Hello chums. Sorry for the delay in videos, part 6 of the eastern European fandango will be up next week.
Inspired partly by the Commercial Motor sticker pictured and my own experiences this is a post about the UKs dislike of trucks. I'll start with a story about a run in I had with Tesco Store security at their Lakeside Extra store last night....
As many of you know I like to do all my own cooking and therefore need to shop in supermarkets to purchase this food! There are almost no supermarkets in the UK that have the luxury of truck parking (Tesco Ipswich being a rare exception) so I try and shop at stores where I can park causing the minimum of obstruction. One of these stores is Tesco Lakeside Extra. Many times I've parked in the service road for 30/40 minutes to get a spot of shopping.
So last night my fridge was empty so I did just that. I spent £40 in the store between 18.05 and 18.35. When I got back to my lorry, which wasn't causing any problems whatsoever, a security guard introduces himself with 'cant park 'ere'. I point out I had just done some shopping to which he parroted the same. When I didn't move off straight away he comes back, so I tell him I'll leave when I've put my shopping away.
So just as I've finished 5/10 minutes later, I've my engine running, lights on ready to go when my door is opened and forcefully held open. There are three of them this time and they were aggressive and intimidating. Chief security man forcefully held my door open despite me telling him I'm going. He proceeds to tell me 'the police are waiting over there to charge you with burglary' that I've 'been banned from every Tesco in the country' and that 'so have all the trucks belonging to the company you work for'. Now this is a security man who clearly wields a lot of power. At the end of this exchange Im yelled at to 'FUCK OFF' and 'JUST LEAVE'.
Not once did I swear, get angry or raise my voice. Not once did I say I wont be leaving. This caused a great scene at the edge of the car park and even attracted some onlookers. All because I had the audacity to shop and spend money in their Tesco. Made to feel a criminal for buying my food.
This is just the way it is in the UK. The way I was spoken to was unusual but the actions weren't. We are pushed from pillar to post, not wanted anywhere. If you're not prepared to spend anything between £20 and £30 to park overnight in our second rate services we are forced to park in scummy filthy lay bys. Companies build massive industrial estates, wooing big business in the process but not giving a s*it about the trucks that use their estates, putting up ever more ways to stop us parking. One of the worst offenders is a company called Prologis. I was looking for a customer in their Coventry site a while back and stationary for two minutes at which point a van with a security man turns up saying the immortal security man line - 'you cant park here', despite the fact I was clearly looking for somewhere. This is very common on Prologis sites, Prologis seemingly despising the trucks that visit their sites.
Anyway I've gone on a bit now. All we want is a little respect. We aren't heroes, we aren't even bothered about being thanked, we would just like some respect as we go about the place delivering YOUR STUFF. We aren't there for fun, we aren't having a jolly day out and we dont hold you up on purpose. We're just trying to get the job done so your fridge can always be full, your house built, furnished, heated, your car manufactured and fuelled etc etc etc. Because thats the long and the short of it, we are there for you carrying your stuff.
Have a great day all.
Oh and if you would like to let Tesco know what you think.... www.twitter.com/Tesco
Or Prologis.... www.twitter.com/Prologis
Not that either will ever listen.
Edit- some views from my facebook page- https://m.facebook.com/?hrc=1&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fh.facebook.com%2Fhr%2Fr&_rdr#!/story.php?story_fbid=874197769270201&id=272807402742577&ref=bookmark
And from Trucknet users- http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=123600
Luke Vernon
www.lorry-driver.com
www.twitter.com/LukeVernon
www.facebook.com/lorrydriverdotcom
www.instagram.com/lorrydriverdotcom
Inspired partly by the Commercial Motor sticker pictured and my own experiences this is a post about the UKs dislike of trucks. I'll start with a story about a run in I had with Tesco Store security at their Lakeside Extra store last night....
As many of you know I like to do all my own cooking and therefore need to shop in supermarkets to purchase this food! There are almost no supermarkets in the UK that have the luxury of truck parking (Tesco Ipswich being a rare exception) so I try and shop at stores where I can park causing the minimum of obstruction. One of these stores is Tesco Lakeside Extra. Many times I've parked in the service road for 30/40 minutes to get a spot of shopping.
So last night my fridge was empty so I did just that. I spent £40 in the store between 18.05 and 18.35. When I got back to my lorry, which wasn't causing any problems whatsoever, a security guard introduces himself with 'cant park 'ere'. I point out I had just done some shopping to which he parroted the same. When I didn't move off straight away he comes back, so I tell him I'll leave when I've put my shopping away.
So just as I've finished 5/10 minutes later, I've my engine running, lights on ready to go when my door is opened and forcefully held open. There are three of them this time and they were aggressive and intimidating. Chief security man forcefully held my door open despite me telling him I'm going. He proceeds to tell me 'the police are waiting over there to charge you with burglary' that I've 'been banned from every Tesco in the country' and that 'so have all the trucks belonging to the company you work for'. Now this is a security man who clearly wields a lot of power. At the end of this exchange Im yelled at to 'FUCK OFF' and 'JUST LEAVE'.
Not once did I swear, get angry or raise my voice. Not once did I say I wont be leaving. This caused a great scene at the edge of the car park and even attracted some onlookers. All because I had the audacity to shop and spend money in their Tesco. Made to feel a criminal for buying my food.
This is just the way it is in the UK. The way I was spoken to was unusual but the actions weren't. We are pushed from pillar to post, not wanted anywhere. If you're not prepared to spend anything between £20 and £30 to park overnight in our second rate services we are forced to park in scummy filthy lay bys. Companies build massive industrial estates, wooing big business in the process but not giving a s*it about the trucks that use their estates, putting up ever more ways to stop us parking. One of the worst offenders is a company called Prologis. I was looking for a customer in their Coventry site a while back and stationary for two minutes at which point a van with a security man turns up saying the immortal security man line - 'you cant park here', despite the fact I was clearly looking for somewhere. This is very common on Prologis sites, Prologis seemingly despising the trucks that visit their sites.
Anyway I've gone on a bit now. All we want is a little respect. We aren't heroes, we aren't even bothered about being thanked, we would just like some respect as we go about the place delivering YOUR STUFF. We aren't there for fun, we aren't having a jolly day out and we dont hold you up on purpose. We're just trying to get the job done so your fridge can always be full, your house built, furnished, heated, your car manufactured and fuelled etc etc etc. Because thats the long and the short of it, we are there for you carrying your stuff.
Have a great day all.
Oh and if you would like to let Tesco know what you think.... www.twitter.com/Tesco
Or Prologis.... www.twitter.com/Prologis
Not that either will ever listen.
Edit- some views from my facebook page- https://m.facebook.com/?hrc=1&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fh.facebook.com%2Fhr%2Fr&_rdr#!/story.php?story_fbid=874197769270201&id=272807402742577&ref=bookmark
And from Trucknet users- http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=123600
Luke Vernon
www.lorry-driver.com
www.twitter.com/LukeVernon
www.facebook.com/lorrydriverdotcom
www.instagram.com/lorrydriverdotcom
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting! Means a lot.