Bit of background, I am a van driver and have been driving for over 15 years the last 5 mainly doing European courier work. My last diary saw me working for a firm in Wakefield doing deliveries and collections across Europe but due to crappy wages and vans I decided to leave before Christmas 2011 and look for something else.
Fast-forward to April 2012 and whilst trawling the Job centre website for jobs I stumble across a vacancy looking for International Van Drivers. So I ring the number and am asked to come to Barnsley Job Centre for an interview. I turn up for the interview an as its only for a van drivers job I am wearing casual clothes. When the door opens to let the previous candidate out I see he is all suited and booted. I sat there thinking that I am a little under dressed now but as I am invited into the interview room I see the interviewers are also causally dressed so it puts my mind at rest a little.
They explain that the job is to drive a 3.5t fridge van doing collections across Europe then taking them to the clients address in Naas, Eire, its only 2 weeks work a month but you get paid for the whole month. OK what’s the catch I say, there is none comes the reply its what the customer wants. They did explain that any other work outside of the 2 weeks would be overtime and paid at an agreed rate. Not entirely convinced I tell them about me and my experience and thank them and leave for home. 2 days later I receive a phone call offering me a job and they are planning a start date of the 4th May as they need to finalise the lease deals on the vans.
Week 1
I am picked up by one of the other new starters from my house in Leeds and am driven to my new bosses house in Barnsley to collect my van, fuel card, cmr’s, running money and run details for my first run to Italy. My van for this run is a 56 plate Mercedes Sprinter with 50k miles on clock but with an interior that makes it look like its done 300k. To top if off its an auto is limited to 60mph and only has 2 single seats which is a problem as I have to sleep across the seats. I devise a plan where I will fill the space with storage box topped with a pillow as a stop gap as its now Friday night and the rental company that happens to be a large French fridge van rental company can change it for a more suitable van.
I arrange to meet the other new driver at Folkstone Services on Saturday morning, He’s heading down early as he has to swap his van with another driver. The new guy I am meeting is a complete novice at European van work, his continental driving experience is limited to driving a camper van across Europe for 6 months. I tell him I will show him how to use eurotunnel freight and the easiest place to fill up in Calais.
Across the water we get of the train and head for All4Trucks to fill up as our fuel card has limited coverage. The other guy is heading for Vienna for a Monday morning tip of frozen fish then hes off to Romania, Czech Republic and Holland before heading to Naas. I’m heading for Barletto, Bari, Corato and Foggia. Its a slow drive as we are both limited to 60 but we both head to Luxembourg via Mons and Namur before heading our separate ways. I decided that as I am unloaded I will transit Switzerland so from Luxembourg I head for Starsbourg and Weil Am Rhein to diesel up before I cross the border into Basel. Its now around midnight on Saturday so I decide that I will drive as far as the Gottard Tunnel before I call it a night.
Next Morning I have a long day ahead of me as this being our first run the gaffer has asked if we will run non toll as much as possible so from Como I run non toll to Rimini. In general the non toll roads of Italy aren’t that bad but it seems to take an age to get to Rimini. From here I decided that the only logical route to Bari is to run toll as far as Foggia the non toll to my first collection at Bartello which I reach around midnight on Sunday night. As the customer doesn’t open till 9am I have a decent nights sleep on there car park.
Monday morning and I am up washed and have the kettle on to make my brew and porridge for breakfast. While eating my breakfast the customer comes out to speak to me to advise me that they will have the collection ready in 10 mins and that they are surprised that it is a British van and not the normal polish van that they have had in previous months. 10 mins pass and true to there word the pallet is ready. I back the van up to the loading doors to find that they don’t have a forklift but it turns out the pallet is light so we lift it onto the back of the van get the CMR stamped and I’m on my way to my next collection in Bari city centre.
It turns out the collection is not far from Bari ferry port but is right in the middle of a residential area. The collection is easy to find but there is no where to park as it is wall to wall parked cars I go around the block about 3 times till I find a space about 200m up he road. Not ideal but what am I to do. I walk down to the collection point to find out some bad news. The collection is not ready till Tuesday “aarrrghhh”. There is nothing else to do so its decided that I will do the other 2 collections and return in the morning.
Next collection is Corato which is a short drive up the superstrada its reached in in good time and I head for the collection address that I have been given. The address turns out to be the shop and my pallets are in the warehouse around the corner. I am led to the warehouse to find 3 pallets waiting for me again no FLT is available so they get 4 members of staff to lift the pallets onto the back of the van.
Next collection is in Foggia so I head there at a nice steady pace admiring the sights that seem to mainly consist of ladies sat at the side of the road under parasols in next to nothing waiting for there next punter in the space of 20 miles I must have counted 50. I soon arrive arrive at Foggia to find just 12 boxes to load. With me now loaded for the day I head back to bari for my final collection on Tuesday morning. I am unsure where the best place to park is but I decide on a garage on Via Napoli.
The customer told me that the goods would be ready around 10 so I turn up at 7am just to find somewhere to park nearby. I bob into the collection to find I’m in lucky and the pallets are ready and by 7.15am I am on the road and heading north for my long slow trek to Ireland. My route north takes me from Bari to Modena then onto the Brenner Pass, then the Fernpass past Ulm and onto the A8 which will take me to Karlsruhe then Landau for the B10 which I then take to the A8/A13 to Luxembourg then from there to Calais. Its now mid morning Wednesday and from Calais I have to get to Holyhead for the 0240 sailing on Thursday. As I have plenty of time I stop at my favourite sarnie van in flitwick before stopping for a chat with a mate whos at Rugby Truckstop. Its now 4pm so I decided its time to crack on to Holyhead. I decide that as I have the time and have never been the route before I will take the A5 from Shrewsbury to Bangor.
From Bangor I take the A55 for the last 20 odd miles to Holyhead where I check in with about 4hrs to go before departure. As I am carrying a temp controlled load I am one of the last loading as I am to be plugged in to the ships supply. Now anyone who travels to Ireland on Irish Ferries will know that the crew are no longer Irish and though they all speak English they are a grumpy arse bunch. Because I am on 12v they had to go hunting for a cable which they didn’t like but seeing as we paid for the service sod em.
Once plugged in I go up to reception on deck 9 to get my room key. I ask if I am sharing to be told yes so I decide to pay for my own cabin as no disrespect to other drivers I won’t share with anyone. Once I have my cabin I grab a quick breakfast then get my head down.
The journey is soon over and I am off the boat heading for the delivery point in Naas which is only 40 mins away, I arrive by 7am but have to wait till 8am for the delivery point to open. By 8.20am I am offloaded and heading back to Dublin for the return ferry crossing and my next run but more of that next time.
