Welcome back, my fellow truckers!
In the last entry you saw me driving from Germany to Switzerland. We’re back in lovely Cologne now. The city doesn’t smell like great eau de cologne, but it definitely is Cologne.
And because we’re already using the French paraphrasing of Köln in English, let’s make today a francophone event. We are taking some airmail. Not air miles, but airmail. Do I have to write in French now? Maybe so, because we’re going to Clermont-Ferrand with this cargo.
Who knows what kind of mail might be in my cargo? Might there be old-fashioned love letters? Cards of condolences. Maybe even happy birthday cards. With this type of cargo I hope to be fast. Because you never know if a person might be waiting on some specific post to receive.
Though even inside the city I can see the signs with the prices of diesel. Inflation is really starting to get to us.
Let’s hope all of these events that are going on in the world will settle down soon.
It’s about time we catch a breather after all of these mad years. A global pandemic, wars around the world.
As normal people just try to go on, but it’s hard to deny the facts that are preventing us from growing. And those were just my morning thoughts.
On the German autobahn, it’s always cruising. No busy lanes today and almost no trucks.
To get to France fast, we make our way through Belgium. You will notice when you hit Belgium. If you thought that the German Autobahn had really bad roads?
Get ready for a treat once you cross the border.
Based on European research, only two or three countries in Eastern Europe have worse roads.
The only one considerably worse than Belgium is Moldova. Which is the poorest country in Europe.
Compared to several other countries, their road tax is almost next to none. No wonder they are unable to fix all of that. Let’s just hope things get for the better in the next couple of years.
We passed through Belgium and Luxembourg like it’s nothing. My friends, the toll booths are back. Doesn’t matter whether I’m going down south or going down east. They’re always there to greet me.
After passing the first tollbooth stretch, I decide to stop. I’m 4 hours away of having a mandatory stop. So why not stop now and continue in the early morning? Best also now fell up on the diesel. Prices here seem decent for a motorway. €2.11 per litre. I pay €900 exactly in total for filling it up.
Time to find a parking spot and hit the hay.
I wake up at around 6:00 AM. I feel quite energised already. Let’s not waste any more time. Just start to drive again.
Then my nemesis is back. The cloverleaf. Am I energised enough to pass through it correctly?
Good question and I have a great answer. I took the right turn. Should have brought champagne for it. But then I wouldn’t be able to drive again. Not the best idea.
I do notice one thing with the French drivers today. They are paying attention. To what’s happening in front and behind them.
For once in his trucking diary, I’m positive about something. Though my laughter already disappears.
I get a speeding penalty. Apparently there’s just a tiny bit that you can drive 80 at, and I still drove 90. That’s €200 down a drain.
This certainly won’t help me getting me my own truck. And that’s just step one into a brand new trucking company. My trucking company. The dream isn’t dead, but it’s got a dent.
Unfortunately, I received two more speeding penalties for the same kind of event. €600 in total lost. I can only hope for some tip money for the fast delivery. Because this job will not earn me any money.
I hoped that this trip would have more amazing scenery. Scenery that I could describe to you. Like amazing mountains that I drove over. Or newsworthy events that happened as I pass along it. Nothing of the sort. A very bland trip to France. No broken down cars. No trucks on fire. No people stop by police. It’s just all left to the imagination.
There’s a local sign that welcomes me to this great city. It used to be the capital of the French region of Auvergne. Though it is still the capital of the current department Puy-de-Dôme.
The municipality has around 150.000 citizens. It also has an university and Technical College. It also has a museum for the famous Michelin tyres, and it also has a 14 kilometre long tram line. The tram is being used by 55,000 people on the daily.
You can also see the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption.
The cathedral was built between 1248 and 1884. Because of it’s gothic building style, it looks similar to the one in Paris and other cities.
For a lack of adventure, hopefully this brief history lesson has helped you out.
Despite morning traffic, I managed to make up time. I almost scraped half an hour of the estimated time of arrival.
I arrive at FLE to deliver the mail. They give me some good news back. They only expected the freight at night. This moves up their schedule a bit ahead.
They tend to sign a contract with the company I drive for. Purely based on my fast arrival.
My boss calls me and tells me to come back straight to Cologne. Something about a new contract and possible pay rise.
You have to take chances and opportunities when they arrive. I will get back to Germany as fast as possible. For sure I will watch my speed limiter. Can’t risk anymore damage to the dream.
You will hear from me as soon as I know something.
Drive safe and responsible. Make sure your dreams are vivid. Live long and prosper!
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!
