You’ve had a few weeks respite — time for another dose.
Monday 18 February
I like a nice early start, and don’t really find starting at 0900 on a Monday much to laugh about. I arrive at work in a pretty bad mood. It has taken me an hour and a half to get here today due to hitting the rush hour. I’m spoiling for a fight with someone.
After snarling, growling and warning my operator not to expect me to be working more than nine hours today, I set off along the A134, and we are heading for…… Netto…… Pontefract. I have obviously upset someone. Starting me virtually in the middle of the afternoon, and then sending me to the crappiest DC in the country with the grizzliest staff. I think they are trying to tell me something!!
Normally I’d go A11 / A14 / A1 because there are fewer roundabouts, but a lorry has gone over at Huntingdon, so it’s a long trudge down the A134 / A10 / A17 / A1 in the freezing fog.
I know the weather is cold outside because the SCR malfunction light is flashing on my dashboard. Volvo STILL have not fixed this.
As soon as I’m past Kings Lynn the fog seems to thicken.
Perfect, Farmer Giles is out and about giving it large.
Just short of Netto, I pull up for a break on the A638 and take in the views.
I arrive at Netto five minutes in advance of my 1400 booking, and the queue is looking a bit longer than I’d like.
Netto Head Office Building.
The yard scene doesn’t change for about an hour.
Then it gets really exciting, Mr Boughey’s on the move. He came in just before me, so maybe I’ll be moving soon■■?
After another hour of waiting, I am asked to go around the back as the stock I have is promotional. Before I can do this though, I have to get a check sheet to take with me from the Goods In office, for the checker round the back to check off my load. I have a good row with the jumped up girl in the office and I’m now feeling a tad happier. I go around the back, park on the very end bay and enter the warehouse. Then, something very strange happens. The guy around the back turns out to be a decent enough sort of chap. The bay I am on has a big enough gap to stick twenty six pallets in, and there is an electric pallet truck available for me to use. I am amazed. This has never happened to me here before.
An hour later, I am twenty six pallets lighter and have a signed delivery note in my hand.
I call the office to ask which direction to head in for tomorrow’s work, as by now it’s getting towards 1730 and I’ve had enough. My operator informs me I have a collection in Melton Mowbray to be delivered in Huntingdon at 0600. I laugh at this idea. I remind him that I am quite happy to do three ‘fifteens’ a week, but not after starting at 0900. He rings me back a few minutes later and says that the load won’t be ready in Melton Mowbray until 0500 anyway, so to do the job anyway, ‘as best you can.’
I love it! My operator knows how I work. Sure, he’ll try and push me, but at the end of the day he has to give up if when I get irate. We have a real mutual respect and it works pretty well at the end of the day. I pull into Grantham Services and close the curtains.
Tuesday 19 February
A nice early 0400 start. I’m back where I want to be as regards my start time, and I’m in a really good mood today, despite the miserable weather. After a scalding hot shower, I fuel up, and then set off.
I soon arrive at my collection in Melton Mowbray. Then it all goes wrong. I need a reference number that I don’t have. It is now just before 0500 and our office staff don’t start arriving until about 0600. I decide the situation does not constitute an emergency, or require the use of the ‘out of hours emergency number’, so I crank up the Webasto, make coffee, and sit back and read for an hour or so.
I phone up the office and get the info I need at 0605, and pass this to the office in the collection point. I am asked to return to the vehicle and await a forklift driver.
Another hour passes before he arrives, directs me to a bay, and loads me with Easter Eggs - all within twenty minutes.
I collect the relevant paperwork, and set off, arriving in Huntingdon mid-morning.
I’m in and out of Somerfield in about two hours, and then I have a short hop over to Godmanchester, where I am to collect a trailer for Knowsley.
At least it’s stopped snowing!
I change trailers and notice the load is one of cooking sauces in glass jars, shrink-wrapped very sparingly. These loads are supposed to be strapped, however the loader has not bothered to leave me any more than two of the straps at the back of the trailer and I am not willing to clamber over the load to get the rest. I strap the back pallets and decide that I’ll be OK as long as I take it steady.
Then I bump into another one of our boys who is also running to Knowsley. He goes belting off in front of me and I’m not really bothered with attempting to keep up.
I pull up in a lay-by after Welford for a break, before heading north up the M6.
I arrive in Knowsley late afternoon. In front of the other load! He turns up an hour after me and it seems he’s been spending his Moto / BP vouchers at Lymm.
I am pleased that the plan worked. The load is not shot. Too much. 
I decide to park at Burtonwood for the night. I find the east-bound side pretty good. There is generally loads of space. So much so, that some drivers don’t even bother to park in a single space.
I turn in for the night after a quick shower.
Wednesday 20 February
Look what has happened!! The clan is here!!
When I went to sleep this lot weren’t there! Working away from the camera, the other bloke from our depot (obviously great minds think alike 
), yours truly, and then two of the container division.
I set out down the M62, heading for our St Helens depot where I need to lose the curtainsider.
For the rest of this week I am on loan to our Skelmersdale depot, where I will be pulling Chereau fridges. (Hence, the title of the post )
After dropping the trailer at St Helens, I arrive at Skelmersdale at 0600. Bit of background as to why I am here. We have won a contract to supply the transport on this job. The firm that used to have it are still running the warehouse. To say that they are trying to make us look bad is a huge understatement. So, one of our directors has pulled in extra drivers and vehicles from our depots all over the country to show the customer that we are on top of our bit of the job, and it’s not down to us that the job isn’t running totally without problem. It was quite nice to be a part of the effort actually. There must have been twenty of our vehicles on the mission. All sat waiting for the warehouse to get the trailers loaded.
At 0930, my trailer was loaded. After checking the trailer, the load and the paperwork, I was off.
Booth’s in Preston.
You can tell I’m not far from Liverpool - some scally has swiped me fog lamp lens! 
James Hall in Preston.
They are running some smart looking kit these days.
I am back at Skelmersdale by 1230, eager to get out on another job. At about 1330, I am given an 1130 Middleton!! 
There are loads of our trucks just sat waiting to take loads out. I think our man at the top is proving his point!!
I arrive at Middleton around 1515. I rarely deliver to Tesco as the Transport Manager at my depot refuses to send vehicles into any of their depots. I had it in my head that Middleton had closed for some reason, so was quite surprised to be going there. On arrival, I learned that their computers had just died, and this was the reason why there were lorries parked all over the place, blocking up the yard.
After a few hours I was tipped and on my way out. I call our Warrington depot Transport Manager (who is in charge of the operation) to find out what I’m up to on Thursday. I’m down for an 0640 Northwich and a 1400 Scunthorpe. Lovely jubbly!
I return the trailer to Skelmersdale, and run bob-tail back to Burtonwood, where I have nice shower and some tea before turning in.
Thursday 21 February
I kick off at 0400, and I’m in the position and ready to roll out of Skelmersdale by 0445. But, as you can probably guess, the warehouse hasn’t yet bothered to load me a trailer. I am, admittedly a little early, but that is how we like to run. If you are constantly running ‘just-in-time’ there is no margin for error, and as we all know errors do occur in this game.
After an hour of waiting, the green bay light comes on, and after a look around the trailer, I’m off. I hit Northwich bang on my delivery time.
While waiting to go on a bay I see one of our new DAF CF85.460s. Don’t they look horrid without a sun visor?
It occurs to me that I may have to pump truck off the entire load here, but as luck should have it a container tipping bay is vacant and I am invited to use it after a while.
I get back to Skelmersdale and I’m not shocked to discover that my Scunthorpe trailer isn’t loaded. I have to wait two hours for it.
I check it over, before departing shortly after 1230. I get my right hoof down as I cross the M62, and the Volvo is very impressive. It copes with the hills with no fuss whatsoever. Whatever you say about Volvo trucks, they do climb the hills very well.
I am fifty minutes late, and am put into the ‘dirty boy’s corner’. I go onto a bay immediately, but Nisa won’t tip me until they have done everyone else first.
I bet myself a cup of coffee that they find a discrepancy with the load and I win!! Sixteen cases short over two lines. These checkers are paid by the discrepancy, I’m sure. I’ve never made a correct delivery here in my life. So they reckon.
I leave Scunthorpe and start heading back to Skelmersdale, calling in at Doncaster for diesel. I get as far as Hartshead Moor before calling it a day.
Friday 22 February
My time ‘oop north’ must end today, and I must start heading for home. I continue back to Skelmersdale, drop the fridge, bounce over to St Helens, grab one of Lawrence David’s finest, and run to Mold to collect a load for base.
After two hours waiting my trailer should be full.
So I start making lots of noise and they start loading me. I depart Mold at 1330, fully aware that if the M6 is bad, I won’t be home tonight.
Guess what. The M6 is normally bad. So I relax a little and come to terms with the fact I’ll be out tonight. I see this interesting looking left-hook beast come by me with ‘Las Vegas’ showing on the destination display.
Think he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere!
I decide that Rugby is where I’ll spend the night as there will be a few more of our boys in there tonight.
You can tell it’s a Friday — 1700 and loads of space.
After a nice shower and a hearty meal, our clan moves to the bar for a couple of beers.
Saturday 23 February
New Hungarian parking style. Apparently it’s known as ‘the abandoned look’.
After a spot of breakfast, I start off homewards again, stopping at Huntingdon depot for fuel and a very quick wash-down before arriving in Thetford mid-morning. I quickly nip round to Volvo to top up with AdBlue.
Tip all my kit out of the lorry, and then I’m away home.
