Oftentimes being a truck driver in Japan is like going to Disneyland.....you get up and go extra early hoping for a good place in line.

This is a photo out my passenger side window with four (one hidden) trucks to my left. There was another to my right. We lined up neatly in the order we arrived (I was second, the orange truck sixth) and waited until the warehouse began work sometime between 7 and 7:30 in the morning.

The place is just a bit less than an hour's drive from my company. So what time did I leave? That's right; 2:30 in the morning. I got there at 3:30.

I finished unloading at 8 o'clock, then made a dash for Yokohama to return the empty container, arriving at about 12:15. Got out of there about 2:15pm and headed up to Tokyo to pick up another container, arriving there around 4 o'clock. Got back home probably about 10:30 that evening, which coincidentally was about the same time I finished work the evening prior.

Total sleep for the day: somewhere around three hours.

Pentax K20D
SMC Takumar 55/1.8

[daacon]

Wow that can be a hard life Mike I could not so it, that little sleep , and driving I would nod off eventually and the end result would not be pretty. My max driving attention now is about 10 hours and that is with at least 3 breaks.

[Marc Langille]

Wow Mike, I feel for you on those sort of hours. Great perspective shot!

Regards,
Marc

[cupic]

Its the nature of the job, tuff ,yes, rewarding, why else would you do it for


Take it easy and try not to sleep the entire weekend LOL


cheers

[Mike Cash]

Its the nature of the job, tuff ,yes, rewarding, why else would you do it for

The rewards are few and far between.

I do it because I'm too sorry to work for a living.

[Jonson PL]

Wow, sounds like the people in Japan never sleep

[Mechan1k]

I know what you mean about early starts and late finishes.

Did you get a chance for a bit of shut-eye while waiting in the early hours of the morning???

What I find the worst is waiting at loading docks ... especially when I am only in a utility I need to get stuff on and off as quick as I can (as a lot of my jobs are timed). Usually I an duck passed the trucks and load myself on the side which is fine ... but some places it is wait in line and sit (and that stuffs my day right up).

I need to get out with the camera again ... I just picked up a newer ute ... the old one has been put to pasture now. Have been enjoying the new vehicle though.

[Mike Cash]

I know what you mean about early starts and late finishes.

Did you get a chance for a bit of shut-eye while waiting in the early hours of the morning???

Where do you think I got the three hours? Same place I took that photo.

What I find the worst is waiting at loading docks ... especially when I am only in a utility I need to get stuff on and off as quick as I can (as a lot of my jobs are timed). Usually I an duck passed the trucks and load myself on the side which is fine ... but some places it is wait in line and sit (and that stuffs my day right up).

In the U.S. grocery warehouses are the absolute worst for getting unloaded. I heard about a driver who after putting his truck on the dock would change into a three-piece suit, then go inside and tell the workers, "I need to have this load expedited." People would assume he was some unknown big-shot at the warehouse and fall all over themselves unloading it.

I need to get out with the camera again ... I just picked up a newer ute ... the old one has been put to pasture now. Have been enjoying the new vehicle though.

You mean you don't take your camera to work with you every day?

[Mechan1k]

Hahahaha ... not everyday ... I just had to empty my last work vehicle out to trade it in ... I haven't had a chance to put all the gear i need in the new ute.

At the moment I am only doing office work ... so i don't really bring it alow that often.