A long-distance lorry driver with Northumberland firm Moody Logistics is being featured this week in the new ten-part BBC series, Night Force.
Screened on BBC1 each weekday morning at 11.45am, every episode follows a number of people in various professions who work through the night in the Tyne and Wear area – known as the UK’s night shift capital.
As well as Dave Blench, who has been with Cramlington-based Moody Logistics and Storage for 25 years, it follows a team of vets, mechanics, roadworkers, market wholesalers, theatre staff and a street cleaner.
Dave, of Stakeford, near Morpeth, has driven the same 374-mile round trip between Northumberland and the Pall-Ex depot in Leicestershire each night for the past 20 years, clocking up an annual 90,000 miles.
He said: “I’m looking forward to watching the series, although it might have to be on catch-up as at that time of the morning I’m normally still catching up on my sleep!
“I enjoy working nights and have grown used to it over the years, but it will be nice for people to get an insight into just what it’s like.”
Caroline Moody, managing director of Moody Logistics, said: “It’s great that a family-run firm like ours is able to portray on national TV the contribution it makes in helping to keep this country running.
“There’s no doubt Dave is a real stalwart of the night shift and he’s an excellent choice to represent the thousands of other HGV drivers, who are on the road while the rest of us are asleep. They really are the unsung heroes.”
Dave is one of four Moody Logistics drivers who make the daily Leicestershire ‘night trunk run’.
Night Force, which began today (Monday 6 April) is screened each weekday morning until Friday April 17.