Having been driving heavy trucks for the last 26 years, I made the decission a while back that the job didn’t have anything to offer me for the future as a career.
I know there’s a lot to be said for modern advancements in the job, but there’s not the same crack any more and it dosen’t give me the enjoyment or satisfaction it used to, I wasn’t cut out to be a steering wheel attendant, digi card and this dcpc was the last straw for me.
So a few months ago I started looking for a job driving a van which would mean that while still on the road I wouldn’t have to put up with all the stuff that’s spoilt truck driving for me, this dcpc is just a blatant insult to an experienced truck driver’s professionalism and experience, especially if you allready hold national and international transport cpc’s as many of us do, but it isn’t easy to find a GOOD job driving a van, so I thought.
While checking out the internet for jobs I happened accross a job with the ambulance services health courier service, which means van drivers who carry everything appart from patients, e.g drugs, blood, medical documents, medical equipment etc, I thought I didn’t have a chance but appied anyway, well, here I am severn months in to my new job with the ambulance courier service and loving it, so if you feel like I did about truckin then check your ambulance service website in case they’re after drivers in the h.c.s, they pulled me like a magnet out of 200 applicants because of my experience in the transport industry, this has taught me that if youv’e been a truck driver for a few years and have a good record generally then your’e a very attractive prospective employee to people like these, so think on!.
I am glad you have found something that you are happy with, a friend of mine did a similar thing but he now drives for a local chemist delivering prescriptions to care homes and private homes, he has to do a split shift but still no nights out/tacho/VOSA/RDC’s/arsey goods inwards Hitler’s etc. 9 am till 1pm then 3 till 7pm, the money isn’t brilliant at £7.50 per hour but with no mortgage anymore and the kids left home it does him fine, the most he has done in one day is 40 miles. I must say he does seem so much happier now.
The job in it’s current form has been squeezed by regulation to an extreme in some parts. I will not be doing the dCPC also, I do the odd stint for a bloke to Holland occasionally and used to look forward to it but now I am not botherd, I have health problems like a lot of the older members on here and most of them caused by the job in one way or another.
I owned a couple of taxi’s back in the 80’s and we had a contract with the hospitals for delivering the goods you mention, it never paid a lot but it was good bread and butter money, in fact it was one of the selling points when I got rid of the cabs to the raghe***…errr new buyers 
Promis, Good on yer mate, you have just described how I have felt about this job for the last few years, it bears little or no resemblance to the same job I started in 1979, there has been a steady reduction in conditions for drivers, and a steady increase in pure BS,ie. as you say DCPC when I have DOT CPC like yourself, and the list goes on 
.Like you I applied for a van job a couple of years ago, the hourly rate was £1.50 per hour better,( which in it’self does not figure, you get paid more for a vehicle where you only need a car licence, than you do for a higher standard licence that you have probably paid more than a grand for to obtain, how the hell is that logical 
) but no overtime, and as I have unfortunaetly fell into the same trap as a few more on here, where I have to…,not choose to… work what equates to ridiculousy long hours ( in comparison with a lot of other industries,) to make a wage that I need to live and get a few luxuries, the top line was not enough for me.
I don’t expect you to disclose your wage on here, but is it similar or better than what you are used to, is there overtime etc, and what are the hours like?. Anyway I hope it goes OK for you, and if you pack in let me know
my last day driving is friday im leaving as i can earn as much working as a sales supervisor in a call centre mon to fri 9-5 and every weekend off over the last 6mth my wages have gone from £2100 take home per month away mon to friday now its £1700 working same rediculous hours and running in sat morning had a word with the owner he said if you dont like it you know what you can do he was really surprised 2 days later when i handed my notice in lol 
roll on next week
I think these four posts just about sum up the attitude and feelings of many drivers. I wish you all the best of luck, and hopefully, I will be following you out of the business in the not too distant future.
truckerjon:
I think these four posts just about sum up the attitude and feelings of many drivers. I wish you all the best of luck, and hopefully, I will be following you out of the business in the not too distant future.
Yeah, this inspired me to post this one: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=80991
The problem is that it’s harder to get a job elsewhere: for example everyone can become a courier, it’s just ordinary license and a transit van… That mean: more competition. And the market is not so easier as one could think…
i also gave up driving trucks 8 years ago,
i read a job advert in a daily news paper for train drivers, i applied along with 1500 other people and after doing tests and the strict medical ,i got a job offer . great job i only work 35hrs a week and home every day and treated like a human . i do the odd day a month driving just to keep my hand in.
Been doing it 25yrs myself and totally sick fed up with it all.
Im still only 46 and dont want to be doing this any longer .
Done plant operator tickets last year (CPCS) , but the plant business is a bit quiet just now .
My mate is a manager with a plant firm and told me to hang fire till about easter as they are getting a big contract with a new opencast nearby , and he’ll get me in .
If this comes off , thats me finished with road transport !
Marty B7:
My mate is a manager with a plant firm and told me to hang fire till about easter as they are getting a big contract with a new opencast nearby , and he’ll get me in .
If this comes off , thats me finished with road transport !
I worked on an opencast over twenty five years ago, I loved every minute of it, in fact I went on to buy 2 Moxy 6x6 dump trucks and a Cat 777, and went alone for a while.