Good on you, One thing that’s not for sale at any price is time.
I was lucky is was out of transport from 1995-2007 while my children were small and we had lots of time together, the odd cash in ■■■■■■■■ and agency work kept my hand in.
I have just come off a 8 year stint on nights, I now start around 05:00-06:00 on a 10 week rota.
I can do long days if I want or I can finish on my contracted hours (8.5 or less) looking forward to summer where I can spend my rest days riding and finish up with a cold beer in the garden.
Why waste your life in work paying for things you don’t need, when I was younger a 16 hour double shift in the steelworks then a couple of loads for cash was commonplace
I needed the coin, why carry that on when you are older life’s far to short to be stuck in a cab, before you know it life has passed you buy.
I am happier and more relaxed than I have been for many years.
mike68:
Good on you, One thing that’s not for sale at any price is time.
I was lucky is was out of transport from 1995-2007 while my children were small and we had lots of time together, the odd cash in ■■■■■■■■ and agency work kept my hand in.
I have just come off a 8 year stint on nights, I now start around 05:00-06:00 on a 10 week rota.
I can do long days if I want or I can finish on my contracted hours (8.5 or less) looking forward to summer where I can spend my rest days riding and finish up with a cold beer in the garden.
Why waste your life in work paying for things you don’t need, when I was younger a 16 hour double shift in the steelworks then a couple of loads for cash was commonplace
I needed the coin, why carry that on when you are older life’s far to short to be stuck in a cab, before you know it life has passed you buy.
I am happier and more relaxed than I have been for many years.
That’s a very thought-provoking post, especially the first line.
Things must be desperate, after telling my boss that I will retire on September the 6th he tried to tempt me into staying on for another year.
Not on your nelly I says…then tonight he showed me the email confirming that he has ordered two S450’s to replace our R models. I bet this will change your mind says he…
I read the email and told him I’m still going in September…dont think he was amused !
Twoninety88:
Things must be desperate, after telling my boss that I will retire on September the 6th he tried to tempt me into staying on for another year.
Not on your nelly I says…then tonight he showed me the email confirming that he has ordered two S450’s to replace our R models. I bet this will change your mind says he…
I read the email and told him I’m still going in September…dont think he was amused !
A truck is a truck to me.
I don’t like those next gen Scanias.
Your not missing much.
Well done Pal,
Life is to short as they say.
I miss being behind the wheel of the wagon , but through rose tinted specs I fear!
Losing the licence and finally going back to electrical engineering full time certainly opened my eyes when I was taking home nigh on treble the money, but now retired and occasionally doing a few days or hours a week is great. And sodding off for a month in the Motorhome was great over Crimbo. (already done 6500miles in the MH) Nowadays planning weekends away and a big trip in summer to Norway and Finland is what keeps me alive, the occasional work just tops up the pot!
You are doing it right, sort your work life to fit around the social life.
Drempels:
If tramping is dying out, how come it’s so hard to find parking?
Because it’s not dying out yet. But that’s because there’s still plenty of drivers who generally seem to be a bit older who feel that the lorry driving job is tramping or nothing. Which is fair enough.
But the new generation of driver, the young lads don’t want to go tramping. Over the next 15 to 20 years as one generation retires and the next make up more of the industry, that’s when I can see tramping dying out.
Drempels:
If tramping is dying out, how come it’s so hard to find parking?
Because it’s not dying out yet. But that’s because there’s still plenty of drivers who generally seem to be a bit older who feel that the lorry driving job is tramping or nothing. Which is fair enough.
But the new generation of driver, the young lads don’t want to go tramping. Over the next 15 to 20 years as one generation retires and the next make up more of the industry, that’s when I can see tramping dying out.
I consider myself young at 26 and I won’t do tramping because the money is pants.
Expected to do max hours for a day rate but don’t worry you get a £20 night allowance.
A young lad I worked with last year(only been passed test 1 year)left to go on car transporters.
He’s only 23 with two nippers,and a house to save for.
He’s now working 4 on 4 off AND earning good money.
It’s all about going out there and getting what you want/need instead of regretting your life.
Good on you Robroy. Whilst we don’t always get along on here you are one of the blokes with their head screwed on. And funnily enough in an internet way someone I have respect for (simarly to Harry monk).
I have zero regrets doing my class 1. It’s paid for itself many times over. And part of me enjoys some aspects of some firms. I did supermarket work before going away - and now I have time to reflect I’ll never do this again. Was averaging over 80 hours a week. And even did a night out (although I did get paid straight through as it’s so rare the agency have no terms for this lol). It was absolutely awful - and reflecting got me despessed and unhappy.
I do agree that the hours are obscene and the money is nothing special even with those sort of hours. People are fooling themselves and sacrificing their families. Each to their own but fools in my opinion. Put it this way - my partner is a “professional” and for doing Xmas eve got over 800 quid in her bank - for less than 10 hours. Drivers call themselves professionals but do these antisocial shifts for buttons. Driving needs more blokes like you to say no to it.
Jeez mate thanks for cheering me up eh?
I wouldn’t say I ‘‘hated’’ the job, in fact once over I actually loved it, but all the things that [zb] ed it up since when I started have made me have a different opinion, the list is almost endless.
It started with…Cabphones.
Then Trackers.
Knobheads in offices who have come and gone over the years, who have and tried (and failed ) to push me.
Very few parking places in comparison to early years.
Bell end spinless drivers you have to work alongside, who have [zb] the job up for the rest of us , mostly by the things they are prepared to do…nothing surprises me anymore with those guys .
The same ones who have ballsed up the hours + overtime pay structures we once had.
The lack of old style ‘‘proper drivers’’ nowadays, as opposed to car drivers with blagged Class1s, when we used to look out for each other in terms of help, empathy and courtesy on the road.
Modern managment with their schoolboy regimes and stupid unnecessary [zb] rules …only to justify their non jobs and titles like ‘‘Compliance Managers’’ ffs
I’m sure I could think of many more, but I can’t be arsed, and I’m starting to sound like Del’s Uncle Albert, ‘…‘During the war’’ … but I’m sure you see where I’m coming from, and get my drift.
It’s not just you robroy I’m the same now and I’m only 39,fed up big time so I only do days and odd night out around 50-55hr…Iv a family that’s important to me.
In 18 year Iv seen it go to pot,you want to look at what’s ballsed transport up then look in any maritime office and see the conveyor belt of “cloned” office boys who then try and “clone” the driver most of them ■■■■ it up too.
Drivers like my mate too who Iv mentioned on here before will do anything and I mean anything he is told by his firm,doesn’t eat all day as he is scared of losing his £9 an hour job .
Firms that use microlise telematics and think because a driver gets top marks he is brilliant and then telling a driver with 40 years experience that he needs to improve
The list is endless,
My job ain’t brilliant it’s rubbish money really but It’s 5 min from my house and it 100 times better than anything else in my area,
Iv thought about getting out but despite what is said on here I can’t find a shelf stacking job that offers more an hour than I get…
AndrewG:
^^^^^
No choice on cutting hours here, same run week in week out (a few minor exceptions) means doing this till we finally give it up…5 nights out a week…
eagerbeaver:
He wouldn’t make the grade frozen chap
Better staying as a FOC overnight security guard…
OI, wind yer neck in golf boy, or you’ll have the pair of us turning up at The Hope & Anchor at the same time waiting for you to put your hand in your pocket!
I’ve not looked back since going 4on -4off Rob. Working 3.5 days a week is plenty for me, I can survive on £450 take home a week, and don’t bother with overtime shifts at all.
I wouldnt suit the “frilly curtains” type though, because you’ll be sharing the truck…
) to push me. 
