well, its been the busiest week for me since last year!! after trying not to work 5 days a week till i next go away, i have ended up doing 6 days!! better have a few off next week instead!!
to start the week, it was off to holland, so sunday 8am we were out of the yard heading for dover, and the norfolk line boat. i had a friend of mine with me who has never been into europe with a truck before, so he wanted to come along to see how it worked getting tax etc. we went to center parcs for a sunday night load out. once done, monday got up, had a shower and headed back to the boat loaded. unfortunatly one of the boats was out of service, so there was a bit of a delay, but as we didnt have to unload in portsmouth till 10am, i was not fussed as we had bags of time!! once back in blighty (sadly!) we headed to portsmouth and parked in a layby about 1 mile from where we were tipping. once we got up, opened the curtains to see a burger van in front of us, result!!! that was breakfast taken care of!
on our way back, a friend of mine who runs a few trucks asked if i could help him out as he had 2 drivers off ill, i agreed and decided to take on a nice multi drop trailer which would be a 2 day job
so 5.30 i was back in stowmarket firing up a 470 r series topliner, well what a disappointment!! i thought it was worse that a 4 series, and found the seats even more uncomfortable (and this was a high spec motor with full leather seats!) anyway, off i went to the first drop in spalding…
pics so far…
the rigid i took sunday
mick loading monday morning
2 of the trucks loading up the portable ‘building’ and ancilleries…
my ugly mug captured driving back…
in belgium, this tanker had slammed into the back of a motorway mainainence truck, sending it into the ditch, and jack-knifing him in the centre!!
at the first drop in spalding with the first pallet off…
cor, not seen one of these in a long time!!!
the chariot for the 2 days, this scania
once spading was done, it was off to p c howards yard at kings cliffe, just outside peterborough. 3 pallets were being dropped off here with boxes for all over the uk. once done, it was head to halesowen, suprise suprise the m6 came to a grinding halt!! luckily not for long and i was soon at junction 2 of the m5. the place was easy to find, a little tight backing in, but saved me having to pull a u turn in their yard. once done there it was head to the m40 and ruscombe, by twyford near reading. this drop took a while as its a small nursery which you park on the road, and the guy backs his transit up to and you ahndball it all in the back. 4 pallets later, i was done, and feeling all the better for doing some excersize!!! this was the end of day one as the next 2 customers would of gone home by the time i would get to them. i decided to park at the R.H.S garden centre at wisley just off the m25, as they opened for deliveries a little earlier than the notcutts at staines i was also delivering to
pics so far…
typical, held up in birmingham on the m6!
unloading at halesown, bit narrow and tight reversing in, but i like a challenge!!
i awoke the next day to all this!!! (as did most the country i guess!!)
the guy who’s truck it is has put a strip light in the roof, and the cable tie was letting in water all night, which stopped the cab phone working, handy!!!
once tipped, i set off for littlehampton, and once i dieseled up at winchester services, set off and noticed the snow disappeared!!
onto the m27, bright sunshine and 8 degrees according to the truck!!!
i carried on to the nursery at littlehampton, drove in, to be told it was a back out on the road job, there was not a huge amount of room there!! the most important question for me was could i make myself a cup of tea, i was spitting feathers!!! once the final pallet was off, it was straight to the kettle and then settle in the cab for lunch
lunch and my cup of tea!!! about time i got back on this after christmas!!! 
driven straight off the road into the nursery, not a huge amount of room!!
into clackett lane for my break, then carry on, i got to ipswich, and the a14 ground to a halt, typical when i thought i was getting an early one!! it gave me a chance to sum up my drive and the truck i ws in, its a big shame! scania had a chance to improve the bad 4 series, but in my opinion didnt at all! i found it very uncomfortable, and the bunk wasnt up to much either, i was far comfier in the daf rigid!
driving back towards felixstowe empty (most of the time im told these trailers go straight back empty or with empty trollies if you collect any, but mine was all pallets), i got to drive through the south downs a bit, its lovely countryside down on the south coast, i love it down there (not that im biased coming from dorset…!)
south downs…
dash is very busy and cluttered i thought…
queueing on the a14…
trying to get off at a slip road a bit too early, this chap had got stuck in the stones and was waiting for a tug from one of their container wagons!!
friday saw me back on the bulk, and i was showing my friend who came with me to holland the ropes on bulk so he can do some when he isnt busy!
off to birch quarry just outside colchester, loaded a load of stone for dagenham. we got there, went to tip, and i noticed that it was a different size to the stone on the heap, i asked the shovel driver and he said to tip it there, so me and the 3rd driver for the day, robert tipped, and before my mate could back up, the shovel drivers were over waving arms, sure enough it was wrong!!! our paperwork said 10mm stone, but they had loaded 20mm 
once tipped, round the corner to hansons is berryman recycling. we were after 3 loads of glass to go to radlett for recycling…
more pics…
the chariot for the day, my next door neighbours regular truck…
queueing to get in at berrymans, not much room for people to come round eh…
loading the glass
robert tippping glass at radlett…
once tipped, quick cup of tea in the cafe at the site, and it was back to leyton, east london for a load of ‘rocks’ (all manner of rubbish basically from demolition) which i think is going to be crushed down to be used for making sugar beet pads. my life, what a dump it was to load in!!! huge holes, no room to turn and a loading shovel that looked like it should of been in mad max!!! anyway, we got our loads on, sheeted up and battled the traffic back to tannington
the path in…
robert loading up, loads of room??..
my mate shanksy not looing too impressed!!!
you had to u turn then back up and have another go and get through a pothole too, another driver had to engage his diff lock in his topline to get round!!!
well that was my week, i have enjoyed it, and if you have got this far without getting bored, then i hope you enjoyed it too!!!
