I would just like to say that after starting a new job driving as export chauffour,
I just wanted to share my previous week with you,
i went for a job interview 14 days ago and got the job, was told to meet sunday evening 2100 hrs , two man team
I must admit I was a bit nervousthe first day,after meeting my partner ,shown the lorry a brand new volvo,it was on the road after 5 mins, he drove the first 4 and half hours from frederikshavn denmark were we live,destination bramshe just before onsabruck, my turn to drive me partner says right in you get and this truck does 90 km so foot down all the way, arrive in bramche about 06,30 no problems , wait about for 2 hrs, to unload then on to ibbenburen.
the first load was paper rolls , the next load was volvo parts.
we were told the next load was to puttgarten so off we go arrive there, told to change trailers and drive to maastricht, I was starting to smell a bit ,by this time and asked me partner if we could stop and wash ourselves, but no this truck shalll be in maasticht so no time for a quick stop,
Ithought for [zb] sake you grot , anyway we get there, change trailers and on the way to milmort, where we finally get a shower and something to eat, but only because we have to hold 8 hours break.
next day on the way to verviers and told to change trailers and go puttgarten again from there sail puttgarten to rødby havn denmark on to malmø sweden,
by this time a storm has blown up and the wind is starting to blow a pelikan,
driving over øresunds bridge i was a bit worried some fierce sidewind, but went okay, even though I was white as a sheet, when malmø it started snowing I thought grear thats all we need, nayway unload in malmø pick another trailer and back to puttgarten then on to gent.
after a while I lost all sense of time just seemed to be driving and sleeping, not that you can do anything else,
from gent change trailer sent to vierviers, then back up to kiel, change trialers again, and down to milmort, when we arrive in milmort got lucky again and got a shower,what a nice feeling ,friday evening get our last orders pick up trailer from verviers 04,30 head towards,home and change trialers in frederikshavn,
great but the trailer in milmort was locked in behind a gate after ringing to the boss we agreed to break off the padlock so we could come in , and he would explain to them why and whatfor,arrive home 22.00 hrs saturday, meet some others from our company ,they were out again next evening 21.00 hrs, we off out again 21.00 hrs monday, so a nice weeken with the wife and kids before it all starts again, total kilometers driven 6349, I must admit it was an experience
but I think I will stick with it,
Well done Roy. But it will be better when you drive solo then you can stop when it suits you… At the moment you will be driving around 25,000 km a month…Thats no good,unless they are paying @ km & no taxes 
cheers for that harry, we do get km which works out about 33pence per km plus our fixed rate, and everything is legal and above board, due to the union which is a good thing over her.
the wages work out about double local rates , but then again after the amout of hours worked its only right, but its a hard life, and takes a bit off getting used to,
as you must well know, 
Double manning is hard for both drivers. Sometimes it works out OK but usually you are better off alone… I can thimk of very few drivers I would want to spend a week with & I think Vice-Versa…
I occasionally double-man with a friend of mine but I would not volunteer to do a double-man job with an unknown quantity. The odds are against it working out.
Having said that, Roy has gained a whole bunch of experience on that trip.
done it once Never EVER again its prue hell in my opinion
done 4 double man trips this years 2 Hamburgs 2 Toulouse both on 22 hour journeys
did 3 on 3 off its easier than trying to do 4.5 then swop
it must be a hard job ,this 2 man driving ,this is now my third week and already 4 new blokes have started, ihave driven with the same bloke for 2 weeks, and this evening im picking up a bloke from south denmark, then home again saturday,so it will be exciting to see how this trip goes.
last week saw a lot off the B.A.G german vosa i presume,nearly every layby had one waiting for you to pull in, and we did get stopped, but nothing there was no faults thank god, looked at me a bit funny with a belguim trailer from galliker transport, and a danish truck ,english driver, but no problems there.
but I have not seen one british truck on the road.
I was talking to a bloke from galliker in my best german when he says, you are english, so am I, an expat from birmingham,living in belguim,little thing like that made my day. I want to post some pics but still trying to sus it out