Thought I’d do a diary of my last few weeks.
Sunday 11/11/07
Start at 0300. On holiday last week and have the mammoth task of putting everything back in the cab. Get it sorted and I’m away to Sainsbury’s at Stoke on Trent a little after 0400.
Arrive at 0800 and am straight on a bay. Get tipped quite quickly - I’m in and out in under two hours. This is both unusual and unlucky as I am on Sunday rate!
I have a collection in Bedfordshire and set off down the M6. I stop for a break at Hilton Park. Very rarely do I sleep in the daytime, but after getting up at 0030 I feel like a nap. I wake up at 1055, turn Radio 1 on, and am ready standing up to observe two minutes silence at 1100.
I top up with diesel before leaving to continue south towards the M1.
Upon arrival at my collection point, I spark a security scare as they are not expecting me until Monday morning. After arguing with Mohammed in Security for 15 minutes (who admits he knows me by name too!) I decide to have another go in the morning, withdraw and park up in Toddington services for the evening. This is a shame as it means I cannot get down the road with the load, and will mess up the plans for Monday.
Book off at 1400.
Monday 12/11/07
Start at 0345 and arrive back at the collection point a little after 0415. I am waiting for over five hours to get loaded. Think I’m going to miss my 0700 delivery slot in Norwich. I know I’m good, but not that good!!
Feeling thirsty?
Arrive at the delivery point around lunchtime, get tipped and reloaded with empties in under an hour. Nice.
Stop for a break at Snetterton on the A11 and make myself some lunch. Then it’s back to Thetford to swap trailers and head off with tomorrow’s job. I land a Neston, Manchester, Stockport. I set off mid-afternoon, and get as far as Corley before calling it a day at 1845.
Tuesday 13/11/07
Start at 0400 and after my cereal run on the limiter up to Aldi Neston, arriving at 0630 in plenty of time for my 0700 booking. Time for a coffee and a bit of cake. I love driving in the early hours of the morning as you can get some serious mileage in before all the lane-hopping numpty commuters wake up. Had a friendly row with the ■■■■■■■ the counter because I not only have to unload my vehicle, but then drag their nine euro pallets across the other side of their warehouse for them. I know it won’t do any good or change anything, but as a cantankerous truck driver it makes me feel better!! In fairness — you are always in and out of here quicker than any Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Morrison’s or Somerfield depot as a result of the Aldi self-tip policy.
At about 0730 I’m running into Manchester trying to find a place I’ve not been to before. TomTom guides me in beautifully here. Nice place.
All Hell breaks loose here because it turns out the only pallet of stock they’re actually wanting is missing. Apparently the rest of the order (nine lifts) was only ordered to make up the order to the minimum value we’d deliver. After an hour of buzzing phone lines, the missing pallet is located — next to a loading bay door in Thetford. Not a problem, however as we have vehicles up here every day so it gets chucked on the back of the next one to leave. Problem solved. Customer happy. (Ish.)
After this, my final drop of the day is A G Parfett at Stockport. I arrive around lunchtime and decide to have a break as I know I’m going to be here for several hours judging by the amount of other vehicles in the yard. I have lunch here. I’m tipped by about 1500, and then head off to the Jeyes factory in Wigan. I get loaded straight away and set off down the M6 before pulling into NT Wolverhampton for the night a few minutes before 1900.
Wednesday 14/11/07
Start 0630 and ease my way back to Thetford to drop off my factory load and pick up my load for today. I have some brunch in the depot and head off to Waitrose Bracknell (gate 1) via the A11 / M11 / M25 / M4 / A329M. I am slightly late getting here but they know that I’m going to be as the office have already informed them and there is no problem. Straight on a bay, tipped and on my way in an hour and a half.
Gate 1 is annoying because it’s one of those where you have to stand in the warehouse like a lemon - getting in everyone’s way.
No fit Polish girls tipping today.
I decide to go up the A1 on the way back as I hear reports of problems on the M11. I call into Baldock Extra for a break and head straight to Pizza Hut Express to take full advantage of their free refill policy on soft drinks. I am shocked to see the Somerfield is closing. I’ve delivered to this shop before and go over to say cheerio to the staff — many of whom I’d got to know. I liked being able to stock up mid-week here for a reasonable cost. Shame it’s going, I think to myself.
I then carry on up the A1 to our Huntingdon depot where I spend the night.
Thursday 15/11/07
Start at 0415 and head back to base in Thetford after my cereal and a (free) coffee out of the machine in the Traffic Office.
Drop my empty trailer on a bay, and by 0600 I’m heading off to Nisa at Scunthorpe. I don’t like them here because they’re picky sods and always find something to reject. True to form, they reckon one line is a bit short, and they reject a pallet because one bottle of disinfectant, in one case has leaked a bit where the top hasn’t been screwed on tightly enough. Ridiculous, the other cases are all fine, but the checker’s the boss and I cannot argue. As he puts the pallet back on, his ride-on electric truck snaps a floorboard in my (admittedly, knackered, old) trailer, the truck gets wedged and he nearly goes arse over apex. I quietly hum the words to Justin Timberlake’s ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’ as I try not to laugh.
I use the M180 M18 and M62 to get to my next drop — MACCESS in Bradford. I have one pallet for them and I’m tipped in thirty seconds. They’re sound lads here and I spend a few minutes having a natter with them before pressing on to A G Parfett in Halifax.
The queue is out on the road when I arrive at Parfett’s.
A few hours later — it’s my turn next!!
After tipping here, I head over to the factory at Wigan for a load homewards.
That funny little farm again.
After loading, I head out to Birch Services. I arrive a few minutes before 1915 and waste no time getting my head down. Friday tomorrow!!
Friday 16/11/07
Start at 0415, and head across the M62 and down the A1. I decide to fill up with diesel at Grantham Services as my gauge is reading 0. I make a coffee here also. As I travel along the A14 near Cambridge the office call to let me know the A11 is broken at Elveden, so I decide to carry on down the A14 to Bury St Edmunds, and then use the A134 to get to Thetford rather than get stuck on the A11.
I arrive shortly after 0900 and decide to have a break and breakfast in the depot after defecting my trailer with its holed floor. After breakfast I find the shunter who points me in the direction of an empty trailer. I set off for Norwich Environmental Waste Services near the Norfolk Showground where I load PET bottles destined for recycling in the Far East. Happily, I’m only taking them as far as Bury, Lancashire on Monday morning. After a bit of adjustment, the forklift driver and I manage to squeeze seventy-two bales on.
I run the load back to the yard and park the truck in the corner of the yard out of the way as it won’t be touched over the weekend.
I book off at 1445 and head home for the weekend.
Monday 19/11/07
I start at 0400 and head off to Bury. All is going well until I reach the M62. Where I hit the rush hour. Bother.
I decide to stop at Hartshead Moor where I fix myself some cereal as I’ve not eaten yet today. While eating my cereal I notice a weedy little man dressed like a tramp, pulling a trolley, walking around trying to open cab doors. Then he wanders over to a Goldstar truck in which the driver is sitting and I don’t see him any more. I managed to get this snap of him. Well, at least of his trolley.
Most peculiar methinks. If you use these services — or any — be on your guard.
I arrive at the plastic site in Bury and it’s a right pain getting in — bloody containers and plastic dumped everywhere.
Get tipped quite quickly. The ■■■■■■■ the forklift tells me how she enjoys coming down there on a Saturday evening with her girlfriend, her sister and her nephew. They all bring air rifles and pick off the rats as they dart between the bales. Nice, I think to myself……….
After sweeping the trailer clean, I head over to the Jeyes factory in Wigan to collect a load. As I pull into Jeyes off the A577 the office phone me to say don’t bother going to Wigan — but go to SCA Ravenshead, St Helens instead and pick up a load. I quickly nip into the Tesco Express across the road from the factory for a few bits, and then set off for St Helens.
Much cleaner job than the plastic!!
Just before I am about to leave another one of ours - Johnnie pulls in, so I suspend the operation for a quarter of an hour and get a coffee with Johnnie. I’m in the chair!
After coffee, I look at my delivery notes. Savers Croydon for 0700 tomorrow. Cushty. I head down the M6 before joining the M1. I get as far as Newport Pagnell before calling it a day at 1845.
Tuesday 20/11/07
I have my cereal, my coffee and I’m in the saddle at 0345. Straight down the M1, round the M25, and up the A23 on the Purley Way. I arrive slightly before 0600.
By 0715 I’m on my way to DHL Tilbury to collect a load of paper pulp.
I need to go to berth 44 and wait for a forklift driver. So I wait.
And I wait.
Then I get one. After nearly three hours Nice bit of machinery, eh?
I had a phone call from my mate Craig who saw me on the A23 earlier and we worked out we’d both be around Thurrock provided Tilbury were running their lightning-quick service. Which they had. Craig arrived five minutes before I did. Nicely timed or what?! We had a coffee and then I left. I was bound for Flint, so I went M25, M1 and took the opportunity to fill up with diesel at Toddington. I joined the M6 and pulled into Hilton Park for a break, before continuing to the M56. I decided to stop at Chester Services for the night. We don’t have an account with Roadchef, so I had to pay the £20.50 for parking. I don’t mind because I’ll get it back next week. But when you physically hand over the cash — something I rarely have cause to do — you have to ask — what the hell are we getting for it?!
Wednesday 21/11/07
SCA at Flint won’t tip you until 0800, but I want to be in there before that in order to be reasonably near pole position when they do begin.
I arrive at 0700 to find another of ours and a couple of Elddis motors in front of me. By 0800, another four are behind me so I’m not feeling too upset with the result.
I’m tipped by 0930, and head straight over to the Jeyes factory in Mold.
I get loaded within an hour and head back to Thetford, stopping for a break near Huntingdon where I make myself some tea. Just as I’m washing up, my mate Rob rings me up. We worked together at DHL until a few months ago. He’s ten minutes behind me, and he pulls in behind me to show me the new Renault Magnum he is driving for TSA . I’m very impressed.
After a quick chat, my break is over, and I head back to Thetford where I change trailers ready for tomorrows job - Sainsbury’s Stoke on Trent for 0800. Nice and easy job, is that. I head out and get as far as Huntingdon before I decide I’ve had enough for the day, and park up in our depot for the night.
I see Henry from Worksop depot has been let loose on the ‘Questions & Answers’ board again. This time referring to one of the Huntingdon blokes (known as Wallie) who works there as a driver, but is covering office duty at the moment. A few weeks back he went over to France on a night run with my mate who works for TSA to get some cheap beer. He has a reputation for ‘pressing on’ and he carries about six mobile phones. Probably won’t mean much unless you know the man - but if you do - it’s hilarious!
Thursday 22/11/07
After a leisurely 0530 start I head along the A14, M1 and across the A50, arriving at Sainsbury’s a few minutes after 0800. I go straight on a bay and make myself some breakfast. Just as I’m finishing, Magic who works out of our depot rings up to see what I’m up to. When I tell him he asks me if I saw the Carpet Right truck smashed up in a field off the A14 near Junction 2. I hadn’t — it was 0630 when I came past Junction 2 and it was dark. He told me the Carpet Right motor had been right behind him when he lost control and bounced into the field. Not nice.
At this point my cab phone rang — it was Sainsbury’s telling me my paperwork was ready. I checked the time — it was only 0930! I’m used to sitting on the bay here three or four hours. They have no business messing my POA up like this!! I retrieve my paperwork and head for Mold as requested by the office, arriving at 1110. It soon became clear I would be here a while as they were waiting for it to come off the line so they could load me.
At 1630 I left with three quarters of a load. I use the A494, A55, and A51 down to Nantwich where I pick up the A500 over toward Junction 16 of the M6. Radio 2 is reporting three separate smashes between here and Brum, so my chances of getting to Hilton Park are dashed.
In the end I pull into Keele Services with ten minutes left on a thirteen.
Friday 23/11/07
Start at 0430 today and after my cereal I head down to Hilton Park to fill up with diesel. I get straight on the pumps and take advantage of the fact it is quiet and grab pumps 26 and 28 to fill up both tanks simultaneously.
I arrive back at Thetford around 0830 and have tea and toast in the canteen. After my break, I pick up a trailer that’s come in loaded with plastic bound for Hemswell near Gainsborough.
Off I plod along to Hemswell where I am tipped in thirty minutes. I pull off the weighbridge, throw the tacho on break for an hour and have a bit of lunch. I leave shortly after 1400 and arrive back in the yard a little after 1700.
I notice that the first of our new fleet have arrived. It turns out Volvo are using this one for driver familiarisation — the rest are all squeezed into the local Volvo agent’s depot until they hit the road over the next week or so. The man from Volvo has abandoned it in the middle of the yard and cleared off, so the shunter asks me to move it out of the way for him.
What? No 480?!
I book off at 1730 and head home.
Nisa Scunthorpe where , as you rightly say , you never ever had a straight forward tip 
) that while I was tipping in Waitrose Bracknell, some scally pinched a couple of the rubbers that hold it in place, and it started falling off on the way back. So I removed it until I had chance to get into Scania to get some new rubbers. It shocked me, to be honest. It’s usually the screenwash cap people nick. Top-hat rubbers are a new one on me.
enjoyed it