Lorrydays european adventure, reposted with new pics

I really didn't want to get up and go to work today especially because I had a really good weekend with the kids but I was pleased that at least I been promised a few local runs, the furthest being Coventry .

I saw one of the van drivers earlier and even had a chuckle when he told me he had been given Motherwell .

I had just delivered my first delivery when they called me back to base and asked me to pick up my passport on the way.

I thought it might be an I'd issue with the office, end of the year paperwork stuff or something.

When I got in they loaded me up with a full lorry for Eindhoven.

Panic stations.

I posted a plea for advice on trucknetUK and as usual received a few golden nuggets of information.

There were also a few lumps of fools gold, but I lost the Internet before I could read them all so bluffed my way through most if the day .


This was the state of the M25 on the way to the Docks and was the main reason for a 5 1/2 hour delay of my ferry.

I was finally allowed to embark at 11.45 pm.





The ferry I am writing this on is the 7 pm. but its now midnight . When I get Internet back I'll post how it went but for now, Bon Voyage .


I was looking for all the other drivers and wondering who on earth paid these prices for food when I found this lot.


Free coffee, free soft drink and a piece of steak from Langans , next door, for next to nothing. Marvelous.


Disembarked at 2 am and made my way to the All 4 Trucks lorry park in Calais in a blizzard.









I made my way straight into the mobile security guards bad books by driving all the way round the wrong way in the ice, slipping and sliding and trying to find an empty bay past all the sleeping lorry drivers.

There must if been 300 trucks parked there


Even with the bins so near they still dump rubbish.


I'm on the return journey now, this ferry was only an hour late.

Ladders in the lifts were a bit scary.



A few things worth mentioning are how the roads in the three country's I've traveled through seem to run like clockwork.

Bear in mind that the UK has ground to a halt and they blamed the wrong sort of snow in France for the Eurostar breaking down

Two lane motorways from Calais to Eindhovan, in a snow storm, with the hard shoulders covered in snow still performed better than the four and sometimes five lanes we have available in Britain .

It's not like there are more lorries in the UK .

I have never seen so many trucks . Piles and piles of them. Truck stops every where and all full of lorry's.

Another thing I couldn't fail to notice during my flying visit was how nice the goods in staff at DHL were.





The gate house staff were helpful and even spoke in my language because I couldn't speak in theirs.

Then after a four hour drive from the ferry to get the stuff here, they had it off in 20 minutes, paperwork signed and gate pass handed in.

Not a silly hi viz in sight and no need for some tube to look inside a wagon they had just emptied to see if it's empty.

I like it here, I even like that vignette thingy, even if I did think the trucknet lads were getting me at it and making me ask for a salad dressing.
This is where I bought my Vignette.


I think all foreign trucks should pay it . Imagine all the revenue raised, and if they don't come over because of the cost, then that's more work for the drivers here, surely its a win win.


A few pictures of trucks and building on my way back from Eindhoven and then on to the return ferry for home.




I tyraveled home Via a rip off Maidstone services 30 miles away from the port.

£24 a night for parking and if you wanted food it was £28. no wonder it wasnt very busy.

I had been over to ashford first but that was £25 anyway. If they made it more reasonable they would have more custom and therefore more money in the long run.


This was the sight on the way home, more traffic madness



After my mammoth journey I was expecting to drive back into the yard to a heros welcome but all I got was a collection out of wincanton and a 5 am to Southgate London on Christmas eve.

The transport business is an unforgiving business.