Have you ever wondered what it would be like to climb into your truck, and just be able to drive on clear motorways, encountering no traffic jams, no congestion, no accidents, no road rage, no roadworks. Just be able to drive your truck to your destination, day after day, week after week?
Well, I’m currently living this impossible dream. During the months of July and August, half of Holland has gone on their summer holidays and it’s absolutely amazing. The motorways are clear and flowing, the rush hour congestion that I normally encounter at the start of my shift just isn’t there, there hasn’t been any accidents or roadworks, and I’m just able to drive the truck to where I need to get to. It’s bloody brilliant.
At the start of July, I drove our family on holiday to a campsite near Perpignan, France, and it was like being part of a Dutch/Belgian invasion force to take Southern France and Spain. Every other car had a ‘NL’ or ‘B’ registration plate. And they’re still there, leaving the motorways back in Holland clear as a bell. One of the benefits of living in a small country I guess. I’ve got to make the most of it though cos the buggers will be back in September.
Even when it’s back to normal, the traffic doesn’t seem half as bad as that in the UK. I still have the odd counselling session to cope with the post traumatic stress I developed from doing the National Express London to Manchester service on Friday afternoons for two years, and dealing with the M6 through Birmingham.