grumpyken52:
I have done London all my driving life , 45 years so far .
Only up to 12t , but everywhere on the map .
A good London A to Z , and learn how to use it properly, a good recent truck map with bridge heights , a proper truck sat nav . All are very useful tools as well as a smart phone with google maps with street view .
Contact phone numbers and confirmed delivery address are essential. It’s amazing how many addresses are wrong .
As others have said parking in the center of London is virtually nil for anything bigger than a transit van .
Watch out for stupid posts or large knuckle mounds at junctions to protect pavements and pedestrians.
All the boroughs have different parking enforcers and some are very very keen , they will ticket you even if you are going too slow !
Bikes and scooters/ motorbikes everywhere and most rules don’t apply to them , or so they think .
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Good shout on confirming the delivery address!
Ah bikes! We all enjoy a good cyclist don’t we? I used to drive buses and it was bad enough dealing with them around Birmingham!
The worst about addresses is turning up to find out it’s the registered address, usually a firm of solicitors or accountants. They don’t tend to accept pallets!
On a serious note , there have been random acid attacks .
Corrosive acid is not good for my stunning good looks.
So its doors locked both sides, sun roof shut, and cab air vents shut.
As others said take a 45 minute break before going in to London .
The car and van drivers tend to hoot their horns a lot, don’t let it bother you.
Somebody sits in a control room to watch for vehicles blocking a yellow box junction.
If it is clear for your, a turning car will block you then a nice letter arrives for a fine.
I ignore all booking times for London.
When you arrive late , they know the traffic is bad and never rush.Sometimes it can be one mph for hours.
Aurri:
I’min London about 3 times a week, doing dray work in class 2. Down some roads you wouldn’t want to be taking trucks. City,canary wharf. Knights bridge,soho also peckham Dulwich areas. As said use both a sat nav and Google maps. As Google usually updates often enough to put up general road closures. Takes a while to learn basic routes but planning before you get in there is always advisable.
As for employers wanoting you to go in there, most understand that it’s a ball ache but if you got work there your going. Don’t know anybody that turns down work due to location.
On the plus side if you can drive round it confidently you can drive pretty much any city in the UK.
Yeah I didn’t think they would turn down work, I just wondered if employers were a bit more reluctant the more difficult they make things with fines etc.
This is true on the confidence side, knowing my luck when I pass my test my first job will be somewhere in London!
Tbf as long as the truck is Lez compliant the fines incurred will probably be pushed onto you, as it’s your choice where to park and box cameras etc will be down to how you drive. Only thing I have problem with at my place is that fines are split between drivers if you double man. Company policy at ours states that unless the second man disagrees with ■■■■■■■■■■■■ at the time of parking, both parties spilt the fine.
Aurri:
I’min London about 3 times a week, doing dray work in class 2. Down some roads you wouldn’t want to be taking trucks. City,canary wharf. Knights bridge,soho also peckham Dulwich areas. As said use both a sat nav and Google maps. As Google usually updates often enough to put up general road closures. Takes a while to learn basic routes but planning before you get in there is always advisable.
As for employers wanoting you to go in there, most understand that it’s a ball ache but if you got work there your going. Don’t know anybody that turns down work due to location.
On the plus side if you can drive round it confidently you can drive pretty much any city in the UK.
Yeah I didn’t think they would turn down work, I just wondered if employers were a bit more reluctant the more difficult they make things with fines etc.
This is true on the confidence side, knowing my luck when I pass my test my first job will be somewhere in London!
Tbf as long as the truck is Lez compliant the fines incurred will probably be pushed onto you, as it’s your choice where to park and box cameras etc will be down to how you drive. Only thing I have problem with at my place is that fines are split between drivers if you double man. Company policy at ours states that unless the second man disagrees with ■■■■■■■■■■■■ at the time of parking, both parties spilt the fine.
How does he prove he disagreed? First man is likely to say he agreed just to reduce his cost
Aurri:
I’min London about 3 times a week, doing dray work in class 2. Down some roads you wouldn’t want to be taking trucks. City,canary wharf. Knights bridge,soho also peckham Dulwich areas. As said use both a sat nav and Google maps. As Google usually updates often enough to put up general road closures. Takes a while to learn basic routes but planning before you get in there is always advisable.
As for employers wanoting you to go in there, most understand that it’s a ball ache but if you got work there your going. Don’t know anybody that turns down work due to location.
On the plus side if you can drive round it confidently you can drive pretty much any city in the UK.
Yeah I didn’t think they would turn down work, I just wondered if employers were a bit more reluctant the more difficult they make things with fines etc.
This is true on the confidence side, knowing my luck when I pass my test my first job will be somewhere in London!
Tbf as long as the truck is Lez compliant the fines incurred will probably be pushed onto you, as it’s your choice where to park and box cameras etc will be down to how you drive. Only thing I have problem with at my place is that fines are split between drivers if you double man. Company policy at ours states that unless the second man disagrees with ■■■■■■■■■■■■ at the time of parking, both parties spilt the fine.
For yellow boxes there’s an appeals process, where instances like it being clear for you to go so you go onky to have another vehicle cut in and take the space are considered and often overturned
Aurri:
I’min London about 3 times a week, doing dray work in class 2. Down some roads you wouldn’t want to be taking trucks. City,canary wharf. Knights bridge,soho also peckham Dulwich areas. As said use both a sat nav and Google maps. As Google usually updates often enough to put up general road closures. Takes a while to learn basic routes but planning before you get in there is always advisable.
As for employers wanoting you to go in there, most understand that it’s a ball ache but if you got work there your going. Don’t know anybody that turns down work due to location.
On the plus side if you can drive round it confidently you can drive pretty much any city in the UK.
Yeah I didn’t think they would turn down work, I just wondered if employers were a bit more reluctant the more difficult they make things with fines etc.
This is true on the confidence side, knowing my luck when I pass my test my first job will be somewhere in London!
Tbf as long as the truck is Lez compliant the fines incurred will probably be pushed onto you, as it’s your choice where to park and box cameras etc will be down to how you drive. Only thing I have problem with at my place is that fines are split between drivers if you double man. Company policy at ours states that unless the second man disagrees with ■■■■■■■■■■■■ at the time of parking, both parties spilt the fine.
How does he prove he disagreed? First man is likely to say he agreed just to reduce his cost
When the fine comes in, if he says he advised to not park there etc it goes to our Tm and he investigates it apparently. Not that we generally had a problem,we are a small team of drivers and we seem to have fair bit of respect for each other. To be honest our Tm spends a lot of his time appealing fines to TFL that’s he’s on first names terms up there and a lot of fines get overturned.
Aurri:
I’min London about 3 times a week, doing dray work in class 2. Down some roads you wouldn’t want to be taking trucks. City,canary wharf. Knights bridge,soho also peckham Dulwich areas. As said use both a sat nav and Google maps. As Google usually updates often enough to put up general road closures. Takes a while to learn basic routes but planning before you get in there is always advisable.
As for employers wanoting you to go in there, most understand that it’s a ball ache but if you got work there your going. Don’t know anybody that turns down work due to location.
On the plus side if you can drive round it confidently you can drive pretty much any city in the UK.
Yeah I didn’t think they would turn down work, I just wondered if employers were a bit more reluctant the more difficult they make things with fines etc.
This is true on the confidence side, knowing my luck when I pass my test my first job will be somewhere in London!
Nah mate, our lot loves London work as they slap on quite a hefty surcharge. They get more money from doing London work than anything else we do.
grumpyken52:
The worst about addresses is turning up to find out it’s the registered address, usually a firm of solicitors or accountants. They don’t tend to accept pallets!
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Especially if you’ve struggled your arse off getting there!
toby1234abc:
On a serious note , there have been random acid attacks .
Corrosive acid is not good for my stunning good looks.
So its doors locked both sides, sun roof shut, and cab air vents shut.
As others said take a 45 minute break before going in to London .
The car and van drivers tend to hoot their horns a lot, don’t let it bother you.
Somebody sits in a control room to watch for vehicles blocking a yellow box junction.
If it is clear for your, a turning car will block you then a nice letter arrives for a fine.
I ignore all booking times for London.
When you arrive late , they know the traffic is bad and never rush.Sometimes it can be one mph for hours.
■■■■, will keep that in mind! Who wakes up and thinks “I know I’ll just take some acid out and throw it at someone”
Aurri:
Tbf as long as the truck is Lez compliant the fines incurred will probably be pushed onto you, as it’s your choice where to park and box cameras etc will be down to how you drive. Only thing I have problem with at my place is that fines are split between drivers if you double man. Company policy at ours states that unless the second man disagrees with ■■■■■■■■■■■■ at the time of parking, both parties spilt the fine.
Just remember its not that much worse than any other big city, even some villages are as much a pain to get to as places in London! Stick to the major routes as much as possible, as above, have plenty of drive time and a good recce on the map and google earth and you’ll be fine.
I agree though, the place is full of lunatic drivers and moped riders, best just letting them get on with it and try your best not to squish anyone!
hamletbarnard:
Just remember its not that much worse than any other big city, even some villages are as much a pain to get to as places in London! Stick to the major routes as much as possible, as above, have plenty of drive time and a good recce on the map and google earth and you’ll be fine.
I agree though, the place is full of lunatic drivers and moped riders, best just letting them get on with it and try your best not to squish anyone!
Cheers bud, appreciate it. Although I heard on the radio today by 2020 the mayor wants to have more restrictions in place for hgvs etc the absolute gent…
Never took a truck there, but when I was in the Sameday courier line, I got it very regularly. Never been fined, and I count my blessings for that.
There’s way to many cameras, centurions and time traps there now. If I got London these days I would probably have a nervous breakdown
Yeah I’d have to make sure I’d been to the toilet myself before going there I think! Thing is it will only get worse with the restrictions and people will wonder why they aren’t getting their stuff delivered!
Been in twice this week, first into the City then into Covent garden. Both straight in no problem, leave your nerves outside the M25 and get on with it making sure you do it in your own time and concentrate because everyone inside the M25 is a loon. The madness will really kick in next week when everyone is back at work/school
