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.
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