dan dare:
When I first started driving (mid 1970s) most cities and towns had lorry parks (a lot were free) but everyone seams so anti truck now. I think this maybe part of the problem.
What do you think are the reasons for this ?
Do you think they can be addressed ?
speedyguy:
dan dare:
When I first started driving (mid 1970s) most cities and towns had lorry parks (a lot were free) but everyone seams so anti truck now. I think this maybe part of the problem.What do you think are the reasons for this ?
Do you think they can be addressed ?
Todays trucks are far cleaner and quieter these days but most cities dont want trucks, just the stuff we carry. As far as they are concerned we disappear into a black hole.
Put a stop to all these E.European firms cutting rates, taking our work and facilities.
France and Belgium have started giving out huge fines to them for living there in their trucks…
So should we IMO.
The EU are subsidising them so in effect we are paying towards it. Who is the unelected bellend who thought that was a good idea?
viking7000:
Its 8pm. You have been driving for 3.5 hours and are 1hr 10 mins from secure parking.
You know there is no point trying to park on a MSA so you start looking for a parking space
Every layby/parking space it full. Then you have no choice but to push on only to find your route is closed and you are diverted. Still no where to take your 11hrs cos you already had 3x9s this week. I end up with 10 hrs 22 mins before finally parking outside the place I am booked to tip. I have a high value load in a curtainsider. This happens a lot and I am sick of it. You are screwed either way and as I am not Bulgarian I cant park on the hard shoulder
What would you have done?
Viking asked a very simple question, possibly asking for advice. And the first reply he got was a condescending note about how he should have known better. This has become indicative of this site recently.
Ive trawled past a good couple of years on this site to see how good advice and pointers were the norm. But recently, its become a site for trolling and telling anyone who have recently joined the trade how useless they are! How they should have known what to do, how they should have known where to take breaks etc. No one here can predict road closures, diversions, accidents etc etc etc.
So, instead of all the animosity, hows about we go back to how it was and actually give out advice, solutions to problems, instead of some smart arse comment how crap they are!
No one here is perfect, you all complain about crap drivers on the road, crap working conditions, crap MSA’s, lack of proper secure parking, etc.
Hows about you all get together and do something constructive and work together to find solutions. For example, instead of constantly moaning about the state of showers in service stations, each take photos of all the showers over a period of a couple of weeks. Get them all together and send via e-mail, to the complaints dept of each and every company who runs these places. Maybe even set up a Facebook page,every week until you get an answer!!
We can all moan and complain, but until we get together and do something constructive, nothing is going to change!
An excellent post Dark. Well said. The thing is I am not new to this job unless you call 25 yrs experience of UK and Euro driving new. I recently started doing just UK and have been spoiled for choice up to now. My company has decided to stay out of the continent until the immigrant situation calms down so I am basically learning how bad things have become here.
I wonder how a driver new to this game would have coped. Probably like the Maritime driver that night who shut his curtains on Keele and made it almost impossible for any trucks to get out!!!
you did the right thing…write a story to coer it,high risk,vallue security pish,then get a kip,go in and tip off the card,and have a easy day of it,who cares if it happens now and again,nobodys perfect,(apart from the armchair Vikings on here that is 
If you have mobile tinternet you might want to try an app called motorway buddy. It gives plenty info on parking countrywide. Failing that next time you’re at home download the locations available from the SNAP website. You can phone ahead at some letting them know when you will get there & they will keep you a spot.
My preference is to park at truckstops where possible, MSAs are not up to the job for me. Poor parking, poor food & poor service all round aswell as the high cost.
I sympathise with you and I believe we all suffer from the same thing. The governments didn’t realise the impact immigration would have on this country, they even underestimated how many would arrive on these shores, and its only recently because of the many who are deflecting over to UKIP, that they are taking notice.
Previous governments have promised to review parking for HGV`s yet have still done nothing, because they are out of touch, as is the so called transport minister who is at the end of the day a pen pusher, this problem needs to be addressed, and to compulsory buy the land with which to build new places to park, like in between services as in France, Germany etc with toilet facilities and access to clean water, and I would suggest Trucks only which hopefully keep out the undesirables like fuel/cargo thieves, as passing police could see at a glance a vehicle that shouldn’t be there, the services could also do the same.
With regard to your problem, I would have started to look a lot sooner, but write on the back of the printout the reason you couldn’t park within your hours.
Maybe we could all e.mail a response to our illustrious Minister for Transport to highlight the problem.
viking7000:
This was a thursday night. The plan would have got me to my tip if it wasnt for accidents, roadworks and closures.
So the run was planned too tightly. These things occur often enough that you should plan at least an extra hour a day in for them.
Trying to find parking actually wastes more time. I tried and failed to find a space in any laybys and 3 MSA. All a waste of precious time.
So now the truth comes out. You didn’t really try to find any parking at all, rather just hoped something would come up at the side of the roads you were driving down. That isn’t looking for parking.
As for choices. Well I would have been parked up until 11am so you have worry about being moved on during your rest so Ind. Estates no good.
You don’t have to worry about being moved on an industrial estate as long as you park in a place where they can get a wagon in and out of the gates OK. I delivered to Howdens Joinery at Irlam last weekend. On the road are three turkish lorries that park up there all weekend every weekend and they don’t inconvenience anyone.
Its a no win situation. What would your boss say if you parked up with 2 or 3 hours driving time left then got robbed, incase you might have trouble parking later on?
Nothing. I would get hauled over the coals for exceeding driving hours though. But surely if you were parking up 2 to 3 hours early that would be in secure parking as you’d have had plenty of time to find it? There’s no guarantee you wouldn’t get robbed wherever you park.
If I do get fined then he will pay because at least I attempted to get the job done.
He may pay the fine but the offence is on your record, it’ll be you potentially losing your license not him. He just needs to get you to sign an infringement notice to absolve himself of blame.
Youngsters aren’t coming into the job because they see morons like you who are willing to break the law doing what you do to get the job done and think that being expected to break the law and putting your license, your livelihood and your liberty at risk is the norm in the job.
All you’re trying to do is come up with a justification for exceeding your hours, for your illegal driving. You have none.
Conor:
viking7000:
This was a thursday night. The plan would have got me to my tip if it wasnt for accidents, roadworks and closures.So the run was planned too tightly. These things occur often enough that you should plan at least an extra hour a day in for them.
Trying to find parking actually wastes more time. I tried and failed to find a space in any laybys and 3 MSA. All a waste of precious time.
So now the truth comes out. You didn’t really try to find any parking at all, rather just hoped something would come up at the side of the roads you were driving down. That isn’t looking for parking.
As for choices. Well I would have been parked up until 11am so you have worry about being moved on during your rest so Ind. Estates no good.
You don’t have to worry about being moved on an industrial estate as long as you park in a place where they can get a wagon in and out of the gates OK. I delivered to Howdens Joinery at Irlam last weekend. On the road are three turkish lorries that park up there all weekend every weekend and they don’t inconvenience anyone.
Its a no win situation. What would your boss say if you parked up with 2 or 3 hours driving time left then got robbed, incase you might have trouble parking later on?
Nothing. I would get hauled over the coals for exceeding driving hours though. But surely if you were parking up 2 to 3 hours early that would be in secure parking as you’d have had plenty of time to find it? There’s no guarantee you wouldn’t get robbed wherever you park.
If I do get fined then he will pay because at least I attempted to get the job done.
He may pay the fine but the offence is on your record, it’ll be you potentially losing your license not him. He just needs to get you to sign an infringement notice to absolve himself of blame.
Youngsters aren’t coming into the job because they see morons like you who are willing to break the law doing what you do to get the job done and think that being expected to break the law and putting your license, your livelihood and your liberty at risk is the norm in the job.
All you’re trying to do is come up with a justification for exceeding your hours, for your illegal driving. You have none.
And here we go go again!!! 
Absolutely nothing constructive to say!!
I keep a dairy and every time I tip or drive past a place that looks suitable for a night out I make a note of it. You’ll soon have most routes covered. You don’t need to pay for parking for it to be secure, plenty of industrial estates with cameras and security lodges you can park outside. I’ve been parking in the same places for years and had no bother, and very rarely go over my hours getting there.
speedyguy:
dan dare:
When I first started driving (mid 1970s) most cities and towns had lorry parks (a lot were free) but everyone seams so anti truck now. I think this maybe part of the problem.What do you think are the reasons for this ?
Do you think they can be addressed ?
I wish I knew the answer speedyguy. A lot of in town car parks became lorry parks at night. The local councils sold the prime land to retail stores and then built multi story car parks (no good for trucks). Most country towns had cattle markets which became lorry parks at night, there are very few of them left. Most factories where you tip/load used to let you park overnight. Health and safety has stopped a great deal of that. The big posh industrial estates do not even want you parked overnight. Then of course there is all the East Euro trucks parked anywhere and everywhere they can get.
Sorry to sound negative to the reply but I don’t have a solution.
If working hard to get the job done, against the odds and keeping an important customer makes me a moron then so be it.
What I dont do is spend half the day cruising around off route touring the country in the hope of finding somewhere to park. Like I said, any parking let alone secure parking is getting very hard to find, even if you know the route. I didnt.
The amount of night time road closures with no reasonable alternative is a joke.
If you have nothing of use to say instead of insults then keep out of this conversation.
Conor, judging by the number of posts you have on here I wonder how much actual driving you do anyway.
viking7000:
Its 8pm. You have been driving for 3.5 hours and are 1hr 10 mins from secure parking.
You know there is no point trying to park on a MSA so you start looking for a parking space
Every layby/parking space it full. Then you have no choice but to push on only to find your route is closed and you are diverted. Still no where to take your 11hrs cos you already had 3x9s this week. I end up with 10 hrs 22 mins before finally parking outside the place I am booked to tip. I have a high value load in a curtainsider. This happens a lot and I am sick of it. You are screwed either way and as I am not Bulgarian I cant park on the hard shoulder
What would you have done?
U wanna try driving into central London. Absolutely no where to take a break unless you want a parking ticket. Only place is when ya unloading which is a big no no if ya get caught! Ignore the moaners, you re only asking advice for gods sake!!!
I’ve gone over my drive time by 5-10mins twice. Both times in London. Sat in slow moving traffic is the worse thing you can do with your drive time ticking down.
Go down the M1 most mornings and usually the hard shoulder is open. The traffic is light but why oh why don’t some truckers use it. It ■■■■■■ me off when ya trying to over 2 slower trucks in lane 1 and 2. Undertaking isn’t safe but get forced to do it sometimes!!
^^^^ how did that happen?
Give the bloke a break, He came on here to ask advice, At the top of this page it says
‘‘The UK Professional Drivers Forum’’
Be a professional and give advice when asked, We all make mistakes and none of us knows everything
From his original post it looks like he made the best of a bad job, No one is going to park up 3 hours from a drop and MSA’s do get full early, most of us must have pushed it in the hope of parking up close to a tip to get the job done.
As I said earlier, make a note on your chart. Most VOSA guys are human and understand the problems we as drivers face.
viking7000:
If working hard to get the job done, against the odds and keeping an important customer makes me a moron then so be it.
What I dont do is spend half the day cruising around off route touring the country in the hope of finding somewhere to park. Like I said, any parking let alone secure parking is getting very hard to find, even if you know the route. I didnt.
The amount of night time road closures with no reasonable alternative is a joke.
If you have nothing of use to say instead of insults then keep out of this conversation.
Conor, judging by the number of posts you have on here I wonder how much actual driving you do anyway.
But he is right in what he says though (sans the “moron” bit). You’ve been doing the job long enough to know that the UKs road network is a basket case come 8pm when they decide to close 50% of the roads for litter picking or some nonsense so it’s not like this is a new concept for you. It’s been going on for years now and yet you still haven’t grasped that you need to plan for it instead of just blundering on regardless and crossing your fingers and toes. Everyone else seems to be able to deal with it just fine and get through their shift without racking up infringements so why should you be exempt because you refuse to have a contingency plan?
I’ve not read all the replays so if this has been said I apologise but there’s a network of companies called pallex (I think) and others too, if you have high value loads then they all get together and let each others trucks park in their yard overnight. I don’t tramp anymore but that’s what I was doing last year, your boss has a list and tells you where to park - maybe speak to your boss and ask him to get in the network. No idea how it works but mighty useful
First off, he started looking for parking with an hour left, seems reasonable to me.
Secondly, 22 minutes over is hardly a hanging offence as long as it’s not a regular thing and as long as you have it done within your spread.
Do a printout, sign it with the reason, could not find secure parking, held up by unforeseen road works etc etc. Write it in your diary and move on.
If vosa or anyone else have a problem with that, as long as it’s not a regular thing, then they could have my licence because all common sense and fairness is gone out of the job and I wouldn’t want to go it anymore.