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Parking problems not only for L Radley this week, but also a Pole and a handful of Germans.. .don't ask!
Page 9
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Picture the scene. I'm waiting for a bay at an unnamed customer's premises. Its a pretty tight and very busy yard. Enter a Polish-registered wagon and drag, with a tiny 7.5-tonne-sized rigid on the front and a 35-foot close-coupled tilt on the back, wobbling on a couple of caravan axles.
Our Pole drives in, turns right and gets stuck. So follows 20 minutes of ineffectual shunting while the rest of us look on. Eventually a German driver hops out of his motor and starts trying to direct the poor lad, who looks quite young and ignores him. He eventually winds up at an angle across the first bay— my bay — with the tail end of his comedy drag wedged against the stand trailer on bay 2. His front end is blocking the only way in and out, and the drivers on bays 3 and 4 are now waiting to leave. He then stalls.
The poor bloke is trying to restart while the German attempts to advise. A second German joins in. Seven Brits get a bit concerned and emerge from their cabs. The Pole is climbing in and out repeatedly and there's much gesticulating between him and the Germans, The Brits are shaking their heads. The Germans produce a stick and dip the tank, and all are relieved to see it register fuel. The Pole produces jump leads and waves them hopefully at people. The Germans try to get them to reach the nearest truck. The Brits take a few more steps back and shove the yard shunter forward to do the deed. The jump start fails, and it is suggested he could be towed. The shunter refuses point blank and joins the rest of us Brits in 'Tutting Corner".
Our Pole dismantles his bumper to get to the towing point, and the first German drops his own drag and lines up at an angle to the Pole. A length of strap is produced and the Brits look on and come up with reasons why this is a bad idea. Eventually the whole lot is dragged out of the way with only minimal damage to the curtainsider it was wedged against.
Moral of the story? When the going gets tough, for God's sake hope there's a German around to save the day. Good griefl