Carry fast if it was done with the usual protocols regarding breaks etc the thread would be called “running legal in the 80s” I doubt you’d find many contributors though
eurotrans:
Carry fast if it was done with the usual protocols regarding breaks etc the thread would be called “running legal in the 80s” I doubt you’d find many contributors though
That’s fair enough.I was just raising the question that in the knowledge that no one with any sense was literally going to ‘one hit’ Milan,let alone much further South,at 50 mph average or less,without probably going off the road.Or thereby make what were at least 2 possibly 3 or even 4 seperate shifts any less by not taking the legally required daily rest periods.In which case what did anyone really gain by serious large scale dodgy running practices,such as splitting daily rest periods down into too small and/or too few segments in that regard.
nmm has then made the point about flexibility which I can understand up to a point.Which I think as usual could be/have been fixed to an extent by relaxation of driving time limits,getting rid of tachos and relaxation of the European truck speed regime at least in suitable terrain.Which then ironically got/gets shot down because of drivers then pointlessly taking the pish as being discussed here.Which even more ironically then brings us back to the North American situation of them now imposing E logs and possibly speed limiters 
.Although at least set at 65 mph which is at least still better than silly Euro running speeds. 
Not every trip was done in one hit, lots were though. Sometimes you just got in the zone and it was easy, other times you were knackered, but I’m sure I wasn’t alone in knowing my limits, I never ever drove if I was in danger of falling asleep, when I reached that point I parked up and went to bed.
It was as has been said something you got used to and it wasn’t as hard as it sounds on paper, on the way down you get to the end of a legal drive just as you’re coming into the roads up to the mountains and then adrenaline starts flowing and wakes you up, by the time that wears off you’re almost in Milan, so you can carry on easily enough for the last couple of hours.
Coming home was more difficult as the road from Paris to the dock was mind numbing boring and I have said ■■■■ it and pulled into the services a couple of hours away from Calais and gone to bed until I woke up quite a few times, often making the journey home longer than if I had done it legally.
In those days the ministry had no jurisdiction on what you had done out of the UK and the foreign old bill were happy with a few quid in their back pocket, so for the most part the stop when you were hungry, thirsty or tired was the order of business, tacho regs were irrelevant.
Sometimes you did it in one hit because you had been on the ■■■■ when you should’ve been driving up the road and you had to make up for lost time, at other times it was to make up for lost time from a strike or blockade or even just a pig of a trip, other times it was at the request of the guvnor or in the case of fresh fruit, veg, meat or fish, it was the way the job was.
Carryfast:
eurotrans:
Carry fast if it was done with the usual protocols regarding breaks etc the thread would be called “running legal in the 80s” I doubt you’d find many contributors thoughThat’s fair enough.I was just raising the question that in the knowledge that no one with any sense was literally going to ‘one hit’ Milan,let alone much further South,at 50 mph average or less,without probably going off the road.Or thereby make what were at least 2 possibly 3 or even 4 seperate shifts any less by not taking the legally required daily rest periods.In which case what did anyone really gain by serious large scale dodgy running practices,such as splitting daily rest periods down into too small and/or too few segments in that regard.
2/3 or possibly 4 shifts to get to Milan?! I can see exactly why you never got a Euro job now 
eddie snax:
switchlogic:
nightline:
Your are right about severe sleep deprivation but you are wrong about it not being done, it was done by most drivers maybe not every trip bus most trips and you would stop for a cat nap 10 to 20 minutes sometimes, the cat nap was no good for you but it was still called a one hitThis, everyone dealt with it in different ways but my tactic when I really couldn’t drive no more was 20 minutes slumped over the steering wheel, never get into bed unless it was for a full sleep as I wouldn’t be able to get out after 20 minutes
Did you ever pull into layby behind another wagon, leave the engine ticking over, start the power nap over the wheel, then wake with a start seeing the back of the other wagon, and shove the brake pedal through the floor. By heck that wakes you up quick
Yes! More than once. I’ve also woken up on ferries in a panic thinking ‘where the f… Am I!?’ Not to mention being woken up on ferries when every one else has got off and I’m still asleep in the lorry with an angry deckhand hammering the door
Evil8Beezle:
Hearing all the stories on here, which are impressive as I don’t think I’m made of that stuff…
Couple that though with what has been said on here about wages not being what they used to be, I’m a bit confused.
Are you saying that the hourly rate used to be better, or that you could get away with working more hours?
I along with a lot of others were on trip money so the faster you got it done the more you earned.
Carryfast:
In which case what did anyone really gain by serious large scale dodgy running practices,such as splitting daily rest periods down into too small and/or too few segments in that regard.
A lot of today’s very successful and large companies were built on the back of these types of shenanigans. A LOT of money was made, by drivers and employers.
That’s it Luke, it was all about the money, we used to get 500quid for a Rome, 450 for Prato, 400 for Bologna and 350 for Milan, I wanted the 500quid, but I also wanted a couple of day’s off between trips, so running legal wasn’t an option.
Every week I’d see the same faces in customs and on the ferries, not all of them worked for back street firms either, it was the way it was and it makes me laugh when people accuse the Eastern European firms of carving the job up, all they’ve done is beat us at our own game and they’re doing it without red diesel and dodgy credit cards too. Fair play to them I reckon, I’ve been there and done it and I’m bloody glad I don’t have to do it anymore, you get old really fast running hard like that all the time.
It was not only the trip money that made it good there was the envelope you got with running cash and don’t forget the duty free cigs and cheep tobacco and the wine that was bought for pence, that’s what gave your wages a little lift and kept you going.
nightline:
It was not only the trip money that made it good there was the envelope you got with running cash and don’t forget the duty free cigs and cheep tobacco and the wine that was bought for pence, that’s what gave your wages a little lift and kept you going.
On the P&O Le havre and Cherbourg boats we bought a ticket for 2 meals, about 4 or 5 quid. That included either a liter of spirits or 200 ■■■■. So if not consumed en-rte that was your full duty free allowance on return to the UK. Special Branch and Immigration Officers were normally on board in the 80s and early 90s. All passport control done on board to speed up port exit. I think the bar profited from the official presence too!
switchlogic:
Carryfast:
eurotrans:
Carry fast if it was done with the usual protocols regarding breaks etc the thread would be called “running legal in the 80s” I doubt you’d find many contributors thoughThat’s fair enough.I was just raising the question that in the knowledge that no one with any sense was literally going to ‘one hit’ Milan,let alone much further South,at 50 mph average or less,without probably going off the road.Or thereby make what were at least 2 possibly 3 or even 4 seperate shifts any less by not taking the legally required daily rest periods.In which case what did anyone really gain by serious large scale dodgy running practices,such as splitting daily rest periods down into too small and/or too few segments in that regard.
2/3 or possibly 4 shifts to get to Milan?! I can see exactly why you never got a Euro job now
That isn’t exactly what I said.2 shifts to run to Milan yes isn’t that what nmm was describing regards a 24 hours + run. 
3/4 shifts to run to Southern Italy yes.Let me guess you’d be volunteering to run a London-Glasgow-London trunk with a London-Glasgow-Manchester thrown in after that all done in one shift without any daily rest periods.Yes we know you’re an international super trucker.
Carryfast:
Let me guess you’d be volunteering to run a London-Glasgow-London trunk with a London-Glasgow-Manchester thrown in after that all done in one shift without any daily rest periods.Yes we know you’re an international super trucker.
Back in the day if the money was right yes I would have, yes. Not now though. Like others have said I’m glad I got to experience the crazy running days but I wouldn’t was to do it again.
As for being an intentional super trucker…I’m currently pulling a 10 metre tesco trailer delivering to stores round Bristol! Thanks for the compliment though x
One thing that was a big pose was to get a boat in Dover just as the papers arrived and then go like ■■■■ until you reached Carisio and get there while it was still dinner time and sit reading that day’s paper.
newmercman:
One thing that was a big pose was to get a boat in Dover just as the papers arrived and then go like [zb] until you reached Carisio and get there while it was still dinner time and sit reading that day’s paper.
Yes Mark, I remember that too, the only difference being that I used to use Santhia rather than Carisio.
I was an 01er so it was the law to stop in Carisio.
switchlogic:
eddie snax:
switchlogic:
nightline:
Your are right about severe sleep deprivation but you are wrong about it not being done, it was done by most drivers maybe not every trip bus most trips and you would stop for a cat nap 10 to 20 minutes sometimes, the cat nap was no good for you but it was still called a one hitThis, everyone dealt with it in different ways but my tactic when I really couldn’t drive no more was 20 minutes slumped over the steering wheel, never get into bed unless it was for a full sleep as I wouldn’t be able to get out after 20 minutes
Did you ever pull into layby behind another wagon, leave the engine ticking over, start the power nap over the wheel, then wake with a start seeing the back of the other wagon, and shove the brake pedal through the floor. By heck that wakes you up quick
Yes! More than once. I’ve also woken up on ferries in a panic thinking ‘where the f… Am I!?’ Not to mention being woken up on ferries when every one else has got off and I’m still asleep in the lorry with an angry deckhand hammering the door
Brilliant I have had a load of steel loaded and been awoken as the guys were dropping the tilt back into place. I had arrived backed in the shed and stripped out ready to load, then it was brew time, so I took the opportunity for a quick power nap which became an extended power nap, the guys reckoned they didn’t have the heart to disturb Me 
switchlogic:
Evil8Beezle:
Hearing all the stories on here, which are impressive as I don’t think I’m made of that stuff…
Couple that though with what has been said on here about wages not being what they used to be, I’m a bit confused.
Are you saying that the hourly rate used to be better, or that you could get away with working more hours?I along with a lot of others were on trip money so the faster you got it done the more you earned.
At the most impressive of my running bent days, I was on 21% of truck earnings, with the immortal phrase “no floor no ceiling” and there was no defined night out money, but night out was deducted at £18 a night from the 21% and then taxed on what was left. If offered such terms now, I’d be out the so quick, but then early 90’s I was young stupid and having a hell of a good time
newmercman:
I was an 01er so it was the law to stop in Carisio.
An 01er?.. That’s a little phrase that I haven’t heard for a while, and it doesn’t half take me back!!
Yes, Carisio was full of 01ers 
Have been trying to remember the name of the truck stop near Lake Como, used it often when on for the Smurfs (Murfitts) TIA
Yeah it wasn’t a term of endearment most of the time, but being cheeky chappies we embraced it, occasionally we’d be kind and show those poor northern drivers a 20 pound note, the look on their faces…
[emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3]
newmercman:
Yeah it wasn’t a term of endearment most of the time, but being cheeky chappies we embraced it, occasionally we’d be kind and show those poor northern drivers a 20 pound note, the look on their faces…[emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3]
Typical 01er
Busy doing miles in the bar with a twenty while the rest were already on the way back to collect fiftys 