The joy of "Tramping"

I have had a couple of nights out now and I’d be interested to hear from folk who do 5 day tramping why they do it and if they enjoy it.

I found sleeping in the cab fine - I do not normally sleep well in a B&B or Hotel for some strange reason. What i found hard was just having a KFC or Safeway bap to keep me going. I have to look after my stomach and snack meals do not work for me. [Must be some service stations that can do a decent meal still!]. Each one costs about £10-£12 and all one gets is an extra £25.

The only plus I can see is one can do a job some distance from home saving on commuting costs.

I do it because I can’t be arsed getting up at 3am, to get in to work for 4am to miss 90% of the traffic on the roads.

It’s difficult with 4 young kids at home, but they’re asleep when I leave, and they’d be asleep by the time I got home in an evening.

As for food, cook it yourself. £20 for a gas stove, £10 for a set of pans and a kettle, then you can have whatever you fancy rather than the convenience food that’s massively overpriced at the side of the road.

If you look upon nights out as an inconvenience, live on crap, and park in ■■■■ holes such as msa.s or lay bys, it will never be any good for you, so stay on days.

I’m parked up somewhere in Cornwall (if I told you where I’d have to kill you ) was supposed to meet up with a mate, but he didn’t make it.
Had a good pub meal, sat watching football highlights with a pint.
Nights out ain’t a problem to me, as I don’t sit in the cab waiting for 9 hours to click over.

If you do it properly it’s a much nicer deal if you get the correct kit. As someone said, gas stove, canisters and pans/plates/kettle and you can knock something up.

I dont do it every night. Sometimes I fancy eating out so I’ll nip to a pub and have a decent meal because the night out money covers it so I’ll spend it on my comfort.

Personally I sleep better in the cab.

Thanks for your replies - I am just thinking about it. I wouldn’t be on junk food if I was on a regular tramping arrangement.

mardybum
I was thinking getting oneself sorted out with a kitchen was a good idea. But then cooking in the rain and washing up is a pain.

robroy
Parking up can be a problem as I see it but can be fun once one knows an area and as you say have an evening at a pub or meeting up with a mate. But you have obviously learnt over time.

toonsy:
If you do it properly it’s a much nicer deal if you get the correct kit. As someone said, gas stove, canisters and pans/plates/kettle and you can knock something up.

I dont do it every night. Sometimes I fancy eating out so I’ll nip to a pub and have a decent meal because the night out money covers it so I’ll spend it on my comfort.

Personally I sleep better in the cab.

Yep, last night I had the left overs of our Sunday roast warmed up, with rhubarb crumble for pudding,.and a couple of bottles of Becks out of the fridge.
Got interested In watching Gary Lineker on tv, following his Granda’s footsteps in the Italian campaign in WW2, so I never got out last night.
Was parked up beside somewhere to use bogs and get a coffee in the morning, I always make sure of that.

toonsy:
If you do it properly it’s a much nicer deal if you get the correct kit. As someone said, gas stove, canisters and pans/plates/kettle and you can knock something up.

I dont do it every night. Sometimes I fancy eating out so I’ll nip to a pub and have a decent meal because the night out money covers it so I’ll spend it on my comfort.

Personally I sleep better in the cab.

But one can only go out to a pub if it’s a known patch and walking distance. I’ve also found I sleep well in a cab and so that’s why I was thinking about it.

jessejazza:
robroy
Parking up can be a problem as I see it but can be fun once one knows an area and as you say have an evening at a pub or meeting up with a mate. But you have obviously learnt over time.

Tramping can be as enjoyable or as much of a drudge as YOU make it mate
The way some of them do it, I would not last a week at it…parking on 8.59 in a lay by getting rocked to death, no shower, no facilities, and away again for another day of endurance, not for me.

Why? Because never getting further than a hundred miles from the yard is boring.

It’s a far more pleasurable experience if you have your own motor that’s kept to your own standards and has all your own bits and pieces in it. Fridge, microwave and inverter are also mandatory imo.

jessejazza:

toonsy:
If you do it properly it’s a much nicer deal if you get the correct kit. As someone said, gas stove, canisters and pans/plates/kettle and you can knock something up.

I dont do it every night. Sometimes I fancy eating out so I’ll nip to a pub and have a decent meal because the night out money covers it so I’ll spend it on my comfort.

Personally I sleep better in the cab.

But one can only go out to a pub if it’s a known patch and walking distance. I’ve also found I sleep well in a cab and so that’s why I was thinking about it.

You’re often not far from a chain pub, and knowing where to head to helps but that comes with time. Not all the time but I’d say a majority of it I’m normally holed up near a pub or retail park type place.

Dont be afraid to go out and about and have a wander either. It clears your head and maintains your sanity.

robroy:

jessejazza:
robroy
Parking up can be a problem as I see it but can be fun once one knows an area and as you say have an evening at a pub or meeting up with a mate. But you have obviously learnt over time.

Tramping can be as enjoyable or as much of a drudge as YOU make it mate
The way some of them do it, I would not last a week at it…parking on 8.59 in a lay by getting rocked to death, no shower, no facilities, and away again for another day of endurance, not for me.

You have hit the nail on the head there, Sir!

That was my thinking and hence why I posted. Please keep posting your comments folks

I’ve suggested it to others that have asked. If your somewhere that allows parking, industrial estate etc. Jot it down on a map book. You never know when it will come in handy

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I did it for 30 years and it was fine when you were actually going somewhere, Athens, Istanbul etc and you could get a blow-out meal in a restaurant for a couple of quid but there’s nothing more depressing than having a night-out in a UK lay-by opposite the lay-by you had a night-out in last night.

I’m not a tramper but can’t you cook some nice meals at home on Sunday to last you for at least 3 days? That way you’d only have to buy/cook food on the road on Thu and Fri morning. Well that’s my plan anyway for when (if) I get into tramping.

As a noob, starting out tramping seems the best option as to me I hope it’s going to allow a bit less flying around everywhere while I get the feel/understanding for the job, plus it will save alot of commute time.
Plus having nippers I hope it will give them a more stable pattern to know that dad’s away, and when home we can make solid enjoyment of the time rather than just saying good night to them every day and that’s it.

As regards to being out there itself, I suppose it depends on all the elements in the equation, who you work for and their rules/demands, facilities provided in the wagon itself,
Shift patterns…
Parking demands…
And the joys of having to do battle with the world on the daily which will alter one’s plans so its best to me atleast to have the option of food on the fly, and cook it yourself(company rules dependant!!).

Taking Mr robs opinion above about pubbing it, I’d assume he’s either an OD or works for a haulier and not a corporate, so in which case if its the formers its probably going to be easier to pull in as/when he prefers, same with a smaller haulier who are probably far more forgiving and understand the life of a tramper over a corporate who don’t give one hoot as hey your paid to drive, hit the numbers.

I learnt that Stobarts don’t have a fridge on board, and I believe NO inverters either!!
You’ve a microwave and that’s it for trampers, so unless your pulling in on their time to shop for fresh food and risk using gas in cab, or eating cold then its hope your micro Dinners out of a cool box on the seat aint gone bad…or ■■■■■ off the cuff whenever you can find it, or soup and apples x5…

Nah not for me, But I’ve a plan if I take the job so meh [emoji38]

It’s ultimately to me what you make of it, and what you can get from it.

I remember me mam cooking all sorts on the road, and I do mean near on anything could be cooked using gas hob, we ate very well indeed BUT we wernt owned so you could choose how you made the days work, but waking up with a different view each day was cool, and again you met folk so there was a solid social element to the life too, haulage to me is at deaths door with regard to these elements and I for one am waging a one man war against it, like that chap who goes round in life filming new strangers he meets on the street, having a natter and sharing some humanity…

How it should be in life in general but especially AGAIN SO amongst drivers, so get out the cab and wonder is what I’m looking to do, even if I’m stuck uk work for a bit I plan to do same if I can get abroad.

Alas I’ve rambled on, better stop as I’ve a weeks worth left if I carry on… [emoji38] [emoji38]

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Benjie83:
and I believe NO inverters either!!
You’ve a microwave

What are inverters? At least there’s a microwave in some cabs. I had a fridge and that was it… but not a regular truck for tramping.

Many thanks for your replies - I was asked to send my CV in after a phone call so in preparation PLEASE continue to contribute to this post.

jessejazza:

Benjie83:
and I believe NO inverters either!!
You’ve a microwave

What are inverters? At least there’s a microwave in some cabs. I had a fridge and that was it… but not a regular truck for tramping.

Many thanks for your replies - I was asked to send my CV in after a phone call so in preparation PLEASE continue to contribute to this post.

Hope you get the role chap [emoji106][emoji106]

Takes the wagons 24v leccie supply and ups it so u can run domestic goods in cab…

britishtrucking.co.uk/truck-powe … d-to-know/

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Given time you will come to know where to find decent parking and where to get a decent meal,instead of snacky stuff or chippy food most drivers will give you some ideas if you ask.

Benjie83:

jessejazza:

Benjie83:
and I believe NO inverters either!!
You’ve a microwave

What are inverters? At least there’s a microwave in some cabs. I had a fridge and that was it… but not a regular truck for tramping.

Many thanks for your replies - I was asked to send my CV in after a phone call so in preparation PLEASE continue to contribute to this post.

Hope you get the role chap [emoji106][emoji106]

Takes the wagons 24v leccie supply and ups it so u can run domestic goods in cab…

britishtrucking.co.uk/truck-powe … d-to-know/

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

Thanks
sine wave power inverter - I realised as soon as I had gone to bed.

I’ve tramped for 7 years then 2 years in a transport office, money was ■■■■ so went back driving on days for about 6 months and have now been tramping again for the past 5 years. I’m sick of it now,but I do it mainly for the money ,less stress and more sleep.
When I did the 6 months on days I was constantly flat out trying to get home every night,stressing when I was delayed tipping/loading and a great deal of the time rolling back to the yard at 9pm at night having done a 15 hr day, a 15 minute drive back home,cook dinner,have a shower and try and get 5 hrs sleep having to get up an hour before being back at work. I can now roll out of bed 10 minutes before i start, not have to fly about all day and finish wherever, make my dinner and go to bed.

Extremely rare that I eat at MSA’s or fast food, usually have those micro rice pouches that I cook in a pan on my gas stove, I buy the decent ready meal sauces (sweet & sour chicken,Korean sticky pork/a curry) to have with it which I also cook on the gas stove as I don’t use microwaves. I’ll cook stuff up at the weekend also and freeze a few pots that go with either rice or pasta and usually have salad stuff once or twice a week with tuna mackerel or those cooked chilli salmon fillets that you get at most supermarkets. You can eat half decent if you can be bothered.
The only thing You really need is a gas stove and a fridge/cool box.