7th - 11th January 2008

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.