killsville:
Driving a Transit Luton Van from Birmingham to Doncaster that was so overweight the mudflaps were scraping on the road!
Oh Happy Days!
Not as far, but whilst I was at Uni we had an event in one of the hotels where we did the sound and lighting rig. The stuff was all collected in three drops during the morning, but we had to load out in one go at about 4am the following morning as nearly all of the kit was hired, nowhere was open, and the hotel wouldnât let us leave it until a sensible time. We fitted in the scaffolding tower, a load of speakers, an amp rack that took 6 people to lift, four Goldenscan HPEs (big lights that take two people to lift), power distribution stuff and DJ kit all into the Luton. Yes, the mudflaps were scraping the road. No, it wasnât me driving.
Another event I did Tynemouth (Newcastle) to Bristol non-stop with the PA kit from the wedding Iâd been a guest at the night before. It was in a Transit, though, so not illegal.
in ye olden days before you needed a hgv licence to drive a crane a mate who had his own plant hire firm asked me if I would do him a favour as I was home on leave from the army as his regular driver had gone sick and could I drive this new crane heâd brought from Bristol up to Aberdeen where heâd got it on hire
took me 2 days with not being able to use the motorway as the â â â â thing would only do 35 flat out ,think i had about 8 hours sleep in 2 days having a quick nap whenever i felt really tired
was nice to get on the train and sleep all the way back to london
Driving down the tapline from Haditha to Kafija-Nuriya(1200km) for 18 hours with a ten minute break in the middle for the kuwait convoy to join and pâŚing in a bottle when needed,then 600km to Salwa.
Driving the tapline.
Oh dear as it was thirty years here goes,
Left Whiteabbey (NI)loaded with hanging beef at 1800 fri night to catch the 1900 ferry to Stranrear then down to Dover ship to Calais then to Marsielles to catch the 0800 Sunday morning ferry to Algeria apart from the time on the ferrys that give you 3 hours to av a kip thats 1900kms in total .
No limiters then just flying 290 volvos and once at Marsielles nowt to do for 8-10 days till arrival back in Marsielles then load jokelsons there with fruit or veg for lindseys Glasgow or Belfast.ouch
The way that 98% of the companys that are running nowadays is a good thing, as i can name too many lads that i knew that have lost there lives doing these cowboy runs But there are still a few cowboy firms about who eventually get caught but all they do is go Dutch then they are untouchable )
I thought this was the âUK PROFESSIONAL FORUMâ. Anyway here goesâŚ
Picked trailer up from Birkenhead Straight through one hit to Lubeck around 3 hours shut eye tipped Trans Russia Express first thing in the morning round to Hamburg to load steal for N.Ireland. Straight back for the train. Quick shower on other side New Man-New card up for the Saturday afternoon boat.
I took the girlfriend on this trip and boy had i wished i never. Sometimes best her not knowing.
this subject is starting to sound like a monty python sketch were they are sat around a table trying to outdo one another ( WHEN I WORKED AT MILL I GOT UP AT 3 IN MORNING WORKED 25 HOURS WI NO REST ) then it goes on and on good fun though
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to âave to get up out of bunk at twelve oâclock at night and lick road clean witâ tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, drove twenty-four hours a day down târoad for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our TM would slice us in two witâ bread knife.
I had one similar to that Oscarbosca, it was a F86 and the bunk (canvas hamack) that slotted on to the door then if you forgot to lock the door and someone opened the door, it was just like a burial at sea
Thats better Humour The post was scaring me thinking it was like confession.
Dear Father I have sinned, many many times, but it wont be posted on here
One little one was I drove a multilift skip loader for a mate. Normally waste paper or cardboard.
One day he asked me to pick up a flat body he had converted to multilift and deliver some big bags to some colliery in Notts. It was loaded so I pulled the the body up the ramps with the cables. It seemed to be struggling a bit but eventually got it overcentre.
Monday morning bright and early Im heading off down the M18 / M1 and arrived at the pit about 7am.
They weighed me in and I went and tipped the big bags down the site.
When I got my weighbridge ticket back I noticed that it was 26800 kilos.
Thats 2800kg over the gross weight allowed on a 6 wheeler.
My little Merc was a 4 wheel 1613
Can you still be shot at dawn for an 11 tonne overload It was a very very long time ago
okok heres mine then. Wouldnt do it anymore this is when i was young and stupid and my first job on containers. Had a K reg FL10 with all of 320 bhp on tap!. used to always night out on a friday at the isle of grain (Thamesport). Used to take about 4 hours to run back to Stoke on a Sat morning. However theres not a lot to do down there, so used to wind clock on 9 hours and run back up with sat days date on there. was well in with security man (few cans of beer here and there) so used to get back to yard about midnight /1oclock and fuel up. And still got paid for sat morning but i would have the full weekend off then
This went ok for a few weeks until on the way out of the Grain there had been a fatal motorcycle accident and the road was shut, this was common on this road. Sat there for a couple of hours until eventually a copper came round to us all and said that he would sign our tachos so that we could all do what we were meant to do
Was absolutely â â â â â â â â meself, but by the time he had got to me i think he had signed them many charts he didnt bother looking at them any more !
Never did this again as took this as a sign that i was lucky to get away with it !
Another thing used to do every now and again was to rip the centre of the chart so that no info could be recorded because the chart wouldnt go round! then make a manual record at the end of the day!
Got job working for reputable company after 3 years (Eddie Stobart ondrawbars) and have never run bent since honest!
this was agood one, left izmir tir park on a tuesday 1400hrs got to dover sat morning arrive back in walsall 1100hrs only stopped for 8hrs at waidhaus border (d), was pumping addrenalin that kept you going, this was back in the late 80zzzzz but would do it all again what a job to live for.
Was on night trunk Glasgow / Charnock with a 111 and 20 foot box, we run in pairs because it was whisky, other blew trunker blew engine on M6 near lancaster, got him recovered to Charnock and phoned boss,
Was told to go to Wardles depot at Warrington drop my load and pick up a loaded 20ft container , which had been loaded on the front of a 40 flat , go back to Charnock and recovery were putting the knackered 111 on the tail end !!!
This was in the 70`s when were were grossing 32.5 ton, was told to just plod back to glasgow with it, and dont get stopped !!! and dont blow any tyres.
The company has now gone but was well known ,Thomas MacMillan of loganswell near Glasgow, who was also responsible for hitting a 125 intercity train at laurencekirk, colours were similar too Malcolms
Inselaffe:
Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to âave to get up out of bunk at twelve oâclock at night and lick road clean witâ tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, drove twenty-four hours a day down târoad for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our TM would slice us in two witâ bread knife.
apart from the time on the ferrys that give you 3 hours to av a kip thats 1900kms in total .
But there are still a few cowboy firms about who eventually get caught but all they do is go Dutch then they are untouchable 
The post was scaring me thinking it was like confession.
It was a very very long time ago