Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’m on the blag/beg again!
Dead easy this one. We’re doing a feature about night out kit - hell, how many times does someone ask for a list on here? Twice a month? Anyhow, in this instance there’s a twist…We know what you DO need…BUT WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU DON’T■■?
So. This is what I need from you fabulous lot:
What are you carting about that you never use?
What have you found when moving lorry and skipped?
What have you found when moving lorry and not skipped only to skip it next time you move lorry 3 years later?
What gadgets have you spent good money on then found out they were crap (other than 12v kettles, everyone blows up 12v kettles, it’s the law)?
What seemed like a good idea at the time but ended up getting hoyed out when it ■■■■■■ you off with it’s false promise one too many times?
What did you later find out you could’ve got for half the price online? Or in a supermarket? (Rikki’s emergency inverter, a snip at half a week’s pay in a nameless truckstop shop then it turned out the original one wasn’t actually broken, the problem was something else entirely).
Just to show I’m not asking anyone to do or say anything I haven’t myself, when I came off tramping at the end of last year I discovered:
No less than 8 different versions of hella-ciggy convertor/hella - 2 hella splitter/hella to 2 ciggy splitter/blah…NOT ONE OF WHICH ACTUALLY WORKED, I’D JUST KEPT THEM TO CANNABALISE FOR “SPARES”!
An apparently never-ending number of hexi-keys in various designs, shapes and sizes…NONE OF WHICH EVER FITTED THE REAR LIGHT CLUSTERS ON THE VOLVO THAT WENT OFF-HIRE IN 2009!
Velcro tape too pathetic to hold anything up.
An embarrassingly vast collection of different coloured insulation tape.
3 old pairs of toecapped boots/shoes with holes in the sole/upper.
A folder filled with odd pages from out-of-date bridge height maps.
A roll of “stick-on magnets” where the sticky bit turned out to not even be strong enough to take it’s own weight.
Dried pasta circa.1994
Baby wipes. Sure, we all need baby wipes, they’re an essential. But 14 packs■■?
Lot of different sized storage boxes. Empty.
Crap books I kept “for an emergency” but had no desire whatsoever to read, no matter how desperate I was.
An ancient Windows XP Netbook I hadn’t got out in at least 14 months 'cos it took too long to boot.
A 7" telly with a CRT tube so vast it took up a whole locker, which I could never get to tune into anything anyway.
A delivery/collection note book from a job I left 11 years ago.
Enough spare toiletries that I didn’t need to by any more until March - in fact, some of it I’m still working my way through now…
So come on lads and lasses, get rooting. What crap have you got?
Off tramping 18mths ago and just sorting the shed out.
so not quite what your on about but kept just in case but I really cant see me going back .
Air sander used with a buffer to polish tanks
assorted bulbs and Scania bulb boxes / screwdrivers
Strap winder ( magnetic) –
assorted tools
bungee cords
2 sorts of gas cookers and assorted bits ( use it when I’m out for a day though nothing better than a fresh brew )
small nail bar.
small bolt croppers
assorted plastic and metal seal’s
assorted paper maps 2 folders of A4 hand drawn maps and site directions
assorted induction packs
a pair of safety goggles (that safe that you cant see out of them put them on and stand there and do NOTHING how safe is that )
3 pairs of safety boots (1 pair really need to go in the bin)
2 winter coats 1 of which is a hi-viz with a rip across the back . and 4 hi-viz vests no of which fit (unless sewn together )
cab interior and exterior cleaning products
zip ties (god loads of zip ties makes it look like a ■■■■■■■ box with the elastic bands etc )
2 first aid packs both out of date but that don’t really matter as there empty
Oh the Blow up doll died of a cold and blocked nose
Phone chargers. Anyone have a 10yr old Samsung or LG, I’m yer man.
FM transmitter x2. Not sure either of them work, and definitely not needed since the invention of the AUX socket.
Gloves. Must be 4 pairs in here. Everyone of which has a hole in at least one finger. May be used once in a blue moon to protect the straps on sharp edges when corner boards are unavailable.
Whenever I changed trucks I found reams and reams of paper, blank laufzettels, DG notes, H&S bumf from different customers, dozens of gratis coffee vouchers from cleaning stations or garages, and out of date ferry timetables.
Under the bunk were maps from spurious places I have never been or don’t go to anymore and a couple of music cassettes even though the truck had a CD player
DaiDap:
Phone chargers. Anyone have a 10yr old Samsung or LG, I’m yer man.
FM transmitter x2. Not sure either of them work, and definitely not needed since the invention of the AUX socket.
Gloves. Must be 4 pairs in here. Everyone of which has a hole in at least one finger. May be used once in a blue moon to protect the straps on sharp edges when corner boards are unavailable.
I drive a recovery truck collecting salvage cars, use pretty much everything in my cab but I do have one locker on the outside which is full of stuff I never use, don’t ask me what’s in there I locked it about 3 months ago when parking up and haven’t felt the need to unlock it yet…it is full to the brim with ‘stuff’ though.
tommyboy1289:
I drive a recovery truck collecting salvage cars, use pretty much everything in my cab but I do have one locker on the outside which is full of stuff I never use, don’t ask me what’s in there I locked it about 3 months ago when parking up and haven’t felt the need to unlock it yet…it is full to the brim with ‘stuff’ though.
Do us a favour and have a look on Monday will ya? Ta!
Thanks people, that EXACTLY what I’m after… …More, people, more!
Ps. Anyone need a pre-M60 completion A-Z of Manchester? No? Arse.
I looked in kid sisters truck the other day…she is 41.
Found tons of girlie crap (to be expected) and An old blue teddy bear and 4 bottles of HP sauce , loads of clothes pegs and about half a chess set with a board . And 6 month out of date Jacobs crackers.
Oh and an old phone with no charger !
tommyboy1289:
I drive a recovery truck collecting salvage cars, use pretty much everything in my cab but I do have one locker on the outside which is full of stuff I never use, don’t ask me what’s in there I locked it about 3 months ago when parking up and haven’t felt the need to unlock it yet…it is full to the brim with ‘stuff’ though.
Do us a favour and have a look on Monday will ya? Ta!
Thanks people, that EXACTLY what I’m after… …More, people, more!
Ps. Anyone need a pre-M60 completion A-Z of Manchester? No? Arse.
Lol I’ll see how much time I’ve got but will try and sort it one night this week if not Monday…you want pictures as well? God knows what I might find, may be useful may be crap
Is this really going to be a feature in the magazine?
Ask the same question in a couple of months and I’ll bet you get a few people answering that they have an unread copy of T&D lurking in the cubby hole.
I write a monthly column and it is difficult to come up with something original every time, no doubt about that, making it entertaining is difficult too, so if you manage to pull this one off Lucy you should be up for a Pullitzer Award. Good luck
newmercman:
Is this really going to be a feature in the magazine?
Ask the same question in a couple of months and I’ll bet you get a few people answering that they have an unread copy of T&D lurking in the cubby hole.
I write a monthly column and it is difficult to come up with something original every time, no doubt about that, making it entertaining is difficult too, so if you manage to pull this one off Lucy you should be up for a Pullitzer Award. Good luck
That’s what I mean, making it interesting will be a real challenge, I can’t really help with an anecdote as I’m far too ■■■■ to carry unnecessary kit around with me, I know for a fact I will watch my Betamax copy of Smokey and the Bandit that is in my side locker one day [emoji38]
Here’s a nice little aside, Lucy. Almost twenty years ago I had a lorry fire on long-haul work and lost all my kit. To cut a long story short, I claimed on my house insurance for the losses above the £200 covered by the haulier’s insurance. An insurance assessor was sent round to my house. When she remained unconvinced of my perfectly legitimate claim, I simply produced one of T&D’s fantastic double-page spread photos from a ‘night out’ cab test. It did the trick! Yeah!! Robert
I’m changing jobs at the end of the week, so if you can hang on until then I’ll do you a list of all the useless stuff that I’ve accumulated in the last 6 months - I’m sure there’ll be a bit!
