Sunday
Day 1.
I arrived in the yard at about 10am, meeting my mate Ed on his way out, heading for the boat (?), weird, but that’s Ed.
The Boss has decided to have today off, so Ed’s opened up the yard because he would have been the first one in.
The wagons are lined up, loaded, washed, checked and ready to go. We always do a good walk round though, just in case.
I’m the last one out of the gate so I lock up after myself and head south.
I’ve got a long drive ahead of me 
. Stirling to Hull Docks for the P&O ferry to Europoort, via the M9, A80,M73, M6, A66, A1(M), M62 and A63.
There was a bit of snow last night and the M74 over Beattock hasn’t been completely cleared.
By the time I get down to Carlisle though, its spring time. There are SPECS cameras through the roadworks on the A74 section where they are, at long last, joining the two motorways together.
When I park for my break at Southwaite two more of my mates are there, just in front of me, so I continue the line for this pic.
As I turn onto the A66 at Penrith, to head over the top of Stainmore to Scotch Corner, I see that I’m heading back into more snow.
And here it comes
By Scotch Corner I’m back into Spring time again.
It’s the usual run down the A1(M) onto the M62. There are long term roadworks at Wetherby and the road is down to 2 lanes each way with a 50 restriction, enforced by SPECS cameras. As usual, the cars are all over the place.
As I approach Hull, the Humber Bridge is in sunlight, so I try n get a decent shot of it.
I arrive at the dock gate and collect my form from the security guard.
I complete the form and hand it in to the nice person behind the glass of the Freight Reception Hall and receive my ticket
And there’s where I’m going to spend the night.
The boat for Zeebrugge is a bit smaller
After a bit of a wait I reach the front of the queue to board.
I.m going into this dark hole
Up this ramp
There isn’t a lot of room
To do a U-turn at the front and park on the ramp on the other side of the boat, behind my mate.
I’ve got to get my door open and get out of my cab onto this catwalk. The clearance is the same both sides. This ramp will drop down in the morning, for everyone to drive off. If I’m not more or less central one of my mirror arms could be removed. Luckily I could always swing across a bit further and pull that mirror arm in Happily I’m not to fat, so manage with a bit of room to spare.
Up to the Freight Drivers cabins, next to the kennels and the Meditation Rooms (a euphemism for Cells)
We have our own restaurant and lounge.
There is a large group of British and Dutch drivers who use the Sunday night crossing regularly, so we all know each other. It almost feels like a club.
We can have a nice peaceful meal and a beer here. No teenagers or screaming kids racing around.
You can tell its the Freight Drivers area, they’ve put a nice big sign up.
My engine was running for 6:42 and I did 465.0km, giving me an average speed of 69.2 kmh using fuel at 36.2l/100 km with a 22t load.
Monday
Day 2
The boat was half an hour late in this morning, due to the tide apparently, so I didn’t start until 0800.
Going Down
It was an uneventful drive down through Holland.
I filled up with diesel just before the border with Germany at Aachen and carried on to my first drop in Duren, arriving at 11:30.
Down the lane
Not a lot of space
See?
This yellow sign is the name of a village, it is also the 50kph sign.
I have 3 tonnes of rolls of cloth for them, so they came out with a forklift with a long spike on it. This is usually pushed down the centre of the roll to lift it off. Unfortunately my rolls are strapped onto pallets and loaded the wrong way round so this is no good. An hour later they find an ordinary fork lift and half an hour later I’m on my way.
I stop for my break at 4:15, at Frechen services. Its at the top of a hill overlooking Koln (Cologne).
One of Kolns Rhein Bridges.
After my break I carry on Eastwards. They’ve had some snow here too. Mind you, its 405m above sea level, that’s about the height of the highest motorway in England and I’ll be going a bit higher still.
What does “Uber NN” mean? I know it’s “above sea level”, I’m wondering what Uber NN actually means.
I reach the Autohof at Fulda at 18:15, its an hour later local time don’t forget, so decide to park here for the night. I’m charged €7 to park, which includes a meal voucher for … €7.
I order a dish called Rhoner Bergbauernschnitzel, and a beer to wash it down with.
I get a schnitzel with finely diced, fried bacon and onions in gravy with pan fried potatoes.
With another beer, the bill comes to a grand total of … €8, and it was worth every penny.
I’ve done OK for my 5 pieces of fruit and veg’ today.
A couple of small glasses of orange juice with breakfast.
A carton of strawberry and raspberry smoothie with a narner mid-morning.
An orange mid-afternoon and a small bowl of mixed salad with my schnitzel which has got to be another 2.
Today my engine was running for 7:53. I did 600.1km, giving me an average speed of 76.0kmh and I was using fuel at an average of 35.9l/100km and after that drop my load weighed 19t.
Total mileage so far 1065.1
Tuesday
Day 3.
A fairly early start to the day at 0610 sees me arriving at my first drop for today at 0620. I’ve got 3 pallets of rolls of cloth for this one too. They are stacked on top of the paper I’ve got for my last drop up at the front of my trailer. To get them off I have to open the front half of my trailer on both sides. On one side this is easy, simply pull the curtains back, remove the top board from each bay and the jobs done. On the other side the pallet is quite long, so I’ve got to remove all the boards from both bays to let me move my roof post. Then they all have to go back in, I’m earning my money today 
.
All this takes a whole 30 minutes, for 2 tonnes.
My second drop of the day is the remainder of my load, 17 tonnes of paper for a printers in Possneck, which isn’t that far from Dresden When I get there I’ve done 3:41 driving.
I’ve been coming here for the 3 years I’ve been working for Millars and seen quite a few changes to the area. The motorway was a wreck, an old 2 lane (no hard shoulder) concrete one that was really in bad condition. Now its new 3 lane plus hard shoulder for long stretches and the surface of the bits yet to be upgraded have been sorted to keep things moving until they get round to upgrading.
Here are the flats in Jena, they cover a huge area, right beside the motorway.
Proper old East German planning.
They are building a tunnel over the autobahn, which should be ready in another year ish.
I love this old building in Possneck. It’s rather dilapidated now, but if it was done up sympathetically it would be a fabulous place.
This area used to be full of old derelict brick built factories. Most have been demolished now and those that are left are being done up, as what I don’t know.
Here’s one they are still knocking down, not far from the local brewery, nice beer.
I’m going down this lane
Onto that bay.
I head back to the motorway junction for my break.
Passing this Dorf.
I’ll have done over 4 hrs drive by then. One loss caused by the new motorway is the nice little restaurant at the Shell station, which closed when the new junction was constructed, bypassing Triptis. There is still a nice little Bistro which has been opened in the station shop.
I actually spoke to my boss today, the first time this week so far. He was away from the office at the time and didn’t have the details of my collections with him. He was able to tell me that 2 of my collections where near Frankfurt, on the East side, so I decide to head south towards Nurnberg, then cut West across the top of Bamburg and onto the A3. It’s a bit longer, but the roads tend to be quieter so I can keep my average speed higher which will more than make up for it.
Some time later he phoned me back to give me the details. They are both just North of the A66, from Fulda towards Hanau and Frankfurt. When I plumb these addresses into Autoroute I recognise the name of the junction I’ll be coming off at. I’ll be following a familiar road for most of the way to my first collection. We deliver horse-licks to a place just off this road.
Due to a 16t weight limit on one of the roads I intended to take I have to go around a longer way. By the time I arrive all the workers have gone home, although there are people still in the office. So I’ll have to load in the morning, at 7 local. This is a new factory, with showers which I’m allowed to use, (they are rather surprised that I asked, it seems they expected me to just go ahead and use them). There is a place I can eat a short walk away, which is where I’m going as soon as I finish typing this.
So far, I’ve had half a punnet of grapes, an orange and another smoothie. The roll I had at the Bistro had a lot of salad in it, so I reckon I’ve had 4 of my 5 a day so far. If there’s nothing to add to the list when I have my dinner I might have a narner, or I might not and stuff their 5 a day.
Today my engine was running for 8:54. I did 650.4km, giving me an average speed of 73.0kmh and I was using fuel at an average of 30.1l/100km and after that Possneck drop my load weighed 0t.
Total Mileage so far 1715.5.
Wednesday
Day 4
Well, that place a short walk away has Tuesday night off, but there’s another place, a not quite such a short walk in the opposite direction. So I walked around 5km last night, and my genuine Hungarian Goulash came with a side salad, so I’m well up on yesterdays 5 a day.
I started at 6 and loaded my 3 pallets, which turned out to be stillages and are 3m long and half the width of my trailer. After securing these I’m rolling in 35 minutes.
Stillages on, boards in, I’ve just got to put that last one up and close the curtains.
45 minutes later I’m at my second collection, 4 tonnes of staples on 6 euro-pallets.
My last collection is in Krefeld, which is on the West side of the Ruhr, so I’ve got a bit to do. Just before I reach the motorway junction I need to take, to head West, I get a call from the boss. Change of plans, that Krefeld job is cancelled, go to Bosch in Witten instead, then Martins (a transport company we work with quite often). Bosch are on their lunch break when I arrive, so I park on the loading area, open my curtains and have 15 minutes break. Once their break is over, I’m loaded and rolling within an hour. At Martins place, 3 pallets are taken off and a 100kg length of pipe is loaded. I secure that with a barrel hitch in a ratchet strap and then take the other 30 minutes of my break.
From Martins in Bochem it’s a straight run to Vlaardigen, just north of the Benelux tunnel in Rotterdam
.
It looks like they are preparing to do some heavy duty, long term roadworks along here.
A lot of trees have been chopped down. That’s going to make it a fun day, when they start.
Self steering bus tracks down the middle of the autobahn.
What’s this “stuff” Dave?
I have a short p stop at the Goch border and get my Euro-Vignette for today and Monday. I may be going to Switzerland next week, which means shipping into Zeebrugge, Belgium. As has been pointed out many times before, it’s quite difficult to get a Vignette in Belgium, although the TTZ in Zeebrugge is one of the few places. If I’ve already got my Vignette, I can come of the boat and be on the Brussels Ring before the last man off has queued for and got his tax.
After the usual boring run through Holland (I’ve been back and forth across this motorway so many times), I arrive at the Norfolk Line terminal at 1720 UK time, book in and load at 1806.
How’s this for a cabin? A big wide deep mattress The cabin has to be shared though. There are 6 cabins and 12 bunks for drivers, the rest of the ship is full of unaccompanied trailers.
Norfolk Line Cabin!
P&O cabin!
The food is ok, nothing special but not bad. We have soup, a choice of spaghetti bolognaise or chicken breast with chips, veg and a side salad. If you want, you could have a bit of everything.
We finish off with a tub of ice-cream.
There is a tv, dvd and satellite in the drivers lounge/dinning area. Bottled beer is in the fridge, help yourself but mark how many you have on the sheet of paper. We settle up in the morning.
I had the other half of that punnet of grapes, an orange, a pear and a smoothy. I also had some salad, so I’m well up on my 5 today.
Today my engine was running for 8:04 and I covered 529.1km, giving me an average speed of 65.4kmh. I used diesel at 27.8l/100km with a 10t load.
Thursday
Day 5.
After the usual wake up call, which is the securing chains on the trailers being released, at a horrendously early hour (5am UK). We all have breakfast, sort ourselves out and are ready to roll off as soon as the ferry is docked, at 6:15. Then the dockers direct us into a compound where we sit and wait, and wait and wait. Eventually (at 6:40) Customs turn up and start processing us out. This week it’s just a few questions and away we go. Sometimes it’s the full search procedure. Sometimes we go straight out the gate without seeing them at all.
I head homewards, up the A1, across the A66, again, onto the M6 and then the M74. Due to the delay with customs I only reach the truckstop at Ecclefechan. I can usually reach the new Lockerby one. There’s a yellow Brit European in the parking, but it isn’t Grumpybum 
. After my break I arrive at my first drop in Coatbridge. They are on their break, so it takes 45 minutes before they have their 6 pallets and I’m rolling again. My last drop is in Broxburn, those three stillages. I’m in and out of there in 20 minutes and arrive back at our yard at a quarter to 4.
For my 5 a day today, I’ve had a narner, another flamin’ smoothy, an orange and a pear.
My engine was running for 7:50, I did 539.5km, giving me an average of 66.9kmh and I was using fuel at 28.6l/100km.
Totals for the week — 39.34 hours, 2784.2km, 70.3kmh and 31.8.
I forgot 
, my good lady wife made me a cherry and almond cake. I’ve been munching a big wedge of that every day , that’s bound to count something towards my 5 a day too. 
