16th - 20th June 2008

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.