A Weeks Diary Of An Animal Feed Bulk Lorry Driver

[molepower]

well sort of i was on rest day on mon & tues
6th feb i did a few DIY jobs around the house
7th feb yeeeaaaahhhhh my birthday so i had a full day of this 42 going on 12

8th feb
ah back to reality, as far as i know i just got 3 drops on 2 loads sounds good enough for me .here’s my drive ex58 plate Scania R420 M400MVF, & …aww bugger…spare trailer BT51

looks like buzz has polished a turd er… i mean washed it all down for me so all my daily checks done , i’ll get a coffee & finish me paperwork off, while i’m here i’ll have a look see at the newest addition to the fleet that arrived last friday i think ? Scania G360 8x2 rearsteer/lift, sucker blower…nice. M444MVF
15-20 mins later, i’m about to leave the yard , but somethings niggling me , so i hop out & try the donkey engine on the trailer …yep i got a dead donkey great start best call local fitter,paul at home in bed & this was how it looked at 0620

[molepower]

8th feb continued
have another cuppa & roll up (in the smoking area of course) & then set a course for Usk nr Monmouth, at the farm for 0800. glad its dry as this tracks a real pain to climb when its greasy or icy, got a good 3-4 ft sloping drop either side

result farmer wants both lots tipped , so i’m directed to a shed & get it off in no time at all
12t of elite cattle crunch & 5t of speedybeef nuts

all tipped & now set a course for severnside docks for a collection of 20t organic lucerne nuts ,no problem with the paperwork so i’m directed to M shed to be loaded best not leave the windows open

found this while i was there , tidy dock shunt Foden 4350

now heading for sailsbury so i’ll take the run down the m5/m4/ then head off down through marlborough> andover way as thts the quickest way to my next delivery , i’ll stop for my 45 just before marlborough as well.
break done (unlike pimmer i havent got a pic of any sandwich boxes) get to my next drop & 1315, got to back into a courtyard & blow into a shed pic of M400 coming out of the farm courtyard .

my next instructions are to head up to Calne for tomorrows load so thats where i’m headed, unfortunately its not made , so i’ll fuel up & get my load tickets ready,go down the shop & get some hovis 50/50 rolls to have with my tea, all day breakfast & pork n bacon meatballs me thinks

not quite as adveturous as our friend luke , but hey it was hot & filled me up
finish 1700hrs total 12 hours , 362kms, 37.920t delivered

[molepower]

9th feb
0500 start today i got 4 drops for 3 places got loaded & headed for a farm Nr Chichester
arrive at 0830 with 12t of dairy cake .nice bin

& approx 3t of calf cake for these young ladies

stop for 15 mins break & read a bit of me book ‘AREA’ 7 by micheal riley (cracking read,loads of fast paced action) with a coffee . 15 mins up & head for southampton docks berth 107 for a full load of HiPro soya for calne mill

got loaded, 22t620kgs & took a 30 min on the way back to calne , rolled in at calne to tip at 1430

no waiting thid time so i’m straight on the pit & tipped in no time , quick look at the clock …yep time to load my first drop for tommorow

all made & loaded , check me hours , can i get to the farm & get my first of tomorrows loads off tonight ? yep game on … head for Usk again with 18t of dairy cake & get there for 1700
took a while to get that off & then couldn’t get it all in the bin so the last ton or so was taken round the back & tipped with the stuff i took yesterday morning , thats me done so the farmer is happy for me to park in the yard , so it’ll be chicken curry & rice tonight , & maybe a tin of ambrosia rice pudding for afters
scania by moolight

finish 1800, total 13hrs, 465kms, 56t100kgs delivered

[molepower]

10th feb
start 0500, daily checks done & coffee made i head for portbury dock bristol for my first collection , another load of HiPro soya, weighbridge doesn’t open until 0700, but there’ll be a fair few trucks waiting if i leave any later , so i join the line at 0615 & wait it out
wieghed in & hurry up & wait ! bit like the container drivers waithing on dock gate 20 at southampton

job done loaded & heading for glastonbury area with 22t420kg for a pig farm mmmmm great
arive at 0915. soya isn’t the best comodity with this trailer so i ma be here some time , not helped by blowing through 4 pipes to bin

soya

get a call to tell me my trailers ready for collection so after this delivery i’ll head back to the workshops & swap , as another driver wants this spare while his gets ready for testing .
all done so go collect my trailer & head back to bridgwater mill for the next load out to wincanton area got to load & raise the body for the weigher … ah someone at the workshop has left the ignition on & so now have another dead donkey get loaded & go back to wokshops where a new battery is fitted

head to my next drop lovely big bin arrive at 1530

so can sit have me coffee & stretch me legs a bit plan out tomorrows load & work out that with the hours i have left i can get back to the mill load, & get to launceston at least, but traffic congestion on the way back scuppers those plans so just back to the mill to load for sat, at least i get home to watch the worlds toughest trucker ,
finish 1830, total 13.5hrs, 345kms, 43.480t delivered

[molepower]

not seen pimmer , so can only assume we’ve been missing each others commings & goings unless he’s been on his rest days ?
11th feb
0500 start seeing as the trailer had some work done to the suspension pins the wheels needed re-torqueing so that done the rest of my checks complete i have a coffee & get ready to head for bude, jsy check the donkey as it was cold last night , but shouldn’t have a problem with the new batt…

really ?

you got to be kidding me ?

another dead donkey dont think i’d better wake paul up this morning , if i wake him up with another sentance that would include jumpleads & think he’d take great delight in connecting them to me knackers , so i’ll text instead
within two seconds of text gone i get a ring straight back from a ‘just been disturbed from my nice warm bed deep sleep from a text message’ voice AARGHHHHHHHH no problem from him though as it’s no rush as i’ll do my 2nd load first with an 8wheeler as it’s only 8t so now i got that loaded i head for exeter & get there at 0715

at least i got there without incedent , the only other way i’ve been to this farm was the wrong way , & ripped the sheet & winding reel & released a few bricks from a railway bridge
phone call to say donkey started so might pay to keep it running till i finished the farm it’s loaded for.
get back to the yard indeed the donkey is grumbling away quite happily & head off for launceston / bude area, stop for my 45 on the way & get to farm at1230
nice drop this although a driver has blocked the delivery pipe & blwon it apart so i’ll pipe it through a tyre today
organic dairy cake

get back & help other drivers as well as load me own for monday & then get he round onto the wash bay
not looking quite as clean as she did wednesday

but came up nice after a couple of hours on the power washer & ready to go on monday & i’ll be heading for bideford area

finish 1800, total 13hrs, 448kms, 31.340t delivered

[coffeeholic]

Good stuff, something different and a world I know nothing about so found it interesting.

[molepower]

thanks , always something different with this job

[pimmer73]

nice one mate great diary !! memories must admit dont miss the dock work one bit !!

[sidevalve]

MolePower:
thanks , always something different with this job

So true! Most of my work’s on bags these days, but I still do bulkers as and when required.

You could’ve had a better title for this thread… how’s about “Drop the Dead Donkey”?

[molepower]

gnasty gnome:

MolePower:
thanks , always something different with this job

So true! Most of my work’s on bags these days, but I still do bulkers as and when required.

You could’ve had a better title for this thread… how’s about “Drop the Dead Donkey”?

[sidevalve]

Slight correction… given the number of failures that should be **MULTI-**Drop the Dead Donkey!