. I have an advantage over the two JB’s. My daughter is grown up and has flown the nest now.
I’ve got the best of both worlds (ish ). The company I work for does a bit of both. Last year I did 1 short trip inio Europe, the rest of it was all UK work.
This year I’ve done 4 trips, 3 to Italy and 1 to Spain. Each trip tho’ is about a week and a half. I have 2 or 3 deliveries down through France and 1 or 2 in Italy. The drops in France can be well spread out. The second trip had St Amand Montrond (a bit south of Orleans), Grenoble and Nice then 1 at Milan. Then I have 3 or 4 collections of fairly heavy gear in the Modena / Bologna area with a light top off. After reaching the UK, I will have the top off load as, probably, 1 tip and the 3 or 4 collections will be the same number of tips. The last of these will be no further north than the Midlands. That clearly means another load to take home.
That will get me home for Wednesday night if I’m lucky, more likely Thursday. Then I’ll do a few local trips (Midlands?), being home most nights. Sometimes, I’ll have a week or two on UK work, then off again on another European trip.
This way of working suits me. I get enough time on UK work to remind me why I like to do European work
JONBOY@RH:
do i stay on my highly paid trolley dolly job at the co-op or do i go back on european? do i need a psychiatrist?? or just a wet slap with a cold fish??
I did a week in the UK earlier this year to help someone out and realised why I only do Europe now!! No miserable Goods In plonkers… no M25 … no taking nine and a half hours from Ashford (Kent) to Huddersfield
I wondered how long it would be before your old feet starting itching, Jon lol
If you value good food, a bit of respect, more interesting work with more interesting colleagues, and you have a nomadic instinct, then European work is miles better. If your kids are more important, your’e in the wrong job.
There ARE some good European jobs available. You just have to get out and about and find them. I was offered one recently doing Germany in a 420 Scania; leave Monday, back Friday or Saturday, out of Rugby area. Guaranteed 450, very few weekends. Small firm.
Why dont’ you buy your own motor then you can choose?
unless theyre selling units for about a fiver pete i may have to pass on buying my own :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: . way too much stress in buying your own for me, tyre blows out and profits outta the window!! i can sit at rdcs now and not get too vexed because im getting paid. if it was my own motor id be done for gbh within a fortnight . i think i could find euro work fairly quickly… its just wether i look for it or not.
Pete the Trucker wrote why dont you buy your own motor?
I agree with JB as a tyre can ruin the trip and take any profit.
It,s not easy to get a decent rate on startup when you really need it. The companies advertising round trips to Milan or Athens in the mags dont care whether you are loaded or not, they offer trailer hire, fuel and tolls but this is all contra’d?? off your cheque.
For anyone who is self sufficient i.e Own Trailer and Fuel / Toll Cards then it is possible to make a comfortable living but we all have to start somewhere!
The best way is to find a specialist niche market and stick to it, not easy, not cheap but the rewards should come.
Sticking to something like regular Austria or Swiss and building a relationship with hauliers there seems to work.
I wish I had been able to stick at it but an engine blowing up in Romania doesnt help finances when you are on a tight budget.
i know what i`m doing when the wtd comes in(THATS AN IMPORTANT ONE)
no worrying about ethnic minorities climbing in the back of my fridge!!
seeing my rugrats more than once a fortnight/month etc…
THE CONS
I had a bloke in our yard tell me how to get to the dartford crossing(and use a dart tag ) the other night…
as per robk`s post ITCHY ITCHY FEET
im only 35.... still got some partying to do in carisio/campogalliano/victors burgos etc etc etc.... :laughing: :laughing: all joking aside though, im going to try and stick it out on here because the conditions are spot on. DRIVERS EH! NEVER HAPPY
I hope they are better than Lincoln co-op then Jonboy, I drove for them at the dairy, crap hourly rate but ‘its job & nock & we are paying you overtime so you are sat at home getting paid for 3 hours every day’…lasted 5 months until they decided not to pay the overtime any more, also expected me to do my run, get back tip empties, reload for next day then go out in a van ‘well you are still getting paid’…I was not the only one they did it to either.
Paid 4 weekly , my final months pay was almost £400 short (apparently overtime was at the managers discretion so he just didnt pay it), I got my payslip, enquired why I was short then realised what they were doing, that day they tipped the empties & the following day someone else drove for them!
If you get a bad month pay wise you know whats happening…hopefully Notts co-op are a bit better.
i cant fault the job cav, its salaried at 25960 for 4 shifts per week on nights. job and finish. its just taking a bit of getting used to after doing mainly european for the last ten or so years. its all my dads fault (he reads these posts ) if hed stopped in the navy id maybe have had a different job . you gotta lot to answer for dad!!
JONBOY@RH:
i cant fault the job cav, its salaried at 25960 for 4 shifts per week on nights. job and finish. its just taking a bit of getting used to after doing mainly european for the last ten or so years. its all my dads fault (he reads these posts ) if hed stopped in the navy id maybe have had a different job . you gotta lot to answer for dad!!
Hmmmmm its itchy feet then !
at nearly 26k you would be mad to throw it in.
A firm in Scotter is still advertising for drivers to do Spain double man with a reefer, leave tuesday night get home sunday night (every week) using Scanny toplines or 95 xf’s…£365 nett paid in the bank every week.
Work it out, thats near enough non stop with no life whatsoever, includes night out money…less than 25k
The grass aint greener
Me myself would go for euro,its all round has better conditions,im still looking for a euro job so if you know of anyone doing Spain and the rest of euro let me know and they prefer someone living in europe
alf , i know this is a silly question but have you been to the big spanish firms for a job? one of rh`s ex drivers works for frigo alicante. i know that campillo palmera also had a few brits on for them. jon
Yes i been to about 200 firms they are all saying the same no or little spanish is no good must be fluenent been to campillo palmera waiting for a call went to campillo in Valencia fill out aplication forms turn to leave man behind the counter wript them up i keep walking before i punched his lights out ,i give ali frio i try cheers
TheBear:
I did a week in the UK earlier this year to help someone out and realised why I only do Europe now!! No miserable Goods In plonkers… no M25 … no taking nine and a half hours from Ashford (Kent) to Huddersfield
I wondered how long it would be before your old feet starting itching, Jon lol
9.5 hours Which way do you go
I can do Gillingham to Dewsbury (only 10 mins from Hudds) in 4.5hrs
TheBear:
I did a week in the UK earlier this year to help someone out and realised why I only do Europe now!! No miserable Goods In plonkers… no M25 … no taking nine and a half hours from Ashford (Kent) to Huddersfield
I wondered how long it would be before your old feet starting itching, Jon lol
9.5 hours Which way do you go
I can do Gillingham to Dewsbury (only 10 mins from Hudds) in 4.5hrs
TheBear:
I did a week in the UK earlier this year to help someone out and realised why I only do Europe now!! No miserable Goods In plonkers… no M25 … no taking nine and a half hours from Ashford (Kent) to Huddersfield
I wondered how long it would be before your old feet starting itching, Jon lol
9.5 hours Which way do you go
I can do Gillingham to Dewsbury (only 10 mins from Hudds) in 4.5hrs
TheBear:
I did a week in the UK earlier this year to help someone out and realised why I only do Europe now!! No miserable Goods In plonkers… no M25 … no taking nine and a half hours from Ashford (Kent) to Huddersfield
I wondered how long it would be before your old feet starting itching, Jon lol
9.5 hours Which way do you go
I can do Gillingham to Dewsbury (only 10 mins from Hudds) in 4.5hrs
i think he means the traffic was so bad it took him 9.5 hrs rob
well thats how i read it
TheBear:
I did a week in the UK earlier this year to help someone out and realised why I only do Europe now!! No miserable Goods In plonkers… no M25 … no taking nine and a half hours from Ashford (Kent) to Huddersfield
I wondered how long it would be before your old feet starting itching, Jon lol
9.5 hours Which way do you go
I can do Gillingham to Dewsbury (only 10 mins from Hudds) in 4.5hrs
In an ERF
Eh
From what I recall they are speed limited to just over 125km/h
but on reflection…Gillingham is only just over the QE2 so yeah, with no major holdups Halifax should be just about attainable in 4.5 hours (even in a Merc )
TheBear:
I did a week in the UK earlier this year to help someone out and realised why I only do Europe now!! No miserable Goods In plonkers… no M25 … no taking nine and a half hours from Ashford (Kent) to Huddersfield
I wondered how long it would be before your old feet starting itching, Jon lol
9.5 hours Which way do you go
I can do Gillingham to Dewsbury (only 10 mins from Hudds) in 4.5hrs
i think he means the traffic was so bad it took him 9.5 hrs rob
well thats how i read it
Thank you Jon Boy … we all know what a facetious little? bugga that Rob can be
Rob, I left Ashford at 915am on a Friday. I must have hit every jam going!! Two major accidents on M25 … one a Securior box puller on its side and the other a Frenchie jacked. Then up A1, I got to the Mansfield? (where the A57 branches off) roundabout and the A1 was closed … took me an hour and a half to get thro there. Am sure this was the same weekend that the cabin there went up in smoke
). The company I work for does a bit of both. Last year I did 1 short trip inio Europe, the rest of it was all UK work.
. i think i could find euro work fairly quickly… its just wether i look for it or not. 
wrote why dont you buy your own motor?
