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00:00Are you ready?
00:02Yeah, ready when you are, pal.
00:04Our trucking heroes are back.
00:07Angel, off you go.
00:09Hey.
00:10These are the super heavyweight champions of the road.
00:14Just another day, moving machines.
00:17It is very nerve-wracking, very, very nerve-wracking.
00:20Wielding some of the heftiest hardware in the world.
00:24Lift it up, pinch it up.
00:26When every mile's a battle.
00:28Ding, ding, ding.
00:30Does he come from?
00:31He's obviously totally ignored us.
00:33And every second counts.
00:35Because it's such a big machine, we're going to block the yard.
00:38So we need to be quick.
00:39These are the experts making light work.
00:42About half an inch off the house there.
00:45All good.
00:46Doing really well, actually.
00:47Of the largest loads imaginable.
00:50It is quite easy to make a catastrophic mistake.
00:54What the hell up one way up?
00:56So put your pedal to the metal.
00:58We're committed now.
00:59This is it.
01:00Things are about to get...
01:03Trucking heavy.
01:07Start of the week off with a happy customer.
01:08It can only get worse from here, can't it Mick?
01:10Today...
01:11Let's go and assess how shit this is going to be.
01:20Paulage hero Sam negotiates a narrow gap with an extra wide payload.
01:26Not going to lie, I'm a bit nervous about this next bit.
01:31I'm sure it'll be fine.
01:33And the pressure's on when a multi-million pound statue comes out of storage.
01:39Watch your head sweetheart.
01:41And takes to the skies.
01:43Every day is a school day and every day is something different.
01:47Are we ready to roll it?
01:48Yeah.
01:49Every year, millions of tons of heavy cargo
01:53are hauled across the length and breadth of Britain.
01:56A little bit nervous, obviously, all the traffic's building around us.
01:58Pretty nice, steady Steve.
02:00I've got to start putting some turn on now, Brent.
02:02Pumping a whopping £13.5 billion annually into the UK economy.
02:08Well, it's too bad that a few cars tried to cut in,
02:11but it happens all the time.
02:14Based just outside Leeds,
02:16Brookdale's has grown from humble beginnings
02:19to become one of the biggest hitters in the north of England.
02:23Good afternoon, Brookdale Transport.
02:25Boasting a formidable fleet of heavy-duty machines.
02:29Built for the big stuff.
02:32He's on site in Hull, yeah?
02:34Brookdale Transport started in 2008.
02:37We started off with one truck.
02:38We've moved on to today where we have 50 vehicles and 50 trailers.
02:43From lorry-mounted cranes, to flatbed trucks.
02:48Their crack team of specialist operators
02:51haul heavy cargo of all shapes and sizes.
02:55We move anything from a pallet up to cabins, diggers, port cabins, wide loads.
03:03We've done some specialist lifting from statues in town centres to aircrafts.
03:09Helicopters, we've done quite a few of them.
03:11Anything really.
03:12Star driver Sam, a.k.a. the Hayat Princess,
03:17is a recent recruit to the Brookdale team.
03:21She come to us with high recommendations.
03:24She's proved herself in working solely and within a team on site.
03:30Very friendly, bubbly.
03:31Always likes to have a laugh and a joke.
03:33But when work comes to work, she will crack on.
03:36And yeah, she's really good and a credit to company.
03:39After first starting out in transport management,
03:43Sam swapped paperwork for payloads.
03:46And when it comes to haulage,
03:48this trucker is always ready to rumble.
03:51I'm terrible at sitting still.
03:53I love just being out and about doing something.
03:56Especially like with high ab work,
03:57because you are out and about doing something most of the time.
04:00So sitting round for me is not the one at all.
04:06It's late afternoon and Sam's heading off to her next big assignment.
04:16That's if she can carve a path through the troublesome traffic.
04:20I've definitely noticed the traffic getting worse over the years.
04:23And to be fair, the standard of other people's driving
04:26seems to be getting worse as well.
04:28But, you know, it's part and parcel of the job.
04:31And you just have to crack on with it, really.
04:34Sam's battling busy roads to reach a yard in Tollthorpe,
04:38just north of York.
04:42Where this portly-sized porter cabin
04:45is waiting to be transported to a site
04:48115 miles south of Melton Mowbray.
04:51I don't envy her at the other end.
04:53It's quite of a tricky offload.
04:55Quite narrow gates to get through,
04:57but I'm sure she'll deal with it when she gets there.
04:59We've put Sam on this one,
05:00because we know it'll all go well and smooth at the end.
05:03Measuring in at a whopping 12 foot wide,
05:07the cabin's more than double the width of a ping pong table.
05:11And at just over eight feet high,
05:13it's two feet taller than a fully grown camel.
05:16ARRIVING ON SITE
05:28Arriving on site.
05:30Sam's first task in tackling this towering load
05:33is to get it safely secured for the journey.
05:36Just putting the unit on the lorry.
05:39Holding back to you a little bit, I think.
05:42Yeah, this end back a bit more.
05:45The porter cabin is far wider than her flatbed,
05:49so precise positioning is paramount.
05:52Yeah, yeah, keep going.
05:57Yep.
05:58Luckily, a friendly forklift operator is on hand
06:02to lend some muscle to the mission.
06:04Right.
06:06Stay in a bit.
06:07Yep.
06:08Drop it down a bit.
06:10Let's just have a look at that from the back
06:12and then we'll work it out.
06:14It's vital Sam ensures the weight of the cabin
06:17is evenly distributed.
06:19Can you bring the whole thing back to you
06:22in a straight line about that much?
06:24Please?
06:29Yep.
06:32Yeah.
06:33Pretty bang on that.
06:34Yeah.
06:35Quite impressed.
06:39Cabin perfectly placed.
06:41Yeah, so it's on.
06:42It's fairly even.
06:44Sam's next job
06:46is securing her supersized shipment
06:48for safe transportation.
06:50At least it's not like metal on metal,
06:52so it's sat on wood,
06:54so it's less slidey,
06:56but obviously we just need to make sure
06:58that it's really secure
06:59and it's not going to go anywhere.
07:02Last thing you need is a cabin coming off.
07:04Want to make it away?
07:05A set of well-positioned straps
07:07will hold it steady.
07:09This is where none of my straps reach over the top.
07:13I'm going to have to link two straps together
07:15because our standard straps aren't long enough to go over this.
07:18So we'll throw one and then attach another strap to it.
07:22But can the Hayab Princess muster enough muscle to get them over?
07:27This is where you get to laugh at me bad throwing.
07:30I will probably miss something.
07:32Yes!
07:33Bingo!
07:34Oh, it's not going over that.
07:35That one's on the roof.
07:36Look at that.
07:37That's what you call a pain in the ass.
07:38Coming up, heavy haulage meets fine art.
07:39It's like a nice version of Medusa.
07:40When a multi-million pound statue needs shifting.
07:41Everybody's staring as they're overtaken.
07:46And Sam's delicate delivery gets off to a slow start.
07:55It's like a nice version of Medusa.
07:57When a multi-million pound statue needs shifting.
08:01Everybody's staring as they're overtaken.
08:03And Sam's delicate delivery gets off to a slow start.
08:10This is how bored I am, I'm counting carrots.
08:14And the chicken shit, the smell of chicken shit is brilliant.
08:29In Tollthorpe, just north of York.
08:33Mega-mover Sam's been tasked with shifting a 12-foot-wide porter cabin
08:37to a site 115 miles south in Melton-Mobray.
08:42This is where you get to laugh at me bad throwing.
08:44That's if she can get her cargo safely secured for the journey.
08:49That one's on the roof.
08:51Look at that.
08:53That's what you call a pain in the ass.
08:55That's a cheat way of getting a strap down.
09:05Ta-da!
09:07Sam soon has her straps in place.
09:10I think we've got that one as well.
09:13Bingo.
09:13And her payload ready for the road.
09:26Stay.
09:29So we're just waiting for the escort vehicle to turn up.
09:33And then we can get on the way.
09:38Rush hour is fast approaching, so she's itching to make tracks.
09:42Just sometimes you want to get moving, don't you?
09:44You know, the earlier we go, the less traffic we'll be.
09:52And when you're moving something this wide,
09:54you sort of want the least amount of traffic on the road possible.
09:58And obviously, we are sort of governed by embargo times.
10:03So we can't be moving in certain times when the traffic is heavy.
10:09Her later departure time of 5.30
10:12means Sam's planning to break the journey to the drop-off point.
10:16We're going to drive down the road,
10:18hopefully get about three quarters of the way there,
10:21sleep out overnight, and then deliver the unit in the morning.
10:25So our escort driver, Craig, is here now,
10:27and we are ready to rock and roll.
10:28Time to go.
10:33From collection to delivery,
10:41Sam's drive from Tolforpe to Melton-Mowbray spans 150 miles.
10:47The route will take her south on the A19 towards York,
10:51where she'll overnight.
10:54In the morning, she'll head on to the M1 south
10:56and then switch on to the A46
10:59for the final stretch to her drop-off point.
11:03She may have set off in good time,
11:09but sadly, size restrictions soon put the brakes on Sam's travel plans.
11:14There's an embargo on abnormal loads,
11:18which in this area is between half three and six.
11:23So we can't move until six o'clock
11:25because this unit is too wide to be on the roads.
11:28So we are very bored counting down the minutes
11:32until 6pm so that we can go.
11:34For now, there's a local farmer
11:38to provide some unexpected roadside entertainment.
11:42At least we've got a bit of a view.
11:44There's a lot of carrots, though.
11:46This is how bored I am.
11:47I'm counting carrots.
11:49And the chicken shit,
11:51the smell of chicken shit is brilliant.
11:53After half an hour of sitting stationary,
12:01Sam and escort driver Craig
12:03eventually get the green light.
12:06So it is finally six o'clock.
12:08We're ready to roll out.
12:09We've got our walkie-talkies
12:11so we can communicate with each other.
12:13And, yeah, time to go.
12:14But as they make tracks
12:18through the rural country lanes...
12:21Should have gone for another wee before we left.
12:23I've had, like, three cups of tea
12:25while we're waiting.
12:27Their delayed departure
12:28is already presenting the pair with a challenge.
12:33With us running down after the curfew,
12:36the only sort of risk
12:38is that going through this little village,
12:40there will obviously be more parked cars
12:42because people will be home from work.
12:45So the village will be slightly more interesting
12:47than if we'd done it during the day.
12:49But hey-ho, it is what it is.
12:52Well, I'm sure we'll make it.
12:57Sam may have an extra set of eyes up ahead.
13:03But squeezing through the narrow streets
13:05of a sleepy village unscathed
13:08will take teamwork.
13:10Yeah, I got it.
13:10Don't know if it's worth him...
13:12There is a gap here on my side
13:14if you want to send him through.
13:17I knew we'd come against another bloody lorry.
13:24Working in tandem,
13:25her all-important sidekick
13:27alerts other road users
13:28to the abnormally wide load ahead.
13:32That's the good thing about sending Craig ahead
13:34is that if I hang back a bit,
13:36I can find passing places.
13:39So, fingers crossed.
13:43Nice one.
13:47As the narrow streets continue
13:49to leave the pair with little wiggle room.
13:52Well, you need to fucking move over a bit more than that.
13:55That'll do.
13:57Nice one.
13:58Sam's grateful she's not tackling the journey alone.
14:02It makes such a difference having a good escort driver.
14:06It really is the difference between getting through somewhere like this safely
14:11and not, you know, he's sort of pre-planning where I'm going to put the lorry
14:15and pushing all the cars out of the way.
14:21Yeah, nice one, mate.
14:24But it seems not every road user
14:26is alert to the risks of a passing wide load.
14:33Yeah, and a dangerous cyclist.
14:39Sorry.
14:40That cyclist really did try and die then.
14:42I wasn't just beeping for no reason, sorry.
14:46He decided that he was going to try and squeeze between me
14:49and a parked car, like...
14:51Like, just wait, mate, you know what I mean?
14:54Just give it...
14:55Just give it a minute, like...
14:57Her years behind the wheel have taught Sam
15:00that impatient motorists
15:02are just another occupational hazard.
15:05Doing this, any lorry driver will tell you
15:08that they have had quite a lot of near-misses.
15:10The classic is people trying to beat you
15:12to get off at a junction somewhere
15:14and it's really quite annoying.
15:17I'm not leaving a massive gap to be a dickhead.
15:19I'm leaving a massive gap so I can stop if I need to
15:22and people see that gap as an opportunity
15:24and just push it.
15:26And true to form.
15:29Dickhead!
15:30He's just...
15:32He's going to get stuck behind Craig anyway!
15:34Ha-ha-ha!
15:36Oh, you got so far, babe.
15:38You got so far.
15:39We're not going fast, fast,
15:40but we're not going slow, you know what I mean?
15:42We're doing the speed limit.
15:43He's literally gained nothing.
15:46But made himself like an obit.
15:48The worst of the narrow country lanes behind them
15:54hits full steam ahead
15:56as the pair hit the open expanse of a dual carriageway.
16:00It's what we like.
16:01Empty road in front of us.
16:03When travelling on multi-lane roads,
16:05Sam knows it's always best to have the escort driver
16:08riding up the rear.
16:10Craig is now behind us
16:11because we're on a dual carriageway.
16:13But because of the width of the cabin,
16:15I'm sort of straddling both lanes.
16:18And he's just there to sort of fend off anyone
16:21who thinks, actually,
16:22I'm going to try and chance my luck and get round it.
16:25Craig's eagle eyes,
16:27paired with Sam's skill behind the wheel,
16:30mean the duo are soon within striking distance
16:33of the overnight stopover point.
16:35So, I think we're about half an hour off
16:38where we're parking up.
16:41No surprise, then.
16:42That's Sam's busy making dinner plans.
16:45I might have had a joke about getting a chippy tea,
16:48but I'm trying to be good.
16:49Although, you know,
16:50a pot noodle doesn't really sound too appetising.
16:53So, I may end up getting a chippy tea.
16:56It's...
16:57Doing wonders for the diet.
17:00Mum of two, Sam, usually sticks to day shifts.
17:04So, tonight's layover is a rare break from motherly duties.
17:08It would be quite nice for me
17:09to have a bit of a relaxing evening
17:11and not do too much,
17:13whereas, you know,
17:14when I finish work,
17:15normally, it's all the standard mum things
17:18of homework and reading books and bath time
17:20and everybody arguing about who's having what for tea.
17:24So, yeah,
17:25it'll be a bit peaceful.
17:27Although, to be fair,
17:28I'll probably get to about 8 o'clock
17:29and I'll be facetiming everybody,
17:31going,
17:31Oh, I miss you all!
17:37It's 7pm as Sam closes in on the depot,
17:40where she'll be bunking down in her cab for the evening.
17:43It's been a lot quieter than I expected,
17:48so that's been really nice.
17:51So, yeah, just overall a fairly pleasant journey.
17:54Just this last little awkward bit now to go
17:56and get parked up for the night
17:58and get ourselves comfy.
18:02All parked up,
18:04it's time to part ways with her trusty co-pilot.
18:08Thank you very much!
18:10I know, we'll see you again.
18:11I know, thank you, genuinely.
18:13Yeah, you too.
18:14Honestly, mate,
18:15you was a fucking diamond there.
18:16You too.
18:17See you later!
18:23Nestled in the Warwickshire countryside
18:24lies the historic village of Studley.
18:28But while it may look quaint,
18:31there's some sebiously heavy metal
18:33in the garage out back.
18:37Specialist haulage company Allerlees
18:41are responsible for heavy-duty transportation
18:44throughout the UK.
18:47Their team of heavyweight hauliers
18:48work across multiple industries,
18:51including power, rail and manufacturing.
18:55We'll move anything from sort of a pencil
18:57up to a 5,000 tonne bridge and beyond.
19:00If you have some super-sized cargo
19:02that needs shifting,
19:04then these mega-movers might make your day.
19:07And back in 2022,
19:11we witnessed the lads
19:14at the firm's HQ in Studley
19:16tackle a job that brought
19:18a little art world sensuality
19:20to the heavy haulage industry.
19:23It's weird looking, isn't it?
19:26It's like a nice version of Medusa.
19:28Medusa's not exactly what the artist
19:30was going for
19:31when he created this bronze statue.
19:33It's part of a water feature from Birmingham
19:37named the river by artist Druva Mistry.
19:41After being removed for a deep clean,
19:44the statue, known locally as the
19:46floozy in the jacuzzi,
19:48is ready to return.
19:49Engineering manager, Matt,
19:54is responsible for ensuring her safe passage.
19:58The big difference with something of this nature
20:00is that we don't have lifting points.
20:02Normally, a piece of machinery or equipment
20:05will be very carefully designed.
20:06You'll have a series of lifting points,
20:09you'll have a known centre of gravity,
20:11and those lifting points will be obvious.
20:12A statue has an unknown centre of gravity,
20:15which is a big challenge,
20:16and there are no lifting points.
20:18And that's not all.
20:19The location for the lift
20:21is Birmingham city centre,
20:23a site riddled with unseen obstacles
20:25that need to be avoided at all cost.
20:28Here we have communication cables,
20:31BT cables,
20:33water lines,
20:34and low-voltage electricity.
20:36So, if we were to, say,
20:38disrupt a telecom line,
20:40we could take out communication
20:42for multiple parts of the city.
20:44So, given the area that we're in,
20:46these are some very important services.
20:49In order to avoid a blackout in Birmingham,
20:52Matt's mapped out the preferred areas
20:54to place the crane
20:55and identified a safe zone
20:57to swing the statue,
20:59without fear of failure.
21:00In the yard,
21:03some of the team are prepping for the move.
21:06You'll have to get in first, anyway,
21:07to set up so I can drive underneath, won't you?
21:10Which way are we going to go?
21:11They're not quite hot for.
21:12Craneop Tom is in charge
21:14of getting the statue airborne,
21:16once on site.
21:19First,
21:19heavy haulier and local lad Spike
21:21needs to navigate the 18-mile trip
21:24to Birmingham.
21:26Just an iconic statue
21:27that's been there for as long as I can remember.
21:31Another day at the office for us,
21:33moving something that's a little bit different.
21:35And that's why we all come to work here,
21:37because every day is a school day
21:39and every day is something different.
21:40The statue comes complete
21:42with additional water fountain.
21:44Both need to be forklifted onto the lorry
21:47and strapped into position
21:48to minimise the risk of any movement.
21:51The feet are going to go
21:52up to the neck of the trailer here.
21:56Luke is responsible
21:57for keeping the floozy on a tight leash,
21:59but he has to be careful.
22:04The statue weighs one and three quarter tonnes
22:06and it's a fragile load,
22:09liable to dent or break,
22:10if not handled with care.
22:12This is just rubber
22:14to put in between the straps
22:15rather than, like,
22:17putting pressure on the actual load itself.
22:19We can support it with rubber.
22:22Once Luke's happy
22:23that the statue is secure,
22:24it's time to hit the road.
22:27All being well,
22:29the lorry and crane
22:30should reach their destination
22:31within the hour.
22:33Oh, Mr. Peugeot,
22:38let's go.
22:41Coming up...
22:42That's a bit?
22:44Yeah?
22:45...Sam's shipping skills
22:47are stretched to the limit.
22:48I've moved stuff round up wagons
22:50or I've put them on, like,
22:52you know,
22:52one truck of timber,
22:54but four pallets high
22:55is a new one for me.
22:56And it's high-stakes haulage
23:00as the floozy in the jacuzzi
23:01takes to the streets.
23:04You don't want it to rock,
23:05you don't want it to tip,
23:06you don't want to dent it,
23:07you don't want to break too hard.
23:09Petrifying.
23:215am.
23:23And up north,
23:24heavy metal mover Sam
23:26is stirring
23:27from her overnight slumber.
23:29We've not locked in a mirror yet,
23:31so if I look like shit,
23:32I apologise.
23:34A quick once-over
23:35off her truck.
23:39Checking we've got tyres.
23:40We've got tyres.
23:42Everything looks good.
23:43And she's all set
23:45to hit the road
23:46for the second leg
23:47of her journey
23:48to deliver a 12-foot-wide
23:50porter cabin
23:50to its drop-off
23:52in Melton Mowbray.
23:53Oh, Sam, you know what I have that look?
23:57Keep coming at that.
24:00Perfect.
24:03Perfect.
24:04Keep it like that, you too.
24:06Thanks, mate.
24:08Assisting Sam in today's tricky task
24:10is trustee escort driver Andy.
24:12That's if the pair
24:14can figure the right route
24:15out of the gates.
24:16What the fuck are you doing, Andy?
24:20I thought you said right
24:21or is it left and right?
24:23Left and left.
24:25Oh, my bad.
24:27Follow the leader,
24:28leader, follow the leader.
24:31I could have sworn
24:32you said right,
24:33but OK.
24:33Despite a shaky start,
24:39Sam knows she's in safe hands.
24:41Andy is sort of the
24:43backbone of the Brookdale team.
24:46He's sort of always there
24:47for everybody
24:48with a bit of a
24:49wise word
24:50and a listening ear.
24:51So he's really good
24:52at communicating
24:53what's going on as well.
24:54So that's always really helpful.
24:56And he knows where he's going.
24:57As the pair head south
25:01onto the M1 motorway,
25:02it seems they're not
25:03the only ones
25:04making an early start.
25:06You tend to find
25:07with a lot of lorry drivers
25:08they are early birds.
25:09So they do like to get out
25:10and start really early.
25:12So we are going to get
25:13a lot more lorries this morning
25:15than what we did last night.
25:17Being up at the crack of dawn
25:19might not be Sam's style,
25:21but that doesn't mean
25:22she can't rise to the occasion
25:24when duty calls.
25:26I'm definitely more
25:28of an evening person
25:29than a morning person,
25:30but I can still get up
25:32and get on with it.
25:34But would I prefer
25:35to be doing everything
25:37at night time?
25:38Yes, I would.
25:39Ferrying a massively wide
25:41payload on the motorway,
25:42Sam's pleased to have
25:43Andy behind,
25:45acting as the eyes
25:46in the back of her head.
25:47Andy, I don't really
25:48want to sit at 52.
25:50Are we OK to take lanes
25:52two and three
25:52to overtake this guy?
25:54Yeah, one minute out
25:55of an hour, one minute.
25:57Yeah, just shout me
25:58when you're ready.
26:03By the time the sun
26:04begins to rise,
26:06Sam's making steady progress
26:07as she chairs up the tarmac
26:09towards her drop-off point.
26:12Yeah, going pretty well
26:12so far.
26:13We are about
26:15four and a half miles away,
26:16five miles away,
26:17just on the A46.
26:19Yeah, so it's going pretty well.
26:21Knowing she has a nerve-wrackingly
26:23narrow entrance gate
26:24to negotiate,
26:26she's keen to use her time
26:27behind the wheel wisely
26:29by plotting a game plan.
26:32Obviously, this cabin
26:33is 12 foot wide
26:35and there is a gateway
26:37that is about 11 and a half
26:39foot wide.
26:39So when we get there,
26:41we're going to have to pull in,
26:44pick the cabin up,
26:45rest it on pallets
26:47to support the base of it
26:49and then drive it
26:50through the gateway
26:51so that the cabin
26:52goes over the gate posts.
26:57So, yeah,
26:58it's going to be
26:58a little bit interesting.
27:00Half an hour later,
27:02Sam finally has
27:04the delivery location
27:05in her sights.
27:09Yeah, people don't
27:10have any brains, mate.
27:12Barring a few obstacles
27:14in her way.
27:15Move.
27:16You're going to have
27:18to move, aren't you,
27:19because I'm going up there.
27:31I sounded like
27:32the right bitch, then.
27:34And he goes on ahead
27:36to suss out
27:37the lay of the land.
27:38It's all fire there.
27:39Two minutes while I have a wrecking.
27:41So it should be
27:41like a single lane track
27:43all the way down
27:44to a load of brick cab buildings.
27:46There should be
27:46an 11 foot 9 inch gate
27:48that we're going to have
27:48to pick the unit up
27:49and then lift it
27:51over the gate type of thing.
27:52Oh, yeah, they're down here.
27:54They're down here.
27:54They're down here.
27:55They're down here.
27:56Is it that vast?
27:58Yeah, yeah.
27:58It's a bit tight down here,
28:00but I think it'll be all right.
28:01I'm coming back up.
28:02I'll spin round
28:02and come down here.
28:04Yeah, no drama, mate.
28:05I'll pull in.
28:11Honestly.
28:16Your face then
28:17was a picture, Andy.
28:20What the fuck?
28:22I didn't know about this.
28:24That's why she's
28:25let me go in first
28:26so I can't get back out
28:27to go home.
28:30Facing an entranceway
28:31nearly half a foot narrower
28:32than her whopping
28:33wide payload
28:35means Sam's haulage skills
28:37are about to face
28:39a serious test.
28:41Oh, dear.
28:43Now that my legs
28:43have gone dead.
28:45Let's come and assess
28:46how shit this is going to be.
28:48Time ticking.
28:50A tentative Sam
28:51swiftly begins
28:52to put her plan
28:53into action.
28:55So the plan is
28:56rig up here,
28:57lift the unit up,
28:59put five pallets
29:00under each corner,
29:02tighten a couple
29:03of the straps back up
29:04and then drive
29:05through the gateway
29:06so the unit
29:07in effect
29:08will float
29:09over the gateway.
29:11instead of
29:11hitting the gatepost.
29:13Well, that's the theory.
29:15Now all Sam
29:16has to do
29:17is turn it
29:18into a reality.
29:20What do you do then?
29:20Just put them right on edge.
29:23Er,
29:23we'll get the
29:24middle set of
29:25blocks
29:27right under the barriers.
29:29You know what I mean?
29:30Yeah.
29:30Should be all right.
29:32Now they got the last one in.
29:34Should be all right.
29:35Truck perfectly positioned.
29:39Sam's first step
29:40is to get landing mats
29:41ready for her outriggers,
29:43essential to prevent
29:45the truck from tipping over.
29:47Next,
29:48Andy and the yard workers
29:50begin getting the pallets
29:51in place
29:52while Sam
29:54sets up her crane
29:55for the lift.
29:56Delivering the muscle
30:00for the mega move
30:02is Sam's
30:03fassy
30:03F8-20 crane.
30:06With a 16 metre reach
30:07and a maximum capacity
30:09of 22 tonnes,
30:11this heavy lifting
30:12hero
30:12takes extra large loads
30:15in its stride.
30:17Andy,
30:18will you get me
30:20a D-shackle
30:21out of the
30:22side box,
30:23please?
30:24Crane in prime position.
30:27Sam starts
30:27to rig her chains.
30:29Right,
30:30someone stick your foot
30:30on that for us,
30:31please.
30:33Carefully connecting them
30:35to the four corners
30:36of the container.
30:38Pallets placed
30:39to elevate
30:40the porter cabin
30:41above the height
30:42of the fence.
30:43Sam is now ready
30:44for liftoff.
30:46So,
30:47we're just going to
30:47pick this unit up
30:48and stuff it
30:49on these pallets
30:50which should give us
30:52access into
30:53the yard.
30:55As she cranks
30:56up the crane
30:57with her controls,
30:59That's not bad
31:00at all,
31:00that.
31:01things are looking
31:02positive.
31:04So,
31:05I questioned
31:06whether
31:06that end
31:09was going to lift
31:09quite uneven
31:11because of the amount
31:12of glass in there,
31:14but it's actually
31:15lifting quite nicely.
31:16despite the obstacles
31:18in her way.
31:20Trying to keep it
31:21off them bloody lines.
31:23Right,
31:23ready?
31:27She manages
31:28to deftly direct
31:29her delivery
31:30back down
31:31towards the
31:32makeshift wooden
31:33support.
31:34Just getting
31:34the pallets
31:36in the middle.
31:37We might have
31:38pulled yours
31:38all back a bit
31:39as well,
31:40mate.
31:40A few final
31:42adjustments.
31:43Up a bit.
31:45Yeah?
31:50And the pink princess
31:52can proudly claim
31:54another career
31:55conquest.
31:56Hey,
31:56who wants to
31:57climb it now?
31:59I've moved
32:00stuff around
32:00on wagons
32:01or I've put them
32:02on like,
32:03you know,
32:03one truck of timber,
32:05but four pallets
32:06high is a new
32:07one for me.
32:08But that
32:11was the easy
32:12part.
32:13Sam's now
32:14got to thread
32:14her prized
32:15payload
32:16through the
32:16gateway
32:17without so
32:18much as a
32:19scrape.
32:20Not gonna lie,
32:21I'm a bit nervous
32:21about this next bit.
32:24I'm sorry,
32:25it'll be fine.
32:26Back in the
32:32Midlands,
32:33the floozy
32:34in the
32:34jacuzzi
32:35statue
32:35has just
32:36set off
32:37on her
32:3718-mile
32:38march
32:39to Birmingham
32:40city centre.
32:41Oh,
32:41Mr.
32:42Peugeot,
32:42let's go.
32:44Spikes
32:44mapped out
32:45a route
32:45heading
32:46directly north
32:47on the
32:47A441.
32:49The dual
32:49carriageway
32:50should give
32:51him plenty
32:51of room
32:52for manoeuvre.
32:53Everybody's
32:54staring as
32:55they're
32:55overtaking.
32:55Just as
32:57well,
32:58the cargo
32:59he's carrying
32:59costs a
33:00cool
33:01three and
33:01a half
33:02million
33:02pounds.
33:04You don't
33:05want it to
33:05rot,
33:05you don't
33:06want it
33:06to tip,
33:07you don't
33:07want to
33:07dent it,
33:08you don't
33:08want to
33:08break too
33:09hard or
33:10have to
33:11break too
33:11hard.
33:12Petrifying.
33:14You don't
33:15want to
33:15damage her
33:16or anything,
33:16you keep
33:17an eye on
33:17her,
33:17make sure
33:18she's not
33:18moving around
33:19or anything
33:19on the
33:20back.
33:24Spike's
33:24been in
33:24their heavy
33:25haulage
33:25game for
33:26more than
33:2620 years.
33:28We've got
33:29an ambulance
33:29coming up.
33:30All that
33:31experience comes
33:32in handy when
33:33carrying precious
33:34cargo like
33:35this.
33:35What I'm going
33:36to do is stop
33:37here because the
33:38ambulance is
33:38coming and give
33:40them room to get
33:41round off so it's
33:41one less obstacle
33:42at the lights.
33:44Come on, mate.
33:46Keep an eye on
33:47everything.
33:47You've got to watch
33:48what's going on with
33:49the road.
33:49You've got to watch
33:50the load as
33:51well, especially
33:51I mean, she's
33:53slightly top
33:54heavy.
33:56Because you're
33:57that much bigger,
33:58you've just got to
33:58pay that much more
33:59attention to what's
34:00going on.
34:01As the convoy
34:02hits the outskirts
34:03of Birmingham,
34:04there's little
34:05margin for error.
34:07This is the
34:08narrowest bit down
34:08here.
34:09Waiting for
34:10somebody to do
34:10something stupid.
34:12You've just got to
34:12concentrate and,
34:14you know,
34:14accidents happen.
34:15Just half an hour
34:17after leaving the
34:18depot, the lads
34:19are on the
34:20home straight.
34:22Watch your head,
34:23sweetheart.
34:27Thanks to
34:27Spike's expertise,
34:29the statue has
34:30completed its
34:31journey without
34:32sustaining a
34:33single scratch.
34:35Where's he
34:35going to want
34:36us?
34:39It's now up to
34:40Luke on the
34:41ground and Tom
34:42in the crane to
34:43get the floozy
34:44back in the
34:45jacuzzi.
34:46If anything
34:46in front of the
34:49crane needs to
34:50be screwed over
34:52to the left,
34:52just where that
34:53skip is.
34:53Yeah, I would
34:54almost want him
34:55so you'll sit
34:56if we could
34:56screw you over
34:57the left,
34:57just wait to
34:58see where the
34:58skips are,
34:59if that makes
34:59sense.
34:59Yeah.
35:00The statue is
35:01just one element
35:02of a £12 million
35:03restoration project
35:05for the city.
35:07This precious
35:08centrepiece needs
35:10to rest on the
35:10plinth in the
35:11centre of the
35:12water feature.
35:13It's a straight
35:15up and over
35:16and Tom has
35:17the perfect
35:18piece of kit
35:19to carry out
35:20the manoeuvre.
35:24The Lieber
35:25LTM
35:261055
35:273.1
35:28A triple
35:30axled 40
35:31tonne giant
35:32of lifting
35:32power with a
35:3440 metre main
35:35boom capable of
35:36raising up to
35:3755 tonnes off the
35:39floor.
35:41The floozy is well
35:42within the crane's
35:43lifting capability.
35:45But as the team
35:46hooks up the
35:47statue, there's a
35:49problem.
35:50They're going to
35:51unhook and then
35:52they're going to
35:52put the stick up in
35:53the air and see
35:54what the winch
35:54speed is.
35:55It's a breezy day
35:56in Birmingham.
35:58If the wind speed
35:59reaches more than
36:00a regulation 11.4
36:02metres a second,
36:03the lift will have
36:05to be placed on
36:05hold.
36:06We'll get them to
36:07move the skit and
36:10then we'll set it
36:10up.
36:11If it's too windy
36:11we can't do it.
36:12Yeah.
36:13Everything's been
36:14planned to perfection.
36:15The one thing you
36:16can't account for is
36:18the great British
36:19weather.
36:21Still to come.
36:22I like your show.
36:23It's crunch time
36:24for Sam.
36:26It sort of goes
36:27against every
36:28instinct to drive
36:29through a gap
36:29that you know
36:30is too small.
36:31And a bronze
36:32battle in
36:33Birmingham.
36:34Can we move
36:35the arse just
36:35that way?
36:36With three and a
36:37half million reasons
36:38why it mustn't go
36:40wrong.
36:40I hope it ever
36:41holds out because
36:42it might be a bit
36:42too windy to lift
36:43at the moment.
36:43back in Melton
36:55Mowbray.
36:57Haulage hero Sam
36:58is hoping to dodge
36:59disaster as she guides
37:01her 12 foot wide
37:03consignment through a
37:04tight entrance and
37:06down a narrow driveway.
37:07Not going to lie I'm a
37:09bit nervous about this
37:10next bit.
37:12But I'm sorry it'll be
37:14fine.
37:16To avoid taking the
37:17gatepost with her
37:18she's counting on the
37:19team to monitor her
37:21every move.
37:22So if we have one
37:23new one side one the
37:24other and just shout
37:25stop loud I'll keep
37:27all the windows open.
37:28Yeah?
37:30Moment of truth.
37:31Time for Sam to step
37:36up to the plate and
37:37show us what she's
37:39made of.
37:43Not at your side.
37:47There's barely any
37:48wiggle room either
37:49side.
37:52I was just concerned
37:53about this telegraph
37:54ball.
37:56This just goes
37:57against everything
37:58you should do.
38:01But a cool head
38:11and a steady hand
38:12sees the pink
38:13princess pass with
38:15flying colours.
38:17Woo!
38:19Finish it,
38:20bit.
38:23Loads around.
38:26Don't know what
38:26you're worrying about.
38:27Against the odds
38:29Sam's made it down
38:30the drive unscathed.
38:31That went so much
38:34better than I thought
38:35it was going to.
38:36It sort of goes
38:37against every instinct
38:38to drive through a
38:39gap that you know
38:40is too small.
38:41But the plan
38:42worked.
38:44But the job's not
38:45a good one yet.
38:47Yeah, I'm going
38:47over there Andy.
38:49There's still the
38:50small matter of
38:51safely landing her
38:53prized payload back
38:55onto solid ground.
38:56The cabin is going
38:57just on these pads
38:58here and it's
39:00going to link
39:00onto that one
39:01where there's an
39:01open doorway.
39:03That's where that
39:03open hole's going.
39:04So it's the right
39:05way round.
39:06Crane in place.
39:08Sam scales the
39:09heights to connect
39:10her hugs.
39:14Don't let me
39:15fall off.
39:15I've not had
39:16breakfast yet.
39:18Everything's
39:18secured.
39:19She skillfully
39:20steers her cargo
39:21towards the target.
39:23To ensure a
39:29flawless fit with
39:30the existing
39:30structure, Sam
39:32must place the
39:33portacabin with
39:34pinpoint precision.
39:36I'll bring her
39:36down on me and
39:37it will push it
39:38out a little bit
39:38and then we'll
39:39start lining her
39:40up.
39:41Once she has the
39:42alignment exactly
39:43right.
39:45Right, to me a
39:45bit.
39:48About right
39:49there.
39:51Towards the
39:52building.
39:54The pink
39:54princess can be
39:55proud of a
39:56perfect landing
39:57barring a few
39:58final adjustments.
40:01Up.
40:02Yeah.
40:02Yeah.
40:06It's just
40:06sitting a little
40:07tiny bit lower
40:08than the other
40:09cabin.
40:10So we're just
40:10nipping it up a
40:11tiny bit so that
40:12when they walk
40:13through the floors
40:13will all be
40:14level.
40:15Down.
40:21Yeah.
40:22Bingo.
40:23Everything now on
40:24a level footing.
40:26I'm knackered.
40:27Sam can finally
40:29declare it's
40:30mission complete.
40:33All sorted,
40:33all delivered,
40:34nice to see.
40:36I actually thought
40:37that was going to
40:37be slightly worse
40:38than it was but
40:39it turned out to be
40:40all right in the
40:40end.
40:41I'm going to go
40:41and get some
40:42breakfast and then
40:43head back north.
40:44watch your head,
40:56sweetheart.
40:58After an 18-mile
40:59journey from base to
41:01Birmingham, it's
41:02bath time for a
41:03bronze sculpture.
41:04You'll be able to
41:06let's see where the
41:07skips are, if that
41:07makes sense.
41:08Yeah.
41:09Or at least it
41:10will be, if
41:11conditions allow.
41:12I'm going to put
41:13the stick up in the
41:14air and see what
41:15the wind speed is.
41:16A one and three
41:16quarter tonne statue
41:18known affectionately as
41:19the floozy in the
41:20jacuzzi, is about to
41:22be returned to her
41:23rightful place in the
41:24city centre.
41:26The only problem, it
41:28might be too windy to
41:29risk craning her off
41:30the lorry.
41:31I'm going to
41:31position the crane
41:32over here so we
41:34can get him reached
41:34so it's going to be
41:36bouncing down the
41:36bottom and so the
41:38statue can go on
41:39top of here so we
41:39don't have to keep
41:40moving the crane
41:40back and forth.
41:42But I'm hoping the
41:43weather holds out
41:44because it might be a
41:44bit too windy to lift
41:45at the moment.
41:47Crane operator Tom
41:48needs a wind speed
41:49of less than 11.4
41:51metres a second
41:52before he can attempt
41:53the lift.
41:54And luckily, it
41:56looks as though
41:56there's a window.
41:58As the breeze drops,
42:00the winch is lower.
42:01forward and it's
42:02time to get the
42:03floozy airborne.
42:04The lads attach one
42:05chain to the front of
42:06the statue and a
42:08second to the centre
42:09via a strap wrapped
42:10around the sculpture's
42:11stomach.
42:12This will keep the
42:13floozy upright as they
42:15manoeuvre her into
42:16position over the
42:17plinth using a guide
42:18rope.
42:19So you just want to
42:19move it back a
42:20touch?
42:20once Tom lowers the
42:26winch, it's down to
42:27Tony and Luke to get
42:29the statue lined up on
42:30the plinth.
42:31The water for the fountain
42:43will be funneled through
42:4413 nozzles positioned
42:45around the statue.
42:47It needs to be aligned
42:48correctly in order for the
42:50water to flow freely.
42:53A couple of final
42:58adjustments and after six
43:00months in storage, the
43:01floozy is back where she
43:03belongs.
43:04Yeah, giant.
43:09It's back on its
43:10plinth so she looks
43:11great.
43:12Today's big move is
43:14part of a multi-million
43:15pound makeover for the
43:17city centre.
43:18Once the fountain is up
43:19and running, water will
43:21flow from the plinth into
43:22the pool below at a rate
43:24of 3,000 gallons a
43:25minute.
43:26The taps will be turned
43:27on soon, so any jiggling
43:29in the jacuzzi will have
43:30to wait.
43:31For now, the lads are
43:32simply relieved to have
43:34got their precious cargo
43:35installed in one piece.
43:37We're going to put these
43:38back on and then strap
43:39them down and we're
43:40going to back out and
43:41go home.
43:43Job done.
43:51Next time.
43:52It's obviously the first
43:53part of the route out.
43:54There's a few bends on
43:55it.
43:55A 69-year-old bloco needs
43:58lugging to new lodgings.
44:00Come on.
44:02Come on.
44:03I'm going that way.
44:05But tricky turns at
44:07testing.
44:08Go on, go on, go on.
44:11Darren's in hot water
44:12when a hot tub's out of
44:14reach.
44:15That's me maxed out
44:16now.
44:18It's just like an
44:19oversized cotton reel.
44:20And a colossal cable reel
44:22collection calls for a
44:24titanic trailer.
44:26Keep your eye on that
44:27transit.
44:28So Zach is in for a
44:30tight squeeze.
44:32He's got a bit close to
44:33the trailer.
44:33May I do it.
44:57Let's do it.
45:00So.
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