Driver Jatt

Cold 🥶, Dog Eared Blackout!

It was around 7:30 this morning. I was in Coventry, picking up a small package for a run back to Dudley. The kind of simple, early job that sets the tone for the day.

It was seriously cold. Something like -3°C, but it felt like minus a million. The kind of cold that seems to bypass your coat and go straight for the bones. I was wearing my vest, a t-shirt, a jumper, a second jumper, a coat, and a hat. Yes, I was still cold, but I was being sensible about it. A mobile Michelin man, just trying to get a signature.

The Backwards Jogger
That is when I saw this guy. He was jogging. Backwards. Wearing what I can only describe as a leotard and pumps. You could tell from his face, all clenched and focused, that he was really giving it all. And that he was not enjoying a single second of it. His breath was coming out in sharp, angry clouds. Seeing this guy putting his body through so much deliberate discomfort and suffering in the freezing dawn inspired me.

It inspired me to go and find some warm coffee. It made me feel deeply, profoundly grateful that I am not him. And I never will be him, either. Some people find their motivation in extreme challenge. I find mine in a hot drink and a warm van cab. Each to their own.

The Glitch in the System (And the Atlas)
The rest of the day went well. The roads were clear, the package was delivered. Although, this ongoing network 3 blackout is causing major issues. My main phone, with the job app and maps, decided it was a good time to become a very expensive paperweight. Thankfully, the ancient spare phone I keep in the glovebox for emergencies coughed into life and saved the day. That, and the very dog eared road atlas of the UK I still carry for cases just like these. Sometimes the old ways are the best way when the new ways give up.

It is a reminder that the job is not just about driving from A to B. It is also about a backup plan for when the digital world falls over. A spare phone, a creased map, and knowing that the M6 northbound is on page 87.

So, a successful morning. A package moved, a lesson in gratitude learned from a backwards jogger, and a victory snatched from the jaws of a signal blackout with a decade old Nokia and an even older book of maps. Just another day in the logistics game.

So, do you need a courier who hates the cold and has a spare emergency phone? Of course you do!

Click on www.frigate-express.co.uk  and use the calculator to quote you.

If you have any questions???? Get in touch.