I deliberately seek to waste time to earn overtime (taking the longer way round, plodding along single carriageways at 35-40mph etc). I then save that overtime in the bank. So I guess I route to save money, but not in that way.
In my fuel usage comment yesterday I specifically meant the drivers who had stated they didn’t give a monkey’s.
Of course it’s all a balancing act, M6 through Brum or the Toll road at busy times for example. Although costing extra on paper the Toll road works out cheaper when diesel usage and driver time are factored in. In quieter times though the inverse is true.
The same scenario is seen all over the country as any decent driver knows.
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ezydriver:
I deliberately seek to waste time to earn overtime (taking the longer way round, plodding along single carriageways at 35-40mph etc). I then save that overtime in the bank. So I guess I route to save money, but not in that way.
Shafted every hour, but making it up on volume!
Carryfast:
freightlink:
If your focus is time-saving, it’s worth taking into account ferry routes too.For example, mainland Europe <> Ireland. Direct ferry vs using the UK as a land bridge. Time on the road, time on board the ferry, avoiding traffic etc.
Cherbourg let alone Roscoff - Ireland won’t make much sense for any journey involving Germany/Italy.Using Hull or Harwich/Holyhead or Cairnryan is probably the best all round balance of fuel/time in that case.
Quite a few people sail direct from Dublin to Cherbourg and then go on to Germany an 18 hour sailing from Dublin which arrives in Cherbourg at 11 in the morning. Leaving Dublin at the same time will put you in Dover for 11 in the morning where you will then lose up to 3-4 hours crossing the channel before heading into Germany so yes it does make sense
Mazzer2:
Carryfast:
freightlink:
If your focus is time-saving, it’s worth taking into account ferry routes too.For example, mainland Europe <> Ireland. Direct ferry vs using the UK as a land bridge. Time on the road, time on board the ferry, avoiding traffic etc.
Cherbourg let alone Roscoff - Ireland won’t make much sense for any journey involving Germany/Italy.Using Hull or Harwich/Holyhead or Cairnryan is probably the best all round balance of fuel/time in that case.
Quite a few people sail direct from Dublin to Cherbourg and then go on to Germany an 18 hour sailing from Dublin which arrives in Cherbourg at 11 in the morning. Leaving Dublin at the same time will put you in Dover for 11 in the morning where you will then lose up to 3-4 hours crossing the channel before heading into Germany so yes it does make sense
Cherbourg-Aachen 430 miles and around 9 hours driving and 43 gallons fuel ?.Arrive at Aachen around 9 pm and out of hours.
Dublin-Holyhead around 3 hours 30 minutes arrives 11.50 am.Holyhead - Hull 220 miles 4 hours 15 driving 22 gallons fuel ?.
Hull-Zeebrugge 13 hours 15 minutes arrives 08.45.Zeebrugge to Aachen 150 miles and 3 hours 30 minutes driving time 15 gallons fuel ?.Arrive Aachen around midday with around 5 hours driving time left.
Carryfast:
Mazzer2:
Carryfast:
freightlink:
If your focus is time-saving, it’s worth taking into account ferry routes too.For example, mainland Europe <> Ireland. Direct ferry vs using the UK as a land bridge. Time on the road, time on board the ferry, avoiding traffic etc.
Cherbourg let alone Roscoff - Ireland won’t make much sense for any journey involving Germany/Italy.Using Hull or Harwich/Holyhead or Cairnryan is probably the best all round balance of fuel/time in that case.
Quite a few people sail direct from Dublin to Cherbourg and then go on to Germany an 18 hour sailing from Dublin which arrives in Cherbourg at 11 in the morning. Leaving Dublin at the same time will put you in Dover for 11 in the morning where you will then lose up to 3-4 hours crossing the channel before heading into Germany so yes it does make sense
Cherbourg-Aachen 430 miles and around 9 hours driving and 43 gallons fuel ?.Arrive at Aachen around 9 pm and out of hours.
Dublin-Holyhead around 3 hours 30 minutes arrives 11.50 am.Holyhead - Hull 220 miles 4 hours 15 driving 22 gallons fuel ?.
Hull-Zeebrugge 13 hours 15 minutes arrives 08.45.Zeebrugge to Aachen 150 miles and 3 hours 30 minutes driving time 15 gallons fuel ?.Arrive Aachen around midday with around 5 hours driving time left.
But you are not taking into account the cost of boats Dublin to Cherbourg one boat, the cost of a landbridge from Dublin to the Hook of Holland when I was using it in 2013 £750. If it didn’t make sense then people wouldn’t be doing it not everyone enters Germany through Aachen so for southern Germany it is a better option. The two boats you have quoted are not the cheapest and don’t have the landbridge option which gives a big discount.
I used to drive for company using Cherbourg regularly. Based on the South coast it made for an easier life UK side. With a good ferry deal the extra fuel and time was, apparently worth it on Swiss and Italy runs.
Running home, and passing signs for Dieppe, Le Havre, and Caen was a bit depressing though!
Ferry timings are important too. Arriving at a port and having to wait 23hrs for a boat, however cheap, is an issue.
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Carryfast:
Mazzer2:
Carryfast:
freightlink:
If your focus is time-saving, it’s worth taking into account ferry routes too.For example, mainland Europe <> Ireland. Direct ferry vs using the UK as a land bridge. Time on the road, time on board the ferry, avoiding traffic etc.
Cherbourg let alone Roscoff - Ireland won’t make much sense for any journey involving Germany/Italy.Using Hull or Harwich/Holyhead or Cairnryan is probably the best all round balance of fuel/time in that case.
Quite a few people sail direct from Dublin to Cherbourg and then go on to Germany an 18 hour sailing from Dublin which arrives in Cherbourg at 11 in the morning. Leaving Dublin at the same time will put you in Dover for 11 in the morning where you will then lose up to 3-4 hours crossing the channel before heading into Germany so yes it does make sense
Cherbourg-Aachen 430 miles and around 9 hours driving and 43 gallons fuel ?.Arrive at Aachen around 9 pm and out of hours.
Dublin-Holyhead around 3 hours 30 minutes arrives 11.50 am.Holyhead - Hull 220 miles 4 hours 15 driving 22 gallons fuel ?.
Hull-Zeebrugge 13 hours 15 minutes arrives 08.45.Zeebrugge to Aachen 150 miles and 3 hours 30 minutes driving time 15 gallons fuel ?.Arrive Aachen around midday with around 5 hours driving time left.
Have you actually done any European work Carryfast, you seem pretty well informed,…or is it a case of Google being your best mate here. 
robroy:
Carryfast:
Cherbourg-Aachen 430 miles and around 9 hours driving and 43 gallons fuel ?.Arrive at Aachen around 9 pm and out of hours.Dublin-Holyhead around 3 hours 30 minutes arrives 11.50 am.Holyhead - Hull 220 miles 4 hours 15 driving 22 gallons fuel ?.
Hull-Zeebrugge 13 hours 15 minutes arrives 08.45.Zeebrugge to Aachen 150 miles and 3 hours 30 minutes driving time 15 gallons fuel ?.Arrive Aachen around midday with around 5 hours driving time left.
Have you actually done any European work Carryfast, you seem pretty well informed,…or is it a case of Google being your best mate here.
Would crossing the Atlantic followed by travelling from coast to coast followed by another 4,500 miles of road touring around the west and the trip home from LA being the first time I’d ever flown anywhere in my life,do.All that sorted in knowing that I could do it all in the time I’d booked off work and car hire and without running out of fuel,food and hotel money and all before we’d ever heard of personal computers.
Yes but fair enough google maps saves a lot of unnecessary calculation and telephone calls than doing it all the old school way.But it was obviously just a gut feeling in knowing how to get anywhere whether by sea and road to the wild west or sometimes just much closer to home like Sicily from Genoa one way and all road the other,that made me bother to check.
Having said that the cost of using two ferries instead of one wouldn’t bother me.It’s the banzai run from Holyhead to Hull with around an hour or less to spare to catch the boat which would be my worry.Put dieseldog on the job. Sorted. 
Mazzer2:
But you are not taking into account the cost of boats Dublin to Cherbourg one boat, the cost of a landbridge from Dublin to the Hook of Holland when I was using it in 2013 £750. If it didn’t make sense then people wouldn’t be doing it not everyone enters Germany through Aachen so for southern Germany it is a better option. The two boats you have quoted are not the cheapest and don’t have the landbridge option which gives a big discount.
So we’re not entering Germany at Aachen we’re going further South.Like where Kehl or Basle ? then what from there Italy via Austria or Swiss ?.Bearing in mind that Cherbourg to Strasbourg is 860 kms v 544 kms from Zeebrugge.So either way we’ve got all the extra fuel added to the driving time and the wear and tear on the wagon and French road tolls all to save a few bob on the cost of the boat from Dublin to Holyhead. 
Now awaits the nuclear option of Cherbourg to Mont Blanc and Milan and all points East or South from there via Turin that’ll fix it. 
Carryfast:
robroy:
Carryfast:
Cherbourg-Aachen 430 miles and around 9 hours driving and 43 gallons fuel ?.Arrive at Aachen around 9 pm and out of hours.Dublin-Holyhead around 3 hours 30 minutes arrives 11.50 am.Holyhead - Hull 220 miles 4 hours 15 driving 22 gallons fuel ?.
Hull-Zeebrugge 13 hours 15 minutes arrives 08.45.Zeebrugge to Aachen 150 miles and 3 hours 30 minutes driving time 15 gallons fuel ?.Arrive Aachen around midday with around 5 hours driving time left.
Have you actually done any European work Carryfast, you seem pretty well informed,…or is it a case of Google being your best mate here.
Would crossing the Atlantic followed by travelling from coast to coast followed by another 4,500 miles of road touring around the west and the trip home from LA being the first time I’d ever flown anywhere in my life,do.All that sorted in knowing that I could do it all in the time I’d booked off work and car hire and without running out of fuel,food and hotel money and all before we’d ever heard of personal computers.
Yes but fair enough google maps saves a lot of unnecessary calculation and telephone calls than doing it all the old school way.But it was obviously just a gut feeling in knowing how to get anywhere whether by sea and road to the wild west or sometimes just much closer to home like Sicily from Genoa one way and all road the other,that made me bother to check.
Having said that the cost of using two ferries instead of one wouldn’t bother me.It’s the banzai run from Holyhead to Hull with around an hour or less to spare to catch the boat which would be my worry.Put dieseldog on the job. Sorted.
How are you getting from Hollyhead to Hull in 4.15? We do Hollyhead to Goole pretty regular and it can be a push doing it in 4.30 with the usual M62 traffic, add on top 45/50 minutes from Goole to the ferry at Hull.
Forgot you drive a Jaguar, silly me I do it in a wagon.
There’s often only one route. In London, due to the LLCS (London Lorry Control Scheme) most of the roads are out of bounds between certain times. Also, I often drive a 5m high double-decker, so it won’t fit under any low bridges.
Carryfast:
Mazzer2:
But you are not taking into account the cost of boats Dublin to Cherbourg one boat, the cost of a landbridge from Dublin to the Hook of Holland when I was using it in 2013 £750. If it didn’t make sense then people wouldn’t be doing it not everyone enters Germany through Aachen so for southern Germany it is a better option. The two boats you have quoted are not the cheapest and don’t have the landbridge option which gives a big discount.So we’re not entering Germany at Aachen we’re going further South.Like where Kehl or Basle ? then what from there Italy via Austria or Swiss ?.Bearing in mind that Cherbourg to Strasbourg is 860 kms v 544 kms from Zeebrugge.So either way we’ve got all the extra fuel added to the driving time and the wear and tear on the wagon and French road tolls all to save a few bob on the cost of the boat from Dublin to Holyhead.
Now awaits the nuclear option of Cherbourg to Mont Blanc and Milan and all points East or South from there via Turin that’ll fix it.
On your example there to Strasbourg a difference of 316km well Holyhead to Hull is more than that, the vast majority of Irish lorries that cross the UK go via Dover so Holyhead to Dover is 7 hours driving on a good day so for Strasbourg starting in Cherbourg is a good option, as I said if it didn’t make sense then people wouldn’t do it as another example our regular run to Orleans if using Dover Calais roughly 14 hours of driving using Cherbourg 7 hours driving arriving in Orleans 90 minutes ahead of the Dover route and before you say Orleans is not in Germany I know but I am using it as an example of how long boats can save time and diesel
Mr Bam:
Carryfast:
Having said that the cost of using two ferries instead of one wouldn’t bother me.It’s the banzai run from Holyhead to Hull with around an hour or less to spare to catch the boat which would be my worry.Put dieseldog on the job. Sorted.How are you getting from Hollyhead to Hull in 4.15? We do Hollyhead to Goole pretty regular and it can be a push doing it in 4.30 with the usual M62 traffic, add on top 45/50 minutes from Goole to the ferry at Hull.
Forgot you drive a Jaguar, silly me I do it in a wagon.
So enter Germany at Kehl not Aachen ?.Either way it’s still a bleedin long way from Cherbourg.
Yes fair enough I’d already realised that the 11.50 arrival boat in Holyhead is a bridge too far to get to Hull in time for the Zeebrugge crossing.There are earlier boats.Or there’s also the Dublin to Liverpool boat which brings it down to 128 miles to Hull and gets there leaving loads of time to spare. 
Unlike the Cherbourg boat it also operates daily.As opposed to only 4 crossings per week and even the Saturday crossing of those ain’t much use when you have to wait for the French weekend ban to finish on arrival.
Realistically the direct Irish/French ferry routes only work if you are comparing them with the bonkers Holyhead to Dover/Calais route or for Western France/Spain.
Carryfast:
Mr Bam:
Carryfast:
Having said that the cost of using two ferries instead of one wouldn’t bother me.It’s the banzai run from Holyhead to Hull with around an hour or less to spare to catch the boat which would be my worry.Put dieseldog on the job. Sorted.How are you getting from Hollyhead to Hull in 4.15? We do Hollyhead to Goole pretty regular and it can be a push doing it in 4.30 with the usual M62 traffic, add on top 45/50 minutes from Goole to the ferry at Hull.
Forgot you drive a Jaguar, silly me I do it in a wagon.So enter Germany at Kehl not Aachen ?.Either way it’s still a bleedin long way from Cherbourg.
Yes fair enough I’d already realised that the 11.50 arrival boat in Holyhead is a bridge too far to get to Hull in time for the Zeebrugge crossing.There are earlier boats.Or there’s also the Dublin to Liverpool boat which brings it down to 128 miles to Hull and gets there leaving loads of time to spare.
Realistically the direct Irish/French ferry routes only work if you are comparing them with the bonkers Holyhead to Dover/Calais route or for Western France/Spain.
Pulling foodstuffs then the French ban is no problem, another factor is cards go the way you suggest for example I would have to start at 5 on a Saturday morning meaning realistically I have to be back in Holyhead for 8 on Thursday morning to get off the boat and get tipped in Dublin and back to the yard. Get the boat to Cherbourg start at 13.00 on the Saturday means that I can arrive in Holyhead Thursday evening get tipped Friday morning and get back to the yard leaving for more time for things going wrong.
Avoiding England also means missing out about 5 weighbridges whichever way you go so even if your cards are good you will still lose anything up to 2 hours in one of those. There are plenty of factors to take into account when heading to Europe from Ireland driving time being just one them
Carryfast:
freightlink:
If your focus is time-saving, it’s worth taking into account ferry routes too.For example, mainland Europe <> Ireland. Direct ferry vs using the UK as a land bridge. Time on the road, time on board the ferry, avoiding traffic etc.
Cherbourg let alone Roscoff - Ireland won’t make much sense for any journey involving Germany/Italy.Using Hull or Harwich/Holyhead or Cairnryan is probably the best all round balance of fuel/time in that case.
Cherbourg and Roscoff can make perfect sense for runs to Italy. Plenty of Irish operators use it for just that. There’s a lot to be gained from missing out the UK
robroy:
Have you actually done any European work Carryfast, you seem pretty well informed,…or is it a case of Google being your best mate here.
We all know he hasn’t done one jot of euro work, let alone for an Irish company. He made a fool of himself once before telling seasoned euro drivers how to do the job, seems he never learns
Carryfast:
robroy:
Carryfast:
Cherbourg-Aachen 430 miles and around 9 hours driving and 43 gallons fuel ?.Arrive at Aachen around 9 pm and out of hours.Dublin-Holyhead around 3 hours 30 minutes arrives 11.50 am.Holyhead - Hull 220 miles 4 hours 15 driving 22 gallons fuel ?.
Hull-Zeebrugge 13 hours 15 minutes arrives 08.45.Zeebrugge to Aachen 150 miles and 3 hours 30 minutes driving time 15 gallons fuel ?.Arrive Aachen around midday with around 5 hours driving time left.
Have you actually done any European work Carryfast, you seem pretty well informed,…or is it a case of Google being your best mate here.
Would crossing the Atlantic followed by travelling from coast to coast followed by another 4,500 miles of road touring around the west and the trip home from LA being the first time I’d ever flown anywhere in my life,do.All that sorted in knowing that I could do it all in the time I’d booked off work and car hire and without running out of fuel,food and hotel money and all before we’d ever heard of personal computers.
Yes but fair enough google maps saves a lot of unnecessary calculation and telephone calls than doing it all the old school way.But it was obviously just a gut feeling in knowing how to get anywhere whether by sea and road to the wild west or sometimes just much closer to home like Sicily from Genoa one way and all road the other,that made me bother to check.
Having said that the cost of using two ferries instead of one wouldn’t bother me.It’s the banzai run from Holyhead to Hull with around an hour or less to spare to catch the boat which would be my worry.Put dieseldog on the job. Sorted.
Only the one and only Carryfast would think going on holiday makes them as experienced as lads that have been doing euro work for decades!
switchlogic:
Carryfast:
robroy:
Carryfast:
Cherbourg-Aachen 430 miles and around 9 hours driving and 43 gallons fuel ?.Arrive at Aachen around 9 pm and out of hours.Dublin-Holyhead around 3 hours 30 minutes arrives 11.50 am.Holyhead - Hull 220 miles 4 hours 15 driving 22 gallons fuel ?.
Hull-Zeebrugge 13 hours 15 minutes arrives 08.45.Zeebrugge to Aachen 150 miles and 3 hours 30 minutes driving time 15 gallons fuel ?.Arrive Aachen around midday with around 5 hours driving time left.
Have you actually done any European work Carryfast, you seem pretty well informed,…or is it a case of Google being your best mate here.
Would crossing the Atlantic followed by travelling from coast to coast followed by another 4,500 miles of road touring around the west and the trip home from LA being the first time I’d ever flown anywhere in my life,do.All that sorted in knowing that I could do it all in the time I’d booked off work and car hire and without running out of fuel,food and hotel money and all before we’d ever heard of personal computers.
Yes but fair enough google maps saves a lot of unnecessary calculation and telephone calls than doing it all the old school way.But it was obviously just a gut feeling in knowing how to get anywhere whether by sea and road to the wild west or sometimes just much closer to home like Sicily from Genoa one way and all road the other,that made me bother to check.
Having said that the cost of using two ferries instead of one wouldn’t bother me.It’s the banzai run from Holyhead to Hull with around an hour or less to spare to catch the boat which would be my worry.Put dieseldog on the job. Sorted.
Only the one and only Carryfast would think going on holiday makes them as experienced as lads that have been doing euro work for decades!
Do you reckon after parking the Rover 75 up, on the boat, rather than sit with the ‘‘civvies’’, he goes to the driver’s lounge and restaurant dressed in a checked shirt, baseball cap and shades…to fit in and try and ‘‘look the part’’.
It’ll be ‘the Jag’ and yes absolutely. He’ll get talking to someone and drop references to one hit Rome in or similar. Either that or he’ll give them advice on for planning and load security
*Awaits for Carryfasts premodded reply *