I got a call this morning to say he’d be in touch later in the week with itinerary 
great stuff matey glad your back in the saddle and enjoying it 
You googled it lol, the power of the Internet !
Sounds like your enjoying it & that’s why most of us do it because its not the great wages !!!
So I finally got to do the walking floors this weekend just gone and I’ve been rebooked for this weekend coming.
Took a load of recycled newspapers and magazines to Aylesford Newsprint. Tipped that into a bay. That took a while as I didn’t know how far to push the PTO to run the pump. Also the control box needed a piece of wood to keep the switch on to keep the floors running as no remote.
Learned the sequence. Sidelights - Control Box - Open Doors - Turn On PTO and watch. Keep handbrake off so that the load pushes you forward. Use Cruise Control to set revs and let it run. Once the bulkhead reaches the back, sweep out any remaining product and push it back. Then reverse the sequence to finish up.
Once I’d got an empty trailer is was off to Barking for the bulk of the run. Pulled into Shanks Recycling to pick up some Bio MRF to be taken to Ketton Cement Works. Bio MRF is used to fuel the furnace and apparently it saves them 300K a year in coal. To the laymen it’s just shredded household waste.
So anyone that struggles with vertigo, don’t go doing this job. It means climbing on top of the trailer to open the roof and level out the load. All good fun.
The first load was all over the place so I was struggling to re-fasten the roof. It was only after 10 minutes of fighting with it that the loader said he’d help level the load. Grrrr.
So the rest of the weekend was spent taking loads from Barking to Ketton and running back empty.
Sunday night I spent cleaning the trailer so it could be backloaded with soft drinks. Rolled into Booker at Hatfield and left it on a bay so it could be loaded overnight. Ran out solo and went back in the morning to pick up the loaded trailer. Then back to base.
A long weekend with a very steep learning curve.
Boss was happy and booked me out for this weekend
The truck and trailer at Barking…
The entrance to the tipping point. Looks easy doesn’t it?
Once inside the shed its a full 180 turn in a very tight space.
Sounds like you’re doing a good job there mate and enjoying it all as well. So that’s great. I’m pleased for ya!
I’ve also been in to that Booker depot at Hatfield a few times. The last time in there I was live-loaded though instead of dropping the trailer. I haven’t done any bulk loads like your bio stuff, but wouldn’t mind giving it a go though. It seems easy enough…no blindside reversing onto small bays! 
I do enjoy the work. Just took it out of me last weekend trying to keep up with the schedule whilst learning the ropes.
Hopefully this weekend will be a lot better as I have a better grasp of the walking floor system.
Well yeah…like everything in life, things get easier with practice.
Had the weekend changed at last minute. Oh the joys of being a cover driver.
Anyway… 3 trailer swaps on Friday…Bridgwater - Nuneaton - Wellingborough - Hatfield - Bridgwater.
Same run on Sunday.
At least money is good.
dar1976:
Anyway… 3 trailer swaps on Friday…Bridgwater - Nuneaton - Wellingborough - Hatfield - Bridgwater.
I guess that’s Morrisons in Bridgwater, yeah?
dar1976:
At least money is good.
It’s the only reason I go to work mate!
No. Bridgwater is the yard where the truck is based
Oh, ok. Have you had no luck with approaching Morrisons or haven’t you tried them?
I’d rather stay with a family run firm which I have built up and continue to build a working relationship with.
Morrisons generally only employ through an agency and you just become a number. Not my style :-/
Been out today. Did a trailer swap at Theale and then took a load down to St Austell. Returned via Gregory at North Tawton and got into the yard with a couple of minutes to spare on a 15h day, 10h drive. Left to get on with the job. Loving it.
Unfortunately tomorrow was cancelled (Empty to Cola, Edmonton…, return with a load). But out on Sunday with the Gregory load to Sainsbury at Dartford with a return load from Cola.
dar1976:
I’d rather stay with a family run firm which I have built up and continue to build a working relationship with.
Yeah, I can understand that.
dar1976:
…then took a load down to St Austell…
Ah, Blimey. I live on the A391 which runs from the A30 between Bodmin and St Austell. I bet you went right past my door…and I would’ve been in as well! Not that you would’ve had time to stop for a cuppa by the looks of it though. 
dar1976:
Unfortunately tomorrow was cancelled (Empty to Cola, Edmonton…, return with a load). But out on Sunday with the Gregory load to Sainsbury at Dartford with a return load from Cola.
That Sainsburys is massive innit? Have been there a few times. I think I went into that CocaCola depot once while working at Waldrons. Obviously it wasn’t to drop or collect coke, it was to collect a fork lift truck. If I remember rightly, I didn’t find the place and turned right down a dead end (whereas I should’ve taken the next right!) I recall having just enough room to almost jackknife (and stretch my lines out to max) and turn around at the dead end without taking out a lampost there! 
Enjoy your day tomorrow.
I actually went to Wyndeham in Roche. But didn’t think the majority would know where that was, hence why I said St Austell. Lol
A nice easy day. And not an early start.
Ah, ok.
You probably saw a few of the orange trucks I drive around that estate there in Roche?
It’s annoying when I have to drive past there in order to go all the way down to Redruth to jump in a unit and drive back up there to get a trailer loaded or pick up a loaded trailer. It’s even more annoying when I’m finishing work and have to drive past there just to go back down to Redruth to drop the unit off and jump back in my car then head back up again to get home. 
It would be great if they had some units always based there that I could use. It did happen just once, but that was only a quick trip up to the other meat proccessing depot in Merthyr Tydfil and back.