I had another run on Friday. Got the call on Thursday, telling me that the trailer would be at Maldon ready for me to collect at 0630 Friday AM, then some multi-dropping & collections in London.
PIcked the unit up at 0600, trundled the 15 minutes to Maldon, to find my trailer sitting on the bay, but totally empty. Saw the 2 forkies in the office having a coffee, they said it would be loaded in 15, and feel free to hook up, have a coffee myself, do whatever…
So 15 minutes later I’m loaded, and off to Hackney for the first drop. All good, until I started to hit the traffic on Eastern Avenue, and the Comfort Shift started to play up - the button wouldn’t always release the clutch, or would let it go just as I was between gears, letting out some pretty impressive crunches. Gave up on the button after a while, and used my left foot, along with some major block changing, to keep down the number of changes I had to do.
Got to my first drop, up a narrow side street. The guys were waiting for me, and with the tail lift it was off in double quick time. I went for a walk up the street to see if I could get out at the top, but no go - a taxi had abandoned himself right on a bend, so no way I would get an artic through there. The guys at the drop were good through, and walked out into Hackney high street and stopped the taxis, busses, bikes… so I could reverse out onto the road!
Making my way back towards the M25, and I got a phone call from the office. ‘Please tell me you haven’t got to London yet?’. ‘I’m there and done my first drop, off to Hayes now’ ‘Oh **** - we’ve screwed up and given you the wrong unit, it’s not LEZ compliant! Ah well, nothing else we can do now, we’ll just have to pay the fines when they come in’ ‘Err, isn’t the driver liable as well?’ ‘Not sure, but don’t worry about that, if you do, we’ll pay them obviously’
So off to Hayes, via the major tailback on the M25, and off to the first collection, where I collected a pallet of Chupa Chops lollies, from a vending machine company for export to Italy! I find it quite bizarre, the sort of stuff that gets moved around between companies. No great dramas here, apart form trying to find my way in avoiding the 18t weight limit which seems to form the start to the industrial estate.
Then off to 2 collection next door to each other, and my first reverse onto a bay. Luckily the yard was empty - at least until I started, then 2 others came in and had to wait whilst I blindsided onto the bay. Still trying to get my eye in, and get used to where the pivot point is on the trailer, when you can’t see the wheels themselves. Got there in the end though.
Next few collection were no great drama, until the last one, a little cash n carry. I found their gate quite easily, but it was a zigzag reverse in, to the left, then right, then finally off to the left again. I think the trick is trying to think about it in reverse - ie to get to the final point, where do the trailer wheels need to be, and where do I need to position the unit so I’ve got room to manoeuvre at that end. Picturing myself driving out again gives a good mental picture of where the wheels need to be as well. Loaded up, which filled the last gaps in the trailer with lots of packet curry noodles (smells lovely!), and we were off to sit in the M25 traffic, heading back to Essex.
Got back to Maldon at 1915, and met my wife there, who had brought middle son over to the yard, as he wanted to come for a drive. Reversed onto the bay in one hit (asked one of the other drivers there to keep a watch out for me, as it was in between two other lorries, but when I’d finished he said ‘didn’t need me, you did that really well!’). Whole lot offloaded in 10 minutes, then back to the yard with Jack chatting away beside me. Getting confident now, as I spun the truck in the yard, and reversed it into my parking space. Had a chat to the boss in the office, and then home.
Looking forward to the next one!
Gary
