Reasons for deciding to tramp for a career

Franglais:

Winseer:
If Labour win the election, we might all want to consider being a “Carer for a Tramp” rather than a “Tramper for a career”. :stuck_out_tongue:

Those care allowances are quite meaty already, and set to increase under a Labour government. :unamused: :open_mouth:

Wow ! £62.70 for a 35 hour week !
gov.uk/carers-allowance/overview
Wonder how many would rush to knock an elderly relative over the head to take advantage of that? And if you care for two or three people you dont need to apply for extra, because youre not eligible for it.

CA has just gone up £0.20 to £62.70 for 2017-2018
However I can assure you 35hrs is probably a minimum,
I was doing 70-100hrs a week. Which makes it around £0.50 p/hr I was getting.
I’m due to lose my CA on May 15th in line with the guidelines of paying it for 8 weeks after qualifying criteria ends

I’ve been driving 2 years of which 1 month was multi drop class 2, then class 1 days for 6 months, then the rest tramping.

I’m certainly not one who will do it for a long time, in fact I plan on doing it for one more year tops to pay some loans etc off then I want to go back local.

I’d say the good things about tramping and I’m glad of had the experience are:

Money
Spending much time actually driving than on days
Going all over the country rather than just within a set radius from base
Call it day when you want to
Your already at work when you get up
And did I mention the extra money

The bad things:

Living in a tin box
Don’t know where you can take a shower and ■■■■ each day and what state the facilities will be in
Living off microwave or fast food
I personally feel like I’m always at work and can’t fully switch off even when I’ve finished for the day like I can when I go home.
Planners the ability to screw you over more because your a tramper it don’t matter to them if you get back or not, but on days if you run out of time they have send a van to get you.

I’m glad I’ve done tramping but personally for me i won’t be one of the guys who does it 25 years. I guess some get to used to the money then don’t want the wage cut.

Rowley010:
I’ve been driving 2 years of which 1 month was multi drop class 2, then class 1 days for 6 months, then the rest tramping.

I’m certainly not one who will do it for a long time, in fact I plan on doing it for one more year tops to pay some loans etc off then I want to go back local.

I’d say the good things about tramping and I’m glad of had the experience are:

Money
Spending much time actually driving than on days
Going all over the country rather than just within a set radius from base
Call it day when you want to
Your already at work when you get up
And did I mention the extra money

The bad things:

Living in a tin box
Don’t know where you can take a shower and [zb] each day and what state the facilities will be in
Living off microwave or fast food
I personally feel like I’m always at work and can’t fully switch off even when I’ve finished for the day like I can when I go home.
Planners the ability to screw you over more because your a tramper it don’t matter to them if you get back or not, but on days if you run out of time they have send a van to get you.

I’m glad I’ve done tramping but personally for me i won’t be one of the guys who does it 25 years. I guess some get to used to the money then don’t want the wage cut.

Load of pish.

Tin box? Spend a few quid and have the inside of your truck nice and comfy.

Knowing good showers and facilities comes with time and experience, there are a few around if you know where to look.

Your choice what you eat, I won’t tell anyone what to do for dinner but the options are only as small as your fridge. Only crap being available is a load of tosh.

Back to the first point here really, if your cab is nice and comfy maybe you would settle more. Personally all my work stuff gets done in the driver’s seat, the rest is for sleeping and chilling.

That doesn’t happen if you work for a decent company and you remember that this is transport, things change constantly. If I don’t get back I don’t care, it’s lorry driving not accounting where the bell goes at 1700 and that’s you done.

Each to their own and it isn’t a job for everyone, plenty certainly can’t hack it and as shown here there is so much of it depending on your outlook and mindset.

A.

Rowley010:
I’ve been driving 2 years of which 1 month was multi drop class 2, then class 1 days for 6 months, then the rest tramping.

I’m certainly not one who will do it for a long time, in fact I plan on doing it for one more year tops to pay some loans etc off then I want to go back local.

I’d say the good things about tramping and I’m glad of had the experience are:

Money
Spending much time actually driving than on days
Going all over the country rather than just within a set radius from base
Call it day when you want to
Your already at work when you get up
And did I mention the extra money

The bad things:

Living in a tin box
Don’t know where you can take a shower and [zb] each day and what state the facilities will be in
Living off microwave or fast food
I personally feel like I’m always at work and can’t fully switch off even when I’ve finished for the day like I can when I go home.
Planners the ability to screw you over more because your a tramper it don’t matter to them if you get back or not, but on days if you run out of time they have send a van to get you.

I’m glad I’ve done tramping but personally for me i won’t be one of the guys who does it 25 years. I guess some get to used to the money then don’t want the wage cut.

The fact that you use that phrase ‘‘living in a tin box’’ :unamused: tells me tramping is definitely not for you mate.
As for not relaxing why not?
Are you parking in lay bys with your clock set to 8. 59?
Do you keep your works phone switched on?
Do you not get out of the cab, maybe go to the pub for a pint or even a coke, with a meal?
If you sit in cab all night have you not got a tv/dvd?
This is more than likely why you are psyched up on a night out.

As for food, I certainly don’t live on crap, I never go near a salmonella lay by van, I have healthy home cooked food in my fridge, ok admittedlly heated by microwave, but what’s the problem with that? I also have salads in there, and chilled beer, so always a good choice
I have at least one pub meal a week.
I have rationed myself to a one per forthlnight cooked brekkie, but always go for the better class of breakfast at various cafes I know, as I hate a greasy mass of a fried crap . :smiling_imp:

As for not knowing where to get a shower, funny that, as I never have a problem, some weeks I shower every night at different places, sometimes twice a day in the hot summer.

Try doing the job different/properly mate, who knows, you might start to enjoy it. :bulb:

My unit is comfy, I’m not saying that and I always get a good sleep. However, however much you sugar coat it your still living in a small tin box compared to a whole house like when you go home. Your right, maybe the fact that I see it like that shows it’s not for me.

discoman:
Thanks for the replies, seems it is a life style choice … I see what some of you guys mean re the 15 hour shift. Easier to stay in the cab then go home and be tired, less pressure, seeing the countryside etc.

trampers DO NOT have to do 15 hrs shifts either. :unamused: GV262 states " a driver MAY reduce up to three times" between two weekly rest periods. :open_mouth: grow some men. :grimacing:

Again, with the food I’m not saying everyone eats crap when they are tramping. But I think you can naturally eat better when you’ve got full kitchen facilities at home. That’s just my opinion.

When I drove lorries in early 2000s all I was interested in was tramping. Reason was to save money. Cut down the travel and spend less living. Also wanted to get out and about. I didn’t have the lorry tarted up inside with inverters, fridges and TVs. Had it fairly nice but just had a small portable tv and books. Any money I spent on it for fridges etc wasn’t being saved up. I used a primus :laughing: . Always did my cooking in the evenings. Always liked finding a pub. I really enjoyed it for 2 years but thought at the time I wouldn’t fancy it in my 40s. I rode with a mate at the same firm getting a lift back from the fitters, he had his done fantastic inside. I think you could be quite comfortable if you weren’t a single minded short termer money saving skin flint like I was.

I felt quite fortunate that I worked for some old fashioned firms who didn’t have SOPS (I thought that was just an airline thing?), cameras, endless “managers”, cab swapping. I didn’t know cab swapping existed in tramping. You got given a unit and it was yours. Do what you want within reason. Off you go. I also felt fortunate that I did various work that took me to some strange places everywhere in the UK, from broadmoor, to farms in Wales, Inverness, and Cornwall on feeds, to Knightsbridge on curtains and military bases on flat work. Good fun

2 things narked me, lack of showers. I like my own shower of a day to wash up. I don’t mean a communal effort that’s a hike away. That reminds me too much of camping and it was always crap and always will be. Also the tramping job really hinges on finding a firm that don’t treat every shift like a max just because you’re a snail (you know, home on your back :smiley: )

Rowley010:
My unit is comfy, I’m not saying that and I always get a good sleep. However, however much you sugar coat it your still living in a small tin box compared to a whole house like when you go home. Your right, maybe the fact that I see it like that shows it’s not for me.

I’ve seen the replies from Adonis and Robroy and although both make fair points on how you can make your life more comfortable, I think they fail to give you credit for giving it a go, instead of just doing as some do and coming on here slagging trampers off with out any knowledge of it, just using the same old cliches.

And yes it’s not for everybody, even with extra money.
I’m away a lot staying a in mixture of cabs and hotels and personally I’d rather be in the same truck each night that a hotel, unless I get a decent break, then hotels are quite nice.
I find it far harder to get a goods night sleep going into a different room with a different bed each night.
Why do I do my job and put up with being away, well it’s interesting and I get to go all over the place and the money isn’t bad.

I’ve been tramping a year exactly and honestly I’ve thought it was great until the last few weeks, and all of a sudden I’ve just got disheartened with it and started finding negatives. I dunno why

Rowley010:
I’ve been tramping a year exactly and honestly I’ve thought it was great until the last few weeks, and all of a sudden I’ve just got disheartened with it and started finding negatives. I dunno why

As I said, and as you admitted mate, it just aint for you.
And just to please muckles :smiley: …at least you gave it a go.

Rowley010:
I’ve been tramping a year exactly and honestly I’ve thought it was great until the last few weeks, and all of a sudden I’ve just got disheartened with it and started finding negatives. I dunno why

Well, to be fair, that’s probably because however one skins that apple there are a lot of negatives :laughing:. I really enjoyed it though and got the benefits for me as it was in that time in my early twenties when I was feeling adventurous, but wouldn’t have wanted to see it as an open ended existence. Just me.

robroy:

Rowley010:
I’ve been tramping a year exactly and honestly I’ve thought it was great until the last few weeks, and all of a sudden I’ve just got disheartened with it and started finding negatives. I dunno why

As I said, and as you admitted mate, it just aint for you.
And just to please muckles :smiley: …at least you gave it a go.

Cheers :laughing:

Rowley010:
I’ve been tramping a year exactly and honestly I’ve thought it was great until the last few weeks, and all of a sudden I’ve just got disheartened with it and started finding negatives. I dunno why

It might be tramping is not for you or maybe the company you work for isn’t for you.

Personally I only did for 2 years the first time, then at the age of 30 I thought I don’t want to be doing this when I’m 40, and went to college for 2 years, tried a career in IT and ended up back driving trucks and enjoying it, (most of the time :laughing: )
I’m now over 50 and still get itchy feet if I’m home for more than a few days. :laughing:

I’ve been tramper for the better part of 30 years, and don’t see an end to it anytime soon.

The few times that I’ve had a go at day or occasional nights away work, both Me and the Mrs have found it more stressfull, as the varied finnish and start times seemed to totally disrupt the smooth running of the house. Where as I’ll see you at the weekend works better.

As for not seeing the kids grow up, well yes that is My biggest regret, though to be honest, when I tried day work, the kids were allways in bed when I left for work and returned home, so really saw no more of them than I do as a Tramper. Would I change my chosen lifestyle, if I was starting all over again, to spend more time at home, No !

I would think, that if you were married and decided to go tramping that would be a hard change in circumstances for a wife to handle. I was already tramping when I met my wife, so she accepted what she was getting into 20+ years ago.

Living in a tin box :unamused: as Robroy has already stated, doesn’t have to be an endurance test. Showers are easy to come by, though sometimes its worth paying, and not waiting til you park up. I do similar to Rob, in that my mrs cooks and freezes meals for me, which I then Microwave. depending on where I’m parked, and whom I might bump into will make the decision as to whether to go and socialise over an evening meal, instead of in cab cuisine, but the choice is mine, and not forced on me by adverse circumstances, as I’ve allways got something to microwave or cook in my truck.

Living in North Norfolk also has a bearing. All the drivers I knew before and when I started driving did nights away, and early starts, so it was/is just part and parcel of trucking from our piece of this sceptre isle, and I embraced, and still do.
As Muckles stated, the employment options are limited for day work anyway, and with only commuting at either end of the week, means its viable to work for an Employer 75 miles from home, for better than local wages.

Unlike the many day drivers, who seem to have to berate trampers for our lifestyle choice, without, it seems bothering to ask why we prefer that as our lifestyle choice. Trampers seem on the whole more measured in our appreciation of different drivers differing work patterns, I’ve yet to hear a tramper say to a day driver, blimey, I wouldn’t sit in all that traffic each night just so I could get home late to re-heat my tea whilst waiting for the mrs to return from bingo, 10 minutes before I need to go to bed for a 4am start !

I’ve done both tramping and day work, and of course there are pros and cons to both. With tramping, it felt quite good to go to work on a Monday morning, and not know where you’ll be that week. If you were lucky, you might see England, Scotland and Wales in a week. It was quite nice when the firm would give you your load or tip for the morning, and you could position yourself in a nice comfy place, and relax. No worries about getting home or anything. It felt difficult to eat healthily, and find decent showers, which was a big downside. But, by far the worst thing for me about tramping was the crappy, disengaged, unrealistic management, who didn’t recognise you as a human being. The list of ridiculous, petty things I was repremanded about whilst tramping was endless. The stress was horrendous and it drove me over the edge. This is where a good, understanding employer is vital for a Tramper, in my opinion.

I really enjoyed days, but I enjoyed the local runs, and the banter at that place was great. If I could turn back time, I would have stuck to days, and never bothered tramping.

I went from days to tramping, purely chasing the higher wage. The first firm I tramped with insisted on cab-hopping, i.e a different truck every shift, which was bloody frustrating. I will admit that there were only a few trampers at that firm as a necessary evil for the long hauls, so their planning model couldn’t guarantee the same truck every shift (supposedly). As much as some drivers may just say “a truck’s a truck, shut up and get on with it!”, doing four to five nights out per week, and not being able to even unpack your personal possessions isn’t nice at all. I didn’t feel at all comfortable, so I left. No disrespect to the firm, they were a decent firm with easy work, but for me, trampers need to 100% have the same truck every week. The other firm just treated me like crap, and the management were lying, cheating and decieving. They’d tell you anything to get you to take another load, and after I stood my ground refusing to take impossible loads, they got personal, so I left there too.

Overall, tramping felt much more like an adventure, with the added pay, but day work felt much more stable, and like you could have a life alongside work. I had very bad experiences tramping (including getting my curtains slashed on my very first night out!), but, and it’s a big but, it could be so much better if you worked for a decent firm, who respects and understands drivers’ limitations. I’d only go back tramping if I had a decent truck, to myself (don’t mind if it goes out at weekends, just not cab-hopping), the work is clean, parking’s paid, and the drivers there have a good opinion of the management (which rules-out the majority of local firms). If not, then days is what suits me best.

Evil8Beezle:

Radar19:
That’s an old ad…

And so is Andrew! :wink:

Not that old, still in my prime, fit and strong as… :grimacing:
Birthday yesterday…five o… :frowning:

Well happy Bday for yesterday day pal, you’re now generally considered to be an antique! Lol

Evil8Beezle:
Well happy Bday for yesterday day pal, you’re now generally considered to be an antique! Lol

:smiley::wink:

Rowley010:
I’ve been tramping a year exactly and honestly I’ve thought it was great until the last few weeks, and all of a sudden I’ve just got disheartened with it and started finding negatives. I dunno why

Is it the nights out getting you down? Or the company, maybe? Your first post suggests you’d be happier doing that night out if you were choosing where it was taken.
Edit. Reading your other thread too.
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