1st day

Well did my first day in a lorry today, only class 2 mind but it’s a lot different to the buses I’ve been driving for the past 5 years! Went straight in at the deep end and went out on my own everything went fine made all my drops and one collection all in all a good first day. Was quite proud of myself that I didn’t damage anything, found everywhere ok and made no ■■■■ ups then just as I was getting out of the shower I realised I’d left my digi card in the tacho machine :unamused: luckily it defaults to break when ignition switched off and I’ve text my boss who’s still there and he’s going to take it out for me as the night men move lorries about to load them. All in all a good day and looking forward to getting back to it tomrrow.

Nice one mate, you sound pleased with yourself, well done

that’s great to hear I hope you have as many good years as I have lorry driving, I must of had bad days but the good ones shine through, good luck and keep safe.

Good to hear so nice not to get all negative

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The shower?! You should be in a layby using baby wipes like us real drivers :laughing:

Seriously though, well done mate and I wish you many more happy and safe miles! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Drempels:
The shower?! You should be in a layby using baby wipes like us real drivers :laughing:

Seriously though, well done mate and I wish you many more happy and safe miles! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Hahaha them days are to come for me yet but the first week they said they’d give me easy local-ish runs which was good practice for me using the curtains and strapping/unstrapping, We do some longer distance stuff too and I’ve the first thing they told me to put in the truck was night out gear so I’m looking forward to going a bit further a field too. And I’m doing my class 1 next month so exciting times ahead hopefully :smiley:

liam6226:

Drempels:
The shower?! You should be in a layby using baby wipes like us real drivers :laughing:

Seriously though, well done mate and I wish you many more happy and safe miles! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Hahaha them days are to come for me yet but the first week they said they’d give me easy local-ish runs which was good practice for me using the curtains and strapping/unstrapping, We do some longer distance stuff too and I’ve the first thing they told me to put in the truck was night out gear so I’m looking forward to going a bit further a field too. And I’m doing my class 1 next month so exciting times ahead hopefully :smiley:

Next month! Best you start road-testing a few brands of wipes then! :laughing:

Good luck with your test too mate!

Drempels:

liam6226:

Drempels:
The shower?! You should be in a layby using baby wipes like us real drivers :laughing:

Seriously though, well done mate and I wish you many more happy and safe miles! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Hahaha them days are to come for me yet but the first week they said they’d give me easy local-ish runs which was good practice for me using the curtains and strapping/unstrapping, We do some longer distance stuff too and I’ve the first thing they told me to put in the truck was night out gear so I’m looking forward to going a bit further a field too. And I’m doing my class 1 next month so exciting times ahead hopefully :smiley:

Next month! Best you start road-testing a few brands of wipes then! :laughing:

Good luck with your test too mate!

Haha cheers mate

Find a friend who has a Costco card. They do large boxes of ‘flushable’ wipes really cheaply

Top man, great to hear a positive driver, I’ve been on class 2 for a couple years now and only regret being I didn’t get Into HGV 8 years earlier.
Some rubbish days to come for you make no mistake, but the thought of me going back to a production/warehouse job sends shudders down me spine,

And I don’t miss the feeling of dread every Sunday, of going back in to work, not saying I look forward to it now but I certainly don’t hate it

liam6226:
Well did my first day in a lorry today, only class 2 mind but it’s a lot different to the buses I’ve been driving for the past 5 years! Went straight in at the deep end and went out on my own everything went fine made all my drops and one collection all in all a good first day. Was quite proud of myself that I didn’t damage anything, found everywhere ok and made no ■■■■ ups then just as I was getting out of the shower I realised I’d left my digi card in the tacho machine :unamused: luckily it defaults to break when ignition switched off and I’ve text my boss who’s still there and he’s going to take it out for me as the night men move lorries about to load them. All in all a good day and looking forward to getting back to it tomrrow.

Nice one mate, that brings back a lot of memories being mad keen…as I was when I first started. (God was I really?? :laughing: )
I was going to pm you, but I’ll put this on the forum for any other new drivers who may be interested instead…so here it is. :smiley:

Make the best of it now, it’s half the battle when you love a job, so don’t spoil it for yourself. :bulb:

My advice to you which maybe will not be agreeable with some on here but who cares, it has always worked for me for last 30+ years… is this…

You’ve had a good first day, so now set your own pace and don’t rush around, as that is when balls ups and damage happens. :bulb:

Take your time and DON’T let them push you, (they WILL try…trust me) especially when you get a couple more weeks experience and they think they can take advantage of your ‘‘newness’’.

Do your job at a sensible pace, keep getting it done satisfactorily and you will earn respect from them as a good reliable and competent driver, IF they are a decent firm…the more you allow them to push you the more they will give you to do, then the enjoyment goes and the rat race begins.

Don’t try and keep up with or emulate Mr D. Head (who will undoubtedly drive for your firm…trust me :bulb: )
just ignore him as he will be dead in 10 yrs anyway after he burns himself out with his first heart attack, with teararsing about with his arse on fire like there’s no tomorrow, trying to impress your boss every ■■■■ day of his miserable life, so let him crack on regardless. :unamused: ignore him and treat him with the contempt he richly deserves…as his boss secretly does. :bulb:

Don’t be afraid to ask experienced drivers for help and advice…we’ve all had to learn, and if they are ‘proper’ drivers they will be glad to help.

If you do start nights out forget the ■■■■ wipes :unamused: :smiley: , carry plenty kit and food, buy comforts for your cab…fridge, cooker, kettle, tv inflatable woman (ok the last bit is up to you, personally I don’t bother :laughing: )

Find somewhere decent to park, a decent T/stop or a well lit up ind est near facilities for non valuable loads, (preferably somewhere that does not have the signs ‘‘Lay by’’ or MSA beside it,)

Ask other drivers for sites and make note of potential good parks for the future as you pass them, or come on here and ask, if stuck and I can help send me a pm…not every ■■■■ night btw. :laughing:
Take all your rubbish away in your cab/trailer so as not to get the park you have found banned for the rest of us. (Had to say :smiley: )that…no offence

This job can be as enjoyable or as hard as YOU make it mate.

Hope that advice helps, but take it or leave it, you decide.
Good luck with it all anyway.

Seems as though you’ve gone into it like we did back in the day… there’s yer motor, here’s the keys, ■■■■ off, see ya when yer when yer get back :slight_smile: It’s all a matter of common sense; we know certain parts of society are trying to ban it, but just keep plugging on. There’s some good advice from uncle Rob, but above all the other things, heed the bit about not letting anyone push you to get the job done quicker, it gets done when it gets done… right the first time. No need for a second go. Good luck.

Well done liam, glad it all went well for you :smiley: I think your enthusiasm reminds us all of when we first started out, some great advice by them other lads so i’ll just say your the driver of your truck. And don’t worry when you screw up, it’s not the end of the world, you may feel like crap for a couple of days but you’ll get over it, all part of getting experience. :wink: :wink:

I always took wet wipes with me when tramping, but never for full body washes like the uneducated amongst us here seem to think, I would use wet wipes to wipe my hands before/after eating and other than using them to wipe the dashboard and other interior surfaces down that’d be about it.

To wash I always carried a 10ltr water can, a round washing up bowl, a flannel, liquid soap, and a towel, add to that toothbrush and toothpaste and washing up liquid (good for if your hands got greasy/oily and of course washing up your dishes and utensils) some nice smellies (both spray and dry stick) and your not the smelly tramp the closed minded ones assume, in fact I’ve come across plenty of “day” men that stink of BO and those dirty [zb]ers get home every night?!

Edit: almost forgot to add, and of course when able stop for a shower at any MSA on route (you don’t need to park up for the night to use their showers :wink: ) you’ll soon find out which ones have decent showers, again that’s something you can ask on here too.

Reef:
I always took wet wipes with me when tramping, but never for full body washes like the uneducated amongst us here seem to think, I would use wet wipes to wipe my hands before/after eating and other than using them to wipe the dashboard and other interior surfaces down that’d be about it.

To wash I always carried a 10ltr water can, a round washing up bowl, a flannel, liquid soap, and a towel, add to that toothbrush and toothpaste and washing up liquid (good for if your hands got greasy/oily and of course washing up your dishes and utensils) some nice smellies (both spray and dry stick) and your not the smelly tramp the closed minded ones assume, in fact I’ve come across plenty of “day” men that stink of BO and those dirty [zb]ers get home every night?!

Edit: almost forgot to add, and of course when able stop for a shower at any MSA on route (you don’t need to park up for the night to use their showers :wink: ) you’ll soon find out which ones have decent showers, again that’s something you can ask on here too.

Tbh Reef I also carry wet wipes for the same reasons you point out.
I was also coming at it from the context of the ‘‘uneducated’’ on here, that you mention.
Same as if they said ‘‘Take a good supply of Asda bags to crap in’’ :unamused: :laughing:

Unbelevably there are actually many on here who genuinely believe we live like that :open_mouth: , as you know. :unamused: :laughing: :laughing:
And even more unbelievably there are one or two that actually do ! :neutral_face:

Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom…second day went great as well, everything delivered and even managed an extra collection, the only thing I’m struggling with is the mass amount of paeperwork involved but that’ll come…I hope :laughing: getting a bit better at strapping now and I’m off a bit further a field tomorrow and Thursday which will be nice after doing about 5/6 drops and a couple of collections on each of my first two days. Been told they’re going to try and give me a night out too so I can see what that’s like, already got wet wipes and my bedding in the cab I think the rest will come with time I realise what I want or need for more nights out. One thing I will say after two days though is I thought car drivers in towns and cities where I’ve driven buses were bad with beat the bus syndrome but it seems to be just as bad on motorways and dual carriageways, cutting in at the last minute to make their exit, sitting at 50mph and then speeding up when you start to overtake them and what annoys me the most is not knowing how to join main carriageways from slip roads in their un restricted cars! Second day in I need a little moan haha but still really enjoyed it and looking forward tomorrow now.

liam6226:
I realised I’d left my digi card in the tacho machine

Took me nearly 2 years to stop doing that

natedog13:

liam6226:
I realised I’d left my digi card in the tacho machine

Took me nearly 2 years to stop doing that

Hahaha I made sure I remembered tonight but yeah it’ll take me a while to get used to it :laughing:

I gave up the buses about 15 months ago after 17 years and any time I’m having a not so good day I remember how bad it was on the buses and I soon cheer up. :smiley:

Gave up the buses after 10 years and now drive a lorry=happy me!