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.