Hi has anyone on here done newspapers out of Watford just after a few heads up/tips on what to expect thanks in advance 
In a van or truck . The only day the don’t print is Xmas eve so be prep aired to work Xmas night
Hi Chester1 It’ll be in an artic, I’m only doing it for a few weeks so will still have some xmas cheer 
Not done any out of Watford,but if its anything like Wapping its time critical
Not done watford,but done plenty of others.
Turn up,wait for your turn to load,woosh.
As said you get a time to load they will bang your pallets on quicker than you can deal with the curtains then of to one or two wholesalers where you will be in and out not hard graft . The loaders in Watford are ok . I thought stobart had that work
I’ve done Watford but only magazines, not live news, but as Commonrail says if it’s like others once you’re loaded then get ya foot down and make sure you have an empty bladder 
I once left Knowsley print and was really late leaving, I got a phonecall when I was twenty minutes away from my drop asking if I was there yet, I replied “no I was late leaving the print as you already know” then he asked “have you stopped?” At this point I simply said " you know exactly what time I left and you know exactly how long it takes to get there, call my office for tracker details to confirm I haven’t stopped on route". I recieved a further 6 calls until I arrived there, each one was higher up the ladder than the last and everyone asked me if I’d stopped 
I was 4 minutes late when I got there, two hours later when I was on another job my personal phone rang and I was told not to worry and I had been booked in at 4:30 and not 4:34 
I politely asked him to delete my number and even had a little laugh about him thinking I was worried
Oh and don’t forget to count pallets
Around 1996/97, I used to do the Express & Star out of West Ferry/Isle of Dogs, would leave the yard/Leighton Buzzard around 20.00, park up around 22.00 in the depot & sleep-until I got the rude awakening BANG BANG BANG on the door around 02.00 am, then it was flat out, get loaded, shoot around the North Circular or along the embankment if in a rigid, tip (mostly Slough) then back to the yard by around 6-7am.
Used to see some weird & wonderful sights driving through London at that time of night, once had 5 ‘Lady’s’ Moon me in the back of a Mini Bus [emoji12] & I got stopped by the Terrorist Squad complete with machine guns to check the back of the wagon just after Canary Wharf went up.
Even to this day I still hate that BANG BANG BANG on the door waking me up. [emoji57]
(Probably not allowed to sleep anymore-Health & Safety & all that BS, lol)
I did papers when I was 14
Did it once for TNT old boston trading estate. Drive a rigid to m6 j31 ish. Wait around be loaded and off to Lincoln ish I think. They told me if when I get near I’m not totally sure of route etc to ring and they will send a van for me to follow in which I thought was nice.
Have done them out of Broxbourne & Portsmouth; can be a lot of waiting around if the print is running late for some reason - if there’s a big footie game or sports event on - expect a delay. If a major news story breaks you could be there a while!! I was collecting in Portsmouth when Michael Jackson died - they stopped the print 4 times to rewrite the headlines as the story developed; had papers on the trailer twice only for them to be taken off again - was a long night!!
As others have said, once you’re loaded and out the gate - there’s no stopping, you’ll be expected at the wholesalers within a certain time of leaving the print.
Many moons ago in the dark age before computers I did some motorbike dispatch work.
We used to take the metal master prints in a tube roll from a place in Fleet Street to a printers in Scotland between Glasgow and Edinburgh on a Saturday afternoon /eve so the paper could be printed for Sunday . It paid a fortune for the time . Hell it was a trip I hated but did every other Saturday for a year or so nearly always on the bike or in the worst of winter an ■■■■■■ van !
3 wheeler:
Many moons ago in the dark age before computers I did some motorbike dispatch work.
We used to take the metal master prints in a tube roll from a place in Fleet Street to a printers in Scotland between Glasgow and Edinburgh on a Saturday afternoon /eve so the paper could be printed for Sunday . It paid a fortune for the time . Hell it was a trip I hated but did every other Saturday for a year or so nearly always on the bike or in the worst of winter an ■■■■■■ van !
I was a Self Employed Despatch Rider in my late teens (worst decision ever) used to earn about £20 a week (late 70’s) but the best job we had was for the Radio Times Magazine, we would collect the proofs (or whatever you call them) from Waterlows/Printers in Dunstable & bimble down the the motorway to Tottenham Court Road, 3 times a day, an hour & a half given for each way, so we would slip stream behind wagons to save fuel & return to Waterlows with any adjustments.
We used to turn over around £250 a week on that job & only spend about £5 on fuel, trouble was, there was a load of us fighting for the work so they used to rotate it.
I got knocked off in Fleet Street, right outside the old Daily Express office (whilst on another job) & broke my left Tib & Fib (shin bones) so that ended my Courier Riding Days.
Don’t miss it, it’s a lot more comfortable in the winter, sat in a nice warm cab with a bed behind you than a freezing, wet, cold bike any day.
yip late 80s early 90s done all the national titles through an agency called staff scene services or the 3 sss,then went on to share staff shepards bush,remember when the print moved from fleet street to Waterford the company that had it was called newsflow,brilliant guys and girls then excell got it, started to become more authoritarian,then Stobarts came in and ■■■■■■ the money right up at the time I was doing the forklift,that paid more money than Stobarts. But sadly its ■■■■ now same as all the other jobs out there,but I met some really really nice funny and interesting drivers when I was there.If any of them are out there get in touch.love to chat about the old days and some of the drivers.