slowlane:
A lot of the “don’t do it!” brigade, on here seem to be approaching the job as if it’s a lifetime thing. There is no rule to say that once you pick a job, you have to stick with it until you retire/die. Once you’ve had enough, make a new plan and get out.Advising someone to be a sparkie/plumber/brickie etc “for the wages and home every night”, as seems to be the common thing for older drivers to advise younger ones to do, misses the point. What if they don’t want to be an electrician? So they can do a slightly better paid job that they hate, until they retire or die? I guess it makes sense when you look at it like that, but it doesn’t make sense in the first place - because they’ve still got to do a job they hate. If it’s such a good plan, why don’t they stop driving and start doing that?
A lot of the ‘‘Don’t do it brigade’’ as you call them, HAVE actually done it for a lifetime. 
The ‘‘adventure’’ of the job (for want of a better word) is just not in it anymore, with 80% of jobs in this game.
This is mainly because of many drivers evolving from grown men to yesmen, and mainly because of the rat race it has become where they are virtually brainwashed into thinking they have to work max hours with minimum rest (in terms of actually believing that hours limits are targets) trackers, drivers allowing their bosses and planners to push them on the end of a phone line, trampers driving to the last minute of their time and being forced to park in some unsuitable lay by on the side of a busy trunk road. Then there are the timed deliveries, and all the up their own arse ‘‘Logistic companies’’ ran by those who in reality know sweet ■■■■ all about the job,.and don’t know a Volvo from a ■■■■■. 
All the freedom (and fun) has been virtually eradicated over the years.
I don’t ‘hate it’ by any stretch, but only because I have not succumbed to most of the ■■■■■■■■ in it today, or at least I have dealt with it all to my own benefit, and only because of my experience in the first place.
So tbf it still works for me, but it is definitely not the job it once was on both sides of the coin, good points and bad points.
I was as keen as hell at 21 to be a driver when all the crap I have listed was not the Norm,… and mostly to get away from the trade I trained for as I found it boring…as you have just said.
If I was a lad of 21 today with 4k or whatever tf it is now 
to spare, my attitude and enthusiasm towards getting into this job would be minimal,.and I aint going to say to some young naive guy…"Yeh, it’s wonderful, fill yer boots’’ if I think the contrary.