Shepherd Distribution.

And so in the summer of 2000 my driving career began in earnest. I suppose it would be fair to say that I was a late starter being as I was 40 years old by this time. You see it really is never too late to start something.

My first motor with Shepherds was an old Iveco 7.5 tonner that was dog rough inside, when I did night out I had to pin the bloody curtains up !, but it had a good mill in it. Apart from the two pick-ups, it was the only motor on the fleet not fitted with a limiter. Even the newer 7.5 tonners were limited to 62mph.

It was while I was the regular driver of this that I very nearly got my first trip abroad. Edgar Allen in Sheffield arranged for Shepherds to pick up a railway crossover destined for France. My instructions on collecting it were to tell them I was running through with it. The truth however was a long way from that. Armed with a pocketful of cash for diesel, if needed, and the Managing Directors European Road Atlas, I was to try and get to a wagon from Essex setting off that afternoon on a groupage run to France. Had I not been so naive at the time I would have slow timed it as much as possible in order to miss that motor, hence getting me over the water. Needless to say I made it. For this trip just in case I didn't make it, the trusty Iveco was left behind and I went in one of the newer Daf 7.5 tonners. Not long after this I was to get my first change of motor going on to one of these newer Dafs. A few months later the Iveco was written off by an agency driver smashing it in to a Range Rover.

For 7.5 tonners these Dafs were actually quite comfortable for nights out as they had the high roof cab and curtains on a track ! I stayed on the 7.5 tonners until I asked if they would put me through my class 2 to give me a chance to earn more money. In June 2001 I had a week training with our trainer, a dead ringer for Gerry Adams, and on the Saturday morning I passed my test at the first attempt. My first class 2 drive was a Volvo FL6, V52 EAK. This was a flat of course but since I left has had a curtainside body fitted. I had this motor for quite a time.i It was renowned in the yard for having a very heavy clutch but I put up with it till I was asked if I wasnted to look after W141. I jumped at the chance as this was a Daf CF65 the cab of which was far superior to the FL6. This was bought off one of the company's subbies who had come off the road and gone in to transport management with Tuffnells, and was a joy to drive.

Eventually the company asked me if I would take my class 1 and with some trepidation I went out for an assessment with one of the directors one Saturday morning, who told me he had no qualms about putting me in for it, and so a date was arranged for May 2002. It was to be the same as last time with me out with Gerry Adams for a week and test being taken on Friday morning. The week arrived and due to a problem with the little scumbag who lived next door at the time, I had very little sleep on Sunday night and felt in no fit state to go to work. This resulted in me having three days training with me taking my test at 08:45 on Friday. Despite the fact that I had only had three days I still managed to pass at the first attempt.

Having passed my test I didn't want to go on local work and so I satyed on my Daf with just the occasional Saturday trip to Ipswich (a regular contract) and covering others who were on holiday. My first proper trip however came when one of the artic drivers knocked on a Monday morning. This was a run,  the details of which I forget, other than having a handball drop on the one way system at Watford. It was my first overnight trip in an FL10. As the end of the day approached my attention turned to where I was going to park for the night. As I was close to High Wycombe, I decided to run up the old A40 to Chris's. It was only as I got close I then thought about the actual act of parking and praying it wasn't too full I rounded the very tall conifers and saw ........................ one wagon on the truck park. My fears instantly dissolved. A few weeks later the driver of this FL10 left and the motor became mine. I was to drive this until just after Christmas 2003 when the company bought an ex Gwynedd Shipping FM12, in immaculate condition which I became the very proud driver of.

The job at Shepherd was a multi-drop one carrying mostly steel products. When you arrived at the yard, in fact usually the night before, you knew if it was a day run or whether it was going to be one or two nights out. This seemed a decent job for those who wanted occasional nights out but weren't bothered about being out all week. I do recall one anecdote which I will share. I had popped in to the yard one Saturday morning for some reason and one of our drivers who worked on Saturdays loading whenever he could collared me. He said that he had loaded my trailer and the piece of steel in the middle would be okay with a couple of straps. Looking at it I told him bollocks it would get chained. It was about six feet long and weighed 7.5 tonnes, so you can imagine what the diameter of it was . This piece was destined for a quarry in Cornwall. Having run down on Sunday, and having made my first few drops the time came to find the quarry. I found the village and saw one of the old signs, a hand with a pointing finger which declared 'To the Quarry'. Bingo, so I thought. I made my way to this quarry and having struggled round one particular corner eventually got in there. I approached a bloke on one of the big bucket loaders and said "One piece of steel for you mate". He looked at the notes and said "You've got the wrong quarry Pal, I'll follow you out". "What for ?" asks I and he answered "I'll lift your trailer back round the corner !" Armed with directions I made my way to the correct quarry. Once tipped I asked the guy what they use such big pieces for. His reply "We drill a hole in one end, tap it and screw a dirty great eye bolt in. Then we pick it up with the crane and drop it on the rocks to smash them." Cutting edge technology or what ?

Eventually the time came that the company took the piss once too often, I may do a seperate entry about that episode, and on a Friday morning, in May 2005,  having been in the yard at 06:00, I was back home just after 07:00 and on my way out of Shepherd Distribution by 15:15 that very same day. That will be the next instalment, and will bring us up to date.