8 Wheels' Plant Transport Blog

13th - 17th October 2008

2008-10-13T14:17:00.001-07:00

Things have gone very quiet of late, not really anything great worth blogging about as we've had all three of us scratching about for work. In truth the work that has been there could be done by 2 drivers. This is a worrying prospect for a last one in driver with not quite 2 years service against a 25 year and a 32 year's service.

Then one day I had a bright idea, we occasionally get some transport for Hewdens at Dagenham who seem unable to keep a regular driver. We never work direct but through another transport company who give us the scraps. I did loads for them last year, and the other drivers have done some bits this year. It was a conversation with one of my colleagues who'd done a day for them a couple of week ago that gave me the idea, I suggested that Danbury hire me out as a supplied driver until they found someone full time. This suggestion does carry the danger of proving that they can do without me, but I felt it was only a matter of time anyway. However the important fact is that I can bring in some revenue to cover the expense of paying me.

So I found myself last week being inducted into Hewdens and now having to try and adapt my way of doing things into something that's similar to their way of doing things. When it was my wagon it was my rules, their wagon their rules now.

Monday
I leave home at 0630 at rattle off in my newly acquired van (acquired from the surplus at the yard) and it's a half hour run down to Dagenham to Hewdens yard. I'd loaded up on Friday and have got a 2t dumper at the front and a 7mt Telehandler behind. These pair are going to a sports ground in Chingford.

It's a bit tight to get to, and impossible to get into so I have to park about 300 yards away and drive the machines down the road to the ground.

It's back to the yard now to reload, I've got another 7mt Telehandler and a 1.5t mini to sit on the tail. It's all familiar stuff, another Scania 6 wheeler, Andover body etc. but there are some differences to get used to. Mostly that's the 4 over 4 gearbox - not a huge problem as our other 6 has got one but the 260 engine seems a bit lacklustre after running a 420.

I'm off through the Blackwall Tunnel and heading for the Old Kent Road although I must have forgotten to pass go and collect £200. It's a retail park and I find myself behind Argos to drop off the mini.

My next job is the CAT TH330, that's only going to Rotherhithe which is about 5 minutes away, it's a machine swapover and I'm collecting a JCB 540-170 which is a 17m lift. That's the biggest lift machine available although it's smaller physically than the CAT equivalent which weighs a whopping 15t.

On my way back whilst having a brew (the kettle has been moved with me) at Blackheath Common I figure that it might be a good idea to check the height as I need to come back through the 13'4" Northbound Blackwall Tunnel. I'm just under 13' so I'm OK to use it, I'm not thrilled about it though as it's a horrible journey through with the corners in the tunnel. You have to keep in lane 1 as there are height restrictors in lane 2, they disappear at the bends to allow you to cross into the other lane but you have to watch out for stray car drivers.

Back at the yard, the JCB comes off and I head out empty after finishing off my break. I'm going in the City proper this time, and I make amazing progress and arrive at Fenchurch Street (another Monopoly one) in half an hour which is incredible. I've got a 5mt Telehandler here and it's in a building that's being constructed. It's a bit of a job to thread it out but eventually I get it out no thanks to the boss eyed bloke who was trying to help me.

On the way in through Wapping the outbound traffic was heavy because of roadworks so I decided to head out through Whitechapel (that's the brown squares done) and it takes an hour to get back. I leave the yard at 1630 having done the grand total of 150km today

15th - 19th September 2008

2008-09-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Monday.
0645 Start. A bit of a catch up this morning with my mate who was off last week and off out about 0715 to Leaden Roding. We've a machine and driver on a bridleway maintenance contract and we also get to move the rest of the plant. Sometimes it's three trips other time only two. Today I'm in luck and their are only 2 dumpers plus our Yanmar 75 to move. First on is one of the dumpers and the machine and I follow the grab lorry across to Henham about 1 mile away from where they were last.

We took a different route to the two I used before and still it ends up being about 35 minutes give or take a minute. The machines are at the end of a long track and it's a long bumpy reverse to get there from the farmyard. Once I'done it's back to Leaden Roding to collect the other dumper and back via a 4th route which is also a 35 minute journey.

This time I unload in the yard and drive the dumper down the lane, this is easier if a lot less comfortable.

BAck to the yard and home at 1545.

Tuesday.
0645 Start. This morning looks a bleak for work, both of us on the 6 wheelers have got one job each for today. Mine is collecting a Hyundai 55 from Tolleshunt Knights near Tiptree for a groundworker.

It's just the machine with one bucket, nice and simple and before long I'm off on my way with it to Broomfield Hospital. By the time I get to Boreham Interchange they are on the phone chasing it, 20 minutes later when I get it there they have decided that actually they can manage without and could I take it back. At least I hadn't unstrapped it. So it's back to the farm and park it back where it came from.

There may or may not be a dumper to move for them later but the keys are not with it at the moment so I make my way back to the yard. Whilst at the yard I notice one of my tag axle tyres needs replacing and I find a usuable tyre in our container. I've got another job to go to so I call at the tyre shop enroute and get them switched over. I'm off to Gillingham in Kent, where I'm loading another Kermit green Hyundai 55 with just one bucket. This always happens with these machines, I don't see one for weeks on end and all of a sudden there's loads of them. I was expecting a dumper with this but on my way down I passed our lowloader with their 13 tonner and was pleasantly surprised to see it on the trailer.

My journey back to Essex is thankfully clear, and I take the machine back to their yard in Cressing. That's proper handy as the dumper is now available at neighbouring Silver End. It's about 5 minutes away and the guy arrives with the key as I am backing in.

It's quickly loaded and whisked off to Tiptree. Back to the yard for a 1715 finish.

Wednesday.
Yard bound today, nothing really to note.

Thursday.
0715 Start. Yeserday I decided that replacing some of the timber boards on the ramps would be a good use of time, the timber has worn to such an extent that it is lower than the metal and now provides very little grip. We'd run out of the screws to fix the floor and a trip to the local body builder has turned up screws that were not man enough for the job. Some got ordered from Andover Trailers any were due today but until they arrived I'd have to manage without.

There was another problem this morning, a large diesel stain underneath the tank seemed to suggest a fuel leak. However it soon became apparent that the yard had been turned over and fuel had been stolen from all three wagons. We estimate that we had 500+ litres of diesel taken, which must have been pumped into 5 gallon cans and hefted over the gate.

Although the ramps were stripped down they still have the steel ladder rungs and it's still usuable and before long I'm sent off to Purfleet to collect one of our 3CX's from a tarmac plant there. It's taken back to the yard and I'm straight back out to get a 5t machine from round the corner. I'm still not done yet though as there is another 5 tonner near Writtle to collect.

You can see the missing boards (or rather can't) on the ramps in this picture.

Back at the yard, the screws have arrived and once the machine has been offloaded we drag out the hardwood flooring that I'd cut yesterday and screw down into place. It's a bit of a rush as I've got another job to go to, a couple of machines at Sible Hedingham (where I top up with 365l of fuel) there's a 5t JCB and a JCB Robot (Bobcat skidsteer) these are down a very narrow lane and have to be secured whilst standing on the vehicle rather than alongside. Time is pressing and it's off to Heybridge to unload. Finished at the yard 1645.

Friday.
0645 Start. First job this morning is a run over to Tiptree for the 1st of two loads. There's various bits and bobs to load and it's really a Hiab job but he's busy and we're going to improvise. There are 3x 1200mm concrete Milton rings and a 'biscuit' to load, these are loaded with the 5 tonner on site and are due to go back to the groundworkers yard along with a skiploader where I will unload myself with their forklift. Well that's the plan anyway but it's got two problems, firstly to unload by forklift they need to sit on pallets, pallets are not big enough and are likely to collapse. The other problem is that they couldn't get the forklift going earlier and there would be a chance I'd have to jump start it. So i revert to my plan which is load everything on board together.

First on is the rings which sit up front by the headboard, it's making my slightly wide but I've got a permit (OK it's supposed to be for indivisable loads, but hey)
Next on is a 2t Komatsu, this has to be loaded so it is just right on the edge so I can squeeze a skiploader alongside. Finally the Hyundai 55 has a place on the back with the buckets squashed in the middle. Sometimes I surprise myself, and I'll class this as a good load. It's taken a while to sort out but it will save returning and therefore the time on the road. I'm off to Felsted with this lot to unload at their yard.

First job is to unload the 5 tonner off the back and drop the buckets.

When I Say it was tight, I meant it!

Not much room for error.

Next off is the skiploader which is carrying the buckets for the little machine and is staying here anyway.

The 2 tonner is shunted to the back, the ramps folded up and the truck moved so I can reach across with the 5 tonner and lift the rings off with the chains and pins they have loaned me.

Once the rings are sorted, the buckets are reunited with the little machine and the bigger one is reloaded on the back. I'm off to Rettendon now and it's a simple matter of tracking the machines off when I arrive.

Back at the yard I'm reloaded with a 3CX which is off to Purfleet to the same place I collected it at yesterday. I'm back about 1500 and there's a couple of machines to load up for Monday before heading home at 1615.

8th - 12th September 2008

2008-09-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

I've had a few boring weeks lately, very mundane and a couple of short weeks/ long weekends so not much worth noting. This week is looking more varied so here goes again.

Monday.
0645 Start. I'm ready loaded today, Friday's last job was to load this lot dowm at Colchester, I'm working for another plant hire firm today covering for their driver who is on holiday. Off to Billericay where the whole lot is offloaded at an electricity substation.

There's just one of our machines to move today, and I'm able to slot that one in. Back to the yard to load our old Kobelco 60 and off to Takeley to drop it off.

It's only a short detour and I'm soon back on track at Braintree loading a 3t swivel skip dumper, this is joined by a 4.5t Yanmar which is collected a couple of miles away.

With standing room only I make my way back to Colchester to unload at Target Plant, it's right at the top of Colchester and only round the corner from the next collection at Ardleigh. It's down a little lane and a tight reverse into the property.

Once in I've got a 3t dumper and a Yanmar 75 to load, although it takes a little while to round up the buckets and load them with a breaker into the dumper.

I'm still back at Target in just over half an hour and off on my way back to Danbury.
Finished at 1545 after shipping my gear into our other 6 wheeler.

Tuesday.
0645 Start. A slight change of scene today, squashed up in a day cab for the sake of one tin box. On hire to Target again today so it's across to Colchester to load a 3t Volvo. The Volvo is going to Takeley to the same customer and site that I delivered one of ours to yesterday. They look a bit puzzled when I arrive with it but before long it's offloaded and replaced with a 5t Kubota.

I'm now backtracking to Braintree to drop the 5 tonner at a site where we have got an 8 tonner of ours. There really is no logic to this sometimes.

Once I'm clear it's off to Watford hospital to load a container, I pull in the entrance and decide to call my site contact rather than chase around looking for it.

I'm sat like a lemon in the entrance way for at least half an hour getting grief from the parking Hitlers before they come and fetch me, it's a bit of a squeeze to get to but I can at least get alongside. I'm not hopeful about this, it looks like it's about to lash down with rain. Obviously the sun was looking over it's shoulder at me today (as it certainly wasn't shining on me) and I had it hooked up and loaded in less than 10 minutes. It went like clockwork and I strapped it down before making my way out of the back entrance. I ended up following my nose for a route out in the abscence of helpful signs and ended up getting to the M25 via Rickmansworth.

I stop at South Mimms for an uncomfortable 45 and head back, I'm due to take the box to Felixstowe but if I do that I'll be looking at finishing about 6pm or later. A quick phone call confirms it can go tomorrow and I return to the yard and leave for home at 1545.

Wednesday.
0645 Start. Back with the box again, off to Felixstowe to drop it at DHL. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I wasn't surprised to find myself like a fish out of water in a busy container yard. I thought they might get narky and play the H&S card when I said I'd need to get on the roof to drop the chains off, but they were quite happy for me to do so, which makes a refreshing change.

Before long it's my turn for the mechanical monster, and with that I'm done and off back to the yard to swap back to my motor.

My next job is loading in Pimlico, today was the worst run I've had there as the traffic was heavy an slow going even mid morning. I've got a 3t dumper and an 8t machine to load. It takes some sorting out and a bit of jiggling to get it loaded, this is the biggest 8t machine we've got and the first time I've moved it on my wagon. Eventually I'm done and enjoy a better run out of London.

Back to the yard to get rid of the ZX80 and then off near Maldon to offload the dumper. Back to the yard and switch cabs ready for tomorrow. Finished 1645.

Thursday.
0645 Start. Back with the crane today, first call over at Watford. I'm bang on time at 0800 but there's a pair of tippers to go in and a wag & drag full of blocks. Now to my mind it'd make more sense to let me in to clear some space before offloading the blocks, but the blocks get offloaded alongside the wagon and takes us some of the limited space. Finally at 0900 I've get into the site, as I'm loading a 10' container I've got to try and get past the blocks. It's a bit of a squeeze and I amlost get stuck but a bit of difflock solves all that. There's a 3t Volvo to squeeze on the back and I'm ready to go.

I've a bit of a run now up past Braintree to unload at their yard. First off is the Volvo, with that out of the way I can get the crane out and hook up the box.

And slot it alongside some others.

It just starts to rain as I leave and I make my way back to Chelmsford to collect one of our 5 tonners. It's a bit of an awkward spot to get it out of so I make the most of thing and crane the buckets over a fence so I've just got the machine to worry about. Back to the yard and unload.

I'm told there's a machine going elsewhere in Danbury tomorrow but not until 0800, that'd mean a lot of hanging around so it gets loaded quick and I rattle off down there with it before the school kicks out. Finished 1545. Switch stuff back to my wagon only to be told of a last minute job for the crane tomorrow. Switch back and head for home.

Friday.
0715 Start. First job is in Colchester but not until 0900, I hate starting later as it means overtime starts later and after 1445 is my time. Still I'm ready on site at 0830 and I've got the dubious honour of moving a welfare unit. It's basically a mobile canteen / bog body on an old Cargo. I've never loaded one yet as it's usually a job attached to this motor but I've heard it's a bit of a game. The unit has got a long rear overhang with a genny mounted on the back. It also has a pair of screw jacks which did into the ramps so you have to extend the ramps with timber so the jacks clear the ramps.

Eventually with a little bit of help from the winch we get it loaded and secured.

This unit is going back to their yard near Ingatestone, and whilst I'm here there's a jackleg cabin to pluck out between some other and resite at the other end of the yard. At least at it's new home I can swing the crane around and lift the next one up, it's a caravan type sitehut and I'm off to Grays with it.

The job at Grays is fun, on Hogg Lane with a near impossibly small gateway so I elect to crane it off into the gateway. That's a squeeze too and it's a complex operation of slewing, raising and lowering and rotating to get it through the gap in the trees. If they'd sent the welfare unit it could have been driven straight in.

Next job is in Shenfield, I've got a 3t swivel skip dumper and a 5t Yanmar to load, these are off to Harlow and this job passes without event. Back to the yard, calling to collect the 3t from Danbury on the way. Finished at 1645.

11th -13th August 2008

2008-08-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Before we start I'll just point your attention at my fundraising widget >>>>>>>>>>>>>
I'd be very grateful for sponsorship of any amount for the cycle ride I'm doing with my 9 year old son.

Monday
0645 Start. A nice bright Monday morning, even better as the yard is already open and there's a big empty space in it. Having now handed the number 1 title back to it's rightful owner I am back at the bottom in number 3 slot. Or to put it another way, I'm back in my 6 wheeler.

I'd already preflighted the motor on Friday, everything was stowed in the overhead lockers and tacho ready to go. Just kick the tyres and light the fires as it were. I've got a bit of a run around this morning, first stop across to Felsted where I'm due to load a 3t dumper. It's a funny place to get into but I reverse in dwn the narrow driveway and round between the barns through the tight gap first time. I'm happy with that with so long out of the seat.

There's a slight change of plan here, there's an 80 roller to load first followed by the 3t dumper.

All ready to go it's a nice drive up to Chipping on the A10 where there are some barn conversions underway. Driving my lorry again makes me realise how shagged out the unit is, I've got so much more torque and the gearbox is much more slick.

The dumper comes off here and the roller is moved across I've got some more bits to go on. Next on board alongside the roller is a 1.5t mini. There's a skiploader to go on next and a 2t mini to sit on the back. Whilst it's not exactly full, there's a bit of thought required to get it all inboard and that's something I've missed over the last 10 weeks.

We're off to Hatfield Broad Oak now and I need to unload everything but the 2 tonner on the back. Or at least I need to leave everything but there. The 2t machine is run off and dumped to one side.

Then I can unload the other bits before reloading the 2 tonner.

Once everything is squared away, it's back off to Felsted to get rid of the machine and then I'm off back to the yard stoppng on the way to check that the bunk is still operational. Back at the yard it's chaos with vans and plant everywhere, eventually I find a space and squeeze in. Off home at 1615. 171Km.

Tuesday
0645 Start. The yard was awash this morning andmy journey over to the JCB dealer in Braintree not much better. There was not much activity going on there until past 0800 and it was after 0830 before I'd got my load, a 3t 803 demonstrator. Although I can't ever see the rain stopping I shed the waterproofs and head off to Kent.

The weather improves as I head round the M25 and by the time I arrive at Strood it's not a bad day. I'm actually at Diggerland, although they won't let me play for free even though I've brought my own one.

Back up to Essex and into the yard. I get another run out in the afternoon, collecting our 1.5t mini from Hutton. It's back to the yard, unload and reload with a 6t machine for tomorrow. Off home 1645.

Wednesday
0645 Start. Off out to Blackmore near Ongar to deliver the Kobelco 60 that we'd loaded last night. It's a bit big for the job really but the sign for it and I head back to Danbury where I'm due to load from a construction company there. I'm just 2 minutes from where I need to be and I get a call to go back to the yard, luckily that's only 2 minutes away too.

They have now decided that the 60 is too big after all and I've now got to load the 1.5t mini and take it back to exchange it. Then it's back to the yard and pick up where I left off.

We're loading a load of Heras panels and bits, and I'm working with our other 6 wheeler today. Luckily he's only just arrived and is just unfolding the crane. Just after we finish loading the rain starts, dodged that well.

I lead our little convoy, but have to keep off the throttle a bit as I'm that bit quicker.

Surely we are not going that slow?

After a cuppa in the dry we head off across to Kent and down into West Sussex, we're delivering to a site in Horsham. Unloading is by crane and we have to take cover for another heavy rain storm.

All done and it's back to Essex. Finished 1615. Off till Monday.

Tin Rattling

2008-08-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well it's my blog and I can do what I want with it.

I'm doing a sponsored 20k cycle ride with my 9 year old lad on 14th September for the local hospice. If anyone would like to sponsor us we'd be extremely grateful.

http://www.justgiving.com/grahamandjack

Now I know it's cheeky as I don't actually know anyone reading this, but if you are a regular reader and enjoy the blog maybe you'll have a pound or two you could donate.

Thank's for reading this far and enjoy the blog.

Graham

4th - 8th August 2008

2008-08-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

No blog last week, I was a bit fed up with the whole work situation and doing some lengthy hours. I'd had enough of work by the time I got home.

Monday
0630 Start. I'm empty this morning as the last job Friday had been dropping off a machine at the JCB dealer in Braintree. It's off to Colchester this morning to collect a JS220 that I delivered to site on my first day on artic 9 weeks ago. Somewhat fitting perhaps as this is the first day of my last week.

The 220 is loaded up ready and it's off to Tiptree to the Wilkin & Sons jam factory there. It's not a bad site to go to and there's a nice strawberry aroma in the air. Better than the one you get on a building site when they empty the tardis toilets.

I've just finished unloading and I get a call through, I've got to go to Shoeburyness near Southend. We've got a pair of 14 tonners standing here that have just finished a job and one of them is to be collected and brought back to the yard. It's one of our Hyundai 140's and despite being nearly 3 years old it is almost as good as new. The driver is obsessive about it and removes his boots before getting in the cab, this driver is not so bothered and jumps in size 13 and all. It's on the trailer, secured and dragged back to the yard. There's some work going on refurbing or 'bullshitting' our Kobelco 60 in the yard. I lend a hand in part with that before heading for home at 1600. 171km

Tuesday.
0645 Start. There's nothing to do this morning so I catch up with some paperzzzzzzwork in the office. I'm alert enough to look bust when anyone comes nearby though. I get a little errand to do in the van and when I get back there's a move come in, it's a 6 wheeler job really but they are both out and I'm pleased of the work. I'm off to Tiptree to load an 8t machine at one of my regular spots.

It's not a place that's accessible to the artic, so it stays outside and the machine will have to come out. The keys have been left in the machine although it is actually the 10 tonner there rather than the 8 that is going.

It's off to Southend, it's not an ideal drop but doable and only blocks the traffic for a couple of minutes. I pack up just as the rain starts (makes a change) and head back. I get another job come through which is loading a 13t machine from Gt.Baddow.

As I wander on the site the driver is just getting the machine ready, by the time I've reversed into the site access he's there waiting. It's loaded on and we're off to North Fambridge to unload.

This could have been worse, it's a one road in and out place and a dead end at that. Luckily the place where I dropped the machine has just got enough space for a tight blindside and I'm off back to Danbury after a peaceful half hour on the way back.

1645 Finish.

Wednesday.
Nothing really doing today, a few van errands nothing worth commenting on.

Thursday.
0700 Start. Whilst I was running errands yesterday, the Hyundai 140 that I'd brought back in earlier in the week had been loaded ready for this morning. There was a breaker that had appeared alongside which also had to go, although piped up this machine has never actually had a breaker on it so the first job was to couple it up and test it. The hydraulic couplings took some persuading but eventually we get it sorted and I'm off out down to Chelmsford.

This machine has joined the ranks of the self drive machines and will probably incur more damage in the next 36 hours of use than it has done in the 3600 that it has worked to date.

Once offloaded I'm off to Stock to load another Hyundai 140 at a waste transfer station, this one is the updated version and is a demonstrator from the dealer. It's had a bit of a hammering whilst it's been working, we picked it up at 100 hours and now at 320 hours there's a few scrapes on it already. See what I mean about the other one.

The demonstrator is going back to Ernest Doe at Ulting, where I'm collecting another Hyundai 140.

The latest addition to the Danbury fleet is going to the driver who's just lost his old 140. If they keep him and machine together it'll look the same in 3 years time, only cleaner.

The demo machine comes off, the buckets stood to one side and the new goes on and the buckets join it on the trailer. It's then off back to the yard so it can be fuelled and loaded up with the drivers kit ready for work.

Not much else happening in the yard and off home at 1600.

Friday
0645 Start. Not a lot happening this morning, there's some errands to run and I spend some time decluttering the unit of my stuff. There's no work on for my 6 wheeler today so I use the time to move house and stow all my maps and tools back ready for Monday.

I get a little job to do, loading the new 140 (glad we took it off) and running it down to Boreham ready for the driver to start work on Monday. Back to the yard and I finish swapping my gear across. There's just a little run across to Braintree to load some bits ready for Monday. 1615 Finsh.

Well that's my 10 weeks on the artic done. Approx 2100t of plant moved, and 12500 Kms travelled.

21st - 25th July 2008

2008-07-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Monday
0630 Start. Week 8 on the artic, 3 more to go until I'm back to 6 wheels.
I'm loaded up ready this morning with a Doosan DX225 it's a 22 tonner and the widest one we've got being just shy of 11' wide.

It's this one here, taken last week when I collected it from another site.

Reversing out of the yard into the industrial estate is not usually too bad first thing, but some dick has parked a car opposite the gate right where the arse of the trailer needs to go. It's not that bad but you can see less than bugger all past the machine, luckily one of the others arrives and sees me out. I'm off to Langdon Hills near Basildon with this one, it's doing a job on a water main and has to be unloaded on the road.

Once I'm unloaded I need to call in at the compound for out duck which is there, unfortunately there's nowhere to turn so I have to carry on up to Laindon and loop around to get there. It's a good thing I didn't come that way though as the road is narrow and twisty and a squeee to get the empty trailer past other vehicles at times.

At the compound I have to help the driver modify a grab so it will fit the new machine and then we load the Volvo 18t duck.

It's back to the yard now to unload. There's no other actual work to do for me so I finish off stripping down an Escort van for usable spares, remove the wheels and drain the diesel ready for it's final journey to the scrapyard. There's a few bit's to move about in the yard and I all it a day at 1700.

Tuesday
0630 Start. I'm off down the road to the bosses house this morning to load one of the 2 of our machines I've never yet moved. It's only an 8t Hitachi ZX80 so it's amazing it's escaped me this long. It's got a regular driver attached to it and he's a top driver, really helpful and often getting put on long jobs as contractors don't want to let go of him. There's no sign of life and the gate is locked, it's a bit of an arse as I'm heading central London but it's getting to the time where it's better to wait a while.

At half seven he wanders out "Oh I didn't hear you"

There's also a dumper there to go back to the yard so I load that on too, to

a) save someone else doing it later
b) waste some more time and avoid some of the rush hour.

It's only a mile or so back to the yard to unload the dumper.

I'm out of the yard at 0830 with the ZX80 and off to Pimlico, thankfully the traffic is light and I get to the site just after 10 even after cutting through by City Airport to avoid the accident on the Canning Town flyover.

It's a switchover at Pimlico, the ZX off and a Volvo 140 on. The Volvo was destined for Woolwich but they've damaged the ram whilst it was on self drive and are returning it virtually empty of fuel so it's got to go back to the yard. An easy run back and I'm in the yard at 1230.

There's the usual shunting in the yard and I load our Komatsu duck ready for the morning. Then it's a turn round and drop the trailer before running the unit bobtail across to Truck East at Witham for overnight service. Finished at 1630

Wednesday
0630 Start. Off to Truck East to drop their car back and pick up the unit. I could get used to not having the trailer behind, those 420 horses are a bit more eager wihout. Back at the yard it's a simple job of conecting up the trailer and off I go, because I don't uncouple & recouple very often I'm paranoid the trailer is going to fall off. It didn't (or at least hasn't yet)

My first run is down to Belvedere in Kent to drop off the Komatsu duck right next to the Asda RDC.

It's a bit rammed with stuff here, there's 3 proper job lowloaders in front. Two of them are 8 leg units and the one at the front has got a 4 axle Nooteboom trailer with 2 axle dolly on it. I'm pushed from pillar to post trying to find someone to hand the duck over to but eventually I find someone and get unloaded.

The only way to turn around is to driver past all the big boys ahead and turn in a bellmouth just in front of them. Luckily I don't make an arse of myself and turn round perfectly.

Back to the yard now and the Volvo 140 I brought in yesterday is just being finished off and is ready to load. I'm off with this one to........................Belvedere in Kent, about a mile from where I've just been. It's an unconnected job for a demolition company at an old social club. Machine off and I'm off back to Essex.

I get passed on the way by an old VW camper, what caught my eye was the sticker that said Danbury Motorcaravans, I don't know of anywhere in Danbury that does that sort of thing. Then I noticed the reg WX54 ??? Eh?

A looky on the web at home, reveals it's a Brazilian import and a different Danbury.

Back at the real Danbury, there's a Hyundai 140 to load for tomorrow before scuttling off home at 1530

Thursday
0630 Start. Off to Southminster this morning, this makes a nice change as there's bugger all traffic down that way. On one side of the road it is residential, on the other just fields and it's going in the field. The field is firm enough so I drive on, round in a big loop and stop in the entrance to unload.

I pull out and have a quick cuppa before heading off to Pitsea for the next load. I'm loading a JCB JS130 down here at a country park, there's just the machine and not the dumper that it arrived with and I'm soon loaded along with the driver who is hitching a lift to the next job. We're going to a site down a little road between Hatfield Peverel and Witham, it's where it was previously and unloading involves blocking the road. We stop just short in a place so traffic can pass and unchain everything, it's then a quick shunt forward past the gate, ramps down, machine off, ramps up again and pull forward to sweep down and tidy up. Total delay about 3 minutes.

My next job is over at Southend Hospital, I'm due to load a 21t machine for a demolition contractor and I've been in and out with them before and know it's going to be a squeeze. The site appears shut and there's nowhere to stop so I trundle off round the corner (then some more) and ring the contact number. The guy on the phone is in Welwyn Garden City and no-one has told him they've booked us to move him.

I'm now told to run back over to Truck East at Witham, because they need to fit a new level plug to the gearbox. So back I go, it's about 2 miles from where I was earlier. Truck East are waiting for the part but it arrives as promised within 20 minutes. Changing it over takes well over an hour though as they have to cut notches in the old one to undo it. Next job is to drop the trailer in for service at Bicknacre, there's no point unhooking it and taking the unit away as I've got nothing else to pull and I don't think he's got a unit there. I'm given a G reg Escort van to get me back to the yard. Nothing doing here so I make the most of the weather and have an early 1430 day.

Friday
0630 Start. Just a quick call at the yard to collect my paperwork and switch to the old van for the run to Bicknacre to collect the truck. First call is Runwell Hospital at Wickford, it's an old mental hospital apparently once the home of the largest collection of preserved human brains.

I'm here early and there's already a load of wagons waiting to get in and unload at the site. I sneak past a load of McBurneys that are carrying concrete staircases and will need the mobile crane that's at the front. I'm only waiting behind a block wagon. The gates open around 8 and I back in behind the block wagon next to the compound. I'm loading a Hitachi ZX210 21 tonner.

Here's a video of me loading it.

With that loaded and secured I'm off to another hospital rebuild over at Braintree, it's a simple switch over job the ZX210 comes off and is replaced by an older ZX200.

I'm not sure the logic behind it but this one is going back to Runwell. This time I'm not so lucky with the queue and have to wait nearly an hour to get in.

Here's it coming off, obviously there's a couple of minutes to knock the chains off and a couple more folding up the trailer but I can unload in about 5 minutes.

It's now back to the yard, where there's not much else happening. I'm done and off home at 1430.

Friday 18th July 2008

2008-07-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit slack this week with only one load a day going out, mostly places I've covered previously so I won't bother. I got a yellow box fine come through from last week's Brixton run, but it's only he very rear of the trailer and hopefully I'll get off and not have to pay the £120 fine.

Friday.
0630 Start. I'm all loaded ready this morning, I'd picked up a Hitachi ZX130 from Eltham yesterday afternoon and was due to deliver this morning near Watford before coming back to Braintree for a telehandler to go to Farnborough. I'd thought this daft an arranged for one of te 6 wheelers to bring the telehandler to the yard, so when I got in on Thursday I loaded it at the front and tucked the machine on the back.

I'm out of the yard promptish and along towards Watford, it's actually Leavesden which isn't so bad and amazingly the traffic is light and I hit the site at 0750. The groundworkers are not going to be in until 10 but there is a security guy there and I'm to back in and tip off the ZX130.

At 0820 I'm done and even had a brew and off along the little spur of the M25 and fearing the worst around the M4 turn. A few 50 limits on the variable speeds and a 40 at one point but steady traffic all the way to J4 on the M3. There's a fair bit of traffic here but it is 0900 and I just plod along following the signs for Airshow with the lorry symbol on. The airfield is always on the left and I reckon it must be about 10 miles before I arrive at Gate A, which I suspect is very close to where I started the mystery tour. I'm delivering a brand new JCB 535-125 and it dawns on me that I've got no paperwork for it.

It doesn't matter, I just tell them I'm going to ETPS road (yes really) and they point me in the direction of the plant compound. There's a forklift wagon just coming out and I pull in when he's gone, I reckon he'd just dropped a few of these.

I'm done by 10 and out of the gate turning left and arriving half a mile later at the start of the freight route. The plan was now to head back to Essex, grab some diesel on the way and get a decent break in on the A12 somewhere. Now the mistake here was making a plan because at 1030 I'm on the M25 closeish to the M40 when the engine dies and I coast to a stop on the hard shoulder.

When I read empty I actually mean 200 litres.

The fuel gauge is empty but I know for a fact I've got plenty left, well plenty in the right tank and none in the left where the feed is. The tanks are not balancing properly / at all and I've drained the small tank about 15 miles short of the Shell garage at St.Albans. I suspect I'm in for a bollocking and call in to report, surprisingly the boss is OK about it and arranges for Scania Assist to well err...assist. They ring me and tell me it could be 2 hours.....I'm going to get a break just not quite as planned.

I get a visit from the HATO's who take my number and promise to check on me later, the Scania man arrives at 1200 and crawls underneath and annouces that the isolator taps are almost shut. It would appear I've drained the tank quicker than the big one can replenish it. The fuel starts to flow through and before long we get the engine running on about 4 cylinders and gradually back on to all 6 without bleeding. I'm on my way at 1230 just as the HATO's ring me, at least they keep their promise. There's now some big incident between J23-J21 so I peel off and skirt round through Watford and get to the Shell garage near St.Albans. 309 litres later (That's 191 litres on board) and I'm off to complete the rest of the journey. As I come down the A12 I'm passed by another plant wagon, he was alongside in the traffic before I left the M25. It was a good route choice as I'd stopped at the garage for about 20 minutes.

Back at the yard I loaded our Doosan 225 ready for Monday and was given more bad news, I'm being reported for failure to stop after an accident with a Smart car (that I knew nothing about) in central London.

Oh the joys of this job.

I'll post some pictures later but can't be bothered right now.

Thanks

2008-07-11T14:53:00.002-07:00

At the start of the year I was finding maintaining this blog a bit of a chore and gave it a bit of a rest, I had a few emails and PM's and I decided that maybe it was worth persevering with. I added a counter on 30th Jan and I'm amazed to see it's ticked past 5000 hits.

It's nice to get comments, emails and questions but it's amazing to see those sorts of numbers.

So thanks for reading.

7th - 11th July 2008

2008-07-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Monday
0600 Start. In for an early one, off to Corringham with a 21 tonner and a dumper. It's a wide load job so I want to get there before the traffic gets too bad.

I park outside the job although I think I might be overweight for the carpark. And who uses cwt nowadays?

I'm just in the throes of unloading when a bloke appears and opens the gate, I'm able to track straight in and get the machines signed off.

I'm now wet as it's chucking it down with rain, that's the way it's going to be today. On/Off all day. Back to the yard now and I load our Kobelco 60 up on top, it's a bit of a squeeze but I need it up there as I'm off to near Braintree now to load a Hyundai 130.

They both fit on the trailer quite well together, no roller today though as that's got one last trip to make and it ain't going on my wagon.

I'm off to Kent, to Gillingham at a park just through the Medway Tunnel. Surprise surprise it's lashing down with rain as I unload and then it stops when I've finished. I decide to take a break here as it's quiet and I'm out of the way and I need the time for the next part of my adventure.

Before I stopped I gingerly brought the Kobelco down which was a bit hairy as the tracks aren't very grippy but the ramps are quite slippy. It's now on the ground floor and at 1230 we set off up the A2 heading for Brixton. It's a crap site at Brixton awkward to get to and nigh on impossible to get away from. You cannot turn round and the way out is through residential roads with cars parked either side. It wasn't too bad a couple of weeks ago with an empty trailer but today I'm collecting our Volvo 140 and that overhangs the trailer. I get an earful of abuse from a resident on my way out but he's not being unereasonable and calms down when I agree with him about how ridicoulous it is. I later discover that whilst negotiating a path out I broke a light on a van belonging to someone on site. Funny how they noticed that but didn't bother to send anyone to help me get out. According to the resident bloke there's numerous trucks coming and going to the site (it's a school rebuild) and plenty of damage.

It takes me about 20 minutes to get away from the site and to the main road heading in the right direction. This is not helped by having to make a right turn and go all the way around Tulse Hill before heading back towards Brixton as the left was impossible thanks to a traffic island. In fact it takes me just a little longer than that to get to my next destination which is a school in Pimlico where the machine is headed. Thankfully it's a much wider road and getting the trailer backed in and the machine off is far less eventful. Off out and away by 1530, I've now got outbound traffic and torrebtial rain but I get back to the yard about 1715. 60t plant moved. 371Km

Tuesday.
0645 Start. The working starts in the yard this morning, loading up a Hyundai 140. It's only a short hop across to a waste transfer station at Stock where it's tipped off and I've then got some time to kill before the next job.

Which is at Boreham, there's a 25 tonner there to load. I'm half way through backing in when I hear sirens, so I abandon the attempt and pull out of the way to let a police car through. Second time around I get in the gate and there's untold amount of traffic on the main road now.

The machine is ready and on it goes. It's a big old bugger this one at 3.4m wide.

It's not going far though, just back to it's yard at Witham.

My next job is over at Harlow, collecting a demolition companies 21t Komatsu. The bloke is not there when I arrive so I settle in with a cuppa but he's not long before he arrives. It's nice and simple this one, just a single bucket with a grab inside. It's still a wide load, but just over 10' this time.

This one is going back to Maldon, it's an awkward place it's going to. Reverse into a side street and unload in the road. There's just a tiny space for the machine to be parked underneath some cables but I manage so safely bank the driver in. All done I head back to the yard to dodge the rain. There's a 5t Yanmar to load for tomorrow and I'm given some bad news. In fact it's worse than that it's very bad news. No redundacy or death in the family but almost as bad - I'm going back to Brixton tomorrow to do exactly the reverse of yesterday.

Wednesday
0630 Start. Just a little load first off, the 5t Yanmar off to Kelvedon. It's going to one of our big customers who has several of our machine on hire, it's replacing someone elses Fiat Kobelco E135 which is also on hire to them.

They're paying for the move and the 13 tonner goes on next, it's going to Great Baddow and it's replacing one of our Hyundai 140's. It does get confusing but I just do what I'm told (well most of the time)

It's pissing down rain and we have to swap the machines on the main road as the trailer will block the entrance to the site which is now partly lived on. As usual there's no bugger about to help load or act as a banker, but the driver off the 135 is a top bloke and switches the machine whilst I dodge about keeping him away from the overhead cables and keeping the cars back whilst he negioates the slippery ramps.

I'm now set to go to Brixton and in no hurry to do so, stopping on the A12 for an extended tea break to prolong the agony. In the end I get going and decide to go direct, through the city to Vauxhall Bridge rather than mess about in South London. It's £8 for the congestion charge but a saving of £5.80 on the Dartford.

I arrive at the site at Brixton, and they start flapping. Oh you night end up taking it back yet, there's a big hold blocking the other one in.

I reply that I don't give a toss, and the 140's coming off regardless. Whether or not they can get the little Kobelco out is no odds to me, I'll happily leave it there. They had one of our 6 wheelers here yesterday to swap it for an 8 tonner but changed their mind and decided they wanted a 140 back. There's NO way I'm coming back tomorrow because they've changed their mind again. Funnily enough they manage to get the Kobelco out. I decide to wander up the road and see if I can get out today, it's a bit clearer and with only 4 axles on the ground today it's a bit easier.

I head back across the river and get as far as the A12 before stopping for a well earned session on the bunk. Back to the yard there's one to load, our Volvo 18t duck with a grab. The grab goes on the top and the rest as usual.

Finished at 1630. 39t plant moved. 214Km.

Thursday
0630 Start. All loaded ready with the duck and grab from yesterday I've got the added bonus of no rain today. I'm off to a golf course between Horndon on the Hill and Basildon, there's a low bridge enroute so it's the long way round to get there. One of our drivers is there waiting and we unload the machine and then lift the grab off.

Next job is over at Fingringhoe on the river just by Colchester, it's an aggregate company there down an improbable lane that ends at an unlikely looking farm. Fair enough it is called Ballast Quay Road but it still seemed dubious. Venturing through the farm some more the conveyors become visible and I'm in th eright place. Unusually all the material goes out by boat to London which is why the lane seems unlikely. I'm loading a 456 here, that's a JCB 456 not a Ferrari by the way. It's a bloody great shovel, one of the few things I've never yet moved. It's not in a good way it's losing a fair bit of hydraulic oil and it's going back to a JCB depot for the engine to come out. It's still workable though, good job as it weighs 21t. On it goes and it's a tidy load, about 9' wide so no need for markers or flashy lights.

It was destined for Braintree but they've dodged it and offloaded the repairs to Wrotham in Kent, so I've got a nice little jolly down the M20. At Greenshields they only knew they were getting a machine palmed off from Braintree, they're less than impressed to find out they've got to get the engine out and axles off. I leave it in their yard and trundle off round the corner for a break.

There's nothing else for me now, but one of other drivers called earlier as he'd not managed to get 2x 10t dumpers on a 6 wheeler. I offer as it's only at Woodford and I can blast up through the Blackwall Tunnel to get there.

I'm back to Chelmsford with the dumoer to drop it at Jovic plant, a place where our regular 'number 1' driver avoids like the plague. It's a bit of a faff getting in but even for a crap driver like me it's not too bad. Tip the dumper and back to the yard. Finished at 1700. 45t plant moved. 397Km

Friday
0630 Start. Off this morning to near Ongar, it's a silly little move from a waste transfer station to the green waste station about a mile down the road. It's a Hyundai 180 nice and simple, no additional buckets and completed in about 15 minutes.

The next job is is in Chigwell but apparently not ready until lunchtime-ish, there's no point in going back to the yard as I'm half way there so I unclip the top bunk and stretch out. It's getting on towards 10.00 and I'm getting restless, I'm just about to get going over to Harlow to top the tanks off when I get a call saying the machine is ready. I go over via Harlow anyway and then blast down the M11.

The job is just off Chingford High Street in a side road, it's a reverse in job and tight as you like. I'm several shunts in when an unmarked police car comes screaming along with blues and two's. It'd take longer to get back out so I calmly continue and get backed in out of the way. I'm loading a JS130 here but it's got to be a quick one as nothing can in or out and the numpties are starting to block the High Street rather than wait a little further along.

I'm out shortly after and off to Dunton near Basildon to offload. It's job done then and back to the yard for about 1230. The yard is quite clear so I decide to get the trailer down on the wash and try and clear it off some. When it's done, I park the trailer, drop it and give the unit a wash down. Recoupling takes some brain power (it's only the 2nd time in 6 weeks) Well that's done now, no doubt pointless as it'll doubtless rain again and I'll get sent somewhere messy.

Before long "What's the latest you could collect a shovel in Tiptree to come back to Danbury?"

So at 1500 I'm taking the nice clean trailer out in the rain to a quarry in Tiptree, where I'm loading this dirty great big shovel.

It's a bit bigger than the 456, certainly wider although a little lighter. Although there's no width limit on the road back to Rivenhall there's a narrow hump back bridge there which is single lane only. I guess it's been there some time and scooping the side walls up with the shovel bucket would earn me no friends. It's back to Danbury via Maldon. Into the quarry there, a quick unload and off up the hill to the yard. Finished at 1700. 50t plant moved 197Km.

30th June - 4th July 2008

2008-07-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've been busy at home this week so not much blogging opportunity.

Monday.
The trailer was still loaded from Saturday, the FK215 that I brought back from Marylebone had to be unloaded. There was not a huge amount doing so I trundled off to the tyre depot for 2 more new ones on the trailer and one on the unit. I also took a couple of old rims from the yard and some part worn tyres from replacing them in pairs and had a couple more made up as spares to keep in the yard to get us out of trouble. (one of which got used the next day on my 6 wheeler)

There was a Volvo 140 to go out to Chelmsford to the canal that turned out to be a horrendous place and involved plenty of shunting to try and turn round. The unit got stuck and we had to use the machine to pull it to a firmer surface to regain traction.

Tuesday.
I'm sure I did something first but I can't recall what it was, but after doing that (or not) (Just remembered it was a JS130 & dumper from Witham to Pitsea) it was off to Woodford to drop off a JS220 and collect a crosshired JCB 8t machine. Then it was off to Volvo at Duxford where one of our 140's has had a new engine fitted. The JCB goes up in the world and sits up top whilst the 140 stays on the ground floor.

Back to the yard, unload the pair and reload the Volvo.

Wednesday.
In early at 0515 as I'm off to the Palace (well Palace St. SW1) the driver follows me in throws his gear in the machine and makes his own way there via the tube at Newbury Park. I'm on site just after 0700 and he's about a minute behind. Machine offloaded at 0745 and off I go outbound past all the queuing traffic trying to get in. Glad I'm early as the fuel protestors were ar Parliment sq. later. Call in at Walthamstow later to drop a spare set of keys to one of our drivers who has lost his. Back to the yard until early afternoon. Off to Witham to load a Komatsu 20 tonner it's off to South Ockendon and has to be unloaded in the road during the afternoon school run time and takes forever as there are lots of overhead cables to avoid.

Thursday
0645 Start. Back to Witham this morning to collect the demolition company's other Komatsu 210 this one's going to Harlow and I'm promised it's a better site than yesterday. It is but there are no end of people who will insist on driving up behind me whilst I reverse into the side road and then get irate because they have to move.

The demolition bloke is having a bad day, he's just backed his smart Hilux into a concrete post and bent his bumper and then the machine won't fit through the site gate. I'm sure the gate would have been gone shortly after I went. I'm off to Braintree now to load a fuel bowser, it's a poxy place to load very awkward to get into thanks to all the cars parked opposite and very narrow bellmouth. I try but decide without an extra pair of hands not to bother as we can lift the bowser on if I stay on the road.

The bowser goes on and is secured, it's a wheeled job (unbraked) and it moves everytime I try to leave. Eventually after adding more and more straps it stays put and I head up the M11 for the next collection.

They are building a new park & ride and I'm collecing a wheeled digger from there, it's an odd one ex. Army Hydrema.

Army Digger.........................be the best.

On it goes and once they've loaded the forks for it too I'm off and heading for a site somewhere on the road between Eye and Spalding. I get to Cambridge services and stop for lunch. The place is packed and I have to reverse park between a couple of wagons, suddenly reversing is a lot harder and is completed with a fair few shunts.

Whilst I'm here I get a call from the customer telling me to call at the their Stanground site in Peterborough (where I'm loading later) to collect a Rammax roller and he'll meet me there and lead me to the site. This is typical of this company, leave no floor boards showing and don't give you an address. Luckily it's not a massive detour to collect the Rammax and there's just enough space on the back to put it.

We set off in convoy with me trying to keep up with him in his Jeep Wrangler, eventually we get into Lincolnshire (it's now past 1430) and he turns off onto what looks to be the start of a new road. It's a wide sandy road that luckily has been compacted. There's a big ditch been dug for a pipeline and the road crosses it, he goes across and waves me through, unsurprisingly the unit stops on the crossing. It's my fault obviously for not going fast enough and I'll be able to get free once I've unloaded. Righty-O then.

The Rammax comes off slideways, the Hydrema gets unloaded and the bowser unstrapped. They track a 210 over to lift the bowser off and I discover that they only put the cossing in this morning and haven't compacted it yet. Once I'm unloaded I'm still stuck (really?) and get a helping hand from the 210. I now turn myself around for another go. There's a couple of 8 leg tippers waiting and even they struggle to get through. I get so far but get stuck again, this time I get a tow out with the Hydrema.

By now I'm right pissed off and just want to head home but it's back to Stanground where I've got to load trench boxes. I hate these bloody things, everything has to be moved off the trailer and every strap gets used to secure them. Left the site at 1615 and finally arrived back at our yard at 1845.

Friday
0630 Start. A little repair job to start with, the indicator cluster on the unit got smashed the other day when it was parked in Westminster. I've got a new one to fit but the bit it screws into is also damaged. One screw and some gaffer tape then.

It's off to Braintree to get rid of the boxes from last night. As it's early I'm able to reverse into their yard, there's a woman in a Fiesta waiting patiently whilst I shunt back and forwards to get in the narrow gateway. When I'm in she parks almost opposite in the exact space I just used to get in. Luckily I got the trailer out past her car, but there was a stretch of road 100 yards long she could have parked in.

The boxes are unloaded and everything replaced in it's usual place on the trailer floor. I'm out of there and off down to Maldon to load. I've got a pair of Hydrema dumpers to load, I'm informed that they weren't supposed to be available until 1000 but there's one ready. It's almost brand new with just 100 hours on the clock.

It's backed carefully onto the trailer, they're odd things being artic steer with you sitting forward of the pivot. They have rear view cameras but the mirrors are more useful. Better still is the non H&S approach of peering out of the rear hinged door to see what the rear wheels are doing.

It gets loaded half and half on the swan neck.

The other one is ready just after I've chained the first one and that goes on forwards as it's easier to see how close they are.

And then I'm done, and that's a tidy load I reckon.

I've a nice little ride now off to a landfill site near Beccles, it's a glorious day and I head up the A140 and cut across towards Lowestoft. It's an easy route, not too much chopping and changing speed limits and few roundabouts. At the landfill they are unloaded and signed off and I'm off on my way back to Essex. I like to vary things slightly so I take the Blythburgh road and pick up the A12 back towards Ipswich. It's a nice road but there's lot's of different speed limits and it'd soon become tedious if a regular run.

I'm on my way down the A12 from Ipswich when I get a call to go to Hutton to collect a Hyundai 140. It's a horrible little site on a private estate and lot's of curtain twitchers there.

Lot's of people itching to complain about everything down here.

It's on, it's 1615 and time to head back to the yard. Back to the yard at 1700, 140 off and replaced by a dumper and a 21 tonner ready to go on Monday. Home at 1730.

23rd - 27th June 2008

2008-06-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

Monday 23rd June
0700 Start. No rush this morning as there's nothing on until a 1000 collection, after a bit of fiddling about there's a later job that I can bring forward.

It's only a short job and barely worth taking the wagon out of the yard for, it's only down the hill at the quarry and it's our Volvo EW180 duck that could be driven back on the road. Still it's good practice loading the mechanical monstrosity as they're a bit awkward.

There's not loads of space out of the way down at the quarry and to get off the haul road the unit has to be jacked round.

The Volvo is returned to the yard, refuelled and offloaded. Once I'm done it's time to trundle off down to Harold Wood to do a reverse of a move I did last week.
There's a demolition company Komatsu 2o tonner there to go to Southend, it's at a school and has to be loaded on the road at the rear of the school. It's on and secured esy enough and I'm off to Southend Hospital with it. I'm thinking that not being rush hour might make it easier to deliver than when I was here last. I'm wrong obviously. There are now lots of blue badge disabled drivers parked on the double yellows opposite parked cars which means plenty of wing mirror folding but I get through and we switch the 20tonner with one of our JS220 machines to go back to the yard.

Back at the yard there's a chance to grab our fitter and get him to weld the plating down on the ramps where it has started to lift and manufacture some new blocks to support the rear of the trailer when loading / unloading. Somehow the clock had rolled around to 1700 by the time I went home. 117Km. 61t plant moved.

Tuesday 24th June
0645 Start. Nothing on till lunch today so I grab the chance to pull the trailer down the end of the yard and steam it and the unit down. I've just finished when I get an errand job to do in the van, collecting parts for one of our machines.

By the time I'm back it's time to go down to Maldon where I'm loading a JS130 for a groundworker, it's off to Abridge to replace one of ours there. I'm loading that one back, it's one of our Hyundai 140's and back at the yard there's some work to do on it before it can go out again tomorrow. Refuel & clean down, replace broken mirror and the fitter has some panel beating to do to one of the engine cover doors. It's all done on the trailer and it stays on ready for the morning. Finished 1645. 98Km.
27t today.

Wednesday 25th June
0630 Start. Off this morning down to Brentwood with the Hyundai 140 from last night, it's only a short job and our driver is ready and waiting when I arrive. It's soon off and I make my way across to Billericay where I'm loading at a farm there. First thing to load is a little farm type tipping trailer which they back up onto the swan neck so it's out of the way. I'm shown the machine that is going on, it's an old Fiat Hitachi FH130. It's seen some action that's for sure and someone at some point has removed the track levers leaving only the foot pedals to control the tracks. It also didn't want to do much unless given virtually full throttle and when it did move it lurched into action. Nevertheless it went on safely and was chained down as usual.

It's nice to go to different places and this one is going to Eridge in East Sussex, OK so it's not that different and I've been in that area plenty before it's been a few months since I was last that way and it's a nice part of the world. The machine is going to a farm there and gets mixed reaction from the two South African blokes working there. When I say mixed reaction it was more like "WTF has that numpty bought now?" I tracked the machine the off and gave them the task of removing the trailer with a tractor. I haven't got much of a clue when it comes to tractors but these guys were clearly no better and it took them several goes at reversing it along the trailer. Eventually we got it off and I'm off back through Tunbridge Wells and along the scenic route to Ebbsfleet to collect some plant by the International station.

There's a 3t and a Hyundai 130, the 130 is the predecessor to the 140's that I'm always moving and needs to be carefully chained to keep within the width for the Dartford Tunnel.

I decide to let them measure the load first today and pull in at the tunnel control rather than get turned around again. Today the story was "Well how wide is it? Did they escort you last time? No, well why haven't you gone straight through?" Honestly you can't win.

Once through the tunnel it's across to Cressing to unload at the customers yard, our 6 wheeler is there just finishing unloading and the driver lends a hand. Whilst I'm there I learn that the guy driving my usual truck has had an accident and has been taken to hospital. He'd loaded a machine and seemingly got hit in the face by a chain tensioner, the blokes on site found him on the floor sparked out. No one knows how long he was down for and he was carted off by ambulance. Initial reports suggest that he is OK but hurting like hell.

Back at the yard we reorganise tomorrows work so we can get the other lorry back, and advise the boss about a method statement for loading as requested by the HSE. Finished 1700. 299Km. 47t plant moved.

Thursday 26th June.
0630 Start. I'm off to Takeley first thing but in a works van that I'd taken home, I've got to collect my 6 wheeler from where the accident happened yesterday. Lucilky our fitter lives just next door to the site and he'd parked it at his house overnight. The van gets dumped and I head off with the Yanmar 8t machine that he started to load. It's nearly a month since I last drove this and it's quite nice to get it back, those 420 horses feel much more eager in this. Loaded as I am it's a similar weight to the unit and trailer empty, obviously the trailer is dragging 8 wheels (not me!) when empty but there's still a world of difference.

I'm off down to Harold Wood to deliver the Yanmar to a school, it's the one where I was earlier in the week with the demolition machine. The blokes here are the same guys who found the driver and they're concerned about his well being, apparently they thought he'd had a heart attack.

Once I'm done it's back to the yard for a swapover back to the artic, I'm off down to Southend where I've got another Hyundai 140 to load at a school there. It's well buried and getting it out will be a tricky affair, the groundworkers have no driver on site but I refuse to get it out as there are trenches beside it and overhead cables that have to be squeezed under. I think they realise that I'll leave without it and they bring it out to me on the road but bottle putting it on. That's no bother and it's soon on board.

Back to our yard now and I collect one of our blokes now, the machine is going back to the groundworkers farm and you have to unload on the lane outside. It's only down the road at Purleigh and no sooner than the ramps are lowered there's one guy there in a dumper for thebuckets and another to track the machine back. With that taken care of it's over to Brentwood to collect the Hyundai 140 that I delivered yesterday morning. This is another tricky one, right outside Sainsbury's delivery gate on a busy road and with overhead wires for good measure. There's a couple of so called "banksmen" who stop the traffic whilst the machine comes out but they let the traffic pass whilst the machine is going up the ramps, I always hold the traffic back until it's level just to be safe. The pair of numpties then bugger off to get brushes to sweep the road rather than see the driver round when he swivels the machine round.

Back to the yard and some bits and pieces to do there before leaving at 1630. 238Km today. 36t plant moved.

Friday 27th June
0630 Start. Off down to Basildon this morning to load up at a school there. The address is The Pioneer School, Ghyllgrove. On the map there are 2 Pioneer schools in the Ghyllgrove area but after going to both I can see no sign of building work or heavy plant. There is also a road called Ghyllgrove which has another school on it with a different name, it turns out to be the one I want.

The customer wants to try and move a JCB JS130, a 6t dumper and a Cat 120 roller, the dumper has got a fixed rollover bar and will be too high sitting completely up the top so the front wheels are bumped up and the rears are left on the lower deck against the step. The JS goes on next and the Cat roller is lifted on with a 20 tooner so it's sitting crossways against the headboard. It's a tidy bit of loading but unfortunately it was no getting chockablock with school traffic so I didn't get a pic.

This little lot was destined for Mill Hill, NW7 down a very narrow crescent that was off a narrow road itself. They were private roads and full of people who really didn't want this stuff coming down their road. We were able to placate them enough to get the 130 and dumper off and set about dragging the roller round with the machine. Everything had to be cleared off the trailer so the roller could be driven off and it nearly made a bid for freedom when it came down the ramps from the swan neck. Slideways. It stopped with me just about to bail out over the side.

Once the trailer was clear I threw everything back on and set too about reversing out of this hellhole before parking just up the road to put things straight again.

The next job was back at the yard which meant a detour to get around the M25/A12 junction as it was closed. I load a Hyundai 140 and borrow the driver who helped me out yesterday. I don't really need him but it'll be handy and it get's him out of the yard where there's nothing doing anyway.

The 140 goes off to Walthamstow and whilst he tracks into site I get ready to go so he can bank me out again, once we're clear we head back to Stock to collect a Volvo 140 that I delivered on my 2nd day on this. It was a horrendous place but I'm confidant that the last month will make this collection easier. I'm wrong obviously. I'm happy that there's no traffic behind as we approach the road that I need to reverse down, but that goes to pot when I discover a bloke in a 6 wheeler trying to line up with the improbably narrow gap between two buildings. The traffic is now horrendous and it takes some time before it's clear enough for me to reverse. It's about quarter of a mile reverse down to the site all the way down a very narrow road. A couple of times I have to shunt to let someone past and there's some complex shunting to get the 6 wheeler out with his machine and me back in to get mine. Eventually we get it loaded and drop it back at the yard. Finished at 1700. 47t Plant.

Saturday 28th June
0600 Start. I'm at the yard early and meet up with another of our machine drivers we're off to Marylebone to collect the 21tonner I delivered here last week. We're out the yard at 0615 and on site at 0740 and having a brew. At 0815 the guard opens the gate and we can fire up the machine and get it out and loaded. By 0840 we're good to go and I start the tricky reverse out of the narrow street past the awkwardly parked Merc, cut the corner across the pavement to miss the cars parked opposite and hopefully escape. It's a bit tricky at over 11' wide and a blindside to boot and I'm relying on my driver to act as a banksman on the N/S. The trailer headboard starts to touch the hoarding on the O/S so I shunt forward slightly and BANG, the N/S outer tyre on the trailers first axle exploded and ripped itself apart. I pull forward and report the bad news to the boss. I decide that as time goes on the space we have available will likely disappear so the best thing is to back out now and park up. We pack the kerb with timbers and after some mega tight reversing I get out of the side road, there's now traffic backed up behind so I drag the trailer onto Marylebone High Street and back on a parrallel road to await a tyre fitter.

Eventually at 1030 a Spaniard turns up and sets about jacking the trailer, there's no sign of an air wrench, only tyre levers and before long he's leverring the tyre off the rim as is. I take my hat off to the guy to change a trailer tyre whilst it's still on the rim, especially being a little 17.5 tyre on a lowloader trailer (with a 20 tonner above him) and having to crawl underneath and break the bead on the back whilst working round the inner tyre. By 1100 we're on our way hoping that the MET Police will let us bend the rules of our wide load permit (Midnight - 1000) due to exceptional circumstances. We're routed out A41 and have to contend with traffic at Lords and some crappy roadworks at Hampstead that are causing chaos. We get back to the yard at 1300 and park up and clear off home.

16th - 20th June 2008

2008-06-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Monday 16th June
0630 Start. Today should be OK, I'd been asked to do some on Saturday but they rearranged my days work so that I didn't need to. Ideally I'd have started earlier but the first job is down at Corringham, right next to some flats and opposite some houses in the town centre of sorts.

First thing to load is a 6t dumper, it's headed back to the yard but it'll be a long time before it gets there. Even up on the top deck it's not entirely out of the way, as there's a 22 tonne JS220 to ride along with it.

We're off to Southend Hospital, this being the job that I'd have ideally done on Saturday. It's about 0830 when I get near to the Hospital and there's rush hour and school run traffic to contend with. Just before I reach the site there's adisabled badge holder parked on double yellows right opposite other parked cars. I'm running at almost 11' wide and folding the wing mirrors still isn't enough, off come the chains and dogs and I can just squeeze through. The JS is off loaded and replaced by another 20t machine, this one belongs to a demolition contractor and has got buckets and a hydraulic grab fitted.

I thread my way out of Southend and head off down to a school at Harold Wood. There's plenty of room in the playground to turn around I'm told and this is true, it's just getting between the parked cars that's tricky. And it actually needs to be in a different road behind the school.

The machine comes off and I'm left with the dumper, and quite a lot of mud and crushed hardcore from the machines. My next job is a collection on the other side at Eltham, it's an awkward site but I reverse in without drama and the guy is ready to load his Hitachi ZX180 18t machine and umpteen buckets.

There's a bit of discussion about the best route to Watford, there's problems on the anticlock M25, the Blackwall is too low and the Woolwich is only running 1 boat. I decide to go Clockwise on the M25 and pull out of the site. At this point the landing legs on the trailer land and I'm almost bellied out. Full height on the unit and trailer and a helping of difflock gets me out eventually with no damage.

It's a long slog round via Heathrow, but it's constant running plus I don't need to stop at the Tunnel Control so they can umm and arr about whether the 9'6" machine plus about an inch of chain is or is not worth a £42 escort.

Round at J19 it's a simple place to find, an old pub at Leavesde, there's a big concrete block in the gateway but I pull alongside and the driver scoots it out of the way. Once I get in I'm able to unload the 180 and also the dumper as my colleague is on his way with an oasis unit.

I stop on break and watch the machine working away behind me.

When I leave the signs are not massively informative and I end up following the sign for St.Albans which takes down a road it decides is Unsuitable for HGV, after you've commited to using it. Unfortunately when it gets narrow I'm confronted with a car driving lady who won't budge as I shouldn't be there, she's also got anothe local expert behind who claims I'll never get through. I decide that I'd better reverse back about 1/4 mile and let them pass before deciding what to do. Once they're clear I consult the map and discover a side road that is unmarked leads me almost to the M25 but none of the locals had actually bothered to tell me that. I make clean my escape and head back to Essex.

I'd tried for fuel at the Shell garage by J21a but there was none so I forced to stop at BP at Boreham where they now have a mini M&S food shop there as well. Another reason why I'll continue to avoid it. It's 1600 and I'm pushing for time now, down to Ernest Doe at Ulting, we're borrowing, hiring or trying a demonstator Hyundai 140 as we've got none available.

It's quickly loaded and I belt down to Stock to swap it over at a waste transfer station for our Fiat-Kobelco 215 that I delivered here last week. Finally back to the yard for a finish around 1800.

11.5 hours, 416Km, approx 100 tonnes of plant moved today.

Tuesday 17th June
0500 Start. It's too early, I've done my share of earlies in the past but it's got to be done.

I've got the FK 215 on from yesterday and it's going to London, our wide load authorisation is only for midnight - 0700 so it means an early start.

A quick check of the marker boards and tail light in addition to the usual checks and I'm off out about ten past. I'm heading for Marylebone and I'd filed a route to take me in through Finsbury Park but the Met have altered it and given me a route of M11 / A406 / A41 neater on the map but the NCR round that bit is two lane / three lane / one lane at one point and it's full of lights. At least early morning it's not any bother. The A41 is clear too and I head down Baker Street, across Marylebone Road and turn into Blandford Street which is nice and wide.

It's only 0630 so it's not too busy, the site entrance is round the corner so I park up and get out on foot for a looksee.

I've got to turn into the side road.

I'm now stuck between a rock and a hard place, the wide load can't be moved after 0700 and the machine can't be started until 0800 as there is a restriction on the site hours so I settle down and wait. At 0800 our driver appears and I pull round the corner so we can unload when he's been inducted. Once I'm unloaded there's a very narrow gap to get through and an awkward corner but I get back onto Marylebone High St. and pick up my planned route out. This goes out of the window with a left turn with a traffic island round the corner so I end up trying to keep one eye on the A-Z whilst threading myself through the streets towards Marylebone Road. It's a no right turn when I do get there but I'm able to skirt the top of Regents Park into Camden and out via Finsbury Park.

It's back to the yard now to load a Hyundai 140, this one's going to Pimlico. It's only a 14t machine so no special rules apply here. A quick trip along the Embankment as far as Vauxhall Bridge and I'm virtually there. It's an easy drop to do, in and out without too much fuss and I'm heading out at 1330. That's all the planned work for today but as I'm getting on well I roll one of tomorrow's job forward and head down to Witham which I make in record time (1.5hrs)

It's a big machine here, 25t of Fiat-Hitachi and a very wide too.

Once I'm loaded it's only a short hop down the road to a site in Boreham, it's a reverse in off the road job, which is a bit daunting at 3.4m wide but it went in OK.

I'm just about to leave and I get a call telling me that the unit is booked for service at Truck East, Witham tonight. Normally the driver drops the trailer in the yard but as I'm half way there I don't bother and decide to leave it in their yard.

Now this made my brain work some, I've not uncoupled a trailer since passing my test but remembering the Black routine helped me out.

Swapped the unit for their parts van and off home via work to collect paperwork for tomorrow. Finished at 1700, 373Km approx 60t of plant moved.

Wednesday 18th June
0615 Start. The van goes back to Witham and the unit is parked up half under the trailer ready.

There's a big jumble of spaghetti lines and cables to figure out. More brainache remembering how to couple up. I'm naturally paranoid that the trailer is going to fall off later in the day.

My first job is a tricky one to get to, some very narrow lanes and lots of overhanging trees.

I know it's bad when the stones and dirt appear in the centre of the road.

Amazingly this quiet road stays quiet whilst we load up on the road, a Hyundai 140 (for a change) a 6t dumper and a fuel tank all go on.

I'm off to Chipping on the A10 but I don't get very far before I have a chain snap whilst I'm travelling. The dog tensioner flies off and there's a length of chain gone too. With the machine only half secured I drop the speed and get it to a safe place to stop rather than stop on the twisty single carriageway. I'm joined by a bloke in a VW Golf which has picked up a couple of scratches from the chain. He's OK about it, I think he realises it could have been more serious. I'm a bit puzzled as to what caused the chain to fail, I've got a theory but it's just that. After swapping details with the Golf man I rescure the load and I'm just about to go when someone else pulls up. Luckily they're not damaged but it's someone I've not seen for about 3 years or more at a previous job.

Once I get to Chipping the machines are parked up in a farmyard and I get the chance to grab a cuppa.

Once I'm done I trail back to the M11 and head to Walthamstow, we've got a Volvo 140 there which is playing up so it's being sent back to Volvo at Duxford to get it sorted. The machine is losing oil so I have to try and get in as close as possible, it's a pig of a site and at one point the rear of the trailer gets hung up by the level changes leaving the wheels mostly dangling. I get close enough and we go for the full bore get it on and shut down quick approach to loading.

It's back up the M11 to Duxford to drop the machine off, the yard there is stacked out with new gear.

Including 2 of these big 46 tonners

Once I'm done I'm able to grab some quiet break time and manage a cuppa and about 20 minutes kip. I'm back off again this time down to Wickham Bishops between Maldon and Witham. It's a horrible place to drive around, lots of junctions that cross at scissor angles and little narrow turns. And the 2 easiest routes in are barred by a 13t and a 20t bridge. The lane I need is very narrow and there's no way to get on to site. I've got a JS220 to load here and no one site can drive it so I have to rig the trailer and load it myself although there's a wheeled digger driver who does lend a hand.

The JS is off to Little Burstead near Billericay, it has to be unloaded on the road so it can be tracked up a narrow chase. Right next to the chase is a gang of fencers working, one of them wanders over and it's someone else I've not seen for years.

Unfortunately I'm not quite done yet, there's another machine to collect. It's a 1.5t minidigger! in Brentwood and it's got to be moved off site today, it's a bit embarrassing just that on the trailer. Thanks to some roadworks it takes nearly an hour to get back to Danbury for a 1815 finish. 401Km today and about 54t moved.

Thursday 19th June.
0645 Start. Finally an easier day, nothing urgent this morning so I climb up on the roof and change a bulb on the light bar and get our fitter to carry out a welding job on the trailer floor.

It's just fiddling about until about half ten when I leave to take the mini back to BTG at Ongar. With that heavy load gone I'm off down to Woolwich to load one of our Hyundai 140's. As it's going back through the tunnel it needs chaining carefully so the dogs don't stick out.

I'm under the 9'6" limit for the tunnel so I just join the queue and get as far as the toll booth where I'm stopped and a Traffic Officer comes over to talk to me. They're not convinced about the width and I have to double back past the control building so they can measure it properly. I'm fine so they let me through and I'm able to return to base without further incident.

The 140 comes off and gets replaced by a Volvo EW180 18t duck, one of the few machines of ours I've never moved. Luckily it's fairly easy (relative) to suss out and on it goes.

This is a short hop and being road legal could have been driven to site if there was a duck driver in the yard, it's only gone as far as Danbury Quarry where it's unloaded and I leave with the keys in my pocket. Oops.

Next job is a Hyundai 140 (just for a change) it's the one from Monday at the waste transfer station in Stock, it's loaded up and returned to the yard.

Finished at 1715 today, an easy 198kms and approx 48t plant moved.

Friday 20th June
0645 Start. Off to Hutton this morning with a Hyundai 140, it's a private estate so no noise until 0800 so there's some hanging about until I can unload.

Back to the yard and I load another Hyundai 140, this ones going even closer just down the road at Great Baddow. It's swapped over here for one of our new Doosan 140's

And off.

Once I'm swapped over and sorted it's seaside bound (well Shoeburyness, and I didn't see the sea either) to drop this one off.

Another one going.

My next job is a collection from Springfield in Chelmsford, I've got a description of where the machine is rather than an address. Unfortunately the description better suits a place where the machine is not - a little narrow lane with some nasty bends that ends at a house cum farm place with slightly less than enough space to turn properly. I don't cause any damage per se but the trailer wheels do have to run a blokes grass which he's not very happy about. It's not uncommon apparently, I'm not unsympathetic but I've been given crap directions. I get out with major disruption or damage (thankfully) and find a similar entrance (although less obvious) just up the road. Only there's no way to get the trailer through the gate. I leave it parked in the bellmouth and wander in to find the machine. There's 2 of our blokes there, 1 filling it with diesel and the guy who's going to drive it at the next site getting a quick refresher before he arrives. It's a Hitachi 13t duck, I drive it back whilst the driver brings his car out and the other bloke the yard pickup. We get it loaded on the trailer and then get a call to say the job has been cancelled.

Back to the yard to tip the duck off. Next job is at Gosfield so I trundle off and stop for fuel enroute. I pull up at the pump behind a bus and am amazed because it's got passengers on it and it's on a service run.

The machine at Gosfield is not one of ours, and the driver is surprised to see me as he wasn't expecting to move until Monday. He's as good as ready though so I get him loaded and off to Kelvedon to unload him. Back at the yard for a 1715 finish. 257Km today. 68t plant moved.

9th - 13th June 2008

2008-06-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Monday 9th June.
0645 Start. There was not much on the sheet today so I took the opportunity to catch up with our other driver as I've not seen much of him for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately leaving the yard at 0715 means that there's a fair bit more traffic knocking about. I'm off to Stevenage via the M25 & A1 and arrive at the site on the new Arington Business Park at 0845.

It's all small stuff, usually a move for the six wheeler but there's supposed to be some materials getting loaded too. However the materials have been dumped and it's just a 3t dumper, 5t Kubota mini and a 120 roller. Hardly worth the bother but it gets me out all the same.

I wander back across the A602 to Ware and up the A10 to the A120 where I follow all the way across to Braintree before dropping down to Witham to tip at the customers yard. I roll back in at our yard around midday and there's ot too much happening. There's a job being touted four this afternoon, but as usual the plan goes out of the window when we get a phone call about one of our self drive 14t machines, it would seem like it's blown the head gasket and needs a replacement machine to replace it. There's no self drive 13/14t machines in the yard, the only one we've got available is one at a site in Upminster that has just been offhired. I'm despatched to collect it and on the way it dawns on me that I'm going to need a half hour break before the day is out. It's a bit of a nuisance as I should have switched over to break in the yard.

The site in Upminster is down a narrow lane, I park outside the field entrance and leave enough space for vehicles to pass whilst going and getting the machine ready to load.

Once it's ready I back the trailer into the entrance and start to load the buckets right up the front out of the way. I then get the machine on properly and the ramps folded so I can stop blocking the road and let the few accumulated vehicles pass. Unfortunately the 6x2 unit hasn't got enough grip to push the trailer back, so I have to make everyone wait a bit longer until I'm ready to go.

I've got to take this machine to a housing estate in Bow, I've been there with a 6 wheeler and it's an arse. With anything bigger it's not far off impossible. At one point I though it was, I needed to turn right at a T junction, there's cars behind and cars parked close to the junction on my left and just round to the right. And there's a bollard. And some cars coming from the left after I'd been shunting back and forwards. Somehow I got round eventually, I'm not sure how though. This is where the rear steer really helps by pushing the back of the trailer round. Unfortunately it can hinder just as much as when you reverse you need to lock the wheels manually whilst they are straight. Go round a sharp corner and the wheels are hard round, can't quite make it so you need to reverse. Only now the wheels aren't straight and can't be locked, but if you reverse they counter your steering and the trailer pushes back straight.

When I'm roughly where I need to be there's another long stint of reversing, around a sharp corner and right down into the site. It's then a simple case of doing a like for like swap, one Volvo 140 for another no need to switch buckets.

Getting out is a slightly easier route and I discovered a slightly easier way in too. It's then back out onto the A12/M11/M25/A12 and back to the yard. The 140 comes off and I go home at 1745. 353Km

Tuesday 10th June
0645 Start. No hurry to leave this morning as I don't want to arrive on site too early. I'm off to Haverhill just over the border in Suffolk, ready to load a Fiat-Hitachi EX255. On arrival at site they want me to back in so I decline the blind side reverse and turn up the road so I can get in on the good side. First time so I'm happy with that. It's a 25 tonner this machine so it's a full wide load rig required with extended sides and markers pulled out. It's also got a wide footprint so the ramps are spread wide to make loading easier. Tracking the machine along the trailer from the widened ramps to the outriggers is best done carefully as there is more track overhanging the side than actually in contact with the trailer.

I'm all set and ready to leave just after 0900, which is handy because our wide load dispensation is not valid 0700 - 0900. About half a mile down the road one of the shutters on the cab side is flapping, they've had the shutters pulled off and windows smashed on the machines here and obviously the mount is damaged. I remove the flappy shutter and post it through the broken window it's designed to protect.

I can now get back on with dragging it back across to Witham, the road is a single carriageway windy A road and this machine is 3.4m wide so it takes some care through the villages that it passes. I'd usually cut the corner and avoid Halstead by dropping down through Gosfield but there's a right turn at a traffic light that I might not make so I head across to Braintree via Halstead and encounter no problems. Braintree to Withan has got some tight spots and one tight junction but I make it through safely and get the machine back intact (or at least as it left the site)

Once I'm offloaded the trailer gets shut up back to normal and I head off over to Kent for the next job at the Skanska site on the new A2. There's no one at the compound and although I saw them working I've no idea of how to get to them so I get them to come and escort me onto the new unopened bit of the coastbound A2.

I'm here for a drainage company and I've got to load trench boxes and other bits. This turns out to be 2x Magnum boxes which are 3.5m wide, 1 mini and 1 midi box, 2 stillages, about 30 sheet piles, some steel plate, some jacks, some buckets and a ladder. It's an hour and halfs worth of loading and strapping down, although not before shoving all the stuff off the deck onto the swan neck, that's hop up ramps, outriggers, chains & dogs, brush and shovel and various other bits.

Once I'm set with wide markers etc. I head back up the A2 to the M25 and pull into the abnormal loads compound at the Dartford Tunnel. I take the tag into the office so they can charge me £2.90 for the toll and £42 for an escort and I'm cleared to go through the tunnel with blue light escort behind. It's quite cool actually straight down the middle full bore making loads of noise, a bit like playing Grand Theft Auto with the cops on your tail. OK so maybe not. I'm dragging this lot back to Braintree so I follow the M25 and curve round via the M11 and A120. Unfortunately this way entails an hours delay as the M25 is closed further up and I arrive at Braintree at 1600. It's an hours job to unload there, too much clambering about slinging for my liking but I'm off by 1700. Back at the yard there's a Volvo 140 to load before going home just after 1800. 318Km

Wednesday 11th June 2008
0615 Start. I'm off to Walthamstow with the Volvo this morning, it's got one of our drivers going on it and once I'm there it's soon off loaded.

It's nice to get in early and come back out again looking at the traffic heading the other way, I'm straight back to the yard where I've got a Hyundai 140 to load. This is only a short run but I gain a passenger, the driver who's driving my 6 wheeler. We take the 140 down to Boreham and drop it off at the quarry there ready for a job starting tomorrow.

We head back to Great Baddow for the next load, but just as we get off the A12 I get a call saying it's not yet ready and to skip that job for now. It's off the A12 round the junction and back down the other direction as we're heading for Messing near Kelvedon. There's a JCB JS130 here to load, it's a bit of a mess with bits hanging off and broken and caked in mud. We've just sold an 8 year old one of these in much better condition.

The JS is going to a job in Danbury down a very narrow lane, there's a couple of iffy bends where the rear steer saves the day and finally we get there and unload in the road. It's straight on as there's nowhere to turn, through a ford and back to the Great Baddow job where we're loading one of our JS220 machines. It's right beside the road and has to be loaded on the road.

There's a heap of buckets and a large bunded tank to go too. This lot is off to a large site in Dunmow, it's soon taken off and I make a complete balls up of trying to turn around. Eventually I maneage and head bak to the yard. Finished at 1715. 291Km

Thursday 12th June
0645 Start. There's nothing doing first thing at the yard so I do some minor maintenance issues on the trailer and top up the oil on the unit and generally keep out of trouble. Before too long I'm found a job, I'm sent over to near Ongar where we've been storing / using one of our machines. It's the same place that I went last week but this machine has been getting some use over there.

It's a Fiat-Kobelco E215 21tonner, the site is a green waste recycling site and although it's clean it absolutely stinks. There's a load of buckets to chain up and load with it too.

It's raining a bit when I start, and I just get it loaded when the rain starts to get heavy.

I decided to shut down the machine and abandon ship in favour of a cuppa until it calms off a bit.

Once it stops I'm able to continue loading and get it hauled off back to the yard.

It's only a pit stop at our yard, a quick refuel and oil & water check and it goes back out again to a waste transfer station at Stock. The waste station is on an industrial estate adjacent to a steel yard so I sneakily park on the weighbridge when I'm empty and have a crafty look at the readout in the office. I've now got my unladen weight sorted, on the bridge at 18,740Kg.

Back at the yard, there's one of our Hyundai 140's to load up, it's off to Rayleigh for a short job. Nothing much else was doing so I call it a day at 1615. 150Km

Friday 13th June. (No pics today)
0630 Start. Off to Waltham Cross first, I'm meeting our fitter there and we've got to refuel and check over another of our Hyundai 140's it's moving from one self drive to another so won't be going back to the yard. A couple of weeks ago we couldn't move for machines at the yard, now we've only got a couple of ducks in and are hiring more tracked machines in.

The 140 is OK and ready to load so we track it out onto the High Street and load it on, complete with grapple and buckets. The grabble is a mechanical claw often used on demolition jobs, usually they sit in a corner of the yard for months but the next hirer also wants the machine with the grapple. We're off to Woolwich with this one where we unload in the road again. Before the machine is even off the road there's a road sweeper behind, he waits and sweeps the mud off the road. Nice one Greenwich Council.

There's some time to lose now before the next job and I decide to grab some fuel at the Shell garage in Erith, there's a Dutch Post Kogeko artic on the pump and I manage to squeeze up behind. He takes his time filling up (£630) and it would appear there was some issue with payment as it was half an hour before he came out of the shop. Unfortuntely I was stuck there as there's no way I was going to attempt to reverse out onto the busy road.

This pallaver had cut my time wasting down and my stop at the Thurrock services was shorter than I'd planned. I wasn't too bothered as there seemed to be so much dodgy activity going on there I was afraid to close both eyes.

My next job was to collect the Volvo 140 from Bow at 1pm, I decided to arrive early and hopefully get the machine or at least hurry them along. Today I found a slightly better route in and arrived at 1230, I'd not even got out of the cab when the bloke appeared and told me that he'd track the machine out. By 1245 I was loaded and on my way. Off through the Blackwall Tunnel and off to Brixton. Progress was OK except for Brixton town centre and I'm soon turning into the road off Brixton Hill. It's quite wide to start with but soon narrows to a very uncomfortable squeeze, I get through though and get the machine offloaded at the site. A check of the map and I can get through towards Tulse Hill, emerging at a Tesco Express I delivered milk to once on the worst shift I'd ever had (first ever solo class 2 / second ever shift run round S.London with a Scania 6 wheeler) Pretty much from here on I'd have been better walking to the A2 round the S.Circular Rd. as was the speed of the traffic. The A2 was OK until the M25 and then a queue through to the Dartford Tunnel. The last job was to whizz up to Rayleigh and load the Hyundai 140 I'd dropped yesterday and take it back to the yard. 1730 finish. 291Km

2nd - 6th June 2008

2008-06-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

Monday 2nd June 2008

0600 Start. I'd not planned on being in quite so early but I didn't sleep particuarly well and got fed up watching the clock so I just decided to go in early.

I've got some sorting to do at the yard anyway. On the right is my usual truck, in the middle is last weeks and on the left is my new temporary home for the next 10 weeks or so. Our driver has buggered off to Canada and I've the dubious honour of taking over the wheel of the lowloader.

There's an important job to first.

The kettle is installed in readiness and I'm ready to go.

Apart from a couple of odd runs with the regular driver and a Saturday with a machine driver I've not actually driven Class 1 since passing back in Feb. Never solo in fact. Well it's June so the weather's good, it's my first day so they won't give me too much and at least I'll leave behing the general haulage type site moves. Let's get cracking then and look at the list.

Job 1 - Doosan 140 Braintree - Boreham

OK that's simple enough, across to Braintree at one of my regular calls to load one of our newest 14t machines that arrived last month.

I can get nice and close, and it's sitting there right next to it's buckets all ready to go.

Oh wait, there's now a dumper to go with it and some stuff to load in the dumper first. On it goes.

Right off we go then, only a short run down to Boreham. Oh joy 6'6" width limit down the road we need. Access only OK then. It's a field entrance of sorts, I don't fancy doing a blindside reverse so I turn around in a T junction and have a crack from the other direction. That's no good I'm in the hedge, so it's a road unload job and make lots of mess on the road.

Job 2 on the list - Blocks Braintree to Chelmsford.

Oh great, it has finally ocurred to our customer that it is uneconomical to keep sending 10 pallets of blocks on a 6 wheeler, they have now decided to hire the artic to take a bigger load. Unfortunately they have decided to do this now just when I thought I'd left that job behind. It's back to the same site at Braintree to load up. It's a bit of a faff to do though, all the outriggers, chains and assorted bits that normally sit on the deck of the trailer have got to be moved along with the not too light hop up ramps. It's all shoved onto the swan neck and joined by a single pallet of blocks. 16 more pallets are loaded on the deck and strapped down. A couple of weeks ago I managed to load 19 pallets onto my 6 wheeler but they're paying so that's how it is.

It's almost a repeat run of the last journey back along into Chelmsford. The site is busy (at breakfast) when I arrive and there's a couple of small trucks waiting to tip first so I have to wait outside for half an hour until they're ready to tip. There's not much space to put all the blocks on site so I presuade them to unload on the road and save me reversing in. Progress is slow as it's a job for the forkie to stash the stuff somewhere but I'm finally away vy about 1130 readu for the next item on the list.

Job 3 - Komatsu 210 Hutton - Witham.

OK so that translates into a Komatsu 21t 360 machine, that's a big one the good news is that there's only one bucket and again it's a roadside loading job. Unfortunately it's a busy road and it causes chaos whilst I'm stopped blocking one lane. It's also started raining and it's very slippery, so much so that I stop the traffic completely whilst the guy tracks the machine onboard just in case it should slide or go over. Luckily it doesn't but I'd rather not take the chance.

This machine is nearly 11' wide so it requires a bit of extra attention, the trailer has got pull out outriggers so that it can support wider loads. These are rigged for the machine to sit on and there are also pull out illuminated marker boards which are also rigged. Flashing beacons complete the job and I'm ready to roll.

I'm pointing outbound from Hutton so I keep going to Billericay before heading up to the A12 near Chelmsford. We are authorised for wide loads up to 12' within Essex without prior notification for use on M, A and B roads, I've done a few wide loads on the 6 wheeler before and took a JS220 out once before with the regular driver so it's not as daunting as it may seem.

At Witham the destination is an old old people's home, that's a derelict old people's home rather than...... Oh that doesn't sound much better either. It's a demolition job on an old people's home. I'm told where they want the machine and told where our other driver put it previously. I point out that he'd been doing it for 25 years or more as opposed to my 6 hours or so and told them where I could put it.

Turning around to get out involved bumping up the kerb and going over grass, with the rain and the mud all I was getting was the TC light so I got them to bank me back out onto the road. This was hardly the nice smooth reverse back out that it could have been, but I made it out in a haphazard zigzaggy fashion and headed back to the A12 to grab a break.

Ah Job 4 - Good job there's not too much on today eh. JS220 Fyfield - Colchester.

Jeez, talk about in at the deep end, that's a 22t JCB going on now. It's at a farm down a very narrow lane. I put this machine here before when I had a day with the regular driver and it's a bit of arse to get to.

At the end of the lane there's a sharp right followed by a sharp left between these two barns.

Then left again through 90 degrees before doing a 90 right down the side of another barn into a yard area that is not exactly huge. Luckily the machine driver here used to drive a lowloader and knows I'm green and is a great help as a banksman and I'm soon in and turned around. He's also got the ramps down and the buckets chained up whilst I get the outriggers rigged and the lighting boards on.

It's just gone 1500 when we're ready to go and I head back down the A414 to Chelmsford and along the A12 to Colchester. I'm slightly outside the permitted hours of the wide load permit which bans movements between 1600 and 1900 but Sssssh I'm not telling.

It's another road unload job and the machine is soon and all the kit restowed on the trailer and everything folded up ready for the journey back to the yard. Finished at 1730. 328Km

Tuesday 3rd June
0615 Start. At least I slept better last night, yesterday's full on day had certainly got me into the swing of things. In fact I slept a bit better than I wanted to as I'd planned on starting at 0600.

My first job was only local, down to a farm a couple of miles away to collect one of our Hitachi ZX130 13 tonners, it'd been on self drive hire and there was now a job for it at nearby Maldon.

Being on a farm there was just enough room to turn around before loading up, there's no one to assist today but it's nice and simple with just two buckets. It's just like my regular job with a bigger machine onto a lower vehicle.

I'm soon on my way down to Maldon where I've got two of our drivers waiting to help unload. The job is the old Rover / Shell garage at Heybridge right on the mini roundabout that brings two of the roads in and out of Maldon together. One driver helps to speed things up whilst the other directs the traffic until I'm ready to leave.

Next job is to run over to Cressing to load at a customers yard, it's a funny place down a little country lane but it's a roadise load job so I'm happy with that. There's a choice of machines here that I can take, I take a Hyundai 130 (13t) and a 3t dumper leaving a 5.5t machine and a roller for the guy driving my 6 wheeler. It'd probably all fit on the trailer but it'd probably tip the scales, in the end I load the dumper on the top deck and put the 130 in the usual spot.

I'm Kent bound with these, across to a site just by the entrance to one of the car parks at Ebbsfleet Intl. Station. There's no option but to turn around before unloading and I do so without a hitch. I'm sure usual standards will be back soon but I was well pleased nonetheless.

I ambled back to the yard where there was not much going on, I decided to give the cab a scrub out and had a wander around the trailer with the grease gun and oiled ratchets etc before heading off home at 1515. Distance 192Km.

Wednesday 4th June.
0645 Start. Although the work is a little thin on the ground at the moment, the transport side of the business is ticking along quite well at the moment. Both the 6 wheelers are out working today and I get given a move that would usually be handled by one of them. It's off down to Benfleet to load a JCB 3CX Wheeled digger, I make no bones about it, I hate moving these things. Today is no exception it's a rickety old one and is caked in grease much of which ends up on me. I also get a passenger, the machines driver who absolutely reeks of B.O. and stale smoke, I even consider letting him smoke (which I hate) to give the cab a fresher aroma. Luckily it's only a short run down to the oil terminal in Grays and I'm soon able to offload him and his machine.

There's only one more move on the sheet at the moment so I amble across to Shoeburyness where one of our Hyundai 140's has come off hire, I meet the driver down there and we have a chat rather than hurry back to stand in the yard.

Back in the yard however there's another one ready to go so the Hyundai comes off and is replaced by a 14t Volvo 140. I get a bad feeling about this job, and it's confirmed by a phone call to the hirer who tells me "it's a bit tight" It's in the village of Stock, and the entrance to the road is a narrow gap between 2 brick walls. It takes a couple of shunts to align myself to get through as it's only a couple of inches wider than the mirrors. The machine overhangs the trailer too which adds to the grief factor. Eventually I get through and the road briefly widens before narrowing again right where there's a parked van.

I get the van shifted and arrive at a funny crossroads of sorts with cars and vans from the site everywhere.

They say on site that someone had turned an artic there yesterday but had struggled. Great. I get the 140 off and replace it with a 5t JCB mini digger. I decide that my best option would be to reverse back out and see if I could back round into one of the two side turnings. Both of these were out of the scope of my ability so I continued to reverse all the way out to the main road, aided by a pair of "banksmen" who had a habit of disappearing from view. Also there was often as not one mirror renderred useless by hedge or bushes. Eventually I squeezed back out onto Stock High Street and went off down the hill to the roundabout at Billericay to turn round and head back to Jovic Plant at Sandon. This is another crap place, one that our regular driver avoids going too. In the end I reverse out of the estate across the little road into a farm entrance and then can drive out.

My day is not over yet though, I'm off down to Heybridge to load the ZX130 that I delivered yesterday morning. Today is another day and a much more successful reverse. I've got the two drivers there again and I'm soon loaded and off back to the yard to tip.

The final job is to run the trailer over to the workshop at Bicknacre for it's 6 weekly inspection / service and this also proves to be a bitch of a place to get into. I don't have to drop the trailer though, we leave the whole lot there and I get an N reg Fiesta to get me home. I call at the yard for details about tomorrow and head for home at 1615. Distance 208Km

Not many pictures for today so lets have a look around the vehicle.

It's an R124 - 420 6x2 Midlift with Nooteboom Triaxle step frame lowloader trailer, it's an STGO CAT2 outfit although now taxed at 44t

The trailer has hop up ramps to get stuff onto the swan neck section and the main hydraulic ramps can be powered outwards for loading wide machines or powered inwards to make one wide ramp.

When we move 20 tonners, bulldozers or shovels we are dealing with wide loads, all along the side of the trailer are silver box sections with handles in them.

These pull out like so.

And wooden outrigger boards are dropped in to help support the machine whilst it's being moved.

There's also pull out projection marker boards complete with lights, one set each side front and rear.

And finally what makes a big difference is this

The last axle is a steered tag axle, when loaded and down this really helps push the trailer round. Unfortunately it does not automatically lock when reversing but has to be locked manually from the cab when they are straight. If you try and reverse around a corner without locking them off they will go the opposite way and make things impossible. If you try and get round a corner but can't the way I found to get out of the problem was to mainly raise the axle and then they snap back round into the straight position and can be locked.

Thursday 5th June
0645 Start. Off to Bicknacre to drop off the courtesy car.

And to think last week I had a brand new one from Truck East.

At least they've turned it round for me.

There's a note in the cab, one of the trailer tyres is in need of replacement. Being an inner wheel they are almost impossible to see so it's handy I've found out now.

It's off to St.Albans first I'm due to load a 9t dumper and a 13t machine but the dumper is locked away in a compound and there is only this Fiat - Kobelco E135.

He's loaded on and I have a cuppa and a chat with the driver to let the traffic ease on the M25 before heading off back to Essex. I'm off to Gosfield to unload, again a roadside job and no option but to keep going outbound once tipped. There's worse places though as about 1/2 mile down the road is Gosfield Airfield former WW11 and now fairly empty (except for Transporter Engineering) It's a good place for a quiet break.

My next job is a collection at Bradwell Quarry near Braintree, it's a 16t Komatsu Duck. There's no driver here with it so I've got to sort it out myself, one of our drivers is there with his tracked machine but he doesn't work on the ducks so it's down to me. He offers assistance to chain the buckets up for me and act as a pair of eyes whilst I'm loading. First thing to work out os how to start the thing, eventually get it going and trundle over to where I've parked. Now these ducks are funny things, the top half is the same as a 360 except you get a steering wheel and pedals instead of track levers. It's 2 wheel steer at the front, unless you rotate the top round and it's 2 wheel rear steer with back to front steering. After several attempts I get it loaded evenly on board and spend a couple of minutes working out how to lower the dozer blade.

It's back off to the yard with this one, it's chockablock there though and there's a fair amount of shuffling to find it a space. Whilst I'm in the yard I roll out 2 brand new tyres already fitted on rims and load them on the trailer. I run the trailer over to the tyre yard and get 2 changed. One comes back as it's not completely shagged and the other stays to be changed for a new one.

The last job of the day is in Chelmsford town centre, we've a Hyundai 140 at the old Salvation Army site. There's no other way to load it than to completely block the road but we don't cause too much delay before getting it out of the way to chain it on. The 140 goes back to the yard and stays loaded for tomorrow. Finished 1645. 263km

Friday 6th June
0645 Start. I'm ready loaded with yesterday's 140 and it's off to Abridge to drop it off, it's a new build luxury house with fancy gates etc. I don't fancy my chances of getting in easily and there doesn't seem to be anyone about to lend a hand. I decide to screw the traffic and unload on the road, this made me very unpopular as it is the main road through and was between 0800-0830 ish.

Once I'm done there it's a short hop across to Ongar and off to a place where we've been standing a couple of our 20 tonners. We've got a job for one so it needs shipping back into the yard.

It's a JCB JS220 - 22t

It's a wide load job so I rig the trailer with the pull out sections, spread the ramps out and pull out the markers.

And then it's on, all raedy to do.

118 you got my number?

This machine used to have a regular driver on it, he's now got a brand new Doosan 225 with a new fleet number. We still call him 118 though.

118 is taken back to the yard and dropped off, whilst on the move it's started leaking diesel which will be sorted before it goes out. I load a Hitachi ZX130 and head off down to Stratford with a machine driver in the passenger seat. I'd got from the address that this might be an arse of a job and decided an extra pair of hands would be, well handy I suppose. I wasn't wrong the blokes on site were not a great deal of use and we had to block the road to unload the machine. As soon as the machine was off I packed up the ramps, blocks, chains etc amd moved the motor whilst the driver secured the machine. All done we headed off back to the yard.

I now have to rerig the trailer for running wide again, and I load a 6t dumper complete with buckets on the top floor, this leaves the lower ground for the 220 to sit on.

I must be running at about max. weight now and those 420 horses that pull my 6 wheeler with ease find it a bit harder going with this lot on board. I'm off to Corringham with this one and the site is right in the town centre. The only place to stop is right in the car park entrance but my co-driver from earlier is there, I suggested that he came down in his van and then went straight home to Rayleigh afterwards. We were offloaded and packed up in a few minutes and I trundle back to the yard for the last time. Finished at 1645. 302km

Well that's my first week done, hardly a gentle introduction but I do enjoy a challenge, I've done 50 hours, driven about 1300km's and moved about 260t of plant this week including 4 wide loads. No damage and no mishaps. I reckon that's a good weeks work.

Change of Scenery

2008-05-28T14:21:00.001-07:00

A slight change from the norm this week, our other driver is on holiday and I've been given his work to do. Usually they just avoid containers if he's not about but with work getting thin on the ground I'm pressed into service.

Wednesday 28th May 2008

0645 Start. The worst part about this is driving someone elses motor, I've got none of my stuff and nothing is easily to hand. My kettle is missing and I'm cooped up in a day cab. That's enough moaning for now though.

I'm booked all day with a builder customer of ours, first job being to load out of Tiptree and I arrive at 0715. It's a tight little spot, a cluster of houses down a new close. I wait outside until 0730 and then wander in and start getting vans moved so I can get in. There's a 20' container to go, I can get closeish and get it hooked up but it's a bit heavy at full stick, so it needs a bit of cajoling to get it nearer so I can lift it properly and get it on board. Eventually I get there and head off to one of their big sites at Braintree where it's to be dropped in the compound.

It's PTO in and out the cab, and on the levers.

After unfolding the crane I align the hook roughly with the centre of the box.

Then it's up the rickety ladder on to the top of the box.

Snap the chains onto the hook

And it's going to go in that gap

Gently up

And squeeze into place.

Back on the top to unhook the container

These chains weigh a ton, they get carefully placed back with the crane.

And job done.

There's a couple of small machines to load, a 3t Yanmar and a skiploader.

These machines are taken back to Tiptree where I get the pleasure of loading another container (only a 10 footer) a fuel bowser and some sleepers

These are then taken back to Braintree and offloaded, but I'm not done there yet. There's a load of blocks to go on, luckily these are forked on by their driver who is shit hot and before long I'm off out of the site. It's now lunchtime so I find a nice quiet spot for some uncomfortable lunchtime day cabbed break.

The blocks are tipped off in Chelmsford and I return to the yard empty. After sorting out tomorrow's workload (Another box) I head off to Truck East at Witham to drop the truck in for overnight service. I'm given a brand new '08 plate 100 miles on the clock Fiesta courtesy car and get the honour of getting it caked in mud inside from my dirty boots. Finished 1615.

Thursday 29th May 2008

0645 Start. It's a quick run over to Witham this morning to drop off the Fiesta and collect the truck from it's overnighter.

There's a warning tag attached to the gearstick "This vehicle needs to be topped up with oil"

Now bearing in mind that they are supposed to have inspected / serviced it why haven't they done it? It's not as if I've got any handy. A check on the dipstick and it's in the middle anyway.

It's a short run across to Maldon to load a container from an electrical distributors yard, they're open at 0700 so I'm able to get straight in and get it lifted.

It's a old one that has had it's day, I'm headed back to D&P Metals at Witham so it can be scrapped.

Once I'm here I discover to my horror that there's no paperwork as it's a free disposal, had I known I could have weighed it in and trousered about £200.

I slunk away off to Bradwell Aggregates quarry near Braintree where I'm loading 8t of sand for a groundworker. It's quickly forked on but the health & safety gestapo won't let you climb on the back of the wagon to strap on, so I leave it unstrapped and use their layby on the haul road to break as many of the H&S rules as possible.

I'm dragging the sand down to Southend, this is another weird job as it'd surely be cheaper to pay a builers merchant a bit more for the sand and save 3 hours on the haulage. Still it's all work. There's a forklift here so the crane stays put.

I'm still on hire to the same company so I head off back to Tiptree to collect a dumper from their farm. After a hunt around to find someone who knows where the keys are, it gets loaded up thde front and I trundle off around to their yard to load a 4.5t Kobelco.

Once I'm all loaded up I head back down to Southend stopping for another uncomfortable break on the way. It's a quick tip in Southend and I make a quick exit along the A127 to Basildon where I'm loading 3 tipping skips at Langdon Hills ready to deliver tomorrow.

Back to the yard and I'm done by 1645.

Be Back Soon

2008-05-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Just an update,

I've not been blogging for a while as I lost (had it stolen)my digital camera whilst away in the States, I cannot get decent pictures with a phone so I haven't been bothering. I've been waiting for my insurance company to sort things out but 6 weeks later I'm still not getting very far.

Taking matters into my own hands I've just re-equipped with one of these

It's a Samsung NV11, I'm looking forward to using it and seeing what it can do. I was well pleased with my old Fuji Finepix camera hopefully this'll be better still.

Moving Up

2008-05-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday 8th May 2008

Things have gone a bit slack at work, yesterday I managed to reorganise my cab, spray my wheels and generally keep busy for a bit. I did also get the chance to go out with our lowloader driver so that I could get some more experience in. We did a couple of moves including a 22 tonner which is the biggest machine that we move. Today I was paired up again and had a decent amount of time behind the wheel.

0630 Start.
At least getting in early I've got a clear run to reverse out of the yard and into the undustrial estate, this gets harder later on with cars and vans parked up all over the place. First job this morning is down to Purleigh where we deliver a 7t Yanmar that we'd collected yesterday, ordinarily this would be a 6 wheeler move but there's a 14 tonner coming back. There's not much space here so we unload in the road.

When the hirer shows up we are then able to get this Hyundai 140 out and the Yanmar in.

It's back to the yard to drop off the 140 and straight back out again, this time down to VOSA at Chelmsford. We've got an MOT failure to collect.

14,420Kgs of Dennis Eagle finest.

It's a close run thing as it goes up, the arse end almost grounds out but it does get on without event.

It's about 11 metres long so the front has to sit up on the swan neck or dance floor.

Dennis is off to Ongar along the A414 and is tipped off at a lorry park, we head back into Chelmsford grabbing some fuel on the way. It's now back to the yard where we are waiting on this Doosan 140, it's a brand new machine that arrived yesterday and the signwriter is due in.

There's a fair while to wait however, so I crack open a can of paint and tart up the bodywork on my truck. This is generally known in the yard as bullshitting, but it does make it look a bit better.

Eventually the machine is signwritten, loaded onto the trailer and whisked off down to Shoeburyness. It's going to one of our machine drivers, it'll be 'his' machine now and it should stay in good condition as he looks after his machine.

We collect his Volvo 140 which is now going onto our self drive fleet, this in itself is replacing a Daewoo 130, which along with an identical twin is ultimately what the 2 Doosan's are replacing.

The Volvo is due to be swapped for the Daewoo, but time is getting on and we return to the yard with the Volvo.

That's it for today. Finished at 1600. 168Km

Not quite Truckfest

2008-05-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

I'm still without a camera at the moment and the camera phone is just too fiddly and not good enough quality to bother with all the time so no proper blog this week either. Normal blogging should be back soon hopefully.

Here's a picture that was worth the effort however.

It's a Volvo FH16 610 10x4 plated at 150t GVW, put simply it's a beast. 3 steering axles, two lift axles and almost certainly unique in the UK.

I was at the East of England Showground on Friday to collect the tractor and drill rig that was in the last post. I'd taken it there earlier in the week to the Geodrilling show and on Friday the show was over and everything being cleared as Truckfest was moving in and taking over. As I pulled up at the exhibitors gate behind some slightly tidier motors, the guard just looked and said "Geodrilling?" Cheeky bugger what's he trying to say.

The Volvo was collecting a huge drilling rig, I'd have hung about for some more pics but it was a bit chaotic and I was sort of in the way.

Bit of variety

2008-04-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

I'm having some camera issues at the moment so I'm not blogging as usual, the camera phone quality is not great so it's not really worth bothering with. However I did know that today might be quite good so I borrowed a camera so I could make a one day entry.

Friday 25th April 2008
0630 Start. Off down the A12 to Romford this morning, in to school early to pick up our mini, it's going direct from one job to another so I refuel it in the school car park and slosh diesel over the ground. It quickly gets loaded and I'm off to nearby Upminster to deliver it.

Next is a job that never got done yesterday, it's a collection in Harlow which is a short hop around the M25 and up the M11, in fact it takes as long to get acoss Harlow as it does to get there on the motorway. I'm loading a 5t JCB that we'd cross hired in for a customer, after it's on I get under way and suddenly realise that I haven't had a cuppa this morning. I'm drying out and looking like a walnut when I stop at 0945 on the way out of Harlow.

The 5t machine goes back to Chelmsford, and I trundle over to Great Baddow to load a Unimog from the dealer there.

Just the one today, this one has come from Ireland and has been sold in as is condition. Starting it is done with a crowbar across the solenoid. No doubt a few quid spent here or there will improve things a bit, there's some iffy looking hoses on the crane but it's anyone's guess if they'll get changed by the punter before they blow. I like Unimogs, they are interesting bits of kit and actually one you've worked out what everything does fairly easy to operate. They are easy to chain on and sit nicely unlike a wheeled digger which is a similar size and weight.

This one is going over the water, well to Sutton Valence in Kent in fact. It's just round the corner from a piling company I used to go to so directions are no problem. Time is starting to catch up with me however so I stop for half hour at the bottom of Bluebell Hill on the way in.

The yard where the 'mog is bound for is down a twisty lane, I've been down some of these and when the guy reckons I won't make it I don't argue. There's a handy layby on the main road where we offload and he drives it up the road himself.

My next job is over at Dagenham Dock, yesterday morning I dropped a tractor off for a drilling company at Hanson's Wharf. It's ready for collection today at 1600 and I head straight there, I'm early on site at just past three but I wanted to the next bit so I parked up on the jetty out of the way.

The tractor had some drilling equipment mounted on it and had been working on a barge.

Whilst wandering about I noticed a little crane for hoisting a gangplank out with, this panel on it made me laugh.

Once everything was craned off the barge, they simply chugged off.

The tractor was loaded at 16.05 and I left Hansons at 1620. Unfortunately the traffic in Essex was horrendous and I didn't reach their Latchingdon yard until 1800. After a quick unload it was off back to our yard for a 1830 finish. 386Km

Welcome Back.

2008-04-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to bither posting this week as I've only done two days, however today was a little different so I figured it'd be worth posting.

Friday 18th April 2008

0630 Start. I'm off to Alconbury this morning and happily trundling along the A130 between Chelmsford and Great Dunmow when I suddenly lose power, the engine has cut out and won't restart whilst I'm rolling. Luckily I'm just coming up to a side turning where there is space to stop, actually that's really lucky as there are very few places on a busy, narrow and windy road.

I'm unable to shed any light on the problem, it starts and runs for a second or two before cutting out. I assume that is a fuel problem and call the office who promise assistance in one form or another. This turns out to be our fitter who services and repairs the machines, as I demonstrate the problem it has miracously fixed itself and is running happily. We decide to Jack the cab up anyway and see if anything looks wrong. Nothing is amiss so I restart my journey with him following as far as the M11 in case of trouble.

Everything is fine all the way up to Duxford and then the problem reoccurs between J10 / J11 I coast to a stop on the hard shoulder next to an emergency phone and let the Highways Agency know I'm there and am dealing with the problem.

I wait a while and try again, nothing doing so I call the office. We agree that I should wait a while longer and see if I can get off the M11 rather than call for recovery. At 0930 I decide that as it's not going and I'm freezing it is now time to throw in the towel and inform the office. I've just finished on the phone when I suddenly have an idea, there's a hidden deadman switch and when I look the switch is worn and presumably jumping to off. After taping it up, everything is fine and I'm able to get under way again.

I'm going on to Alconbury airfield to load a couple of Unimogs. They're by the gatehouse and I have my doubts if they're going to both fit on, however I like a challenge and get them both fired up and belching out smoke in the direction of the gatehouse.

The first one goes on, and I get a chain through the front eye before driving it tight up against the bulkhead.

The second one is slightly smaller but has a big winch and a towing hitch on the front, the hitch has to be removed to reduce the length. This one is then driven up behind the first one until it touches the front one.

There's abit of work to do chaining them both on.

But after an hour or so of trying different options they just manage to fit with the ramps almost folded upright behind.

I'm off back down the M11 to drop them off at the Unimog dealer in Chelmsford.

He's got some better pictures on his website.
http://www.parkagri.com

After I've done here things are a lit more straight forward, there's a Hyundai 55 and a dumper to move a couple of miles locally.

I get back to the yard about 3pm but immediately get sent out to Takeley to snatch back one of our Yanmar 75's, the company it's on hire to has just gone into receivership and we want it back ASAP. I take one of the machine drivers from the yard to help speed things up on a Friday afternoon.

Back at the yard it is offloaded and I'm home at 1700.

USA

2008-04-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

I've been in the States for a couple of weeks driving this.

It's a Ford E350 Superduty with a 5.4l V8 engine, it's also available with a V10 engine.

That's petrol mind, good job it's only about 50p per litre as it only did 17mpg

Whilst taking the little wheels around the Disney empire, I stumbled across a whole bunch of old Ford Cargo's working the backlot studio tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Tutor

2008-03-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

Monday 31st March

0630 Start. Not a usual day for me this one, today I'm in the passenger seat. I'm off for a couple of weeks and I've got one of machine drivers potentially filling the mighty 8wheels boots, so to speak. He's just joined us and has got a dusty class 2 licence that hasn't had a lot of use, I'm tasked with showing him the ropes (or chains).

On Friday I'd brought a Yanmar 75 that was caked in mud, it apparently has been removed and 'cleaned' over the weekend. By cleaning it seems as if it has been tracked up and down the yard so some mud fell off and then was loaded back on with the remainder of the mud. It has to be rechained so it's a good chance to demonstrate if necessary the procedure for doing so.

It goes like this,

These pictures are from my Toolbox blog which contains lots of useful info and how to advice about this job. There's a link on the right hand side of the page or click

http://8-wheels-toolbox.blogspot.com/

As it happens no instruction is necessary and we do the vehicle checks, followed by a brief explanation of the 3 over 3 gear box before we get under way.

We're off to Takeley and I give him the choice of the direct but winding route or the longer but better road. We choose the winding route and we make good progress along to Takeley.

I leave him to back into the compound whilst I move the Heras fencing slightly much to the puzzlement of our on site driver who wonders how I can be reversing in and be moving the gate at the same time. Well it's not rocket science but whatever. The Yanmar comes off follwed by the remaining mud and we pack up and head along to Braintree before heading south to Tiptree.

There's a site clearance job here, a load of blocks to be forked on, and there's a big stack. Two loads it'll be then so we get the first one loaded sharpish and head back to Braintree to unload the first. And them we do it all over again.

By now my driver is getting the hang of the gears, and is doing well for someone with little experience. He reckons he's not that confidant but he's doing just fine, I'm just sitting there giving directions and occasional snippets of advice. We stop around 1300 for a cuppa and I decide that I'll drive back from Braintree and he can finish his 45 off whilst I do so rather than wait around longer. There's one of our Zx50's finished in Chelmsford so we call in and load that up before dropping it off at the yard. We swap seats again and head off down to South Woodham Ferrers where we are loading an 8t JCB for one of our customers. On it goes, chains on in no time and we're off back to Braintree for the umpteenth time. We're done back at the yard by 1700. I'm done for a while, he's got the job and has the pleasure of other 6 wheeler driver as guide tomorrow.

25th - 28th March 2008

2008-03-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday.
0645 Start. First job was to unblock the yard, machines here and there barricading the place up over the Easter break to be moved. Once cleared it's off to Takeley near Stansted Airport to load one of our Yanmar 75's.

Or at least most of it as the bonnet is missing, thanks to a driver having reshaped it.

I'm off site by 0800 and off along the A120 and A12 towards Ipswich turning off just before the A14 to drop it off at Washbrook down a narrow windy lane. It's an awkward place to get into, a little track off a sharp bend on a hill, reversing in on the slippery road calls for difflock but it's not impossible.

Once I'm empty I head up the A14/A140 to Denham nr. Eye in Suffolk, I'm loading one of our grab attachments there and I get them lift it on with the machine. There's also some hydraulic couplings to remove from their machine and I do this whilst standing on the back of the wagon as the ground is quite boggy. The fittings are done up tight and don't want to loosen even with a 2' long spanner. When the last one does decide to give way, I overbalance and fall clean off the side of the motor. Luckily I stayed on my feet and off my arse and didn't get too caked up. Luckier still I didn't fall awkwardly and injure myself. On reflection it wasn't the best way to attack the couplings but it's a lesson learnt.

I retrace my steps back into Essex and follow the A12 to Witham where I head up to Cressing just before Braintree. I'm collecting our 1.5t Hitachi ZX16 here, I'd purposely had the grab loaded far foward enough to give space to slot the maggot on the back.

It's a short run round to Greenshields JCB in Braintree where I load an old friend? a Volvo EC15 1.5t that used to belong to Jovic Plant in Chelmsford, it's obviously a part ex machine that has now been resold. It's loaded on the back and I'm just about done for time.

After I'd finished my break I call the customer in Corringham, and decide I'd better get shifting if I was to catch her before she went off to the school run. As it happens I just caught up with her as she was off out. Delivery note signed and keys through the letter boxI head back for the yard.

After sorting out tomorrows work I head off at 1615. 342Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. It's all local first thing, down to nearby Cock Clarks to load a 120 roller.

There's another machine in the barn but as it's such short trips it's not worth squeezing them both on. The roller is returned to Lavenham Plant at Cold Norton 5 minutes down the road. On the way back there's a 6t dumper to collect from another site, it's loaded and dropped off back at the yard.

Back to the first site to load them machine from inside the barn.

It's almost completely dry of diesel, luckily I keep a 5l can in the toolbox for this sort of occurrence.

It's a bit unbalanced with all that weight on the front, getting it on and off back at Jovic plant was carried out very carefully.

Back up the hill to Danbury where I load the 6t dumper back on, now resplendant with new seat. The dumper is off to Brentwood where it's exchanged for one that had been hired in from Jovic.

No sign of the Apprentice today.

I'm heading for Takeley now and decide to take the M25/M11. Or at least I did until I got to Brook Street where I circuited the roundabout and went back into Brentwood.
It's a bit of a windy route Brentwood - Ongar - Leaden Roding - Great Dunmow and I experiment with a corner cutting route near Dunmow. Very narrow and no time saving but a change of scenery nontheless. At Takeley I'm loading a JCB 803 also heading back to Jovic Plant at Sandon. No more pictures today as my camera is playing up.

Finished at the yard 1645. 151Km

Thursday.

0645 Start. There's not much on the board this morning and it's all local, first job is off to Mashbury to load a couple of machines for a landscaper. It's a house on a country road and there's just space for me to pull up outside without blocking the road. I'd been told that the driveway would be clear at 0730 but there were 2 cars blocking it. As there's not much on I decided to sit quietly outside and see if they'd get moved. They didn't, and at 0800 I decide it's not too unreasonable to ask for them to be moved.

There's a skiploader to go on followed by a Hyundai 55. They're not going far, just along back to his yard at Little Waltham.

It's about 0900 and the next job is booked for 1000 in Chelmsford, I've got to ring and give an hours notice anyway but the guy is on site already so I head straight down to E2v to load.

There's an assortment of small stuff here to load, first on is a skiploader followed by a 1.5t machine. Next up is a little 80 roller and what's this, A WHEELBARROW? that's manual handling equipment.

Don't think much of that.

This lot is going to his yard at Felsted, and when unloading I put the wheelbarrow situation right by nipping it up against the dozer blade and tracking it off with the machine.

Well that's me done for now and I decide to park up in one of my quiet spots for a well earned brew. I've just finished and am about to shut my eyes when the phone rings, another job has come up and can I head over to Tollesbury.

Over at Tollesbury is an old Ford wheeled digger, it's almost up to it's axles in crap and there are buckets to round up. Although I leave that to the blokes on site, I still get involved and end up caked in mud. I load the machine on and go to town on the chains, these old wheeled diggers have a nasty habit of moving about in transit. I'm off with it to Latchingdon where I unload at a soon to be demolished garage.

Luckily the brakes work and I manage to get back down to ground level safely and miss the overhead cables.

Finally I get a chance to take a break, but there's another job to do yet. The next job is up at the other end of the county again at Sible Hedingham which is best part of an hours single carriageway away. There's a 4.5t Kobelco here at a site behind the Premdor factory, it goes on uneventfully in the rain.

It's down to Tiptree with this to their yard, and ironically being the cleanest machine I've moved all day it's the only one that makes a bid for freedom and slides down the ramps. Back to the yard for a 1715 finish. 245Km

Friday.
0645 Start. Nothing doing first thing, I'd planned to wash the truck down but as it was tipping down with rain I decided not to bother. There was an errand to run, taking a spare van over to one of our drivers near Braintree and driving his one back but real work didn't start until 1100 when I left the yard for Takeley (again).

I had our 3t Komatsu to drop off at the site compound.

And also a collection not on the site itself but about 50 yards away. There was a 3t dumper and a Hyundai 55 to load (just visible above), both these were delivered here a couple of weeks ago and were now caked in mud. They were delivered to the farm in Felsted where the little stuff went yesterday.

My next job wasn't until late afternoon, so there was nothing else to do but to park up put the kettle on and hit the bunk for a couple of hours. 2 hours later the rain has washed off a lot of the mud and I'm still going to be early so I meander off up the A12 at 50mph an stop to top off the fuel tanks. I'm going to Washbrook near Ipswich where I started out this week.

There's so lovely little narrow lanes to thread my way through.

And I manage to squeeze up outside the site where I've got a half hour wait whilst they finish with the machine. This machine is really caked but it just manages to slip and slide up the ramps and I'm off back down to Essex. Traffic is heavy on the way back and I'm finished at the yard at 1745.

That's me done for about 3 weeks now as I'm off to America.

17th - 20th March 2008

2008-03-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Monday.
0645 Start. Still loaded from last Friday with a 4.5t JCB to be offhired.

It had sustained some minor damage and the plan was for our fitter to reshape the panel before it went back, he was busy on a 20 tonner and said he'd been told to leave the JCB so I head straight out.

Only to get a call 2 minutes later, what they actually meant was to leave the JCB until the 20 tonner was ready. It was nearly 0800 by the time we'd got it looking OK again and I swap it over at Jovic plant for a 1t skiploader.

The skiploader is delivered to a big house in Great Totham, it's an unload in the road job here.

Great Totham, Great Braxted and Wickham Bishops are a nightmare they all blend in and there are plenty of little lanes like these. I leapfrog jobs next and run across to Braintree.

I'm loading this new JCB Vibromax roller, there's a collection on the way back at Hatfield Peverel one of our Yanmar 75's I took some pictures but somehow managed to not upload them before clearing the memory on the card. The Yanmar is dropped at the yard and the roller taken down to MAP Plant on the A1 at Barking.

Next job is down at Canning Town, it's the one I could have done on Friday afternoon with the lowloader. The other 6 wheeler has moved the 9t digger and compressor, all I've got is a 6t dumper. This companies stuff is never mechanically tiptop so it gets an extra pair of chains to hold it in place.

If this is a Monday morning, I'm thinking that Friday afternoon with the lowloader was worth avoiding.

I always have a chuckle at this one.

The dumper is returned to their yard near Maldon and I return to ours about 1430. I was expecting to load at Jovic at bit later for tomorrow but I'm given the Yanmar 75 back again, this time with breaker and buckets and despatched off to Dedham on the Essex/Suffolk border. It's one of those places that has probably got 1 legal route in for HGV and everything else is 7.5t except for access, however there's no way of knowing whether you will pass through the restriction and out the other side or if it's a blanket restriction to stop traffic cutting through. I decide to just follow the logical way in and only managed to go past about 4 signs. Coming out was better only past 1 sign that restricted about 100yards of road between 2 junctions. Back at the yard and there's a dumper to load before heading for home at 1715. 334Km

Tuesday.
0645 Start. Off to Dedham (again) with the 3t dumper, it's a quick trip as I've got some more stuff to be getting on with back in Chelmsford. First of which is loading a JCB 5t and a 6t dumper at Jovic Plant. It's a bit of a squeeze as they haven't loaded the dumper with the buckets and the machine has got a large breaker attached.

The digger and breaker just squeeze in nicely.

This barn has just been extended, the furthest half is brand new and the closest is original. Looks like it was all built together.

It's off to Basildon now for the next job, I have to pass the stupid 'Fortune of War Rondabout' it has been like this since 1995 and has just been completely resurfaced. Everything has to crawl round the roundabout that isn't one instead of flowing straight along the A127 dual carriageway.

It's an easy one here, a JCB 803 with just one bucket and a breaker to go ack to Lavenham Plant at Cold Norton.

It's on a residential development, narrow roads and people parking in all the wrong places.

This is how a roller looks after it has fallen off a wagon, somersaulted and come to rest. There is a roundabout just to the left, the wagon driver was exiting the roundabout when a car driver came up on his inside going around him on the roundabout, when he swerved to miss the car the strap broke and fired the roller off sideways. That's nearly 3t, good job no -one was in the way or it'd be completely different. Not one of ours thankfully although it was later recovered by our HIAB.

Back at Lavenham the 803 is swapped for a 120 roller which was dropped off at the farm from earlier. Back to the yard for the rest of the day. Finished at 1645. 195Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. Since leaving there's been no jobs come in for me to do so I make use of the empty yard and get down the end with the steam cleaner. Before too long I'm given a job moving this rough old Rough Terrain FLT in Southend. It's only a short job from a school to their yard about 3 miles away.

Back at the yard and there's not much doing so I break out the polish and give the cab a quick shine up. After lunch I load the 1.5t ready to go our later.

There's now a roller to collect in Chelmsford and that goes on too.

The 1.5t is taken to Cressing near Braintree and the roller dropped off at Jovic at Sandon where I collect a breaker to go back to the yard. Finished at 1645. 140km

Thursday.
0645 Start. No hurry this morning, there's not much doing except a run down to Cock Clarks to collect the dumper from the farm. The contractor comes from near Gt.Yarmouth and is never early so I sit and wait until about 0800. I decide to load the machine using my keys and wait until 0830 for him to arrive so I can retrieve the key and return with the fuel drums that I have brought out.

He doesn't arrive and I head off to Jovic Plant to offhire the dumper. I do pass him enroute though so I return in a van and collect the key and th drums. There's another errand in the van to do and a bit later a trip out to Chappel to collect a grapple for one the machines. Back at the yard I unload the grapple from Chappel and head off to South Hanningfield to load our Komatsu 27R mini.

It's school chucking out time when I leave and I have to pass this mobile library parked on the zigzags. Nice one.

Finished at the yard at 1645. Distance 136Km

10th - 14th March 2008

2008-03-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Monday.
0630 Start. Back to 6 wheels again this morning, although I'd rather be no wheels and still in bed. The rain is lashing down (or even across) and it's windy as hell.
First stop is Jovic Plant at Sandon to load a JCB 803 3t machine with breaker, despite my full waterproofs I get fairly wet in the process and the drive across to Takeley is a constant battle to keep the windscreen clear.

It's still raining at Takeley, and I'm told that the breaker isn't required, now that's not usually a problem but it's fitted to the machine and the machine does not have a quickhitch. To remove it you have to knock out large steel pins which then are used to fit the bucket (when you can eventually get it to line up) Once the 803 is off I can get one of our 5t Yanmars loaded and finally get on my way.

I'm headed off to Framlingham in Suffolk and the weather is still appalling, also there seems to be something slightly amiss with the wagon, it just doesn't seem to pull very well. I decide that it could be the way the machine is loaded, the weather or some other factor and defer any thought of remedy until later on. When I get close to Ipswich they have got the Orwell Bridge closed and diversions in place through Ipswich town, I quickly decide that this will take forever so I head across to the A140 (Norwich Road) and cut across to Framlingham from there avoiding both Ipswich and the Orwell.

The site I'm visiting is right in the town by the castle, it's a narrow street where the machines are working and I'm due to exchange machines. Unfortunately they are unloading some drainage pipes and I cannot get the machine out until they finish an hour later. Finally the Yanmar is replaced by a 5t Hitachi ZX50 and I make my way back out again having finally put away the waterproofs as the rain has abated. I've got the ZX loaded further forward so the tag axle is raised but there's still a performance issue here, the weather is better too so I decide to call at Truck East in Witham to see if they can have a quick look.

An hour and a bit later one of their fitters comes out and takes us for a spin in the now atrocious weather, he doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong and really there is nothing actually wrong. It's just that it normally goes like shit off a shovel and today it's lugging, there's no acceleration when you change up to the next gear (unless you use the half splits) If I was running a 310 engine it'd be fine but even with a full weight load on the old 420 does better than this. Finally he decides that I should run it tomorrow and see how it fares. Back at the yard the Zx comes off and I return to Jovic to get shot of the breaker. It's their tea break when I arrive and although I really want to get on, I don't feel like I can reasonably drag them outside today.

Once I'm empty I run across to Braintree, everything working perfectly no problems to report. At Braintree there's a JCB 535-125 to load from the dealer there, and I'm about 2 minutes too late as there is a lowloader just backing in the yard to load a JS130. My Loadall is at the back of the yard and I can't get it out until he's loaded. He's not long though and I sort the paperwork whilst he's getting loaded.
Whilst I'm chaining on I get treated to a barrage of hailstones and I am just glad that today is almost over. With a load on, the problem arises again and I reckon it could be a fuel filter as the engine isn't missing and the brakes aren't dragging. There's some sort of powerloss that is only showing itself with a bit of weight, tomorrow could be make or break for it. Finished at 1730. Distance 319Km.

No pictures as I just couldn't be arsed today.

Tuesday.
0545 Start. Thankfully no rain this morning as I'm off for an early one across the QEII bridge and round the M25. Amazingly the tolls are clear both ways and even J5 is bearable this morning. There's a bit of a jam just starting by the M23 junction but I'm headed for Shoreham so it doesn't bother me at all. I'd glanced at the map last night and the address in Shoreham looked easy enough just behind the front, however when I get there I discover lots of closed roads and have to unearth the map to find out where I now need to go. I'm tipping at a place called Pyroban, there's loads of different bits of it but the once with a bunch of FLTs outside would seem like the best bet, there's not much sign of life however so I check with a driver from Robert Walker Fork Truck Transport who points me in the right direction.

It's a bit busy in the main works so I unload round the corner and park the machine as directed. Apparently this company modifies equipment for use in dangerous environments fitting explosive suppressors or summat. I'm done by about 0845 so I head back and stop for half hour at Pease Pottage.

There's now some delays at the tolls and I can't quite make it back on this 4.5hr so I take another half hour on the A12. Back at the yard not much is happening as it's lunchtime when I arrive so there's a bit more eyelid studying to be done.

There's a couple of little jobs to do, first is a run down to Benfleet to collect a 120 roller and return it to Laveham Plant at Cold Norton. Next up is collecting a 10t dumper from Jovic Plant and returning to the yard. There's also our little 1.5t mini to load so the dumper comes off and gets reloaded behind the maggot ready for tomorrow. Finished at 1645. Distance 374Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. It's an odd load when you look at it, the 1.5t mini and a whacking great 10t dumper but it's not on for long, the dumper is taken to the University in Chelmsford.

Our early bird driver has already been and gone here, having dropped off a Hyundai 140, but at least we're not in each others way.

The maggot is off to a car dealer in Chelmsford, although when I get arrive there is no sign of the hirer. After half hour of waiting I decided to unload ready and they arrive about 0815, they've come from Sussex and apparently the QEII bridge is closed again due to high wind.

The next job is about 200 yards down the round at E2V, an electronics contractor. I'm loading a 3t dumper and Hyundai 55 for a groundworker, then it's of to Takeley near Stansted Airport.

The job at Takeley is at an existing bungalow in the middle of a massive new housing development, some stuffed shirt tries to bollock me for not using the haul road but I tell him that it's nothing to do with his site, it's a private job on a house that was here first so I'll come and go as I please. As does the tipper driver behind me delivering to the same place.

My next job involves central London and ideally I need to run down to the top of the Blackwall Tunnel, in through Wapping and along the Embankment, this could be dodgy because of the QEII but it's actually fine amd generally the traffic is light all the way. Over Lambeth Bridge and I'm off down Wandsworth Road to a job under the railway arches, there's a load of sleepers to go back to the demolition contractors yard.

These are soon loaded by machine, and just as I'm about to leave so more appear along with a couple of railway trollies.

Somehow I get persuaded to do another collection for them this time from Borough Market. There's a 1.5t machine to collect and it involves tracking it through the cobbled streets as it's too tight to get the wagon in to the site.

I head back out and stop on the A12 for a well earned cuppa before returning to their yard at Stock to unload.

Once the sleepers are off, I have to go and meet the boss who gives me cheque and I'm off now to Braintree to collect some rolls of Terram fabric. These are dropped off at the University site before returning back to the yard. There's just a ZX50 to load on before going home at 1815. Distance 251Km

Thursday.
0645 Start. I'm off to Chelmsford this morning to drop the ZX50 off, I've been given the wrong address and unload the machine into the Salvation Army car park but it's only 50 yards up the road to the right place and when the hirer arrives he tracks it up the road.

Next job is loading a telehandler at Great Easton near Gt.Dunmow, it's a Matbro Tristar circa 1986, horrid thing with no go and about as much braking efficiency. I get it chained on quick before it decides to unload itself.

It's going to a school in Brentwood and it's a long slog through Essex's single carriageway A&B roads to get there, it's not a problem as there's no access until 0915 which is the time I arrive. Once I've unloaded the machine I notice a patch of oil underneath the cab about 4" diameter, a quick look underneath and it's obvious I've got a problem as there's quite a bit oil on the bottom of the sump. I'm heading for Braintree and I decide that calling at the yard would be a good idea as I could seek assistance or top up whatever. Back at the yard I crawl underneath and the oil is coming from above the sump and is running down the side of the block and coating the underneath quite thoroughly. 2 litres of oil go in the top, and I head off to Truck East at Witham with a problem that they cannot ignore.

Once they take a quick look in the yard they get me in the workshop and jack the cab for a good look. It's a seal or gasket on the oil cooler that's blown and it's a 3 hour job to replace it, that's when they can get manpower onto it. I'm advised it'll probably be ready about 4pm so I arrange a lift back to the yard. It never got finished by the day shift so hopefully the late shift will get it sorted. Off home at 1645. Distance 126Km

Friday.
0645 Start. A rare ride in the passenger seat this morning, but only as far as Truck East at Witham to collect the motor. It all seems OK and they've even fixed the dash lights that they broke at it's MOT.

Now I can start working I'm to a school in Mayland to load a JCB 926 forklift, I was surprised when I was given this job as I'd assumed it had gone back long ago, when I returned it to Hewden it had originally been hired 2nd August last year.

I'm away from the school before the drop off bedlam and round the corner to a garden centre to load one our dumpers.

There's no one at the garden centre when I arrive so I get the 926 off ready.

The dumper is looking a bit worse for wear, with a smashed beacon and the tyre almost off the rim.

All loaded up and it's off to Hewden in Basildon to offload the 926. Back at the yard they decide to send me to the tyre depot with the dumper rather than get a call out for it. One puncture repair later and it's off to the University to load the 10t dumper from earlier this week. The big dumper is offhired at Sandon and the little one returned to our yard.

I'm offered a lowloader job for this afternoon, fetching some gear out of Canning Town, but it's just been loaded with a 20tonner that would have to be unloaded and reloaded again this evening. I decline the offer.

Before long I'm given another job anyway, back to school (There's an education theme today) at Laindon to load a 4.5t machine that has just finished working. It's due back in to Jovic but I leave it on as it's first stop on Monday morning. Finished at 1645. Distance 198Km

Lowloader Diary

2008-03-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday 8th March 2008.

As a rule I don't work weekends but at the moment the extra cash is handy, as is the chance to gain some experience on the lowloader. What's more they game me a machine driver to lend a hand so all I really need to do is get to and from the site.

I meet the driver at 0630 at the yard and collect the keys from the office, it's all loaded and ready to go and the very first movement is a reverse out of the yard. There's an awkwardly parked car but it's not really in the way and we're soon off and on our way down the A12 and on to the M25 Kent bound. We're loaded with a Hyundai 14 tonner, enough weight to make a difference and I'm getting caught out often with the splitter. Because my 6 wheeler has the same engine and gearbox set up I rarely bother with half splits as 420hp is more that adequate for me, however on the hills I find that I really need to be splitting the gears.

Next part of the learning curve comes at the toll booths, they're not all that wide. Although the 140 is only marginally wider than the trailer the chains and dogs make it a squeeze through the booth and I have to keep a close eye on the machines mirrors. A lesson to be learnt here is to fold the mirrors and also to use booth 1which is the designated wide load bay when pulling anything this wide.

After successfully getting through the tolls and the roadworks we leave the M25 at J4 and follow the A21 through to Bromley where we pull onto a residential area. There are some nice wide roads along here and it's once of these we need, they are doing pipeline work in the road and there are sections of the street fenced off. I reverse in a snake like fashion down the round to the compound where we are able to unload the 140.

With the other driver helping with chaining on and driving the machine there's not tons for me to do.

Once he's secured the machine in the compound we go back to the A21 and head around the corner to the main site compound to load up. There's a bit of a moment when the trailer is in danger of demolishing a keep left bollard after an awkward right turn, but a quick reverse shunt gets us past without incident.
I sort the wagon out whilst my co driver nips into the compound to grab the machine.

We're loading a wheeled excavator or duck as they are known, it's our little Atlas 13 tonner.

Another new experience for me chaining these on, we've got 4 in total, all different sizes and make but they are too big to be moved on the 6 wheeler. Occasionally I move them in the yard but otherwise I don't have too much to do with them.

Once we're loaded up we have a quick look at the map to plot a route back to the A21, it's simple enough on paper but when we turn the corner we discover that it's a 20 mph zone, narrow, speed bumps and a bus route. And there's a bus coming the other way, I'm speechless when the bus pulls half on the pavement to allow me to pass. We're back at the A21 without further incident and this time need to make a left turn before the keep left bollard, there's no way it'll go round I'm sure so I keep right of the keep left bollard and get the unit across the pavement opposite to get round the island. All safe we head back to the M25 and through the tunnel into Essex.

It's out along the A13 to Pitsea, the site compound is by the railway station and it's impossibly small even with the 6 wheeler so we unload the machine in the station approach.

Outside the station entrance is a bus turning circle, and it's a handy place to spin around before leaving empty for a run back to the yard.

Back at the yard we have a 20 tonner to load on, so there's a bit more work to do, the outriggers are extended on the trailer and the ramps adjusted for the wider track of the machine. Once the machine is loaded we cannot get one of the ramps to return from it's wide position. Something is jamming it and after about 20 minutes of mssing about we finally get it back in position although it still grates at a certain point. Finally finished at 1130

3rd - 7th March 2008

2008-03-03T14:16:00.001-08:00

Monday
0545 Start. I seem to be getting more earlier starts of late, that's a habit I'll have to try and break. Actually I was due to go to Maldon first thing to load but I seized the opportunity on Friday to get one step ahead and load up so I could get an early start in.

I've got a mobile crusher loaded on the front and a 5t Hamm roller on the back, it's all sorted ready and I'm on the road Kent bound by 0600. Clear of the M25 by 0645 and through Tunbridge Wells by 0715, I'm hoping I'll be away from the jams for the rest of the day. First stop is at Mayfield Grange in East Sussex, I've delivered one of these rollers here previously and recall offloading in the road as the site entrance was not very clever. Today however it has been dug up and is unusable, the posh entrance says "no site traffic" and there's what looks like a new site road being created, I decide that looks like a probable spot for the roller and tip off in the road outside and rumble the roller in there. When I eventually find someone, it's in the wrong place and despite all the signage to the contrary I should have gone in the posh entrance, this is a proper pain in the arse as I have to reload the roller reverse up 100 yards or so and drive into the entrance to offload on the site. I was all for driving it straight in but they were having none of it, so I have to go with it but I cheated and didn't chain it back on again.

I could have done without the messing about but I'm still away by 0800, on my way towards Petworth on the A272, it's about 50 miles or so but it's not busy and is a pleasant journey. Or at least it was until I get to Haywards Heath, this takes approximately an hour to get through thanks to some roadworks they talk about on the radio. Must be a big job I think, I'm wrong it's about 20' of road coned off and a bloke digging a small hole. Whilst I'm sitting in the jam around 0900 I get a call chasing my progress on the crusher, cheeky buggers, if I'd loaded it this morning as they had booked I'd have got there 1st drop about 1030. Here I am 1 down and well on the way at 0900 and they're chasing me.

Thankfully once past HH things improve although the freight route for through traffic on the A272 at Petworth is roundabout to say the least. I'm heading for a small village callled Lickfold which is a couple of miles off the A272, it's just past Lodsworth which is a very small village with even narrower roads. I arrive on site at about 1030 and carefully unload the crusher, a delicate touch is needed here firstly to rotate it through 180 degrees to get the conveyor facing forward and secondly it's remote control with buttons rather than push switches on the remote to move it. It's soon manouvered into place, demonstrated and working crushing some fairly big lumps of concrete into a fine sub base. It's nearly 1100 when I leave and I'm keeping my eye on the time as I'm running out of time, I decide to cut across to Pulborough and up to Billingshurst rather than the route in on the A272 and laybys are conspicous by their abscence. In the end I stop just before the A24 at Horsham with just minutes to spare.

Thankfully the run back was clear and after doing some bits in the yard I'm off home at 1545

Tuesday

0645 Start. Thankfully there was a job on the board this morning, one that had come in since leaving yesterday. I'm loading one of our Hitachi ZX50 machines from the yard, we can't start machines until 0700 and when I try it's having none of it. It's mega cold this morning and it's been stood for a few days but it's still unusual for one of ours, I dig out my jump start pack connect it up and take refuge in the office with a cuppa. I just manage to get the ZX50 going and I leave it running for 20 minutes or so whilst I get it loaded and secured.

By the time I actually leave it's close to 0800 but traffic isn't too bad as I'm heading to Framlingham in Suffolk. It's a surprisingly long hike up there, but as the journey is broken up by passing Colchester, Ipswich and Woodbridge at regular intervals it's a lot loss monotonous than a similiar motorway distance. I tip the machine off in the driveway to the castle and make my way back to Essex. There's a collection on the way from a big house in Hatfield Peverel, it's our 6t dumper and it's back to the yard after that.

Last job of the day is a quick run to Jovic Plant at Sandon for a 5t JCB ready for the morning.

Wednesday.

0645 Start. Off to Basildon this morning with the JCB, it's delivered to a school there and next stop is Truck East, Scania at Witham for MOT. My job sheet says to call for pickup, this is lacking some detail however as I cannot decide whether it means

a) call other driver Bob as once suggested to be collected.

b) call the office for someone to collect me.

c) call at the office and load our pickup truck so I can drive myself back.

I try a) but get voicemail, b) too early so I decide to skip c) and just go there anyway.

In the end I get collected and returned to the yard. I'm at a bit of a loose end now so I get sent on an errand to collect some Keruing flooring boards from Brentwood and then assist with the refurbishment of the ramps on the lowloader trailer.

Thursday.

0645 Start. No wheels for me in the yard today, but it means I've got to start using my recent training. I'm going up in the world today, another step up in fact into our R124-420. I've got a chance to drive the lowloader, it's the first time since passing my class 1 and I've the bonus of having the regular driver sat alongside. First job is to reverse out of the yard and to get out of our little industrial estate, it's not a big problem at 0700 when there's nothing there but later in the day will be difficult I'm sure.

We're loaded with a Hyundai 14t machine and soon I'm trundling off down the hill with it to deliver it to nearby Galleywood, it's only a short run but I get A roads both single and dual, roundabouts and a bit of narrow country lane before we arrive at the site. The machine driver is there ready and we're soon unloaded and ready to go again, it's another short run though only going as far as Danbury quarry. There's a Daewoo 13t to collect here and it's soon on and ready.

It's an old pic, but it's loaded with a Daewoo 130

I can either spin round by the batching plant or reverse the trailer round into the loading area, I figure that the easy option isn't really going to do me any good so I reverse round and am happy enough with the result. It's now just a short run back to the yard to unload where I manage to park the thing like a banana.

There's some tidying up in the yard to do, sorting out some rubbish and some scrap, before getting a lift over to Truck East about 1400 to collect my newly MOT'd vehicle. As usual they have decided that the MOT needed all sorts of things doing that never seem to be a problem at the 6 weekly inspections.

Like removing the reversing camera screen which obscures a miniscule part of forward vision (I rarely use it, but find it handy for tight places so I can back right up to something without hitting it.

Replacing a light cluster with an identical one that according to them last year was not a suitable type for a rigid.

New mudflaps.

They also fixed the exhaust which now sounds really sweet, it's supposed to have been done previously but it was never noticable.

Back to the yard and it's a quick swapover to the little pickup truck, for a quick blast up to Volvo at Duxford to collect some parts that had been biked from Newcastle. There's no point in going back tonight so I head straight for home by 1715.

Friday

0630 Start. I'm not sure what's happening this morning so I make the effort and roll in a bit earlier in case I'm out with Bob. I'm not, but at least there are a couple of jobs to do which will make a change. First stop is Jovic Plant at Sandon to load a breaker, there's nothing else to go on so it's an almost empty run down to Basildon to drop it off at the machine I delivered on Wednesday.

Next on the cards is a move from Maldon, it's a 5t JCB for a fencing contractor. When I arrive it's lashing with rain so I sit tight for 10 minutes and get the kettle on. Once the sky had emptied I discover that I'm also moving his JCB Robot skid steer, not a common machine type for me to move and this one scores extra points as it has door unlike the Bobcat ones where you have to clamber in through the front. They're both loaded and secured and it's a short run around to Latchingdon to drop them off.

Now I'm back into the yard to load a bucket for a 13t machine, it belongs to one of our customers and somehow came back from a job with one of our machines.

It's a site in Dartford where I'm headed with the bucket and I'm told to reverse in so they can pluck it off with the machine. Unfortunately this upsets a Hanson blocks artic driver who obviously thinks I'm trying to queue jump him and drives into the site so I can't get out. Numerous people explain that it's a one minute job, and if he'll just back out of the way I'll clear off out of his way, with some huffing and puffing he reverses out and still blocks the gateway. In the end I drive off the hard road on site to let him in, if he'd asked why I was "queue jumping" rather than assuming I was and just driving straight in he'd have been in much quicker.

I'm back onto the M25 headed for the M20 (as is the traffic jam going for the tunnel) and up into Vigo village. I've been here before, delivering to the school on DBC and my site is virtually next door. It's only the maggot I'm loading, our little 1.5t machine which looks daft on the back of the truck. Still not as daft as when it arrived here on it's own on the lowloader (although there was a 20 tonner going back to the yard)

I decide not to spend Friday afternoon queuing for the tunnel so I follow the A227 up to the A2 and round my sneaky way to jump to the front of the queue at J1a. I'm through the tunnel no bother and on a flyer back to the yard, I'm hoping that I arrive before Bob has left the yard as he's got a 22 tonner going to Colchester but when I arrive back he's gone. There's a bit more to do however so the maggot gets tipped off and I'm off to Lavenham Plant at Cold Norton for a 120 roller to take back to the yard.

Still not done, apparently we're desperate for a 3t machine so I'm despatched off to Lt. Baddow where there's a Jovic one coming off hire. I'm to collect it and a 6t dumper and deliver them to their yard so they can get the 3t machine ready for me to collect on Monday. Their wagon is either VOR or busy so we're doing this to make the machine available when we need it.

The bloke is still working the machine when I arrive but he's finished with the dumper so that gets loaded on. After half hour or so sitting on this surprisingly busy road he's finished with the machine and that goes on too.

Back to Jovic's now and tip the whole lot. Back to the yard and I sort out tomorrow's job before going home at 1700

25th - 29th February 2008

2008-02-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

Monday.
0630 Start. In a bit earlier than normal to load up the cab with the essential basics, kettle, mugs, tea etc. a map, gloves and hi-vis should keep me out of trouble until later on. The truck seems to be in one piece and has actually been washed by the bloke who was driving it last week.

But it won't start, it all seems healthy enough but the starter won't crank the engine not even slowly. Initially I thought it was a flat battery but it didn't seem quite right. Then I realised that it had been left in gear and it was trying to trun the drivetrain. Luckily there was just enough air left in the tank to get the clutch down and we're in business.

It's nice to be back in my seat again, and it's nice to have 420hp on tap rather than the 250hp in the old 3 series last week. I'm not going far for now, just down to Sandon to load at Jovic Plant. It's one of their moves, and first I'm given an Avant shovel, and then a skiploader. Bothe are loaded, secured and the ramps are folded before I get told that there is a 1.5t mini digger to go as well. Down come the ramps, the skiploader gets shunted over and the mini loaded alongside. It's nearly 0800 by the time I leave and I head down the A12 and take the M25 heading for Wembley, it's no surprise that the traffic is heavy and I eventually arrive on site at 1000.

There's some TV filming going on with a car on a trailer rig that they use for the in car shots, it's coming and going and some bloke decides to take it on himself to direct me to whereabouts I should go to unload. I'm delivering to a tennis court contractor who is completely unconnected to the filming so I find my own suitable place and unload there. The mini has got a mind of it's own and slips and slides and threatens to fall down the gap between the ramps. I manage to skid the tracks back on squarely by taking the weight on the bucket and slewing the body (which cannot move, and forces the tracks to slew instead)

Once I'm done I head back out along the M1 and stop for a 15 at Scratchwood, before pushing on to the A12 where I stop and enjoy a half hour snooze in the sun. Back at the yard I restock the cab with the lesser essentials, other maps, spare clothes, tools and the like.

Tomorrow's load is ready so I make my way over to Great Baddow to load a Unimog, it's not quite ready but they never are here until you start hanging around, there's always just a couple of little jobs to do.

Back at the yard and I'm done for the day at 1700. Distance 245Km

Tuesday.
Eyes open, 4.30am. Too early. 5am, still too early. 5.15am right OK that'll do. In at the yard at 0545 and on the road by 0600. I'm heading for Leicester and if all goes well I'll be clear of the M25 by 0700 and away from the worst of the traffic. It didn't go well, heavy traffic at J27 and not very good until clear of the M10 at just after 0730. The rest of the slog up to J21 was OK and I'm heading for Leicester Forest West to a farm just off the A47.

It's easy enough to find, and I'm soon in the 'Mog and running up the air before unloading, there's a fair amount of smoke but it runs OK and I leave it parked in the corner. It's new owner arrives and seems happy enough and I'm off and on my way at 0930. I need to get over the other side of Leicester for the A47 and decide that the A46 dual carriageway might be the best way around the top, I'm not sure if it was or not as there was still a fair bit of ring road before getting the A47.

By now I'm down to a little more than half hour left and I'm sure I won't make the next stop so I call my site contact and tell him I'll be there at 1200. The A47 is a nice surprise, I thought it'd be a slow arduous s/c road, but it's a nice clear road with long sweeping bends. And plenty of decent sized laybys to stop. With 15 minutes left on the timer I pull into one around 1030 for my 45 break.

Whilst I'm stopped I pull the paperwork for this move, it's collecting a 3CX from a barn on an airfield. I'd had a quick look at the map, but reading attached directions from the auctioneers there is a short cut along some minor roads, it also mentions trucks so it would seem like this could cut the corner providing the two railway bridges aren't stupidly low. Once I'm on the move again it's about 5 minutes to the turn off the A47 and I discover that the railway bridge is far from low.

Having just come through it once, I make a left turn and go back through.

Into the village of Harringworth.

I'm heading for Laxton and on the look out for for what I now know to be the former RAF Spanhoe airfield, home during WWII to up to 100x C47 Skytrain / Dakota transport aircraft. All that's on offer today however is a windsock, a barn and a Polish Pekaes wagon.

There's also a forlorn looking tractor.

And one of these, whatever it might be. It seems to be in good order though considering it must be old to have a 3 digit phone number on the side.

I'm there at 1130, could have even just scraped in before my break. I wonder if my machine is a good un as it is locked in the barn. Soon enough a farmer type arrives on his John Deere to open up and give me the key. It's not looking good, a 1988 3CX with broken windscreen and flat rear tyre. Not to mention the battery that won't wuite turn the engine over. My jumpstart pack won't quite do it, but the farmer fella is straight in with the John Deere and jump leads and the old Jake coughs into life.

I get the pile of s#?t outside and decide to leave it running for a while at the risk of using all it's remaining fuel. I also discover that the brakes are next to useless, in fact I think the handbrake lever actually continues and rubs against the wheel rather than pulls a cable operated brake.

I get loaded, finally switch off and leave the Polish driver there with his two tractors on board and the problem of what to do about a 9'6" cultivator. It's about 1230 and I head back to the A1 for an easy run back down to Essex. I call at Cambridge services for fuel and decide to try starting the Jake, it's a gamble but I figure if it doesn't start now there is no point in going straight to the delivery point. It starts OK and I just hope that the battery has enough left for one more start. I'm delivering to a private house in Panfield near Braintree, there's 2 ways to get there easily, one each side of Braintree. Unfortunately they have closed the road the M11 side so it's a long detour round.

The house is one I've been to before, down a narrow lane with a low cable above the gate meaning unloading is only possible on the road.

With the slope of the ramps, the lean of the flat tyre and the camber of the road working together with the dodgy brakes unloading is hairy and it leans alarmingly towards the ditch. Thankfully leaning is all it does and I'm soon able to get rid of the hateful thing before heading back to the yard. Finished at the yard 1645. Distance 486Km

Wednesday.
Yard bound today except for a couple of errand boy jobs in the van.

Thursday.
0645 Start. Off to Sudbury in Suffolk this morning, it's an hour whichever way you go but I always go via Colchester rather than the roundabout route through Chelmsford'd roundabouts and onto Braintree & Halstead. I'm there at 0800 and first job is to offload a bucket that had been loaded on last night, my paperwork had a big note, highlighted and underlined telling me to strap the bucket on! Oh, thanks for that, I hadn't thought of it. Honestly, sometimes it beggars belief.

I'm loading an 8t JCB machine here, but there's a slight wait as it's just tidying up and I roll off site at 0845. Back down to Colchester to pick up the A12 and over the water to drop the machine offf in Dartford.

Back through the tunnel and up to the A12 heading back to Chelmsford, I'm making good progress through my job sheet so I stop on the A12 for half hour in the sunshine. By 1130 I'm on site at Great Baddow ready to load a forklift, there's some confusion as they are trying to get me to load a JCB 3CX for Ipswich which is urgent rather than the forks which are not. A call to our office, who call their office confirms that someone else is booked for the 3CX and is now quite late. That same call also passes me another job for when I've finished.

I'm loading a Manitou MC26-4 rough terrain masted forklift, quite uncommon compared to the number of telehandlers that I have to move. Although curiously this is the one piece of plant that I am actually ticketed to operate. It's only going to Braintree back to one of their sites where they store stuff. I've only got 30 minutes left when I leave so I take the other 30 minutes on the A130 between Braintree and Great Dunmow.

My next job is to collect a digger from the Stondon auctions near Ongar and deliver it to Little Burstead, near Billericay. I've never been to this site before although I know roughly where it is, or not so it would seem. In actual fact it was exactly where I first went, but it was tucked behind some sheds and needed another scout about before finding the place.

I tell the bloke in the yard that I'm collecting a machine for errr, Smiths at Burstead and he seems to know what I need and disappears off into one of the sheds. Quite what relic will appear is anyones guess, but in the end it's a reasonable effort. A 2002 Daewoo 5.5t machine, it's a bit rough and I can't get my head around the quickhitch so I get the buckets loaded by them and I'm off by 1500.

Unfortunately it's now school run time and I have to negotiate both Brentwood and Shenfield, both affluent areas chock full of mums in their 4x4's. It's 1600 when I arrive at the farm and I waste no time in lauching the machine off and getting back out again.

Finished at the yard by 1645. Distance 337Km

Friday.
0645 Start. First stop this morning is Chipping on the A10 near Royston, it seems to take forever to get there this morning but I'm there nonetheless at 0815. I'm loading 2 machines here, the first one is this little 800 roller.

Once that's on board, there's a Hyundai 55, buckets and breaker to load on too.

It all fits on quite nicely and I'm back off down the A10 and off to Braintree on the A120. I'm actually going to Panfield near Braintree, that's the small village from earlier in the week with the awkward diversion. Different job but same problem. It's only the machine and bits off at Panfield and I'm on my way back to Chelmsford with just the roller.

The roller is going to E2V formerly EEV, English Electric Valves and probably a few other company names too. I'm in favour of tipping outside the gatehouse and letting them trundle it in, but unusually for a defense contractor type place they let me in and out to quickly offload with all the usual signing in and out. Suits me.

Next call is down at Maldon, at TCP's yard. I'm loading a 5t Hamm roller, it's a big old lump but nice and straightforward to secure.

I'm Kent bound but have to stop for a 45 before I get too far into the journey. The queue for the tunnels reaches back onto the A2 and I make a mental note to take a different route back. I'm actually heading for the Isle of Grain, one of th efew bits of Kent I've never been before. Considering the size of construction project I'm going to, the Thamesport container traffic and everything else out it's a joke that the dual carriageway road finishes about 5 miles short at a roundabout in th emiddle of nowhere and deposits you on a windy single carriageway road.

It's about 2pm when I get to the site, it's some massive gas storage facility being constructed / altered and a quick look at the map shows that I'm actually only about 20 miles as the crow flies from Maldon, yet an hour and a half by road. I make a sneaky detour on the way back, join the queue for the tunnel at J1a and make my way back to Maldon to load another identical roller and a mobile crusher ready for Monday. Finished at the yard by 1715. Distance 385Km

Class 1 Training Report

2008-02-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Up till now I've been quite happy with my lot, tootling along on Class 2 with no great ambition to change to Class 1. However I was recently asked if I'd like to do C+E training at the companies expense, in return for some holiday cover on the lowloader.

Now that's not an offer that you refuse, OK so it's not going to put any extra cash in my pocket but it's experience and another skill and that's just like money in the bank. There is also the possibility of a bit of additional overtime in the form of weekend work if required.

Monday 18th February 2008

I'm booked on a course at DTT in Colchester, it's an 0830 start so I'm off from home at 0730 creeping through the fog and the traffic. I'm there at 0815 and there's a bit of hanging around drinking tea before getting introduced to my instructor. As soon as I saw him I knew he was an ex-copper, dunno what it was but I was bang on the money. Ex police driving instructor in motorcycles, cars, minibuses, trucks and buses, even tracked vehicles, DSA, ADI and just about everything else. It would seem like he should know what's what.

After a bit of form filling, a discussion about my driving history and a quick run through of the course we're outside having a walkaround the motor.

OK so it's not the flashest motor, P reg 93M Scania 250 plated at 28t but it's tidy enough and simple. Gears are simple just the 4 over 4 arrangement, although having got used to Scania's quirky 3 over 3 in my 420 rigid it always takes a while to adjust. I get the passenger seat to start with as we make our way out to the A120 and onto the A12 towards Ipswich and the A14. I'm trying to watch and listen but I really can't pick up anything much of great use whilst we are on dual carriageways. We pull into a layby just before the Orwell Bridge and swap over, with a fresh from Class 2 test trainee he will take them to an airfield first but he's confident that I'll be OK for the next session. After a couple of miles along the A14 we exit the dual carriageway and wander around an easy route with a few roundabouts before getting back onto the A14 and pulling into the Orwell truckstop.

After a quick cuppa (in which I was honestly surprised by the almost restaurant like environment) we are off to the far end of the parking bays and setting out the cones for the reverse. One quick demo from the instructor and it's my turn next, I'm not half as bad as I thought I might be although I'm still far from brilliant. My rigid driving instincts keep trying to take over, not so much the incorrect steering but the trailer we're using is a 40 footer with a short overhang as opposed to the 14' on the back of my 6 wheeler. This means that I'm not sneaking the wheels around the cone so much as straight past, it's not a massive problem as I'm getting in the bay consistantly after a single shunt forward.

I'm aware of what I'm doing wrong, just not quite sure how to overcome doing it in the first place so the unstructor jumps in and starts another demo run, once he's got the outfit through the first turn he calmly climbs out whilst it's crawling back and casually walks alongside steering it perfectly from outside whilst talking me through it. One last go before dinner and I'm the box more or less square with shunting or crossing the line. I'm happy enough with that for now.

After lunch we pack the cones away and spend some time wandering around the outskirts of Ipswich negioating roundabouts and traffic lights aplenty. Being only a 250hp it's a bit of a plodder but really that's no bad thing as it can't be rushed and I'm unlikely to be using too much inappropriate speed (although I may be proved wrong here in time) We drive around for a while before heading back through Manningtree and back to Colchester about 1630.

Overall I'm pleased with how things have gone, I'm happy with how the trailer follows 90% of the time I just need to work on the other 10%. I'm not giving parked cars enough space either but I knew myself as I passed some on several occasions that I should have been further away. The instructor is more than happy with my progress and I'm looking forward to tomorrow a lot more than I did for today.

Tuesday.

Starting today at 0800 & I'm there early at 0745 waiting for everyone else to arrive, after the customary brew up and vehicle checks I'm straight in the hot seat and with head out to the A120 to fill up with fuel. Yesterday we called twice at the Texaco and both times they were dry, this morning they've got fuel and the trucks are queing right back along the sliproad.

Once fueled it's along the A12 and straight into Ipswich for some slightly more taxing routes through the town centre with narrow streets and roundabouts. We wander out further taking some winding roads and tight turns including a junction where I had to almost double back on myself, easy in the artic but I'd have struggled to get the 6 wheeler round.

Today I'm managing to hustle the old beast along a bit quicker, overcoming the really strong spring on the accelerator and the sluggish old 250 engine. It's starting to come together well, I'm giving parked cars more room, taking wider routes through junctions and keeping the spped up.

After a cuppa at the Orwell Truckstop we wander back down the A137 through Manningtree to Colchester and cut through a large residential area with speed bumps and the odd chicane before arriving back at the yard.

I'm pleased with today and the instructor is equally happy, it's only 1200 as he's got a funeral to go to but he reckons he'd normally leave the central Ipswich another day but was happy to take me round as I was clearly used to handling a large vehicle. OK so I know that I can do it, but I'll take praise like that any day.

Wednesday.

Away at 0700 for an 0800 start in Colchester, it's 0830 or so by the time we're warmed up, checked and ready. The training school base is on a little industrial area and it's abosolute carnage with cars and vans all over the place. The instructor gets the wagon out, my car goes in it's space and we're off. Straight up the A12 this morning, into Ipswich for some more awkward town centre stuff, there's a fair amount of nasty junctions where you have to crawl around them at a snails pace and I make a fair job of ballsing them up, nothing major but just not getting them quite right. We stay with it until about 1030 when we stop at the Orwell truckstop for a bit of reversing practice, and have a crack at the un / coupling. This seems straightforward and goes OK and we make our way back into the town and slog our way round. I still keep making the same mistakes, principally turning too early and not slowing enough and it starts to stress me, this leads to some incorrect gear selections and the occasional missed signal on the exit from a roundabout.

By 1230 or so when we pull back to the Orwell, I'm pretty fed up with it, more so after making an arse of getting it anywhere near a bay. Sarnies, tea and fresh air work wonders however and by the time we restart I'm more focussed and ready to give it another crack. We do the un / couple exercise again, this time I do it with prompting and I've got that bit sorted. This gives me a lift and we head back to Ipswich for another round, thankfully by now I'm making better progress and the only hiccup is when I forget to box the range changer to low before attempting a hill start. It's a good one to make me remember in future (hopefully) and we make our way back through Manningtree to Colchester.

As we run through my progress, my instructor asks me how I felt it had gone and I largely detailed what he had written in his notes, he's happy enough though as I'm identifying my failings and working towards fixing them. I'm done about 1600 and head for home thoroughly knackered.

Thursday.
Same time, same place only this morning my mood is not so bright. Left home on a bad note and yesterday's mistakes are weighing on my mind. We've got another trainee today, he failed last week and is in for test tomorrow so I let him take the first stint and I take the opportunity to watch his progress. This helps a lot, he's making similar mistakes and just generally seems not so confidant and slightly in awe of it's size. He's actually an ADI on cars and it would seem that he has little or no rigid experience, he's not bad by any means but not completely at ease behind the wheel of something so large. After slogging round Ipswich until about 1030 we stop for a break at the Orwell truckstop and stop and have a chat with the trainee on the rigid. It's his first day, he's being funded by his company and he's going to piss the test. Or at least he thinks he is, whereas I suspect he may be in for a shock.

I'm really ready to go when it's my turn and things go well, nice smooth driving on the open and controlled approaches to difficult junctions, mirrors and observation are on the money and even the odd hiccup gets shrugged off and put behind me. We spend a couple of hours out there, manage to sneak into the test centre for a looksie at how to get in and out of the gate (not the easiest of places) and return to the Orwell about 1300, I even manage to get it into a parking bay without too much fuss. I'm really pleased with todays effort, the instructor too and the other trainee remarks about how at ease I am.

After lunch I decline the offer to do a un / couple exercise and watch the other guy instead before taking the back seat once again, for his second stint at the wheel. He's much smoother now, gaining confidence with the vehicle and he said that watching me had helped him with selecting the right gear for different situations. Now I'm not suggesting that he was watching an expert, far from it but it just illustrates the fact that 2:1 training can be just as beneficial as 1:1

We swap over again and I take us back to Colchester via Manningtree for a 1600 finish.

Friday.
This morning I'm not quite so keen to leave my warm bed although I'm confident about my test, I'm not looking forward to it. Down at Colchester I grab a quick cuppa and get the unit checked and running ready for a quick off when the other trainee arrives. I'm first in the seat this morning and we head directly for the Orwell Truckstop and set out the reversing exercise with the cones. I take the first go and get a reasonable attempt, the other guy does it much better on his first. Another go each and we've both got it sussed. We run through the braking exercise briefly and then park up and go in for a cuppa.

The trainee on the rigid is there, today he seems to have landed firmly with a thud saying how hard it is and how exhausting he found it. Apparently his instructor had a bit of a hard time with him and threatened to throw him off the course.

It's now a bit of a waiting game, just over an hour to go and we're within spiting distance of the test centre so we go out again through the town with the other guy at the wheel before rolling into the test station at 1200. There's a rigid just starting test, and I'm booked next at 1215.
My examiner comes out and introduces himself, and we walk out to the vehicle to start the reversing exercise. I take it slow and steady and get it squarely in the bay and stop just short so I can get out and have a look, I'm about 2' short so I return and just take it back the extra. The instructor joins me and we then complete the braking exercise before leaving the centre. The drive round was generally good, the downhill and uphill starts soon despatched and with the gearchange exercise a thing of the past it was a trundle around the town centre. I managed to pick up a minor when the range change wasn't quite as quick as I was and another on a roundabout as I squidged the trailer tyres against the kerb. There was also two more for awareness (not following through) and another for pulling up too close to a vehicle.

My examiner was a freindly chap, was happy to engage in conversation and this certainly removed the tense atmosphere of when I took my class 2 test.

We're soon back at the test centre and after a quick un /couple the examiner gives me the magic words "Well Graham, I'm pleased to tell you......." With 5 minors on a 1st time pass, I'm more than happy with the result.

Unfortunately the other trainee was not so lucky, somehow he managed to completely screw up on his reverse and knocked over the 1st cone, however in fairness to him he still went out and completed the rest of the test bar the un/coupling and didi it with only 7 minors. My instructor was disappointed as he told me he was counting on 2 passes. I was gutted for the other guy too, as he was certainly able to do it and considering he'd no rigid experience he drove very well.

Idle chatter was fairly non existant on the drive back to Colchester, but I'm sure he'll come back and crack it soon. I part company with DTT at 1600 and head back to Danbury to pass the news to my boss who is quite happy with the result.

14th February 2008

2008-02-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday.
0545 Start. It's rare for me to start before 0630 these days but occasionally I'll drag myself out early if needed. After wrestling with the gate this morning (it's usually already open when I arrive) and a bit of faffing about I'm on the road at 0600 down to the A12 heading round the M25 and up the M1. I'm always amazed at the volume of traffic at 0600 it's noticeable busier than it is at 0700.

First stop is just off J13 almost alongside the big Amazon building where they are building a new bypass for Ridgemount. I pull in the site compound and collar a bloke in an JCB belonging to the drainage firm that I'm collecting from.

Follow me he says, and goes bouncing off down the road and takes us in a very big circle almost (but not quite) back to where we started from.

There's 4 "mini" trench boxes to load which is done by their 360. "mini" as in not the big ones called magnums which are 12' wide. They're bloody horrid things, I hate moving anything that can self load or unload and these are amongst the worst of all.

An assortment of chains and ratchet straps are used to keep it all on board before I carry on the mystery tour past Woburn Safari Park to get back to J13 and down to the M25.

I've got to drop the boxes at the roadworks between J2-J3 and I'm told to pass over J2 get in the right lane and dive into the works access and trundle through the roadworks to the end to unload.
I'm in the access point as instructed and delayed by the bowser refuelling the oasis unit's genny.

This tipper has come in through the next access point and holds me up whilst he gets loaded.

After getting to the first of my customers machines I'm waved past them all until I get to this Volvo (after he's loaded a tipper) This is where the boxes are needed but they won't tip them there as there's not enough space. I'm told they will have to come off further back and given a contact number which I punch in and call up as I leave the end of the roadworks and dive across to exit at J3.

No they're deffo coming off by the Volvo, get back and they'll tip you.

So it's back the other way to J2 noting the best place to access the roadworks on the return journey. Only now Costain's HIAB is there offloading concrete drainage tubes and has got about 15 eight leg tippers queued up behind all waiting to either tip or be loaded. I join the back of the queue and slowly the single file snake delivers me back to the Volvo about an hour and a half after first arriving there. It's my turn to cause delay whilst I unchain and unstrap before they drag the boxes with their machine.

I've got 30 minutes left of driving so I get through the tunnel and onto the A13 and stop at the BP at Orset for 45 minutes, although I've done virtually nothing for the last 2 hours I wasn't stopped for more than about 5-10 minutes so couldn't have got a break in even if I'd wanted.

It's gone 1400 when I leave the services and time is catching up, it's into Basildon to collect a Yanmar 75 that we've got crosshired in. As usual there's a delay to get the key and more faffing to reunite machine and buckets and it's getting on for 1500 when I leave site.

I'm supposed to be taking it back to Ongar, but I haven't got the time left so it goes back to our yard where it gets launched off and dumped in the middle of the yard as there is barely enough space to squeeze the wagon in.

Next up I'm off to Witham to CRH Plant to load

a 2CX Airmaster.

and an 80 roller ready for the morning.

Back at the yard at 1630 I'm first told that the job has been cancelled and then shortly afterwards told that it's just the roller that's been cancelled.

I leave it be at 1645 and head for home.
Distance 372Km

Not much to write up for Friday so that's it for now.

4th - 8th February 2008

2008-02-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

Blog back to usual this week, the last 2 or 3 weeks have been busy at home and not so interesting on the work front resulting in an odd few posts of interests. It would seem that my army of blog readers want more so here at least for now is this weeks installment.

Monday.
0630 Start. I'm all loaded up ready this morning with a Hitachi ZX50 5t machine, it's off down to Pitsea for an early tip and I follow the sign for site deliveries and end up in a small compound. Whilst I'm unstrapping the machine a bloke in the van is moaning to our machine driver that I'm in the way of the offices. He gets short thrift from the driver who points out the stupid size of the compound and tells him to wait (Use your imagination for a more true exchange of words) Once I'm empty I'm able to lift the tag axle and turn round with about 5 shunts and get out of the way.

Next job is over at Great Totham near Maldon, I'm loading an 8t Kobelco and dropping it off at the groundworkers yard in Tiptree. It's a nice short easy one and I'm soondone and off back to Chelmsford for the next one.

Although the driver starts to pack up straight away when I arrive I'm slightly irritated that he's not actually ready when I arrive on site. I just accept it as though and whilst I'm waiting I notice that it actually says PM on my paperwork for this move. (It's about 0930) It's no big deal anyway, and he's soon ready and loading on. I'm not the biggest fan of wheeled diggers, mostly I move JCB 3CX and 4CX machines and they are are ill thought out out as to lashing points. Today it's a CAT 432 going on, the first time I've moved one of these despite a couple of near misses where my workload has been altered last minute. I'm pleasantly surprised to find good chain eyes at the front and rear, this elevates the machine to joint top of the class along with the Volvo BL71 equivalent.

All loaded and secure it's a hour or so's run along the A12 to Ipswich where I unload the machine in a rough ground carpark opposite site. There's a return load so I park the machine up and wander across to see what's going on.

It's news to the blokes on site about the switch, but it's not uncommon in this game. I'm returning with joint number 1 the Volvo BL71 I mentioned earlier. There's a bit of a delay whilst they get the buckets and stuff sorted but it's no big deal and they're on the ball and soon enough I'm loaded up and ready to leave at 1200.

All this inactivity has worn me out so my 15 minute break by the dockside becomes a 45 and I trundle back to drop the machine back at their yard near Maldon as per instructions. I'm just starting to unchain the machine in their yard when someone wanders out and announces that there is a change of plan and it's now going to their site in South Woodham Ferrers. Bollox, it's 1415 and the site is right next to a school on a modern housing development, access is usually not the best and they are public enemy number 1 there.

The chains go back on and I rattle across to SWF and get the thing off sharpish and make my escape as soon as.

Back at the yard after waiting for it to be washed and checked, I load a Yanmar 75 ready for the morning before leaving for home at 1630.

Distance 280Km

Tuesday.
0645 Start. Not much on today but I decide to get along to Latchingdon early as I'm swapping a machine over and want to do it before it starts working. I roll onto the works compound and the machine is elsewhere although there are some of it's buckets there. The gang will be there around 0730 I'm told and we'll go up the road and switch over then. Whilst I'm waiting (with night heater and cuppa) the weather decides to change and it starts to lash down with rain, it's still raining when we leave the compound so I get togged up in waterproofs before getting out, at which point it stops raining.

I'm delivery a Yanmar 75, the one I loaded yesterday and whilst there I'm collecting this.

another Yanmar 75.

This isn't as daft as it sounds though, when the machine was ordered we had no available 8t machines so this one was hired in until one of ours became available. Once I'm loaded up it's a short run back to the compound to refuel and reunite the machine with it's buckets before heading across to Ongar to off-hire the machine.

Back to the yard and there's not much doing today, some general clearing out and running errands follow before sidling off home at 1615.
Distance 79Km

Wednesday
0645 Start. No rush to leave the yard this morning, my collection is from Danbury Quarry approx 1 mile from the yard so I wait until there's a bit of daylight before wandering down there. I'm collecting a JCB JZ70 and it's parked just past the weighbridge outside the shed where the loading shovels are starting to emerge from. I let them clear off before nipping into their loading area.

Because I've gone past the 'bridge I have to go and sign in and get issued with Hi-Vis Orange overtrousers. Now I can walk back to the machine, get in and load it on. As I back it up to my ramps I notice that the cabside mirror next to the door is missing arm and all. Now I'm fairly sure it was then when I delivered it a couple of weeks ago, I recall loading it at the previous site and keeping my eye on a pub sign alongside. Once I'm loaded I call back at the weighbridge office to point out the missing mirror and they're trying to wheedle out of it even though they admit to having removed and refitted the mirror off the bonnet. I argue that they made me operate the wipers and lights etc. as per an official checklist that they now insist on doing when I delivered the machine, now they say 'Oh well that means nothing'

I make sure that I have got a picture of the machine minus mirror whilst still at the pit before leaving. It's typical that something like this would occur during the couple of weeks I haven't been making a photographic record of my jobs.

It's another short run with it now, about another mile to take the machine back to Jovic Plant at Sandon before heading back to the yard.

There really isn't a lot to do at the yard, so I decide to use the opportunity to replace some of the damaged flooring on the truck bed. It's an absolute bastard job to do, drilling into the steel takes some doing I can tell you and driving the flooring screws requires some serious air tool attention. I also replace my very faded long vehicle marker boards with a one that I had found laying in the road and generally had a tidy up before heading over to Truck East at Witham to drop it in for servicing. I collect a Fiesta and head off home about 1630.
Distance 32Km

Thursday.
0645 Start. Off in the Fiesta to Witham to collect the truck, I notice that when I open the drivers door my gloves and window spray that usually live beside the seat are in the passenger footwell. Ah good I think maybe this time they will have fixed my heated seat. It would appear that they haven't and they also managed to leave the passenger door unlocked all night too. Now there is nothing especially valuable in the cab in it's own right, but there is a couple of hundred quids worth of maps and a few tools. They are all still there, but I'd be properly pissed off if they weren't.

It's a short hop up to the village of Panfield just outside of Braintree to load a Hyundai 5.5t for a groundworker, it's only going as far as Braintree though and that move is soon over.

Next up I'm off to Maldon to move another Hyundai 55, this one a slightly older one along with a 3t dumper. I'm there at 0900 and not expected until 0930-1000 so I have a brew and wander in afterwards. The digger won't start and has to be jump started but the dumper is fine and goes on whilst they are sorting the digger.

All on board, I leave the machine running and notice that the dumper has got a flat tyre. It's all of a five minute run to their destination at Hazeleigh and they are dropped at another farm.

I really can't face too much more yard just yet, so I stop for a break and return about 1030.

After a short while in the yard I'm given another job to do, this one is actually a decent move to do collecting one of our 5t machines from Colchester and bringing it back to the yard. There is at least 2 hours of being out here and easily stretchable to be gone for longer.

A quick blast down the A12 to Colchester, rattle the machine on quick and I can stop for lunch at my parents house on the way back (added bonus being it's my mums birthday)

Back at the yard the machine comes off and I get involved assisting the yardman in rearranging buckets until home time around 1630.
Distance 159Km

Friday.
0645 Start. First call this morning is at Greenshields JCB dealer in Braintree where they are notoriously tardy so I don't leave the yard till 0730, depite the heavy traffic and my 0815 arrival they're still not quite ready but in fairness they don't dick around and soon have my machine out ready.

I'm collecting an 8t machine who's short history is already checkered. It was delivered new (by me) for the dealer to site for one of our groundworker customers, it will become one of my regular moves transporting it and it's 3 identical twins between sites. Last week it had suffered a serious breakdown and was replaced with an identical machine (by me) from A-Plant and taken back to the dealer (by me) for repair. So you see we're already old friends.

I'm away by 0840 and off through Halstead to drop it at a site in Sudbury, there's no buckets with it as they were left behind when it was taken away last week. Once I'm shot of it, I now have to go to Bury St.Edmunds to the site where it was previously and collect the replacement machine and both sets of buckets.

There are 2 entrances to the next job and every time I go there I go to the one I used last time only to be directed to the other one a roundabout 1/2 mile away just to travel a hundred yards. Today is no exception and I gain access to the site at 1000 just as the site is winding up for breakfast until 1030. Once they return I let them know I need both sets of buckets and they trundle off with the machine and dumper for another half hour to round them up.

Foolishly it was me who raised the issue of the buckets as it hadn't occurred to them that the machine had no buckets with it. When they returned we tipped out the dumpers contents and tried to identify the A plant buckets from their ones. Unfortunately the regular driver who could have told us straight away was on leave so we were slightly in the dark as to how many buckets each machine should have with it. We sussed it in the end and I finally left the site at 1145 heading back to Sudbury to drop off their buckets.

After leaving Sudbury it's off down to Colchester to drop the hired machine at A-Plant before heading back to the yard. I arrive back at the yard at 1430 that's a 7 hour! trip, I decide that this is likely to raise some questions when the bill goes in so I take the precaution of photocopying the tacho and making notes.

Load a Yanmar 55 and that's me done for the week at 1645.
Distance 195Km

Trade in!

2008-01-30T14:44:00.000-08:00

One day last week I was doing some work for Ernest Doe delivering some machines that they had sold. The first load was unworthy of note a shiny new Hyundai 5.5 tonner out and an old green one back in as part ex.

The second load was another Hyundai 55 going out, this was a green one too and there was a wheeled digger to collect as part ex. I was slightly surprised to find out that it was actually a 1976 JCB 3C complete with Toblerone shaped cab (no doors just sliding windows)

The blokes in the yard at Doe's had a right chuckle when I took that back in, although I did point out that they had in fact just bought it so now who's the #@!?

Unimog

2008-01-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

Monday 28th January 2008

It's not common be occasionally I get a Unimog to move, for those who are unfamiliar with the type it's a Mercedes 4x4 utility vehicle. Kind of a cross between an agricultural tractor, Land Rover and and a 7.5t truck. They are usually ag-spec with tractor style linkages and run as a tractor on red diesel. However they are good for 40 odd mph and can pull a helluva weight on a drawbar trailer.

Whilst they are capable of being road driven some distance they generally aren't and I occasionally collect or deliver one for a local specialist dealer. (who incidentally has got one there that has been driven overland from Kazakhstan)

Today I had to trundle off to a farm near Uxbridge to get this one from a forestry contractor, he met me outside and handed me the keys explaining that he'd be back shortly. It's been a while since I've driven a 'Mog but I fired the old girl up and engaged gear and reverse, it took a couple of shunts to get it clear enough to turn and I start to make my way across the yard.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmm, Clank, BANG..................WTF........

With a hiss of air from the brake I promptly stopped and looked at the owner who was now walking over to me.

He shrugs and says " Well now you know why it's going back to Essex"

There seems to be some fairly serious mechanical drivetrain issue here, so I decide that it'd be best for him to load it in case it suffers a catastrophic failure at my hand.

Thankfully we got it loadd and secured and transported back without incident, although the dealer assures me that it ain't gonna be cheap to fix.

Bang

2008-01-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

Another unusual entry to mark one years service in this current job.

Whilst sitting in traffic yesterday morning minding my own business, I decided that the cab heater was making it a bit stuffy so I lowered the window to get to some fresh air, and gently rested my arm on the window.

Next things there's a bloody great bang as the side window explodes in a zillion little pieces, covering me, the seat and the floor.

At the end of my year with Y351 it has covered 62443Km, there's a couple of thousand notched up when I was on holiday but the rest is all me. Plus another thousand or so driving the other wagon.

ex RAF Hercules!

2008-01-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

No diary blog this week but this move was sufficiently out of the ordinary so I thought I'd make a special entry.

I had a move to do from a farm to a scrapyard, the details just said FLT. I was thinking that it'd probably be a small industrial fork lift or similar. I've moved stuff between the two places before but never a forklift.

Anyway I roll up first thing on Monday, it's dark wet and very muddy and get told to back up to the barn and he'll bring it out. The beast that rolled out was a Henley Hercules 22, ex RAF. It's a monster that stands 10' high, 22' long and 8' widefrom tip to tail, and can lift about 14 tonnes. Oh and it tips the scales at about 13.5t

It's a container stacker and it's got some work to do rearranging some containers. When I get to the scrapyard, the customer is busy telling his African tenant that if he doesn't get those cars shifted before the forklift comes off he's going to do it for him!

7th - 11th January 2008

2008-01-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Monday
0645 Start. Having had to get a jump start more times than I care to remember, this morning was a nice change as my new batteries were called into service to jump our other 6 wheeler. Once I'm on way it's a local job to start with, back to the farm from last week to collect the dumper that I wasn't able to collect. It's not going far either just a few miles across Essex to Ramsden Bellhouse near Wickford.

Off along the A12 to Colchester, I'm loading a couple of machines from a site near the station. There's a 3t Hitachi and a 2t dumper to go on, and there's one of our 5t machines that is destined to go back to our yard. Unfortunately I can't quite manage to squeeze the 5 tonner on the back without far too much messing about, and it'd have to come off and be reloaded so I leave it for now and head off into Suffolk to drop the two machines.

Once I've tipped in Stowmarket it's back to Colchester to load our ZX50 before hading back to Danbury. Back at the yard the 5 tonner comes off and is replaced by a 120 roller and an 8t JCB ready for tomorrow. Finished at 1645.

Distance 210Km

Tuesday.
0545 Start. Off out early this morning as the first drop is at the gas works at Bow, and I want to beat the traffic. I still hit traffic through Dagenham but I'm there just before 0700 and sit outside until half past before someone arrives and opens up. The two machines are soon rattled off, the chains hung up and I'm off up the A12 / M11 passing all the inbound queuing traffic.

My next job is some machines for a groundworks company from a site in Panfield near Braintree, I have to ring 10 minutes in advance and their fitter meets me there with the keys.

The machines are dumped right in the middle of a boggy mess and the fitter clears off and leaves me to it. Cheers. First job is to remove the shutters and stow them on the roof of the digger. Next thing to do is to stack the buckets in the dumper.

There's a low cable above the gateway, too low for comfort to get the machine under when I brought it here a few weeks ago so loading has to be done out on the narrow lane outside. The dumper is first on and backed up tight to the headboard. I have to lift the roller out of the mire with the machine and I doubt it'll go up the ramps but I can't lift it on because of the cable so I try anyway and am surprised to find it goes on 1st time.

Once it's parked at 45 degrees, it's time to bring the machine out and nudge it round so it sits square against the dumper.

Normally I'd load the machine on with the boom out the back, but being an 8 tonner (usually only do dumper, roller and 5t) the overhang is too great so it needs reworking.

By being very careful I'm able to slew round and keep clear of the cable, I drop the bucket and find a home to park the arm. Job done.

After chaining it all on there's just one more job, and that's securing the cab covers on the roof.

Irritatingly the roller is coming off at their yard about 10 minutes away. More irritating is that their fitter and both their truck (7.5 & 10t puddle jumper) drivers are sitting there drinking tea whilst I've just spent an hour getting caked in mud. Why they didn't get one of their drivers to collect roller I'll never know, as getting it off involves a fair bit of faffing about to pluck it out of the middle.

Finally I'm off on my way to St.Albans to deliver the dumper & machine, I get there around 1200 and the site access is very awkward and the only space to unload just inside the gate is occupied by a telehandler lifting a continous stream of buckets up and down to the roof. Apparently they can't stop the flow, but I negiotate a 10 minute window. Why they can't use buckets and rope is beyond me but whatever.

My 10 minutes involves reversing in the gateway at a really tight angle, unstrapping / chaining dropping the ramps getting the plant off without sliding into the van just behing the wagon. sweeping off, folding the ramps, stowing the chains and straps and getting out again. It's just about doable.

My original schedule was now off to Chelsea to load some machines but that got cancelled so it's back to the yard for about 1400. After seizing the opportunity for a very quick and fairly shoddy washdown I'm off at 1445, as it's my daughters birthday.

At about 1510 my phone is going, they're desperately trying to get me back in as our lowloader has broken down with a suspected diff failure. They want me to go and collect another unit from somewhere, take it to Bob and drag the knackered one off the trailer, then winch his onto the motor and recover it to Scania at Witham. Any other day I'd have been there like a shot, as well as liking a challenge I'll support my fellow drivers as best I can. Our other driver is also out of the picture as he'd gone for his medical so I expect it got hooked back to Witham at great expense.
Distance 325Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. Off to Southend first to move a 10t machine about 2 miles, it's a sort of add on job to the planned work but as the next stop is Benfleet it's not too bad.

Next on board is a tractor for a scaffold company, I can usually figure out most things but tractors seem to stump me more than most. I don't get many to do and they all seem to have far more levers than I could imagine uses for, however this one is fairly easy to suss out and it's loaded without incident. Our other driver has also loaded a pair of trailers at a site nearby and we meet up on the A127 and run up to St.Neots together. Our delivery address is just given as Little Barford Power Station but we soon spot the salt & pepper pot type chimneys and we're directed through security and round by the cooling towers. We were only allowed on that part of the site as the other truck is equipped with a Hiab and they won't allow them anywhere near the power end even if the crane is not going to get used. I suppose whilst it's there it could be used.

The tractor is driven off but the trailers do need lifting off, so I lend a hand and we're soon done and stop for a break out of the freezing cold. When our break is over we split and go on to different jobs, my next job is collecting a 5t Hyundai from Bow.

At least it's going in the right direction, this one is going to Boreham near Chelmsford before I return to the yard.

Back at the yard the lowloader trailer is now headed by a Blue Volvo FH12, although it's the second unit today as the clutch went on the first one. There's some tinkering with the other 6 too, trying to work out why the batteries are draining. I enlist a spare machine driver to give me a lift back from Witham as my car is booked in the garage there, whilst I'm on my way there I get a call to ask if I can get a new battery for the other truck. When I'm there I get told to got to Truck East and bring our unit back as it's now ready.

It's a new one to me driving a bobtail unit, and I have to confess to thinking "Cor it don't arf go" before realising that yes it should do really. I also decide that the R series cab is hugely more comfortable than my cramped P series. As a result of bringing the unit back my clock off time is now 1715 rather than 1615, so I've gained an hour and run my car in for free.
Distance 393Km

Thursday.
0645 Start. Unbeleivably I'm off to St.Neots again this morning for a completely unconnected job, for some weird reason by 0730 as I'm approaching Stansted I can barely stay awake so I hit the layby and doze off..................................until 0800. It's the same route as yesterday up the M11 and across on the A428 passing the power station and up into Eaton Socon.

I'm loading blocks here. 15 packs but they are triple stacked on the pallet making a total of 5 lifts. It still takes over an hour as the site is small and they're buried around the back somewhere.

After 20 minutes of travelling time I'm on site to tip them in Bedford, and unloading is much swifter. We have been contracted by another plant firm to do this move who have been given the job by the groundworker (who have their own wagon too) At no point has anyway considered that it would be a lot cheaper to get a local haulage or plant firm to move these on a 4 wheeler and save 4 hours of travelling back and forth. We could have subbed it out ourselves and skimmed 4 hours off the top.

Thy build some odd looking houses these days. The top one has got a hotch potch of little windows and the bottom one has got imitation bricked up windows. And almost certainly a false chimney.

I leave Bedford and head down the A1 to the M25 and head inbound for Bow again to the gasworks to collect the roller and 8t machine. I just manage to get them loaded before the rain and have another half hour there as I've only got a short while left on the clock.

The roller is dropped at Lavenham Plant in Cold Norton, the machine back to Jovic plant at Chelmsford before I return to Danbury. Finished at 1615.

Distance 341Km

Friday
0645 Start. My job sheet for today has a hand written entry on the bottom, it's loading a couple of dumpers at nearby Hazeleigh and taking them to site at Braintree. It says "Do this 1st" and it makes sense as I'm heading to Braintree anyway. I arrive at the builders yard at 0700 and it's all locked up. There's some activity about 0730 but no-one really knows too much and eventually I get some sense and get 2 brand new 3t dumpers loaded about 0800.

By now the traffic is horrid, made worse by the filthy weather no doubt and I roll onto site at Braintree about 0915. The dumpers are off loaded and they announce that they've got a roller to go to Dunmow as well. It's only a CAT 120 roller so on it goes and I'll get shot of it later.

My next job and the original one is loading a new JCB 8t machine from Greenshields JCB, it's going to one of our customers and will probably end up being moved by me in the future. It's only a local run to Bocking where I swap it for a Part Ex machine, one of their Kobelco 8t machines. That's one dog that I haven't got to move anymore.

I'm back at Greenshields within an hour or so, and then it's just me and the roller which is dropped off at Dunmow on my way down to East London.

My next job is a collection from a school in Manor Park, I'm threading my way through narrow roads with cars parked all the way along each side right up to the junctions. It's a good thing I'm not in a 8 legger as I'd really be struggling. I get a call chasing me wondering I'm taking so long, apparently the handwritten note on my job sheet says "Do this last" not 1st but the handwriting is pretty bad and I even ask the guy on site what he thinks. He can't be sure either so I'm claiming that one.

I have to block the road completely for about 20 minutes whilst I round up the buckets and load our ZX50. Because the corners are so tight I have to load it well forward so the tag axle will stay raised to give me a fighting chance of getting out.

Back at the yard I refuel and offload thsi machine and replace it with an identical one ready for Monday. Finished at 1615.

Distance is approx 250Km but I can't remember.

2nd - 4th January 2008

2008-01-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

Wednesday.
0615 Start. Too early to be up and about, but there's a bit of sorting out at the yard to do before anything is going to happen. I'm second in and the yard is chocca with machines, strategically barricading the gateway with intertwined dipper arms making a steel spiders web of sorts. There's a couple of big machines to shift so we can get the gate open, and then it's a case of finding a space to dump the car in and collecting paperwork.

We're all loaded ready, I've got a 6t Kobelco and a 6t dumper on board. It's dark as anything in the yard, but I have to climb up into the machine and fire it up so that I can swing it round and get the arm inboard (we'd left the arms placed on the ground over the holiday, so as to delay and disrupt any attempts to steal anything)I find the lights and get it all safe and secure. A quick look round the chains and straps and I decide to see if it'll fire up.

I'm hardly surprised when it doesn't start, it's completely dead. Our two six wheelers are parked side by side so I nip round and whip the battery cover off, only to find that Scania have fitted two little restraint straps on. It's never had them on and doesn't need them as the cover takes some wiggling to remove, It irritates me why they'll go to the bother of fitting them and miss out things that you have asked them to do.

There's not much joy getting the other one going either, the only way now is to jump start that from the lowloader which is on the other side of the diesel tank. 3 sets of leads are joined together and eventually we get the cables on (even though we can't get the battery cover off as the crane leg is in the way)It takes a few minutes before there's enough juice flowing down the long patched up cables but finally the yard echoes to two Scania's.

The jump leads are now passed over the other side and we try and start mine from that one. After about 20 minutes of running, there's absolutely no chance it's going to start. By now our fitter has arrived so I send the other wagon away and we put his battery booster on. It's pulling 40 amps so we put the have a brew and let it charge for a while. After about 20 minutes it's still not going even on full boost/charge so we bring a 20tonner round and connect jump leads too. That's finally enough to get the thing going and I'm finally able to leave the yard about 0800.

I'm off to Gravesend and luckily the traffic is OK, as not everyone is back working yet. I score a minor victory at the Dartford tolls when they incorrectly ring up £1.80 and my 4 wheeler tag opens the barrier(although it doesn't make up for the times when I'm empty they put it in at £2.90 and the multi axle tag jumps in)Luckily the gang who want the machines are not delayed by my late arrival (they passed me on the A12) and I'm soon back at the recreation ground and unloading. I'm back in the yard around about 1000 and reload with a 5t Yanmar.

It's a quick hop down the A12 to Colchester to a site in the Dutch Quarter, reinstating a machine there after the break. It's off and so am I, back to the yard to reload for the 3rd trip. Back at the yard there's a postponement, but I load up ready for the morning anyway. After a couple of errands I leave for an early one at 1445.

Distance 228Km

Thursday.
0630 Start. There's a reception commitee for this morning, the other driver and the fitter are waiting to see if the truck starts. The cab lights are nice and bright when I open the door but a two second shot on the starter, goes from healthy sounding to dead just like that. It doesn't start on jump leads either using 24v, but just jumping from one good battery to one of mine gets its going. One of my batteries is completely shot and the good (!) one is the older of the two. Hopefully I'll get a couple of new ones as this cannot continue.

My first drop is the two machines I loaded yesterday, a 3t digger & dumper. It's a barn conversion near Billericay and I'm there waiting for someone at 0730, eventually I get in just before 0800 and park the machines before heading over to Braintree to load at a groundworkers yard.

I'm loading a Volvo BL71, in my opinion the best of the wheeled diggers to transport. I hate them all but at least this one has got chain eyes on the back and front, something that JCB could easily put on theirs for the price of a simple piece of metal. All on board it's off to Bury St.Edmunds in Suffolk along the winding and arduous road through Halstead and Sudbury. Tipped off by 1030 I make my way back to Braintree although this time I take the longer but faster A14/A12/A120 via Colchester route.

It's into Greenshields JCB to load this new 535-140 headed for a girls school in Southend. (Can I teach them how to drive it, pleeeease) It's actually new building at the girls school and it's closed anyway.

After tipping it's back to the yard to get a new phone kit fitted and to see if there are two shiny new batteries. No batteries yet, but apparently they're coming in the morning. There's only work for one wagon tomorrow as we're still officially on holiday, but I take the chance to earn some extra and give the other driver the day off. Finshed at 1600.

Distance 309Km

Friday.
0730 Start. No hurry this morning, I've got to wait for 2 new batteries to arrive before I can leave, but I get the truck started and load an 8t Yanmar on ready for the off. Our man arrives with my batteries and we struggle them into place and thankfully it fires straight away. Hopefully that'll be the end of those problems.

It's off to Takeley near Stansted Airport where I'm swapping our machine over for one that we'd crosshired in before Christmas.

As usual it's break time when I arrive so I have to wait before I can the JCB 8t machine out that I'm collecting. By the time I'm loaded there's a couple more wagons waiting to get in, so I pull out of the way and chain up round the corner.

It's then back to Jovic plant at Chelmsford to offhire the JCB before the next job at nearby Bicknacre. We've got a dumper at a farm there and after reversing about half a mile up a narrow track I find the gate locked. I ring our office and get told that they knew there was no-one there and I'd have to come back to the yard empty.

There was another collection to make but that got postponed, so I called it a day at 1400 and went home.
Distance 75Km

Found This

2008-01-02T14:31:00.000-08:00

Well, that's one way of doing things. From what it looks like it's a 20 tonner on there so it should be nicely overloaded.

17th - 21st December 2007

2007-12-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

Monday.

0645 Start. I'm ready loaded from Friday with a Yanmar 75 and I'm off to the pit at Bradwell just outside Braintree to drop it off for one of our drivers who is there waiting for it.

The next stop is Sudbury, Suffolk where I'm down to collect a groundworkers 8 tonner, I drive through the whole site and find a 13t, 22t and finally an 18t machine and start to wonder if someone has missed the 1 off the fax and they actually want the 18t machine moved. Apparently not, there is an 8t JCB tucked away behind the compound with the driver waiting and ready. We're loaded up and off to a barn conversion near Sible Hedingham. The usual entrance is blocked up and once I'm unloaded I have to continue along the narrow road rather than retrace my steps. It does get a bit dicey at one point but eventually I break through near Wethersfield and pick up the decent road ack to Braintree.

I'm done with the given workload so I head back to the yard and lend assistance in the yard moving machines about to make some space for the influx later in the week.

At 1415 the boss comes outside about something and decides that it's just too cold to be standing about doing nothing and tells me to clear off home. Needing no second bidding I'm off out of the gate forgetting to write the tacho in my haste.
Distance 143Km

Tuesday.
0645 Start. No planned work this morning but I've got to get into the tacho before 24hrs are up on yesterdays one. There's not much happening in the yard except for an errand or two, the trouble is no-one is hiring machines just before the holidays and there are none that are available to be collected until later in the week. Finally at 1330 I'm able to go to my one job for the day which is a site clearance from Great Baddow to Braintree.

I've got 5 packs of blocks, some Heras panels & feet and a couple of other random pallets to take, just a bit of shunting so the forklift driver can get them on and I'm on my way about 1500. Over at Braintree they're straight on the ball and swiftly unload and send me on my way again.

Finished about 1645 ish. Distance 69Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. A short hop first, down the road to Jovic Plant for an 0730 load where I get given one barrel of something tarry and a tar sprayer. Once I've got these it's off into Suffolk to load at a farm just off the A12 near East Bergholt.

There's two Avant shovels to load, possibly the oddest things I've yet to drive. They are artic steer like a dumper, but the seat and 'cockpit' are all attached to the front half but positioned over the rear. Makes for pretty odd handling. Next up is a few sheets of ply which are sodden and frozen and mega heavy. Finally there's a 900 roller which refuses to go up the ramps (both) or left or right ramp, or backwards, with vibration, and someone leaning against it to help push. I'm not quite beaten though, and I pull forward about 100 yards where there is an incredibly slight down gradient on the driveway. By dropping the foot of the ramps at the top of the down gradient it has lowered the body every so slightly and it's just enough to get the roller on board. Otherwise I'd have to have unloaded a shovel and pushed, pulled and cajoled it on.

By now it's about 0930 and I pick up the A12 down to the M25 and in to London on the A13, through the Limehouse Link, pass Wapping and down on to The Embankment. My destination is The Royal Hospital, Chelsea where all the Chelsea pensioners come from and the home of the flower show. First bad news is that you can't turn right when you get to Chelsea Bridge. Second bad news is no right turn in Royal Hosp. Rd. It just means a bit more driving and onto the Kings Road and round Sloane Square to get to the right end. Luckily it's an area I know quite well from multidrop days, but I'd forgotten just how manic it can be when it's mega busy with pedestrians everywhere, taxi's and big red things everywhere.

Finally I'm into the grounds and I find my way to the tennis courts and unload. I've got just over an hour left on the clock, so I decide to stop for a break here as it's nice and quiet. So quiet that twhen I open my eyes I'm stumped as to where the hell I actually am.

I'd have been scraping it fine if I'd used my 1hr 5 mins to get out of the city as it saw me passing through Dagenham, only just enough time to get to a suitable place to stop on the way out. On the way back to the yard I have to call in at Jovic and drop off the ply which they didn't want at Chelsea.

Finished at the yard 1615. Distance 267Km

Thursday.
0645. The first time in ages I've had a decent days work ahead of me, now the plant is starting to come offhire for the shutdown. Job number one is over to Kent to the ridiculously named Green Street Green Road, Green Street Green. The roads are good, there's a bit of traffic over the bridge but nothing much and I'm site just after 0800. There's a bit of delay as they haven't quite finished with the machine and I wait in the -6c cold whilst they level out some stone. I'm glad when they're finished and we load the buckets in the dumper and put the Yanmar 55 on the back behind it.

My luck is in at the tunnel, that's clear too and I head straight back to the yard to drop the digger and buckets.

The dumper is a Hewden one, one hire to us so I leave it on and run it back to their Basildon depot before starting work for their Dagenham depot. I've a collection to make for them from a site practically on the Basildon doorstep.

I'm loading a 12m Telehandler, and I find a brand new JCB 535-125 in the field behind the house, there's no one about so I use my magic key and load it on. It suddenly dawns on me that there's no Hewden stickers on it, in it or anything identifying it as belonging to anyone. I'm deffo in the right place but I don't want to steal the wrong machine so I have anotherlook around.

Aha, that's a Hewden looking number. Good it matches the paperwork, had me worried though.

Right it's a quick blast down the A127 to Dagenham, launch the tele off and back on towards the A13 heading back to Kent. As I come through Rainham I decide to carry on along the old A13 past the Circus Tavern and join the A282 (that's the M25 that goes over the QEII bridge and through the tunnels) right at the bottom of the bridge at J31. I dunno why I did it but it was a smart move as there is traffic everywhere and I queue all the way over the bridge to the tolls.

I'm off to Gravesend to load a couple of machines from a recreation ground, there's our 6t Kobelco and a 6t dumper. Usually I load the dumper on the front but this ones is hired from someone else and I've got to deliver it back for the contractor. The Kobelco goes up front, luckily it's only a 6t as an 8t would take me overweight on the front axle, the dumper is rammed up against the buckets wedging them in and the arm of the machine laid over the top. There's also a Rammax roller in the dumper so that gets strapped in too.

After a break I leave the site just after 1400 and take the sneaky route round to J1a to miss the traffic queues for the tolls. I still have to join a big slow crawl though, the only thing happening is the police, DVLA, ANPR and poss. VOSA have set up camp in the compound by the tolls, whether that's the cause I dunno but the southbound is slow right round to J29.

I decide to come off at J29 and cut around Brentwood and up to Ongar rather than risk the M25 / M11 to Harlow. I'm actually dropping off at Norton Heath between Ongar and Chelmsford so it's just as quick.

I have to unload the dumper, move the machine back and lift the Rammax out and load it up the front to keep the weight distribution right, and it's about 1630 by the time I leave to head back to the yard. I'm not stopping at the yard though it's a quick stop to unload everything, luckily Norman has stayed to help and I'm back out at 1715 and off to drop the truck at Truck East, Witham for service and repair.

Finally clocked off at 1815. Distance 321Km

Friday.
0645 Start. Well it would be if I were to go to the yard, but I'm headed off to Truck East in their little Fiesta to collect the truck from it's overnight spannering session. The good news is that they have got the washer system working properly again, the bad news is the heated seats still don't work and the washer bottle is still leaking. As for the other, don't get me started. I've now got to head back to the yard and no sooner than I am on the A12 I get stuck in traffic, in the 10-15 minutes since coming past the Hatfield Peverel turning, there has now been an accident involving several cars and the road is closed with everything crawling through Hat.Pev.

Back at the yard I can't even get in as it's getting so full, so I load the 3t dumper just outside and drop it off at a farm in nearby Bicknacre. Next job is collecting a couple of machines just up the road from home at Galleywood, it's a 5t dumper and a Hitachi ZX50. Both are caked and it takes several attempts to get the ZX to load on board without sliding back down the ramps. Back at the yard the lowloader has gone and I'm just able to squeeze into his spot and unload, I'm just finished refuelling them when the lowloader rolls back and needs his space. I make a hasty exit and head off down the A12 to the Dutch Quarter in Colchester to load a couple more machines.

It's a bit narrow here and I have to block the road whilst loading, it's only a short dead end road but I still get an irate woman who needs to get into the pub carpark. I tell her I'll be finished in 10 minutes and point out the 'Road Closed' sign. She points out that it also says 'Access Only'. As soon as I'm able I fold the ramps and get back along the road to let her in whilst I chain the machines on.

It's a bit of a big rear overhang, but I haven't really got the time or the space there to try and tuck the arm away so I plug in the magnetic beacon and head back for the A12.

Back at the yard it is chaos. My son has got a little puzzle called traffic jam where you have to move vehicles across a board to get one through the traffic. The yard is like this at the moment, you cannot move one machine because two others need moving too. There's a couple of machine drivers in, and we choreograph it nicely to get my machines off and parked up.

I'm reloading for the new year which will make some space, the Rammax roller gets loaded into a 6t dumper along with the Kobelco's buckets and the two machines are loaded on ready to go back to Gravesend.

Our other 6 wheeler has brought in a 3CX, that needs a home whilst he goes out again to fetch in another 8t machine. When he's back we reload the 3CX and do the whole shuffle thing again.

At the moment the yard contains machines and vans in just about every space imaginable. At 1500 I'm done for the day, week and year.

Distance 143Km

Week 943Km

YTD (since 22.01.07) 59217Km nearly all under my command.

Well that's me done till the new year.

My new toolbox

2007-12-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

OK so it's just a bit more webpagery to read but I've had a few people emailing & PM'ing me on TruckNet asking for a bit more info on the nuts and bolts side of what I do. How do you secure this or that? What's this for? That sort of thing.

I'm in the process of putting some stuff together to give a bit more explantation than I post in the diary blog, to keep it separate it's on another (blog 8-wheels-toolbox.blogspot.com) It's on the links at the side. Please bear in mind that this is not yet fully compiled and may be a bit rough around the edges, however the info might be useful to someone now rather than in 2 weeks time so I've posted it now.

Updates to follow.

10th -14th December 2007

2007-12-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

Monday.
0645 Start. I'm ready loaded from Friday this morning with a Hitachi ZX75, it's locallish so I'm in no hurry to leave the yard straight away. The site is in Hullbridge at a residential caravan park occupied by retired people, as such I don't want to be there before 0730 and I'm bang on the money time wise when I arrive. Unloading takes just a a couple of minutes, getting away from our machine driver who likes a good old chat takes considerably longer.

Next up is a dumper to move from Colchester, I'm barrelling along the A12 and I get a call to say that the 3t machine from the same site booked for tomorrow is now going today with the dumper. The site is just round the corner from the station and I just manage to squeeze around some cars and back into the site. It's a tidy pair of machines today a 3t swivel skip dumper and a Hitachi ZX27, they're quickly loaded and then I decide to secure the machines out on the road rather than paddle about in the thick mud.

All on board it's back down the A12 as far as Hatfield Peverel and off down a narrow lane to find the site. There's hoarding up at the front and a stupid entrance with no chance of me getting in so I trundle off and attack from the other direction. With the tag axle down it takes about 4 shunts to get in. The machines are soon despatched and I manage to get out in one go with the tag lifted.

Back to the yard and it's about 1030, that's the extent of my driving for the day. The rest of the morning was spent not being very helpful to our fitter for a while whilst he sorted out one of ducks. After lunch we had a bit of a tidy up in the yard and I drove round and round in the forklift with the sweeper attachment on trying to clean the yard up a bit.

Finished at 1615. Distance 135Km

Tuesday. 0645 Start. It was quiet but cold first thing in the yard this morning, not much doing until just after 0800 when I left to load at nearby West Hanningfield. I'm spot on for time at 0830 and it's an easy load, just an EX60 with grab & bucket for a demolition company.

I'm not there long and soon making good progress London bound along the M25 heading for the M11. Then the problems start, queuing to exit at the M11 I see the signs 'M25 Closed J23' so loads of people are piling in on the M11 to use the NCR. On the M11 it's running OK but there's nothing heading north, about a mile later the southbound slows to a crawl and we pass the reason, there's been a chemical spill on the other side and there's 6 fire appliances and countless police. All the traffic is getting diverted off at J4 and having to go through Loughton. There's no more traffic coming though as they have shut the entries to the M11 at the A406 junction and everything is crawling round there as well.

I eventually get round to Edmonton and have a very brief spell of running normally as I head towards Tottenham Hale. However from there on in it's heavy going all the way to the A1 at Nags Head which I clear at 1115. It's just a simple bit of roadworks but it is causing chaos. Anyway once over the A10 I'm almost there, it's just a short run down Caledonian Road to the site.

Despite appearances this is not an Italian square but Holloway, N7.

I decide to take a 15 minute break there whilst I plan a route across to Bow for my next job. It's about 1145 when I leave and it takes about 45 minutes to get to the gas works where the next job is. It's a long time for such a short distance, but it feels like I'm flying after the drag to the first job.

I'm loading a 5t Swivel skip dumper and a 120 roller, there's also one of our 20 tonners there which is also due to be collected by the lowloader. Ordinarily he'd take all 3 as he'd brought them up together on Saturday but they were both cross hired and I was (semi) nearby and able to take them straight back. I'm just folding the ramps up when Bob arrives to collect the 20 so I clear off and make a hasty exit along the A13 deciding that I'd have to stop before dropping off the plant as I'd be tight for time.

There's a couple of quiet places to stop, so I choose one near Wickford and switch off at 1330 for half hour. It's now just a short hop along to the Rettendon Turnpike and along to South Woodham Ferrers and I'm almost there. Only when I turn onto the SWF road there's heavy traffic and loads of people are turning round, I decide to stay with it but when the air ambulance lands about 500yds away I know that this might take some time. Still I'm stuck here as it's too narrow to turn. After a while the police come along and tell everyone to turn back, there's a small farm track a 100 yards or so ahead so I wait patiently for a couple of artics to turn before spinning round myself.

Despite the fact that they are going to be joing another long queue, idiot car driver are making this guys life hell by turning around all round his cab.

Air ambulance leaving.

I now have to queue all the way back to the Turnpike roundabout and am pretty much at the back of the queue having been almost at the accident site.

Fortunately the road that's blocked is parralleled by the old road so everything can divert along there. Unfortunately all the traffic coming the other way is streaming on to the roundabout from the right and has priority over us, if the coppers blocking the road had any common sense they'd hold back that traffic periodically to let the turned traffic have a fair chance at getting away. All in all it has taken almost an hour to get back to the roundabout. Thankfully the traffic is clear to Lavenham's yard and the dumper and roller are soon rolled off and dumped. It's now only a short hop back to Danbury.

Finished at 1615. Distance 161Km.

Wednesday

0645 Start. I'm only expecting a P.M. job today but when I grab my paperwork there's another one on the list so I'm off out to Colchester and along to Boxted on the Essex & Suffolk border to load a scissor lift from a farm. It's deja vous as I did exactly this move a couple of weeks ago and managed to wriggle out of the return load in the interim. Last time I tried to load it, it couldn't get traction on the ramps and had to be pushed on by a telehandler. Today it's frosty and it sails up the ramps no bother. It's braked position is a bit vague as it rocks back and forth so I chain it down nice and tight before heading back down to the A12 ultimately heading for Harold Wood.

I stop around 0900 at Stanway to use up some time and I get a call at 0930 "Where are you?" Hmmm am I being chased or is there another reason for the call. "Getting diesel at Colchester" is my slightly inaccurate answer, close enough. "Ah good, I've got you before you got too far, can you go to Alresford and load a 3t dumper?" I'm kind of glad I stopped now, a quick look at the space remaining and I reckon I'll just squeeze a 3t dumper on the beavertail without moving the scissor.

When I get to the workshop to collect the dumper I find this there, a 5t swivel skip.

Now that ain't gonna fit on the back. Initially I was going to move the scissoe forwards and put the dumper on the back, and reload it at Harold Wood, but I decide it'd possibly overload the front axle and take a chance by unloading the scissor completely. The dumper goes right up the front and the scissor just squeezes on behind.

Now I can finally make my way down the A12 to Harold Wood, it's about an hours run and I'm there about 1100. It's soon tipped off and the dumper rolled back and secured and I head back out to the M25 at J28 intending to go to Kent. In the half hour since going under the M25, the traffic has stopped on the top, and is now clogging the roundabout almost completely.

After watching the traffic lights go through about 8 green phases without being able to release the handbrake, I decide that the only place I can actually get to is the M25 anticlockwise. There's no info on the radio, nothing is moving and it's only just happened so I decide to take a gamble and run round to the M11 at least giving me 3 potential routes to Kent.

1. Out along the A13 to the Dartford Crossing.

2. Blackwall Tunnel

3. Woolwich Ferry

There's no signs reporting the usual delays on the ferry so I decide to chance it, and if busy head through Silvertown and to the Blackwall. I round the corner at North Woolwich and the holding lanes are empty, I'm able to tack straight on the back of the reasonably short queue. Furthermore there's a ferry just unloading and I'm soon getting closer to the slipway. It's not quite enough and I miss the first ferry, it's a two boat service on though and it's not long before I'm on the front and looking forward to relaxing in the drivers lounge.

Unfortunately it was closed or otherwise unavailable. Before long I'm straight off the ferry and on to the A206 for a blat round to Dartford. The dumper is going into the Costain compound alongside J2, easy enough to get to and perfect to stop and take a 30 min break.

It's 1400 when the timer announces the return to work and I rejoin the traffic queues at J2 and queue through the tolls. And out the tunnels, past J30 and right the way round to J28 in fact where there's a broken down wag & drag in lane 2 and everything is being funnelled onto the hard shoulder and lane 1 to pass.

It's gone 1530 when I arrive at my P.M. job in Waltham Cross. It's a Volvo 8t machine and a pair of fuel cubes to load, it's on by 1600 and ready to go off to Bocking near Braintree. There will be no-one on site by the time I'd get there and the M25 is crawling from J26 - J28 so I decide to cut through the lanes the back way into Harlow. It's better than it sounds, for some reason the traffic through Harlow is fairly light at 1600, something I remembered from all the time I worked there last year. Avoiding big roads and big delays, I scoot along the A414 back to Chelmsford and take a devious route around back to Danbury for a 1715 finish. Distance 323Km

Thursday.

0645 Start. First job is to get over to Bocking sharpish and tip the Volvo so I can get on with todays work. I'm on site at 0730 and I'm told to stop just outside the compound to unload, after 2 minutes I'm told to switch off the engine as they are not allowed to start work until 0800. All the chains come off and get stowed away. The straps are frozen and end up getting folded rather than rolled, at about 0745 some machines have been started and the groundworkers start unloading. At 0755 Everything is off and I just return to the cab to pump the air suspension up and raise the tag axle before folding and securing the ramps. Now I'm getting grief because I'm holding the site up. I reply that I'm exactly where I was told to stop and it's another 5 minutes before they can start work anyway. Basically fcuk off out of my face and I'll be gone by then.

Today's first booked job is in Ipswich and I hear on the radio that the A12 is partially blocked near Marks Tey on the London bound side, where I'll be returning shortly. I pass the accident, a 9 vehicle shunt and the queues reach back about 8 miles almost to the Suffolk border. I figure that there's no point rushing and getting fuel on the way as a delaying tactic would be a good idea. Once I arrive at Ipswich I park in the yard and settle for a cuppa over a 15 before going in search of our machine, although I'm spotted and our driver trundles his 3CX over anyway. It's an easy load when there's a regular driver and I'm ready to face the traffic and leave just before 1000.

Oddly this is one of our machines but has managed to escape the signwriter in the 2 years it's been on the books.

Amazingly the traffic has completely cleared and it's a good run down to Hatfield Peverel where I leave Mick and his machine. Next up is a short move from Latchingdon to Heybridge near Maldon for a local contractor, I collect him from his yard en-route and it's really easy move just a 5t JCB digger, no other buckets and a 20 minute drive either way.

Once he's out of the way I've got one more job to do, but not before a half hour stop at Boreham Interchange. It's round to Highwood on the other side of Chelmsford, proper banjo playing hick country out here. I spent 6 years working at a woodyard here and don't miss the poxy little roads one bit. I'm collecting one of our ZX50's from a small house renovation job, there's no-one on site but after a bit of hunting about I unearth the keys and get it loaded up. Back to the yard, it's a refuel only stop as it's staying on for the morning.

After some little jobs at the yard I'm off home at 1615. Distance 239Km.

Friday

0645 Start. I've got the ZX from yesterday loaded on and it's off down to Colchester to drop it off at the site where I collected a smaller machine from earlier this week. Once it's off it's straight back on to the A12 almost back to Danbury, calling at Jovic plant at Sandon. I've got to shift a 9t dumper and an 8t machine, ideally in one go as they are going to the same site. It's actually a 10 tonner but I'm confident it'll fit. The buckets go in the dumper and it gets loaded up front tight against the headboard, the machine squeezes nicely on the back and the arm laid over the dumper. Easy.

These 2 are off to Priors Green at Takeley near Stansted Airport. They're soon there and tipped off and I've got one more job to do but not till later, so I head back to the yard and manage to get the truck washed. I also manage to get my windscreen washers working properly, having had to endure a pathetic dribble for some time now.

At 1530 I'm able to go and load the last machine of the day, it's a Yanmar 75 from Great Baddow. Delivering this was last Friday's last job and as I'm in exactly the same place with the same machine I'm going to cheat and repost the original picture.

Back at the yard I just have to switch a bucket over and then I'm done by 1615. Distance 170Km

3rd - 7th December 2007

2007-12-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

Monday.

0645 Start. A change of seat this morning, demoted to 340hp. First up is a local one, dropping off an 8t Yanmar down at Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation in Little Baddow. Unfortunately the bridge over the canal is a weak 7.5t one so I have to back into their little car park and go the long way round, if I could go over the bridge I'd be at the A12 at Hatfield Peverel in about 5 minutes. Via Danbury it's about 20 minutes to the same spot.

The reason for the different motor is that there's a container to shift and the other driver has got today off, so I head up the A120 towards Clacton and nip down to Elmstead Market to a farm to load. I quickly get the crane unstowed and the container chained but it won't budge so I have to get a van moved so I can get closer in. I rechain the container and get it on (of sorts) It's not the neatest bit of loading but it's a 24 footer with jacklegs as well using a crane that I've only used a couple of times before.

Safely strapped (no twistlocks) I head off to Earls Colne to unload outside some flats being refurbed. There's 2 other containers neatly positioned and they want this one alongside, secretly I have my doubts about how neat it will be especially as it getting a bit windy. However I soon get it hoiked up and recruit a volunteer just to stop it spinning and give me some indication of where it's going. To my surprise we nail it first time and I pack up and head back to the yard.

I could stay with this motor all day but I decide to go back and swap to mine as the gearbox is doing my head in. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just the standard 4 over 4 but the range change is the splitter switch on my 3 over 3 and every so often I knock it into high range at a junction subcontiously changing back to high split.

Back at the yard after a quick cuppa (another good reason to change, no kettle) I head off to Maldon to load a groundworkers 8t Komatsu. It's a simple move across to Rayne near Braintree where I swap it for a slightly battered Hyundai 5.5t machine. It's about 1300 when I leave so I head out towards Stansted on the A120 and stop for a break. Back on the go it's all the way down the M11, A406, A12, A13 to drop the 55 off at Poplar about 1500.

After a quick turnaround I make a hasty exit from East London and head back to the yard and load our Kobelco 7 tonner ready for the morning.

Finished at 1645. Distance 331Km

Tuesday
0645 Start. I'm out the gate fairly prompt this morning and off with the traffic over the bridge into Kent, traffic is fairly light (for the time) and I come off at J1a and take the old road through to Gravesend. I've just got to deliver the 7 tonner to a park in a residential area and on the map it looks like it will be tight as. I'm pleasantly surprised by nice wide roads that weren't clogged by school run mums. It's just possible to back into the park entrance and get off the road to unload and before long I'm on my way back. I decide to follow the signs for the (A2) Dartford rather than go through central Gravesend again and when I'm almost at the A2 the signs announce that the London bound entry is not available and you have to turn towards Canterbury and double back further up the road. Handy sign that, just a shame there wasn't one 5 minutes ago.

The traffic is still running well all the way along the A2 to the M25 although sadly the new slip road is not yet open. I'm through the tolls almost without stopping and back through the tunnel into Essex and back at the yard by 10.00

Spent the rest of the day on errands fetching bits and pieces and loitering around the yard. Home at 1615. Distance 134Km.

Wednesday.
0645 Start. There's no jobs on the board this morning for me, the lowloader is also yard bound and the other 6 is in until about 10.00 so there's not a great deal to do in the rain but keep out of the way. Someone decides to get the 2 6's booked in for a smoke test today and I'm told that I've got to be at the VOSA site at 1100, be able to jack the cab and have the engine number clean and visible.

We decide to investigate the whereabouts of the number at jack my cab to have a look, I climb in and have a good look around but cannot find the engine number, our other driver Bob is none the wiser and we decide that I'll run it down to Truck East at Witham and get them to show me. Down at Witham I jack the cab again and one of the fitters hunts around for 10 minutes before finding it. Cab down I head over to VOSA at Chelmsford in their shiny new facility. When I get called in I start to jack the cab (again) and all of a sudden one of the inspectors shouts 'whoa mate you've forgotten about your kettle' I reply that it's OK cos it's empty and continue to pump the cab, 'But it'll go through the screen' he says, 'No it's OK it's screwed down' I reply. He looks bemused and gives up that line of enquiry when he sees it not moving, although he's probably wondering how I actually use it.

The examiner notes the number on the ECU and I drop the cab and stow the bar, he puts the probe on the stack and starts the test. It's a simple test that doesn't take long and results in a pass. To my surprise and disappointment (hoping I'd fail and the other 6 pass) it looks like I'm still OK for London next year then.

Back at the yard the boss is well pleased that it's passed the test and saved him £4-5k and I even manage to get a brand new magnetic flashing beacon to attach to the back when moving protruding loads.

After more little jobs in the yard I call it a day at 1545. Distance 55Km

Thursday.
0645 Start. Off to Rayne in the rain this morning, back to the farm from earlier in the week, I'm there at 0720 and the gate is shut so I settle down and wait. And wait a bit longer. Then some. I call the contact number at 0745 and apparently they're in traffic and will be along soon. Eventually I'm in and we load the buckets into the dumper and back it on up front. The 7 tonner sits on the tail and the boom hangs out the back, now neatly marked by sparkly beacon plugged into newly installed socket.

It's back to Maldon to where it came from, but it's just the digger & buckets off and another dumper goes on. The two dumpers are taken back to the contractors yard nearby and dropped off next to their lowloader. That'll be a shiny lowloader that's obviously not getting much use at the moment then.

Next on the list is a collection in Stevenage, so it's a drag round the M25 and up to J7 on the A1M to the site which is right beside the junction. I'm loading a 7t dumper loaded up with buckets off a 20 tonner, as usual it's an old dog and it's also got a puncture.

Usually dumpers get a single chain, but when they are old and knackered and especially when loaded they get a bit more attention.

One chain across the towpin with 2 dogs.

Two single chains on the front. And a strap over the buckets to hopefully keep it all in place.

I decide to wander back along the A602 to Ware and take the A10 / A120 through to Braintree before finally dropping down in Witham. It's a good route, one I'll probably use again. Down at Witham the dumper is off and I make my way back to Danbury. Left for home at 1615. Distance 289Km.

Friday.
0645 Start. Nothing on the board this morning, so confined to the yard for the better part of the day. In an attempt to get the winch refitted I jack the cab for the 4th time this week and enlist one of the two machine drivers who are also spare today to help me get it back in it's regular slot in the bulkhead. It's still not aligning right though so I decide to remove it again and get the cab back down again, not least so I can retrieve my sandwiches. There is a job to do at 1430 it's only local but it's still a chance to get out, I'm off to the canal to collect the Yanmar that I dropped first thing Monday. It's a roadside load job but there's three of them of traffic control, slightly overboard but handy nonetheless.

A quick 3 point trun into their yard and it's back up the hill to Danbury and down to Great Baddow to excahnge it at a site there. The Yanmar is replaced by an 8t JCB that's on hire to us.

The Jake is then taken back to Jovic Plant in Sandon and offhired, before the last leg of the jourey back to the yard. I'm all wrapped up and ready to go at 1645. Distance 22Km

Just as I'm about to get in the car our driver Bob rolls in the yard with the lowloader, he's running late as the A12 has been blocked most of the day and he's got to reload. Rather than disappear I grab my gloves and lend a hand, there's a Hitachi duck to come off, and then reload a 5t dumper, 20t Hitachi and a 120 roller. Once we get it all loaded in the dark, I leave him to chain it all on and head for home.

Total Distance 750Km - Must be a record.

26th November - 1st December 2007

2007-11-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Monday
0700 Start. No hurry this morning, the first machine is still on from Friday and it's delivered to a house in Danbury less than a mile away. Then it's a 5 minute run down to Jovic Plant at Sandon to load a 6t dumper and drop that off with the Yanmar 8 tonner. 2 deliveries done in less than a hour.

Next job is also fairly local, just down the road at Maldon I'm loading a 5t Hamm roller at TCP's yard.
I'm away about 0830 and off over the Dartford and into Kent. It's around 0915 when I pass through the tolls and it's clear both ways. M25 through to J5 and A21 to Tunny Wells and off into East Sussex to Mayfield College in the amusingly named Little Trodgers Lane, Mayfield.

It's not really possible to get into the site and all the plant gets loaded outside in the road. Unfortunately there's already a lowloader there and I'm not the first to carve up the verge, it was a bit boggy and it was a difflock to the rescue moment to get through.

It's quite an impressive place, that apparently was where my boss went to school. They called it Colditz.

Don't you just love the way everything has a fancy name. Dust Suppression Unit!

There's also a backload for TCP collecting their smaller Rammax roller. Unfortunately it's
a. It's caked in crap

b. On a slope

c. And my winch is still not refitted

After recruiting a forklift driver to give it a shove I finally get it on board and head back to Tunny and on to the A21
There's a nice big layby on the A21 and I decide to stop for a 45 there rather than after I'm off the M25. I pull in as the kettle boils, have a quick cuppa and doze off until the alarm goes.

Then I reach to flick the tacho off break only to find.

I forgot to set it to break in the first place.

I've still got 1hr 20 minutes on the clock and I reckon I can just about make it to Maldon and back to Danbury. Unfortunately the M25 at 1300 is far worse than it was at 0930 and I spend 20 minutes from J3 to the tolls scuppering plans of getting all the way. I decide to stop at the yard and pull in just in time.

45 minutes later I'm off out for the short run to Maldon, where I neatly slide the Rammax down the ramps and get a H&S type lecture about it. Obviously they weren't bothered enough to have offered assistance in the first place and I'm aware that they can spin sideways if you're not careful with them. It tried and I stopped it. End of. Back at the yard for a 1630 finish after loading a 3t Komatsu for tomorrow.

Distance 262Km.

Tuesday.

0645 Start. Ready loaded from last night it's off down the A12 for Romford this morning. Surprisingly the Brook St. Junction with the M25 is clear and I've tipped the machine and am out the gate by 0745. It's a clear run back out to the yard where I get sent out on an errand in a van to collect some parts from near Stansted Airport. Back at the yard there's an hour to kill so I wash down a dumper that I brought back last week and hadn't been touched.

My next real job was to collect a 6t Hitachi machine from nearby Little Baddow, it's an old machine that belongs to a developer and is a jinxed one at that. I managed to lose the cab guards off the roof of it, our other driver mangled the frame that they sit in on a low branch and last time I moved it one of my front brakes seized and nearly caught fire.

No such drama today however, it's loaded and transported down to a site in Shenfield without incident . It's gone a bit slack today there's just a 1.5t mini to collect from near Gt.Leighs to go back to the yard.

Mud Removal Unit

Back at the yard it's fairly clear as almost all the machines are out and I finish off sweeping the yard with the forklift and it's hydraulic sweeper.

An early finish today, 1530.

Distamce 144Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. Off to Greenshields JCB today to load a 535-125. I'm there at 0730 but there's not much activity until about 0800 when they finally get the gate open. I wander in and notice that they are actually supposed to open at 0730. I get the paperwork sorted and they tell me that they'll just get the machine out for me.

This involves moving about 12 pallets of bits and bobs out into the car park.

Followed by moving 1 van, 2 teletrucks and 3 minidiggers to get the machine out. (It's the one right at the back)

Materials Elevation Unit.

Finally it's out and soon on board ready for the off about 0840. It's down to MAP Plant on the A13 with this one, luckily the traffic is fine today and I'm soon in the yard for a quick tip.

They've obviously been spending some cash, the 2 unwritten ones are both 57 plate.

Next move is from Melbourn on the A10 near Royston so it's a blast up the M11 to Duxford and across on the A505. I'm not booked until 1300 and it's gonna be 1100 when I arrive so I plan for a break in a nice quiet spot on the way into the village.

Only they've filled it.
Oh Bollards.

It's my birthday today so I celebrate by finding a big layby, and crawling onto the bunk for an hour of snooze. (Must be my age)

It's down this narrow lane and you turn into the site. Since I was last there they have narrowed the access right down and put big kerbs in making it impossible to get in without damaging something.
In this case removing the orange barrier fence and bending the tree a bit. Next minute the bloke comes out asking if I'm going to anything about the fence. I reply that yes I'll probably remove the rest of it when I leave.

He's unhappy about his tree and gives me the 'They've had bigger in here before' line, Ah yes I reply but not since that kerb went in. He maintains that it's not his problem, whereas I think that it will be his problem everytime a bin wagon, builders merchant, removal van or whatever goes in there.

In fairness he wasn't arsy about it, if I'd been there for 28 years I'd probably share his concern but I'd be round at the site demanding the access to be widened to allow vehicles better access. Something which everyone agrees is inadequate.

It's just an 8t Kobelco to load here.

Load Security Unit.

It's going to Panfield near Braintree to a site down a small lane. unfortunately there's a low cable right across the gateway and the cabguards will foul it, so it has to be tracked off into the road and then taken onto the site.

I'm soon out of there and on my way back to Danbury. Back at the yard it's suggested I could run down to South Woodham Ferrers to collect one of our 5 tonners but I persuade them against it as it'll be school time when I arrive and it's a pig of a site anyway. I manage to escape for an early one at 1515.

Distance 320Km.

Friday.

0645 Start. A quick blast down to Witham this morning for one of my less favourite jobs, moving concrete blocks. I'm booked for 0730, there at 0715 and have to wait until 0830 until there's someone to load me with a forklift. There's a total of 27 packs at an estimated 1.1t each, I opt for 12 packs and nip round to the weighbridge to check. I'm just under at 25440Kg so I strap them on and hit the A12 / A120 for Harwich to deliver them to a reclaim yard at Parkestone. It's a good run, only 45 minutes or so and once there I'm quickly tipped and off back to Witham for another load.

Back at Witham our other 6 wheeler is loaded ready with 7 packs and I have to wait another 1/2 hour or so for the forklift to load the last 7 packs. Back down to Harwich to tip, and a stop along the A120 for a break on the return.

I get another job called through, it's the collection I avoided yesterday and I'm off sharpish when the timer goes to get to the site, loaded and out before school run time.

I arrive at South Woodham Ferrers at 1415 and actually manage to get backed down the road to the site entrance fairly easily. Getting on the site is impossible and you have to park outside and wander in. I'm away for about 5 minutes finding the machine and getting the buckets and when I track the machine out, there's an irate lady waving arms and generally being upset because I've blocked her drive. She's ranting a bit, but when I offer to move straight away, she admits that she doesn't need to go out just yet but might because she's got children at school. Have you got children? she asks me, Yes 3 actually I reply. I agree with her that it's a problem not being able to get on the site, and admit that I'd really rather not be here at all. I promise that in 5 minutes, the machine will be loaded, secured and gone and apologise for not checking with her first before blocking her in.

She's actually OK in the end and to be honest I can see where's she's at, it probably happens several times a day and everyone is just doing their job. South Woodham Ferrers is an 1980's new town and the site they are building on is a small plot of undeveloped land right in the centre of a lot of housing.

Back at the yard the Hitachi comes off and I collect a passenger, one of machine drivers who is coming with me to help load the next machine.

It's a site in Danbury down a narrowish road that is used as a ratrun to avoid the A414, the machine has to be loaded in the road and it's a bit awkward to get the machine out of the site. And it's getting dark so having an extra pair of (skilled) hands is a definative bonus. Back at the yard the machine comes off and I'm off by 1715.

Distance 288Km.

Friday.
0645 Start. My first job is to collect a couple of machines from Wickham Bishops, nearish to Maldon. It's a weird area and I manage to not exactly get lost but not quite end up where I expected to be. There are lots of scissor type crossroads around there and I always needed to turn the way you can't fit around.

I find the place about 0730 and the machines are parked up but the keys are not obvious and haven't been hidden in the usualish places. Someone tries ringing the man who'll have the key, but can't get through. He'll be here at 8 they say.

0820 and he rolls up and disappears around the back of the house, whilst I'm hanging around waiting I notice that he's chucked the keys on the seat. Ignorant bastard.

The dumper has got a broken beacon and tipping lever, and both it and the digger are caked so I reward his behaviour with 4 nice muddy trails out of the gate into the road and up to the ramps. As I leave I see him with a brush sweeping up.

These machines have been crosshired in, so I take them back to Lavenham Plant in Cold Norton.
1.5t JCB 8052

3t Dumper

My next job is to meet our other 6 wheeler in Harlow, luckily he calls me and lets me know there's delays on the M25 as I'd been heading that way and hadn't heard anything. I meet up with him on the A414 at Ongar and we travel in convoy to the site where we are loading a couple of containers.

It's a bit tight to get near enough with the crane.

Eventually we find the owner of a van and just manage to get enough space to get in.

Once we get the 20' lifted I back in and we load it on me out of the way. That's made enough space to pull forward enough to reach the 24' that we load on Norm.

Twistlock technician I aint, it's straps for this one.

We stop for a brew up and head off to the M25 and onto Basildon. On the way we pass the cause of the delays (and get delayed ourselves) Norbert Netzler has somehow managed to roll over at J28 right across the northbound on slip.

We make our way to Rawley Plant to off load the containers. I give myself a brush up on the crane and unload whilst Norm acts as slinger / banksman.

We head off in different directions now and I'm heading back to Romford to collect the Komatsu 27R 3 tonner that I dropped off at a school earlier in the week. It's a quick stop, get in, get it on and get it out (as it were) Then it's a quick blast back to the yard to tip off as I'm still not done yet.

At 1500 I leave the yard and head over to a demolition contractors in West Hanningfield to load materials. They are based on an industrial estate which is very crowded, there's also a steel stockholders, skip hire company, and roofing merchants. All of which wanting to get trucks in and cars and vans out. Most of the available space is taken up with their FH12 & 5 axle Nooteboom lowloader and pair of 8 leg roll offs. I end up shunting back and forwards whilst we load, timbers, sleepers, ballast, ply and a large toolbox. I check the weight on the steel co's bridge and I'm just over 24t and about done. Strap it all down and head back to Danbury. Finished at 1715.

Distance 249Km.

Saturday.
0630 Start. Not a regular thing for me to work on a Saturday but the cash is useful especially at this time of the year. I'm off to the demolition job in Ashord, Kent and have an unheard of traffic free run down there. Maybe there's something to be said for weekend working after all.

I'd been told roughly where it was but it was easy enough to find just behind the McArthur Glen outlet place. Haven't been there for a couple of years since I used to deliver to the Cafe Nero shops.

It's just gone 0800 and the lowloader has just arrived and they are sorting themselves so I park up for a brew before going to see what's happening.

The job is to demolish a signal box that sits alongside the road, there's no compound or off road area available just a lane closure to give them half the road.

I get backed in behind the lowloader and we handball the ply off to make a temporary road surface for the machine to run so they don't churn up the tarmac. Once the temp. surface is down they set to unloading the 20 tonner and 6t machines, there's just enough space to get them off the trailer and clear the ramps.
That brick building is the signal box. They are planning to start at 2000 tonight and have it down by 0000. Trucks turning up at 0500 & 0800 to load to rubble and job complete 2359 Sunday.

Once they're off the lowloader is moved and I run round in front of the 20 tonner so that we can use it to unload. It takes a while as everything is lifted with chains from the rear, the machine driver has to try and peer over the top of my ramps and is looking straight into the sun. I'm slinging on the back of the wagon, there's another guy on the bank signalling and unhooking and the lowloader driver has reappeared as another banksman for when the machine turns. Finally about 1100 I'm done and clear out of the way so that they can unload 2 more lowloaders both carrying machines. A clear run back to the yard and I'm done by 1300.

Distance 250Km.

Total Distance 1369Km

19th -23rd November 2007

2007-11-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

Monday.
0600 Start. I'd not planned on starting quite this early but I woke before the alarm, obviously excited???? about coming back to work. I'd planned being in about half six just in case I needed a jump start, it was a good job the battery was OK as the other 2 had already left when I arrived. It amazes me the volume of traffic on the A12 at 0615 and at half past I am sitting in a jam waiting to exit at the Brook Street M25 junction. Glad I got up early for this. Thankfully the M25 is OK and the tolls are running well with no queing to get through. I'm off down the A2 to the Skanska site at Gravesend work seems to be going great guns over here in Kent and the slip road from the M25 to the A2 is now open and I'm soon across the new viaduct and on to the A2. Work only started here about 18 months ago and it looks like the whole job will be done before much longer.

Further down the A2 is where the Skanska site is and here too the progress is impressive, I'm here to load a JCB 4CX and I trundle round and find the compound where the contractor has got all his gear stored. They arrive just after 0730 and start faffing, my planned 15 minute break on the tacho creeps round to an early 45 but that'll help me out later.

We get the 4CX on and secure and I'm out of the gate just after 0830 joining the A2 which is going nowhere fast. Then just like that it picks up and clears and things are looking brighter (although the weather is looking anything but) I consider sneaking around the Bluewater loop to drop down on the top of the toll booths for the tunnel but decide to risk it and am rewarded by an unhinderred passage all the way to and through the toll booths into the tunnel. That's quite rare at any time especially nearing 0900.

On the down side the weather is appalling and the traffic pretty horrendous all the way round to the M1 and through the roadworks. Finally things improve (sun struggles out briefly & traffic now OK) about 1030 as I'm around the Milton Keynes area. I plug on and take the M6 and make my 2nd ever use of the M6toll as far as J4 where I head up the A38 for Lichfield.

I've only got a rough idea of where I'm headed but it's a Nuttall site so I look for the green cabins and I'm soon roughly in the right place. A quick call to the site contact and he soon appears in his van and leads me to where he wants the machine.
This dozer was a tight fit going through, he ended up with a banksman riding on it to watch him through.

I managed to find a clear spot to stop and unload. It's clear because it's about 3" thick gooey mud that sticks to everything. A 15 minute stop here and I'm back onto the toll road (another £8 gone) and I make Corley services with about 20mins on the clock. At 1400 my half hour's up and I make my way back across the A14 to the top of the M11.

Passed this big fella on the way. I thought it was going to bigger than it was from the width of the thing.

The rest of the journey was OK for traffic but pretty miserable weatherwise. Back in the yard at 1700 having done nearly 8.5 hours driving, pretty unusual for me these days.

Distance 558Km

Tuesday.
0645 Start. This morning got off to a bad start when the truck wouldn't start. Flat battery again. Both other drivers had already gone and the fitter was on site somewhere. I managed to breathe some life into it about 0730 with a jump start onto one battery from the bosses Ford Ranger.

First job was at Lt.Leighs near Chelmsford loading a 5t digger and 3t dumper and moving them back to a landscapers yard about 5 miles away.

Next up was a site clearance at Halstead, it's a poxy place to go as you have to load in a communal parking area and the locals don't like it. Sure enough after only a few minutes someone comes out and starts having a moan about it. She doesn't get far with me and starts moving along the various people before steaming off to see the site agent. A few minutes later she quietly slinks back to her house, obviously getting short thrift from the agent. If she'd lived there for years you'd understand her point, but her house was one of the first phase and is about a year old.

There's a few packs of bricks, blocks, cills, some tipping skips and a mixer to be loaded. It all has to be loaded up the ramps by forklift as there is not enough space to load from the side. After an hour and a half I'm ready and take the materials to a site in Danbury to unload. Unloading is slow as it comes off the same by a shorter reach machine and less experienced driver.

1300 and I'm empty and headed back to Halstead to reload. It's simpler this time round, a couple of road plates, a fuel tank & stand, and the forklift (JCB 540-140) this too is taken to Danbury and is quickly offloaded. It had been planned to take the smaller machine and some bits to nearby Sandon but that's been postponed so I head back round the corner to the yard. Finished at 1645.

Distance 237Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. It starts. By all accounts a fairly light day if the paperwork is to believed, first call at Silver End to load a 3t dumper.

It's a nice easy load and it's taken to a site in Sible Hedingham where access is through the Premdor factory. It's dropped off and replace by a 4.5t Kobelco and a 6t dumper.

Now it's back to Silver End to unload the dumper, squeezing it cheekily past a muckaway tipper being loaded. The Kobelco stays on board and is run down to Tiptree and dropped in their yard.

Next job is one of ours, collecting a 3t dumper and 8t Yanmar from Purleigh near Maldon. The site is a quagmire and the dumper is travelling sideways as much as forwards. At one point I have to drag it with the machine as it cannot climb a slope due to the amount of muck caked on the wheels. Unfortunately it has to be loaded in the road, but the dumper does at least go on OK. The 8t is another matter and slides down the ramps even after clearing the tracks out. I try the usual trick of wrapping a chain round a strong point on the body and pulling against it whilst tracking up but things are not very successful. I decide that I'd let the hirer try as it was on a road and he'd obviously be a more experienced operator.

It would appear not. He was next to useless and less happy about loading it than I, his suggestion was to try and clear the tracks completely but without a steam cleaner to do the tracks and ramps this would not work either.

Luckily the site is only a few miles away from the yard and there was a spare machine driver in the yard today so he was summoned to assist. Next thing I know there's an argument underway, the hirer is spoiling for a fight and has taken our drivers comment completely out of context. I tell them both to stop pissing about and try it get it loaded and away.

Our machine driver does manage to load the digger but it was quite hairy and at one point had quite a lot of track overhanging. At least he admitted it was dodgy and didn't make me look like an arse.

Back at the yard the 2 machines are dropped off for cleaning and fuelling and I head out into Chelmsford to collect our 3t Komatsu from The Miami Hotel.

On the way back in I call at Jovic Plant to load a 6t dumper and unload both at the yard. The 8t Yanmar is now ready and it is loaded with the 6t dumper and chained ready for the morning. Until the plan changes and it gets offloaded and transferred to the lowloader.

Finished at 1645. Distance 154Km

Thursday

0645 Start. I've still got the dumper on and now have to trail over to Target Plant at Colchester to collect a 5t Yanmar & breaker. I run the dumper off to load the buckets in and it slides nicely down the ramps. The pair are going to Gt.Leighs between Chelmsford and Braintree and it takes well over an hour to do the journey as the traffic is bad getting through Colchester to the A12.

Gt.Leighs to Gt.Dunmow next, it's a short hop and I arrive to load an 8t Volvo which is going to Bury St.Edmunds in Suffolk. It's a bit of a drag after Braintree, all single carriageway road through Halstead, Sudbury and on to BSE and I arrive on site around midday.

I've got another collection to make from a farm at Boxted on the Essex / Suffolk border just off the A134 between Sudbury and Colchester, it's a scissor lift this time, an unusual piece of plant for me to have to move. I try several ways to load it, slowly forwards, slowly backwards, taking a run up at the ramps but there is little control over the power sent to the wheels and it slithers about all over the place. I've still got no winch so I have to get one of the blokes on the farm to give it a shove with his telehandler.

After a 45 minute break parked in the sunshine I head back to Colchester and pick up the A12 for a better run right through to Harold Wood to drop the scissor lift back at their yard.

A short run back to the yard and I'm off home at 1615. Distance 339Km.

Friday
0645 Start. Having just come from home at Great Baddow my first job is to go to a site in the village and load one of our JCB 3cx's. There's several wheeled diggers on site and I can't find our one, this is because for some reason this one has never been signwritten and it's about the only one of our machines I'd never seen before. I have to wait before I can load it, as the site cannot start until 0730 and I need the machine driver with his keys so it can be moved. Eventually he appears having been waiting outside the site, his machine was brought here last week by another haulier that the contractor had provided and they wouldn't bring the lorry off the road. Obviously he was expecting the same vehicle to take him today.

Anyway he loads the machine and I head off about 0800 heading for a site in Ipswich on the edge of the docks. It's a good run down and I'm there, tipped and done just after 0900.

It's now back to Danbury to the site from earlier in the week to load the forklift and bits and bobs. All the gear is ready there's just no forklift driver, I'm a bit annoyed by it as it's not really my job to load all their junk on board but I give it a go. There's an empty fuel tank that goes on first followed by a large steel stand that I flip over and put on next, a tipping skip sits on top and them there's a mixer on next. There is also a shovel bucket to go, so I have to remove the fork carriage and swap it for the bucket, scoop the forks up and slot the machine on the back. I'm actually quite pleased with what I've acheived as it has to be loaded by driving on and off the lorry rather than from the side. Quite often the regular drivers will moan and groan about having to try and get a load like this together.

It's a 5 minute run down the road to Sandon, where the forklift driver appears and takes about twice the time it took me to load, to unload it.

Back at the yard my plans for getting a washdown are hindered as our lowloader is parked down in the washdown bay with one of the trailer wheels off. Eventually they get the repaired tyre back on and get it shifted and I'm able to squeeze in and try and get some of the dirt off.

I'm now told that there's another machine to collect off the Garrison at Colchester at 1530. Great. I cut the wash short and leave at 1415 hoping to collect it early, I'm there at 1500 but have to wait for about 20 minutes until the driver has finished. He loads it on and I make my back to Danbury. Finished about 1645.

Distance 252Km.

12th - 14th November 2007

2007-11-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Monday
0645 Start. I'm fully loaded from last Friday with a 8t & a 5.5t machine plus their buckets and a breaker. There's not much deck showing and I'd think that I'd be running close to max weight too. Still that only amounts to 26t, with 420hp to lug it along with it's not really a problem. First call is to Takeley near Stansted Airport where the 5 tonner is coming off.

Because it's up the front the whole lot has to come off and the 8 tonner reloaded back on. There's no one to help but there's a bit of space and I'm off about 0820 and heading for the M11 and M25. The traffic down to the M25 is really heavy but the M25 is actually OK and I eventually roll into Southend at about 0930.

My delivery is to Priory Park and I have to drive road the narrow park roads and try not to drive over the ornamental borders.

The machine is tipped off and there's just enough space to turn around so I can thread my way back out again. I'm off for Hemel Hempstead now to collect a 3t dumper from the JCB dealer there, it's a new place to me but dead easy to find and another first is seeing a brand new dumper. I thought that they made them knackered. Dumpers have got to be the most abused piece of kit on site and this one will probably be well hammered in about 6 months time.

It's all to-ing and fro-ing today I'm back to Wickford to deliver the dumper direct to site, so it's back around the M25 / A127 again. Once I'm done at Wickford I have to go back to the park in Southend to collect the 8 tonner from this morning. I drive in again and find that they have now ripped up the only available turning space. After a lot of shunting and turning and lots of reversing I finally get turned round and load the machine for the 2nd time today.

It's back to the yard with this one and there I'm given the good news that it's going out first thing tomorrow and the bad news that there's a dumper going as well. The buckets go in the dumper and the machine comes off (again) the dumper goes on and the machine is loaded on the back for the third time today. All sorted and done by 1645.

Distance 354Km.

Tuesday

0645 Start. It's damp and drizzly this morning and my first delivery is only local so I'm in no hurry but I'm still on site (or on the roadside next to the site in Purleigh) just after 0700. There's no way to get into the site so it's a roadside offload job, far from ideal but at least early enough to still be fairly quiet.

It's now time to trundle over to Greenshields JCB in Braintree to load a new 535-125 Telehandler. I'm there at 0800 and there's only a few signs of life so I have a brew up and wander in about 0815 when the gates are open. After a fair bit of faffing they run the machine down from the yard and start washing it's wheels. This really pisses me off, the job was booked on Friday and now they start prepping it. It wasn't even dirty and what little grime they washed off would soon be replaced by the spray on the road.

It's about 0845 when I get away and I head down the M11 / M25 / A13 to drop the machine at MAP plant at Barking. There's a fair bit of heavy traffic on the A13 but I get to MAP around 10 ish. They sign it in without a second glance and I'm back on the A13 and soon on the North Circular heading towards Staples Corner.

We're loading some stuff from a bankrupt companies yard and I meet our other 6 wheeler there. There's not much space with the two of us in there and there's stuff stacked here and there and all has to be craned on. It's a poxy job this one but I at least get a chance for a refresher on the crane. Eventually I get loaded with a big stillage of tubes and a heavy tank full off stuff.

Getting out involves the bloke in the yard stopping the traffic on the North Circular so that we can back straight out onto it. Nice. We're heading back round the NCR to the M11 for a short hop up to Abridge / Stapleford Abbotts to a farm to offload. As I shake off one of the straps from the tubes it lands on top of my head and nearly sparks me out. Reeling about I realise that it wasn't the strap but one of the heavy plastic tubes. We'd originally been booked to return for a pair of containers but they were still connected to mains so we took our time unloading the other junk.

By 1530 we're done and off to Ongar to pick up the A414 to take us back to Danbury.

Finished at 1645.

Distance 241Km

Wednesday.

0645 Start. It's the last day of the week for me as I've 2 days off booked and I'm a bit slow to get moving this morning. I'm still on the road by 0700 but the prospect of a couple of days off is going to make today drag I can just tell.

I've only got 2 moves booked which is up until about lunch, any luck I'll only get one more for the day....

First job is to load an 8t Volvo at Bocking near Braintree, it belongs to a groundworker and has a regular driver. At least on these moves the machine is ready, and they bring the machine to you and load it which makes a faster turnaround on site. I'm off with him tailing in his van and I beat the well trod path down to the M25 as far as J26 for Waltham Cross.

Unloading takes 10 minutes at the maximum and I'm back off to Braintree to load a JCB 4CX out of Greenshields.

Love 'em or loathe 'em you have to admit the detailing is nice.

It actually dawns on me that on the handful of occasions I've moved a 4CX it's always had a regular driver who has loaded and unloaded it. It's mostly the same as a 3CX inside. Only different. The main difference is that the back hoe levers are mounted on the arm rests and swivel with the seat. Flick the switch and they control the bucket too. After a bit of button pressing I get it sussed and loaded on. (I have a feeling I may have seen these controls on a 3CX, so maybe they are an optional extra)

It's not how I like to secure them but I leave the chains hanging up and use straps today as I'm delivering it to another plant dealer - Ernest Doe at Ulting and I suspect they might be narked if the paint is chipped.

At Ulting I'm told to park it next to a rival, a New Holland equivalent. However it's soon whisked away to a far corner out of sight as it's not part of their manufacturer range (Komatsu, New Holland, Manitou)

It's now lunchtime and I've done all my allocated work, however I have got wind that there's another job in the pipeline and call the office for details.

I'm told to go to Tiptree to load blocks from a site and there's someone there to load me. Usually that'd be a telehandler but the only there is one of our 13 tonners. I'm less than impressed with the mountain of old crap to shift. Packs of blocks, beams and empty pallets fill up every inch of space. The machine has to be tracked up the ramps to stack stuff up the front and soon there's mud everywhere.

Finally loaded I head off to Braintree to a large site there to tip the load. I find their forkie on the site and it's the first he's heard of it but in fairness he soon comes over and whips the load off. True to form he knows nothing of the next load going out but a quick call and he's soon loading 6 packs of (different) blocks to go to Wickford.

I'd far rather be heading back to the yard but I push on and get to Wickford just before 1600, as I approach the site they spot me and dive out into the road to stop the traffic and indicate that they want me to back in. It's a busy road and they've stopped it, so I follow their directions and promptly ground the fuel tanks on the entrance to the site. Luckily there's no damage and there's just enough in the air suspension to get in. They soon have the blocks off and I make a cautious exit over some hastily placed scaffold boards. I'm back in the yard by 5 and off home shortly afterwards.

Distance 291Km

Total Distance 886Km