More of the same

I found an American jeep looking like new on an Industrial Estate.

Parked up on my 45 minute break this week.

Eddie looks like he has started taking on building contracts , or branched out into Showbiz.


I have been back to London this week and I have to say I have been enjoying it a lot more since I have been going down in a 7.5t.

It takes a lot of the stress out of delivering because there are not many streets you cant go down.

The truck has been pretty decent as well so its not been a chore to drive.

This was my first drop on Wednesday , I had already been here on Monday so I knew were I was heading.


Another thing that makes it easier is that I am finding my feet a little bit, I recognise landmarks and can work out were I am in relation to were I need to be now.

I see the London eye and I know I'm near Westminster , I see the dome I'm in the east end, I see the Gherkin and I'm heading toward sat nav hell in the city.


I don't know why but every time I go that way and get to a certain street the sat nav always goes haywire and tells me to to turn left ,right and then turnaround even.

I was collecting from here but didn't hang around when this bloke got his ticket book out.


I get by without the sat nav in some parts of London now, especially if I have been to the drop before which for me is a massive improvement.

A few tourist attractions before the crowds spoil the view.


This is the new Olympic Stadium.

One of my delivery's on Wednesday was at St Pancras train station.

I have always loved the iron frames that the train passes when you pull up into the old St Pancras and I got up really close to them on the building site.


They look awful up close , all the pillars are piled up and rotting away in a compound.

To get into the compound was a feat of engineering in itself.

I first had to find the entrance, then I was questioned by the security guard, he sent me to the first gate marshall who held me at the barrier.


He then radioed the other security man who took my reg number and name and then let me through another barrier.

I went through two more barriers with three more marshall's and stewards and safety marshall's and security guards and still not a builder in site.

They were all on a break.

I eventually passed through to the drop off point and an actual live builder took my One pallet off and I was allowed out into the busy cab lined street I had blocked up about an hour earlier when I was trying to enter the compound the wrong way.

I had a nice collection on Thursday at Penguin books , I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the staff.


It was absolutely chucking it down and every one was soaked just getting out and opening the doors.

I took the penguin stuff to Amazon and if the building looks impressive the staff couldn't be more different.

You are treated like an intruder when you arrive and are constantly warned and controled by signs.

Then they direct you to a bay and leave you sitting on a bay without any information or any instructions.
Eventually someone comes out and collects your keys and then they tip your vehicle, You don't go anywhere you just have to sit in the truck , without your keys and therefore without any power.

After roughly an hour they brought my keys back and I was free to go.
At last.


Friday was a slow day with local collections .

I get a new 09 truck on Monday so Ill be posting pictures.

Box Truck

I have spent a few days down in London so I thought I would post a posh car.

I was given my own truck for the week. Its a box truck so I have been getting re acquainted with my pallet truck again.

Its a nice truck to drive and I could easily get used to not seeing flapping ,billowing curtains as I drive along but its a drag when you are jumping to and from deliverys in a different order to what the pallets are loaded in.

I have an interesting drop on London Bridge right next to the London Dungeon.


The drop was a tricky underground loading dock and I was supervised by a very efficient German shop worker.

I was told "exactly what was expected of me, her and the company .

I was to reverse into the loading area until she "Shouted"STOP! I was actually expecting to hear HALT !

I reversed , she shouted STOP and I stopped. then she pulled out my tailift and motioned me back a few more inches , she then dropped the tailift onto the dock and I was in position.

After positioning my self to the approved standards I then entered stage two of the delivery.

I had to take each pallet off separately and then get them into the goods lift with the pallet truck and run up the stairs to press the button , when it arrived at my floor I had to roll the pallet to the shop.
The Pallet had to be a certain way on the pallet truck for it to enter the lift.

My instructions didn't stop there though because I had to drop the pallets to the side of the corridor leaving a wide enough gap for the passage of any person or persons wishing to pass.

Im here again but with one less pallet and at least now I know the rules.

I had loads more drops around London and passed Madame Tussuad'slater in the day.


I was on the way home and wondered whether this would be a better use of my Class 2 licence.

The Spy Game

On the way down the motorway this morning this truck went past and woke us all up.


My First drop in London this morning was the easiest place to find and get to I have ever delivered to in London.

I drove down and didnt even have to stop for a red light.

You will be surprised to read then, that it was MI5 's headquarters at Thames House on Millbank.


The Drop was right next to Channel 4 offices.
This is the palace back door A simple drop of six pallets and then off to the next drop, Picadilly Circus, One pallet

These are the landmarks around my drops today.







My next drop was another famous location The Ivy Restaurant .


It was about 9.15 and the place looked empty. I rang the bell and it was answered by a bloke who told me that de livery's were taken at the other door.

Ringing the bell at the other door I was greeted by the same man.

"Same face, different door" I told him. He didn't even respond, he just asked me what I had.

Weird way to run a business, by showing the people who deliver to it utter contempt, but that's show business I guess.

After my brush with celebrity I had a drop at another famous London landmark.


The BT tower had a delivery and a collection. Two pallets and I was back on my way back through London and down to Sutton.


I passed this pub and couldn't help thinking "One small step for Man and a Pint of lager "


I made my way to the M25 and along the way looked out for somewhere to stop.


I had to drive all the way to Toddington Services until I could take a 45 minute rest.
Thats a 3 hour 45 minute drive through London without so much as a lay-by to pull over in.

Something needs to be done about the lack of places to stop.

When I eventually reached the Service Station it was overrun and there was absolutely nothing of any value to buy, even the M&S seems to have lost its value.

Its a whole new post and I will dediacate more time to it when I get off these 4 am starts.

Rant week

I have been doing a lot of ods and sods with this new job the last few weeks and over those few weeks I have encountered lots of different sides to the haulage Industry.

I have been getting wound up by lots of different things.

Its mostly at goods in but recently a few though are directed at my fellow drivers .

All drivers think they know best, but the drivers I hate are the ones that drive like complete pricks.

They drive like this because they think they are "Professional" drivers and that they know what they are doing.
I mostly mean truck drivers here.

Everyday in this country, the roads are held up for hours on end because a Lorry has lost its load,tipped over or just crashed.

I cant imagine all these faulty lorries driving around just waiting to tip over at the slightest breeze or tyres blowing on the roundabout without any warning. It is mostly caused by bad driving.

I wouldn't dream of dismissing every accident because that would be daft but most accidents are caused by human error.

The truck is loaded wrongly, or unsafe, or the driver was driving to fast or a combination of both. Some accidents can also happen because of mechanical failure. Most of these should be picked up on your daily checks.

I work in a company were we have 60 drivers and when I'm strapping loads most of the drivers I have met have criticised me for bothering , most common quote would be "I been driving (insert your own number from 5-35 here ) years and I never lost a load yet.

That could be true but you can never legislate for others and we all know there are some nightmares on all roads.

All it takes is some sharp braking and bamm, the loads gone, or you end up with mondeo face in your rear end.

Goods in personal are another one of my pet hates.

The phrase they have been saying to me these last few weeks is Hi ViZ.

They also seem to think I may not be able to understand so they pull at the lapels on their own HI VIZ to show me what they mean.

I hate Hi Viz , I hate the reason we wear it and the reason we try to enforce it all on to others. I hate seeing politicions wearing them on walk abouts at factory's and building sites.

I saw a picture of an empty government swine flu center in the papers yesterday and the advisors were all wearing Hi Viz , Why ? it was empty , they were sitting down , inside !

I can see the need for them in some places of course , but I hate the santimonious way that pimple faced security guards clutch there HI viz vest between their fingers and go " Hi Viz mate !" .
I even hate writing the words Hi Viz vest!.

Rant over , for now !!

Cool car of the week this week is this Rally Cortina .



I started early and had to drop a portable kitchen off at Brunel University in Uxbridge for a Graduation Party.


After a few hours on the motorway network I arrived.

I met up with the team of engineers who were going to build the coldrooms, set up the ovens and build the rest of the equipment and then went looking for the set up area.





It was at the end of this track and when we got into position we unloaded.


It took a few hours to get everything off because it was packed to the ceiling of an Iveco Stralis 18 tonner.

I went back up to Leicester with a load of frames that the kitchen equipment came with and caused a few problems for the planners back in the office because they wanted me to collect another full load on the way back up.

A stop in Toddington services to meet with one of our moffet drivers had us using the Toddinton lorry park as our own private yard while we swapped loads around , me, the moffet and one of our artics with another problem pallet, blocked the exit for ten minutes in the torrential rain and caused a few drivers to lean on the horn.

The poor moffet driver then had all his own delivery's to make and shift all his stuff around to make room for all our crap.
I don't think ill be going in for my moffet licence !! .



We had a lot of work appear on Thursday and our yard was really busy. The forklift drivers are doing there best to unload us all.

Lorry week

I have been in Loughborough for the last few days covering for the regular driver and managed to snap a few pictures on my rounds.
This was the drop I couldn't get off on Friday because the great institution that is BRUSH in Loughborough shuts early on Fridays and has done for 20 years, or so I was told by a gleeful security guard
This blinged up truck was hiding in the loading bay.


A lot of the drops are really close to each other and you end up passing by the same places over and over again.


This one delivery was held up while the forklift truck was rescued. It had fell down down a tiny step and want powerful enough to get back over the lip of the concrete.

It doesn't look it, but the drama was intense!!.






There was a delivery in a beautiful county estate.

There was a sign that said, "Beware of the Dog Do Not leave Vehicle".
I sat there for ten minutes until I realised it was an old sign.

Eventually this JCB came and unloaded me and parked me next to this lost and forgotten truck.

I spent the next two days on the 7.5t fleet in the whack wagons , an old Y reg and a newer but smellier 52 reg.

They were so dirty that your hands were black after just holding the steering wheel .

I have to take baby wipes and give everything a good clean before setting out.

A day down south in bath today went OK but I was flat out again and spent another 12 hours plus in the wagon.

I have a late start in the morning 8 am.

"A Dead End"

The Lord of the rings was shooting past me the other day and I was just fast enough to take a quick picture of Frodo and Co.

I was back on the 18 Tonner on Friday with the Air con for gears.
That meant lots of drops around Loughborough (15) and then a few collections.

Amongst the shopping arcades and the canalside delivery one in particular was very memorable.


I had an AM delivery to the Crematorium. It was a pallet of boulders for a garden of remembrance.




I turned in to the road and followed a tiny, winding path, lined with low hanging trees and tearful mourners.

I made my way to the end of the path and looked for the delivery area.

I was in the car park with black limos and a hearse, mourners were spilling out of there own cars and filing past the lorry in droves.

I could feel a sweat coming on and I tried to concentrate, I was close to all the parked cars and I had nowhere to go except backwards.

That meant scattering the mourners and holding up the hearses progress to the service.

I was directed by a friendly gravedigger to go back along the same windy,tree lined but no longer mourner lined path, and turn into the road that said "No Entry" as that was the delivery area.
Good idea!

I switched the aircon into reverse and interrupted the funeral party with the shrill sound of an 18 tonner backing over their grief and taking a few trees and beautifully manicured lawns with it.

I pretended not to see the shaking heads and hear the murmur's of disapproval, to be honest I couldn't hear anything over the CD player anyway, but I still felt awful.

I arrived into the delivery area and went into the building.

Yuk !! It was so creepy.

I felt really anxious as I knocked and gently opened the doors looking for someone to take delivery or someone able to sign the POD at least.

With every door I opened I felt a small wave of relief as I found an empty room.

I eventually found the Groundsman and we took off the pallet and I was away, at last.

I had a busy day ahead and didn't give the crematorium a secand thought until later when I was ringing in the names on my POD's , the name on the Crematorium one? MR C. Cripps !!