Tom
@thelorryist
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Road Transport guy. Find me on most places as thelorryist. Consultancy / Management queries to: tom @greencandle .co.uk
West Midlands
Joined May 2012
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What goes into an average shift driving a lorry?
Thought I would live tweet about my shift tonight. Might be interesting, or not, either way I have few remaining opportunities to show you into a world you may not otherwise ever see.
Feel free to share if you wish 🚛
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I arrived to work today to discover a £7 per hour pay rise. A 40% increase... almost overnight.
There are no drivers, things are about to get a bit tasty.
Completely unsustainable, of course, so guess what happens to prices next?
All your shit comes by lorry. All of it.
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Boring is what puts your food on the shelves. Logistics is fucking boring
Boring is what keeps your gas bills low, and your ambulances running and your rivers free of shit, and your old people appropriately cared for, and your communities safe
Boring is good.
Bring back boring.
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Let's have a look at this, I am reminded so often that most people don't necessarily understand what they are looking at with this industry, so it might be quite interesting to dissect.
We call this a Bridge Strike, when you understand a bit more you can see why they happen 🧵
Not only has this lorry crashed into a railway bridge in Salisbury, the whole thing looks well dodgy. British plates on the back, Belgian on the back... Is that allowed?
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What a completely bizarre day. Thank you to everyone and welcome the ridiculous amount of new follows!
The amount of people who have tweeted to say they have learned something or had eyes opened... just incredibly humbling to read and makes it seem all worthwhile.
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Reading about Errol Musk.
Probably that is enough internet for today.
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1600 and we are done. For a crowd pleasing 15 hour day.
A quick word from our sponsor and then I will leave you to enjoy your Sunday.
Thank you so much everybody for all your words and retweets. It has been extremely humbling.
All I set out to do was to bring you the truth.
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And this is happening at every supermarket in every corner of the UK, every single day of the year. So we can all buy what we need, every minute. Milk, bread, everything.
A delivery every 6 minutes, or thereabouts. Can you imagine the scale and complexity to make that happen?
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Ever got angry at this?
I cannot tell you the amount of times I have been barked at by whoever, who thinks I am here to inconvenience them
I am here trying to use a toilet and grab a drink. We have so few places you can even get into with an HGV in the UK. Please be patient
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Drivers, my 2 pence:
-Know your height (measure it!)
-Know your route (buy a bridge map, plan it, forget satnav)
-Adjust your height indicator, every time
-Read and understand the signs
-Phone off and away (no distraction)
-Believe it can happen to you! Be ready.
Peace out
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Good evening. It's that time again: time to go to work 🚛
Didn't sleep particularly well but that is perfectly normal.
Oh well, only 18 hours until I can see the bed again.
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Finally we get through to the manager on the phone and we're in. Reversing on the good side this time but still a tight little yard. Have a look at the clearance on the parked trailer.
Being able to do this quickly is key to the job. You can waste a lot of time if inexperienced
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Is there a safety margin? We think so, but we also think this is mostly to allow for road re-surfacing allowances.
Notice how bridge signs are always in 3 inch increments?
The advice is give yourself a good six inches.
Most men can't be trusted with that measurement.
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Having almost been on the clock for 6 hours. The Working Time Directive is shortly due to bite me unless I record sufficient break.
So we will sit here and scroll twitter for 15 minutes while we pretend sitting in the same seat I have spent the last 6 hours in is relaxing
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0655, 115 miles driven. Store 3. Good morning. Sunday has landed and with it comes the daylight
Which means the hours when the dark thoughts are most likely to arrive have passed.
This job is lonely and can really mess with your mental health, you must always be on the watch.
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Anyway, onwards ever onwards. 0940, 202 miles driven. Store 4. This is a really awkward one and without blowing my own trumpet I do make it looks easy.
Plenty of damage you can do here. Choose the building, the fridge or the wall?
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1055. 225 miles driven. We have arrived at our last store. Here is what the loading bay sees. Shows some of the precision I am aiming for. I need the scissor lift to line up within an inch or two.
The store has been open just under an hour.
'Just in time'. This is the aim.
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These are Draymen. It is one of the oldest and one of the toughest HGV jobs going. Look at the guy rolling the keg, these are too heavy to carry, they get dropped and rolled.
The UK constantly bemoans the loss of their pubs, take a minute to think how the beer gets there.
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0520. 123 miles driven. Arrive at store number 2. The endless gates we have to try and get someone to open to we can actually deliver.
We ring a bell. A bell nobody ever hears. Why in the 21st century are we still ringing bells to attract attention?
Anybody? Never mind.
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Not a fool proof method by any means, I can tell you most drivers don't correctly adjust it.
How are they supposed to know the height though, it's 5 metres in the air?
There are tools you can use just for this, but you rarely see them used. Here is me using mine.
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0420, 117 miles driven. Arriving at our first store and I am pleased to see that I have arrived ahead of the stores own delivery which means no delays at this early part of the shift
Rain has just arrived though, which makes reversing into the black on the blindside challenging
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Seeing news reports of a shortage of lorry drivers and a worry of empty shelves? You might be asking why.
I will try and explain a bit. Broadly, since as long as I can remember, there has been a shortage of lorry drivers. This is not a job people in the 21st century, want 1/
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Well we voted for that, unfortunately. Brexit has seen a sharp decline in accompanied freight traffic in both directions, as there is a border where there wasn't before.
Trailers will now come here by themselves, and moved by a UK domestic haulier
Point being: unfamiliarity
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0105 arrived at depot. Hour driving done already, although this doesn't count as work, it still contributes to overall fatigue.
To be clear. I do not feel I am special or unique. Every hour of the day, 365 days of the year, a lorry driver is starting a shift somewhere in the UK
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0115. Let's begin. Booked on and I am legally responsible for this behemoth from this point.
That means thoroughly check everything to make sure it is safe for the road.
This is the one part of the shift that still gives me a small buzz. Kick the tyres and light the fires 🔥
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Sort out the digital tachograph. This is the computer that monitors my driving and working hours to hold me (and my employer) accountable and ensures I am sticking to all the rules around driving.
An extremely important part of what we do and vital for road safety.
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Yes I asked the scissor lift Operator to film me and yes he probably thought I was a prat 😅
I do not mind the manual labour, I have always worked this way. But I am beginning to feel it now. As you can appreciate the jobs involving this sort of work are least popular!
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What does it actually take to drive one of these?
Well, if you listen to the old timers, they would tell you when trucks were made of wood, men were made of steel... or some other such cliche
But let's talk about the actual driving licence. Bet you have never been told this🧵
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Welcome to the 'just in time' supply chain, where everything arrives precisely for when it is needed. This milk will be straight out into shop for sales today.
Has to be moved by hand to get there though. Each one of these weighs 200kg and I have over 100 to get rid of today 🥵
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Easily solved, there must be a legal height limit that places restrictions on vehicle running heights in the UK?
No, there is no legal maximum height in the UK. You can run as high as you like, just don't hit anything.
So we got greedy with height. Europe has a 4 metre max
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0830. 172 miles driven. Which brings me on to these places: Our motorway service network.
I have driven 4 hours 20 minutes which means I am due a break of 30 minutes to reset my driving time. I have no choice but to use these places but they are hideous places to spend time.
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So how many bridges are hit, can't happen that often can it?
Well every day, actually. From the last statistics released by Network Rail, we can see that on average 5 bridges are hit every day usually by goods vehicles or buses.
This figure rises to 8 per day in the winter
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Low bridges are a constant occupational hazard. It's your responsibility to know the height of your vehicle (in imperial and metric and how to convert) and to plan your route.
If you hit a bridge the Traffic Commissioner is likely to revoke or suspend your vocational licence.
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Break done and 0710 we are ready to try and get this gate open 😅
Eventually we are in and half way through the deliveries now. Just this little reverse to get on the bay. More awkward than it looks
Check out the yellow post on my nearside ready to bite the corner off the cab
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And yes, sadly, it all comes off by hand, by the driver. As mentioned these are heavy things, top heavy and very unstable. We learn the technique over time.
Supposed to do 1 at a time, so this method is my choice. But trying to get things done: we have a lot to get through.
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More empties on and we can see after only 2 deliveries, how this has already become some sort of geometric puzzle from hell
Every stop those empties have to come off out of the way so we can get to the product
We do this all ourselves, not the store employees, and this is why
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And it's a good job we checked. Since someone has kindly left a metal bar on the floor unsecured.
In the case of an emergency stop this becomes a missile and it's heading straight for my head.
Sort that out and check everything else.
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Just under 4 million views since I posted the bridge thread last night. That's a bit mad.
Who knew you all found this stuff so interesting?
Comments have been almost universally positive and kind. Gratefully received. Thanks all 😊
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But in reality, I know you don't want that, I don't blame you.
You want clear roads, your stuff on the shelves to buy, your family safe, and your railway to run like we all pretend it does.
So just give a smidge of patience to the HGV. It is your stuff on the truck after all
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Footnote:
It's human error, it always will be.
But show me this many variables, and I have hopefully shown you why it happens.
Control the risk.
Mobile phones are public safety enemy number one, the technology is there to stop it, but then it could also detect the bridges.
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Why is it important to understand the complex rules around driving hours?
I don't get paid for breaks. Very few of us do.
We are paid by the hour, all breaks deducted. So taking more breaks than you need cuts into your wages quite significantly on a long day.
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If you do one thing today please consider donating to charities supporting those affected by the Afghan crisis.
Despite everything we are a wealthy first world country in a position to help and I believe we should
Human beings first
. Please consider doing what you can to help
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30 mins isn't much of a break and when you actually stop is usually when the tiredness hits. Now is no different.
What can I tell you about the rules? Well, everything, but not in 140 characters. It's way too complex.
One way or another. I must be finished by 1615. 15 hours
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Letting the person behind you go ahead in the supermarket if they have a handful of items is masterful self awareness.
And it is RARE
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0145 and we are checked, safe, secure and ready to head off into the night.
We have best part of 2 and a half hour of driving ahead before the first delivery. So out comes Audible.
See you in the West Country 🤙🏼
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Let's go find a trailer as we need to actually deliver something. In this case, refridgerated.
Again I am legally responsible for the load, and to my employer for making sure it gets where it needs to go in the right condition (and at the right temperature).
Plenty to mess up.
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2350 Saturday night, I am due to start at 0115 Sunday and the depot is an hour drive from my house.
This is not unusual in that a depot is often in the middle of nowhere, but an hour is more than far enough
Either way, long day ahead. Coffee. Won't be back here until gone 5pm
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In ten years or so, it will miraculously come out that HS2 cost as much to cancel as it would have done simply to finish and magically all the money that was promised for reinvestment elsewhere will have evaporated...
You don't just cancel projects like this
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We can start with the lorry, UK registration, Belgian plates on the trailer, already dodgy yes?
No, the container belongs to ECS, a Belgian shipping company, in this case they also own the trailer, but they have nothing to do with the incident.
So why is the trailer here?
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Now, the next opportunity to kill yourself (or someone else).
Connecting the trailer... Get this wrong or get distracted and it can roll away or you can drop it on the floor.
Happens more often than you think.
We split couple here, which adds another level of complication.
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So you just measure the height, display it in the cab and you are sorted?
Well no actually. You'll notice I have talked mostly in metric so far, and if you were born in the UK in the last 45 years so will you.
But have you noticed that a lot of bridges display imperial units?
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Shall we talk about some empathy?
This job is hard. Take it from me, 20 years behind the wheel. There are no easy days.
If this happens to you, it is rough, the driver you may think a complete idiot is about to go through the mill.
If you think it is easy, join us, we need you
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You can see the problem with the empties here. Still more deliveries to get round. All this is in the way!
But when you change the way you want your milk, mostly driven by price. This is the result.
Doorstep deliveries a thing the past now it's time to get heavy 🚛
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Drivers (or companies) with deep pockets may choose to spend a night here for security reasons. However, that will cost you up to £50 per night to do so
And of course you all know the food standard and prices on the motorway... sooner we are on our way the better
Lots to do!
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1200, Last ones off, and didn't spill a drop. Doesn't always happen like that 😅 Couldn't find anyone to sign for it, usual nonsense.
Delivery comes every day of the year. Still act like it's a big surprise when I come looking for you!
It's me. The milk dude. Don't hide !
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We also have to collect the empties. Milk is delivered in 'point of sale' containers, known as 'tets' to minimise handling and maintain food hygiene standards, but they have value and all need to be collected when empty and returned for cleaning and reloading.
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What does the law actually say? There are some requirements, which fall mostly on the driver.
It is a legal requirement for all vehicles with a height over 3 metres to display a sign in the cab displaying the vehicle height.
It is a legal requirement that this is accurate.
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0240 and the briefest of stops to check on the fridge. Outside air temp is 16 degrees so it's soon a major problem if the fridge isn't doing what it needs to be.
This product has to stay between 2 and 5 degrees and so we are all good 👍🏻
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Generally speaking, we don't go for an HGV licence because we were good at maths. There is quite the calculation to do here before you even start driving.
This is the driver's responsibility, and it should be, but I can tell you it doesn't happen enough, because it is difficult
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Fault doesn't matter at this point, but unfortunately, once you stop a railway, the money gets big very fast.
Sign looks like this: rail line code, the distance from terminus in miles and chains (80 chains in a mile, yes we are that insane) and the bridge name.
Tell them this.
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Legally speaking, in the UK, it is only a requirement to display the bridge height in feet and inches (imperial).
In reality, most bridges will now display both, but it is not unusual to find imperial only.
Yet we measure vehicles in metric. Most trailers may look like this:
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Know your height? Plan your route. But few do that because for the last 20 years, sat nav has been doing that for us.
Paper maps are gone.
They saw this coming of course and designed HGV sat nav, but it is still prohibitively expensive (£300+) so most drivers don't use them
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But there are always the signs right? Fool proof.
Not really. When interviewed following a strike it has become clear a lot of driver's do not understand what they are looking at.
What's the triangle, what is the circle? Does the posted height clear me to that?
Do you know?
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Ok so you have knackered the bridge, blocked the traffic, ruined everyones day, and away you go with a slap on the wrist.
No, Network Rail and the Traffic Commissioners are thoroughly fed up with this, and so hitting a bridge is a one way ticket to a Public Inquiry. Guaranteed.
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Are you ever minding your own business sitting quietly and your brain just goes "Shakira, Shakira"
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When you are at the stage where you think Brighton Pavilion is a mosque, no amount of explaining is going to work for you.
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You may also notice on that trailer, it makes reference to a "fifth wheel"
We have another variable: coupling height. Every truck may have a different one which will affect the overall running height of a trailer.
To complicate matters further, the suspension adjusts height too
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Always against wearing hours-worked like a badge of honour. There is nothing more toxic than listening to someone brag about the long hours. If it were a 9 to 5 we would have long been heading home by now
I would like to see this change with the industry but won't hold my breath
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Not a big deal though right? Just reverse out and disappear.
Not at all. Although the first reaction of many will be to try and run away. If you hit a railway bridge, then lives may be at stake.
First action: ring the railway! Stop the trains. Every rail bridge will have a sign
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You might be asking what happened? Where have all the drivers gone and why?
Please check out my thread on my profile or below and it will help to explain.
Please also retweet and share it if you wish.
Seeing news reports of a shortage of lorry drivers and a worry of empty shelves? You might be asking why.
I will try and explain a bit. Broadly, since as long as I can remember, there has been a shortage of lorry drivers. This is not a job people in the 21st century, want 1/
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Consequences for the driver involved are likely to be a minimum 6 month suspension of the vocational driving licence.
For the Operator (company running the lorry) it may well mean the revocation of their Operator's licence. Which means the end of the business.
Serious stuff.
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And in all likelyhood you won't notice the problem because if COVID has highlighted anything, it is how good this industry is at carrying on. No fanfare
But, on a small island, everything comes by truck
Trucks need drivers. There aren't any
And we don't know how to fix it
FIN
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@mikolmelo
@BrexitBuster
I don't care what you believe, sorry
I have been working in this industry for 15 years. I'm delighted overall for drivers who will finally get a decent rise
This isn't about me. I do more than drive. I'm worried about the industry and the country as a whole. This is a disaster
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For clarity: circles give orders, triangles give warnings.
It is an offence to pass the circular over the height posted, triangle is warning you to take your best chance.
Arch bridges usually have triangles, and goalposts. What if you can't turn round?
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I don't have a book, but while you are here can I recommend you check out 'When the Dust Settles' by Professor Lucy Easthope
@LucyGoBag
Her particular brand of empathy and kindness is right up my street and you will learn so much you never knew you needed to about disaster
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August 2019, I walked out of a horribly toxic job and a few days later stepped out into this yard for the first time.
Nobody saw what was coming round the corner. Then the world caught fire.
Tonight is the last time. For all the right reasons.
Let's finish this thing.
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2 years ago, today in fact, I did do a DM slide. Life is now unrecognisable for all the best reasons.
Neither of us, I think, imagined being here but we had hope.
Today we took a moment to celebrate that in the same spot where we both realised something all that time ago ❤
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I teach potential Transport Managers about international road transport.
I always start the International chapters with a map of Europe to show them every country by name, the various trade blocs, and exactly how isolated the UK has become.
It's my little 'fuck you' to brexit.
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Empty trailer. So the fridge can go off and I don't have to listen to the roar for the rest of the driving. Industrial fridges are noisy!
Still a heavy trailer with the empties.
Now just the small matter of the drive back. I may be done, but I am also over 100 miles from depot
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That's a wrap lads. It's done. Shattered & not a lot left to give today. More than a few emotions tied up in this
When I walked in here, it was a turning point, for so many things. A start of finding myself again and I couldn't have imagined where it would lead me
Grateful 💜
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I have always wanted to share this secret world but have never known how and to have shared it with just one or two would have been enough!
Now, this driver is off to bed and must attempt to put down the twitter.
Please enjoy Stanley Baker making it look effortlessly cool
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1530. Put all that fuel back in. Something we didn't talk about. I have a performance standard to meet for fuel consumption. Currently 8.5 miles per gallon. The truck tells me I did 8.6 for the shift.
Not bad considering the weight and the need to crack on with things 😇
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1500 back at depot. Miles driven 338. The last bit of the day. Just the dash back to base. Best part of 3 hours solid driving and then the usual admin/routine to get everything ready for the next driver.
First things first. Empty cages off and wash out the trailer. Gleaming 💫
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And the UK, being one of only 3 member states to do so, opened it's doors immediately to this additional labour force.
The industry was ripe for this fresh blood and work ethic, and hard working Eastern European drivers have quietly been keeping the UK industry moving ever since
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So how does it happen?
Maybe I can be of some use explaining, people seem to enjoy these threads, so...
Heavy Goods Vehicles Braking Systems 101.
A thread.
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But this influx of migrant workers fanned the flames of division and racism in the UK and was a useful tool to the powers that be in highlighting the immigration 'problem' and they jumped to label it a Blair legacy
The 'problem' that keeps our economy running, to be clear
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Which brings us to Brexit, and the disaster that followed.
All the drivers have gone 'home', compounded with a 9 month gap in practical HGV tests being postponed due to COVID in the UK, and we may just have hit critical mass.
And yards full of trucks with no drivers.
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Well I appear to have made the
@BBCNews
my work here is done! 🤯
Thank you
@BBCRadioScot
@bbc5live
@LeannaByrne
@mrjamesob
@LBC
and everyone else for this week for your support in talking about this and for all your work sharing around and discussing it
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@Vitt2tsnoc
The kind of people who voted Brexit think magic fairies do their blue collar jobs.
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20mph inconveniences the individual but benefits the wider society
If you want to understand why this is so divisive it is because we have been turned into a country of self centered individuals by a political party that has taught that way of things for a very long time
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Just a gentle reminder that if you think the luck of your birth location gives you the right to sneer over another human being on this ridiculous planet we are probably going to share a serious difference of opinion.
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Can I be tedious for a minute and point out a major road safety issue that is getting worse by the day.
Look into pretty much anyones car and you will see this.
If this is a habit of yours. Please have a word with yourself and fucking stop.
Put the phone away.
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This has gone absolutely mad to the point I have no hope of keeping up or even seeing most of it.
So thank you. To everyone, for your replies, contributions, links, and most importantly those who have shared and retweeted.
If you need to reach me, please DM.
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Three years ago I was driving a lorry full time. Two years ago I quit that.
Today I got a mortgage approved self employed and as a company director.
So I hope all those bitter folks who said my limited company was nothing are reading this tweet.
Because fuck you 😘
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I have never known someone who has actually been near a war to brag about it and try to minimise others' contribution so publically as Johnny Mercer likes to do
All veterans can pay a huge mental toll for their service, front line combat or not.
There is no place for this
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It's hard work, the hours are long
It can be dirty, heavy manual work
It's dangerous
It's complex and highly regulated
It's bad for your health and your diet
It's bad for your family and social life
It is poorly paid, per hour, on average
The cost of entry is high
2/
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