I often stop for a 15 minute break about 9PM at Gretna services, and the HGV area is always a hive of activity with B & Q wagons, also seems to be a lot of uncoupling going on and swapping of trailers, last night I counted 8 of them in there and was just interested in where they were all heading to/from and why they all seem to choose Gretna. Is it a half way point for some some sort of trunking operation?
Guessing some of them may be going to / coming from their Cambuslang depo just off the m74…
Heard a few rumors this week that DHL have lost the contract and Norbert has landed it… 
G6Bob:
Guessing some of them may be going to / coming from their Cambuslang depo just off the m74…Heard a few rumors this week that DHL have lost the contract and Norbert has landed it…
Correct Nobbys have landed it and Gretna is a change over point!
that’s a regular swop over place…i used to run up from west Bromwich to Gretna with a decker nearly every day to swop over with the east Kilbride lads…I got the ■■■■ end of the stick as they wouldn’t come past Gretna due to to militant union…took me 4hr+ up and 4hrs+ down to west brom…took them 1.45 I think to get to Gretna .I even got them to come down to carnforth 2 days on the trot as I said im struggling to make it, but strike action was planned if it carried on so every day Gretna it was! …also I didn’t have a radio as the bag of nails I had didn’t have the wiring(was told to me by management)
Sprinter Si:
I often stop for a 15 minute break about 9PM at Gretna services, and the HGV area is always a hive of activity with B & Q wagons, also seems to be a lot of uncoupling going on and swapping of trailers, last night I counted 8 of them in there and was just interested in where they were all heading to/from and why they all seem to choose Gretna. Is it a half way point for some some sort of trunking operation?
Never been there, but a lot of companies use service stations for trailer swapping. One of my first class 1 jobs was a night trunk for Tufnell’s from Crawley to Northampton, then to pick up a trailer to swap at Donington with a driver who was down from Newcastle, then take that back to Northampton and pick up another trailer to go back to Crawley. They did that because you couldn’t do Newcastle to Northampton and back and guarantee staying within driving time limits. Was good practice for a new class 1 driver.
bigjohn78:
G6Bob:
Guessing some of them may be going to / coming from their Cambuslang depo just off the m74…Heard a few rumors this week that DHL have lost the contract and Norbert has landed it…
Correct Nobbys have landed it and Gretna is a change over point!
Any ideas as to when they take over?
G6Bob:
bigjohn78:
G6Bob:
Guessing some of them may be going to / coming from their Cambuslang depo just off the m74…Heard a few rumors this week that DHL have lost the contract and Norbert has landed it…
Correct Nobbys have landed it and Gretna is a change over point!
Any ideas as to when they take over?
1st August
bigjohn78:
G6Bob:
bigjohn78:
G6Bob:
Guessing some of them may be going to / coming from their Cambuslang depo just off the m74…Heard a few rumors this week that DHL have lost the contract and Norbert has landed it…
Correct Nobbys have landed it and Gretna is a change over point!
Any ideas as to when they take over?
1st August
Might go chap their door then, hopefully get a few months working for them before Norberts take over 
G6Bob:
bigjohn78:
G6Bob:
bigjohn78:
Correct Nobbys have landed it and Gretna is a change over point!Any ideas as to when they take over?
1st August
Might go chap their door then, hopefully get a few months working for them before Norberts take over
From what I’ve heard Preston Brook is closing and they are adding extra vehicles at Swindon - Bl**dy long drive from Swindon to Gretna!!
Yeah that’s shutting and work going to Swindon and Doncaster
DHL didn’t have that contract long. Must only be a couple of years at most since they got it from K&N.
oooooo could be some job opportunities at Norbert’s in the future then 
elcamino:
that’s a regular swop over place…i used to run up from west Bromwich to Gretna with a decker nearly every day to swop over with the east Kilbride lads…I got the [zb] end of the stick as they wouldn’t come past Gretna due to to militant union…took me 4hr+ up and 4hrs+ down to west brom…took them 1.45 I think to get to Gretna .I even got them to come down to carnforth 2 days on the trot as I said im struggling to make it, but strike action was planned if it carried on so every day Gretna it was! …also I didn’t have a radio as the bag of nails I had didn’t have the wiring(was told to me by management)
Yeah the Screfix driver I know did the trunk from Stafford to Gretna and they wouldn’t come any further for them either.
Quite a few times as well he’s ran out of his 2 hours waiting for them and had to leave then re enter the services. Their excuse usually revolved around their boss ringing them and diverting them elsewhere on the way. Like Screwfix have nothing better to do than wait for B&Q.
Terry T:
elcamino:
that’s a regular swop over place…i used to run up from west Bromwich to Gretna with a decker nearly every day to swop over with the east Kilbride lads…I got the [zb] end of the stick as they wouldn’t come past Gretna due to to militant union…took me 4hr+ up and 4hrs+ down to west brom…took them 1.45 I think to get to Gretna .I even got them to come down to carnforth 2 days on the trot as I said im struggling to make it, but strike action was planned if it carried on so every day Gretna it was! …also I didn’t have a radio as the bag of nails I had didn’t have the wiring(was told to me by management)Yeah the Screfix driver I know did the trunk from Stafford to Gretna and they wouldn’t come any further for them either.
Quite a few times as well he’s ran out of his 2 hours waiting for them and had to leave then re enter the services. Their excuse usually revolved around their boss ringing them and diverting them elsewhere on the way. Like Screwfix have nothing better to do than wait for B&Q.
Is it different at MSAs? I have been stuck at Carlisle and carnforth waiting for changeovers in the past and they have a 2 hour limit. Changeovers get 6 hours grace though
Unless they are not paying to do them 
Laup:
oooooo could be some job opportunities at Norbert’s in the future then
as I said in another post from steve66 nobbies will be looking to take on another 40 drivers at Swindon[so I hear]and probably other depots too,not good news for drivers at preston brook though
I used to do a changeover at Carnforth for Bibby Bicester on the Havelock Europa contract swapping with lads from the factory at Dalgety Bay.We used to have to go in and sign a changeover book in the reception so Bibby would pay and we could get out through the barriers (when they hadn’t been ripped off)
washy jnr:
I used to do a changeover at Carnforth for Bibby Bicester on the Havelock Europa contract swapping with lads from the factory at Dalgety Bay.We used to have to go in and sign a changeover book in the reception so Bibby would pay and we could get out through the barriers (when they hadn’t been ripped off)
Same here, Do they only get charged if it’s over 2 hours or charged a fee just for a changeover?