The day the sat nav died (again)

Disaster struck on Wednesday when, completely out of the blue, my trusty old say nav gave up the ghost.
It couldn't of come at a worse time because I was in the middle of motorway hell, Greater Manchester.

I don't understand this road network.With so many motorways and A roads merging and crossing I rely on the sat nav, probably a little to much.

I was in Oldham and trying to make my way to Heywood distribution park. I had emptied my work bag and taken out my spare sat nav. ( yeah I know ) and I had given back the other satnavs I had ontest the week before. I went from four to none in one day and I felt stranded.

Then I remembered I had an ace up my sleeve.
I had downloaded an app for my iPhone called Co Pilot and tested it along side some other iPhone apps.*

Well I typed in where I wanted to go and the iPhone sprang into life and started directing me.

It wont replace the trusty old Tom Tom but it certainly got me out of a tricky situation and helped me for that day.

I took up again with my ex (spare) for the rest of the week and it has served me well, including my trip up north this week as far as Carlisle.


The next day was a multidrop in the Northwest. I started in Beverly then up to York, Sedgefield, three drops into Gateshead and then one Whitley Bay before heading over to Carlisle for a collection in the morning
This truck was being repaired at the Gateshead delivery and I was bringing it a new ram.

And then over to Carlisle for a night of Truckstop bliss in Kingstown.

I parked up next a row of trucks, pulled out my card and settled down for a little rest.

I woke up and realised Id been asleep for four hours! it was nearly 9 -O clock so I decided to take a look at the facilities.

I suddenly realised why there were lots of trucks opposite me but only a few next to me.
The ones next to me where all ADR , two gas trucks and a dubious looking rigid with more orange signs than a mobile phone advert. Whoops.

After looking in the restaurant and deciding not to eat anything I had a walk around the truck stop shop, I don't get all these specialist places , they act like the truckers friends but try to sell us crap plastic tables to put our junk on for £22 or £28 for the deluxe models, electric kettles that take an hour to boil and cost a days pay or electric lights that just make us look like Idiots when we hang them around our windscreens.

Many of these things can be bought much cheaper and some are better quality in other stores like Maplins or on line even.


This was the first building I saw at my collection this morning in Dalston, just next to the BP fuel terminal. The poor cows, even though they didn't look like they might make a dash for freedom, they were still chained around the ankles.



This 3 tonne case is what I collected and it was responsible for giving me on of my easiest days on this job. The size of this case meant I was unable to fit any other jobs in the truck on the way back down the M6.


And when it got to where it was going, they couldn't get the big forklift to start so its staying on me until 8 am Monday and I was back home by Three.


One bright spark suggested using this. He was wearing a white coat though. No pies for telling me what its called but I would like to know a bit about it. Its at the old GEC plant in Whetstone, Alcatel now if anybody knows it.

* I have written an article on using the Iphone that can be found in Aprils Truck & Driver

A sweet delivery

I'm sorry about the corny title but it's not just because I was delivering to British Sugar.




I had just been in Hunstanton, a pretty seaside town I visit with my family a couple of times a year.

It looked great in the early morning with the sun flickering over the sea.

I wanted to stop and stare out at it all day, but I didn't.

I had to find this sugar factory and I was due at a Somerfield in Huntingdon for 12.


I didn't have a very good address for British sugar, just the name of the village so I headed that way thinking I'd see a sign eventually.

When I didn't see any signs I rang the number on the paperwork. "No problem" said the man on the end of the phone, "it happens a lot."

He gave me a postcode that took me most of the way to the factory and because it was so big, it wasn't hard to find after that.

Getting in, was a completely different story though.

I was directed to the weighbridge where I was told to park up and find my way out through the gates and into the public car park on foot, look for the reception and get a drivers passport.

Once issued with my drivers passport I was to come back the way I had come and then swipe my drivers passport on the weighbridge and then drive down to the stores.

When I arrived at the reception there was a queue of people waiting to see the overworked receptionist and she was pretty good at dealing with us all at the same time and letting us know she was aware of us without the others feeling they were being ignored, She had a skip driver waiting for her to find out who he was meant to be delivering to, she had a lady refusing to wear a hard hat and goggles , she had a constant stream of gate pass requests for various tradesmen and builders and she had me.

I had to sit at a table and complete a health and safety quiz, Six multiple choice questions on the rules of the site, All the answers were in a book they provided. I had to read through it to get them.
Then I had to sit on another chair and have my picture taken, Smile !

Then I was issued with my Driver passport, I could walk the ten minutes back through the car park, over the weighbridge and swipe my self back in. Then I could start looking for the stores!

I was amazed at the size and scale of the plant and these pictures that follow are just taken at random as I drove around, un-escorted and un- challenged but with my drivers passport!

When I found the stores I tried to make sense of their system but it was actually pretty basic.

It involved pressing this button and then waiting.( yes I know they are upside down , its driving me mad but I cant budge them ! )

I got my salad box out of my bag and prepared to put the waiting time to good use by eating, but it wasn't long before a forklift appeared and I was unloaded.

An hour to get in, and hour to get my driver passport and 5 minutes to get unloaded great.



The Fens are home to lots of these but most are actually on the water.

Wales was a really easy day, but Bristol got a little complicated when I tried to tip at Dixons.

The sign says drivers, but its a lie, the drivers room is actually between to massive water towers on your left.
The drivers room is pushed out the back in between the two ugly towers and has a few scrap chairs from out of the staff canteen sprinkled about , rotting in the rain,with puddles collecting in the seats.


I don't mean to sound thick but these places are built to unload lorry's, I think I'm right in thinking that.

They usually have up to a hundred bays that Lorry's are supposed to back up to and be emptied, for there convenience and profit. So how the Effing hell do they think these hundreds of Lorry's get there?

These places usually brand new as well so why on earth not plan for the daily arrival of large amounts of new drivers that will be unfamiliar with their surroundings and in need of some basic and friendly advice on the procedures.


Just my opinion.

Hillbilly Haulage

At the start of the week I was in Newcastle. The delivery was right in the middle of the city at an oil dealers and took me through some really great sights.

This road seems to have been abandoned but it was a great place to get a 45 minute break in.


This is the view of the angel from the viewing gallery that you don't see if you just fly past on the A1.



Some places were posher than others but it looks like a great town.


A flying visit to Whitby bay, but I have been before and took better pictures from the other side of the bridge.
I was just outside Whitby and wished I was driving a tow truck not a curtain sider, Id be a rescue driver and rescue these great British classics.

Blackpool was a disappointment but I saw some amazing pieces of glass blowing just hanging in fields. pictures were crap but the website is here




A famous brand in the distance.


I was sent over to a transport company that I refer to as Hill Billy haulage to collect a full load from an American Importer. A very famous brand of shoe comes into here as its first port of call.

The workforce reminded me of the cast from deliverance and I was pretty nervous about playing follow the leader when he finally remembered where the 12 pallets were and told me to follow his forklift.they weren't here, thank god.
or here........
He remembered that they were due in on the container tomorrow after looking in Three more warehouse's.



Over to Morrison's in Wellingborough.
I wonder if this place is like its name suggests.
I can never resist a good bonnet even if the pictures are rubbish. or an airaplane.




Battery problems a long way from home made this driver kick is truck while I took sneaky pics.

Ill finish the week on an old classic I saw on the M1. Its an old Honda.



Im at British sugar this Monday completewith hair net and glasses, and no there will not be any pictures.