this was my one dread as living so close to London was dreading having to go in in a truck the thought of getting stuck under low bridges one way systems to get lost in streets that are really narrow and of course the traffic!!!
Well it came last night called in to do a delivery to railway gormet at kings cross so having looked on the map realised that basically is straight off the A40 left at the station left again and in to delivery okay that cant be too bad asked the guys how easy was the delivery to get into no probs piece of cake !!!
So off I set and realise that i am gonna be able to do this whole job in under my 41/2 hr drive time so dont know where i heard this but had got it into my head that even if you finish under your drive time you still have to have a break before you go home so after a quick call to DD to find out how much and when should take it he advises me that i dont have to have a break so onwards I go .
feeling fine on m4 , m40 , then hit A40 and my stoamch starts to churn even at this late hour there is loads on the road oh god whats it gonna be like at kings cross !!! but too late to turn back and find that Im negotiating these roads no problem okay its 11.30pm and nothing like the traffic during the day find the delivery no probs and reverse up to the loading dock lower my tail lift onto dock and one side touches the concrete the other site about a foot off the base!!! no pallets gonna be pulled off that so go into loading area and say to guy where am i leaving these pallets he then informs me that laying beside my truck are 3 lumps of wood !!!
I have to place these underneath the nearside back wheel reverse onto them and it will level up the taillift so after scrabbling about underneath line them up with back wheels and reverse hey presto tail lift almost!! level but enough to offload pallets !!! they never taught me that in my driver training !!!
So with my paperwork all signed im off back again and london wasnt as bad as I thought ,may not be a big thing to you regular London drivers out there but to me this was a big personel acheievment as have been dreading that Job that would take me into London nearest I been is Wimbledon and that was bad enough!!! and okay was late at night and not half the traffic that would normally be there but i survived and it just shows why I like driving a truck may of been a little battle won but overcame a nemisis last night another triumph under my belt all in all took just 4 1/2 hours from starting to getting into my bed last night so also managed to get double time for shift last night as get paid for 8 hrs no matter even if i do less so thats what i call a result so looking forward to starting at 6 tonight a run down to Gatwick and then back to Thatcham to load up again and off to Kings cross again with a bit more confidence as well I love this job
animal:
Have done London a “few” times & still hate going there
Once had 6 drops in London was a nightmare
But yep still do it
Seems every driver hates London at least for me live close enough that dont need to take a break there can get in and out before drive time up !!
To be honest drive there all the time in the taxi and dont bat an eyelid but been doing that a few years now mabe in the future i`ll feel the same with the truck
I know what you mean with driving in London. My trunk takes me from the Dartford crossing to Belvedere industrial estate about 15 minutes off the M25. The road is fine, not the best roundabouts, but ok. It’s the other drivers. I position myself to stop other drivers coming down the sides of me sound when I go round I don’t rip up their cars with my drag. They still find their way into my blind spots no matter how they have to get there. London car drivers are the least thoughtful, just after the old people in the 40mph club around East Anglia.
I think I was too excited about getting a job to worry about driving in London though.
The Saxmachine:
I think I was too excited about getting a job to worry about driving in London though.
I know what you mean about going out for the first time I was like that my first drive and it went a bit pear shaped lets just say I always have a full tank of fuel from now on
The Saxmachine:
I think I was too excited about getting a job to worry about driving in London though.
I know what you mean about going out for the first time I was like that my first drive and it went a bit pear shaped lets just say I always have a full tank of fuel from now on
Jx
Never had that 1 of the things my dad drummed into me years ago & my old boss but we did have a fuel tank in yard so always filled up when we got back although we did have cards in case
The Saxmachine:
I think I was too excited about getting a job to worry about driving in London though.
I know what you mean about going out for the first time I was like that my first drive and it went a bit pear shaped lets just say I always have a full tank of fuel from now on
Jx
Never had that 1 of the things my dad drummed into me years ago & my old boss but we did have a fuel tank in yard so always filled up when we got back although we did have cards in case
Yes made the mistake of listening to the guy who issued me with truck that it would be enough fuel when i asked him but learned that lesson i make my own desisions now
used to do anywhere from 1 to 12 drops london, it was all dairys and small wholesalers, most of the dairys had been their years and where probably built for horse and carts, especially the ones in the centre, but i enjoyed the challenge, it was a bonus with the dairys as they opened about 1-2am in morn so you could have quite a few off before 8 am,
heres some pics of the trucks we had,ended up knowing london like the back of my hand, once you got used to it ,it was a doddle apart from the traffic
does that reg say BAD or BAO i like the idea of you driving a BAD !!! truck
By the way my hubby from Ashington so know Morpeth very well , the Black Bull and having to endure sitting in the Waterford whilst hubby watching the football !!!
does that reg say BAD or BAO i like the idea of you driving a BAD !!! truck
By the way my hubby from Ashington so know Morpeth very well , the Black Bull and having to endure sitting in the Waterford whilst hubby watching the football !!!
Jen x
Know both those pubs not been in for a while though
Jennie:
…all in all took just 4 1/2 hours from starting to getting into my bed last night so also managed to get double time for shift last night as get paid for 8 hrs no matter even if i do less so thats what i call a result…
Your a proper driver now, getting paid for doing nothing while regular folks have to actually work for a living. It’s good this lark isn’t it?
does that reg say BAD or BAO i like the idea of you driving a BAD !!! truck
By the way my hubby from Ashington so know Morpeth very well , the Black Bull and having to endure sitting in the Waterford whilst hubby watching the football !!!
Jen x
its was A150 BAO jennie it would probably be worth a bit of cash now because i think someone would play about with the numbers and letters, the scania was mine it did,nt need a speed limiter then and that was a very bad thing with me driving it.
ps theirs nothing wrong with hubby watching the footy, their is some good pubs up around that way i live near durham, i have a static caravan at amble and we go into morpeth for a drink sometimes.
does that reg say BAD or BAO i like the idea of you driving a BAD !!! truck
By the way my hubby from Ashington so know Morpeth very well , the Black Bull and having to endure sitting in the Waterford whilst hubby watching the football !!!
Jen x
ps theirs nothing wrong with hubby watching the footy, their is some good pubs up around that way i live near durham, i have a static caravan at amble and we go into morpeth for a drink sometimes.
mark
As long as he watching the right team
You not that near Durham IIRC thought you were in Hought-Le-Spring
Jennie:
…all in all took just 4 1/2 hours from starting to getting into my bed last night so also managed to get double time for shift last night as get paid for 8 hrs no matter even if i do less so thats what i call a result…
Your a proper driver now, getting paid for doing nothing while regular folks have to actually work for a living. It’s good this lark isn’t it?
an bein a little lady driver always some gentleman willing to help me unload gotta use the assets ya got to get the job done as easily as poss
marcus 22:
ps theirs nothing wrong with hubby watching the footy, their is some good pubs up around that way i live near durham, i have a static caravan at amble and we go into morpeth for a drink sometimes.
mark
I got no prob with him watching the footy just cant bear to watch it with him head always in hands and then in bad mood after just love going out for a drink with him when in that mood
