I’m trying to prepare myself if I do decide to enter into this world.
So being quite individual and degree educated(although many years ago now), I am trying to guage the general truckers etiquette. I would imagine decades ago for example it was mainly slightly hardened, tattooed men who would have thought that anyone who went to university was some kind of privilaged snob to say the least. But times have changed since then especially with the internet now. Or have they, I don’t really know.
Anyway I really can’t imagine myself sitting round a table of stereotypical truckers talking about whatever.
Will your CAT C assesor be assessing you to see if you, ‘fit into this world’ as I have no intention of fitting into any world.
Is there strong attitude of, ‘you’re one of use’, or ‘you’re not one of us’, or am I reading too much into it, or have things changed in general. What is your take on it?
Bare in mind I’m quite introverted and not a particularly social person in the big wide world.
I’d say just keep yourself to yourself. I never talk to anyone in RDC waiting rooms, I stay in my cab at truckstops/service stations, and really only say “hi” at most to other drivers at my place.
I’m aware of there still being truck drivers who have this warped mindset where by ‘you’re not a real truck driver if you’re not a general haulage class 1 tramper’ and they look down on class 2 and 7.5t drivers etc etc etc.
Who the f cares lol. I do my class 2 job because I enjoy it.
I’m 23 and my parents wanted me to go to uni but I never did. I knew I wanted to be on the road. There’s definitely a difference in opinions of the job depending on your age.
Your instructor will just teach you. There’ll be no assessing you to see if your fit the job, just crack on and take your time to find the right place for you to work.
Showbiz/ concerts
European on regular basis
Heavy haulage
Car transporters
UK trampers
Fuel
Bricks/blocks
Supermarket employed
Local well known hauliers
Agency
Or be your own man flip what ever anyone else thinks & do what you enjoy most about any of the above jobs
I found the instructors and assessors at PSTT to be great and easy to talk to.
When I did an assessment at a previous local training company, their instructor proudly stated he was an ex traffic policeman and knew everything I would need to know about the job - I decided not to go any further with that company
As for company driving assessors, In my experience only the bigger companies have done driving assessments (DHL, Hermes, Royal Mail, etc) and seemed more interested in a safe driver that had a clue about tachos and driving hours than being any type or cliqueyness
You wouldn’t be the first driver to have been to university and changed direction in life.
I agree with the PSTT comment. I did both tests there.
I spent 20 years in management before starting driving last year. If it comes up I just say I enjoy this more, is less stress and better money! No-one cares anyway.
There are drivers who have done all sorts of jobs and level of education before driving and most companies won’t care. If they do they are not worth it and find another
Your training won’t be assessing you for whether or not you “fit in” as there is no one set clique encompassing all lorry drivers and the trainers themselves are of various ilks (shouty ex-forces types, semi-retired old timers wanting an easy life, jaded ex Euro drivers fed up with what the job had become etc etc etc…).
I gave up a professional career to go into driving as the opportunity to move to an island came up and I couldn’t commute to the city from there so tramping seemed like a good compromise and although I have felt like a bit of an outsider in some ways I wouldn’t say I’ve been deliberately made to feel that way by anyone else. It’s just a sense I get myself. Like in any other line of work there are good and bad people but the majority are approachable and decent.
I would say, generalising a bit, there is a fairly right wing tendency within lorry driving. You will hear a fair amount of Islamophobia and anti Eastern European stuff which you may or may not agree with/be bothered by. Cyclists are often a target too. But you hear stuff like this in other areas of life all the time and you have agency over the extent to which you engage with it or ignore it. Personally, I’m a card carrying, SNP voting lefty but I’ve never, once, been given an awkward time because of it or made to feel alienated by it but I don’t exactly go around shoving it down people’s throats either.
Like in many industries, the general chit chat in drivers waiting rooms often concerns simply talking (often moaning) about the job itself. E.g good and bad drops/warehouses, road closures and conditions, standards of other road users, conditions of their job etc. It’s really nothing to particularly recoil at although sometimes it can be a bit tedious.
The day to day reality of lorry driving is that you’ll spend the lion’s share of your working hours in solitude listening to your own music or podcasts or whatever and the time available for potentially irritating situations involving people you may not like is actually pretty minimal. Indeed, I’d say it stands up well against most jobs when measured in this manner.
The hard time you will receive will very rarely be from other drivers. It’ll be from Gatehouse and Warehouse staff and an array of other office based types and more often than not, they will be at their worst because of the mistakes THEY have made.
Pretty much the only cliques you will find are here on this forum pal.
Out there most people couldn’t care less and they certainly won’t say anything to your face, even if they think it doesn’t fit.
As said, you will barely interact with other drivers most of the time apart from the odd nod and grunt
Showbiz/ concerts
European on regular basis
Heavy haulage
Car transporters
UK trampers
Fuel
Bricks/blocks
Supermarket employed
Local well known hauliers
Agency
Or be your own man flip what ever anyone else thinks & do what you enjoy most about any of the above jobs
Nah. Simpler list is. #1 My current job. #2 Your job. #3 Any other job.
Except #4 The job I just quit.
To add. Cliques?
I’m an individual.
You’re a bit of a loner.
He is a mardy git.
All sorts in driving, as there are all sorts everywhere.
Showbiz/ concerts
European on regular basis
Heavy haulage
Car transporters
UK trampers
Fuel
Bricks/blocks
Supermarket employed
Local well known hauliers
Agency
Or be your own man flip what ever anyone else thinks & do what you enjoy most about any of the above jobs
So my lads can be quite smug at no. 2 on the list Probably ruined when I make them drive a van to Burnley
Honestly ram, the job attracts all sorts. Male, female, undecided. Plenty of drivers have degrees, plenty never got further than O levels/GCSEs. Introverts and extroverts. I’ve worked in haulage for 35 years and it’s definitely not cliquey.
I spent 18 years as a civvy in the police force before being made redundant in 2016. I’ve learned the hard way not to mention it to my Co workers as I made that mistake at a couple of companies - Coach and HGV.
The hostility I experienced from some drivers was unbelievable. It used to be a career to be proud of , I’d like to think I made a difference and helped many people but it’s just not appreciated.
I’d say I keep myself to myself now, not mention my past, join in with some of the banter but a lot of it is downright crude and degrading so I’ll make my excuses and leave the room.
fernando:
I spent 18 years as a civvy in the police force before being made redundant in 2016. I’ve learned the hard way not to mention it to my Co workers as I made that mistake at a couple of companies - Coach and HGV.
The hostility I experienced from some drivers was unbelievable. It used to be a career to be proud of , I’d like to think I made a difference and helped many people but it’s just not appreciated.
I’d say I keep myself to myself now, not mention my past, join in with some of the banter but a lot of it is downright crude and degrading so I’ll make my excuses and leave the room.
It’s a bit like the public and truckers, in so far as, have one bad experience and then it’s blinkers on and disregard the good that is done and the simple fact that in every trade there are genuine idiots who are far outnumbered by the decent.
i really do think that as a nation we have become far more narrow in our views.
A driver’s past doesn’t matter one bit, so long as you can do the job you’ll fit in, the lorry industry is a very broad church.
Some other drivers will like you some won’t, some will use you some won’t, some gaffers will treat you with respect some won’t, just like any other industry really.
How you are treated depends to a large extent on how you treat others, lorry drivers tend to react badly to being disrespected or being taken the ■■■■ out of, reactions to which can vary.
The beauty about lorrying is that you are out there on your own mostly, where in most other walks of life you’re stuck with them for better or worse.
I defo don’t fit in as hated by most lorry drivers ( I drive a fridge tends to be running at -25 & no I don’t turn it off don’t want my frozen load to defrost also have to do print out on fridge so can check temp ) although do tend to park in lay-by or industrial estate
Also being female & not the tallest slightly anti social normally have head in book
aye I would say it was cliquey years back but you must “walk your own path” and don’t give a bugger what others think ,do your work as well as you can don’t get involved in company politics and chose your work friends wisely!. and you will go far . jimmy.
ram_1979:
Is there strong attitude of, ‘you’re one of use’, or ‘you’re not one of us’, or am I reading too much into it, or have things changed in general. What is your take on it?
You are really over thinking this.
Yes there is a stereotypical truck driver, especially in the minds of Joe Public, and you will meet him, but you’ll also meet many almost every other type of person, in every RDC waiting room there are Ex special forces, Multi millionaires just helping a mate out, those doing a quick local run before going off to Alaska via Russia and those who missed that famous boat, although this tends to be just one person and you either avoid them like the plague or if you like a bit of sport, keep encouraging them as they’ll look more of a ■■■■ as each of their tales becomes more outlandish.
Now seriously loads of different people, from all backgrounds, I’ve worked with people who left school with no qualifications and those that are highly qualified, I’ve worked with people who have only ever been truck drivers and those that have done many things in the past, for every sterotypical driver I must have met another 20 who didn’t fit the mould, the job does seem to attract plenty of induviduals.
As for the top of the hierarchy, it me, my job is so high on the truckers pyramid the poster forgot to put it on.
As long as you don’t turn up at the yard sounding like Jacob Rees-Mogg, wearing a monocle and tweed plus fours I’m sure you’ll do just fine
I’m new to this game as well. Don’t over think it and don’t judge a book by its cover. Lots of truckers have degrees and the ones that don’t are often full of common sense that they’ve picked up from the university of life.
Give it a go mate what’s the worst that can happen?
Having only held my Class 1 for a month(skipped any Class 2 work) landed myself a Tramping job on Containers(Contracting for Maritime) out of Avonmouth, I was very apprehensive as to what to expect regarding the other drivers of my company plus all the Maritime drivers. I can honestly say every single driver was so helpful i was totally shocked, I think you will be pleasantly surprised as to the help you will get i know i was, Granted there are the miserable ■■■■■■■ out there but they aint worth worrying about. Just go grab your Licences and never look back
Probably ruined when I make them drive a van to Burnley 
and you will go far . jimmy.
although this tends to be just one person and you either avoid them like the plague or if you like a bit of sport, keep encouraging them as they’ll look more of a ■■■■ as each of their tales becomes more outlandish. 
my job is so high on the truckers pyramid the poster forgot to put it on. 