Rear view cams should be compulsory!

Since last posting anything on here I have continued working for the same company via my agency. They seem happy to pay agency rates for me.
They have kept me on the Essex run with brief ventures into Cambridgeshire. I’m glad I’m not doing the Norfolk run as there’s too much scope for things to go wrong down some of these country lanes.

My licence currently has nine points. Three more would see me out of work if I were to receive a ban. So, on that note I get a call the other day from the agency informing me I had been caught speeding on the A13 at Pitsea. The offence occurred on the 31st of July. They had sent the initial NIP (notice of impending prosecution) to the van owners who in turn sent it to the company I’m assigned to who then sent it to my agency who then sent it to me. All that to-ing and fro-ing took 2 months. As its now mid way through November its been rumbling on for four months and I’m yet to receive a court date where I hope to be able to plead my case and get  maybe a lesser ban than six months so that I don’t suffer exceptional hardship. Some might say "you do the crime you do the time". What I would say to that is I agree but if there’s a possibility of being shown leniency then why not try.
Just before I received the NIP the company I’m assigned to were going to take me on permanently but they are now awaiting the outcome of my court case. Fair enough!

There have been a couple of incidents in the past year.
A few months back whilst driving along the Burnham road in Essex a van coming the other way was well over the centre line and as we passed each other our door mirrors slapped. My lower mirror and my indicator lens fell out and the main mirror was left flapping in the breeze but I manage to grab it before it fell away. Neither of us stopped as it was a very fast road and would’ve caused  chaos. I pulled over when safe to do so but there was nothing I could do other than tape up what was left of the mirror then go on eBay to buy the bits needed to put it right. They arrived within a few days and all was well.

Friday just gone I was delivering to one of the regulars. I parked up outside and got into the back of the van to sort out the fourteen items. An18 tonne rigid truck was parked about 20 feet behind me and whilst I was in the back of the van I heard it start up and begin reversing. I assumed its driver knew I was behind him but as he got nearer I began to doubt whether he did. Within seconds it was too late to do anything as he had picked up a lot of speed and I had to brace myself as the lorry came crashing in to me. Once the driver realized he’d hit something he pulled forward allowing me to jump out of the van for a scream up. I started ranting something along the lines of " how the hell couldn’t you see me". He had by now jumped out of his cab and was apologising saying his regular truck had a reversing camera. The loud noise had by now alerted most of the workforce who were emerging out onto the street to see what all the commotion was about. Both my back doors had taken the full force of the collision and refused to close. A couple of the bosses were also there and made sure I was OK which was nice of them, and even offered me a cup of tea for the shock. They saw the state of the doors and produced a couple of club hammers and proceeded to bash the hinges to try and get the doors to close. They only managed to close them three quarters of the way so I tied them with a bungee and headed back to base. My governor and several of the employees came out for a look. The remaining deliveries I had in the van were transferred to our transit and off I went into Ipswich to finish off. So, tomorrow, Monday, I’ll be driving the transit until they either fix my Sprinter or hire something else.

I went to see my kids yesterday in London. They miss my cooking so asked me to make a couple of my specialities. We went to Sainsbury’s at Ladbroke Grove and bought ingredients for meatballs and rice and mince and dumplings. I duly cooked both meals and everyone pigged out till completely stuffed. Afterwards, I went to visit my mum and brother in the evening and stayed the night. My brother ordered a Chinese and only a few hours after pigging out with my kids I pigged out again. What a fat bastard! Actually I’ve been losing weight without even trying and am now a few pounds under fourteen stones for the first time in a few decades.
So I’ll end it for now and post again soon.
Take care out there.
TM