isnt the most glamours job in the work but its one i enjoy my dad done this for 30 years and i grew up going with him in his old bison flatbed trying to move hundred weight bags to the edge for him to carry god knows where around a farm until he got his F7 bulker (i was relieved then ) i hope you guys enjoy reading this diary as much as i have done making it, the wife reckons i waffle on to much so hope this isnt to long and boring for you all !!!

all the best

steve

[wirralpete]

doesnt matter if the job glamorous or not mate, all depends on if you enjoy it and you obviously do.
great read, its always good to read other peoples diaries be it a eurotramper or a binman

[dinosteveus1]

Very interesting Diary and good pictures, Thanks.
The early starts would kill me, prefer late start, late finish as opposed to early start, early finish.

[roadcommander2]

Interseting read mate, thanks for posting

[dieseldave]

Hi pimmer73,

IMHO, those are great diaries and pics with an insight into a job that I did many years ago, so thanks for taking the time and trouble to post them.

When I did that job, we ran on a log-book, the bags were 50kg ish and there were very few forklifts, plus the whole job job was rope and sheet.

How times change!!

[toby1234abc]

Good post and enjoyable to read,i like doing the farm work,these farmers are real characters,plead poverty with a £60,000 Range Rover in the drive.

[toby1234abc]

Ladies wearing tight Jodphurs and leather riding boots seem to float my boat,horsey types ah.!!

[charliemjp]

good read, just shows the job is what you make it, and you have it right and enjoy doing it. some of the villages bring back memories. the mill at calne used to be old acres when we were fetching feed out . well done

[massmediauk]

excellent diary

[chicane]

Excellent diary, I’ve spent most of my life on the other side of the fence. Round here its mostly Tarff Valley doing the feedstuff. Done some shifts delivering steel round N. England/SW. Scotland wouldn’t mind doing that kind of work or the bulkers, much more interesting than trunking up and down M6/M74.

[irish_swallow]

Thanks for a great dairy,

I used to deliver fresh eggs from N-Ireland to different drops in Scotland including farms, so this brought back loads of memories.

[molepower]

some quality pics there mate , got a few farms i recognise from when i was on 8 wheelers , would that be childhays goat farm ? if so it’s got bigger since i was last there ! er guessing at 6 years ago now ? blimey .
nice to see what you lot on the darkside get upto& moan about , really dont envy the handball jobs you get though. as for the photo of me ? well lets hope not many see it , i wouldnt too many people to know i smile occasionally

best get me camera sorted i spose

[brandsbybank]

Nice varied job in nice countryside.Supersingles on front,set motor off well.Nice diary,cheers