My first night out driving was on the Barfleur out of Poole then parked up in Cherbourg docks and topped the rest period up in my MAN roadhaus. Very comfortable it was too after spending years sleeping in shellscrapes in the army!
Just trying to remember which which was 1st. It was certainly in a day cab Sed Atk 201 either Daggenham or leyland about 1987 
Had about 5 nights out in it in 3 years wasn’t comfortable but was normally after ‘long’ days 
I have my first night out coming up about ten days time, not looking forward to it really… I am setting off at eight from North yorkshire on a friday morning with a tip time of 3pm _ 6pm at Earls court in London, then i have a choice of stoping in central London ( maybe M4 Heston ) and driving back saturday or getting back as far as i can Friday after tipping then a short drive in on Saturday…Does nt matter which way i do it as ill be on overtime at the same rate…
mr lordi:
I have my first night out coming up about ten days time, not looking forward to it really… I am setting off at eight from North yorkshire on a friday morning with a tip time of 3pm _ 6pm at Earls court in London, then i have a choice of stoping in central London ( maybe M4 Heston ) and driving back saturday or getting back as far as i can Friday after tipping then a short drive in on Saturday…Does nt matter which way i do it as ill be on overtime at the same rate…
Everyone’s normally left London by 5PM. I would have a steady run up till my time was up, 9 0ff and home in one hit Satda morning 
renaultman:
mr lordi:
I have my first night out coming up about ten days time, not looking forward to it really… I am setting off at eight from North yorkshire on a friday morning with a tip time of 3pm _ 6pm at Earls court in London, then i have a choice of stoping in central London ( maybe M4 Heston ) and driving back saturday or getting back as far as i can Friday after tipping then a short drive in on Saturday…Does nt matter which way i do it as ill be on overtime at the same rate…Everyone’s normally left London by 5PM. I would have a steady run up till my time was up, 9 0ff and home in one hit Satda morning
That sounds sensible to me, thanks…
First night out for me was back in 2005, around October/November time and at Chelmsford services. It was a Thursday and I had tipped a 20’ box in Park Royal, full of rice or the like, and was heading back to Felixstowe. Was in a DAF XF and I had a nice lay in the following morning; had to tip and turn Felixstowe for a lunch time booking at the Commodity Centre nr. Witham on the Friday.
I can remember all that but can’t remember my last one, think that was at Toddington but not sure. Looking forward to getting home and getting back out there again to be honest!
My first night out was in 1987 in a DAF 2800 artic sleeper cab with twin bunks in it, at Scratchwood Services, now called London Gateway, having been up to Leicester from South London and got reloaded for Bestway Cash and Carry in Park Royal if my memory serves me correctly. Been on the job 3 weeks and it was my first night out!! Eventually it turned into 4/5 nights away everyweek 
.
mr lordi:
I have my first night out coming up about ten days time, not looking forward to it really… I am setting off at eight from North yorkshire on a friday morning with a tip time of 3pm _ 6pm at Earls court in London, then i have a choice of stoping in central London ( maybe M4 Heston ) and driving back saturday or getting back as far as i can Friday after tipping then a short drive in on Saturday…Does nt matter which way i do it as ill be on overtime at the same rate…
If it were me, I would do as much as I could on Friday so as to finish early on Saturday. What else can you do on Friday evening anyway?
Santa:
mr lordi:
I have my first night out coming up about ten days time, not looking forward to it really… I am setting off at eight from North yorkshire on a friday morning with a tip time of 3pm _ 6pm at Earls court in London, then i have a choice of stoping in central London ( maybe M4 Heston ) and driving back saturday or getting back as far as i can Friday after tipping then a short drive in on Saturday…Does nt matter which way i do it as ill be on overtime at the same rate…If it were me, I would do as much as I could on Friday so as to finish early on Saturday. What else can you do on Friday evening anyway?
Had some cracking, Friday, nights out at Newark etc.
Followed by a leisurely run in on a Saturday morning 
My first nightout was winter 1985 in an old F 86 sleeping across the back of the seats on a home made “bunk”. There was no night heater and it was snowing too but i slept like a baby, it was a far better bed than my previous one in the army - across the seats in an Alvis Stalwart.
My first night out was in a Merc 2544 L/h actros , got the call the day before would I go to Inverness , 2 drops there one in Elgin over to Aberdeen one drop and a load of beer from Aberdeen docks as return load.
Hastely grabbed all my night out gear , went to work only to find I had forgot half it ;-(
hey lessons learned, stayed in longman lorry park , think I might have been the only one who payed everyone else was away before wee guy showed up in the morning ,
But I did t care I had "joined the real truck drivers club " lol
happy days eh !!!
My first night out was by mistake, picking a sound system up from Turbosound many years ago, Guilford way as I remember for an install in the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool. The system was nowhere near ready to be loaded when I got to Turbosound, so I arrived in Blackpool at 3.00am and had to wait for the install team to arrive at 8.00am, so parked up and tried to sleep in a day cabbed Merc 814 were the middle seat is higher than the rest, that didn’t work, I ended up in the footwell which seemed to work better, but not the best nights sleep I have ever had.
The first time in a sleeper cab was a 2 day trip delivering chairs and sofas from Bradford to Scotland. I had an high cabbed Altego for this, felt quite the trucker with all this space. I did quite well the first day, dropping mostly to hospitals, a fire station and a couple of old peoples homes. As night came down I headed towards what I would make as my first drop the next day, just gave a town, a name of a hospital and the unit number to deliver to. I arrived in darkness and found a quite stop to park up, thinking its a bit dark for a hospital, you might expect the odd blue flashing light here and there.
Woke up all wet, note to self not to leave the roof hatch open in northern UK. A nice bloke was outside, very friendly and knew the place I needed to be to deliver, very chatty, talked for 10 minutes as I made a coffee, then all of a sudden a mini bus screams around the corner and he is bundled in the back and it races off without a word. The place is indeed where this guy said it was, hidden in some trees, not a big entrance, so I have to shunt around a bit making a bit of noise, as I approach what appears to be a large house i can see people who appear to throwing themselves at the windows. I am met by a couple of flustered staff, who ask me to wait a bit while they calm the inmates down a tad. Sat there I notice the mini bus 
I am asked to back into a tennis court which is surrounded by wire as is the roof, the door is locked and my chairs are taken through another door in the fence. They sign the papers and I drive away. I learn that the whole place is a mental hospital and this building was for the most violate patients, I just remember the faces at the windows, the screams, not a place I wish to revisit.
Another note to self is not to park at in a mental hospital and leave the doors unlocked.
Cannot remember the year but the place was McFarlanes yard in leeds and it was facing a wall at the back and peeing it down and it was in an Erf ECT
My first night out was at Markham Moor truckstop in summer 2008, i was working for FWC, Supposed to be working nights (with no sleeping out) and I ran out of time, had to do a collection on the way back to Spalding, when they phoned to ask me to do the collection I said that I didn’t think I’d have enough time, anyhow should of stuck to my guns because I ran out of time. Not expecting to have to sleep out nothing with me!! I had to get my Mum & Dad to bring me a sleeping bag, wash gear etc!! At 27 years old, not living at home its a bit embarrassing to have to get Mum & dad to bail me out!! Bless 'em!!
Anyway lesson learnt always took my sleeping bag and wash kit every trip!!
1ST night out was many years ago on general haulage in ipswich Ford d series no bed no heater just a big overcoat and a stiff neck in the morning not much but it was a mini adventure …
1986 in a 10 yr old F10 somewhere between Ashford & Dover IIRC. Off on me hols A ride out to Rome with my mate Arthur Gardner O/D pulling for Whittles, Preston.
Forgot my sleeping bag, but it was late summer & he had enough stuff in the cab to lend me something.
Single bunk - his. Me accross the seats - for 2 weeks apart from a nights B & B in Merthyr Tydfil of all places. (waiting to get tipped at Hoover Monday morning). After 2 weeks in the truck together we fancied a bit of privacy & comfort + there was the fact that the single landlady was quite tasty
Can’t remember 1st on my own, but guess it would be about 1995 when i was Trade Plating in anything from a dustbin lorry to a brand new top of the range Scania unit.
Done many since, mostly Friday & Saturday nights when you 'orrible lot are at home out of the way. 
Don’t do this parking in a muddy brightly lit gateway outside the morning’s tip thing as many of you seem to do.
If time permits I’ll go have a look where it is, then go & find somewhere more interesting & user friendly (if not already spotted on the way in).
Mistake!
Mine was as a drivers mate back in the day. We were delivering photocopiers all over the north in an old D series. I was not too happy at the end of the day, to be told…“Your’e sleeping in the back”. I looked at the pile of old blankets ie, my bed. When I said to the old fool driver…“■■■■ that!”
B and B was lovely.
Now, I do as the previous poster. Look around the immediate area before parking. That’s the advantage of non tacho. Have stayed all over the Rhine Valley. You can shove the industrial estates and lay-bys.
The boss had finally let me go solo and a fortnight’s supervision and in his 143 450! I’d tipped in Newport Docks and running out of hours pulled into Swindon truckstop. Couldn’t sleep at all!!