Diary

[alba]

Ive got the monday morning feeling, it doesnt help that the first drop of the day is a septic tank to a new build in Appin. Because of a low bridge the tanks have to be loaded on their sides, a real pain.

After dropping off the tank the phone goes and i have to head for the TP barnch in Fort William to pick up a pack of 6x2 timber.
About to pass under the Ballachullish bridge on the A828

Tuesday and im off the the Island of Mull, witha full load for one customer its going to be an easy day i hope.
Rush hour on Mull

Access to the site is impossible for the lorry and the delivery has to be craned over the wall at the top of the garden. The good thing about having a camera is you can prove whether you have or havent done something. The customer had phoned the depot to say the concrete lintels had not been delivered, but they can clearly be seen in the picture Customer 0 Driver 1.

Wednesday and its off to Tignabruaich near Dunoon. With the GVW about 25tonne its a bit of a struggle to get up to the view point over the Kyles of Bute.

Time to get the flask out and a quick squint of the paper and enjoy the view before I start to unload

As usual the acces to most sites is abit on the tight side

Another of the lorries is ahead of me as we travel through Taynuilt heading for Oban on the A85.

Thursday and its off to the Island of Mull again!
There is a fair bit of freight traffic this morning. Might be a queue in the cafeteria for the Calmac breakfast.

Not much of a load so an easy day.

Getting an earlier ferry back to the mainland means i can load up for the next day, it saves trying to jostle for position with the builders who just abandon their vans anywhere in the yard. All strapped up and ready for the morning

Friday and as i wake from the slumber i hear the rain battering off the window, great, a day of getting wet and then dry then wet again, it doesant help with ackward access to sites.

Heading back for the depot and sunshine and showers make driving pretty hazardous. Its back to the yard to dry off and have a cuppa with the yard boys.

Another week over

[brit_pete]

THANKS very much yet again wonderful pictures

you do work in some wonderfull scenery,

will bé waiting for the next weeks post,

[snab]

Thats a cracking photo of the Kyles

[convoy]

Good read and pics

[alba]

snab:
Thats a cracking photo of the Kyles

The regular driver of that run has some cracking pics of the Kyles in the summer with the sun coming up.

[longwayround]

Beautifull, even in November

[darren]

top pics & good diary

[8wheels]

Couldn’t you have stacked them neatly then?

Nice one

[trucking482002]

Great diary and pictures,you really do have some nice scenery up there,just need some sun.regards derek

[alba]

8wheels:

Couldn’t you have stacked them neatly then?

Nice one

That was what the polish labourers did to the stuff trying to find the lintels!!

[meggala]

great pics and story.
I thanked the guy that invented phone camera’s every day I delivered building supplies. save my ■■■ many a time

[allikat]

Indeed, long live phone cameras!

[coffeeholic]

Great photos and diary.

[carl]

great stuff alba youve got some fantastic scenery up there mate

[flying_fenman]

Fantastic stuff!

[cm]

Another first class diary Alba, thanks.

[jb]

Yep i enjoyed that too alba. I had a holiday up(tayvallich) there years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it… apart from the midges!

[penfold]

Excellent read and pictures mate.

[kyrbo]

ALBA:
Not much of a load so an easy day.

Are this types of hiab “hooks” or “grab arms” (or whatever name that blue thing is called) common over there? I’ve never seen anything like that being used in hiab work, but it clearly has advantages over ordinary hiab with only a hook. Here in Finland they usually have separate “fork” which is couple into hiab hook when pallets are unloaded, but is hanging loose. Those forks are something like pallet truck without wheels and it’s extended upwards and then front so that it stays in balance when lifted with hiab (I hope this makes even a little bit of sense )

Closest to that thing of yours I’ve seen are “hiabs” (close to hiab but different name) in loggers. In fact that “hiab” of yours seems like it would be more like home in logger as it is controlled from the seat and not from the ground.

And please keep writing these diaries, I’ve enjoyed reading them all and scenery pictures bring really nice deviance from not-so-summery view from my own window

[alba]

The grab can be taken off in a couple of minutes, and replaced by the hook. I think ive done it only a couple of times, not worth the effort. Its amazing what you can do with these things once you get used to them.