First night out

[star_down_under]

8wheels:

driveress:

8wheels:
I’m a day driver who very occasionally does a night out, I don’t mind finding somewhere quiet out of the way and cooking myself rather than needing a service area with crap food and vehicles coming and going all night.

There’s an app called Truckfly which has some good spots on or join a Facebook group of which there are a couple. If you ask where to park in a certain town, someone will surely give you good and bad places.

I was out last night in Barnstaple, I took my bike and rode a trail to Bideford for a nose around. It killed a couple of hours, and got something out of the trip.

Make the best of it and avoid becoming a slave to the cab

That’s my neck of the woods Glad to hear you enjoyed the Tarka Trail.

Did you park behind Tesco/swimming pool?

We’re you delivering plant for the never ending development of the A361?

Yes I parked in the Seven Brethren for a tenner, no facilities on site but quiet, well lit and next to Tesco. Plus town and retail parks, takeaways etc within easy walking distance.

I was collecting ground protection mats from Pilton school on Abbey Road, done another load today thankfully the last of them as it’s a squeeze to get in and blocks the school driveway whilst loading up.

Picture is what they looked like when I took them there, now they are caked in mud and nowhere as neatly stacked!

That’s a decent Hiab, what’s it rated for?

[conor]

Highways England once upon a time used to have a list of truckstops you could download from it’s website. The link I have appears to be dead now. I’m guessing they gave up trying to keep up with the number of sites that closed.

[8wheels]

Star down under.:

8wheels:

driveress:

8wheels:
I’m a day driver who very occasionally does a night out, I don’t mind finding somewhere quiet out of the way and cooking myself rather than needing a service area with crap food and vehicles coming and going all night.

There’s an app called Truckfly which has some good spots on or join a Facebook group of which there are a couple. If you ask where to park in a certain town, someone will surely give you good and bad places.

I was out last night in Barnstaple, I took my bike and rode a trail to Bideford for a nose around. It killed a couple of hours, and got something out of the trip.

Make the best of it and avoid becoming a slave to the cab

That’s my neck of the woods Glad to hear you enjoyed the Tarka Trail.

Did you park behind Tesco/swimming pool?

We’re you delivering plant for the never ending development of the A361?

Yes I parked in the Seven Brethren for a tenner, no facilities on site but quiet, well lit and next to Tesco. Plus town and retail parks, takeaways etc within easy walking distance.

I was collecting ground protection mats from Pilton school on Abbey Road, done another load today thankfully the last of them as it’s a squeeze to get in and blocks the school driveway whilst loading up.

Picture is what they looked like when I took them there, now they are caked in mud and nowhere as neatly stacked!

That’s a decent Hiab, what’s it rated for?

It’s fairly small for over here at 36 t/m. It will pick up a 20’ container and just put it on the trailer at full reach. Unfortunately it doesn’t reach the rear of the trailer unless you split it or jackknife it.

On the plus side it’s still got a fairly usable 12t payload on the truck, not sure how it weighs 20t though.

[star_down_under]

We tend to restrict cranes to body trucks. Not saying we don’t have cranes on prime movers, but they tend to be for light loads such as pine roof trusses. Kit like that would be specialised gear here, the tare weight making it hard to justify.

[8wheels]

Yes I’ve noticed that they are few and far between on my visits over there.

But I seem to recall that you run lower weights than we do for axle configurations

We are typically
2 axle 18t
3 axle 26t
4 axle 32t

I was puzzled to see so many 4 axle rigid with fridge bodies, over here you’d be lucky to see one ever. I looked up the weights and think they run about 28t?

[winseer]

BrodeyBear:
I’ll be doing my first night out next week, any tips and advice, do’s and donts will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

When parking in a layby, don’t have your passenger window near where the litter bin is, or you’ll have nasty niffs at night drifting in your slightly-ajar window, and wasps coming in the window during the daytime…

When parking up, if you’re the only one in a currently deserted layby (as I like to find and use…) - always park in pole position with your cab slightly steered left into the kerb/bushes (if any) so other trucks behind you can come and go past you, without the need to pulling your mirror in for the night.

With your mirror in the normal position, it is possible for you to flick open your eyes, and see who’s outside your barn doors should your combination start wobbling at night, and you can hear anyone rummaging about outside. If disturbed in this way, merely turning your main lights on - will be enough to scare them off. Oh, lock yourself in your cab - ALWAYS.

If there is a wall or even bush of stinging nettles - try to park so your derv tank is right up against it, so Brudders with the White Van, Oil Drum, and Stirrup Pump - cannot get around the side to access your fuel…

Don’t use “Suicidal Laybys” like the ones on the A14 near Newmarket…

Any sleepy driver coming along the dual carriageway on “Autopilot” could easily over-steer the corner, and end up either killing themselves all over your barn doors, or side-swiping your cab, taking you out - parked in such exposed laybys…

If there is a van parked up - drive onto the next one.

Don’t leave it until your 14th hour into your shift before you start looking for a layby to park up for the night.

Don’t detach your trailer, so you can take your cab to the chippy in a nearby town - Unless you’ve got a moffat/Palfinger on back to stick some kind of heavy obstruction under the kingpin, so no other bugger with a tractor unit can make of with your trailer whilst you’re gone…
YES - Empty trailers are still nickable. Just ask anyone who worked @Tiphook, and the reasons why they went ■■■■-up in the end…

[robroy]

@O/P…
Winseer is talking b/s, (not at all like him btw ) spoken like a true day man,.with his impression of tramping rather than REAL tramping experience.
His list is more like a list of most of the reasons NEVER to park in lay bys.
If I had to put up with all that crap I would have lasted a week tramping.
I avoid lay bys like herpes.
Better to find somewhere decent, (off route if necessary) near to facilities.
I currently am sat in a pub beside a river in Devon, truck parked safely half a mile away,.I’ve just had a decent feed and a pint…■■■■ parking in lay bys.

[terry_t]

Rob you forgot your top tip of parking next to stinging nettles so they can’t get at your diesel tank

Just make sure you don’t have an air leak which pops your trailer brake on or you’ll have to wade through the nettles in your superman pyjamas to turn it off

OP, make sure you get one of these. Even if you get access to toilets you’ll be wide awake by the time you get back. With one of these bad boys you’ll be back asleep in 2 minutes.

[star_down_under]

Terry T:
Rob you forgot your top tip of parking next to stinging nettles so they can’t get at your diesel tank

Just make sure you don’t have an air leak which pops your trailer brake on or you’ll have to wade through the nettles in your superman pyjamas to turn it off

OP, make sure you get one of these. Even if you get access to toilets you’ll be wide awake by the time you get back. With one of these bad boys you’ll be back asleep in 2 minutes.

Can you get them with a wider opening and longer neck?

[quinny]

There is a page on FB, where you can ask in real time about places, and if it is certain truckstops, the site admin will book you in, (And it is not me.) but I guess I am not allowed to advertise it on here.

Drop me a pm if you want it.

[8wheels]

There are a couple. One will get good replies and lots of help.

The other usually just directs the op to the nearest Truckstop irrespective of if the driver gets paid parking or even wants such.

There are a number of drivers who seem affronted by anyone doing anything other than a truckstop. Aside from the problems of them getting booked up, or full early not everyone is wanting to park in a yard full of other trucks and drivers. Some people are happy with a bit of peace and solitude.

[brodeybear]

Quinny:
There is a page on FB, where you can ask in real time about places, and if it is certain truckstops, the site admin will book you in, (And it is not me.) but I guess I am not allowed to advertise it on here.

Drop me a pm if you want it.

I think I know the group(s) I’ve found them really useful, usually type in the search bar of the group and loads of recommendations come up!

Thanks to everyone else for your advice!

[robroy]

BrodeyBear:

Quinny:
There is a page on FB, where you can ask in real time about places, and if it is certain truckstops, the site admin will book you in, (And it is not me.) but I guess I am not allowed to advertise it on here.

Drop me a pm if you want it.

I think I know the group(s) I’ve found them really useful, usually type in the search bar of the group and loads of recommendations come up!

Thanks to everyone else for your advice!

So it’s a couple of weeks that you have been doing nights out, how have you got on?
You say thanks for the advice, so which direction have you gone in…the likes of me telling you to go out of your way to find somewhere close to facilities and actually enjoy your nights out rather than look upon them as a negative, or the likes of Winseer telling you not to park near a smelly bin when you ‘find your lay by’ ?

As an example…I parked on Bridgwater truck stop the other night, it was ■■■■ hot .
I was amused and bewildered at the nunber of drivers just sat in their cabs,.windows or doors wide open to get air that was not there, looking unhappy and uncomfortable …whilst presumably sweating their plums off …While I walked 100 yards to the choice of 2 pubs.
Drank ice cold soft drinks for a hour and a half, under a umbrella in a beer garden, while watching the Italy Spain game.on my tablet, with a couple of snacks…looking like a tourist again.
#jobnotendurancetest.

[dozy]

I got a txt asking if I wanted to do A night out ( where have I heard A night out before ) in Plymouth of all place , I ignored the txt & got a txt a couple of hours later saying don’t worry it’s now covered ( result ) .