If its not bad enough being stopped from smoking i just don’t need this in the traffic office first thing in the morning
I already know drinking is bad and i have a big hangover to prove it.Grrr!!! Right now i have a big problem, i wanna smoke and the truck is nice and clean. I walk back over to the trafic office and tell them it smells of smoke. ‘Nothing we can do about it’…cool!!! I can now smoke in it all day, i’ve reported it !!!
Hooking up to my first trailer, it won’t go. Oh no, here goes another 40 quid i thought.
Jesus, thank god for that. Quick flick about with the handle and its sorted. Later in the day i notice one of the previously mentioned Scania common problems.
Good inspection service Scania provide hey? Looks like its ben off a while.
Here’s one the next day and its obviously a common problem.
Here’s another common problem, you can see the Mech in the centre fitting another rear light lense cluster !!
I had a day up at Burtons buiscuits in Kirkby this week and was amazed at the camp Polish driver, he was driving an Irish truck. By the sound of his accent he had been in Ireland a while, no one could understand him. But i did like his plastic shoes!
I seem to have spent a lot of time at butty vans this week. And at one in Warrington we had a guy who looked like a vicar with a back pack actually start singing to himself.“Some right nutters about” i heard a voice behind me say. I turned around to see a little squat ugly bloke who had tattooed his neck and decided to shave a chunk out the side of his head to put another tattoo on. “yeah, there sure are mate, loads of nutters about” !!!
I can’t get my head around these guys (no pun intended). I’m not sure which part of their brain thinks ‘i’ll look good like this’ ?
The word ‘incompetence’ and haulage go hand in hand. I had to collect a container from Freightliner in Garston. I wait for 20 mins in a queue and when i get to the drive in window and hand my notes in guys says “you’ve got amajor problem, you have no release number” , he tells me to park over there and ring up and sort it out.
Well as you can see it was pouring down and i had no intentions of running about in the rain because someone somehwere has got something wrong so i leave the site. “where you going?” , i’ll be back when its right i said. Pull outside,ring up, find out my ref; no; is on my notes, go back ,wait in a queue again and i’ve highlighted it for the guy. “my boss is suprised why i’m ringing him and asking, its all on the notes i’ve highlighted it for you”, “oh, sorry about that”. Thats and hour and a half wasted there.Still i did get to see their old ‘mini artic three wheeler’
Now to be fair, if incompetence is a word associated with haulage it has to be said that some companies are actually ultra efficient. This is the highly organised and modern traffic office at Stobarts.
as we all know they are starting to do a lot more work for Tescos, whose own in house operations don’t seem to be performing like they should. I spot this board on the way up the stairs, its going in my bag in case i need an early dart !
(you’ll have to turn your head sideways as i don’t want to straighten it, thats it, all turn heads to the left!!!)
Anyway, here’s my ride for the day… Adele !!!
Now the thing about trucking, well according to some people, is the freedom of being your own boss and the freedom of the open road. You know, care free, wind in your hair, sun on your face type stuff. Here’s the real face of modern truck driving
You all know what it is? Here’s a close look for those that don’t.
I can honestly say if i had to bother with all that stuff then i’d find another job. But it does give you an insight into how others do theirs. Hows that for pressure. Is there any other job/trade where you need timers and recorders in order to stay within the law?
As organised as Stobbies is, no one actually knows what i’m doing. So after a 8.30am start and a brekky in the on site canteen
I’m ready to roll at about 9.40am down to Tescos/M.wch.
Here we go its the Northway depot. It’s 10.10am and i’ve come to collect a load to go to Portmadog and i’m looking forward to the run. Health and saftey is an issue Tescos take very seriously, but maybe not the Northway depot !
Turns out i’ve got to go over the road to the depot facing to get my authorisation notes. Lets see how their Health and saftey policy is?
Well i’ll give them one thing…they are consistent !!! I like this guys take on a name plate too !!
Now the Middlewich traffic office has its own dedicated Stobarts staff to give out the jobs and it turns out mine isn’t due to leave until 13.00 hrs 
Shunt a trailer over the road for them and wait. I go for a cuppa to the nearby butty van. I spot these two Irish trailers.
Typical hey? Lets see who’s pulling them?
Oh yes, typical. And here they are, these are the two drivers;
The guy with the wok under his teeshirt and wearing flip flops is German and the Kenny Rogers look alike is South African !!! When in Rome…!!!
its still a bit of a wait for me and as i leave i see Herr Flick going in !!! How does he steer with that belly?!
I eventually get out the depot at 13.45 and i’m on my way to Portmadog. I never cease to be amazed at the loaders/pickers basic knowledge of gravity.
The plus side is that its a lovely drive on the way back and i love the North Wales coast line.
I get back to Warrington and book off at 21.45 hours. A thirteen and a quarter hour day for one delivery. Well it certainley makes you wonder how long it was taking Tescos to do it !!
Now due to the ‘heightened terror alert’ this week has seen loads of road blocks and Police checks. Of course while they are looking for terrorists they also check out your tax dis/insurance/national insurance number/shoe size/finger print and a DNA swab for good measure!
I for one rest safely in my bed knowing are Police force are doing a sterling job in looking after us.
A lot of women nowadays are potential WAG’s, you know the type, fit,goes the gym, suntan, fake nails,■■■■ job,private number plate etc… so when i spot PAMEE i think…“here’s a babe”
On closer inspection it turns out that just like everything else, not everything is what its cracked up to be
On the brightside, its Friday and i decided not to work today so i’m off to go and sit on a wooden bench and have a drink and a smoke. Friday nights on the bench hey , you can’t beat them.
I’m not prejudiced BTW, but I couldn’t help noticing 
Not that I ever have the time mind 
