Thanks all, not had that many opportunities to respond back here. However, it’s been 4 days and I’ve done all sorts of things already.
Turned up on the first day at 7am expecting to have the day spent with another driver learned the ropes. Instead, I was told that since they didn’t have the time to go out and do it, I’d be going on my own…
Turns out I was delivering right next to the yard where I used to work, so I knew the industrial estate quite well, actually quite an uneventful day.
Second day, I was sent up to an industrial unit on East Midlands airport and had a drop and swap in Corby, getting into Corby I was sent onto the wrong road by my sat nav, the actual road was fine, but I ran into (not literally) a road closed sign, so I was forced onto a minor road leading from it. Just my luck that another sign accompanied it mentioning a 12’ 9" bridge 3 miles down the road. I must’ve driven 3 miles on that road looking for a place to turn road when I reached a town, a town I wouldn’t even want to bring a rigid since it had many tight turns with adjacent buildings. I managed to find it later on google maps, so there’s a few views of it here, here and here. After finally managing to turn around, I got back on track and found the collection point which all went fine, but running back to Southampton fully freighted in the dark.
All went fine but parked up for the night at Cherwell Valley.
Day 3, I left Cherwell Valley at just after 5, arrived at Southampton for roughly half 7, did a quick trailer swap and headed off to Pentalvers where I had an empty fridge to lift off and an empty 20’ to put on. Thankfully no queue and I was out of there at about half 9. I was headed up to Basingstoke for personal effects, I was given an address to a farm but with no road name. Given the type of load, I assumed it would’ve been a home that was on a farm (this is going somewhere). I drove past the entrance a few times and maneuvered my way in, by this point it was roughly 11. I arrived in a courtyard/driveway type deal. A few moments later, the owner appeared and was livid because I ended up on his driveway, giving me all sorts of abuse and telling me I should never have a license, that I should’ve been there at 7 and putting all the blame on me for it etc etc… I’m sure that some people would’ve put him on the floor for what he was saying. A few helpers he’d hired then turned up and helped me get out of the driveway, at least they weren’t in a rage… I managed to slide the trailer to the loading position for the 20’ box and turn around in the driveway. I was then told how to get in properly which was through a few small lanes (maybe put a road name on the address in future and I might not end up in your front garden?
). After that was behind me, I just got back to the yard, dropped the trailer and headed home, by this point it was about 7.
Day 4, today. I started early and was told to pick up a trailer as I’d be going down to the docks to pick up a box. I walked around the yard a couple of times before coming to the conclusion that said trailer wasn’t there, there were no other empty trailer either. So queue me and the planner traipsing around the yard writing down box & trailer numbers to find out which we’d be able to take to the docks. Found one and off I popped to take this box off and have another one put on. My destination was Magna Park Costco, I was advised beforehand by other drivers not to be late or it’ll get refused. Thanks to the trailer [zb] up I ended up arriving 45 minutes late, thankfully it wasn’t refused and I was quickly assigned a bay. I got to the bay and was given a bolt cutter to get the seal off, to much embarrassment I couldn’t actually break the seal so they had to do it for me.
It wasn’t a seal that was encased in plastic like all others i’d seen as the pin was entirely metal, I don’t know if that affects the strength of it but the bloke who cut it dropped the cutters as it went through so I image it was quite strong. Only one other driver there apart from me and that was another driver from felixstowe, really helpful and showed me a few things I could learn about containers.
Anyway, that’s been my first 4 days… Whew!