US trampers > UK trampers
Their jobs/lives seem way worse, though.
ETS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZcBU8TZ44YUS trampers > UK trampers
Their jobs/lives seem way worse, though.
Have you read the ExPat forum?
Some happy drivers in the States, but it is not a Utopian ideal.
Franglais:
US trampers > UK trampersTheir jobs/lives seem way worse, though.
Have you read the ExPat forum?
Some happy drivers in the States, but it is not a Utopian ideal.
[/quote]
I haven’t read it but afaik US trampers spend months away from home at a time, not 4 night a week like UK trampers…Takes a lot more I think in terms of sacrifice, dedication etc. The ones in the video had some miserable faces unlike any I’ve seen here in the UK
I watched a documentary some time ago from the US about the abduction and murder of hookers from truck stops by long distance truck drivers.More common place than you would care to think!
When talking about US “trampers” you have to consider how long they are out on the highway for.
A lot of drivers are on a basis whereby they are out on the road until such time as they actually have a need to go home and then they have to send a home request to their dispatch office who will try to get them a load coming home. Depending which company they work for, some take a dim view of drivers who do that too frequently.
It is one thing to leave home to go on a long trip but I should think quite another thing, especially psychology, to leave your family to go to work on a completely open ended basis with no actual return date scheduled. Impossible to have a life outside of work at all.
wire:
When talking about US “trampers” you have to consider how long they are out on the highway for.
A lot of drivers are on a basis whereby they are out on the road until such time as they actually have a need to go home and then they have to send a home request to their dispatch office who will try to get them a load coming home. Depending which company they work for, some take a dim view of drivers who do that too frequently.
It is one thing to leave home to go on a long trip but I should think quite another thing, especially psychology, to leave your family to go to work on a completely open ended basis with no actual return date scheduled. Impossible to have a life outside of work at all.
Yeah, pretty much like Euro-trampers where distances involved are much longer therefore home trips - much less frequent, like once every 2 or 3 months.
North America is full of religious nut jobs.
ETS:
wire:
When talking about US “trampers” you have to consider how long they are out on the highway for.
A lot of drivers are on a basis whereby they are out on the road until such time as they actually have a need to go home and then they have to send a home request to their dispatch office who will try to get them a load coming home. Depending which company they work for, some take a dim view of drivers who do that too frequently.
It is one thing to leave home to go on a long trip but I should think quite another thing, especially psychology, to leave your family to go to work on a completely open ended basis with no actual return date scheduled. Impossible to have a life outside of work at all.Yeah, pretty much like Euro-trampers where distances involved are much longer therefore home trips - much less frequent, like once every 2 or 3 months.
In many cases the real irony is that there’s no need for it with many drivers being their own worst enemy in not wanting to just say no and job share by handing the truck over to another driver on a 1 month on 1 month off type rota basis for example.IE greed combined with gone cab happy.In addition to often needless tramping operations when trunking would do the same job just as well.
newmercman:
North America is full of religious nut jobs.
And Presidential ones
Carryfast:
In many cases the real irony is that there’s no need for it with many drivers being their own worst enemy in not wanting to just say no and job share by handing the truck over to another driver on a 1 month on 1 month off type rota basis for example.IE greed combined with gone cab happy.In addition to often needless tramping operations when trunking would do the same job just as well.
Even by your standards you really are whinghing on and on about this a bit much now. You had your time, you ■■■■■■ it up, move on.
To OP- Interesting video, thanks for posting
Carryfast:
ETS:
wire:
When talking about US “trampers” you have to consider how long they are out on the highway for.
A lot of drivers are on a basis whereby they are out on the road until such time as they actually have a need to go home and then they have to send a home request to their dispatch office who will try to get them a load coming home. Depending which company they work for, some take a dim view of drivers who do that too frequently.
It is one thing to leave home to go on a long trip but I should think quite another thing, especially psychology, to leave your family to go to work on a completely open ended basis with no actual return date scheduled. Impossible to have a life outside of work at all.Yeah, pretty much like Euro-trampers where distances involved are much longer therefore home trips - much less frequent, like once every 2 or 3 months.
In many cases the real irony is that there’s no need for it with many drivers being their own worst enemy in not wanting to just say no and job share by handing the truck over to another driver on a 1 month on 1 month off type rota basis for example.IE greed combined with gone cab happy.In addition to often needless tramping operations when trunking would do the same job just as well.
You are off your nut mate, 6 months work will get you 6 months wages, drivers in the US are already paid ■■■■ poor wages in the majority of cases and you want them to give half of that up.
Then there’s also the inconvenient fact that there is a driver shortage, so for argument’s sake, let’s say that 60% of the c.2,000,000 trucks on the road in the USA are engaged on long haul, a month on, month off schedule, so it would require 1,200,000 new drivers just to keep the status quo.
What’s your solution to that problem?
newmercman:
Carryfast:
ETS:
wire:
When talking about US “trampers” you have to consider how long they are out on the highway for.
A lot of drivers are on a basis whereby they are out on the road until such time as they actually have a need to go home and then they have to send a home request to their dispatch office who will try to get them a load coming home. Depending which company they work for, some take a dim view of drivers who do that too frequently.
It is one thing to leave home to go on a long trip but I should think quite another thing, especially psychology, to leave your family to go to work on a completely open ended basis with no actual return date scheduled. Impossible to have a life outside of work at all.Yeah, pretty much like Euro-trampers where distances involved are much longer therefore home trips - much less frequent, like once every 2 or 3 months.
In many cases the real irony is that there’s no need for it with many drivers being their own worst enemy in not wanting to just say no and job share by handing the truck over to another driver on a 1 month on 1 month off type rota basis for example.IE greed combined with gone cab happy.In addition to often needless tramping operations when trunking would do the same job just as well.
You are off your nut mate, 6 months work will get you 6 months wages, drivers in the US are already paid ■■■■ poor wages in the majority of cases and you want them to give half of that up.
Then there’s also the inconvenient fact that there is a driver shortage, so for argument’s sake, let’s say that 60% of the c.2,000,000 trucks on the road in the USA are engaged on long haul, a month on, month off schedule, so it would require 1,200,000 new drivers just to keep the status quo.
What’s your solution to that problem?
As Harry often says the idea of a driver shortage is mutually exclusive with ■■■■ poor wages.Especially to the point where a driver goes to work and has to stay out for months with no actual known or planned return date.
So my solution is go back to strong unions,like 60’s Teamsters for example,drivers to man up and say no it’s 4 weeks on 4 weeks off for the same money as before.Suddenly it’s a great well paid job with no downsides and loads more drivers want to do distance work so no shortage even if there really was one.
To be honest, it’s not all that bad. I live in Canada now and I just do my normal 5-2/5-3 shift pattern. Occasionally I will have 2 or 3 weeks on the road and the only long period I do is 2 months in February and March for the ice road or maybe a month on the spring and autumn ammonia seasons. The states do have the normal 5 day week too with weekends off, it’s all down to what the driver wants to do most of the time. Some of the guys in the company I work for are on the road for a month or 3 months then have a couple weeks off, company even flys them to and from work if they live far away! Most companies pay by the mile or KM so obviously more time on the road means more $$$ but company I work for pay hourly now so I make pretty much the same every week wth a few hundred extra for resetting on the road. Some guys make $100k plus doing this while others make around $70 to $80k, all depends how much time the driver wants to spend on the road. Canada drivers can drive 13 hours a day (except north of 60th parallel) while USA can only drive 10. Downsides include no pay for days off as holiday pay is paid As a percentage every pay check, no night out allowance but get to claim it all back on tax returns at the start of the following year and I don’t think many places are unionized but as everywhere, the job has its ups and downs.
Scraggy88:
To be honest, it’s not all that bad. I live in Canada now and I just do my normal 5-2/5-3 shift pattern. Occasionally I will have 2 or 3 weeks on the road and the only long period I do is 2 months in February and March for the ice road or maybe a month on the spring and autumn ammonia seasons. The states do have the normal 5 day week too with weekends off, it’s all down to what the driver wants to do most of the time. Some of the guys in the company I work for are on the road for a month or 3 months then have a couple weeks off, company even flys them to and from work if they live far away! Most companies pay by the mile or KM so obviously more time on the road means more $$$ but company I work for pay hourly now so I make pretty much the same every week wth a few hundred extra for resetting on the road. Some guys make $100k plus doing this while others make around $70 to $80k, all depends how much time the driver wants to spend on the road. Canada drivers can drive 13 hours a day (except north of 60th parallel) while USA can only drive 10. Downsides include no pay for days off as holiday pay is paid As a percentage every pay check, no night out allowance but get to claim it all back on tax returns at the start of the following year and I don’t think many places are unionized but as everywhere, the job has its ups and downs.
Interesting, thanks for sharing. I know (knew>) a guy who used to drive in the US, he said it took him 5 years to start making 80k/year as a long distance driver. By the 7th year however he was sick of it and one day simply left without notice 
I asked him if he’s going to do it in the UK but he said he doesn’t want to go near a truck for the rest of his life. He went on to work in a warehouse and then some casual construction work.
As Scraggy said most general haulage companies are non-union, i can only think of one that is. Lots of drivers want this lifestyle. A friend of mine runs team (double man) and is away months at a time and loves it, been doing it for nearly 30 years. And no night out money and some will pay layover pay but you have to be parked for 1 or 2 days before it pays.
You can drive 11 hours in a 14 hour period then you have to take at least 10 hours off but your paid by the mile at a set rate so your paid the same for all miles and no overtime.
One good thing is you can live practically anywhere and drive general haulage. I live in the North East corner of the US but worked for a company in North central US and they would get me a load so i could bring the truck home.
newmercman:
North America is full of religious nut jobs.
yup got asked if I wanted to join in the morning prayer at the start o the working day at a small Nebraska feed mill. ach thinking about it they were just god fearing country folk,NO BANJO MUSIC WAS HEARD! jimmy 
God fearing, brainwashed, indoctrinated, same thing, different spelling.
yup deal with them 5 days a week mark some worse than others, one in particular ive met only once and id gladly help him get to the promised land kin sanctimonious old knt.
newmercman:
North America is full of religious nut jobs.
I’m a proper athiest but I respect religion.
For some people it’s all they have and if you take that crutch away they would be lost.
Idk I deliver to Stamford Hill alot and I speak to alot of orthodox Jews and I admire their respect for tradition despite my own beliefs.
I respect the right to choose, but have been surrounded by religious zealots for a number of years, I find that it’s not reciprocal. And choice is probably not the correct term for faith either, as converts apart, people of faith don’t have a choice. If you’re raised in a Christian family, you will be Christian, same for Muslim, Jewish, Catholic etc and even further, you will follow the particular sub section of that religion.