[wot i life]

After my "test" with Billy, I was offered a job on night trunk work going between Newcastle upon Tyne and Liverpool.
Night trunking work is a common first foothold in real trucking for a lot of U.K drivers, the theory being; They,re on the road in off peak hours, little traffic and usually just one destination; A process of confidence building if you like.
My first night was awful, although I must state, the weather was fine, roads were dry, and very little traffic about. The problem? Well, the problem was ME. I was so eager to make a good impression that I told the night manager I had been driving for about a year, whilst this was true, it was also true that it had been in a rigid truck with a straight six gearbox. "Can you handle an eton twin splitter?" asked my night manager. Could I? Could I?..... Could I hell!
Of course I said that I could rather than look like a total newbie and have to be shown. Oh, for the benefit of hindsight! As we all (now) know, driving is a lifelong learning curve. One never totally masters it, one never knows it all, drivers are not born! They are instructed, they learn, they listen,observe, anticipate.
Well, I didn,t!
Here was Wot, the Worlds first natural born driver I thought, and boy, was I gonna show everyone how damn clever I was.
The thing with an eton twin split(for those who have never seen one) is that climbing the gears is particurlarly easy(I had been told only to use the clutch when moving off) and so, Wot sped out of the yard looking for all the world like the consummate professional.
Unfortunately for the young, inexperienced and reluctant to ask for help Wot, trucks and cars and buses or things with gears generally need to slow down or stop at junctions.
Aha I hear you say!
What about reducing the speed and going down the box?
And THAT is where the eton box will catch the little fish out....
CRUNCH. GRIND. CRUNCH
Why won,t this bloody thing work? I cursed and declared war.
Doubling the clutch? Won,t work!
Brute force and ignorance? Won,t work!
"Sorry boys, I,m breaking down"
Hazard lights on, pull over to the side and start again, up the box. Yeah, up the box is good, I can handle that. Looking good, I,m looking good...
Onto the motorway and flying along, arm out of the window, cigarette in hand, Johnny Cash on tape, I say, this is the life boy! Eat your heart out Mr Kristoffersson, I,m the real deal!
Shite shite shite... Coming up "Windy Hill" climb it in top gear you pile of shite! You,re making me look bad.
A few old boys went past with a knowing look on their faces, the sympathetic type of smile that I now give to younger versions of myself.
Oh where are you Billy?
I need your help!
I had learnt a valuable lesson
TBC

[Roadhog]

:? ...are we gonna get to the French femme fatale' hitchhikers anytime soon?? ooolala...

[wot i life]

Originally Posted by roadhog

:? ...are we gonna get to the French femme fatale' hitchhikers anytime soon?? ooolala...

Funny you should say that..... I,ll be telling two very interesting stories later; One happened in Metz and the other.... Oh God I,m not so sure about telling that :wink:

[Roadhog]

................if you have a story sluttier than the one about the filipino squids....just think of the viewer ratings.... :lol:

....check your Journalism License endorsements.....you can make Dmitri your team driving partner....ummmm for the questionable conduct. :P



( Dmitri Lisp thuania )

[wot i life]

I don,t know where the hell you find those from, but, they aint half funny :lol: :lol: :lol:

[classicxl]

sounds like my first day at driving school shifted up fine and then sound like i was grinding bones on the way down

[wot i life]

Going back in the next night, I knew I needed help, I,d made myself look pretty stupid on my first night and regardless of how stupid it was to ask on the second evening, I was gonna do it.
Step forward Bobby Atkinson to the rescue.
Bobby was semi-retired and worked in the yard part-time, parking trailers and loading guys for the next trip etc. Approaching Bobby for help was the single best move I ever made! What he did,nt know about trucks or the roads in Europe just aint worth knowing.
Bobby and I got on from the start; He told me that he was only too willing to help a new driver, as he put it "You need it son, I saw you park that thing up when you came back two hours late"
Bobby instantly put me on his "Sunday slave duties"... That is, I had to come in to work on Sundays and work for free and do the bulk of his chores, in return, I would benefit from his vast experience and he,d show me how to rope n sheet, reverse properly, and last but not least, a half hour drive every Sunday on the road with him.
Bobby gradually coaxed me along and my confidence grew and grew.
Because of his help, the manager noticed how I was getting on and asked me to come in early one thursday night.
I went in absolutely crapping myself thinking "Yeah, you, ve done ok son, but things have taken a slight downturn so we,re gonna have to let you go"
How wrong I was!
Thursday night I knocked on the managers door and stood waiting to be called in,heart pounding, palms sweating, I felt like a condemned man awaiting the rope.
"Now then Wot, I notice you,ve been working Sundays and Bobby,s got you well trained up" says boss man
I praised my mentor for his help but also seized the chance to lavish praise upon myself, I had after all, improved 100% beyond all recognition in just three months.
And then came the words that knocked me clean off my feet and sent my head reeling in all directions...
" Do you think you can handle European work?"
I had just over fifteen months experience of Britains roads and I was being offered a chance to go over the water.....In a trance like state I vaguely recollect saying something like "Cor yeah, I ,ll have some of that"
And so it was. I was to finish night trunking that very evening and follow my friend who pulled faces, Billy, the guy who gave me my first break, all the way to Italy.
As I walked back out into the yard, a group of drivers, including old Bobby , were standing in a circle talking.
Seeing Bobby in the group, I immediately wandered across to give my good news; Unknown to me though, everyone already knew(drivers are a shifty, cagey lot who often know more than they let on)
Peter, the number one U.K only driver(never crossing the water) looked at me and said "Huh, You? you going European? you don,t even know your way around England yet, how the hell are You gonna get to Italy?"
"Go down France and turn left" says Wot!
"Thats my boy, thats my boy" said old Bobby
TBC

[ken_o]

i dont know about your driving but you tell can a story damm well, schould of been a writer.

[classicxl]

I see some some serious laughs and troubles for you coming in this story keep it coming

[wot i life]

Originally Posted by ken_o

i dont know about your driving but you tell can a story damm well, schould of been a writer.

Thank you very much. Maybe I,ll write a book some day :wink: :lol: