After my recent incident at work, I’ve decided to go back Euro-hopping in the vans. Much prefer to spend weeks alone, than to have to face brain-dead scaffolders/ back door staff and building sites. Plus the mundane commute every day to say the least. I would rather wake up with the Med as a backdrop than Torquay every day. So touch wood, I’ll be back in a van come April. Thanks to a chap in Swindon that made me a decent offer. 
Definitely a bad experience.
I’ve not done a lot of pallet multi-drop myself but would think the odds of a repeat are pretty low but understand you might want to move outfits if they didn’t back you up.
It’s not that. The company have been OK to be fair. Kept me outta North Devon for a start. It’s just so boring doing the same thing every day. I used to do this rubbish on the pallets when I was a kid. Now I’m nudging 50, I want to enjoy the easier life. Plus I hate TV and Mrs BV1 doesn’t! 
I prefer vans to be honest,hate being stuck on tacho and 56mph.
Good luck vern!
Your not a million miles from Avonmouth or the gilder brothers or ray whites or s&k surely there must be something better than one hitting a transit to Rome out there for someone of your euro experience with your class 1
albion:
I prefer vans to be honest,hate being stuck on tacho and 56mph.Good luck vern!
I don’t mind 56, you can only do what you can do unless you are one of those that think there are not enough hours in a day 
Same with tachos, pain in the arse sometimes but a necessary evil.
If I was going back out there the last thing I would want to go in is a van, too much scope for some ■■■■ to have you running 25 hrs a day if you are daft enough to let them. Give me a top spec hi cab lux motor any day, and of course a decent pay rate …as well as rather than instead of 
.
But each to his own and all that…Good luck with it mate anyway.
Been wondering about vans since my knee fell to bits, not parcels or multidrop though, quite fancy long haul for one or two drops, don’t think anyone round here does it though.
chicane:
Been wondering about vans since my knee fell to bits, not parcels or multidrop though, quite fancy long haul for one or two drops, don’t think anyone round here does it though.
And if they did, you probably wouldnt speak there language.
£80 day rate, on double manned sprinters doing europe 24/7. No thanks.
Sometimes digi tachos are a saviour.
Thanks for the input lads. I’ve been screwed over before, as well as another member on here by the same company. I ain’t daft either.(All of the time)
I’ll be collecting my van in Swindon, doing a couple of UK collections in the South, then off to Alicante on a 7 day round trip. Doing a couple of deliveries/ collects down there and back to the UK for deliveries in the South. Am doing this x3 times per month. Plus I ain’t doing it for £80 per day either. My last job was in a super space cab Daf, had everything I needed, plus a four king great trailer on the back. Not interested in class 1 anymore.
kr79:
Your not a million miles from Avonmouth or the gilder brothers or ray whites or s&k surely there must be something better than one hitting a transit to Rome out there for someone of your euro experience with your class 1
Not interested Kev. I like being able to explore whilst I’m away. Can’t sightsee in a tractor/ trailer mate! 
Just bought mesen another Transit for doing a bit of light haulage in during my month at home, but with the insurance costs (£1560 all in) and the ■■■■ poor rates on offer cant see me making much but will at least relieve the boredom. Good luck to you, at least the scenery is better some times 
A big lad like you shoe horned into a van, or the room in a ssc daf, mm it would be a hard choice!!!
I like your thinking, a good idea going to lay low on the costa del crime after giving scaffold monkey a little spell of time in the ER & eating through a straw for a month or two!
I dunno how you are calm about that incident chap, ok scaf blokes are generally fellas not to mess with- my mate is one & he’s not only a nutcase but a flippin’ hard as nails nutcase too, that I’d want a fairly major special forces unit of SAS, spetsnaz, seals, delta force & the boy scouts behind me before I’d want a punch up with him! however I just couldn’t leave it, it could possibly wreck the rest of my life with its consequences of my recriminations, but I just couldn’t let it lie.
sometimes you win sometimes you lose and sometimes you have to walk away and that takes guts ,well done big man and good luck 
I believe in Karma. There’s no rush. One way or another, there will be a consequence. I like driving vans as I mentioned earlier. Stuck in a services on a 45 in Spain…Or drive to any number of places in a van? Tough call!!!
bigvern1:
I believe in Karma. There’s no rush. One way or another, there will be a consequence. I like driving vans as I mentioned earlier. Stuck in a services on a 45 in Spain…Or drive to any number of places in a van? Tough call!!!
That’s what I like about them, can wander off somewhere pretty.
Of course it depends on who you are working for, but we keep the hours right for vans as well and because there’s no bunk in a van, they get forced into hotels.
bigvern1:
After my recent incident at work, I’ve decided to go back Euro-hopping in the vans. Much prefer to spend weeks alone, than to have to face brain-dead scaffolders/ back door staff and building sites. Plus the mundane commute every day to say the least. I would rather wake up with the Med as a backdrop than Torquay every day. So touch wood, I’ll be back in a van come April. Thanks to a chap in Swindon that made me a decent offer.
Eyup Vern! Torquay is the closest some of us have got to “the med” that don’t channel hop glad you are back doing what you enjoy doing.
Often though about doing this, but put off by the thought of having to sleep either across the seats on in a tiny pod!
Are there really companies that put drivers up in hotels on this sort of work?
DonutUK:
Often though about doing this, but put off by the thought of having to sleep either across the seats on in a tiny pod!Are there really companies that put drivers up in hotels on this sort of work?
Yes I do, up to £70 with receipt or £48 if driver wants to kip on seats
Me!
I used to kip in the back of a van when I did it, wouldn’t think to ask my drivers to do the same. Must be going soft in my old age
We book the hotels, usually Ibis/Premier types, but sometimes they end up in a posh one. £20.00 meal allowance.
I think the best one last year was in the summer when one of the lads was down on the heel of the boot of Italy for three days waiting for a trial to be over. He kept ringing me from the pool 