my first run as a driver across the water was for a local firm.id been doing uk tramping for a while and really wanted to get a continental driving job.the firm i worked for ran renault magnums and iveco eurostars all traditionally painted and sign written and polished alloy wheels to say i was chuffed was an under statement great job great truck the best boss i ever worked for to date.only one downside the money wernt great but it was enough to keep me happy.it didnt start to great though will i was putting my gear in the truck the boss came out and asked me to bring it round the front for fuelling up so i started to reverse and suddenly felt a bump and heard a scraping noise i got out and id caught the side skirt on the unit on the flatbed of the ford transit he had.i drove round the front and told him and said im sacked before i start aint i .he said no mate cuz it proves your honest but i will leave the damaged panel for a fortnight so all the other lads can take the pee 
from then on i knew he were a fair guy to work for
anyway later that week i turn up for work and im told im off to belgium.ive got to go to birmingham to load parts for catapilar and take them to lokeren in belgium.so off i goes to birmingham i get loaded then its onto the m6 down the m1 m25 m20 to the chanel tunnel now this was all new to me so i asked a guy and he helped me out no end i got my boarding ticket got back to the truck and joined the que to get on the train.now getting on aint easy you come down the ramp along side the train and the carriages that carry the trucks are not fully enclosed but have a type of frame side and roof and this makes quite narrow so to get on theres on carriage thats flat but to line yourself up when you drive on this youv got to swing the drivers side wheel off to give you enough room to get straight cuz if you dont you,ll catch the front of the carriage and if you scrub the kerbs in the carriage you could cause friction causing heat and blow a tyre so as you can imagine i was sweating and listening for evey scrub of tyre.once id parked the truck you get on a bus that takes you to the buffet car so you can relax and eat and i can tell you i certanly had a few coffees to calm my nerves after the trial of just getting on the train
50 mins later and we are in france and im now off the train heading out of the terminal diriction belgium the road i was on is called the corridor but to be honest it should be called the racetrack with everyone racing for boats and trains into belgium and time for a fuel stop just to top up and a free coffee as id bought some diesel back on the road agian and heading for lokeren.the parts were for a cat repair agent and i missed it at first so i asked this guy where it was and lukily i was only round the corner so onto the next estate i turned left at a set of lights round the back of a mcdonalds to a small island turn left and what do i see an eddie stobart depot this is where alot of the stuff he did for the naafi went from anyway down that road past the tankwash/truckstop and im there .once i was tipped i rang in and was told to head for france a place called viq near vallencienes so back on the road and im at the old border with belgium and france and the customs and gendarmes are checking a spanish fridge truck so me being me i stop to ask for directions well if your lost you allways ask a policeman but to his credit he was very nice and told which roads i should take but i was still 2 hours away from where i wanted to be
so i find viq and its a village and worse im collecting from a nusery that grows trees so i pulls in asks about my load and it turns out im loading 3 40 foot burch trees now im not impressed cuz ive got a tilt and it aint the best but thankfully mr frenchman tells me its no problem my men will strip the tilt load it and put it back together ,result i thought but then he hits me with it we will load you tomorrow ,and that was saturday so on the phone i get and tells my boss who then phones the firm were loading for .an hour later i get a phone call .hi carl forget this load mate we will send one of our trucks he will be with you early hours swop trailers with him cuz these trees arnt tipping till monday and you cant be weekended.ok i say ,so where am i loading oh belgium he tells me so anyway im up at 4am on saturday morning swopped trailers and away for 5am back to belgium a place called tielt.i found the place but it was the old factory so as id drove in and couldnt then turn round as there wasnt any room i then had to blindside reverse around a dogleg corner with the building one side and a bloody great hedge the other once out of there i retrace my steps and find the place on the new ind est down the road.i load 14 pallets of perspex sheets.from there to the chanel tunel was a few hours and quite uneventful really or should that be thankfully, anyway i get on the train no problems once off in england all ive got to do is meet the transport manager a cannock as he will take it to runcorn to tip it as i wont have time and there in need of the stuff and that was the first of many jaunts across the water for me and one i,ll never forget
CARL; thank you very much for shareing your
trip with us all, any chance of some more please.
Good diary Carl,theres so much to learn at the start although your boss sounded ok.regards derek
Keep 'em coming.
Good Read 
I’ll never forget my first trip over the water either, but I’m not going to post a diary of it. If I do that I won’t have a good story to tell people when I meet them
Another good read.
I remember my first trip as well.Remember reversing down the ramp at Europoort at 3am one morning in the rain and thinking “what the bloody hell am i doing here!”.On my way upto Padborg in Denmark,but absolutely loved it after!.
Remember my first trip too. Bloody nightmare. First of all one of the horses wanted to stop swimming and let the other one do all the work, then one of the floats on the cart started to come adrift. Made it ok though, then coming up the beach at Calais got pulled by the gendarmes for having wet hay for the nags. 
The Blanc was a bit of a nightmare too, but the gripper rods on the hooves helped a lot. I remember thinking, ‘I’ll be glad when they get that tunnel through’.
Happy days. 
My first trip. F88 lift axle left ■■■■■■. London to Marsielles. Told the boss I was experienced. He came with me! The blind leading the blind… arrived in Calais in the morning and reached Paris about 2300 !! And so it went on… 
My first trip got me my sea legs!!
Shipped out Felixstowe to Den Haag via Norfolk line !! i got on the boat wednesday night reversing into a brightly light boat chucking it down with rain in a Leyland Roadtrain with your mirrors folded in was not fun.
well i had never been so ill 
Force nine in a flat bottom boat ,and me first time on a ferry,
i was as sick as a dog every time i stood up ,I chucked up !!!
we finally landed in Holland 3 am friday morning
i had to tip Den Haag ,then onto Nijmegen ,and a reload Saturday morning at Curries yard in Nijmegen.
I spent friday night on the town with a couple of Curries drivers,what a night that was !!
I then got loaded on the saturday me and the two scotch lads then went to the liberation museum in Nijmegen for a day out …
then back into town saturday night for more Beer
on the Sunday we all shipped back via the Love boat Rotterdam -Hull
What a Boat never seen so much food, it made up for the Norfolk line boat .
after docking it was a straight run upto Ayr to tip some forklifts…
oh happy days 