Driving a forklift truck looks easy and a bit of fun as well. A bit of a diversions from the mundane, a quick spin around the factory to break up the day. So when I got the chance to have a go I jumped at it. After all, it can’t be that different from driving a car can it ? If it was difficult they would have given me better instructions than a couple of shouted pointers across a noisy factory floor. I can do this I thought and climbed on board. I crashed. Not a major incident or anything but never the less an extra scrape on the less than perfect paintwork. Oh well these things happen.

Not to be put off the next day I tried again. I found myself going around in circles. No I don’t mean that as a figure of speech, I actually mean that I found myself going around in circles. Turning the wheel didn’t seem to help, well not at first anyway. Seems there is a time delay from the steering wheel to the actual wheels. Finally I was going in a straight line again, but I decided it was better to leave it at before I took off another layer of yellow paint.

That was a week ago and things are getting better now. Someone suggested I tried driving backwards. Yeah yeah I thought, great wise crack ,very funny. But actually it works driving backwards its just like driving a car. I am now trying to get a little practise every day. My chances are limited as I only have the time available while the others have their lunch. Any other time and I would just be in the way. But I am getting better. Give me another week and I might show some improvement on my 12 point turn. My placement of pallets in the storage area might take a little bit longer. My style tends to be one of a gentle persuasion, I try my best but in the end I tend to push the adjacent pallets out of the way leaving giving the normal parallel aligned storage area a more arty look.

Lunch is just not long enough. You need not worry about meeting me on the read however, as you luck would have it I ride a cycle.