Had to find somewhere to park today and the only place I could find within my time was an industrial estate close by. Looked ok on google maps but when I got there there were bus routes everywhere, some new double yellows and the dreaded security camera with signs plastered around it. Having done a couple of laps and running out of options I read the sign and it said the cameras were to prevent ‘anti social behaviour’. Not having much time left I decided to tuck myself away and take reassurance in the fact no parking was not mentioned anywhere I could see. Fast forward a few hours and I get woken by a wagon that has decided to park next to me with the engine running for about 10mins and wakes me up before disappearing. I then realise I have forgot to turn off my fridge and jump out in my best pair of boxers to a security car just about to turn at the end of the trailer to double back. Getting ready to freeze my balls off while I stood and politely told them to bugger off and I was not moving they just slowly crawled past and went on their way. I was very surprised as in previous experiences they are quick to jump on you and blind you with their spotlights before you even have the handbrake on but these guys seemed not to bother.
Has anyone had any bad experiences with the torch brigade or had them try and shift you during your rest?
thehighlandscot:
Had to find somewhere to park today and the only place I could find within my time was an industrial estate close by. Looked ok on google maps but when I got there there were bus routes everywhere, some new double yellows and the dreaded security camera with signs plastered around it. Having done a couple of laps and running out of options I read the sign and it said the cameras were to prevent ‘anti social behaviour’. Not having much time left I decided to tuck myself away and take reassurance in the fact no parking was not mentioned anywhere I could see. Fast forward a few hours and I get woken by a wagon that has decided to park next to me with the engine running for about 10mins and wakes me up before disappearing. I then realise I have forgot to turn off my fridge and jump out in my best pair of boxers to a security car just about to turn at the end of the trailer to double back. Getting ready to freeze my balls off while I stood and politely told them to bugger off and I was not moving they just slowly crawled past and went on their way. I was very surprised as in previous experiences they are quick to jump on you and blind you with their spotlights before you even have the handbrake on but these guys seemed not to bother.
Has anyone had any bad experiences with the torch brigade or had them try and shift you during your rest?
Didn’t think you lot wore underwear, under your tartan skirts
thehighlandscot:
Had to find somewhere to park today and the only place I could find within my time was an industrial estate close by. Looked ok on google maps but when I got there there were bus routes everywhere, some new double yellows and the dreaded security camera with signs plastered around it. Having done a couple of laps and running out of options I read the sign and it said the cameras were to prevent ‘anti social behaviour’. Not having much time left I decided to tuck myself away and take reassurance in the fact no parking was not mentioned anywhere I could see. Fast forward a few hours and I get woken by a wagon that has decided to park next to me with the engine running for about 10mins and wakes me up before disappearing. I then realise I have forgot to turn off my fridge and jump out in my best pair of boxers to a security car just about to turn at the end of the trailer to double back. Getting ready to freeze my balls off while I stood and politely told them to bugger off and I was not moving they just slowly crawled past and went on their way. I was very surprised as in previous experiences they are quick to jump on you and blind you with their spotlights before you even have the handbrake on but these guys seemed not to bother.
Has anyone had any bad experiences with the torch brigade or had them try and shift you during your rest?
Yep, parked up on one near Derby ish I think, could be wrong. Out comes some mutant in his Fiat Cinquecento, trying to act hard and dressed up with kid on webbing and a wee walkie talkie.
" You cannot park here"
“Says who?”
“I say you no parking here, you go now”
“Aye, and who are you?”
“I am security, you go now”
“I think I’ll stay thanks.”
“You must go now or I move you”
“Move me then.”
“I call police”
“Call them then.”
Queue much waving a phone around threating to call the police before he drove away fuming, no idea if he ever did call them as I had a wonderful sleep. On the other hand I was parked in an estate on double yellows, happened to pass a police car on the way in so I wandered up to talk to them and explain I was out of time and was parked outside the customers gate as it was a valuable load blah blah blah. Plod said he couldn’t care less if I was parked on double yellows but did say he would be in the area all night and would pass by when he could just to make sure all was ok.
What are they actually going to do other than send you a speculative invoice masquerading as a parking fine?
thehighlandscot:
Has anyone had any bad experiences with the torch brigade or had them try and shift you during your rest?
Only once, that was years ago on Magna Park Lutterworth. tipped in ASDA with a booking of 1930 hours after reloading from Liverpool that day. Ran out of time waiting for the load to be checked and got my papers at 2130, overall time was up at 2030 that evening.
So I parked just up the road from the RDC in a part of the road that was just a dead spur for a road that wasn’t yet built and had the security people giving me grief over how I couldnt park there at all for the night. So I phoned the police who came out an hour later at 2245PM and asked me to move, preferably down to the BP truckstop (now stobbies sub depot on the A5) I declined and said that was too far to travel especially that long over my hours.
I got to stay where I was, and the security staff flipped off a reply to the police along the lines of’ he wont get no sleep, we will see to that by tooting the hooter at me all night when passing’ and the police said if they disturb me by keeping me awake with the vans horn every time they passed, they would get done for breaching the peace.
I took this up with the owners of Magna Park, who turned out to be both ASDA and the Church of England, namely the Diocese of Leicester. I got a written reply apologising for the trouble I had, and a promise that truck parking would be very much considered on site in future expansion plans…that never came to fruition!
thehighlandscot:
Has anyone had any bad experiences with the torch brigade or had them try and shift you during your rest?
… So I phoned the police who came out an hour later at 2245PM and asked me to move, preferably down to the BP truckstop (now stobbies sub depot on the A5) I declined and said that was too far to travel especially that long over my hours.
dvsa wouldn’t give a toss if you’d gone that far over your hours… a signature on your print out together with his badge number, along with an explanation from yourself would suffice perfectly. They ain’t gonna argue with the police or their actions. If they wanted, they could even phone to check it all rings true. But that means work, they don’t like doing that, they want a simple roadside defect or two to quickly get that till ringing
wide-load85:
dvsa wouldn’t give a toss if you’d gone that far over your hours… a signature on your print out together with his badge number, along with an explanation from yourself would suffice perfectly. They ain’t gonna argue with the police or their actions. If they wanted, they could even phone to check it all rings true. But that means work, they don’t like doing that, they want a simple roadside defect or two to quickly get that till ringing
I see what…
You’re saying and yes, the DVSA won’t bat an eyelid with a police badge number etc but, it’s not right nor fair that I would have to get out of bed in the middle of the night, halfway through my natural sleep pattern and drive somewhere at the request of some else.
Anyone else asked to do the same would get a call out allowance or some sort of bonus payment for their trouble but, seeing as we’re just lorry drivers it doesn’t matter.
wide-load85:
it’s not right nor fair that I would have to get out of bed in the middle of the night, halfway through my natural sleep pattern and drive somewhere at the request of some else.
All this kind of crap really annoys me.
Everybody knows there is a vast shortage of parking for trampers so all ind estates should be made available…the clue is in ‘industrial’, trucks go hand in hand with supplying industry, so there should be no restrictions on parking.
I know the anti social mingers among us who leave crap and mess after they leave, are more than likely the cause , but put proper bins out ffs, they could spend their money on such as that, instead of emoying these ■■■■ jobsworths on power trips, who think they are coppers because they wear black combat gear and a hi viz.
It’s a ■■■■ downright disgrace how the lack of parking is just conveniently ignored, then exacerbated by banning trucks parking at where they are delivering to on ind sets.
My mate does SE England only, he reckons parking down there is nigh on impossible these days to what it was the last time I was down there.
We’ve just had a Gen election ffs, we should all bombard our local MPs with letters, to make them aware, at least if would be a start.
robroy:
All this kind of crap really annoys me.
Everybody knows there is a vast shortage of parking for trampers so all ind estates should be made available…the clue is in ‘industrial’, trucks go hand in hand with supplying industry, so there should be no restrictions on parking.
I know the anti social mingers among us who leave crap and mess after they leave, are more than likely the cause , but put proper bins out ffs, they could spend their money on such as that, instead of emoying these [zb] jobsworths on power trips, who think they are coppers because they wear black combat gear and a hi viz.
It’s a [zb] downright disgrace how the lack of parking is just conveniently ignored, then exacerbated by banning trucks parking at where they are delivering to on ind sets.
My mate does SE England only, he reckons parking down there is nigh on impossible these days to what it was the last time I was down there.
We’ve just had a Gen election ffs, we should all bombard our local MPs with letters, to make them aware, at least if would be a start.
Problem is rob some go abusing it. Just a truck parked up outside the business hours in the estate and not blocking entrances and things just in case that business want access early or whatever. No problem.
It’s when drivers
leave litter
■■■■ on the tarmac leaving it smelling
put wheels up on the pavement causing damage to it
blocking a business entrance or making it awkward as they thought no one would be in until 7am
go dropping heavy trailers there and the legs causing damage to the the surface
That’s when you can see why businesses and land owners start to get a bit annoyed at us and decided to ban parking.
Disrespect it and you lose it and new estates seem to not be even going there in the first place.
thehighlandscot:
Has anyone had any bad experiences with the torch brigade or had them try and shift you during your rest?
Only once, that was years ago on Magna Park Lutterworth. tipped in ASDA with a booking of 1930 hours after reloading from Liverpool that day. Ran out of time waiting for the load to be checked and got my papers at 2130, overall time was up at 2030 that evening.
So I parked just up the road from the RDC in a part of the road that was just a dead spur for a road that wasn’t yet built and had the security people giving me grief over how I couldnt park there at all for the night. So I phoned the police who came out an hour later at 2245PM and asked me to move, preferably down to the BP truckstop (now stobbies sub depot on the A5) I declined and said that was too far to travel especially that long over my hours.
I got to stay where I was, and the security staff flipped off a reply to the police along the lines of’ he wont get no sleep, we will see to that by tooting the hooter at me all night when passing’ and the police said if they disturb me by keeping me awake with the vans horn every time they passed, they would get done for breaching the peace.
I took this up with the owners of Magna Park, who turned out to be both ASDA and the Church of England, namely the Diocese of Leicester. I got a written reply apologising for the trouble I had, and a promise that truck parking would be very much considered on site in future expansion plans…that never came to fruition!
I had thick security bloke say something similar to me after I’d parked up late one Friday on Burntwood business park. Little did he know, I lived in Burntwood and was just about to walk home for the weekend