Welcome back to reading a new trucking diary.
I can’t believe this is already the 10th one.
We’ve already come so far, haven’t we together? That is, I presume, if you read the previous ones. And if you didn’t, welcome!
We went back home to Rotterdam. Stills feels rather strange to say. But where paths close, new ones open. So I’m sent to Helsingborg in Sweden with a cargo of used plastics. Probably for recycling. The Swedes are absolute champions in that.
Although I didn’t make a good start, did I? If you watched the timelapse footage you can see that I ran a red light. Oops.
So I head up to the east. And something that has been going on for a while now in mainland Europe, is border controls. The Germans have really ramped those up. So I’m being halted and then thoroughly checked. I understand what they’re doing. So I just go with the flow. I’m cleared and ready to go back on the road.
The compensation for the waiting time is the German Autobahn. Blasting tunes as I drive over all these roads.
It’s a good day for me. The sun is shining. No traffic on the road. I even managed to navigate a cloverleaf correctly. The first time. What an achievement!
Then I tried to enter Denmark. You could have guessed it. More border controls. Once my papers are in order, I have to step out of the truck. They open the doors of the cargo. Two investigators go in, check it, and then tell me I’m all good to go.
do not know how, but they were faster than the Germans. The roads seem quite the same as the German ones. They only seem less damaged. Oh wait, they are less damaged. Suddenly everything around me turns blue.
Water appears everywhere in front of me. And in the middle starts appearing a grand bridge. The bridge that is connecting Denmark to Sweden. On the left and right hand side only water. As far as I can imagine, stretching past the horizon.
A magnificent view that stuns me for a bit. Something to take in and enjoy. Possible new core memory unlocked. As I travel across the bridge, my life goes by in an instant. The good moments, the bad ones, the ugly ones. But mostly I’m filled with joy and happiness.
Until I start to get more halfway across the bridge. Then I see them. There they are. My nemesis. The tollbooths.
What I saw as an eye opening moment in my life, turned into a nightmare.
I slow down, pay the toll at the booth with a form of internal anger. An anger I’ve never felt before. I drive up back onto the Swedish motorways.
Having passed the toll booth, I bring myself back onto the bridge in spirit. What an intense feeling of space. Of warmth even when the water is cold. Was this real life? Or was it my imagination? It’s good that I see my navigation and can tell it’s not. This was the real deal. I’m happy to cross back on that bridge once again when I return.
Later on, I crossed another toll booth and I’m still on that bridge mentally. These toll booths can’t destroy me. I am smarter than that. I take a short break at a gas station. I stop next to another truck driver.
He notices me and nods. He then steps out of the truck. I step out of the truck and say hi. His name is Daniel and he’s from Sweden. He is on his way from Innsbruck to Stockholm.
We go inside the gas station and take a coffee together. At least he does, I’m getting a cola. He’s a young trucker just like me, freshly 27. The freedom is the best aspect of being on the road he tells me. We get acquainted. Talk about what we do in the spare time. He likes to play video games as well. Loves to listen to all kinds of music as well. It seems to have much in common.
After a half an hour break, we choose to get back on the road. We exchange our numbers. Also send each other a text to verify it’s correct. For sure, we’ll stay in touch after this. He seems like a genuine person. I immediately write his name in my thoughts. Swedish expansion of my own company in the future? Or even in my own area? Have to hire Daniel.
Moving on out, I drive the last section to Helsingborg. It’s 10:30 PM, so the roads are really empty. It was a fun drive. I offload the cargo. Once the trailer is cleared, I start to drive back with my truck to Rotterdam.
This was so much fun. The bridge gave me a new sense of freedom. Plus I made a new friend on the road. So much for an eventful day at the trucking office!
I'm Amethyst, 31, and from the Netherlands. I've always had a passion for adventure in roleplaying games. Being able to immerse myself into these universes allowed me to escape the trauma's of my youth. Now I want to share my gaming passion with all of you!
