Something I overheard being discussed recently - got me thinking.
Could you start at Leeds, tip at Didcot, tip at Southampton and get back to Leeds in a shift?
I think it’s a bit optimistic - just wondered what the opinions of others are.
Let’s assume we’re doing this during the day - departing Leeds at 0400, and running at the speed limit where traffic conditions allow.
I’ve put that it can be done twice a week with a 10h drive BUT that is with certain conditions attached and with a big helping of luck too.
I just put Leeds->Didcot->Southampton->Leeds into Autoroute and it reckons on a 765km round trip, which in 9h would mean you had to average 85km/h which isn’t practical on that route which involves lots of non motorway driving where you can only do 80kph or less (not to mention the fact that many units will only do slightly over 85kph on the limiter anyway).
To do it in 10h you need to average about 77kph which I think is feasible IF your start/finish point and both the drops are within a very short distance of the major roads you’re travelling on. If you have to get right into the middle of Leeds and/or Southampton it aint going to happen. You also need to get lucky with the traffic.
In summary you can probably do it in a 10h driving day, at a push, but if you tried to do it with any kind of frequency you can guarantee that you’ll end up having to either be rescued by another driver or take an unplanned night out quite often. I wouldn’t think it sensible to have it as a regular run, that’s for sure.
Paul
Leeds to Southampton is 4 and a half dead on a clear run (I used to do it regularly). Didcot is just off the A34, so on route. It wouldn’t take you a full hour to nip in and tip, nor would it eat much time manouevering to tip at the southern end. I’d guess you’d have at least half an hour to spare on 10. Ok, so I’d run the A34 on my limiter…But even allowing for doing 50 you’d still have 15 minutes to play with. The only potential spanner in the works is which side of Southampton you mean - if it’s the eastern side and you have to weave about to get there, you’d be screwed. If it was, say Nursling, just off the M271, you might have a chance.
Put it this way…At that time of the morning…If everything went like clockwork…And the far end was in the right place…I’d chance it. 
Correction. leaving at 0400 you’d hit the bottom end of the journey at rush hour. So revised answer is best not.
Sorry…Misread the time. 
flying_fenman:
Something I overheard being discussed recently - got me thinking.Could you start at Leeds, tip at Didcot, tip at Southampton and get back to Leeds in a shift?
I think it’s a bit optimistic - just wondered what the opinions of others are.
Let’s assume we’re doing this during the day - departing Leeds at 0400, and running at the speed limit where traffic conditions allow.
Depends where in Leeds you’re starting from, where in Didcot you’re going and where in So’ton you’re going !!!
When I used to fly about like a [zb] I could do Roadways yard in the Leeds container base at Stourton (M621 J7) to the VBS parking area at Southampton docks in 4.5 hrs dead on a clear run, and that was foot to the floor all the way and letting it overrun down the hills.
Based on that, I reckon that you’d be struggling to do Leeds - Didcot - Southampton - Leeds in 10 hrs driving (never mind 9) sticking to the speed limits.
no because to leave Leeds at 0400 you need to start before 0600 then which makes you a night worker
any later and you have traffic problems
and as i always say
if it cant be done legally it cant be done
It’d be delivering to the Tesco depots at Didcot and Southampton.
Didn’t catch exactly where in Leeds the start / finish was.
FF you beat me to it
Id guess its also down to where the deliveries are, By the locations id guess hes doing deliveries to tesco RDCs, so thats easily a 15hr shift just waiting to tip, get paperwork, and travel so Im guessing that youd run out of hours before running out of driving time
flying_fenman:
It’d be delivering to the Tesco depots at Didcot and Southampton.Didn’t catch exactly where in Leeds the start / finish was.
You’ve no chance then. Tesco RDC off A34 at Didcot is 10 mins drive each way, plus add another 5 mins for trundling round the yard getting on and off the bay, so you’ve 25 mins there off the A34.
Nursling Tesco’s is 5 mins drive off the M271 plus 5 mins driving around the yard so you’ve 15 mins there.
I reckon keeping to the speed limits (A43 & A34) and allowing for traffic you’d be looking at 5 hours driving time from Leeds to the Nursling junction on the M271 so back again to Leeds takes you to 10 hours, then you’ve your 25 mins for Didcot plus 15 mins for Nursling to add on - 10hrs 40 mins. I think that’s a reasonable estimate - what do you guys think ?
Sounds about right to me, Rob, now we know the details. In fact, looking at it again on that basis, even I wouldn’t attempt it and I drive like a prat.
(Ps. The above statement being based on 9hrs dead Nursling and back, 10 minutes each way into Didcot, 10 minutes at each end arsing about - so 9hrs 40 - then another 10 minutes getting in and out of Leeds early doors if you’re starting the right side. That leaves you nothing for traffic when you hit the bottom of the M3/M27, even on a ten and driving like a prat.)
Yep, given those details to add to what was said at the start, I’ll call in all the caveats I put in my first reply and change my vote to “No Chance”.
Paul
Yeah sorry about that guys n gals - should have explained it was Tesco at the start.
I’m glad I’m not alone in my thoughts!! 
flying_fenman:
Yeah sorry about that guys n gals - should have explained it was Tesco at the start.I’m glad I’m not alone in my thoughts!!
And you’ve got a digi tacho so that is going to cost you at best 5 or 6 minutes and maybe more during the deliveries.
Coffeeholic:
And you’ve got a digi tacho so that is going to cost you at worst 5 or 6 minutes and maybe more during the deliveries.
Good point Neil!! 
It now takes me 5 or 6 minutes each way to get through a gatehouse. Longer if I have to queue up!!
You’d probably stand a chance at night but during the day it’s pushing it and even more so once the M1 roadworks between J28 and J25 kick off in a fortnight.
If a planner told me that was what I was doing, I would just use my stock phrase which I use nearly every time I speak to our Dutch TM “Well, that ain’t gonna happen”
People ask these questions but only RobK gave the right answer (bugger beat me to it) cos people forget (ie OUR TM) that the time spent at the gatehouse speaking into that intercom, driving round Didcot to the bay, opening the back doors and then reversing onto the bay all counts as driving time!
hitch:
no because to leave Leeds at 0400 you need to start before 0600 then which makes you a night worker
Neil has missed this!!!
A night worker is classed as a start time between 00:00 & 04:00
Limestone Cowboy:
hitch:
no because to leave Leeds at 0400 you need to start before 0600 then which makes you a night workerNeil has missed this!!!
A night worker is classed as a start time between 00:00 & 04:00
Neil didn’t miss it, Neil is sick of repeating it so ignored it. 
Limestone Cowboy:
hitch:
no because to leave Leeds at 0400 you need to start before 0600 then which makes you a night workerNeil has missed this!!!
A night worker is classed as a start time between 00:00 & 04:00
Plus you can opt out of the 10 hour restriction, but it must be in writing that you have agreed to it.
Coffeeholic:
Limestone Cowboy:
hitch:
no because to leave Leeds at 0400 you need to start before 0600 then which makes you a night workerNeil has missed this!!!
A night worker is classed as a start time between 00:00 & 04:00
Neil didn’t miss it, Neil is sick of repeating it so ignored it.
I thought that, but didnt want irritate Niel so thought best to keep stumm
I could do it, just not in the same shift. which is what the traffic monkey would be told 
What planet do they come from