does anyone remember that documentry years ago about a guy in a daf spacecab and his first trip to either greece or turkey cant remember which just wondered where your first trip across the water was too mine was lokeren.but as a passenger i went to verona in a volvo F6 28 tonne artic with a guy called spud when i was 15, carrying antique furniture for furnishings italia of canonck 
My first trip over the water was a delivery to Regensburg in Germany. Reloaded from Schwabisch Gmund and Stuttgart. It will be fifteen years ago this June.
Hmm, I think I knew a bloke that drove for that outfit Jonah, Italia in Cannock I mean, name was Wally Harley, I worked with him 20 years back, heās dead now a few years. In fact, I dimly remember I know the bloke that set the show up, Iāll have to make enquiries!
Mal.
First proper trip I did was to Poznan and Szcecin in Poland,that was back in early 1982.
First trip over the water was to Porto, chemicals down shoes back. That was about 15 years ago havenāt been over for a year or so now.
my first trip over was to germany in a leyland t45, i broke down near kaiserslautern and had to be towed back to chesterfield on a barā¦ enough to put anyone off!!
My 1st Trip was in a Ford 1614, non sleeper in the early seventies with 6 drops of furniture I started out with two in the middle of Paris, the next at Clermont-Ferrand, then over Mont Cernis to Brindisi! I still remember eating outside down there with the waiter bringing fresh fish and fruit round on trolleys in beds of ice for your choice. Those were the days. My next drop was Hanover with the last near Aachen. Reload from Arnhem. No wonder my son Jonboy@RH likes the job as muchā¦l.He was riding out with me on Swiss before he was 10ā¦ 
oh dearā¦ thats done it knowā¦ hell be on about erfs and atki`s in a bit 
. if your on here dad i dont want any embarrasing stories coming out!! alright!!
First time over was in a van!!!
The company I worked for had a āLogisticsā division that had vans that ran around the ICI Wilton Chemical works ā¦ normally they carried paperwork and small sparesā¦ one year(during the shutdown) Wilton called up and asked if we could take a large pump to Germany for them for repair, Logistics didnt have a van large enough so one of the experienced European drivers went over in the Fitters large Pickupā¦ a day later ICI Wilton realised that the broken part of the pump was actually still sitting in their workshopsā¦ and we again got the call as the lass who normally drove the only available van didnt want to goā¦
As this was a āLogisticsā jobā¦ they gave me a bundle of CASH and told to get there asapā¦ paying cash on the wayā¦ and in their wordsā¦ āhave this trip on usā
so I collected the loaded van at just past noon and shot down to Folkestone and through the night to Freiburg. meeting up with our pickup just as he arrived!!, after tipping both vans we parked one at the local airportā¦ and me and the other driver spent 2 and a 1/2 days driving backā¦ Spending āLogisticsā cash quite liberally 
On returning we handed back in a few coins and a large wad of recieptsā¦ and awaited the inetivable questioning as to the large steak dinners, Bar recieptsā¦ and classy hotelsā¦ to our amazement no inquisition was forthcoming 
It turned out that there was only 2 pumps ā¦ one spare and one in useā¦ this was the spare and if the other went down then the plant would close down until the other could be refitted, costing ICI Ā£1000ās per hour ā¦
Therefore it was an no expense spared, just get it there and back ASAP rush job financed by those lovely people at ICI
The other driver flew out a few days later collected the pickup from the airport and the complete repaired pump and hightailed it back to Teesside
my first drive over the water was a coach from assevillers services to paris
what an eye opener
love driving over there 
no interest over here 
never driven a wagon abroad,but if pushed i might 
cant wait for my hols
jon
First trip over the water was following another driver to Os, delivering empty beer cans to a brewery, for Nacanco (Wakefield).
The first on my own was a delivery/collection at BMW Dingolfing, and then onto our yard in Munich to have the truck serviced and MOTād (TĆÅV) before coming home (German registered truck).
my first trip was to deliver a stand for cadburys to cannes for a food and drink exhibition.had to wait down there for a week.
total hardship
June 1986 Italy with friend Arthur Gardner. Frosinone, south of Rome, reload Padova, near Venice.
9 year old well-used Italy veteran Volvo F10. Brand new step frame hire trailer.
Just 3 tonnes surgical dressings to Squibb.
Spent Sunday on the beach at Viareggio on the way out & both got mild sun stroke
Customs in an old railway goods yard in Rome, closed at 1 p.m. we arrived about 1.30, so dropped the trailer in the yard & took off around Rome in the unit! All afternoon to look around: Colliseum, Vatican, etc.
Tip Squibb, then run empty upto Frozinone. I drove for a couple of hours or so. (No license then) 1st time in an artic. Told Arthur he WAS NOT to sleep incase i needed some answers in a hurryā¦he was zzzzzāing b4 we got out the services!
To Zanussi, Padova.
Arthur says: āIt wonāt be ready, weāll drop the trailer in the yard & run into Venice.ā
Arrives gate: āOh yes, on that bay there, theyāll load you nowā 
Load washing machine pumps for Hoover Factory, Merthyr Tydfil.
Then up into mountains somewhere (iāve forgottenā¦if i ever knew??), for a top up load of hides. Gets there & the very nice smart Italian girl in the office tells us they went on another truck yesterday!
Call at Feblands (Blackpool) yard, Novara. Too much vino that night.
Load for Hoover was Top Priority, big red URGENT stickers all over every box.
Arrive Hoover Saturday lunch time. āPark it there, theyāll tip it for you when they come in on Monday morningā!!!
So, weekended in lovely Merthyr!
1st time alone (i.e. not in convoy) was in 1999. Brand new Land Rover 110 County for Save the Children Charity, Skopje, Macedonia, for the Kosovo relief.
I collected it at Brooklands: after hitching from Preston, & took it as far as Thessolonika, Greece. Friend Ted Bilsborrow came down from Skopje by taxi to meet me & collect it.
Dover - Calais, Swiss, Chiasso, Bari, ferry to Igumanitsa, then up thruā mountains to Thessolonika.(& glad i was not in an artic!)
3 days exactly.
I have some pics on file in my pc to add to this, can someone pm me & tell me how please?
Moderator, maybe you would consider asking Carl (top post) if he would mind if you changed the thread title to something like āfirst trip to Europeā?.. as the thread seems to have changed course slightly & such a title may well attract more readers/posters
Good Idea Jon - Iāve just noticed this one 
My first trip across the channel was summer 1979.
Car Parts from Kirkby, near Liverpool to the Opel car factory in Bochum, Germany.Reload was Printing Machinery and parts from Dortmund and Essen back to Stoke on Trent and Manchester.
My first trip alone was to Bad Kissingen in 1976 to collect 3 Tabbert Caravans for Lytham st Annes. I was the big trucker then cause I was only 18
I think that is what gave me the wander ā ā ā ā .
Iām just about to set off on my first trip to Portugal 
Iām shipping out of Rosyth tomā afternoon, to Zeebrugge. Sunday in Zeebyā and head south early(ish) for a tip in Cherbourge area and then on south to Oporto.
See you in a couple of weeks
My first trip was to italy 4 drops milan reload turin
First Time was driving a 124 420 Scania from Redditch to Cork.
The 24 ton digger was only supposed to go to Swansea, but the boss phoned and asked " Have you got your passport ?"
On the way to Swansea ( the slow boat ) I was diverted to Pembroke to catch a boat to Rosslare.
Because this was in the middle of the foot and mouth disease crisis, my trip took 1 week to complete.
This was down to the machine not being disinfected,having no vetinary certificate,and no import licence.
After reams of paperwork being signed and various faxes being sent to and fro,
the lovely Irish Customs ( āAway for a drink sor,weāll do it to-morrow!ā) finally let me out of Rosslare to tip at Carrightouhill.
The road from Rosslare to Cork was not designed for wide loads.
Rosslare,New Ross,Waterford,Dungarvon,Youghal,etc. (not in that order !)
I think it was Youghal,with itās narrow streets and small shops that caused the most problems.
The worst thing was, after all the problems Iād had the customer paid me in cash for the transport.
"How about some back for good luck " said the customer.
āYouār lucky you got your machineā I replied