if you’re night trunking…be prepared to blast thru the roadworks at full pelt…ignoring the speed limit 
Brilliant write up that Evil 
I’ve never done pallet hub trunking, and from the sounds of it i don’t want to either, but that was like being there.
Chapeau
Cheers pal! 
To be fair it’s dead easy, just mundane and boring I guess if you do it all the time…
I preferred the HazChem run as that was smaller and less formal/orchestrated. At TPN there must be 50+ forkies and look like an ant colony. Organised chaos! The first time I went there I couldn’t believe they didn’t hit each other, and I’m sure they do from time to time, but I didn’t see even a close call. Only a nutter would step out of their truck in there, but i thought I better stress the point in my write up…
The HazChem set up however is much smaller, you get to know the other drivers who were all great. You arrive and join the queue, and pulling your curtains back just the same. But then you go into the waiting room, and put each bit of your paperwork in it’s corresponding pigeon hole, grabbing a free coffee as you go! 
Then back to the truck and once you’re in the warehouse there are only about 6-8 forkies, so you can get out of the truck and undo your internal in there, which is a better set up when you’re carry Haz. The last thing you want is to lose a pallet of some nasty stuff. Plus where it’s a smaller setup, the route into the warehouse isn’t 100% level ground. Once out the other side, you can either kip or go to the waiting room and watch TV whilst having a bit of banter with the other drivers. I got on rather well with the Pompey bloke, but as I’m a Scummer don’t tell anyone! At the same time your depot’s pigeon hole would fill up with all your paperwork (as other loads arrive) and you’d then know when it’s time to drive around for your collections. You might get called to go around even if you’re still waiting on a specific depot, probably Scottish… And if that was the case they’d then add that odd pallet out the back when it got there, without you needing to drive around again.
Again, easy peasy!
Although as the HazChem networks hub is on an industrial estate, finding a place to park up whilst you’re waiting could be a bit tricky, and a bit of reversing/maneuvering was sometimes required. But as I’ve already said, they were a good bunch of regular lads there and everyone helped each other out. All you have to do is ask people/Newbies!
Evil8Beezle:
UselessForce:
Tell me more Beezle lol TPN is the hub I’ll be trunking to and from in a couple weeks time!
OK I’ll do my best mate but I didn’t do it very many times, as nights are not really my thing, and as I was ADR I was normally sent to the HazChem Network…
First off, check you have everything you need in the truck before you set off.
- A big card with your depot number on it to put in the window.
- If your firm are sending more than one truck, another card saying which of the trucks you are (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc…)
- The paperwork if you’re the first truck, which gets handed in at the gate as you enter. (Which is also where you get your ‘New to site’ card)
As for getting there, my TomTom had no issues except for the very last roundabout, as it thinks the entrance is right on that roundabout instead of straight on (so follow all the other trucks pal). And have a gander on Google maps…
When you get to the gatehouse tell them your depot number, put your cards in the window, hand over the paperwork and ask for a ‘New to Site’ card, which you give back when you leave. Yes I’m stressing that you get this card, as there is no shame in playing the Newbie card!!!
The gate house will tell you to go park up with all the other trailers, so drive as far forward into the yard before swinging it around 180 degrees to face forward alongside all the other trailers. Get out and pull your curtains back swearing like a trooper as you struggle to tie them around the back of the trailer. Use the internal straps looking at what the experienced drivers have done, and try not to get upset that you can’t make yours look as neat as theirs!
Then stick it on Break and chill!
Once the trucks to your left start moving, get ready to be called for your turn. Join the queue and when you eventually get around the corner to the while line, wait to be directed into one of the entrances. Do not set off towards an available entrance unless directed, as if it’s on the oppersite side of the warehouse to where your depot’s pallets are stored, the forkies will not be impressed!
Once inside the entrance, try not to crap yourself at the number and speed of the forklifts flying around like lunatics. Drive very slow and go to the bay number you were give when directed which door to enter in. Yes the forkies will act like they haven’t seen you, but they will get out of your way, and still drive slow even if you feel like you’re holding them up… (You won’t get banned from site for being slow, but I doubt the same came be said for driving fast and showing off…) Once in your bay and straight, a forkie will put a sign in front of your windscreen with instruction on it. Basically it says don’t move until that sign is removed, don’t get out of the truck (Which you won’t want to when you see the place!
Stick it on Break and hit the sack!
Depending on where you are in the stack, you could be there 2-4 hours waiting to be called to be loaded. Some drivers will close the curtains and have a kip, and don’t worry about missing your turn as you’ll get a bang on the door when it’s your turn. Just make sure your depot cards are visible if you do close the curtains.
Reloading is just the same as unloading, and by now you should have worked out which corner/area of the warehouse all your depot pallets are stored, and have a clue which door you’ll be directed to, which logically should be the same as when you unloaded… Once the sign is removed you drive out again. DO NOT GET OUT OF THE TRUCK TO SECURE YOUR LOAD IN THE WAREHOUSE!!!
Once you’ve gingerly driven out of the warehouse, try to find a spot to park up and secure your load. I say try, as there isn’t much space just outside and you might have to basically drive around to the area you were first parked up, depends on your luck… Once everything is secure you’re good to go, or have a ■■■■■/toilet break. So it can pay to park up well out of the way when securing your load.
At the gatehouse return your ‘New to Site’ card, and if you’re the only truck from your depot collect all the load paperwork. If your depot is sending multiple trucks up, the paperwork may not be ready and will generally go with the last truck…
That’s it, a doddle!
And yes, you don’t have to do a single reverse, so this is a good introductory gig for a Newbie!
Hope that helps mate…
Brilliant Beezle thanks for that mate, a great help. We’ve got 2 depots on the TPN network and send 4 trunks from each a night (not sure what number I’ll be) but that’s given me a great heads up thanks. Excellent write up 
been seen before,but,watch and learn.
youtube.com/watch?v=6GFuTaNqUOo
Evil8. +1 with Juddian’s praise. One fault tho- tis those Pompey lads who are the scummers! I won’t mention too much about Trades Unions’ histories in case it invites a lecture from some other contributors tho.
Sent from my GT-S7275R using Tapatalk
Franglais:
Evil8. +1 with Juddian’s praise. One fault tho- tis those Pompey lads who are the scummers! I won’t mention too much about Trades Unions’ histories in case it invites a lecture from some other contributors tho.
Cheers pal, and yeah I know it’s not a simple topic…
Him and I didn’t really care anyway, or see the fascination of getting into a debate about it beyond a bit of banter.
Plus why would I need to, we’ll always be the bigger club on the South coast, and they know it…
I work 2 days 2 nights at my place 7-7. Days easy enough nights… well yer that can be challenging. I tend to get up around 7ish on my 1st night and try to get my head down late afternoon. Have a shower dinner then go to work. Those few hours do help a lot.
Energy drinks low cab heat and music is good. Preferably stuff that will get you buzzing stuff you can sing too. Helps keep you awake.
One word of warning. If you can, eat little and often during the night. If you eat a heavy meal your body will send blood to the stomach to digest the food rather than your brain to keep you awake. Which is why the old people fall asleep on the sofa after Sunday roast.
Other things you can do is find a really hard riddle and math problems to solve as you drive. Obviously mentally! Or solve the world problems. How would you change your lorry to make it safer or redesign the tacho and things. Obviously they are totally pointless and stupid things to think of but they keep your mind active and awake. Day dreaming of your fantasy could spark your brain into dream mode and send you off to sleep! It does with me!
If you do feel tired pull over and have a 10 minuet power nap. It keeps me going for a good few hours that!
Msa Costa and Starbucks are open 24 hours, at either, ask for a triple expresso, it makes the eyes open .
Costa do a Cortado, two shots in a small glass tumbler with milk, Spanish for short .
Or flat white with extra shot.
Starbucks do a Puccini, same as the Cortado.
Triple espresso?! Make you ■■■■ like crazy! That will keep you up! 