“Old school” is often used as a term to bully and otherwise demean drivers whose only wrongdoing is to be not old enough to have been able to drive “in the good old days” when running bent was required, night heaters didn’t exist and a bunk was really a plank across the seats…as in “you’re not old school, you’ve got no idea…”
For me, if a driver is presentable, polite, and is capable of performing the job required of them then I don’t care if they’ve been driving 30 yrs or 3 months.
James the cat:
raymundo:
Are you ‘old skool’ if you don’t know where to put the magnets or fiddle an analogue or digi tacho but now that if you fail to make an entry in a log book the fine was much less than getting done for making a false entry, max was £25 back in the day … (or so I was informed … by the boss)
No that’s just old
Oh ■■■■, that’s me then 
Perhaps he is referring to some better practices from times past such as:
The only paperwork I used to is a clean signitature on the delivery docket.
The only time I communicate with the office is if I don’t have my back loading address now that I’m empty.
The customer will know my time of arrival when he sees my truck coming in his gate.
I will leave railway bridges and tiny town centres exactly as they have been for hundreds of years.
I will have a good laugh with whoever I meet during the day and a few sociables in the pub with whoever else is stopping here tonight.
Old Skool was where the equipment wasn’t nearly as good (some gearboxes excepted) but the job and the money was way better even if the work was sometimes harder.
As those times are gone perhaps he means he is just keeping things simple and using his head as it used to be.
Terry T:
Oldschool usually means a fat man in his 50s called Big Gaz/Dave/John who rattles on about Twin Splitters but can’t drive an automatic for toffee. His breakfast bap could feed the whole of Biafra for a month. He slept across the engine on a plank of wood in a truck with no heater and can navigate just by looking at the stars.We had one old guy defect a wagon for keep going into neutral. That’ll be the Eco Roll mr expert, please keep up
Ok I’ll own up to that, (apart maybe from the ‘fat’ and ‘automatic/toffee’ bits)
Cheers.
Big Rob.
I suppose I’m old skool in my mind and attitude about all sorts of work I’ve done/ do but not one for bragging about the ‘good old days’… I’ve got fond memories but it was also hard physical work usually… we tend to remember the good bits and not so much the negatives: roping and sheeting in the middle of winter in the rain, cabs with holes in the bodywork and trying to sleep in -10 temps etc.
I’ve adapted to some aspects of new skool as I think anything that can make life/ the job easier isn’t a bad thing. Bug bear for me about it though is H+S being OTT. I’m all for H+S at a common sense level, but when you have to ask a Manager to carry out a safe working practice routine with you to use powered hand tools or to just use a jet wash is barking.
I started 27 yrs ago on Bedford TKs,ford d series,and others, using map books,using the tongue in my head to ask directions instead of nowadays with the bloody sat nav,roping and sheeting,although I never had the pleasure of log books like my dear old dad,only analogue tacho’s,but I still consider myself old school,i find in the old days if you spoke to a town resident they would take the time to talk but also give you valuable information about getting an hgv down certain roads to your delivery point and then telling you the best way,nowadays drivers rely too much on sat navs and that’s why they ■■■■ up being sent down roads you have no hope of getting down.
Juddian:
robroy:
weeto:
With all the moaning and groaning about the “job” on this site shows that there are not that many old school drivers on here, could name a few that are.
You are very unlikely to have an old school driver working for the main stream companies like DHL maritime Stobarts etc, old school will want to do the job his/her way, and not have a ■■■■■■■■ in the office who has probably never even seen inside a cab telling him/her how to do the job, the job gets done his/her way always, because they are trusted to do it their way, old school are very selective on who they work for.
Some companies don’t like old school drivers, because those companies like to employ robots.
Old school, regardless on how long they have been doing the job, will always treat a new day like their first ever day driving a truck because they are committed to the job, or needs committing
You will never see old school tailgating the truck in front or sat 6 ft off the car in lane 2 doing 49 mph trying to through the road works.
You know the list is endless, out on the road everything bad you see being done by other truck drivers, won’t be done by old school.To be fair mate and redress the balance here, I know one or two older drivers that I would not employ if they accepted buttons for payment, but speaking widely and generally, I agree with you.
Indeed, being old or having done the job for 40 years doesn’t guarantee old school, old school is a state of mind, an attitude to the job as Weeto correctly describes.
I’ve worked with old blokes who will never be lorry drivers as long as they have a hole in their arse, and i work with and have worked with young drivers who have the right attitude who are old school way ahead of time, often enough those young old schoolers are sons (and daughters) of old time lorry drivers.
Very well said all above. ^^^^^
Anyone in their 30s who likes to tell other drivers that they are ‘old school’ is undoubtedly one to avoid wherever possible . The very fact that they feel the need to claim that they are ‘old school’ means that they are not ‘old school’ at all.
mrginge:
Example, me of the tender age of 29 and only driving since 21. I had an air bag blow up on my unit lift axle when running at 44T, I find the next layby to disconnect the trailer, lift the axle, and drive (After phoning the boss admittedly) to the nearest Volvo 30mins away. 45mins later Im off back to my trailer with new bag fitted to hitch up and still get to where I planned originally that evening just 2-3hrs later but still got to the pub.
That’s not ‘old school’. That’s common sense and something I’d expect any driver with a bit of intelligence to do.
Old school means you can think for yourself ,H&S wasn’t required ie yellow vest etc as you had enough common sense not to put yourself in danger .Or in a nutshell could be sent out to do a job without a list of do’s and donts you where a professional
Old school, thinking for yourself not being told how to work by the spotty office cabbage.
Repairing your own unit and trailer, bulbs, brakes, being able to change a wheel/ strap an axle/ blocking off a chamber and numerous other get you home bodges ect. Working the tacho to YOUR advantage, ignoring H&S nazis…
New school, asking how high when told to jump, waiting for fitters to come out refusing to move because a ■■■■■■ bulb has blown, standing to attention in pristine H&S garb bollox, asking on a truck forum when taking a p1ss if the tacho needs to be on other work. Pushing their blood pressure up worrying over being 10 minutes over time. Not knowing how to drive a truck with range and split…
Old school, I’m old school not because I’ve driven for many years, I’m old school because I don’t need to have my hand held, I don’t have to phone the office for advice.
I can fix things I can get the job done with the minimum of fuss, I know how a unit and trailer works in detail and can care for them accordingly.
Some people will never be drivers as long as they live its all about attitude ■■■■■■■ and moaning I don’t do, and I don’t tolerate it from others professional pride and no excuses, you **** up and you say so, you don’t hide and blame others, simple enough or so you would think.
If ‘new school/k’ means having a gob tripping me up, taking myself far too seriously (because I have a serious truck), reversing with one hand in my mouth, and having a windscreen full of pelmet then I am definitely ‘old school/k’.
mrginge:
Oldskool is a mentality you can have at any age.You can spot them easy enough when one driver wont leave the yard without getting a fitter to replace a bulb whilst another guy is doing what he can out on the road to get the truck back to the yard.
Example, me of the tender age of 29 and only driving since 21. I had an air bag blow up on my unit lift axle when running at 44T, I find the next layby to disconnect the trailer, lift the axle, and drive (After phoning the boss admittedly) to the nearest Volvo 30mins away. 45mins later Im off back to my trailer with new bag fitted to hitch up and still get to where I planned originally that evening just 2-3hrs later but still got to the pub.
Other drivers would have phoned that in, waited 1-2hrs for a fitter to turn up, then drop the trailer and go to Volvo and so on and then wasted so much time probably stayed in that layby for the night 2hrs away from delivery point, with no facilities and cried on Facebook about it.
Proper old school would have just bent the pipe over and cable tied it to stop the air and carried on, and and on until at some point they get back to the yard.
I’m a steering wheel attendant and proud of it. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it oldies!
AndrewG:
Repairing your own unit and trailer, bulbs, brakes, being able to change a wheel/ strap an axle/ blocking off a chamber and numerous other get you home bodges ect.
Done the strapping (and chaining) up of an axle and blanking off of a chamber before now…but today?
You would end up being taken away if caught.
As said before some can not even change a bulb nowadays.
Hurryup&wait:
Perhaps he is referring to some better practices from times past such as:The only paperwork I used to is a clean signitature on the delivery docket.
The only time I communicate with the office is if I don’t have my back loading address now that I’m empty.
The customer will know my time of arrival when he sees my truck coming in his gate.
I will leave railway bridges and tiny town centres exactly as they have been for hundreds of years.
I will have a good laugh with whoever I meet during the day and a few sociables in the pub with whoever else is stopping here tonight.
Old Skool was where the equipment wasn’t nearly as good (some gearboxes excepted) but the job and the money was way better even if the work was sometimes harder.
As those times are gone perhaps he means he is just keeping things simple and using his head as it used to be.
Having a pint in a pub??
What were you thinking man 
, snowflakes are dropping like flies at the mere thought 
.
Doesn’t anyone think of the children any more 
Hic…
robroy:
AndrewG:
Repairing your own unit and trailer, bulbs, brakes, being able to change a wheel/ strap an axle/ blocking off a chamber and numerous other get you home bodges ect.Done the strapping (and chaining) up of an axle and blanking off of a chamber before now…but today?
You would end up being taken away if caught.As said before some can not even change a bulb nowadays.
Did it recently on a trailer from Jaca to Zarragoza fully freighted when i had another flat tyre (used the spare the day before) its ok i just make it less obvious by not leaving any loose strap/chain hanging. Blocked off a chamber recently when the rear brakes overheated on the third axle and the shoes fell apart Madrid to Zarragoza. Tbh Rob, no one would know, in these cases im aware of less braking effort and drive accordingly…
raymundo:
James the cat:
raymundo:
Are you ‘old skool’ if you don’t know where to put the magnets or fiddle an analogue or digi tacho but now that if you fail to make an entry in a log book the fine was much less than getting done for making a false entry, max was £25 back in the day … (or so I was informed … by the bossNo that’s just old
Oh [zb], that’s me then
Yeah. You get a free pass given you get to Captain the Flying Dutchman around the islands not doing much. That is old school. Whilst we’re on here toiling whether using a bit of canvas to bodge up running gear on a few hundred grands worth of 2015 motor makes you “vintage”
Real old school is a trick. It’s one eye on the horizon, a nod to things beyond control, a knowing smile, carry on with minimum fuss and love to fellow man. Collect pay packet. Go home. Have merry ■■■, a happy life then die with a smile. The rest is just white noise.
Just means he can get to where he is going
if he is diverted and is sat nav isn’t working
without hitting a ■■■■■■■ blow bridge
