I know it’s February so it’s always quiet at this time, plus we do mostly spot-type work which makes us all the more vulnerable to the peaks and troughs…but we’re dead, and I mean dead!
No 30ft bulk work at all, very little through Felixstowe, odds and sods of short sea (Geest,etc.), and a quick phonecall to my mole at the Southampton end reveals a similar story there as well…
A particularly nasty side-effect of this is that we’re pulling a lot more tilts than usual (we always do a few just to keep a foot in the door, as well as our own taut/flat work - although I did a taut job Monday and they hadn’t even got a backload on that!!! ) …not good for a bunch of drivers who normally spend 75% of their time sitting waiting for someone to open the doors and polishing the nightheater controls…ahem…
Anyroad, word on the street is that we’re the only ones in the area to be suffering to quite this extent (although I saw several wagons from a firm who are normally 30ft bulk stalwarts pulling Geest this week) and that this could well be because they are trying to push the rates too high. They’re very much of the attitude that it’s better to stand the truck than take a dodgy rate…which is all very commendable but how far do you take that■■?
However, we all know how unreliable the word on the street can be…so how busy are you? Is it dead all over box-land? Or is it just us?
a fortnight ago, I was asking the same question, but the last two weeks have been ok, theres a bomb load of boats going through felix, even those 90,000 ton Maersk boats, so I dont know what the problem might be Luce. I was doing a fair bit out of the freightliner when quiet though.
Talking to a mate last night who pulls for Freightliner out of Leeds he says he is getting enough work but not over stressed - usually on long load and back per day then loading for next day.
When they are busy he get one long one then a sort one round Leeds and then loads for the next day.
Must be quieter as I have’nt seen many boxes on the A59 by me this week - I normally see 2 - 3 every night running accross, usually Bulmers and guy with all the burgundy and red FH’s who only does boxes (name escapes me, must be my age and the cold).
it must be the time of the year and probabaly all the EU trucks over here nicking the work.
Yeah, got it…sorry I haven’t had chance to reply yet, but last weekend was my one for visiting my daughter (in Dorset, so a fair old trek) and this week I didn’t finish work until today (I’m away all week, btw)!
I haven’t forgotten, and promise you it will get my full and undivided attention very shortly… this evening if all goes to plan!
we are really busy, and there has been a few new drivers appeared in the yard too. Its mainly seawheel stuff and some ECS too. Last week I only pulled out of Humber Sea Terminal and didn’t have to go to Exxtor once in Immingham, which is good because that place is a deathtrap.
I’m working tomorrow too, just an easy HST to Heinz in Wigan; nice and simple overtime, lets hope the lads in the warehouse don’t rush too much to tip the load We’re based in Scunthorpe.
I did have a funny moment going to somewhere in Rochdale that I’d never been to before for a reload this week. Managed to eventually find the place, and the loading bay is under an archway into a mill - the front foot or so and the cab stick out onto the road edge. Anyway, the previous artic pulled out and away and I saw the clearance was very tight at the top. So I asked the bloke who came out to help me reverse in if I needed to drop the suspension. He said ‘no, no-one does that’. Got the back in, and nicely creeping back, missing the opposite fence by a nice 2 foot and watching the good man; then suddenly there was a light scraping noise and the guy started jumping up and down yelling ‘stop stop!!’. The container was touching victorian archway! So down I dropped it and normal service resumed !
dead at the mo as going o/d my advise as i was think of this a few weeks ago sat down with the boss ( hes very helpful) decided against it to quiet at the moment
Which one are you then? We’re in and out of there a lot…
We drive plain white Renault Premiums, though these are being replaced over the next few weeks by older Scanias with ‘MDM’ stickered on the side in red…Mine will probably the only one you see without several soft toys/lights/numberplates in the windscreen - I’ll put the number plate up when I get hold of ‘my’ wagon lets hope that when they give me ‘my’ wagon its better than the last one they tried to give me, which had no heater, non-functioning tacho no air suspended seat, no night heater, and didn’t have the air suspension remote either!
I’ve been doing about 1700 muiles a week since xmas sometimes a little more but this time last year was a little quiter.
I actually prefer it quiter because I get a minimum week guarantee on mileage so if they don’t give me enough work to reach this I earn money for nowt.
Thamesport went very quiet on Wed/Thurs but a couple more boats came in on Thursday and it will be back to normal on Monday. Otherwise we’ve been fairly busy recently
Thought I was off to a good start this week, but tipped Newtown out this morning, and then put a 40 on in Bowmurs to load tommorow at 9 am, this was at 1 o’clock. I reckoned at least on a local, or loading for down the dock this afternoon. Maybe its quiet according who your pulling for. An old workmate in Bows told me a couple of them bought empty 45’s back to their yard from Felix! Now, thats struggling for work I’d say!
Things are getting worse by the week in Tilbury. Struggling for work day by day. You start ok on a monday but by thursday you’re boxed off and on for friday by 2pm latest
All ports are quiet, most shipping lines report volumes down by around 40% and most have taken vessels out of the loop, this means they call less often and when they do they’re light.
March was worse because of the Chinese new year a month earlier and it’s fingers crossed that April will pick up but the lines aren’t expecting much change before September.
Only consolation is that containers will be first to pick up once the recovery starts as we see the imports & exports first
) …not good for a bunch of drivers who normally spend 75% of their time sitting waiting for someone to open the doors and polishing the nightheater controls…ahem… 
We’re based in Scunthorpe.
lets hope that when they give me ‘my’ wagon its better than the last one they tried to give me, which had no heater, non-functioning tacho no air suspended seat, no night heater, and didn’t have the air suspension remote either!