Morocco.....The Country That Travels Within You.

The title for this blog post comes from the 2012, official slogan, for the Moroccan Tourist Board. I am really not sure what it actually means or how it relates to the experience of Morocco.

With the race on April 15 getting closer, the truckies have been asking questions and trying to make travel arrangements. Mine and the other truckies past experiences of driving in Morocco have been terrible. The old Tangiers port in the centre ville was very unorganised. From the moment that you drove off the ferry, you found yourself stuck in this port of corruption and chaos. You didn,t know who was a port official and who wasn,t. Your paperwork and passport was taken by these people and they just seemed to disappear into the melee. Not knowing where they had gone and how long you would be sat in the port, was just the beginning of your nightmare. And you experienced exactly the same when you returned to Tangier. That was on top of all the other problems that I encountered. I would like to tell you these stories but I do not think it is appropriate to write them down here. But if they happen again, my fingers will be moving, fast and furiously, on this keyboard. I am hoping that, for this years race in Marrakech, things SHOULD be better.

A lovely little map !

Tangiers now has a new port which has recently opened, called Tangier Med 2. It is situated 40km to the east of Tangier. Its actually closer to Ceuta, another Moroccan port. Ceuta has the same bad reputation as the old Tangier port. Whether the old regime of port officials has moved as well, only time will tell. It was not a good advert for Morocco. May be our trip through the port will be as smooth and as quick as a magic carpet ride.

Welcome to the new Tangier Med 2

The drive from Tangiers to Marrakech was actually quite pleasant, except for driving around the ring road of Rabat, which was very slow due to the volume of traffic. The street circuit of Marrakech will also be improved from 2010 with more cranes and better track staff. Its a long and arduous task for the teams to come here and then watch so many laps of a race behind a safety car. Again, I hope that this year will be a better experience for everyone.


I shall remind you all of the following words;

In shaa'Allah ( إن شاء الله‎) is an Arabic term to indicate hope for an event to occur in the future. The phrase translates into English as "God willing" or "If it is God's will"


Or as most of the western world say......................... FINGERS CROSSED !

Dont forget that you can move your cursor on to the pictures, and click on them. This will open up the lightbox and you will be able to view them much better.                                                        

No overtaking.....for 367km

0600 hours and we are arrive outside the Santa Maria entrance at Monza circuit. My friend jumps down from the truck and pushes the button to alert the security. After a few minutes, the gate slides open and we drive on through to where the truck is parked. Bags are loaded up into the cab and the truck is started. The long winded process of loading our digital tachograph cards into the tacho begins. Why this electronic piece of shit has been approved for standard fitment in trucks is beyond me. It is a slow, and sometimes, very complicated process to ensure that you select the correct information to be recorded on your digicard. Whoever sanctioned this is an idiot. We have a Siemens unit. They are also made by Actia and Stonebridge, but they all use the same useless interface.

As we start to move, a figure runs towards us. It,s one of the other teams truckies and he needs some directions to get out of the circuit. Most people use the Verdana entrance when they arrive and do not even know about the Santa Maria. The Verdana is only in use in the daytime. I have to do my usual hand waving and speaking slowly as I do not speak Hungarian.

Some teams have gone back to their bases through the Mont Blanc Tunnel or Frejus Tunnel, depending on their location in Europe. We go a different way and thankfully, we hit the Autostrada before the morning traffic rush and head back towards the Brenner Pass. As we turn on to the Autostrada del Brennero, we see the first road sign that tells us that trucks are not allowed to overtake. These are new signs and now it means that you cannot overtake for the next 367km. This overtaking ban goes right the way into Austria. I can see why it exists but not for 367km.

Its enough to make you SCREAM !!!!.

No overtaking

At least the weather is better than last time and some of the snow has melted making for some beautiful scenery. People work hard to pay to come on holiday and see this but we get paid to drive through it. NICE.

View across the south Tirol

Brenner Toll

As we go further into Austria and then Germany, the sky becomes grey, the sunshine disappears but at least we can now overtake. We have to go back to Dusseldorf to have the brakes on the trailer overhauled and repaired. Trying to find a hotel is proving to be difficult. The Autobahn hotels have rooms available but there is absolutely no place to park. Finally, we remember a hotel just before Limburg and we park up at a place that I have named "Hamburger Hill" due to its location and a big 20 metre high, McDonalds restaurant sign.

ToJa trucks in Neukirchen-Vluyn welcome us the following day with hot coffee and the promise of a quick repair .http://www.toja-nfz.de/

Wheel hub

Very expensive brake parts

Trailer suspension airbag

Brake drum

In the pit underneath the trailer

All brake problems resolved and its on up to Rotterdam though some very heavy Dutch traffic. The next race is in Spain so the truck will be unloaded and then reloaded with everything needed for the next few races and will be going straight from one race to the next for the next month or so. This helps keep our companies costs down and gives us, the drivers, a break.

Zen....and the art of wheel washing.

For the truckies who also have the arduous task of looking after the tyres, comes the inevitable job of keeping the wheels clean. Does this help with the speed of the car? Does it stop the mechanics getting their hands even dirtier than they already are? Does it keep the inside of your very expensive tyre warming blankets clean? Or do they do it because they are bored and have no other jobs to do?
NO,NO,NO and NO !!!!!!!!!!
Appearance is everything at this level of motor sport. With television crews and photographers everywhere, a nice shiny car with dirty wheels is just not acceptable. So here is a short guide.

                                                   How do you get this wheel, clean?

The answer is plenty of paddock tap water, elbow grease and some strong cleaner. Some teams opt for the cleaning spray and a rag but this takes even more hard work and is used more as a quick fix. When multiple sets of wheels need attention, the first choice is water.

Water soluble cleaner

 

 

Spray on cleaner

For those teams lucky enough to have silver or black wheels, the cleaning process is a bit easier as these colours will hide the dirt better if the cleaning process is not 100%. For all other colours of wheels, white being a very popular choice, you must clean,clean,clean.
Now that you have decided on how to clean your wheels properly, where are you going to wash them?
The floor is the obvious choice. But squatting down or bending down is hard on the legs you are forced to constantly shift position as each wheel is washed and then moved out of the way before you move on the next one.

Old skool washing

Not good for the knees !

The second option is to use one of the wheels as a stand while you wash the others. This is a little bit easier but is still a flawed method as you may still have to squat or bend down. And when you get to that last wheel, you are back to washing on the floor again!

Better, but not perfect.

The third and most practical and sensible way is to make yourself a wash stand. No more hard work for your legs and back. You can even fit your wash stand with rollers to help spin the wheel when you wash it. Your water is kept in the wash stand so you do not have big puddles of water for the rest of the team or passers by to step through. And the guy washing the wheels can keep a good eye on the ladies walking around and even pose for the odd photograph for the fans.

The only down side to the wash stand approach is that it is one more piece of equipment that has to be packed up and put on the trucks but your body will love you for doing it!!!
So the next time you happen to be walking around a race paddock and see the truckies washing wheels the hard way, you can tell them about Zen, and the art of wheel washing.
Due to current European Health and Safety guidelines. I must warn you of the dangers of exposing your hands to constant wheel washing as I would not want your hands to look like this.........

La dolce vita

It was a very cold start to the day in Monza, but warmed up at 1100 hours. Some trucks had arrived yesterday and were already washed and parked outside their garages. The rest of the teams arrived yesterday evening and today.. The truck wash area in Monza is big, so we do not have teams waiting to use the water taps.This can be very annoying when you have so much other work to do. A peculiar feature here, is that the taps are not above ground. The teams have to lift up metal covers in the tarmac to be able to connect their hosepipes. Walking around the paddock today, I find out that 2 teams had punctures on the trip to Monza and both were on the trailer tyres. Luckily, no damage was done to the trailers. This means that the punctures happened at slow speed otherwise the tyre would have started falling apart and hitting the bodywork as the driver tries to slow down .The race trailers can sustain very expensive damage to the area around the wheels when a puncture happens. The cost to replace the tyre and repair and repaint the trailer bodywork can run into several thousand euros. One unlucky team suffered a blown turbo on the truck engine, but thanks to some very quick repairs, they were able to arrive here with the car and equipment. Teams do not want to be spending so much money just getting to the circuit, especially when they are on a tight budget. Also, having your truck parked up in a busy paddock on the race weekend, with loads of damage, is just not a good advertisement.

It was good to see new teams, new paintwork, new graphics and even some new trucks in the paddock. I have done some "rough" calculations and the total amount of kilometres travelled to Monza by all the race trucks, the tyre support and fuel supply vehicles amounts to approximately 27700 kilometres. And they will do the same amount getting back home.
And I have not included the hospitality trucks or the trucks who carry all of the advertising banners which are positioned around the circuit.
Trying to make race cars environmentally friendly and "green" seems to be a minor problem when you compare it the cost of getting them and everything else to the race track!!!!

 I have also updated the truck requirements for Spain and Germany in my previous post "Its the law", for those who are interested.

I have been talking to most of the truckies today, and with their support, I hope I can keep you informed and interested. Now that the season is getting underway, I will be doing some technical articles about race track facilities that affect them and also some detailed information on the various jobs they do. So bookmark my blog and keep reading it.

Tomorrow, there is a test day for those teams who need it and official testing starts on Saturday.Don't forget to tune in to Eurosport television to watch all the WTCC races live.ENJOY

paddock view

Paddock view

Messing around on the top of a truck

Zero to 14 degrees celsius, in 3 countries and 300km

Cold

Waking up at 0700 hours, our first job today is to see if the truck has got a parking ticket or if we have been clamped. Stopping in Hollendau Autobahn services last night, we noticed that there were signs in the truck parking area, saying we had a maximum waiting time of 2 hours. Admittedly, it has limited parking for only about 20 trucks, but we were left with no choice but to park up and take our obligatory 9 hour break.

Getting colder

THE EUROPEAN UNION RULES AND REGULATIONS STRIKE AGAIN !!!!! And you will keep those lawyers that I mentioned, in my last post, very happy if you do not comply. With no parking problems, its time for a quick breakfast and then head towards the Brenner Pass and push on through to Italy. With Monza only 300 kilometres away, we set off from a very cold Germany. Normally, Monza has been a race that has happened later in the year so we do not have to deal with these sort of temperatures.Unfortunately, as we head towards Austria, the sky is grey and the view is rubbish. We have to get our Austrian truck tax sorted before we go too far and we can fuel up the truck at the same time.

About as cold as it gets

Go Box

Brenner Pass Toll Booths

 We had some problems with our Go Box the last time we were in Austria and got a fine so we are keen to check that we have enough credit on the Go Box in case we have the same problem.The Go box is a small electronic device which attaches to the front windscreen of the truck. As we pass the overhead gantries which are positioned along the Autobahn, it should emit a beep. This sound means that the system has registered you passing a set point on the road and a percentage of your credit is deducted for the distance that you have travelled. These overhead gantries are sometimes fitted with cameras so that the registration plate of the truck can be taken. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.......and it,s more food for those lawyers should you wish to argue. My co-driver starts worrying when the Go Box beeps 4 times as we enter the toll section of the Brenner Pass, as he has never heard it beep so many times before. The 4 beeps means that as we pass through the toll, the charge has not been taken from our Go Box. We are meant to stop and have it checked within 5 hours or 100kilometres, whichever is sooner. According to the instructions, we might have problems again!! Oh dear. It might be a faulty box that we have, so an exchange may be needed. We will put that on the " things to do list". Continuing on up through the snowy mountains, passing ski slopes that run parallel to the road. and the Brenner See which is frozen and covered in snow. The speed is governed not by the speed limit, but by the truck in front of us. For almost 200 kilometres, there is one sign after another saying no overtaking for trucks. It,s eco terrorism at its slowest. I would like to elaborate on this but I will save it for a future post in my blog.

After a long, slow climb upwards, we take a slow descent across the Austrian-Italy border, and are still governed by the no overtaking rule. It gives us ample time to take in the scenery and gradually watch the sun emerge and the outside temperature climb to a much more pleasant, 14 degrees Celsius. This area of the border has changed and moved, many times over the years and you can see from the signs over factories and buildings that they are struggling with their identity and language. Some signs are very Italian and others are Austrian. And the local population probably speak both languages fluently.

Skiing by the road

Sunshine and scenery on the Italian side of the Brenner

Arriving at Monza around 1700 hours, we take a route to the circuit that we know. Italy is renowned for its road signs that point somewhere but take you nowhere. The roadworks have been ongoing for years and we navigate by recognising semi demolished bridges and local landmarks. For such an internationally famous race track, it is remarkably easy to get lost.The roads around the circuit are not really suited for a 16 metre long race truck.Through the gateway to Monza park, and into the tunnel that goes underneath the circuit, we recognise some familiar faces of the WTCC organisers. Some very abusive but not unfriendly words are exchanged with a smile on every ones, faces and  it,s time to park up and go the hotel. A relatively, trouble free journey for us. I hope the readers of this blog are slowly starting to realise that we do not just get in the truck and drive.It bears no comparison to going abroad in your car with a sat nav to guide you on your way. The many different road laws that we have to deal with and knowledge of the route that we take are pivotal to ensuring that the trucks get to their destination safely and trouble free.

Sat on a boat and going nowhere fast

Mind that paintwork

We are finally on our way to the first race of the season at Monza, Italy.  We have travelled on this route, many, many times. An overnight boat from Hull to Rotterdam will be our home for the next 12 hours. The food on board, never seems to change. The fixtures and fittings are getting tired and worn out. The toilet system seems to block up with amazing regularity. And the standing joke is that you are never, ever told an arrival time. It is normally around 0830, give or take a bit hours but the announcement over the ships tannoy system always says "We will arrive on schedule" They never say the exact time. Maybe this is just part of a relaxed Dutch attitude.

Unlike the cross channel ferries, this is not a roll on, roll off. We have to go backwards on this one. Reversing the truck onto the boat takes some concentration as you are leaving the darkness of the port and entering the bowels of the ferry with its very bright lights. Not very easy on the eyes and it is certainly a tight squeeze, as you can see in the picture.

Due to some issues with the brakes on the trailer, we are forced to go via a truck centre in Dusseldorf  for an experienced view of whether or not we can carry on. With over 1100 kilometres to the track and a trip through the mountains, plus the return journey, we need to make safety our prime concern. Not just for us but for all the other people on the roads. An out of control truck does some major damage in an accident.You will certainly feel the full force of the law if you are found guilty of negligence if an accident occurs.


 In the UK, we are now required to take a CPC training course. For the older drivers, we have until 2014 to complete it. Newer drivers should have it all ready This should apply across all EU member states as well.

Certificate of Professional Competence in National And International Road Haulage

 

  To attain a CPC,  candidates must pass or have passed the core module 1. Freight National is achieved after additionally passing modules 2 and 4, or passing modules 1, 2 and 4 together. Freight International is achieved by holding passes in modules 1, 2 and 4 and additionally passing module 6; or, passing modules 1, 2, 4 and 6 together.

                               
                                                                 CONFUSED ?????


This is meant to ensure that all truck drivers are fully conversant with all road laws, tachographs and the amount of hours you can work, basic first aid and a duty of care when driving. This goes back to my point about our situation with the brakes. Ignore the early warning signs and suffer the consequences later. e.g. losing your licence, big fines and possibly a stint in jail.

View from my seat.

In this world of health and safety for everyone, I really think that we are trying to wrap everyone up in cotton wool for protection. Is this making a safer place for us all or are we just keeping the lawyers in business. I think that there might even be some basic human rights issues going on here. Once you pass a recognised driving test, we are then forced to undertake additional training. If you are not trained properly, then the insurance companies will not insure you and then we are back to the lawyers again. But every time we are faced with new rules and regulations, the cost of putting on a race for people to watch, goes up, and up and up !!!

I hope that I have not bored you with my ranting and raving. But its my blog and my thoughts. I think that everyone,s opinion of this will be different. I am sure that in the motor sport business, the teams do their utmost to ensure that their truck drivers are competent, capable and courteous. After all, we are representing the team we work for. And if we behave irresponsibly, the general public and other road users will certainly remember us in our very distinctive vehicles.

It,s the Law !!!

trouble ahead ??

With the start of the season approaching, I thought it would be interesting to compare the costs of keeping these trucks on the road. Not only does it cost thousands to buy, or lease, or rent the trucks and trailers, each country requires that the truck and trailer meets certain safety requirements. This means that they must be taken to a certified workshop where safety checks and routine maintenance take place.

These trucks and trailers are as important to the teams and the fans as the cars and equipment they carry. To buy or lease the tractor unit(that's the front part) costs each team a size able part of their yearly racing budget. Add to that the cost of custom paintwork and graphics and watch your money disappear !! With the trailer units costing upwards of £150000, depending on the fixtures and fittings inside them. You can see why not everyone can afford brand new equipment. Bear that in mind, next time you walk through a race paddock and pass comment about the condition of the trucks and trailers on show. Believe me when I say that every team would like to have the shiniest, most stunning trucks, parked behind their garage. But in the real world, this is not always possible and its down to the truckies to try to make them as pleasing to the eye as possible. We do not have the budgets and workforce of our Formula 1 counterparts. So we try as hard as time and money allow to ensure that teams, promoters and you the fans, can walk between them and admire them. And don't forget, that as you walk around the paddock, try not to rub your bags, umbrellas and anything else that will scratch and mark our paintwork or leave your empty drinks cans,beer glasses, or coffee cups on the nearest available part of the truck. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

And so to a list of all things relating to the LAW. Documentation, chassis, steering,  brakes, electrical, and suspension must all be checked to ensure safe operation. The following is intended as a rough guide.

In the UK, trucks must pay an annual tax to use them on the road. Most race trucks are classed for private use, costing £165 per year. Safety inspections are also needed and as the trucks and trailers are not used on a daily basis and do not incur high mileage, we can get away with an inspection every 13 weeks.

In Hungary you need to pay a one time, weight tax – but not for the main government, just for the local government. The fee is variable, it depends on the local government, more or less £5900. Every year the truck and trailers need a technical inspection.. For the truck it is £108 and for the trailer is £44.Yearly road tax is £688.

 In Italy you must have the truck and trailer inspected every year.£150. Government tax must then be paid for the truck and trailer, yearly. £680 and £320.

In Germany, truck and trailer have a twice yearly inspection called TUV. Government road tax costs approximately £650.

In Spain, the truck and trailer have to be checked and inspected, twice a year and pay a yearly tax of £275.

Obviously, the European Union are not trying to make every country do the same. YET !!!

 

 

Pre Season Activities

With just under a month before the race season starts again, it seems that our plan to not have a plan for 2012 have progressed very smoothly, formulating itself into something closely resembling a plan without actually being one!

We have checked, refurbished and purchased some new equipment, ready for another year. Trucks have been serviced, and are waiting for the truckies to jump back in them and head off for another year of racing.
Contact with many of the teams has found that testing of new cars and drivers has been going on at various tracks around the warmer parts of Europe. These include Estoril, Valencia, Guadix, Vallelunga and even Donnington in the UK. Winter testing can be a massive expense and gamble. Imagine sending a truck, many kilometres to a track, hopeing for good, dry conditions, and arriving there to find that the weather will be changeable, with the chance of rain. Obviously, a wet track is not what you want to be greeted with. These tests are very rarely undertaken at short notice and you cannot plan the weather. As well as making sure that the chosen track is available for your use, all of the attending engineers, mechanics, etc have to be booked on planes or driven to the track. Hotels and catering for many hungry mouths has to be arranged. Bad weather is EXPENSIVE. And it,s no good for topping up your t-shirt tan either!!!

winter test at valencia

The trucks that are sent on tests are  loaded with enough spares to enable any breakages, modifications, or crash damage to be sorted out, so that the testing time is not wasted. As well as nuts, bolts, tables, chairs, drivers kit, food, drinks, oil and other fluids, set-up equipment and specialised tools for the car, mechanics tools, electrical equipment, tyres, trolleys, car jacks, corner weight scales, etc,etc. The logistics behind all this can be a headache for everyone concerned.


We are not afforded the luxury of having dedicated test trucks. Whilst the trucks are away testing, how do we find time to have new graphic designs or paint jobs applied? How do we check and update any of the car spares that the trucks will need? How do we schedule any repairs or servicing  for the trucks? It,s never ending. And you can guarantee that whilst your race truck is being serviced at a garage, on its way to a test, sat in a paint shop. SOMEONE will need something that has been left on the truck!
DO YOU FEEL SORRY FOR US YET???
The windows of free time available,  that appear in any teams winter calendars, are rapidly used up due to sorting out these things. Winter time is probably more difficult to cope with than when the race season starts.

This just about sums up the teams pre season activities. Next stop for us is Italy, via Germany.

Stick it in a box and open after Christmas.

Hugh Dennis

Dover docks, 1pm. Huge queues greet us. Sea France has gone bust, so there are less ferries to take all of the trucks, vans and cars across to France. Whilst buying a very overpriced coffee latte, I spot comedian, Hugh Dennis, sat in a corner with his friends. For a man who is very funny on tv,s  MOCK THE WEEK, I can,t help but wonder why I haven,t heard his friends laugh!!  When he gets up to leave, I,m giving him that "you,re famous" look. He surprises me when he says "hello". Maybe he,s a petrol head and he,s seen us on television?

Time spent waiting for an available ferry is a good time to ponder how seagulls get to be so big, when all they do for food is eat our leftovers and a few fish.
Compared to some car ferries, the cross channel ones are a pleasure to use. Drive on one end, straight off at the other end. No nasty, steep ramps for you to navigate with your minimal ground clearance race transporter. More on this subject at a later date.

Ibis Calais hotel, 7.00am the next day. Time to head up to Antwerp. A quick check around the truck for immigrant stowaways reveals nothing. I,m sure that sometimes, they have ended up going back the way they came. No tolls are necessary on the French autoroute as this short stretch is known as "the corridor" But as a foreign registered truck entering Belgium, we have to purchase Benelux road tax, to keep within the law. This seems to be harder to buy each year as they switch from selling it in petrol stations to selling it online.
Perhaps we should do that in future.

containers at midnight

You can spend alot of time in a working day, slowing down to turn into a service station, find a space for the truck, park up, walk to the shop, buy something, walk back, and continue your journey. Couple that with toilet breaks and over the course of a day, it all adds up.. And you can,t just go faster, to try and make up for, it due to the 90 kmh limiter fitted to your truck.

containers being loaded

It has been well over a month since the last race of the season and it,s time to collect the cars,spares,pit gear,etc,etc.from Antwerp. All of this was packed up in containers in a highly co-ordinated, careful and efficient manner by all the team members, in 25 degree heat. Even hotter inside the huge 40ft ovens. With a fair amount of humidity thrown into the mix as well. Just enough to make you sweat in places that make your life massively uncomfortable. Time to reach for the talcum powder and the baby wipes.

After watching your containers craned through the air by an army of locals and swiftly driven away, it is hard to believe that you can forget about them over Christmas. Until now.....

keep your car warm

The pick-up point is a shipping warehouse that would accommodate quite a few jumbo jets  and still have room to hold a fork lift truck race. It,s huge inside......and rather chilly. Lucky we have all the equipment loading to keep us warm.

All of this logistical headache is controlled by the efforts of a couple of Germans, who are there to help us with all aspects of shipping, throughout the season. With teams being based around Europe, everyone has their own governments rules for shipping stuff globally. If the European Union fails in its efforts to stay together, we will go back to the dark ages of long border waits and enough paperwork to decimate another rain forest. I,m sure that you have heard about German efficiency. These guys definitely don,t let the side down. Teams are allocated a time slot to arrive and collect their stuff. Articulated race trucks smarten up the warehouse with their paint schemes while Belgium forklift drivers, weave and pirouette around them, speeding up the loading process.
The warehouse is full of thousands of brown boxes, which all seem to have "made in china" printed on them. Is there anything that the Chinese don't make? Or do they only make the boxes? Contrast that to some of the cars which should have "wrecked in china" on them.
 
The long sea journey, heat and humidity can cause rust at an alarming rate, Hence the smell of WD40 in the air(other water repellents are available). It,s the only way to slow down the corrosion brought on by the containers being at sea. But watch out for those little mofo,s, lurking somewhere in a corner of a box or in the car, That spider or other sub tropical critter has made it all the way back to Europe. Albeit with a mild  case of hypothermia.
It always seems strange, but quite warming, when you start seeing familiar faces of other team members in Antwerp. These faces, that last year, were dirty, sweaty and tired when you saw them last. We could stand and talk in our best Eurish,Spanglish, or whatever we communicate in. But work takes over, hands are shaken and farewells said.

too much kit for their trucks!!

Leaving Antwerp at a reasonable time. We decide to try to get back to England. The queue that we saw when we arrived at Calais was soul destroying. Bigger than the one in Dover. A long day is about to get longer. Rather than do the sensible thing and check into a hotel, we waited, and waited, and waited.  Not the best decision in the world to make. If anyone has a spare car ferry, I know where you can put it to use and make some good money!!

The docks at Calais are slow at the best of times due to the British Customs and Immigration. Most trucks entering the port have to go through a rigorous checking system for stowaway immigrants. Not a bad thing. But no matter how many times you do this trip, the waiting time gets to you. And you will nearly always be asked if you have a race cap going spare. They must have cupboards stuffed with caps at home. The irony of the cap is that it really doesn't speed up the process of the so called "checking sheds". The electric roller door opens, and we are free! Only for the orderly lines that we were in, turn into a big truck bottleneck as we jostle and squeeze our way towards the 4 ticketing booths. Creeping forward as the trucks filter through takes up even more time. One more check at some other booths after that for passport purposes and finally into one of the holding lanes. The ferry ticket says 7.30pm loading time. One and a half hours for the crossing and then we gain an hour back due to the British time zone.

Another hotel in the evening, and some rather tight parking in their car park follows. If you drove a normal freight truck into a hotel car park, they would tell you to bugger off. Amazingly, we are normally welcomed. It must be all that shiny paintwork and the graphics on the truck that helps. BLING,BLING.  The following day, we drive back to our base. Get unloaded, and start checking everything before reloading the trucks at a later date.

What will this year bring?

Happy days.

For those who are interested in motor sport, you may well have heard of the delightful, colourful and darn right hardworking, group of people called  truckies.
I cannot give you an overall description of what tasks are undertaken by these people, as there are too many to list. But over the course of the year, I will try to enlighten, educate and hopefully amuse you in this blog.
I will attempt to give an interesting look into their lives, their work, their travel and the places visited. Drawing on my own experiences, and those who I work with, I will take you on a journey, around the world, from the comfort of your chair, bed, or wherever else you sit and read this.

This is dedicated to the people in WTCC, There are plenty of things to read on Twitter and Facebook regarding F1, WRC, etc. Please bear with me as I undertake this task as a beginner, in the world of blogging. Enjoy..........

We all started somewhere