kindle530:
I asked my boss a couple of weeks ago as its soon to be christmas and im single with no kids and we unfortunatly only do U.K work if he could get me a job running up to Sweden just before xmas,(as its my favourite place to go) and load back just after, and tip U.K and be home for new year. He wasnt intrerested,
So for the next week im sitting at home twiddling my fingers
Have many British trucks ever operated in Sweden before? I know that I’ve never seen a single Swedish truck on British roads and very few on the continent, I have always presumed that this is due to the massive scale operations between Britain and Sweden/Scandinavia in unaccompanied ferry freight etc.
Yes, its just another day as far as I am concerned and it’s no big deal.
jammymutt:
Did you?.
Not this year but I have in the past. I was going to be setting off on Xmas night to get down to Dover and have time off before catching the first sailing on Boxing Day but the job got cancelled unfortunately.
jammymutt:
How much is it worth?.
Same as any other day that ends in ‘Y’
jammymutt:
Personally its got to be at least £50 an hour with a guranteed minimum and finished for 10 am at the latest, are there some people out there that would do it for less?.
I’d do it for less and wouldn’t be bothered as to the finishing time.
wylie:
has anyone ever had to night out on christmas eve ,christmas day or even new years eve
Done all of them at one time or another. For those who these days are a big thing for I can see why they would want the time off but I don’t celebrate them so it means nothing to me to work. Each to their own eh?
I work 4 days on 3 days off, hours are midnight to midday, first night being Thursday night. I’m salaried and paid for 48 hours, I can be be finished by 10.00, depends if there’s any delays on the road.
The only time there’s no run is Christmas Eve night, so I go in Christmas Day night. Doesn’t bother me working bank holidays, the wife is used to it and it’s a good excuse not to see the ‘outlaws’
The money is good, I get plenty of time off (4 days leave = 10 days off), I like night driving, so for the minor ‘inconvenience’ of Bank Holiday working it’s a great job, hardest thing I do is getting in the cab I’m happy - and they still call me the ‘miserable old git’
robinhood_1984:
Have many British trucks ever operated in Sweden before? I know that I’ve never seen a single Swedish truck on British roads and very few on the continent, I have always presumed that this is due to the massive scale operations between Britain and Sweden/Scandinavia in unaccompanied ferry freight etc.
Not as many as would be in the likes of Germany and France but there used to be a fair few companies running there. I have been a number of times over the years and there was a period a few years ago when I ran to Sweden constantly for a period of 4 or 5 months and would see quite a few British and Irish trucks while up there. It is one of my favourite places to go and I have a job to Helsinki and Stockholm pencilled in for the third or forth week of January at the moment, it’s not definite yet but I have my fingers crossed.
robinhood_1984:
Have many British trucks ever operated in Sweden before? I know that I’ve never seen a single Swedish truck on British roads and very few on the continent, I have always presumed that this is due to the massive scale operations between Britain and Sweden/Scandinavia in unaccompanied ferry freight etc.
granted there aren’t many either way these days - look out for a firm called nilssons akeri with white scanias and powder tanks, see them fairly regularly
we still do maybe 2 swedens a month, but on oversize/sensitive stuff only, took a warrior afv from UK to akers styckebruk (look it up, i certainly had to! ) 2 weeks ago
Coffeeholic:
It is one of my favourite places to go and I have a job to Helsinki and Stockholm pencilled in for the third or forth week of January at the moment, it’s not definite yet but I have my fingers crossed.
I sailed directly through the centre of Stockholm in February 2001 on one of the ships I worked on, which was very interesting but I never have liked the cold and it was bloody cold there…but then we went to Finland, which made Stockholm seem like the tropics in comparison.
Here’s a photo of a rather nice railway bridge in Stockholm.
I’m happy - and they still call me the ‘miserable old git’ 
