Hi, I live in Exeter and have been driving HGV for around 3 years. I passed my C+E last march, and here are a selection of the vehicles I had to drive last year.
I got a job as a relief driver with RDL and the first truck I got on the monday morning was this MAN 420 (pictured at Leigh Delamere on the M4 at the end of a pretty exiting day !)
After that week was over, I had to take over a Volvo FM12 6 and drag based at Burlescombe in Devon (between Tiverton and Wellington) pictured after loading at Burlescombe
I ended up switching trucks every week after that, sometimes twice a week in all kinds of places around the country. Here’s another FM12 waiting to get loaded at Bedworth (nr Coventry)
and here’s a Scania 420 based in Westbury
Also at Westbury I had this Scania 6 and drag for a few days
And this older Foden (which indirectly led to me quitting the firm, but thats another story)
Mostly though, it was Volvo 6 and drag work, which was better than taking artics down country lanes, which was a royal pain to be honest.
I’m now sitting at home waiting for the agency to phone … … but I don’t hold out much hope - I was lucky to get 2 days a week before crimbo.
I did get some nice night work for Nightfreight on the B+Q contract though. Scania 6 and drag from Exeter up to Walsall 5 nights a week, swap the boxes over, get a (cheap) meal in the canteen then drive back ! Nice and peaceful at night
Cheers !
euromat:
hello, nice selection of vehicles, i quite enjoy having a bit of a chop and change, you get a better comparison of whats about i find.
Hi,
yes, I like swapping around too, but all those were “4 nights out a week” drives, and it got to be a pain loading and unloading all my gear every few days. Another pain was that most vehicles have their own quirks, and of course it takes a while to get used to them , but then you get dragged off into another truck. Still, good fun and plenty of experiences. It definitely helped for agency driving.
euromat:
hello, nice selection of vehicles, i quite enjoy having a bit of a chop and change, you get a better comparison of whats about i find.
Hi,
yes, I like swapping around too, but all those were “4 nights out a week” drives, and it got to be a pain loading and unloading all my gear every few days. Another pain was that most vehicles have their own quirks, and of course it takes a while to get used to them , but then you get dragged off into another truck. Still, good fun and plenty of experiences. It definitely helped for agency driving.
yeah very true, im lucky cos at the moment when im doing bulk, i just do day work, so chopping and changing aint a problem, got a scania this week which i hate (i will do a diary at the end of the week, i forgot my camera today) but may end up in a volvo by the end of the week, then back into an r reg daf 95 next week, which i cant wait for!!!
I had the same problem on Bryans, very few people had their own lorry, 5 days and 4 nights out then get all your kit out until next week. Very annoying if you had the same unit the following week
There wern’t a lot of room in the low height cabs either so a lot of time was wasted trying to find space to stow your gear. different trucks had different lockers and cupboards u/s
Yes,it used to pee me off at Stobarts,get back on a Friday,leave you’re motor and come in on Monday and find its done another 2000 kms and your bedding’s covered in ■■■ ash or gease.Told the manager and all you got was"take your stuff out on a Friday ,balls mate,easy said than done when yo’re tramping"
Where i work now i park up on a Friday,take the keys home and pick it back up on Monday,Great!!!
Another bad point was the mechanical state of the trucks. Some drivers would put up with all kinds of crap that I wouldn’t have driven with. And there was always something that needed doing but they hadn’t got round to…
I had a Man W+D from South Cerney (44t all up), in which I was to do a drop in Cirencester, then Gloucester, then somewhere in Wales. Anyway, I did the Cirencester one, but the gearbox didn’t like going into 5th (4 over 4 +split). sometimes it would refuse and you had to go back down the box and try again. Anyway, just made it to Gloucester and was going round a roundabout onto the A40 and the ■■■■■■■ wouldn’t go into 5th. I went back to 4th and it still wouldn’t go, so I just held it against the gate while I coasted round the roundabout. That is until it went in suddenly - into 1st !
Bugger me I nearly went through the screen and the dash lit up like a christmas tree ! I couldn’t get it out either and the clutch stopped working so I had to pull onto the hard shoulder just along the dual carriageway and stall it. After about an hour the garage turned up and had a look through the inspection plate and half the clutch fell out as a bunch of fluff
I still don’t know whether the clutch caused the problem or just blew up in protest at 1st gear, but the really annoying thing was (as I found out later) that the regular driver had been complaining about this for weeks, and the truck was due to go in for repair the very next day !
Good job I wasn’t up a lane in Wales when it went.
if there is one thing i love about Volvo’s…is the gearbox…When i’m lost i’m alway losing me gears…if u accidently choose the wrong gear…it still holds well…even when your pullling milk…
They’ve also got some nice little design features and plenty of cuboard space to put your goods…although it does make them a little cramped…(FM12…i’m refering to)…
I’ve got to complain though…they can be a little uncomfortable when driving…and lean into bends a bit too much for me…
… but I don’t hold out much hope - I was lucky to get 2 days a week before crimbo.
