What did you learn this week? w/e 17.11.07

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

It’s been an educational experience this week for me, as I’ve finally been forced to “go digi”… :cry: …So I learnt…

  1. That if the ■■■■ digitach keeps taking time off me at the rate it does in our job, I’ll be celebrating my 60th birthday the year after next. :open_mouth:

  2. That I, too, can squeeze 20 minutes driving into 10 minutes spread. :confused:

  3. That it now takes 8 minutes driving time to swop from a 40ft box to a twenty foot at Tilbury. :angry:

  4. That I want my analogue tacho back. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese…? :cry:

  5. That I’m not the only one to have had the same reaction…Coffeeholic will be home to tell you about his experiences shortly… :smiling_imp:

  6. That my new motor’s a bit…sprightly. :stuck_out_tongue:

Take it away, lads! :grimacing:

2

i learnt that at about 4 o clock in the afternoon in tilbury that lucy looked very sad sat on the floor next to the fuel pumps in the dock :laughing:

3

To make sure that next time I’m on the A 57 going to Lincoln, that I’ve got 70p on me :blush:
It saves being turned around at the little toll bridge that appears out of nowhere

4

that driving a truck is way way better than driving a desk :smiley:

5

it takes 3 1/4hrs to drive from spondon on the A52 to DHL bawtry

on friday afternoon, going through the roadworks on the M1 in rush hour :frowning:

I couldnt go blyth roundabout via worksop, or the A60 as the trailer was 146"
the bridge on the A60 at Spion cop is 146" and the bridge on the A619 is smaller :frowning: and were banned from going via the route past the stockyard, as i found out monday morning, when they pulled me to 1 side and told me off for going that way sunday :blush: :blush:

6

…that my sat nav doesn’t cover Republic of Ireland
…that Castle Grange Business Park in Dublin is not signposted until your are outside it !!!

7

peirre:
and we`re banned from going via the route past the stockyard, as i found out monday morning, when they pulled me to 1 side and told me off for going that way sunday :blush: :blush:

They tried that with me when I worked for Transalliance. We used to bring Cillit Bang in from Spain.

Although there wasnt a weight limit, it was agreed with the local council or something. NIMBY.

I listened carefully and was tipped and then returned to the Stockyard for some breakfast :stuck_out_tongue:

We had a stand trailer in LUK so it was the only way to go really

8

they told me that, then gave me the crap about someone telephoning the police and reported me.
the truck and trailer had no company logos on it, so unless 1of the nimbys had a list of the reg Nos, they wouldnt have know whos truck it was.

BUT i know it was a driver who grassed me, as I came to the road junction at the x roads to turn left, only to see another driver coming the correct way, pull in the yard behind me. The security in the gatehouse pulled me on my way back out and gave me the 3rd degree

9

I got banned from there for going the “WRONG” way all the time

gutted :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

10

theres easier ways to earn a living for more money :question: and unskilled :question: and im not ready for the knackers yard yet :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

11

mezzzz1211:
I got banned from there for going the “WRONG” way all the time

I might consider that at some point

i was doing 3 trunk runs up to bezier wakefield collecting POS stock, it was my rtn leg of 2nd trip, and was planning to head back that way for my 3rd outbound trip and stop off at home (empty) for sunday dinner as I was due a 45
instead i went via the A1/M18 and stopped for sunday dinner at the stockyard, as I couldn`t make it home for dinner as i was short on time.
Though, thanks to their planning I could have got all 3 loads on the 1st trailer (9 pallets / 8 pallets / 7 pallets) and they could have split it, in the yard

12

This week I learnt there is the possibility of a new Xmas number 1 in the Driver’s Urban Myth Top Ten.

I have it on very good authority, i.e. a driver talking utter bull, that you cannot put a digital tachograph onto break while being loaded or unloaded as it is linked to the load sensing valve and will detect the movement of the vehicle as the load goes on or off, at which point it will switch the mode to Other Work as it knows you are trying it on. :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :unamused: :unamused: :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley: :smiley: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

This driver was convinced this was correct but has failed to take into consideration that it isn’t actually illegal to put your tacho on break while being loaded or unloaded. There would also be an issue being parked up while it is blowing a gale. The good news is my digital tacho can’t be linked to the load sensing valve as a bumpy crossing of the Irish Sea today did not rob me of my 4-hour rest period. :wink: :smiley: :smiley:

I learnt I like the digital tacho after my first 4 days of using it and would be quite happy never to use an analogue one again.

I also learnt that the digital tacho does not rob you of as many minutes as some drivers claim. Yes it will charge you a couple of minutes for each movement while queueing or swapping trailers but after a couple of days of use you can learn how to limit the damage by being careful when you move. In slow moving or stop start traffic it doesn’t cost you any minutes at all and in fact seems to save you driving time by counting stops of over 2 minutes as other work and not driving time. I also learnt that when it charged me 3 minutes for a 50 second drive onto the ferry it later changed that to 2 minutes and decided to count the third minutes as rest instead. I could have limited it to 1 minute but it wasn’t that vital.

Finally I learnt that it was great to finally get rid of the poxy Scania I’ve driven for the last few months and my new vehicle is far superior in every way.

13

I’ve learnt that there are companies out there that are willing to give new drivers a chance. I had an assessment on Thursday with Sainsburys and passed and so on Monday I start doing store deliveries for them…

Not my dream job but its a start…

14

MissDruscilla:
I’ve learnt that there are companies out there that are willing to give new drivers a chance. I had an assessment on Thursday with Sainsburys and passed and so on Monday I start doing store deliveries for them…

Not my dream job but its a start…

Nice one :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

15

MissDruscilla:
I’ve learnt that there are companies out there that are willing to give new drivers a chance. I had an assessment on Thursday with Sainsburys and passed and so on Monday I start doing store deliveries for them…

Not my dream job but its a start…

May not be your dream job, but it’s a start and we all had to start some where so good luck :slight_smile:

16

Big Roy:
To make sure that next time I’m on the A 57 going to Lincoln, that I’ve got 70p on me :blush:
It saves being turned around at the little toll bridge that appears out of nowhere

Would that be the Dunham bridge that has “toll bridge” signs up for a few miles before it? :laughing: :wink:

I learned that handballing 25kg bags of feed is much harder work than delivering the same stuff by bulk blower. By the third day, though, it’s not too bad.

Also that I can guarantee that the same farmer who’s always there to chat with me on a bulk delivery is nowhere to be found when I turn up with bags which have to be put in a little shed. :angry:

I also learned (although I should know better) not to trust weather forecasts. Went down to my daughter’s in Gosport on Friday on the Harley (60 mpg as opposed to 35 in the car and I save a fiver on the bridge going home) and despite getting reasonable forecasts beforehand I got wet!

Finally; I learned that the A36 from Bath to Salisbury has the highest number of idiot car drivers per mile I’ve come across for years.