Great read Rob,thoroughly enjoy it every week
Good read as always.
Found this site for you about shutter speeds.
photography.lyell.org.uk/shutter.htm
I don’t understand it, my cam as auto shutter speed on it.
Great read and pics once again Rob, agree that Silver DAF does look smart. 
Good Read Rob
Keep em coming
I also do agree about the silver daf, The silver volvo don’t look bad either,
I think most wagons in silver with no fancy stuff on look the dogs, we had a Scania 164 topliner come into the workshop with a problem once, Looked really smart sat in the yard in the sunshine!
Rob K:
Any of you you CF/XF guys/gals have the same problem with yours from time to time?
Every single ■■■■ time! This works for me. (After drop legs etc.)Tug on 5th wheel handle. Even tho know it won’t disengage. ‘Try’ to reverse twice. Handle is now okee dokee! Not exactly ideal tho!
Also had puddle fever Thur. Mega slow traffic on duel carridgeway. Accident? No, a massive puddle. With everyone moving from lane 1 to 2 as they were all cars. So my eyes lit up at the sight of a big puddle AND a clear run up. Foot down! Had 2 other beauties further up. Bliss! But that was all. 
Great read and pics as per usual!
a nice read rob, by the way if you do start your new venture before the end of augest-september period, get prepared for delays due to the
summer driveing bans, in the various member countries of the ECC; and
eastern countries as well.
Another good read Rob,some nice pics.Don’t see no mention of the wrong turning that you took in Manchester. 
Was i not meant to say that 
Oh well it’s said now,no one will ever know honest.
kitkat:
Another good read Rob,some nice pics.Don’t see no mention of the wrong turning that you took in Manchester.
I forgot to mention the FLT driver in the yard at Morley writing off the front corner of my unit on Friday afternoon too 
.
Enjoyed that read Rob. Looking forward to the next instalment
Rob K:
kitkat:
Another good read Rob,some nice pics.Don’t see no mention of the wrong turning that you took in Manchester.
I forgot to mention the FLT driver in the yard at Morley writing off the front corner of my unit on Friday afternoon too
But that’s not as important as archie’s blue eyed boy taking the WRONG turning is it
kitkat:
Rob K:
kitkat:
Another good read Rob,some nice pics.Don’t see no mention of the wrong turning that you took in Manchester.
I forgot to mention the FLT driver in the yard at Morley writing off the front corner of my unit on Friday afternoon too
But that’s not as important as archie’s blue eyed boy taking the WRONG turning is it
Oh, do you know another driver who works for Archbold’s
Rob K:
kitkat:
Rob K:
kitkat:
Another good read Rob,some nice pics.Don’t see no mention of the wrong turning that you took in Manchester.
I forgot to mention the FLT driver in the yard at Morley writing off the front corner of my unit on Friday afternoon too
But that’s not as important as archie’s blue eyed boy taking the WRONG turning is it
No that’s why your the blue eyed boy,and you know it.
Rob K:
Not sure where this was taken, but must be the M6 somewhere
Thats the M6 bridge over the B4102 Meriden - Nuneaton road (between J3 and J3a)
Familiar stretch for me - I drive it every day.
great story as always.
Calv
enjoyable read again Rob
Good read Rob - I love the XF and the silver one looks good used to drive a orange one for a guy and that looked good too.
I agree a smart understated truck looks just as good as an over the top light and all one.
I dont know cant disconnect a fith wheel coupling (its not rocket science just reverse up tight on pin, with trailer brake on, put unit hand brake on pull handle if still stiff adjust angle of plate with air suspension ).
Wrong turns
who’d have thought it from Rob eh
just poping down to the Anderson back in a week
New venture
A good read again 
Monday 4 July started with my 3-monthly review at 0600 at the yard. Basically this entailed my gaffer telling me that he was very happy with my work in the 3 months I’ve been there, but because I was “uncooperative” at Netto’s some weeks ago and also because I refuse to sign my tachograph analysis reports due to the fact they contain factually incorrect information I have not been offered a permanent position with Archbold’s, however I have been given another 3 months probation period 
. I’m not bothered either way as I don’t plan to be there for much longer anyway.
Just to further dampen the ‘good’ start to the week, it was chucking it down and my trailer was buried four deep in the bottom (muddy) yard so I had to pull all those out of the way so I could get to mine 
.
One particular trailer I couldn’t get the pin to engage despite several attempts and pretty pee’d off because I was soaked through (you know - that fine rain … ) and also because of having to unnecessarily shift all these trailers, I went and summoned Chris from the garage to sort it out for me. He walked down and got within 20ft of it, squatted down and looked at the trailer and said,
“You might find it a bit easier if you take the pin lock off it.”
Eventually got my trailer and set off for CT Transport at Knottingley to load glass for Brothers Drinks at Shepton Mallet (where your WKD Vodka is made).
Upon arrival at CT’s I was informed that it was loading out of the factory down the road at Allied’s own place 
so ran the 2 minutes down the road and got loaded straight away with 52 pallets and strapped them in nice and tight.
Dropped down on to the A1 at Furry Bridge and then on to allies 18, 1 and 42 before pulling off at the services at gate 11 for my break where a Sutherland’s Ham, Cheese and Pickle roll was consumed along with some Scampi Fries and also a sausage roll, because they’re nice from there, if a bit expensive.
Arrived at Shepton Mallet via the Glastonbury road and M5 gate 23 at 1620 for my 1630 booking and there was a problem. An FH12 had broken down with a knackered starter motor and was blocking the whole shop up so it was looking unlikely I’d be able to get tipped.
Luckily, the driver somehow managed to get it going and calm was resumed along with my load being FLT’d off .
Chaos control informed me that my back load was out of Ford at Eastleigh and wanted me in there for around 0700 in the morning. Had to pull out my map to find the best way from Shepton Mallet to Southampton as it was unfamiliar ground for me.
A driver advised me to go A361 to Frome, A362 round the bottom of Warminster and then join on to the A36 to Deptford where it meets the A303, then down the A34 and M3 but to me that seems a bloody long way round.
I decided on taking the B3081 through Evercreech, Bruton and Leigh Common, under the A303 to Gillingham and Shaftesbury, A30 to Salisbury and then out along the A36 to Southampton. I knew what the B3081 was like from the A303 to Gillingham and Shaftesbury as I’d done it before and it’s a decent road but I had no idea of the bit from Shepton Mallet to the A303 through Bruton.
As I turned off the A371 on to the B-road there was a sign just round the corner saying 7.5t weight limit in Bruton. Ah well, not to worry . The road wasn’t brilliant but traffic could easily come past going the other way without having to slow down, so long as they moved over a bit. Got down through Evercreech and then the road started to get narrower and narrower to the point where it became a single track road in some points. Also, tree’s closed in on me overhanging the road and it’s clear that it had been a very long time since something 15’3 tall had been down here . There was a woman in a drop-top MX5 close behind me at one point but as soon as I started clipping the trees she suddenly became a speck in the mirror . Never mind, at least I’ve saved the local council a job .
You go through a place called Milton Clevedon and then it really does become narrow, with a few steep gradients to master as well . Then the inevitable happened : I met a car on the single track bit coming the other way. Due credit to the driver, he backed up a long way to let me get past, although if he’d just moved over a bit we could have easily squeezed past each other. He had something to say to me as he came past though :
“Do you know there’s a 7.5t weight limit along here?”
“Yeah I do mate, I’ve just had a delivery to a farm back down the road.”
“Oh right, okay. I know it’s not your fault but these roads obviously weren’t built to handle artics!”
Anyway, off he goes, happy enough with my completely made up reason why I was down here . As the road dropped down into Bruton it opened out a bit so I pulled over to let the MX5 and the van behind it get past. The woman driving the MX5 pulled up alongside and leaned across to speak to me.
“Do you know there’s a 7.5t weight limit along this road? You shouldn’t be along here in that!”
“I know love, I’m sorry but I’ve just had a delivery to a farm back up the road.”
“No you bloody well haven’t, because I’ve followed you all the way from Shepton Mallet!!!”
“Oh! Er, well, er, it was actually up that way and I can’t get down the 371 because of a low bridge and this is the only way down to the 303 without a major detour.”
Anyway, she drove off in disgust, complete with a car full of leaves and tree branches .
Got through Bruton with a bit of difficulty as there are some really tight corners and not wanting to have to go through the same rigmarole again on roads like that I re-evaluated my road options and decided against continuing along the next bit of B3081 and took a right turn along the A359 then left on the A371 to Wincanton and got on the A303 that way .
Rest of the run was uneventful and I parked up in my favourite layby on the A36 somewhere around here as it’s the only one on that stretch from Salisbury to Southampton which is set back from the road and has a line of trees in between it and the main road.
Rob K:
Got through Bruton with a bit of difficulty as there are some really tight corners and not wanting to have to go through the same rigmarole again on roads like that I re-evaluated my road options and decided against continuing along the next bit of B3081 and took a right turn along the A359 then left on the A371 to Wincanton and got on the A303 that way
You should have carried on It’s dual carriageway all the way down from there
Tuesday 5 July saw me at Ford at Eastleigh around 0730. After a long wait in the compound I was sent round to the main plant to load up K boxes for McKechnie Plastics in Pickering, N Yorks.
Following the tight one-way system in the Ford plant
Left there about 0930 I think it was and headed north via M27, M3, A34 where I spotted TheBear parked in a layby just before the M40 with a Celsius First trailer on the back . No time to stop though. Got to Jacks Hill Cafe on the A5 at Towcester and went in to sample the breakfast menu here as I’d heard good things. They’re not the cheapest but we are in Northants which I find is bloody expensive generally for food especially.
£3.40 gets you 2 bacon, 1 sausage, 1 egg, fried slice and beans or toms, no pot of tea.
£4.20 gets you 2 bacon, 2(?) sausages, 1 egg, fried slice, beef burger and beans or toms but no pot of tea.
Pot of tea is on top of the price and costs 60p. I had the £4.20 breakfast and it was nice and a reasonable size portion. It would definitely get the Rob K seal of approval but for that price they need to include the pot of tea. By the way, I did get beans and toms and I noticed that everyone else did too.
Carried on on my trek northbound and had plenty of idiot truckers to contend with on the M1, this being one of them :
Why?
Doesn’t seem to be anything untoward going on to an untrained eye but this was taken at the second downhill section of Loughborough Bank, with J23 at the bottom. The driver could see I was motoring down the hill at some speed so what does he do? Pulls out right in front of me and proceeds to sit there neck and neck with the wood truck making no progress whatsoever . Drivers like this really 
(capital F) (capital P) me off . Not tarring all rigid drivers with the same brush either - on the contrary, as artic drivers are worse for doing this .
Here’s one of the Stobard trailers in the new livery. I think it’s very plain and boring in comparison to former, traditional styling :
Soon found myself on the A64 and they’ve finally completed the new junction at Bilborough :
I saw one of our XF drivers coming the other on the single carriageway bit and gave him the courtesy wave and flash and he completed ignored me even though he’d seen me. Ignorance is one thing I can’t do with and made a mental note of the registration to raise the issue with the driver when I caught up with him somewhere .
Barton Hill :
Training vehicle (there is an L sticker on the grille). Nice motor to do you rigid training in !! :
Centre of Pickering :
Tipped off my K boxes at McKechnie’s and after doing a drop and swap of trailers, pulled outside and parked up to have a bite to eat.
Coming out of McKechnie’s :
Chaos control informed me that the loaded trailer I’d just picked up needed to be over at Birch depot so a bit annoyed at this as I was hoping to have an early finish and get parked up, I trammed back past Leeds and over there and parked up in Birch yard for the night.
Blurry pics of the low clouds over the Halifax valley :
M62 at Outlane, just passing J23 :
Birch yard. Winstanley’s - allus wanting drivers but I know that one driver has left to come and work for Archbold’s so read into that what you want :
