In an earlier thread,I told of the palaver I had with getting my licence renewal docs from the DVLA.Last week,the day after my medical,I posted off everything,but not before I’d scanned them all,licence included.
This morning,I did our Brighton trunk and clocked up 4 hours 15 minutes getting there.
As our depot is a bit crowded,after tipping,I pulled out because there is a layby just off the dual carriageway 10 minutes up the A23.
Now just north Hickstead there is the start of a coned area with a 40mph limit for the road widening up the hill at Handcross.I pulled up the sliproad to the filling station just off the A23 to get to my usual layby,to find that was coned off also!
I now had 4 hours 28 minutes on my tacho,so I put on my hazards while I was thinking how far to the next layby,when wouldn’t you know it,the old Bill pulled up beside me to ask what was my problem.
I told him my usual layby was coned off and I had almost four and a half hours on the tacho and I had to have my break.
He told me to go up to the top of Handcross hill and pull on the VOSA layby,VOSA would be there and I could get them to OK me driving a few minutes over my time.
I pulled onto the layby at the side of the weighbridge and went into the weighbridge office where there was a VOSA lady,and explained my situation that I had run 5 minutes over my time to get to their layby.
She was really laid back and told me they were OK if we had to run 15 minutes over to find somewhere to park,so no problem!
She said I could finish my break where I was,so I went out to my truck,I had already put the tacho on break,when the first old Bill pulled round in front of me and asked me for my licence.
Now I haven’t been asked for my licence for many years,but I couldn’t resist a chuckle and I said to the copper,“You’re not going to believe this,but it’s in the post!”.
He laughed also and said he’d heard that one before,so I took out my scanned copies of my licence to show him,and he was almost satisfied,but went back to his car and called up the database to check the validity of my licence.
Everything checked out and he returned my copies and said no problem.
Bugger me,10 minutes later the same copper came up to me and said,we need the layby where you are parked for the motors we are tugging,you’ll have to move!.
I asked where to next,and he said 2 miles up the road at the start of the M23 is Peas Pottage services,run off a printout from your tacho for me to OK you to drive that far.
I did this and off I went.As I pulled onto Peas Pottage services,I noticed he was behind me,and as I parked up,he was off.
If I had driven straight there,I would have been about 8 minutes over my time,but with all that buggering about,aborting my breaks,it cost me about an hour on the day,good job I’m hourly paid eh?