So theres a lot of old timers on here and quite a few youngns. I thought it would be interesting to hear what everyones first hgv job was and how it went?
I would imagine there has to be a few funny 1s between [zb]ing it all up beyond belief, getting lost ect. So lets hear them.
Got my Class 1 when I was 26, (12 years ago) and had no commercial driving experience. The only Agency that signed me up decided to put me on a 7.5T at first to gain a bit of tacho experience and driving knowledge. I turned up at a plastic cup factory in Skem and picked up my steed with 7 pallets for Halifax and a Google image map that was as useful as a chocolate fire guard.
Off I set to Halifax, Billy big Bollox Class 1 Driver in a little 7.5T. I ended up getting lost in Halifax and turning a tight left at traffic lights, (by now I was stressed out and sweating) and unbeknownst to me the tail swing hit a car on my offside. I drove up the road with a car flashing for me to pull over. I did and an old couple told me what I’d done. The whole side of the car and the n/s mirror off! I felt sick to my stomach and apologised profusely, the old lady even asked me was I ok I looked so sick and gutted. All I was thinking was, ‘First day and my career is down the pan. No one will look at me now.’
Turns out the Agency were sound and told me basically, ■■■■ happens. I had the weekend off then they had me on another job then double manning an Artic then I was away on my own.
It was a Hell of a learning curve and brought me to Earth with a bang. Just cos I had the licence didn’t mean I was a Driver. If I tell the story in the Drivers room I can raise a few laughs at work but it wasn’t funny at the time!
First driving job was with an agency,went into South Staffs Freight in shenstone,“right drive there’s your keys addresses and hurry up”
Pallets of various tat 3 drops birmingham wholesale market middle of the day,wasn’t fun to say the least stalls everywhere bods running about what a morning then 3 drops out in the sticks near Stratford.
Next day Europackaging in brum got a tatty old LDV van deliver 3 pallets of bin bags to Hewell prison south side of brum.got there the nice lady on the gate took everything off me (except my clothes thankfully lol) took me 3 1/2 hours to get job done.money phone sat nav even my pen 4 guards took me through then 1/2 hour to get back out,unloading baddies looking thro the mesh fence glad to get out lol.
If anyone has been to Gillingham (not the Kent 1 ) there’s a series of hairpin bends down a hill into it in a long overhang 18t wasn’t nice was sweating like Gary glitter in mothercare.
My first HGV job was in 2001 for AGY at a Kitchen firm (purple trucks) in a M reg Leyland box 6 speed 18t on night out to Burton up on Trent first drop was in housing estate then next day was a new build estate , using maps to guide me and crunching and missing gears
pure hell
blue estate:
My first HGV job was in 2001 for AGY at a Kitchen firm (purple trucks) in a M reg Leyland box 6 speed 18t on night out to Burton up on Trent first drop was in housing estate then next day was a new build estate , using maps to guide me and crunching and missing gears
pure hell
And kids these days moan about sat navs and auto trucks,youth of today eh? If you havent driven trucks with dodgy boxs stop to read a map and actually work out a route of your own you dont realise how much simpler driving is these days.
Daytrunker:
blue estate:
My first HGV job was in 2001 for AGY at a Kitchen firm (purple trucks) in a M reg Leyland box 6 speed 18t on night out to Burton up on Trent first drop was in housing estate then next day was a new build estate , using maps to guide me and crunching and missing gears
pure hellAnd kids these days moan about sat navs and auto trucks,youth of today eh? If you havent driven trucks with dodgy boxs stop to read a map and actually work out a route of your own you dont realise how much simpler driving is these days.
Yep and if they had to drive my mk4 ■■■■■■ they wouldn’t even get it started as its got manual choke and no power steering
blue estate:
Daytrunker:
blue estate:
My first HGV job was in 2001 for AGY at a Kitchen firm (purple trucks) in a M reg Leyland box 6 speed 18t on night out to Burton up on Trent first drop was in housing estate then next day was a new build estate , using maps to guide me and crunching and missing gears
pure hellAnd kids these days moan about sat navs and auto trucks,youth of today eh? If you havent driven trucks with dodgy boxs stop to read a map and actually work out a route of your own you dont realise how much simpler driving is these days.
Yep and if they had to drive my mk4 ■■■■■■ they wouldn’t even get it started as its got manual choke and no power steering
I remember multiple Ford Fiesta’s having manual chokes from my childhood.
My first day in a lorry was driving a puddle jumper for kts delivering bandit machines. Along the east coast, a 3 day run finishing in Lowestoft. Pretty uneventful considering I had never driven anything bigger than a car and the ink was still wet on my license. Well, it was uneventful until the last drop when I met britians very own tackleberry! With his nice clean police uniform and sunglasses, we had a short debate about my parking and he was getting more and more irate, then he actually yelled at me “you’ll move it now mister” I ■■■■ you not, straight out of police academy! I must have turned blue trying to suppress the giggles, until I fell off the tail lift and landed straddle legged crushing my nuts and stopping the laughter instantly!
My first day after passing cat c was on an 18t for gm2 logistics. Drops around Leicester, melton and ending at Stamford. Easy day, 10 hr shift finished by 5. Uneventful run of the mill stuff. Nearly took out a shop awning in Stamford due to cocky overconfidence. But I missed it, so all good.
Day 2 in a hgv? Different story. A laundry run from glen parva young offenders to stocken prison. Loaded at glen parva, drove to stocken, all well so far. Handed in all my documents, license etc and mobile phone. Parked in the yard, all the inmates started unloading me, me being me decided to muck in and help, so I grabbed a bag and took it into the laundry. I took a few bags in before my little accident. I didn’t see one of the inmates walking towards me with a cup of coffee, walked straight into him SPLAT! He couldn’t apologise enough, was genuinely concerned I wasn’t burned and that I was soaking. “Here” he said “put this on” as he gave me a t shirt. I put it on, thanked the kind for all I knew mass murderer, and walked along side my truck and opened the door, I heard this booming ex army voice “and just where the ■■■■ do you think you’re going?”
I’ll spare you the details of the next several hours I was detained. But I was either the victim of a malicious prank to pass the time or a genuine mistake, I believe the former. What happened was that I drove into a prison, handed over all proof of who I was. Mixed myself in with the inmates, changed clothes into prison uniform, then tried to get in a lorry and drive out of there. It took me several hours to prove who I was. But I can laugh about it now and I still have the t shirt to this day, it’s a bit bedraggled but I won’t part with it.
As for my first day on class 1? It’s not happened yet, I am on a job for the next 3 weeks, but after that I’ve been promised some night trunking work. Even if that doesn’t come off, it’s time to finally bite the bullet and get into a bendy. I’ve held the license 2 years now so it’s time I pulled my socks up and got on with it. I’m getting offers of ce work now, but I have got a holiday cover job doing yard marshal work at the local quarry, it’s nice regular hours doing 5:30 and done at 1. Too good to turn down, but stay tuned, my first day on an artic the full story will be coming to a screen near you real soon.
1st day out in an artic… for Hammond Transport in Salfords (Surrey) 25+ years ago… Daf 2800 unit & 20tonnes of sugar on my tri-axle trailer…
I’d been badgering the boss to gimme a go on the artics and just to send me somewhere easy so I wouldn’t find it too tight for reversing…
He said my 1st delivery was Asda at Dartford… I got there & joined the queue and when it was my turn to back in for unloading I done a perfect reverse in to unloading area without even needing a shunt…
You’d think I was an ‘Old Hand’ that reverse was bloody marvellous, and I had a big smug grin on my face… at least until I went to get out the cab AND… missed the step and fell out the cab, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground… that wiped the smile of my face!! ha ha
And of course my performance was witnessed by dozens of bored drivers all sat opposite drinking their coffee and sniggering behind their newspapers!!
BarStewards!!! At least I have them all a good laugh!! Lol [emoji3]
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
My Dad had a MK4 ■■■■■■ with a manual choke! XR3i lookalike but a five door version!
Back to HGV driving!
Lancashire Dairies about 1994, I was on the milk floats and did overtime on driving a 7 tonne Ford Cargo with a DonBur Slidaside body. Remember them? Full pallet of Muller yoghurts not shrink wrapped to Parfetts Stockport. Got there and pots of yoghurt splattered everywhere. Managed to rescue half a pallet. Got myself a lifetime ban from entering there but think they forgot by now!
Year or so later and now class two on a dark, wet November morning at about 5am. Delivering to shop in Middlewich and parked on the forecourt. Anyway spins the wagon round on full left lock and, what was that and why are them sparks… Drove over one of those green cable Virgin TV and phone junction boxes and wiped out the whole housing estate for a week!
Now years later and class 1. Bangor, North Wales about ten years back. Missed the turning and carries on because I’ve seen another truck coming out and it’s getting dark on a summers night. See a plot of hard standing to spin round and…yep it’s soft, bogged down to all six axles! This guy appears in a little van saying he’ll pull me out in the morning. Buggered off to find a pub and cash point. Didn’t sleep all night thinking that I’ll be sacked. In the morning the guy turn up with a farm tractor that was no good. He brings the big excavator round and drags me out. £30 lighter and lesson learned was stay on the solid.
First job out only own (ignoring my month with palmer and Harvey were I worked for a month they never let me drive then told me to leave )
I done a couple late night trunking for Harvey’s in. 7.5tn.
The run was from Warrington to magna park (Midlands nearish Coventry)
Got the yard and reversed into a parked truck and took its bumper off.
Thought I’d never work again, both agency and Harvey’s said ■■■■ happens learn from it.
I left the Army in '83 with my class 1 and had no roping or sheeting experience whatsoever but keen as hell to get into ‘trucking’ so I went to a local haulage company my dad said were looking for a driver and told the guvner I don’t have the tacho or roping experience etc. but I’m keen, a hard worker and reliable and willing to work a week for nothing to learn what’s needed so he gave me a chance. Stayed with him till he retired and loved it. Sadly he sold the company ‘accounts’ to another firm up North and I didn’t want to move so changed trades.