And Southampton container terminal is the nightmare 
Used to get a cheap subsistence reduced price meal inside the container ports at Southampton and Felixstowe.
The days are long gone.
2 Likes
In the 70’s the canteen at 204 berth was excellent. Leave your truck in the queue with the keys in it, and go for brekkers. Other drivers would shunt up two or three trucks each.
We weren’t all angels, but no tachographs then, and no expensive kit in the cab to be nicked.
1 Like
Well not going in till small hours again as local Sikhs are having a parade today around the area where yard is
Also be home tomorrow night as trucks has its 6 weekly tomorrow night at Adam’s Morey
So could only be sleeping in truck a grand total of 2 nights this coming week may be 3 if I work GF and off week after
Christ, that brings back memories…Hitting a slow moving queue under the canopy at Trinity in groups of 6 from the same firm, five of you going for dinner and the sixth staying behind to shuffle all the wagons up, then whoever finished first went and swapped with them. Or when it all stopped because someone felt a breath of fresh air and declared it a hurricane, the mobbing of the canteen followed by the mass exodus when it reopened…Happy days.
(This is going back so far we still parked in the now long-gone dock basin overnight…)
2 Likes
The long queues on the entrance road to the port, there used a be lady that drove her car inside the terminal to sell snacks and drinks to hungry drivers.
1 Like
It’s about the only thing I aint done in the job is containers.
Surprising is that seeing as I’m a lazy sod by nature.
(Not casting ‘nasturtiums’ btw Lucy.)
1 Like
You would love it mate, driver not allowed to interact with the load, no worries for overnight parking with a Bulldog container lock so no trailer slashed with Tautliners.
Isle of Grain ( Thamesport) was automatics collection and off loading boxes, no human interaction.
Felixstowe workers are near that
1 Like
I’d rather put my nuts in a vice than do containers
I’ve never put my nuts in a vice, so can’t compare. 
I’ve got a bench vice at home if you wannna try
Is it warm?
No, I keep it in the bottom of the freezer
I kinda feel the same about daywork.
Fair do’s if you are doing a normal job like 8 hour days, …but doing 13 hours, rushing home and then back in (not ‘after’ but ‘within’) 11 hours fills me with dread.
As for 15 hours… then home …and back in within 9 hours? 
Nah ■■■■ that… just would not do it.
The law is an ass as the lorry gets to rest for a 9 or 11 hour daily rest unless someone jumps in to take it on a night run.
The driver doesn’t get enough rest on a daily rest period if commuting to and from the yard.
Exactly…
As I said no way in hell would I be daft enough to return to work from home within 9 hours, after doing 15 hours.
If firms actually believed in H&S (instead of pretending to) ,.they would not plan for you doing it.
BP here will not employ any driver who lives over thirty minutes commute away. Might explain Aussie muscle cars.