had my first experience of breaking down in a truck, is it me or is support for truck breakdowns severely lacking?
Allow me to bore you with my story. So if you can’t be doing with it, press the back button now. Thanks for reading thus far.
Last thursday, I was on one of our longer runs, compared to the rest of your average multidrop city stuff anyway. I picked up the truck at Reading, made my way into London as always with what feels like the rest of the UK population, no matter how early you leave. I’ve been getting a bit too attached to my sleep lately, and been leaving it a bit too late.
After eventually arriving at North Ken, I was angling for a van as the regular guy on the run normally grabs a sprinter to do it, generally means he can actually get home on time. But alas, because the particular truck i’m using won’t fit into the loading bay because of height issues, if I didnt take it, it would sit on the street all day and collect tickets, so I guess things have been decided for me.
Finally away at about half eight, far too late already, but you never catch up, so best just get on with it. Another 45 minutes to get out of the madness and actually get moving. First couple of drops, Gloucester City Centre, horrible place that I despise, some may be familiar with it. Some very odd characters can be found here, a memorable delivery was getting befriended by a guy in a pink bowler hat last year 
Took me ages to get away.
Onto Glastonbury next, dont ask me which bright spark decided to sell London based laundry services way out here. But arrived a couple of minutes past two, just in time to realise, my 8 hours are done and my pay stops now. Cue general hacked off-ness as there is still plenty to do. Still always glean a bit of amusement from Glastonbury, some very strange people here too!
Last few drops run back up through Shepton Mallet, and Radstock, heading back the most direct way possible to the M4, right through Bath. Unfortunately my truck starts getting upset that we are so ■■■■ late today, huffing and puffing up the hills out of Bath, it loses the plot and suddenly we are bouncing off the top of the temp guage. Pull over to find out that it doesnt like the taste of its water anymore and has spat it out all over the pavement.
My ability to get home now trickling pathetically back down the hill we have just ascended. Thought i’d try my luck, and top it back up again. Let it cool down for half an hour, filled the tank back to normal, and made a dart for the motorway. Got about half a mile on the eastbound M4 before it throws its toys out of the pram again, the more rapid movement of air seems to be keeping it out of red just about, but something definately isnt right.
Pulled pathetically into Leigh Delamere at half five with tail firmly between our legs, start to get the serious feeling that we arent getting home anytime soon. Rang base, gave the “well boss” speech (who had been at home for hours already, which helped my mood no end). Basically was on my own to sort it out, so rang our breakdown, after much confusion from the monkey at the other end, got through to iveco truck assist who wouldnt despatch any help without an order number from an iveco dealer, and that his best advice was to get the AA to ring them direct to sort things out.
So back I go to the AA, who realise they put me through to totally the wrong people, and eventually I get through to someone who after much phonetic spelling of complicated words such as E-U-R-O and C-A-R-G-O, gets the message and a chappy is on his way out to me, will be with me within the hour. Optimistic I thought, but we shall see.
Thought i’d top it up a further time to gauge how quickly its losing the water, after paying 50p for 3 minutes of non urgent H20 dribble (where do they get off charging for water and air?) I gauged that is was losing it very quickly indeed 
One and one half hours later, I ring back to see if the wheel has been invented yet. Ooopsie, your man got ■■■■■■■ with a horsebox emergency, but you are on our priority list, and he will be with you before nine. Best go and buy some overpriced food and reading materials then I guess. The £1 copy of Commercial Motor was perhaps the highlight of the evening, the ■■■■ nearly £4 sandwich and posh crisps were not. Still at least the place looked reasonably clean and cared for, although the facial expression of the bloke emerging from the showers told an entirely different story.
Wandering back through the lorry park, becoming most jealous of those who perch upon 3 or more steps of high society with their sleeper cabs, curtains and DVD players. Was also wondering what they are charging for these guys to park here, as I saw the bloke wandering round hassling for money. Guess I was very naive to assume you could park at a motorway services for free!
Getting used to my broken down spot near the overpriced water dispensing equipment and the HGV petrol area. I try my best to look positive, and perhaps get an acknowledging glance from a truck driver who perhaps feels my pain, alas no.
So half nine arrived. After 8 unpaid hours of tedium, and chappy turns up to tow me away. Oh wait, nope they sent a van, perhaps I wasnt specific enough on the phone that I actually wanted to get home sometime this evening 
Still he did find the problem, a ruptured 6 inch length of water pipe, that he is confident is fixable… if he had the part. Not to worry, he’s dead keen to nip out and grab me the correct bit. From avonmouth.
So cue more waiting, cue more getting ignored by all and sundry. Guess everyone has there own stuff to be getting on with.
2330 he returns, gets the pipe changed over, bleeds the system, and it looks like we are good to go. To be fair to the guy, who does a difficult job, is expected to know the ins and outs of every make of truck, and works all the hours that are availible to him, but I guess he would never tell me any different
Got home at gone half one in the morning. No sympathy from work, got a nice daily rest reduction to look forward to, and another full day of work, although thankfully it wasnt another 20 hours
Just a quick couple of questions if you got this far…
Do I get any understanding as far as the tacho goes, when breakdowns occur? It’s got an “other work” trace for the whole time i was sat broken down. I took a break to prevent ‘working’ for more than six consecutive hours but thats it. And obviously after it was fixed, I drove home. Havent exceeded driving hours, although only had about 23 mins to spare 
If you were in my position, would you kick up a stink about pay etc? We have no overtime in the company, you are paid for 8 hours and thats the lot. Although I daily work 10-12, its a bit of a crap situation, but generally I dont mind. The other night extracted the Michael a bit… if I was managing the transport, I would have given the driver a courtesy day off, but maybe thats just me.
Oh, to add insult to injury, someone thought it a good idea to throw a rock through my passenger window today. Not a good few days. What is up with some people 
. I’ll be finding bits of glass for months. 
