I used to Work for a company in their warehouse and never had any bother getting the summer off my colleague also did the same sans solde of course 
this job is not so flexible it is not easy to find agency drivers that have excavator experience . Didnât get to my mates funeral yesterday as we only had two drivers on 
This photo was from a rum old job back in the early '80s. The company was called CNM. When the boss interviewed me for the job I told him that I couldnât reverse a full trailer (Something that has always escaped me, even today). He said it didnât matter as I could always find somewhere to park up and take the skips one by one to load or tip. On my first trip out he sent me to Hennebont (56) and I found a lovely place next to the river to park up for the night. When I woke up in the morning I found myself in the middle of a full car park, I got out in the evening! 
The job was mostly emptying skips from Saint Nazaire (Eaton Fuller), during the day, then driving all night to Lille, Luxembourg, or somewhere else in Benelux and tipping early the next morning. From there to Bordeaux and back to Nantes on a triangular, twice a week! Friday was a quiet day just a Rennes or Rochefort and home by 7 or 8.
5000 Francs net wage p.m.
It was a lovely modern truck (one of the first F10s) with all options even A/C, but no time to enjoy it! Disks to be filed tidily through the window!
The boss wouldnât allow a CB or radio, so I learned to sing 
.
I finished this job when one fine day my front tyre passed me on the motorway and I realised that I was running with retreads, even on the front. Thank heavens for the Telma which stopped me by drag. Front wheel blowouts are sometimes not very pretty!
By the way the CGT is looking into the POMONA scam!
daidog:
This photo was from a rum old job back in the early '80s. The company was called CNM. When the boss interviewed me for the job I told him that I couldnât reverse a full trailer (Something that has always escaped me, even today). He said it didnât matter as I could always find somewhere to park up and take the skips one by one to load or tip. On my first trip out he sent me to Hennebont (56) and I found a lovely place next to the river to park up for the night. When I woke up in the morning I found myself in the middle of a full car park, I got out in the evening!
The job was mostly emptying skips from Saint Nazaire (Eaton Fuller), during the day, then driving all night to Lille, Luxembourg, or somewhere else in Benelux and tipping early the next morning. From there to Bordeaux and back to Nantes on a triangular, twice a week! Friday was a quiet day just a Rennes or Rochefort and home by 7 or 8.
5000 Francs net wage p.m.
It was a lovely modern truck (one of the first F10s) with all options even A/C, but no time to enjoy it! Disks to be filed tidily through the window!
The boss wouldnât allow a CB or radio, so I learned to sing
I finished this job when one fine day my front tyre passed me on the motorway and I realised that I was running with retreads, even on the front. Thank heavens for the Telma which stopped me by drag. Front wheel blowouts are sometimes not very pretty!
And to think that drivers now talk about the âgood old daysâ. Sounds like you earned every centime of your pay back then Dave, at least the truck was a good 'un, but I know what you mean about not having time to enjoy it. Years ago I worked for a well known Cornish firm that had some flashy V8 Scanias on market and general haulage work. Nice looking trucks but you were never stood still long enough to appreciate them . . . constantly knackered. At least we did have radios in the cab, no need for singing to keep oneself awake!
As for proper drawbar trailers, I think thatâs the one disadvantage that many British guys have when coming to France, or elsewhere in Europe, weâre often no experience of driving a ârealâ drag (of course there are exceptions but A frame drawbars are nowhere near as popular in Blighty as over here). Thereâs a very decent firm around the corner from me that does regional drawbar work with âbennesâ and who pays as well as TFE. If I ever got fed up with fridges Iâd be tempted to go for a job with them, but my reversing skills with a steered drawbar are mediocre at best. Donât know if I would be confident enough to bluff it, especially in a tight spot 
Only ever had to drive one of those draw bar jobbies once made a complete balls up trying to reverse it! never again!!
Well, well,
Either that is a brilliant driver, or itâs someone as bad as me
I got into some rare old pickles!
When you see the Dutch reversing?
I once loaded in a yard built only for those things, in East Germany, and with a semi trailer it was tight (donât tell Willi, but I scraped his trailer on the way in and I think on the way out too), but drawbars went in and out like yo yos.
On the road they are great to drive!
Well job done! I had my JCB delivered this morning. My wife thinks that I am crazy, but we know better
I tried to drive the thing this afternoon, God help the customers! Bit of fun even so 
Pomono sent me a hate mail today, I think they may be starting to get worried, they are rightly so 
Photos of said JCB to follow, as soon as I get it out of the ditch 
daidog:
Well job done! I had my JCB delivered this morning. My wife thinks that I am crazy, but we know better
I tried to drive the thing this afternoon, God help the customers! Bit of fun even so
Pomono sent me a hate mail today, I think they may be starting to get worried, they are rightly so
Photos of said JCB to follow, as soon as I get it out of the ditch
Need some help Daid, I,ve got a CASES for one of those Got a job for you if you want to drive down to the Vendee
HĂ©raultais, Are you OK down there? I heard on the radio about the mayhem in that neck of the woods!
Not seen too much about it in the media (although I donât get to watch much french news progs here now)
Got a question for you but would probably be better by PM rather than open forum !
Tim
Well the flooding in HĂ©rault was virtually the only news item on Monday and Tuesday on BFMTV. Down here in the western end we were untouched, but Montpellier was devastated. At St Pargoire there are practically no roads left and they are accessible only by the most robust 4WD vehicules. 60 communes in all for the classification of a natural disaster.
Tim85:
daidog:
Well job done! I had my JCB delivered this morning. My wife thinks that I am crazy, but we know better
I tried to drive the thing this afternoon, God help the customers! Bit of fun even so
Pomono sent me a hate mail today, I think they may be starting to get worried, they are rightly so
Photos of said JCB to follow, as soon as I get it out of the ditchNeed some help Daid, I,ve got a CASES for one of those
I think it may be a while before I get to earn some money with the machine, levers everywhere and they never do the same thing twice 
I bought it because I canât get the commune to clean the ditches and was flooded 7 times last winter. In France when you have a problem it always better to solve it yourself. I have already threatened to buy a dustcart and set up a rival service to the com-com! 18% rise last year in dustcart rates and I donât even have a dustbin They think I am joking!
I am seriously thinking of placing signs welcoming visitors to my âPeoplesâ republicâ. It goes without saying that the local council hate me!!!
I hope to be cleaning old peoplesâ ditches in our village soon. I already supply free / cheap wood, eggs, cut grass and other services.
As to driving to the Vendee, I would have to leave today to get there for Christmas
Aâid el Qibba Saturday, Arabs everywhere! Glad I am not a sheep
Nantes - Vendee! we do a pretty mean crimbo dinner at our house, When are you thinking of setting out P.S. donât even think you will be able to drive home though!
Surely a diversion to St.john de Monts to build a superb sandcastle too ?
Iâve been on it all day and I think Iâve cracked it
Went out this evening and spotted something yellow in a hole, I think it might be my JCB, itâs been a few hours since I lost it!
Iâll keep the day job for the moâ!
Can anyone tell me how to switch the motor off, other than at the pump?
Great fun, but it teaches one respect for all those people whose names begin with â'Oâ âcosâ they do a great job never, or rarely, appreciated by us drivers
daidog:
Can anyone tell me how to switch the motor off, other than at the pump?
What model digger do you have Dave? The Ford diggers Iâve driven in the past could be shut down with the hand throttle, much like a Fordson Major tractor, just cut the revs right down to stop it. If I recall correctly the 3CX JCBs Iâve driven stopped via the ignition key. Of course the biggest problem going from Ford to JCB is that one had corner-to-corner rear boom controls while the other had side-to-side and forward-to-back control levers . . . and people moan about differences in truck controls 
I found the stop lever! It was seized so a bit of WD40 and all back in order, I only have to learn to use it now
Not many Arabs around town today, they are all here Payday for me - it is like a souk in my barn! French people wonât pay the price, shame 
Supermarket culture is killing this country. I can buy lamb in Super U cheaper than I can produce it and it comes all the way from OZ or NZ 
The tracto is a 3CX 4WD. No lever ever does the same thing twice!
I found the stop lever! It was seized so a bit of WD40 and all back in order, I only have to learn to use it now
Not many Arabs around town today, they are all here Payday for me - it is like a souk in my barn! French people wonât pay the price, shame Supermarket culture is killing this country. I can buy lamb in Super U cheaper than I can produce it and it comes all the way from OZ or NZ
The tracto is a 3CX 4WD. No lever ever does the same thing twice!
Ah well, here we go, bit quiet at work (foreseen and still of budget apparently?) so it was announced they will reduce our hours, brill we thought!how stupid was that I knew they wouldnât make it easy. so have to start work at 4am now!! so I need to get up at 3.15 the bonus (I think!) is it is a 4 day week so Fridays off for the next 2 months.
Most real lorry drivers would laugh their socks of at 36 hours per week! but the pay packet reflects this, when you look at some of the posts on the general uk haulage site it seems that most drivers wouldnât even get out of bed for what I earn, let alone at 3.15am!!!
bonne semain les gars
Craig 111:
daidog:
Can anyone tell me how to switch the motor off, other than at the pump?What model digger do you have Dave? The Ford diggers Iâve driven in the past could be shut down with the hand throttle, much like a Fordson Major tractor, just cut the revs right down to stop it. If I recall correctly the 3CX JCBs Iâve driven stopped via the ignition key. Of course the biggest problem going from Ford to JCB is that one had corner-to-corner rear boom controls while the other had side-to-side and forward-to-back control levers . . . and people moan about differences in truck controls
Craig, you seem to be quite in the know with these strange machines; whilst it worked perfectly until I bought it, it seems to be resenting the change of management. The backhoe has decided that it doesnât want to go very far to the left, it starts on its travel with all the enthusiasm of a Manchester United fan then stops after traveling a yard, or so! A bit like the Welsh rugby team! Is there a simple solution, or is there a large cheque destined for JCB local distributors? All other functions work perfectly, for now Itâs got be worth a pint or two for some help!
Tim85:
Ah well, here we go, bit quiet at work (foreseen and still of budget apparently?) so it was announced they will reduce our hours, brill we thought!how stupid was that I knew they wouldnât make it easy. so have to start work at 4am now!! so I need to get up at 3.15 the bonus (I think!) is it is a 4 day week so Fridays off for the next 2 months.Most real lorry drivers would laugh their socks of at 36 hours per week! but the pay packet reflects this, when you look at some of the posts on the general uk haulage site it seems that most drivers wouldnât even get out of bed for what I earn, let alone at 3.15am!!
bonne semain les gars
Trust me no-one is laughing. âRealâ lorry drivers (like yourself, meethinks) only want to get home and stay there. One has to get out of bed sooner or later!