My dispo tm kept me out for 9 weeks kept promlsing i’d be home thenext weekend 
i dont really understand this mentality that you have to be weekened before you are a proper euro driver.
ive just on a job, i go out sunday night boat do my deliveries around britanny, loire valley and normandie then onto collections around les herbiers. once loaded wed afternoon back up to a port and overnight crossing to blighty. thurs is deliveries fri is finsihing of deliveries then a couple of collections and into the yard finished fri 1400.
am i not a euro driver 
the same firm also does east france, paris, 2 lorries do belgium 1 does germany and 1 does swiss are they not euro drivers either cos they are back friday night as well.
its seems like " IM BIG AND HARD COS I GET WEEKENED "
jessica’s dad:
i don’t really understand this mentality that you have to be weakened before you are a proper euro driver.Ive just on a job, i go out Sunday night boat do my deliveries around brittany, loire valley and normandie then onto collections around les herbiers. once loaded wed afternoon back up to a port and overnight crossing to blighty. thurs is deliveries friis finishing of deliveries then a couple of collections and into the yard finished fri 1400.
am i not a euro driver
the same firm also does east france, paris, 2 lorries do belgium 1 does germany and 1 does swiss are they not euro drivers either cos they are back friday night as well.
its seems like " IM BIG AND HARD COS I GET WEEKENED "
Neither do I. It cost’s money being parked up for a start and it can also be boring if parked up somewhere with little to do.
In saying that, in the good old day’s of Irish trucking when I worked 24/7 for 2 month’s I used to enjoy being “weekended”( had to stop sometime 
) usually the result of a mental breakdown after too much driving. But I always chose where to have the breakdown, usually somewhere like the South of France in the summer, Switzerland or the Nordic countries(girls) in the winter.
That’s what I call proper trucking.
snoop
If the lot in our office worked it right i could be home most weekends it the bloody driving bans that ■■■■ me off god forbid we should hold a motorist up unlike the complete ■■■■ in a car the other day doing between 50and 70 kmh on the autobahn in no overtake zone needless to say i ignored the no overtake the poor bloke behind tried the same but he changed lanes with him and cut him off
I don’t think anybody said you have to be weekended to be a “proper” euro driver?
Obviously you do have to expect a weekend away if you are heading to the bottom end of Italy or Spain, and things can go wrong on shorter runs, I would always be prepared for a weekend away just in case.
Harry Monk:
I don’t think anybody said you have to be weekended to be a “proper” euro driver?Obviously you do have to expect a weekend away if you are heading to the bottom end of Italy or Spain, and things can go wrong on shorter runs, I would always be prepared for a weekend away just in case.
i learnt that the hard way H, was driving an F16, for a company with 3 motors, including mine. Boss said all 3 motors are going, getting replaced by 4 new FH’s, my 16 was sold and i was to take one of the other 2 old FH’s (which hadnt been sold) on a regular job for Fraans Maas to Muttenz, tip Tuesday morning, reload Straasbourg Wednesday, then back home to the yard.
Id done the job at least 6 times, allways the same, nice little easy job. Well, after tipping half load in Muttenz, i was told rest of load has to go to Zurich, so did that, waited a day for reload instructions as there was no groupage in Straasbourg , ended up loading 4 collections around Milan, for 4 deliveries in Portugal, Lisbon Coimbra Porto x2, reloaded Coimbra and back home, 14 days all in, including waiting for a load and w’end bans. All this with 2 days fresh clothes and a duvet, not in my motor, so no gear in it.
I only do days nowadays but have my bedding and a change of clothes and a washbag and towel etc. i will never get caught out again! Saying that, i have had 3 nights out on this job. But as i was prepared, it wasnt a problem.
Yep, you have to be prepared to expect the unexpected… I was on my way to Portugal once, got 10km from the border and got a phone call “Er change of plan, take it to Cartagena”, I doubt there are many two places further apart on the Iberian Peninsula than where I was and Cartagena.
But I never really cared about getting back, so long as I got home every couple of weeks or so then that was enough and before my kids were born I didn’t mind spending months at a time away. Now they are at the age where they are living ever more independent lives I wouldn’t mind doing it again.
Harry Monk:
Yep, you have to be prepared to expect the unexpected… I was on my way to Portugal once, got 10km from the border and got a phone call “Er change of plan, take it to Cartagena”, I doubt there are many two places further apart on the Iberian Peninsula than where I was and Cartagena.But I never really cared about getting back, so long as I got home every couple of weeks or so then that was enough and before my kids were born I didn’t mind spending months at a time away. Now they are at the age where they are living ever more independent lives I wouldn’t mind doing it again.
lol plans change all the time. I remember comeing back up from Lyon and the boss ringing me asked if I minded being turned around at Folkestone Harbour after thinking I would make it home for the weekend. Had a ‘rush job’ come up 3 " drops Barcelona 1 Reus 1 Lisbon lol hell of a turn around there I would say
harry i accept now im on for a european firm that at some point i will stuck out but as long as it isnt a regular thing il have to take it on the chin.
toby hit a nerve saying that to do euro work you have to be weekened.
here we go…
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=77143&p=1019885&hilit=weekened#p1019885
its not the first time he has come out with this ■■■■■■■■
Well, that’s Toby for you, I wouldn’t worry about it. If there is such a thing as a “euro driver” then you would be one if you went out empty, loaded in Calais and then came back.
jessicas dad:
i dont really understand this mentality that you have to be weekened before you are a proper euro driver.ive just on a job, i go out sunday night boat do my deliveries around britanny, loire valley and normandie then onto collections around les herbiers. once loaded wed afternoon back up to a port and overnight crossing to blighty. thurs is deliveries fri is finsihing of deliveries then a couple of collections and into the yard finished fri 1400.
am i not a euro driver
the same firm also does east france, paris, 2 lorries do belgium 1 does germany and 1 does swiss are they not euro drivers either cos they are back friday night as well.
its seems like " IM BIG AND HARD COS I GET WEEKENED "
Here we go you only been on the job a fortnight, they havent even started with you yet alex… Its not what it used to be like when ya dad was there!!! And they may be treating you nice at the mo but as i say you wont last there
gobby 480:
jessicas dad:
i dont really understand this mentality that you have to be weekened before you are a proper euro driver.ive just on a job, i go out sunday night boat do my deliveries around britanny, loire valley and normandie then onto collections around les herbiers. once loaded wed afternoon back up to a port and overnight crossing to blighty. thurs is deliveries fri is finsihing of deliveries then a couple of collections and into the yard finished fri 1400.
am i not a euro driver
the same firm also does east france, paris, 2 lorries do belgium 1 does germany and 1 does swiss are they not euro drivers either cos they are back friday night as well.
its seems like " IM BIG AND HARD COS I GET WEEKENED "
Here we go you only been on the job a fortnight, they havent even started with you yet alex… Its not what it used to be like when ya dad was there!!! And they may be treating you nice at the mo but as i say you wont last there
I’ll have £50 he does last it out…
Take it from someone who’s done a little bit of European work, JD is a natural at it. Left St.Malo at 7am Tuesday morning with 9 drops from Saint Nazire across to Orleans and down towards La Rochelle, and he was in Les Herbiers loaded and back on the Wednesday night boat out of Cherbourg to Poole with 6 drops in the Uk. Back in Leeds finished by 5 on Friday night.
Maybe you and your ferry trailers were not challenging enough…
You see Daz there are those that can, there’s those that do and those that talk about it… Which one are you■■?
You have the name on Europa on the headboard but you stick to the pretend European work on the ferry trailers. Even at knowles you had uk to Europe on the truck but the nearest you got to Dover was isle of grain 
I’m quite happy with the work and money is ok, so far it’s the easiest job I’ve ever done.
I used to love weekends away whether it be by the beach, in an interesting city, truckstop or services. The first two would give me something to pass the time, the latter would give me time to collect my thoughts, get up when I want and just relax without feeling I should be doing something around the house. Longest time spent away without seeing the ex wife and kids 6 weekends on the bounce home on the 7th, usually though away one them home then same again. Looking at going back over again if a job arises after 12yrs back just doing UK ive had enough not bothered what I drive as long as it is suitable to the job and reliable.
I drive a lorry for a living. I’m a driver if I’m in the yUK or if I’m on the continent and so are all the other drivers. I don’t see it as an us and them thing. We all do what we do because it’s what we do for a living. I’ve been weekended in the UK before now but that didn’t make me better than the week before when I’d got home and it certainly didn’t make me any better than any other driver.
Paul:
I used to love weekends away whether it be by the beach, in an interesting city, truckstop or services. The first two would give me something to pass the time, the latter would give me time to collect my thoughts, get up when I want and just relax without feeling I should be doing something around the house. Longest time spent away without seeing the ex wife and kids 6 weekends on the bounce home on the 7th, usually though away one them home then same again. Looking at going back over again if a job arises after 12yrs back just doing UK ive had enough not bothered what I drive as long as it is suitable to the job and reliable.
+1000
Each to his own and the beauty of an HGV licence is that there is such a variety of work, from 8-4 to going away for weeks at a time. I always preferred the latter and still do.
It doesn’t make me “better”, although the way a driver is treated in mainland Europe is better by far.
Harry Monk:
+1000Each to his own and the beauty of an HGV licence is that there is such a variety of work, from 8-4 to going away for weeks at a time. I always preferred the latter and still do.
It doesn’t make me “better”, although the way a driver is treated in mainland Europe is better by far.
The thing is Harry how many are prepared to do weekends away, get turned around last minute or simply do the hours needed to get the job done and make it profitable for the boss ?
One year I shipped into Folkstone at 2am on Xmas eve with 3 drops for London.I had already been told they where shut until after Xmas so the boss got me a ticket on National express coach back upto Manchester on the 6am coach right outside the dock. After a change over in London Victoria I eventually got home at 3pm just enough time for a quick dash to get xmas presents. My lift backdown was with another one of our drivers who was shipping out for 1 drop Berlin the day after Boxing day. I had already been away 3 weeks after being turned around twice during that time on what should have been a straight Lyon and back On the way down the other driver gor a phone call to say a family member had been taken ill so I offered to take the Berlin and he did my 3 London drops then home, That straight Berlin 1 drop turned out to be another 3 weeks away after various turn arounds, but that was part n parcel of the job. Having drivers that will do that makes the difference especially these days whether a company will make a profit or not but more so manage to stay in business. The last company I worked for the drivers there would not do a night out unless they had been given at least 2 days notice and that was just in the UK, then drivers wonder why our eastern bloc drivers and companies get the work .
jessicas dad:
You see Daz there are those that can, there’s those that do and those that talk about it… Which one are you■■?You have the name on Europa on the headboard but you stick to the pretend European work on the ferry trailers. Even at knowles you had uk to Europe on the truck but the nearest you got to Dover was isle of grain
I’m quite happy with the work and money is ok, so far it’s the easiest job I’ve ever done.
I have never wanted to go across the water alex not it a truck thats for sure doesnt float my boat as the saying goes. Sooner be in my own bed at night times be buggered if i spending all that momney on a nice comfy bed to sleep in a truck no,no,no, So i dont really talk about it so i guess i am neither of those above. When old steve and john let you think you are doing a nice steady job you will soon see as i say its not how it used to be there when ya dad was there belive me !!! but you will see when your in the cab shaking and flapping.
oh yer europa on the trucks mmmmh yer the do go across when the rates are right but i aint sending trucks just for cheap derv to make the job pay… we was offerd a job what devannys do last year from the company they do most of there work for you no who that is?? and it wasnt worth sending the truck it earnt as much here in the uk maybe it was a little easier on the driver but thats all it was
I didnt go to the grain at knowles oooh no was to far for me when i was there
but as for going / driving to europe narrr defo not for me home and bed for me thats whats on my cards each day and you no what i do
But you wont last going x every week
Lets be honest, france aint a hard country to drive around/in
now waits for cheap digs from alex…yawn
Harry Monk:
Well, that’s Toby for you, I wouldn’t worry about it. If there is such a thing as a “euro driver” then you would be one if you went out empty, loaded in Calais and then came back.
Totally agree with you Harry about ‘international trucker’ & the need for weekending!!
Personally, even before the kids came along I was never a fan of unplanned weekends away, but on Spanish work they were unavoidable, especially going down south to Seville or Huelva but as an owner driver I don’t think I ever turned one down. If I could ‘work it’ I’d always rather weekend on the way down, loading UK on a wed/thu for Huelva was fine as I could pick my spot & try to get through Irun & stop @ one of my faforite watering holes in Spain. If I loaded Friday morning I’d go like the clappers & run for Clauds @ St Genis in France.
Weekended @ Clauds
Weekended @ Behobia TIR park Irun, not my favorite place. (the F12 in the background)
When I was subbing for Richmond they often asked us to ‘turn around’ if we were tipping our Spanish loads around London, in fact, whenever I had a load of onions for Transfesa in Paddock Wood I was turned around with Mail from Whitechapel to Madrid which was a cracking load!! Anyone else on here ever loaded mail to Spain??
Ross.