Rules and regulations and the impossible run

I have always had a good work ethic.

I genuinely try my best and I always use my common sense before jumping into situations, So it annoys me when the office I work for treats me an idiot.

They send me out on runs that cant be made in the Nine and twice a week, Ten hours I have. The customers have unrealistic collection times as well, or even worse, un realistic opening times.

Some of these engineering company's finish at 3pm most afternoons, and some finish at 12 am on Fridays , leaving me only a few hours to get to them.

They sent me to 9 delivery's on Wednesday and none of them were in easy to get to locations.

Three were in tiny villages where the locals stood and stared when I drove through wondering who had invented the wheel .

One pub I went in, to ask for a few vehicles to be moved to let me get past, was like a classic scene from American werewolf in London .

The whole place stopped and silence descended over the bar while the landlord informed me I was actually to big to be in the village. I told him that someone shouldn't of ordered two ton of welsh slate roof tiles for the cottage next door then should they, and he scuttled off grumbling about his neighbour under his breath.

It took about an hour to get the tiles off as I couldn't get the pallet truck out from under the gravel on the customers drive and, because I had to keep backing the truck in and out of their drive to let cars, tractors and even sheep past, I was running up driving hours even while I was unloading.

I was finally finished when the office rang and said I was behind and needed to get a move on.
When I told them I needed to take a break they went off on one, "you should of put the truck on a rest period while you were stopped at your last drop" he shouted down the phone.

I was parked in the middle of a tiny village lane outside a pub waiting for farmer Giles and co to move there cars and then moving two tone of welsh slate into the next door neighbours drive, and I was supposed to take a tacho break as well ?


This had happened earlier as well when I was sent here in Chesham to an AM delivery of pipe. I arrived at 7 but when I couldn't raise anyone at the property I was told to wait until 8 am in case someone from the firm arrived to sign for the goods.

I rang the door bell and the phone number I had been given, but had no answer, finally while I was prowling around the back looking for any sign of life, I heard barking, shit I thought, that's all I need, I was relieved when I saw the homeowner accompanying the dog in his dressing gown and slippers and we eventually unloaded the pipe works and I set off.

It was a tight driveway and I could only make a left turn out that led me back through the village of Chesham on a single track track road with no passing apart from spaced laybys.

Just on my way out to the main road and every thing came to a stop.

A head on collision further up the road put me back about an hour and a half, easy.

The office were ringing me up and telling me I should of pulled over and waited for the traffic to ease!
I'm on a single track road with passing places that can only just allow cars past me.

I'm sure I'm going to stop for a 45 minute tacho break as well.
This was on the way out of the village

Next stop Plymouth and another load of nonsense from the office. Everything needed yesterday and wondering why I wasn't further up the road than I should be.

I tried to explain to them , you put 9 drops on and a collection , the collection is timed at before 4 pm , that leaves me 9 hours to get them all done, I cant drive that long without stopping the lorry.

It has to physically stop, even if I don't, for at least 45 minutes.

They don't seem to get it, whether I stop, or the truck stops , 45 minutes has to pass without this thing moving and that means, a longer day.

I was finally allowed to leave one of my delivery's for another other truck to take in the morning and just made my 4 pm collection in Andover (at 6pm) .

I parked up in Thatcham at one of our depots and waited until the am loaders arrived in the morning to put a pallet for Halifax on me.

It turned out not to be a pallet but a conveyor belt system for Mc Vities cake factory in Halifax, a four and a half hour drive away, and guess what? yeah they wanted it there for 10 am !!

They loaded it at 8.30 for Christ sake and I had been on site all night.

Anyway it got there at around 1 .30 pm in the end and then they wanted my Andover back in Leicester for a container to the USA before 6 pm , I left Halifax at 3 pm and made it back for 5.55 pm . Knackered and so glad I had today off.