Truckin' Europe

By Gary Neil Briggs

After seven years with the same company in the United Kingdom, the job I had was not really exciting any longer, not like it used to be anyway. Every day was almost identical to the next. The same destinations with the same routes. So when I heard that the transport company which had recently bought the company I was driving for, had taken a decision to reduce the fleet, I jumped at the chance to take voluntary redundancy. I was going to receive quite a large severance package for the seven years I'd been there, so looking for a new job wasn’t “too” urgent. I left the company for the last time on Friday evening, with no idea that within one short week my life would have changed so much. "Continental" truck driving, as I was soon to find out, was to present me with a whole new set of challenges, leading me to some very different adventures from those that I had previously known.
Abroad and alone, with almost no knowledge of any foreign languages, quite oblivious to the fact that...
“Over there things were very different”
I started upon a new career which would take me all over Europe, to some of the nicest places that an everyday tourist doesn’t normally get to see. You see, I was the new boy alone in a strange place, learning by my numerous mistakes, and the situations I so often, unexpectedly, found myself in. The events which I encountered in the nineties driving around Europe were all new to me. "The excitement was back."
For me, it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life. I fell in love with Italy and France, but it was a different story in Austria and Luxembourg.I have been inspired by the many weird and wonderful people I have met during my travels. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent, some to protect the guilty.I soon found out what’s wrong with over there,and what’s right too! There were also the bad times,the times when I started asking myself questions like:
Was I really poisoned in Luxembourg?
Can I really eat that?
Is a gun the latest fashion accessory in Italy?
and most of all "What the hell am i doing here"

• Language: English
• Publisher: GC Media
• Release date: Jul 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476097053

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Truckin’ Europe

By Gary Neil Briggs

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Gary Neil Briggs

ISBN: 9781476097053

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Those that focus their attention too much on the wrapping paper, will rarely see the true value of the diamond inside

July 2012

For Lydia

Foreword by the Author

After seven years with the same company in the United Kingdom, the job I had was not really exciting any longer. Not like it used to be anyway. Every day was almost identical to the next: the same destinations with the same routes. So the moment I heard that the transport company which had recently bought the company I was driving for had taken a decision to reduce the fleet. I jumped at the chance to take voluntary redundancy.

I was going to receive quite a large severance package for the seven years that I had worked there, so looking for a new job wasn’t too urgent. I left the company for the last time on Friday evening, having absolutely no idea, that within one short week my life would change so much. Continental truck driving, as I was soon to find out, was to present me with a whole new set of challenges: leading to some very different adventures from those that I had previously known.

Abroad and alone, with almost no knowledge of any foreign languages, quite oblivious to the fact that...

Over there things were different

I started upon a new career, one which would take me all over Europe, to some of the nicest places that an everyday tourist doesn’t normally get to see. You see, I was the new boy, alone in a strange place. Learning by my numerous mistakes, and the situations I so often, unexpectedly found myself in. The events which I encountered in the nineties driving around Europe were all new to me. And the excitement was back.

For me, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Although, well I have to say, there were also times when I thought to myself...

What the hell am I doing here?

I fell in love with Italy and France. It was a different story in Austria and Luxembourg. Why? Well some of it has been put together in this book, which has been inspired by the many weird and wonderful people I have met during my travels. Some names have been changed, to protect the innocent, and some to protect the guilty. And I also apologise to the numerous friends, those friends that have been forced to put up with my incessant whining and whinging, about what’s wrong with over there, and to be fair, what’s right too!

Whilst writing this book, I’ve been grateful for the many memories that have been brought back into my life. The wonderful people I have met; the strangers, who have helped me when I needed it most; the beautiful scenery I have driven through; the... Well I could go on and on here. But the result of all this is, that rather than being a difficult thing to do, as I had originally thought after starting the book, the pages just kept writing themselves.

I sincerely hope, that these small insights into my past experiences around Europe, gives you as much enjoyment as it has given me during the writing of this book.

Many Thanks and...

Have fun!

Chapter 1-Keep Left !

I’d only been driving about twenty minutes as we entered the road works on the M62, nearby the M1 intersection; negotiating Pontefract had been relatively easy, considering it was 8.30 in the morning. It was raining. As it had been for almost a week now, and every day had been exactly the same; grey and dark – that fine rain, the kind of rain, which, even though it’s not raining heavy just makes you wet instantly.

Keep over to the left, Malcolm said.

I pulled over to the left a little bit more. I was on the hard shoulder now and there wasn’t a lot of room. The barrier was directly at the side of me.

Keep it in the gutter!

From my view, high in the truck, it appeared that I was already driving in the field alongside the motorway! This was my first time driving a left-hand drive truck in England: even though I’d been driving for nine years in a right-hand drive truck with no problems at all, this was totally new and very different to me.

Left, Left! Malcolm shouted, more urgently now.

How I hated this man at that time! The road works seemed to go on for miles - although looking back I guess it was only five or six miles long.

A great feeling of relief swept over me as I finally came out of the road works. The truck was, as far as I could tell, still in one piece, which came as a pleasant surprise, although my surprise was short lived, as I thought to myself: That’s blown it...

I was on a test drive for a new company, and after we got back from this test drive, I would be told whether or not I would be accepted for the job: driving on the Continent for this transport company. Malcolm was the one who did the hiring and firing – and I still hated him!

A few miles down the road we turned off the motorway and headed into Keighley. Arriving at the warehousing facility, Malcolm told me to go and see the security man and ask him to check the seal on the back of the trailer. The trailer had come from Italy and was fully loaded. In Italy, after loading, they put a seal on the trailer and write the seal number on the documents. Arriving at the destination, the security people can check the seal to see that it‘s intact, and that it’s not been tampered with en-route. So if there’s anything missing, it’s not the driver’s fault.

You’re new? the security guard asked.

Yes, I said, it’s my first day, and probably my last too!

I started to explain to him the situation I had just been through on the motorway. He smiled and started to laugh.

Don’t worry, normally everything will be ok, he replied.

He was quite a small guy, a little bit overweight, with a friendly and outgoing personality.

The seal’s good, he said, after noting the seal number. He then showed me a map of the premises and explained to me where I had to go to unload. I got back in the truck.

Is everything ok? Malcolm asked. Yes, I replied, he said the seal’s good.

I pulled up at the side of the main warehouse, where we both got out and went inside. Malcolm went into one of the offices and asked which bay I was to unload the trailer. We went outside and he started to speak to two other truck drivers, and then he told me to reverse the truck onto bay two. As I walked to the truck I heard him say to the other men

This should be good!

I removed the seal and opened the rear doors of the trailer.

Oh, I’ve really blown it, I thought to myself as I got back in the cabin. I was driving a strange truck: a Volvo road train with a telescopic link between the two sections. It was the first time I had ever driven a truck like this, and now I had the man who makes decisions about whether I get the job or not, carefully examining my every move, watching me constantly. And now he had his entourage watching me too!

Amazingly enough, as I reversed, I found it behaved very much like a normal truck and trailer. I managed to reverse onto bay 2 at the first attempt: straight on to the bay, no stopping and in only one movement, I could go on here but you get the idea how surprised I was. I jumped down from the cab onto the wet asphalt covering the unloading areas to find Malcolm’s entourage clapping furiously, and Malcolm faking an over-astonished expression on his face.

After unloading we left the warehouse and headed back to the depot. The road works on the way back presented less of a problem, as the traffic had eased a little, and it’s almost always easier to drive a truck when it’s empty.

I pulled into the company premises and parked between two other trailers, neatly parked in a long line stretching up the left side of the yard.

How did I do? I asked, wanting to get it over as soon as possible. In my mind, I had made, due to circumstances and events, a real shambles of the whole morning. Why on earth had the universe suddenly decided, that today, today of all days, was not going to be a good one for me?

Oh! Great! Fine! No problem, he said.

I must admit I was more than a little surprised, and I sensed he could feel this.

Oh, those road works on the M62, they’re very narrow, he shrugged.

So, I have the job then?

Yes, of course!

So, when do I start?

You started this morning! Now I want you to go home and get your things together. Enough to last you up to two weeks, he added, and I’ll call you tomorrow evening at five o’clock.

As I drove out of the company gates I couldn’t help thinking that maybe he had given me the job, thinking that I shouldn’t cause too much damage to the back of the trailers at least!

The company was about an hour from where I lived and as I drove back down the motorway, I was ecstatic. Words are not enough to say how happy I was feeling!

I was so excited! It was still raining, but I didn’t even notice. I was far too happy. I was getting in a rut at my previous job, and when a decision was made to reduce the fleet (another larger firm had bought the company) I decided, despite the fact that I had been there over six years, and that my job was safe, as they were going to make drivers redundant on a last in-first out basis, that I would take voluntary redundancy. I needed to leave and do something more exciting with my life.

Thoughts flashed through my mind of what it would be like to drive on the Continent. All the holidays I had taken previously were by air, and I had never even driven a car to France or Italy. And now, the whole of Europe was waiting for me and my forty-four ton truck!

Arriving back in Chesterfield, I glanced at the clock on the Old Crooked Spire Church. Whichever direction you approach Chesterfield from, you can’t miss it. It stands up out of the town like a twisted finger pointing at the sky. It was just after 2.30 pm and I decided that before going home, I would go round to my friend’s house for a coffee. I rang the bell. After a few moments, he opened the door.

Ah, you’ve got the job, then? he asked.

I was standing there, my face beaming with more than a Cheshire cat’s smile. It was obvious I had the job!

Am I the only international truck driver you know? I asked jokingly.

He just silently grinned to himself as he walked over to the sink to fill the kettle.

I related the misfortunes that had happened to me that previous morning, and we both laughed. He asked me when I was due to start work for the new company.

Apparently this morning, but I have some seriously bad news.

What do you mean by that? he asked.

I won’t be out for a drink on Friday night, because I suspect I may be going to Italy tomorrow.

Then we better go out this evening and celebrate then!

*****

The next day seemed so long. I woke up in the morning: nope, no hangover, so that new Belgian beer we tried last night was a total waste of money then. It was still raining! I did all the usual things that morning, but something was different, and I felt different. I was on top of the world. The day seemed endless as I was waited impatiently for 5 pm. I couldn’t wait to discover what was going to happen with my first drive on the Continent. Finally, as promised, the phone rang. As I picked up the phone there was a feeling of dread passing through my mind. Perhaps they were ringing to say that things had changed, or they had changed their mind, and that I couldn’t work there. Malcolm’s voice tone reassured me.

You live in Chesterfield, don’t you?

Yes, I do, I answered, well just outside anyway, why?

Well, we’ve been thinking that we could send you out, double manning with other drivers, who would teach you the job over the next few weeks. So in order to save you the time coming all the way up to Pontefract, here’s what we suggest you to do. There’s a truck stop at junction 30 on the M1, isn’t there? We thought it might be better if the driver met you there, on his way south. Could you get someone to drive you there?

No problem, I replied, that’s easier for me.

Ok. Be there for 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. Here’s the driver’s phone number, you can ring him tonight after 7.00 and make the arrangements.

What a relief! I really had the job!

Later that evening, I followed Malcolm’s instruction and spoke to this driver on the phone. I asked him what I needed to take with me.

Nothing more than some clothes, some washing materials and something to sleep in; don’t bother with any food or anything, just a mug. I’ve got everything we’ll need in the cab.

I must admit that the conversation was certainly a brief one, and as I put down the phone, I had the impression that I had caused him a great deal of inconvenience, just by calling him. You know how your mind works overtime when presented with insufficient or uncertain information, and, in a way: I was dreading meeting this guy the next day. I was soon to find out that my worries had no foundation.

After a good night’s sleep, I got my things together, and loaded them into the boot of the car.

I arrived at the truck stop a bit early, keen and eager to get started. It was only 9.45am as I walked into the truck stop cafeteria and ordered a cup of tea. It was not very busy. Only four or five trucks were parked there at that time of day.

As I stood there waiting, I saw things which I had never noticed before. The few drivers in there were all sat at a table on their own, one driver occupying one table, and not talking to anyone else! With the continental truck