More heavy hauls.

Hello. Wenda asks how do you practice for something like that, referring to the previous post of moving an abnormal road. The answer is, it takes years of training. There is a lot of work done before the load hits the road. When anything large needs to be moved, tenders are invited from haulage companies who have the equipment to deal with it. ALE can haul the biggest loads in the country, they also do a lot of work in other countries. Their drivers spend months away from home all over the world.

The haulage company awarded the contract will organize the route, timing is very important, some loads can be moved at night, others can't. Dimensions and weight of the load are taken into account. This preparation work can take a year or more. There will be trips out to physically measure up the width of the proposed route and photograph any obstacles, making notes of any street furniture that will have to be removed. I imagine that some of this work can now be done on a computer.

Highways and Bridge Authorities need to be notified, plus British Telecom, Rivers Authorities, and British Rail. There are weight limits on a lot of roads so this must be taken into account when planning the route.

Young lads join a heavy haulage company as a 'mate'. They are trained to assist the driver with loading and unloading, and to be a second pair of eyes when manoeuvering in tight places. Eventually they work their way up to driving, the company may pay for the training if they want to keep them. It's not like any other lorry driving job, drivers stay with the same company for years.

I got up to an 80 tonner in the three years that I did it. The longest loads I did were intercity railway carriages from Felixstowe to Birmingham. Nothing as big as ALE, but we did work with them on some jobs, transporting the smaller pieces to site. If you want to see some of my trucking stories they are here.

I've found some more vids of Abnormal Load Engineering, take a look at these. Absolutely amazing. The first one is speeded up, these heavy loads are normally moved at walking pace. Anything faster and the tyeres will blow out.





Here is a short police video explaining a bit about their role in escorting abnormal loads.


I'm going to have to go. I've got a ginger cat in my face. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Remembering 1989

Hello. Let's do something different tonight. I've been looking through my diaries to see what I was doing on this day, sometime in the past. So, going back to the 9th of February 1989, it was a Thursday. On this night I was sleeping on a ferry boat crossing the channel from Felixstowe to Europort. 

The entry in my diary reads......Start work at 7am. I went to Cliff Hill Quarry which is near the new service area at the junction of the A50 and M1. It wasn't far to go. I had to move a crusher, then I had to take a 50 foot conveyor to Thurmaston, and bring another one back. I finished this by 2.45pm so I went back to the yard to get the lorry ready for the Rotterdam job. 

I was booked on the 10.30pm ferry so I left as soon as I was ready, and arrived at Felixstowe at 7.10pm. While I was waiting for boarding to start I chatted to the driver parked next to me, and he was helpful. Once on board I found my cabin and had a shower. Then I met the driver, Brian, and his mates in the bar. All the food was included and we chatted and played cards. I went to bed just after midnight. We are due to land at Europort at 7am. 

Friday 10th February. I got up at 5.30 am our time and put my clock forward one hour. I had breakfast and got off the boat and headed for Rotterdam. I found the centre OK but then had to park and ask the way, and found the place. 

It was difficult to back inside the building and get under the crane. Loading took all day. It was printing press machinery which was covered in black ink. I had to keep shunting the trailer backwards and forwards to get under the crane. After sheeting my load I eventually got away at 6 pm and found my way back to Europort quite easily. I retraced my route and went out of the city the same way as I went in. 

Back at the port I met up with the same gang and we crammed into Brian's cab to play cards while we waited for loading. We boarded at 10 pm and sailed at 11pm. Shower, drink, and dinner again. I am pleased to be on my way home, all I have to do is get through customs tomorrow. They say it could take ages, we will see. 

Saturday 11th February. Breakfast then disembark at 7.10 am. It took two hours to clear customs. The paperwork was ready from the clearing agents. I saw Ginger on his way out while I was waiting. I drove straight back to the depot at Ellistown Coalville, without stopping, 3 hours 45 minutes. After I parked my lorry I drove home and walked in the door at 3pm. I felt tired so I had a nap on the settee, then went to the paper shop. I stopped in tonight. 

This is the lorry I was driving, but not the load I was carrying. I picked this water filtration plant up from Gloucestershire and took it to Goole docks where it was loaded onto a boat. It was 13 feet wide, 17 feet high, and the total weight was 70 tonnes. The lorry is plated for 75 tonnes gross weight. I had a mate with me and it was a Police escort all the way.

I remember it well, my first trip across the channel in a lorry. I was very nervous about driving on the other side of the road and when I got off the boat I went very slowly so as not to make a mistake. A convoy soon formed behind me, I hope they weren't mad at getting stuck behind a nervous driver.

We went over with empty trailers as we were picking up loads for a British company, to bring them back to Preston. I say we because there was a lot of loads, they stripped the print works bare and removed every last nut and bolt. We were spread out at intervals and went one at a time because there was only room for one lorry under the crane at a time.

The camaraderie at the docks was great, the other drivers treated me as one of them. They knew it was my first time and they gave me lots of useful information. I went back several times for more loads, and also went to Amsterdam and  later on to Germany. By the end of it I was feeling great, now I could say I'm a continental driver. More experience to add to my CV.

Aaaaah, they were good times, Leicester Heavy Haulage was the best job I ever had. It was a brilliant time to be a lorry driver.

Thanks for popping in. Catch you soon. Toodle pip.
PS, don't forget the Jeremy Vine Show Radio 2,  tomorrow at 12.30pm.

A mop to die for ;o)

Hello. Eeee by 'eck, I do lead an exciting life. Who else would go, 'oooh, I must have that mop, it's lovely and soft.' Did I buy it because I needed a mop to clean my kitchen floor? No. I bought it because of the softness of the fibres, and because it had been reduced to 99p, and if I took it apart I could make something with it. Maybe incorporate it into some arts and crafts project, possibly. A bit bonkers eh!  

The blue bands were stitched on so a lot of careful unpicking. The fibres were attached to the plastic bit with cable ties so a sharp stanley knife sorted that out. And here we are, all untangled and wrapped round cardboard. It will come in useful for something.

Not a lot happening at Tightwad Towers. It was a dry day so I got a load of washing out on the line. No sun, no wind, so it didn't dry too well, but it had to be done, I was close to running out of clean pants. While I was in the housework mode I got the Dyson out and gave the downstairs carpets a good going over. It's not nice walking on cat litter in your socks. Some of that was my fault, not all the cats doing. I wasn't looking where I stepped the other day and my foot caught the edge of the litter tray and tipped it up. All clean now once again. I had shopping bags to unpack from three days ago, and the pets food cupboard to sort out. Then I did a Rocky bimble, and a Lady dog walk. I've made a big pan of veg stew so I don't have to cook for three days. Brussels sprouts, carrots, onions and a tin of mixed beans. Not sure that is a good combination ;o)

I got a bit wet while doing my walk tonight, it rained. Only did two miles on account of doing a one mile dog walk earlier. I am recording my progress on the Walking Forum. Several people on there are doing it as well. If you want to see how they are doing, take a look here. Some of them are experienced walkers though, they are striding ahead. As it's on a forum we can all update ourselves on there.

Howzabout another except from the 1989 diary. Following on from the overnight stop in Hereford. Thursday 12th January. Raining this morning, but warm. I left Hereford at 6.45, not sure of the best road to take. I decided on the most direct. I arrived on site at Llandrindod at 8.45am and was empty at 10.30am. On the way back I rang the office from Bromsgrove, no load. Then rang again from the cafe at junction 5 of the M5, still nothing. I went home and rang from there. The message was load at Balfour Beatty at Derby. I loaded two pieces of tower crane and set off. There was no rush so I pulled in at the BRS Truckstop near Chesterfield for the night. I rang Colin, he was at Poplars Truckstop at Lymm. It's strippers night at Chesterfield tonight, I had a couple of pints and had a laugh with the drivers. Bed at 11.30pm

Friday 13th Jan. No need to rush this morning, I don't have to be in Scarborough until after 10.00am. It's a good job I saw Stringbean pull off the site or I wouldn't have noticed it. I tipped my load at 1pm. I rang the office and Jim said there is a load of plyboard at Hull to pick up. I could have done without that really, but work is slack so they are trying to pull in some extra loads. I had to pick up the paperwork in the city centre before I loaded at the docks. It was 5.30pm when I set off back. I got in the yard at Ellistown at 8pm and rang Colin. It was 9pm when I left the yard and drove straight down to Southampton in my car. It was very late when I got to Rownham Services and Colin was there to meet me. So, on this day, the 13th of January in 1989 I was at my boyfriends house in Southampton.

When I look back at the miles I used to cover, not only driving the truck, but trying to keep up with my social life as well, which was all over the country. It was a crazy but exciting life.

That's all folks. It's 10pm and time to wind down with a mug of hot chocolate. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip.  

Hang on in there, or let go?

Hello. I had an unexpected letter in the post today, which has made me come over all nostalgic. I don't normally spend a lot of time looking back, much prefer to live in the now and enjoy the future, but the renewal form for my HGV and PSV licences has brought my past life into the foreground again.

The trouble with renewals like this is that it reminds you of how many years have passed, how old you are getting, and how little time you have left. Not something I wish to dwell on. I don't want to think that each day  passing brings me closer to death, I would like to live for a very long time. 

I renewed my licences the last time the reminder came, even though it was unlikely that I would need them again. I didn't want to let go of 'Ilona the Trucker', completely. But now I am thinking it might be the time to let go. I have reached the age when a renewal and medical is required once a year to keep the licenses. Although I am fit and healthy, and could jump in any lorry on the road and drive it, the law says I must cough up the dosh for a bit of paper giving me permission. A medical can be up to £150, though there are self employed doctors who will do it for less. I would need a new photograph, £5 in a booth, plus it's £17 for the new licence. Proof of identity has to be sent and my passport has run out. I have to get someone to sign that I am who I say I am. Is it worth it for just one year, when I might not need it. I'm in a quandary.

Maybe I'll look through some of my press cuttings. August the 4th 1976. Burton Daily Mail. My training lorry, a Ford 'D' Series with a flat bed trailer, with J Coates of Leicester.

December the 12th 1966. Derby Evening Telegraph. I was working for British Road services at Alvaston, Derby, driving a DAF 6 wheeler curtainside, on contract to Hazlewood Foods. 

Derby Evening Telegraph, April 23rd 1978. Driving a 4 wheeler rigid Dodge box van, for Nestle of Tutbury.

Can't put a date on this, I was doing agency work at Allied Brewery, and borrowed the lorry for the photograph. 

Another one with a borrowed lorry, I lived opposite the BRS depot.

This photo was included in the same article as Driving Ambition.

 An article about agency drivers in Trucking International.

Owner Operators was a paper for drivers who owned their own vehicles. I never did own one, but they included articles about all aspects of transport. I am working on the back of my low loader, putting the timbers tidy after unloading, getting ready to go to the next job. 

An article in Commercial Motor. Wearing a Lady Truckers sweatshirt, with my favourite lorry, an ERF. This was plated for 75 tonnes.

I made the front cover of  the United Road Transport magazine. Blimey, almost 21 years ago. At the time Rugby Cement were all owner drivers. I did their holiday relief, working from all four depots, Rugby, Southam, Barrington, and South Ferriby. It was bulk powder tankers carrying 26 tonne of cement. 

This is my favourite truck and the best job I ever had. I loved heavy and general haulage. Never knowing what you were going to carry, and not knowing where the work would take you. This was a water filtration plant, I took it from Gloucester where it was made, to Goole docks, where it was loaded onto a boat. It was 17ft 6ins high, and a lot wider than the trailer. Police escort most of the way. 

I am looking at these pictures and thinking what do I do now. My licence expires in six weeks, Do I build the cost into my budget and think what the heck, lets keep it, or do I follow my own rules of not looking back, but moving forward. Ironically, while I have been writing this a phone call came in, someone asked if I would do a trucking talk for their group. My name and number are still circulating even though I have turned down a lot of requests like this because it's been six years since I last drove a truck. We reached a compromise, I offered to do a 'Life after Money' talk instead, she agreed to that.

Talking of moving on, it's the last day of our Post Office today. In just over two hours it closes for good. I have been in to see Hilary, she is pleased she is retiring, and will get her house back. Things don't stay the same forever.

Some thought needed here. I will put the application away for a couple of weeks. When I read it first time I thought, nope, time to give up, but then I got these cuttings out and now I'm confused. I'll keep you posted.
Toodle pip

Having a laff

I like to have a titter now and again, life doesn't always have to be dead serious, full consternation (oops big word) and angst (little word). It's best to lighten the tone a bit and not get so hung up on things going wrong or not working out right. A little trip on an uneven flagstone makes me laugh, my trip that is, it wouldn't be right to laugh at someone else who has tripped, unless they are laughing themselves of course. When I say trip, I mean without falling down, a little stumble that's all. It's not funny when someone hurts themselves. It's the silly little things that make me titter, like the umbrella that blows inside out and takes off in the wind, or the kitchen that gets blasted with soup when you lift the blender out too soon. It helps if you can see the funny side of things.

I often laugh at my own little mishaps, like the time I nearly chopped my own finger off with one of those hand held blades that you cut grass with. A sickle I think you call it. I was slashing away at the weeds in my back garden, and not making much progress, all I seemed to be doing was flattening it and not cutting it. So I had this bright idea of grabbing a tuft in my left hand and hacking it with the sickle in my right hand. Yes, I missed and sliced into my finger, ha ha. A good job I lived just down the road from the hospital, and was able to walk there with my hand wrapped in a tea towel dripping with blood. What a pillock eh, won't do that again.

There were several little mishaps when I was driving, it's normal to make mistakes, everyone does it. Like the time I unhooked an empty tank trailer from my tractor unit, at a brewery. The first thing you do is make sure you are on flat level ground, what did I do, I dropped it on a slope. There is a set order of doing things, you need to wind down the legs on the trailer first. Then disconnect the suzi's, those coloured curly cables at the back of the cab, they are the airlines and electrics and they activate the parking brake on the trailer. Then you pull the handle to release the pin, lastly drive the tractor unit away from the trailer leaving it supported by it's legs with it's brakes on. What did I do !?!? I pulled the pin first, head was in the clouds or somewhere else. This released the trailer, and because it was on a slope it parted company with the unit and rolled backwards. It landed on it's knees, (legs not down to support it), and stretched the suzi's till they bust. Ha ha, what a plonker, and how embarrassing. Had to get a fork lift truck to come and lift the front of the trailer so I could wind the legs down, and get a mechanic to come and replace the suzi's. Didn't do that again.

Ok, while I'm at it, confession time, can laugh now, not funny at the time. When I got back to the depot one night I found I was one box of 24 cans of baked beans short. All was intact when I left, rope and sheet job (tarpaulin covering the load), so where was it. I found it on the road as I was driving home in my car, bent cans and beans splattered all over the place. I quickly stopped and jumped out with a carrier bag and picked them all up. Funny that there wasn't 24 squashed cans, someone must have stopped before me and picked up the undamaged ones, ha ha. Nobody ever found out about it.

Oh go on then, I'll tell you another embarrassing story, ha ha. I was at the Lucas factory in Birmingham collecting some machinery, they were closing it down and we were shipping all the equipment out to another site. I had a lowloader trailer which only just fit through the gates. A team of men dismantled the machines and put them on the trailer. It was my job to rope, strap, and chain everything down. I crawled slowly through the gate and started to turn onto the road, hesitating for a second to look behind me to check all was safe. Now this is every drivers nightmare, to see your load move and not be able to do anything to stop it from falling off. I held my breath and prayed, then two very tall upright machines started leaning to one side, like slow motion they fell onto the road. No one told me they were top heavy, and were filled with oil. OMG EEEEK. Everyone came out to see what had made the big bang, the road was covered in oil, the fire brigade had to be called to mop it up. The road was closed, the buses had to divert, and the police interviewed me. I wasn't laughing then, but it's funny when I look back at it now. I wasn't prosecuted, and I wasn't sacked from my job. Phew, that was close.

Hey, do you like jokes? I've found a few which might make you titter.

My tom cat used to stay out all night, so I took him to the vet and had him neutered. Now he still stays out all night - it turns out he likes to watch!

Man to friend, 'I've really had it with my dog, he'll chase anyone on a bike.' Friend, 'What are you going to do? Have him put down?' Man, 'No, I think I'll just take his bike away'.

A man goes for a check-up. The doctor says, 'I'm going to need a urine sample, a semen sample, a blood sample, and a stool sample.' The man replies, 'I'm in a hurry. Can I just leave my underpants?'

Two bachelors are talking about cooking. 'I got a cook book once,' says one. 'But I could never do anything with it.' 'Were the recipes too hard?' asks the other. 'No,' he replies. But each of the recipes began the same way - take a clean dish.....'

It's late evening and Tom's wife catches him pouring six cans of lager down the toilet. 'What on earth are you doing?' she says. Tom replies, 'Well it seems a waste, but I thought it'd save me getting up in the night.'

And now........This has got to be the funniest Mr Bean ever.



It's good to laff. Toodle pip

Join the club

The visit from Fran on Tuesday prompted me to look through all my Lady Truckers Club memorabilia. We were searching for some photographs that Fran wanted copies of. Amongst the pile of paperwork, I have the master copies of all the Newsletters I wrote for the club, and I thought it might be a good idea to post some snippets here.

I started the club in 1986, when I had already been driving for ten years. I hadn't met many women on the road, so the whole idea was to find some more, and offer my support to those who were having difficulties getting a job, and dealing with the discrimination and bullying, mainly from other drivers. The monthly newsletter was a way of passing on stories and information to the members. Starting with just a handful of women, after ten years we had over 300 members nationwide.

Truckfest Peterborough is one of the biggest truckshows in Europe, they were very supportive and gave us free space to set up our stand. This served the purpose of providing a meeting place for us, and to recruit more members. This is me and Fran at one of the shows. 

There were several other truckshows around at that time, and we attended most of them. Often I had been working all week, then going home and packing my car up, and heading out to a show on a Friday night to get set up for the weekend. Before we got our own teeshirts and sweatshirts printed, we got sponsorship from Keltruck, a Scania distributor from the West Midlands. Here we are at one of our earlier meetings, with a free space for our stand, from the Shell Diesel Drivers Club.  

I had loads of ideas to promote the club, even writing to royalty. This is a reply I got back from the secretary to Princess Anne. I made a collage of some of the members, to put in our scrap book. I took photographs at every meeting we had.

I've picked out a few snippets from the Newsletters, I hope you find them interesting.

MARCH 1986

Hi Girls, Have you all got your copy of March Truck and Driver magazine? If not go out and get one, we are on page 13, quite a good write up about the club. Up to now I have had five letters, four of them are prospective members, and the other one is from a future possible member. She is 15 years old and is mad on trucks, and dreams of becoming a driver. She asks if some of our lady members could please write to her telling her about the jobs they do, and she would be grateful if anyone could send her photo's or posters of truck to put on her bedroom wall.

MAY 1986

First of all let me say what a great time I had at the Truck Racing at Brands Hatch. I was very pleased to meet the other members who turned up, there was twelve of us. Val and Alison had their photograph taken with Barry Sheen, and we all had a group photograph taken for Trucking International magazine. I was interviewed for a feature on the club which should be in the next edition.

JUNE 1986

At the last meeting at Truckfest we had a total of 17 members turn up over the weekend. A few new ones that I hadn't met before, and some that were at Brands Hatch. Our next meeting will be at the Truck Racing event at Donington, meet at the Trucking International tent at 1pm. On Sunday there will be food and drink provided.

JULY 1986

We go from strength to strength, we now have 34 fully paid up members. and I am still waiting for some application forms to come in. Our next meeting will be at Silverstone on 16/17th August. Meet 1pm both days at the Shell Diesel Drivers tent.

AUGUST 1986

We are now up to 51 members, brilliant eh! My firm B R S, are kindly lending me a rental truck to use for the meeting at Silverstone. I will chuck some bedding in the back if you need somewhere to kip down for the night. I will have stickers and badges for sale if anyone needs any extras.

OCTOBER 1986

Did you get your copy of this months Headlight magazine? I was dead chuffed to see my letter printed. I met the editor recently at Findern Truckstop, we had an enjoyable evening with the Headlight staff. Congratulations to three of our members who have passed their class 1 test this month. Well done, Jane, Chris, and Annette.

DECEMBER 1986

Our first Christmas party was a huge success. The lounge bar at Findern Truckstop was the venue and we easily filled it. The furthest distance travelled was Valerie from Hastings, and KT from Seaford. John and Martin from the Observer newspaper were snapping photo's for the Sunday Supplement, January edition, so look out for that.

JANUARY 1987

I have recently managed to obtain quite a lot of publicity for the club. My interview on Radio Derby seems to have started a chain reaction. From this recording I was invited to appear on Womans Hour. I went to the Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham, and I enjoyed it very much. Next I had a phone call from a guy who wants to do a feature for the Sunday Times. John from the Observer was at the party, and so was Radio Derby. I recorded an interview with Julia which went out the following Monday morning. Look out for a programme on BBC 2 called Night Moves, it's on Friday night. I am on it, and so is Dee, Christine, Angela, and Jenny.   

There's a heck of a lot more, I think I'd better stop. I might carry on with this another time, something to write about if I am stuck for ideas, and nice for me to look back on my time running the Lady Truckers Club. Hope you're not too bored, but hey, it is my blog, I can write what I like, ha ha. 

Toodle pip.