"Morrismoans"

I posted yesterday without mentioning how I was tortured by a particular stretch of tarmac throughout the whole day.

It started at 6.30 am and was due up in St Helens for 8.30.

I was going to cruise up the M6 at 50 mph and arrive in plenty of time for the drop. Luckily, I am fanatical about traffic reports and listen to every one I can find , I even have a DAB radio and listen to traffic radio all the time .

I heard that the M6 north was closed at junction 4 so I had to use the M1 and then go through stoke which added a bit of time on and threw lots and lots of roundabouts into the mix making it a much less leisurely drive.

I got to my drop about 30 minutes late but they didn't seem to mind and I was tipped OK.

It put the rest of the drops back a bit and made all my other times slots a little bit tighter to make.

That adds stress and also phone calls from the boss because he sees the little dot on his screen that represents you standing still 30 miles away from where you are meant to be.

I eventually finished missing allocated slots and was ready to come back down the M6. That's when I made a fateful decision.

I was feeling cheated because I hadn't been able to have a proper tacho break where I could use the facilities and eat something. I had to park in a lay by instead.

I also felt cheated because I wanted to cruise down the M6 to our base that is at the bottom of it without throw the lorry around any roundabouts and negotiate traffic lights and gears. I was feeling lazy.

I should of turned off at stoke and went back down the M1 to a collection at Magna Park for 4.30 but I couldn't get a space in the services at Sandbach or Knutsford so I carried on past my junction and thought Id get to a services further down and then, M6 all the way back.

The M6 though Birmingham from junction 8 to 4 was absolutely solid. It was so hot my head was spinning, my t shirt was sticking to my arms and my neck and my trouser felt like they were cementing themselves to my body.It was horrendous.

The whole motorway had been brought to a stand still so that a few workmen could throw a little bit of sand on some spilt fuel.

It took me two hours to get through a four mile section and when I cleared that, I ran straight into roadworks.



I didn't make my collection and had to get up at 4 am today to collect it for "Morrismoans"

That's where I am writing this now.

I have been at this drop since my booking time of 8 am and still haven't got any closer to being tipped. I haven't even got through the gate yet to start waiting !!!

This is Haulage



For the whole of this week I have been driving at a maximum speed of 52 MPH and I have to say it gives you a whole new outlook.

I usually drive on the limiter and pass everything that gets in the way or let everything fly by if they need to.

This week I have chilled out and because the lorry cant go any faster so I have tended to sit on 50MPH.

It means I don't have to worry about all those camper vans, trailers and Morrison's trucks in lane one, I just hang back and trundle along to the drop at a nice leisurely pace.

I have been in the precise and often frustrating world of supermarkets distribution centres this week and I have to say I have been very impressed overall.

Some are better than others and Sainsbury's in particular stand out .

At the bottom of the pile has to be Morrison's.


I arrived at what looked like a lorry park in Northwich and found out it was in fact the queue to get in to the queue.


You then have to navigate your self through a series of parking bays and get into position to see a giant screen with numbers on it.Its a bit like the casualty department at the local hospital where they give you a number and it seems that no matter how long you wait your number never gets any closer.
When they call your number you then get to go through the gate and wait here.



Then this man is the lord and master of proceedings, when he points he wants you to rush over to wherever he points without a seconds pause. even though you have been sitting on your arse waiting for them to pull their fingers out.



Driving the bigger trucks has shown me a different side of the haulage industry because we do similar drops to the arctics.

I have done the odd supermarket in the 18 tonnes but to do them everyday is a whole new experience.

I cant imagine having to come to the same places every week, sometimes every day and wait in the same lines and follow the same stupid rules and read the same stupid notices and meet the same stupid people.

It would send me crazy. I like being in and out of different trucks because it gives me a more varied work week.

Imagine what lorry day would be like if I was on a designated run?

Went to Crewe on Monday , went to Crewe again on Tuesday, Wednesday in Crewe it rained on the way !! Thursday in Crewe the truck really needed washing.

It wouldn't really work, so for now I think I'm happy to float, even though its a pain not having the same truck all the time.

At my work place the truck is the run , you take a particular truck and they do particular jobs, so if you get your own truck you usually get your own run as well.

These are the concrete bays at a Somerfield I ended up in at the end of the day.
They were very unforgiving.