Well after yesterdays scrape, I was determined to do it better today and take my time and relax and know everything was going to be ok.
Started off well, got to work at 5.55, so out of the yard before the gaffers arrive and importantly more than 11 hours after I left last night. Off to Killingholme to swap boxes (I swapped the loaded one for an empty last night at Whitwood) . Got there nicely with no real delays only a 20 minute wait for a top-loader threatened to darken the mood, but the mood lifted again as the morning light started to break. Out of Killingholme about 7.30, expecting loads of traffic, but strange as it sounds I missed it all as I got to Leeds/Bradford/Huddersfield/Halifax just past the main rush.
Into Ditton (Liverpool quite close to their airport just off J6 M62) with 4 hours and 20 minutes used up on the tacho (due to having to go to the docks - opposite way to liverpool from the yard), and just 10 minutes late. So far so good.
Booked in no problems and even the shorty forklifty blokey is smiling for a change. Drove round the back, and theres not even a wagon already on the ramp, so backed up opened the doors and boshed it on and stuck the mode onto break. Noticed one of our wagons already parked up by the fence, and the driver on break, so he drove across and we were chatting window to window even the rain was stopped! Anyhow, a 3rd driver turned up from our crew, and he pulled up on the far side of mateyboys’s wagon and rolled down his window, so we were chatting window to window to window!
Soon emptied, and the guy who was already there left, and so i just pulled the truck off the ramp, closed the doors and parked it…for an hour well the traffic dude hadn’t rang me yet to see how i was gettin on so i guessed i wasn’t being missed. The other driver backed up to the ramp, then came across for a chat - now on one of the stalks that is for washer/wipers there is another control I had no idea what it was for, so asked him . . … . Cruise Control!! He showed me how it works, so then I had me sarnies/coffee and rang to base and was told to go to the docks and swap my empty for a full for a nightman. So on the M62, decided to give the cruise control a bosh- turned it on and it was on all the way back! made life so much easier i couldn’t believe it as I wasn’t concentrating so hard on where to come off the brakes and onto the gas again (downhill uphill rpeat ad nauseum, or is it in adfinitum? anyhow i digress). There were no hold ups, and got all the way from liverpool to past scunthorpe in 2 hrs 20 mins!
Loaded up no worries, back to the yard and parked up - with a nice 20 mins left on the tacho Dropped the trailer and thats me, I was off home!
Tomorrow morning is gonna be a pain I know, cus I have to couple up in the dark, but it should be ok!
All I can say is, if one day goes wrong, dont worry - tomorrow is another day!