RobinHood, your diaries are the best thing on TNUK. You drive to/through and around places that most of us only hear about or see on the telly. Thanks for bringing them a little bit closer to reality.
Jealous…me…not much 
robinhood_1984:
harry:
Good diary. I notice you don’t collect the empty trollies? I did flowers & plants for the Dutch & each drop meant unloading the empties first to get at the fresh stock. We used to run the fridge @ 10C+, what do they run at in CA? I found that some of the flower & plant customers were a mean old bunch, always trying to claim for something or other if the market was slow.We will get the racks back at some point but on the Texas runs they want us to get a full reload to come back with so we leave the racks and at the end of the season the last few trucks down there will go round collecting them all. Usually though, on the shorter trips we bring the racks back and often break them down and stack them together to save on space, thats a right pain in the arse but leaving them all behind on this trip suited me fine.
I had the reefer running at +50F which is +10C so thats the same here too. Most of the garden centres and nurseries that we go to are cracking little family owned places but I have being told by others that some places will try it on as you mentioned.
They would only complain about damage or shoddy goods after you had left,usually the next day.
Thanks for the post I always enjoy reading them.
Great diary, enjoyed it.
Good read that, taken me a couple days mind to find the time get through. Like the map at the start and think the temp display on the mirror is neat. Cheers
harry:
robinhood_1984:
They would only complain about damage or shoddy goods after you had left,usually the next day.
As far as I’m aware they’re supposed to check it all on delivery and if they sign for it, thats final, if they bicker about it when I’m delivering I’m not to get involved and the office will take care of it. If they get obnoxious about it I’ve heard that they’ll just tell me to load the plants back on and they’ll send them to another customer, I know we don’t tolerate too much nonsense.
cliffystephens:
great read and photos reckon you could sell this stuff to trucking magazines gotta take a fair bit of time cheers…
I take a lot of photos any way but if I’m doing something unusual and plan on doing a diary I’ll go a bit over board on the photos so I have plenty of to choose from afterwards. I really enjoy doing it and while it is a bit time consuming to write it all, I think its time well spent. I used to love reading the stories in the trucking mags as a kid about English trucks going all over the place and I’ve always enjoyed being a truck driver, both in the UK and here so it gives me a lot of satisfaction to know that others now enjoy my own diaries.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to do these ■■■■ fine job.
robinhood_1984:
harry:
robinhood_1984:
They would only complain about damage or shoddy goods after you had left,usually the next day.As far as I’m aware they’re supposed to check it all on delivery and if they sign for it, thats final, if they bicker about it when I’m delivering I’m not to get involved and the office will take care of it. If they get obnoxious about it I’ve heard that they’ll just tell me to load the plants back on and they’ll send them to another customer, I know we don’t tolerate too much nonsense.
A lot of deliveries in UK were made in the small hours and we had the keys to garden centres and shops, so we would deliver and sign the CMR ourselves. If trade was good,no probs ,if it was slow damage reports would come in. USA bases were the worst ,they had a sale or return contract so they couldn’t lose. Some of them used to store plant trollies in the freezer overnight and claim for damage. Bad contract,that one.
Funny thing is that I was in the UK depot when I saw three USAF trollies of returned plants so I called Holland and made a bid for them saving them the trouble of going back to NL. I got them cheap and knocked them out. A few days later I got a call from NL telling me that the plants had just arrived in UK and hadn’t been as yet delivered. The Dutch guys were really good and told me not to worry because it was such a stupid contract they would cover for me.
Own Account Driver:
Thanks a lot for taking the time to do these ■■■■ fine job.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed!
harry:
A lot of deliveries in UK were made in the small hours and we had the keys to garden centres and shops, so we would deliver and sign the CMR ourselves. If trade was good,no probs ,if it was slow damage reports would come in. USA bases were the worst ,they had a sale or return contract so they couldn’t lose. Some of them used to store plant trollies in the freezer overnight and claim for damage. Bad contract,that one.
All of our stuff goes to green house growers, nurseries and garden centres during normal working hours so not too bad that way. Being honest though, I spend the vast majority of my time on general freight work. We have about 15 trucks and they’re only all busy on the plants a few times a year, the rest of the time there is only work for 2-4 a week and the rest of us do just about anything. In a minute I’m heading up the road to Florenceville, NB to the headquarters of McCains to get a load of french fries going to Athens, Tennessee about 2200km away. I had no idea that McCains was a Canadian company until I came here, let alone based in a little village in New Brunswick, but there you go.
robinhood_1984:
Santa:
Enjoyable read for sure and what’s with all the axles on that Michigan truck?Michigan is an odd place. The US is obsessed with axle weights, you’ll often cross 6 or 7 scales a day here, usually on state lines but often within a state too. I’m not sure what their rules are for these centipede contraptions but its the only place you see them, as well as in neighbouring Ontario in Canada. Canada have higher axle and gross weights any way though. In the US my standard 5 axle truck can only gross off at 80,000lbs which is is only just under 36.3 tons.
There’s a difference between state weight limits as opposed to federal ones just like in the EU in the case of Sweden.If I remember it right I think the idea of ‘Michigan Specials’ goes back to the steel and heavy engineering industry that the sate is/was known for.They are some of the heaviest gross weight wagons allowed on North American roads while keeping axle weights within limits.
Carryfast:
There’s a difference between state weight limits as opposed to federal ones just like in the EU in the case of Sweden.If I remember it right I think the idea of ‘Michigan Specials’ goes back to the steel and heavy engineering industry that the sate is/was known for.They are some of the heaviest gross weight wagons allowed on North American roads while keeping axle weights within limits.
Exactly right. Quite what those gross weights are in MI for those centipedes, I have absolutely no idea. You only see them in Michigan or in Ontario on Canadian trucks who are in this line of work with Michigan. In Canada the same weights would be on far fewer axles.
robinhood_1984:
Carryfast:
There’s a difference between state weight limits as opposed to federal ones just like in the EU in the case of Sweden.If I remember it right I think the idea of ‘Michigan Specials’ goes back to the steel and heavy engineering industry that the sate is/was known for.They are some of the heaviest gross weight wagons allowed on North American roads while keeping axle weights within limits.Exactly right. Quite what those gross weights are in MI for those centipedes, I have absolutely no idea. You only see them in Michigan or in Ontario on Canadian trucks who are in this line of work with Michigan. In Canada the same weights would be on far fewer axles.
The potential allowed gross weight is in that Michigan State transport link which I posted.It seems to have been 169,000 lbs on 13 axles then reduced to 164,000 lbs on 11 axles during the 1960’s.
cracking read, loved it! 
Brilliant read mate, thanks for taking the time to post.
Been to Belleville a few times, got family out there. Went to a truckstop on the 401 just outside of town, out of curiosity and to see how it would differ from the ‘Eh oop duck’ you got from Chesterfield! This was 2002.
Waitress service, there were 4 of us and she remembered everyone’s order without writing anything down! Deeply impressed. Brilliant service and light years from anything we got over here.
Great read,thanks for sharing.Just making me more jealous as each picture and caption appeared! 
DaiDap:
Brilliant read mate, thanks for taking the time to post.Been to Belleville a few times, got family out there. Went to a truckstop on the 401 just outside of town, out of curiosity and to see how it would differ from the ‘Eh oop duck’ you got from Chesterfield! This was 2002.
Waitress service, there were 4 of us and she remembered everyone’s order without writing anything down! Deeply impressed. Brilliant service and light years from anything we got over here.
I’m assuming that was the “10 acre Truck Stop”? If so thats where I scaled after loading the cheese for Nova Scotia. You are certainly correct in that you simply cannot compare the facilities between North America and the UK, which is a great shame as in many ways I prefer the job in England, especially the financial stability compared to the mileage based pay here but the complete lack of facilities and draconian driving regulations that see trucks stranded for 9/11 hours in the most unsuitable of places without food, showers or toilets really spoil the whole experience of being a driver in the UK in what otherwise wouldn’t be a bad job at all.