Here goes another week on the road.
Monday-
I start the week with a load of 3m chip wood for Auchinleck.
Today i am fortunate enough to getting a drive of one of our new M.A.N Tgx,s.
My own motor was left at Bellshill on Friday , once again trying to fix the on going EBS fault.
Once i get the chip off i phone the office and am told to head to Blantyre.
My load home is a pair of 20ft toilet block cabins.
I park in the yard and wait.
The hi ab motor that is loading me is about 30 mins away.
While i wait , i am joined by Martin in one of the older mans in the fleet.
He is a bit nervous as it is his first load of cabins lol.
We are loaded as soon as the hiab motors arrive and decide to set off on our own.
I take the lead and keep Martin in tow as we run through the M8.
We stop at Arrochar to check the cabins.
Everything is OK ,so we head for Dunoon.
The toilet blocks are heading for the Dunoon Stadium in preparation for Cowal games.
We park outside and wait for the hiab motors to arrive.
The 4 wheelers tip themselves first
I reverse in beside them and i am soon tipped. the guy from the cabin firm makes sure they are level and sited in the correct place.
Martin has to site his cabins at a different part of the stadium.
I guide him through the gates of the stadium (after i managed to hit one of the posts myself ).
The point he is going to has a nasty wee climb up to it.
Martin has to keep it going to get to the top of the hill.
I leave him to get tipped and head to the forest to get loaded.
I manage to get tucked into a lay by and Wait for John to get loaded.
The view from the top of the leanoch is stunning.
Very shortly John is loaded and pulls out the way to let me in.
I drive through the job and turn first.
The turning point is very short and i have to stick the back of the trailer over the bank to allow enough head room.
The forwarder is busy taking more timber to roadside.
I get a load of 2.5m log for the sawmill at Lockerbie.
I have enough time left to get me to Bellshill and change back to my own motor.
Tuesday-
Lockerbie this morning and i join the Que at the sawmill.
Dave (one of our subbies) has beaten me in lol.
I wait till he is off the weighbridge.
The Que soon forms behind us.
Dave is tipped quickly and i get my turn.
I phone the office and get told to head straight back to our yard at Lochgilphead.
A load of logs to Fortwilliam.
Greg has also picked up a load for the Fort, but we spot a problem.
Looking at his load the front bolster is too high to go through Connel bridge and he will have to go through Glencoe.
I have plenty of time left so we run together.
The journey goes quickly as we chat on the cb.
Greg has to stop for a half hour break before we reach Fortwilliam , so i carry on and go to get tipped.
I find i am in another Que when i get there.
One of TSL,s immaculate volvos is in front of me.
I pull the belts off and go for a chat.
“Ketch” is soon called forward and 4 grabs see,s his load of 4.9 logs tipped.
He has a skelli trailer on ,so it does not take long to clean the bark off.
Before i can get tipped “Robert” gets past to tip on a different pile ,he has a full load of 3.7m logs on.
I get pulled alongside his trailer, but as he is tipping his front i am in no danger.
The Volvo loader has me tipped quickly and i am turned round as Robert finishes tipping.
I now head back through Glencoe.
I have just enough time to reach Tyndrum.
I get a change over behind the Green Well Stop and park up for the night.
Only myself and a couple of camper vans in the place ,so i get a great sleep.
Wednesday-
Early start today.
Sadly its back to the dark mornings.
The only advantage this has is on the run between Crainlarich and tarbet , you can see any lights coming your way.
I take advantage of this and use as much road as i need.
Although i some places there ain’t a lot of road there in the first place lol.
Today’s load is for Troon.
Its a sodding ,miserable morning .
With this load off i head to Glasgow to pick up some steel that has been to get galvanized.
This usually means its a total load of rubbish, weird shaped bits.
But fortunately for me its only 4 lifts of steel.
Not that heavy, but takes up a lot of space and i get soaked rite through strapping it down.
I stop a few times a check the belts.
This load is bound for Rothsay.
The forklift driver is on the ball and has me tipped with 4 lifts 
.
Its then off to Portavadie for a load of fish.
They are harvesting early for a couple of weeks ,so i will get my load when i get there.
I am loaded within half an hour and as i a ready to leave Roy arrives in with the newest of our TGX,s.
Makes my motor look very dated 
.
I have enough time to reach the fish processing plant , but everyone has already gone home.
I tip myself and park up for the night (i am soon in bed as i am knackered tonight).
Thursday-
Another early one today.
I head back to portavadie and reload myself for the processing plant outside Inverness.
Its a good run and will see most of my day out.
I stop for a break in Glencoe and try some arty photo shots ,but i don’t think its really me lol.
The guys at the processing plant have me tipped within 20 Min’s (3 forklifts )
I am now heading to a farm outside Tain to load with a mixed load of hay and straw.
This is one of those jobs that makes me wonder what i have done wrong !!!.
Square bales of straw on the bottom and round bales of hay on the top !!!.
It takes ages to load and even longer to tie down safely.
But eventually i am done, i decide to stay in the farm that night and get an early start.
Friday-
Finish the week with an early start (bit of a pattern lol).
I get a very good run through inverness and down loch Ness.
I take a 45 break at the Green Welly at Tyndrum and then its off to a farm near Campbeltown to tip the load.
I have enough time to reload logs on my way home and actually manage to be home for the early afternoon.
Its been a busy week ,but it has gone very quick.
Thanks once again for looking
Niall
