29th October - 2nd November 2007

Monday
0630 Start. Things don't look so good when the girl fails to start, luckily Norm is still alongside and I am quickly jump started and off to Colchester to collect a 7t Yanmar at Target Plant. The dumper was already on from Friday and I didn't want to offload it to but the buckets in. Unfortunately this made loading a bit tricky as the tracks were slightly worn and the ramps slippery.
Both the machines were run down to a site in the Dutch Quarter of Colchester, there was a bit of a side slope and for every 6" the machine moved down the ramps it moved an inch sideways. Luckily it didn't slide and I make a quick detour to the golf course to collect a 120 roller. It's back to Target for a 6t dumper and this is taken to a site in Stanway.


It's a smartish development around a lake.
However if you look the other way it's still obviously a former gravel pit.

From Stanway it's a short hop along the A12 to Witham to tip the roller at CRH plant.

Next it's back to Colchester to collect the a 5t ZX50 and 5t dumper from the golf course. They'd probably have all fitted on but it's a lot of agro, everything is slippery and the roller has to go in the middle. It's back off to the yard where there's not much going on, the machines are refuelled and checked on board and left ready for the morning.

I've had some electrical problems arising from the winch of late so we jack the cab and see if we can work out what's going on. It's not good news (although I've said that all along) and we decide to disconnect and remove the winch for repair or replacement. It's handily built into the headboard which makes getting it out a little harder but a strop round the drum and it's soon lifted out with the crane. We'redone for the day at 1600

Distance 163Km

Tuesday
0645 Start. No battery problems this morning, I'm off to a site just up the road from home in Galleywood to drop the Zx50 & dumper.

There's no one on site so I back in and park them up next to a CFA rig that is all packed up and waiting to go. Someone arrives at 0730 signs the paperwork and I'm off for my next job which is to collect a JCB 8014 1.5t minidigger from a farm in Abridge. Oddly enough I delivered steel here almost excatly a year ago whilst doing a couple of agency days.


The maggot is going back to Greenshields JCB dealer at Braintree for repair and whilst I'm there I load a new 535-95 telehandler.



I head off to Burwell in Cambs. to deliver the machine direct to site and collect a P/ex machine which is this 530-70 it's an S reg machine and is in fairly good shape considering.
This one goes back to Braintree and I pack up and head off to nearby Halstead to collect the last one of the day, it's another 535-95 also being P/ex'd against the new one. This one is newer (V reg) but is fairly shagged out. Handbrake not working, forks seized, reluctant starter. Anyway it's on and I make visit number 3 to Greenshields.


I drop the 535-95 in their compound amongst the new shiny stuff and I've completed all the jobs for today.






Last job is to run the truck into Truck East Scania at Witham for inspection. On the last run into Braintree the exhaust brake broke and there were a few other bits needing attention too. I swap the Scania for a Fiesta and tootle off home at about 1600.



Distance 295Km

Wednesday
0645 Start. A short run back to Witham, drop the Fiesta and back to the yard in the truck, it was only booked for an inspection but they seem to have done quite a bit of work. There's a flag on the gear lever telling me to check my nuts as the wheels had been off, they've replaced a cracked mirror glass and even gone round the body with a grease gun which is a first. There's just one job to which is to collect a 5t Yanmar from Southminster, it's only a short run but it's nice to have the exhaust brake back working again. I run back to the yard with the tag axle down, I've had a long standing problem with the ABS sensors which they seem so far unable to cure. True to form it trips on the way back and the boss is spitting feathers about it when I get back.

I'm packed off to back to Witham where I leave it running outside complete with fault and explain the problem inside. Finally I seem to get the point across and they give me back the Fiesta and I leave it to them. They later decide that it needs new sensors (although I have previously suggested this as adjusting the old ones does no good) it'll have to be rebooked when parts arrive so I go back to Witham for the 3rd time and swap over again.

Back to the yard sort out some bits and away home at 1615.
Distance 125Km

Thursday
0645 Start. It's a Hewden day today, usual depot at Dagenham and I arrive at the yard to utter chaos. The yard is being broken out in readiness for re-concreteing and there's another wagon loading, I wander in and see what's planned for the day. The first job is a 285cfm compressor, that won't be happening as the winch is still out, it gets bumped onto the other driver and I get a telehandler in exchange. It's nothing too bad, a CAT TH330 to go to West Thurrock. As I'm in the process of securing it onboard one of the chain tensioners (dogs) springs open and mashes one of my fingers. Ouch that smarts. I'm fully aware about the dangers of these and I also have a set of the ratchet tensioners, but I find them a proper pain in the arse to use. So it's no one elses fault and if my finger drops off it's down to me and my error, I cannot understand all this claiming for this that and the other when it's something that you have made happen yourself. If I fell through the floor on the truck where the boards are worn I'd still accept responsibility for it, the stuff is in the yard to repair it with when there's time to do it.

After dropping the machine off I've got 2 collections to do, Notting Hill and Heathrow T3. I can't get the bloke at T3 for directions so I head in along the A13 headed for Notting Hill, I follow the A406 to Edmonton and pick up my usual route in through Seven Sisters and down to Kings Cross. Along the way I get directions about the T3 job but it get cancelled shortly after due to insufficient notice being given. Shame.

The traffic along Euston / Marylebone Rd is horrendous this morning, far worse than usual and it's because Baker St. is shut causing tailbacks along Westway to Westbourne Grove. I'm off at White City and into the leafy streets around Portobello Road to collect a Manitou BT420 from a school.


It's well knackered and has got a completely flat tyre too.

I decide to head out to Hanger Lane and back round the A406 rather than head inbound along Westway.

I follow this guy using magic straps, I wonder if they do chains like this for machines? Save a lot of time.

I head up the M1 and stop at Scratchwood for a 45 around midday before heading back M25 / M11 / A12.





Back at Hewdens there's not a lot going on, there's a telehandler about 100yds from this mornings one to come back but they're overly concerned and I've had enough so I decide to call it a day and head back to the yard.





I'm back and sorted by 1545 today, nice and easy but fear for what tomorrow will bring.
Distance 258Km

Friday
0645 Start. Hewdens again today, 1st job is to collect the tele from Lakeside that I didn't want to do yesterday. If I'd known I'd have picked it up on the way home and left it at our yard overnight. It's not a huge problem though, it's at the B&Q there and I'm able to get it fairly sharpish. Unusally for Hewden it's a JCB one, a 530-70 with a hook attachment and it's back to the Dagenham yard from there.

Somehow I've managed to dodge the Heathrow job but there's a fair stack still to do. I reload with a 2t swivel dumper which is going to Harold Hill, and a CAT TH330 tele for a yard alongside J29 on the M25.

There's another delivery to make before I can start collecting so it's back to the yard to load a Manitou buggie forklift. The bad news is that it's got to go to Roehampton which is next to Richmond Park. I decide that the least direct route is probably the easiest and floow a lengthy route around the M25 and up the A3. It's nearly a 2 hour trip to arrive on site at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and once I'm loaded I stop for a break as I've only got about half hour left.

My next port of call is Canning Town in East London and I figure that it's probably best to head into central London and out again so I pick up the A3 to Vauxhall and cross Vaux. bridge and turn onto a nice quiet Millbank. It's quiet because Parliment Sq. is partly closed and there's a bit of a diversion but I get back on track and make Canning Town in an hour and a half.

It's a CAT 1.5t minidigger to collect here from a small site, they're pouring concrete when I arrive but I get told to load the machine and they'll bring the buckets. The machine is on and one bucket appears but no more arrive. I wait patiently in view by the mixer but none of the 7 or 8 blokes can tear themselves away from the readymix. The buckets are just over there but I'll get caked in concrete if I get them. After about 10 minutes I decide "bollox to you ignorant bastards" and leave the site. All they had to do was bring them to me and I'd have humped them round the corner and onto the truck, now they'll have to take them back to the yard.

My final job is to collect a JCB 926 FLT from Fairlop Waters. Whilst I'm loading I get a message on the phone letting me know that I've left 2 buckets behind and someone has left their jacket in the cab. I ignore the message as I chucked the jacket in the building and I'm not going back for the buckets.

Back at Hewdens I explain about the delays and my reason for leaving, it's not a problem the bloke has found his jacket and is bringing the buckets in his van. 30 seconds of effort could have saved him a lot of bother. I trundle off back to the yard where I call it a day at 1715.

Distance 302Km

Total for the week 1152Km. Odometer now past 600,000Kms

21st - 25th October 2007

Monday
0645 Start. It's a cold one this morning and I hit the night heater to warm things up a bit whilst I sort myself out before leaving. I'm off to Witham first thing and I'm there ready to load at 0715.

Or would be if they knew where the gate key was.

0815 the gate is open and first I have to coax a 6t dumper into life to shift it out of the way. Next in the queue is a Hyundai 55, I seemed to be plagued by these bloody things and except fro a couple of new ones I move they are nearly always knackered. This is no exception, all the bonnet flaps are broken, rear gab glass broken, door won't latch open, front screen jammed half way up. And completely dead, just about as much life in the battery as an AAA.

I don't hold out a lot of hope for my jumpstart pack, it's only designed for cars and cost me £20 but after about 5 mins it has done just enough to splutter the machine into life.

The last in line is another 6t dumper which is the one I'm loading, there's no chance my pack will have enough go in it to start it if it's flat but luckily it fires and it goes on first. Double chained as judging by the general state of disrepair on these machines it will wander back and forwards if I only use a single chain.



The Hyundai sits on the arse end, and I start to fold the ramps. "Hmmm, better just start the engine before going any further" I think, so as not to cane the batteries. Too late, a combo of cold weekend, early morning night heater, short run, bit more heater and a kettle full of water has done for the batteries.

It's another half hour delay whilst our fitter comes out and gets me going again, and finally at 0940 I'm heading for Clacton to unload the rusty relics

Move number 2 is new JCB 520-40 from Greenshields at Braintree.
At the factory there's a bloke with a bucket full of diesel and a sponge. He dunks the sponge and squeezes the diesel into the tank. Well you'd bloody think so, they never have more than a spoonful and this one dies right here.


For the last few months I have been carrying a can of red, purely on the basis of new JCB's that I have delivered before.



As it was at their yard they used their sponge to put some in. And quite a bit on my boots too.

This machine was delivered to Kelter Plant at St.Albans, it's an easy run and I've delivered a machine here before so it's a no brainer.

My third and final job was to collect one of our 5t Yanmars from a mobile home park at Stock near Chelmsford. I found the machine on one plot with two buckets, and two more buckets and a breaker on another plot. This machine had been badly abused during the week it was here, everything covered in conrete and just left as is. I moved the machine to the other plot to collect the other bits but discovered they have split a brand new hose on the quickhitch coupling.

I decided to leave the machine on site rather than track it round the whole site with heavy breaker and buckets suspended from a chain and I returned to the yard empty handed.

Back at the yard I load a 5t dumper and Kobelco 60 ready for the morning.
Distance 303Km

Tuesday.
0645 Start. It's a short run to Great Leighs between Braintree and Chelmsford to drop off the Kobelco & the dumper. It's at a place where they manufacture cricket bat blanks and export them all over the world for final shaping and finishing.



They're soon off and I'm off to Maldon to load a batch of lighting towers from the main agents. We manage to get six of them which is good as Norm only managed 5 when he did the same run last week.


By 0900 I'm loaded and strapped down secure so it's A414 , A12, M25 & M1 for me as I make my way to Old Stratford on the A5 on the far side of Milton Keynes. There's a road closure somewhere in MK but it's a signposted diversion and I find my way through the largely traffic free maze with ease.

The blokes at Ace plant are good and I soon have two men and a telehandler unloading me, there's not much for me to do except guide the towers across the yard and unhitch the chain. 20 minutes later I'm back out and I meander back along the A5 right the way to J9 on the M1.

I'm close on time for a break and as I pull into the truck park at South Mimms my timer is beeping away merrily. Realistically that means I'd got about 10 minutes or so left.

On the way out this bad boy was parked on the roundabout cut through, far up front there's an 8 leg unit and a couple more axles on the front of the trailer.

There's nothing else booked for the day so I head back to the yard and give the cab a tidy out. One of tomorrows moves is ready, so I nip out to Purleigh near Maldon and load this pair of dumpers ready for the morning. Back at the yard I'm all done by 1645.


Distance 352Km

Wednesday.
0630 Start. I'm not sure why I ended up being in earlier today it just sort of happened that way. No matter I decided not to waste it and got on the road by 0645. The dumpers were heading for Harlow and by way of a change I went along the A1060 through The Rodings, it's one of 3 useable routes that all take a similar time but this one is often not so busy. By 0800 I've tipped the dumpers and I'm back at Hastingwood dropping on to the M11.

The matrix signs are predicting doom and gloom from J28 - J1b on the M25 but I catch the back of the queue at J29 where I peel off and follow the A127 into Upminster for the next job.

First on this aged 2t dumper

Followed by this 11 year old JS70. It's obviously been painted but it's been well loved since it was built in 1996.

It's a short move to Rainham, usually a trip around the 25 would be best but due to the traffic I follow the contractor and we cut through some lanes and end up on site in next to no time, right next to where I loaded Hewdens roller last Friday.

Once I'm done I head back to our yard to load another relic, an old EX60 that we've had to fix. It's jinxed this machine, I took it once and the cab guards although looking securely fixed on the roof were not. I saw them in my mirror cartwheeling away like a deck of playing cards. When our other driver brought it back from that site he mangled the cab guard rack on a low branch. This was why we were fixing it.



It's a short run of a few miles to run it back to their yard, but whilst I'm driving along a narrow lane I start to struggle to keep driving in a straight line. I decide to stop, the truck also decides it's stopping. The OSF brake is binding and billowing out acrid smoke, The brake disc is glowing orange and I grab my fire extinguisher just in case, I've also got about 3l of water but that's my final reserve effort. If it's going up, I'd rather crack the disc and save the rest than just rely on one small extinguisher.



The situation improves slightly and now there's just a wisp of smoke and an acrid stench, I ring the yard and they arrange to get Truck East Scania to come out to me.



The fitter calls me to find my location and decides it might be a chamber so puts one in his van. When he arrives about an hour later the wheel is still hot and I douse the water over and still get a load of steam. We decide that it's OK to drive it the 1/2 mile to where I'm heading for so that I can unload the machine and give him the chance to look at it off the road.
He changes the chamber and indications are that it's OK, he follows me back to the yard and everything seems fine and the wheel is a normal temperature again.



I have a poke about underneath to try and find the source of an occasional knocking and discover this.

There's about 12" missing off of one of the spring leafs. Dunno where there went, could have been nasty. It's fairly recent judging by the lack of corrosion on the break. It's got to be sorted so it's off to Truck East at Witham for the late shift to sort out. One good thing about driving a beavertail is that you can carry a spare vehicle with you to get you home.



I'm done at Witham by about 1630 and off home in the runabout.
Distance 191Km

Thursday.

Fixed.
0645 Start. First job is to collect the Scania from Witham, the little truck is loaded on and piggybacked to the yard before I start work proper. I'm booked for 0800 at TCP in Maldon for another 6 lighting towers, there's never much activity there early in the day but this morning there's an Irish artic in there with the curtains hooked back and they are about to start loading towers on. There's also a small Polish rigid who's waiting to tip.

They've said 0800 so the meters running and I sit there and wait, I get a call from our lot asking if I could bring a roller back from Coventry for TCP, I reply that I might if they ever manage to get me loaded today. Shortly afterwards someone appears and they start to load the towers on board. It's about 0940 by the time I'm ready to roll and as I take the first roundabout I notice that a couple have moved slightly so I pull up in a layby and investigate. In their belated haste they haven't wound the legs down far enough and although braked they are still moving slightly. Acouple more straps and everything is OK. These towers are going to the same place at MK, but I avoid most of the M1 roadworks by using the M10 and A5 to MK.

Once I'm unloaded I'm off to TCP's Coventry depot in Canley, not too far from a site I went to last year a few times. When I find the yard tucked away between some other buildings I'm given a power barrow to load.

Followed by a smallish Rammax roller.


With just a few minutes left on the clock I take a 45 there and I leave there at 1415, I figure that the M1 roadworks, M25 and J28 roadworks are going to be hellish when I get there so I carry along the A45 to the M6 and come back across the A14 to the M11. I go straight back to our yard with the plan of offloading or delivering 1st thing in the morning. As luck would have it they have arranged for their wagon to come and pick them up. At about 1730 I've just finished unloading when their wagon arrives, I leave them to it and head for home.

Distance 486Km

Friday.
0645 Start. I start working before I leave the yard today, loading and securing a 5t ZX50.
The delivery is to a golf course in Colchester, which involves going through here. Whilst it's not that narrow in any one bit, trying to thread a 40' vehicle through is tight because there is no straight line through.


They are building an extension of the greenkeepers shed and need this machine for something or other.

They also need a couple more bits bringing in from their job at the cricket bat factory in Great Leighs. Somewhere around here should be a digger, dumper and a roller.

Ah there they are.

I just need the roller and dumper at the moment. The ground is mulchy and wet and the roller refuses to get past here. I try several times, fast, slow, backwards but it's no good it has to be winched on.

The dumper is much easier.

These are then taken back over to the golf course at Colchester, before I return to Great Leighs to collect the 6t Kobelco.

This machine is on steel tracks but has got rubber pads fixed to the tracks so it can work on tarmac. However this makes it really slippy and unable to climb the ramps, it almost makes it and then admits defeat and slides back down to the bottom. The winch would be no good on this machine it's too heavy, I'd probably pull it out of it's mountings so I have to improvise with a shackle and chain attached to one of the strong points on the body.



Ta -da, all that's needed is to use my handy crane to pick the buckets up.


Secure and go.

I have to wait a while for their driver to finish unloading. This is one of the few other driving jobs I'd like to do. Around here it's probably dead mans shoes though as I know of only 2 dedicated timber grab wagons in Essex. This guy has been doing it for donkeys years, I used to know him when I worked at a timber yard.

The Kobelco goes back to the yard and is offloaded. In it's place goes a 5t Yanmar which is going to Southminster. I drop the Yanmar at a farm and head back to Danbury, there's not a whole lot doing so I load a dumper for Monday and clear off home about 1545.

Distance 245Km
Total distance 1578Km

15th - 19th October 2007

Monday.
0645 Start. First thing this morning I had to sort out all my paperwork from last week following Friday's debacle. Once sorted I'm off to Waltham Cross to load an 8t Kobelco that's going to Collier Row, Romford. I'm done by half nine and that's all my booked work done so I stop to fill up the tanks and plan on a bit of off roading on the way back. As in off the road, in a layby.

I'm just climbing back in the cab and the phone goes and ruins things, can I go to Hinxton near Saffron Walden and move a forklift. Actually it's no bad thing as it'll keep me out of the way a bit longer. At Hinxton I'm expecting to load the groundworkers JCB 926 but it's not here and no one knows anything about it. After some calls it transpires that it's a Telehandler that's going and no-one on site had been told. There were also 3 crates of bricks, a shovel bucket and a personnel cage to load as well. Loading took some as the guy driving was painfully s l o w. Still no hurry and I'm away about 1215.





It's off to Chipping on the A10 between Royston and Buntingford to tip off and everyone's at lunch when I arrive so I unload myself and was surprised at how nice the little Merlo was, I've driven Telehandlers of all shapes and sizes and this was probably one of the easiest to use and it also had excellent visbilty. Hence the Panarama badging no doubt. Just a shame about the bogey colour.

An easy meander back through rural Essex and I'm done by 1515.
Distance 269Km

Tuesday
0645 Start. I collect my meagre paperwork from my clip this morning and there's a post it stuck to the front. They want me to take our LDV to Jovic plant at Sandon first and collect a breaker. Well screw that, it's five minutes down the road so it's hardly going to cost any more in diesel so I ignore it and take my truck. It's not just that I hate the LDV but it's lacking heater, radio, decent mirrors, any form of driver comfort, and there's no kettle to have a brew up whilst I wait for them to open up. Back at the yard I'm waiting for the fitter to arrive to change the couplings on the breaker so it can go on our brand new ZX50. Whilst I'm waiting I attach it to the machine and have it ready for when he arrives, there's no bungs on the hoses and hydraulic pisses out everywhere.

Apparently the fitter is out today so one of the bosses attempts to change the couplings, this drags on and on and finally the other one changes them. Only to find that the piping on the arm is too long and the coplings will foul on the hitch. There's spanners flying so I leave them to it and slope off to collect a pair of dumpers from nearby Mundon.


Back at the yard I run the back dumper off, and wait to load the ZX50 which now has a hydraulic fitter working on it. He needs more bits so I run down to Colchester to Target Plant to clear the other dumper. Back at the yard they've discovered the breaker circuit is faulty on the new ZX50 and Norm is loading a 5t Yanmar with the breaker on to his wagon. There's not a lot for me to do, so I fit my new radio, give the truck a quick wash down, scrape the yard and help Norm load up for tomorrow when he gates back. I'm away by 1545.







Distance 134Km

Wednesday.
0645 Start. It's an uneventful 2 hour run up to Peterborough this morning to my first job. I'm loading a shrink wrapping machine from a place where they stick free gifts to the front of magazines. There's forklift slots on it so getting it on is fairly straightforward, getting it inboard takes a little more effort as it's quite wide.
It's soon sorted by the winch and strapped down nice and tight before heading back down the A1M / M11. It's a bit of a slack day so I stop for 1/2 hour near Duxford on the way down before hitting the road again and off to the old Bata shoe factory at East Tilbury. I'd never been there before and I was surprised by the size of the place, although it's all storage and industrial units now. It's forked off and I stop for another half hour in the sunshine afterwards as I'm not far off my 4.5 hours.

There's a move booked for tomorrow collecting from Stanford le Hope which I'll pass on the way back so I call to see if it's ready and save but unfortunately the machine is needed for the rest of the day so I trundle back to Danbury. Back at the yard I lend a hand loading up the lowloader with 3 old vans for the scrapyard and once they're gone shunt the other around to make some space. It's a bit slack this week so I'm off home at 1545.

Distance 340Km

Thursday.

0645 Start. No prises for guessing where I'm heading this morning. Down at Stanford le Hope they aren't quite ready as they thought I was coming at 10.00 but by the time the kettle has boiled and I've necked the 1st mug of tea they're ready and on goes the little Hyundai 55.


It's going to Cambourne in Cambridgeshire which is a new town that is still being built, it's about 10 years in and still has got another 5 or 6 to go. Luckily I'd got directions from our lowloader driver Bob as it is a vast place. Basically get on the Haul Road and go along it for about 2 miles until you see a big Georgian style house.



It's a bit odd, one side is all housing or construction the other parkland and more land ready to be developed.

Nice little tri-axle drag just left there.

Eventually I find the right bit and rattle the machine off. It's back down to Essex again, there's nothing else booked so I meander down top the tanks and stop for another brew before going back to the yard.



There's not much happening so I get sent on some errands in the pickup truck, I've not long been back from collecting a breaker when I get sent out with it to replace a broken breaker in Erith. It's gone half two but not being speed restricted makes a bid difference and I'm back by 1630. But for the 20 minutes to get through the tolls I'd have been back around four.



Distance 253Km + some miles in the pickup.



Friday.

0645 Start. It's off to Hewden's at Dagenahm for the day and I'm there at 0730 and given a great wodge of paperwork. There's just one delivery and a stack of collections, one of which is urgent and another fairly important.

Machine no 1 & 2 are loaded on, these are a 3t dumper and a 3t CAT mini digger, and I head out past all the inbound traffic for the delivery which is to a primary school in Grays.

Machine number 3 is a CAT TH330 Telehandler that is the urgent one, it's parked on the entrance ramp to an underground car park in South Woodford. It's not actually in the way as such but the owners of the building are screaming to get it shifted as it should have gone yesterday, apparently the bloke in at Hewdens yesterday did one load out (2 machines) and another load in (2 machines) for his days work.


Although there's a bit of spare space on board there's nothing else to collect in that direction so it goes straight back to the yard at Dagenham. I've just got that one off and there's a bit of a flap going on, they've got a telehandler which is knackered at a nearby school and needs replacing urgently so I load this JCB 532-120 (machine number 4) and deliver it to the school 5 minutes away.


Where they return this CAT TH83 to go back to Hewdens (no.5)

Back on track I head homeward bound to Chelmsford where I load this CAT 1.5t mini (no.6)

And this little skiploader (no.7) The skiploader refuses to start, it sound like the battery is a bit week so I get the jump start pack out and give that a go. It's still not going and the fuel gauge is on empty, however there's a drop of red in the tank so it must be summat else. Like the big red stop button on the dash.

7 machines loaded and it's only lunch so I celebrate this and the nearing of my 4 hours of driving with a cuppa and a snooze in a layby on the A130. Full of renewed energy I'm soon down at the Tilbury Riverside Railfreight Terminal looking like the odd man out amongst all the box jockeys there. One advantage is that I drive in, find a space, go and jump in no.8, a JCB 926 and roar up the ramps before leaving shortly after. No doubt a record for anyone to be turned round there in less than a hour or several.

There's still a bit of floor space left right at the back so I head over to Rainham (Essex) for no.9 which is a little 800mm roller. Unfortunately it's about 4" too long (as if) and the ramps will not fold. Things like that don't stop me though so I run the 926 off and scoop the roller up on the forks and drive back on again complete with roller on the forks.

As I did this on a bustling site with several other drivers milling about it occurred to me that this was either a moment of brilliance or a moment of stupidity depending on whether it worked or not and if nothing fell off.

Brilliance it was then and I make the final run back to Hewden's at Dagenham where they're taking the piss because I've left a bit of floor space about 3' square.

During the afternoon I'd had a "Can you just?" phone call so I head off down the A127 to Basildon.

I passed this 'poor' farmer on the way in his shiny John Deere towing this brand new CAT 11t machine behind. This really pisses me off about farmers, here he's moving a seriously heavy bit of kit at a fair speed (30mph) on a dual carriageway. Fast and slow enough to be a danger if you understand on a trailer that has no MOT, no licence requirements to tow it and he has no number plate either. If I were to tow it, I'd be up for serious scrutiny.

The last one of the day (no.10) is our original ZX50 which goes back to the yard and is unloaded.

It's a late (for me) finish at 1745 although much better than last week. And a much better day than this day of last year which is when my previous plant job came to an abrupt ending.

Distance 291Km

Total Distance this week. 1487Km