Motor car drivers to be allowed to drive trucks

[Sidevalve]

if you understood the story, that's what it's about. Allowing access to 7.5T is seen as a route to hgv training.

As I commented myself above; but I suspect there's more to it than just a route.

At the moment, councils alone must be spending hundreds of thousands of pounds putting drivers through C1 licences so that they can drive little tippers and the like which form the backbone of council fleets. The majority of those vehicles probably don't do more than a couple of hundred miles a week and as far as the blokes who drive them are concerned, it's just transport to and from the various places where they dig holes, repair kerbs etc. Ditto small builders, roofers, etc. Deregulating the 7.5 tonners, or more to the point setting the law back where it was, would save those councils (and by definition us as ratepayers) a helluva lot of money and improve productivity too as those blokes would be digging holes instead of driver training.

Furthermore, as I also mentioned above, it's an easy way to "try before you buy". Cost of DCPC and digicard is far less than a week's driver training, off you go in your puddle-jumper, if you like the job you go for the big boys licence, if you don't you ain't gambled all your savings away.

The only losers will be the training companies; but they've had it good for a while now.

[beefy4605]

Had to have a bit of nous, and brawn, those old wagons self regulated who could or who would want to drive one.
Bit different now, select D and press the loud pedal, don't even need to release the switch masquerading as a park brake, one finger steering.

Could you imagine the reaction in a typical yard if an old boneshaker with a gearbox from hell no powersteering complete with flatbed trailer requiring handball loading then roping and sheeting turned up.

Whether or not others would like to admit it, that Juddian in my opinion is exactly why the haulage industry is where it is today. Flats were parked because new drivers couldn't / wouldn't rope and sheet so along came the curtainsider and if it went in and the curtains pulled then it was grand - nobody knew there was 25 tons of concrete sitting on the floor with nothing holding it down . Now even with reinforced curtains and ratchet straps they still can't manage to keep a load on from A to B but the old chestnut "ropes aern't safe / up to enxxxx standard "is the excuse you hear when the simple fact is they can't drive , a good few of them out there aern't fit to be trusted with anything bigger than a shopping trolley and even at that when you see the state of cars in a supermarket carpark you would have to wonder if a shopping trolley is to much for them .

[Sidevalve]

Had to have a bit of nous, and brawn, those old wagons self regulated who could or who would want to drive one.
Bit different now, select D and press the loud pedal, don't even need to release the switch masquerading as a park brake, one finger steering.

Could you imagine the reaction in a typical yard if an old boneshaker with a gearbox from hell no powersteering complete with flatbed trailer requiring handball loading then roping and sheeting turned up.

Whether or not others would like to admit it, that Juddian in my opinion is exactly why the haulage industry is where it is today. Flats were parked because new drivers couldn't / wouldn't rope and sheet so along came the curtainsider and if it went in and the curtains pulled then it was grand - nobody knew there was 25 tons of concrete sitting on the floor with nothing holding it down . Now even with reinforced curtains and ratchet straps they still can't manage to keep a load on from A to B but the old chestnut "ropes aern't safe / up to enxxxx standard "is the excuse you hear when the simple fact is they can't drive , a good few of them out there aern't fit to be trusted with anything bigger than a shopping trolley and even at that when you see the state of cars in a supermarket carpark you would have to wonder if a shopping trolley is to much for them .

Of course, loads NEVER came off if they were roped and sheeted? Yes, you had to learn how to get the best out of those old motors (you do with the new ones but in a different way) but if you're going to try and tell me that modern drivers are crap just because the job's been made immeasurably easier for them, I'll just laugh in your face; and I'm old enough to have seen both sides of it.

Mate, there were lousy drivers around then just as there are lousy drivers around now. Rose tinted specs are fine but it wasn't ALL good.

[Sabretooth]

""Flats were parked because new drivers couldn't / wouldn't rope and sheet so along came the curtainside""

Not true, the truth is Sheeting and Roping was/is an Art that few were able to master ! And done right and well gave the driver a lot of satisfaction ( well it did me). The Tautliner was developed to save time and money preparing a vehicle for the road helping for a speedy on time delivery. Depending on the cargo it used to take me up to 1 1/2 hours to Sheet and Rope a 40 ft trailer, making it secure and water proofing the load.
The straps inside a tautliner have never been the only suggested securing method, many times a driver would use ropes or his own straps to hold a load for transport.

And yes its true a Curtainsider stopped prying eyes but so does a sheet and rope if done right !
As to licensing, If memory serves HGV came in in 1970, and depending on experience you could be grandfather righted in on class 1, 2 or 3 prior to HGV you could drive any vehicle on a car license. Times have changed and for the better especially regarding health and safety, and as regulations and laws are implemented it will get tougher, Just like a lathe, screwdriver plane etc a truck is a tool, and unless its operated with responsibility and with in operating designs and obedience of laws there will still be serious injuries and deaths, in most part to driver error. And unless the Vehicle is operated accordingly, the criticisms and faults will continue to bring down the industry. The feeble excuses from the "its not my fault brigade", will continue just as it has in other industries. However the dangers to the general public are more evident with a tragic probability within the Trucking world.

[beefy4605]

Had to have a bit of nous, and brawn, those old wagons self regulated who could or who would want to drive one.
Bit different now, select D and press the loud pedal, don't even need to release the switch masquerading as a park brake, one finger steering.

Could you imagine the reaction in a typical yard if an old boneshaker with a gearbox from hell no powersteering complete with flatbed trailer requiring handball loading then roping and sheeting turned up.

Whether or not others would like to admit it, that Juddian in my opinion is exactly why the haulage industry is where it is today. Flats were parked because new drivers couldn't / wouldn't rope and sheet so along came the curtainsider and if it went in and the curtains pulled then it was grand - nobody knew there was 25 tons of concrete sitting on the floor with nothing holding it down . Now even with reinforced curtains and ratchet straps they still can't manage to keep a load on from A to B but the old chestnut "ropes aern't safe / up to enxxxx standard "is the excuse you hear when the simple fact is they can't drive , a good few of them out there aern't fit to be trusted with anything bigger than a shopping trolley and even at that when you see the state of cars in a supermarket carpark you would have to wonder if a shopping trolley is to much for them .

Of course, loads NEVER came off if they were roped and sheeted? Yes, you had to learn how to get the best out of those old motors (you do with the new ones but in a different way) but if you're going to try and tell me that modern drivers are crap just because the job's been made immeasurably easier for them, I'll just laugh in your face; and I'm old enough to have seen both sides of it.
Mate, there were lousy drivers around then just as there are lousy drivers around now. Rose tinted specs are fine but it wasn't ALL good.

The job is easier - no question or arguement there but standards should be rising should they not ? Plainly they are not . You must have see the newcomers with the ink still wet on their licence demanding / being let loose with a 600 hp + truck and load and little or no idea of the forces at play , being driven like gocarts . A 320 Iveco with a crash box and a load of spuds in 25 kg bags that were roped and sheeted on put a little fear in you until you understood what was going on . Of course there were bad drivers back in the "good old " days no arguement about it- standards ain't improving - you have to ask why ?

[peterm]

I got my class 1 on grandad rights and went OK; I think because I'd been all over the country with my father as a youngster. When I first started on an artic, I could load, sheet and rope from the off. People don't have that privilege now. What I have seen on our holidays back there is a diabolical lack of courtesy from some hvg "drivers" nowadays. I don't look back with rose tinted spec's at 'the good old days', but every bugger seems to have the need to be first, and woe betide anyone that holds them up.
There were some ratbags back in the day, but nothing that compares to today's mob.

[Juddian]

What's changed is that the job is now so easy, and arguably so well paid for such little actual work/nous/skill/effort/muck involved, that is has attracted and allowed to flourish a breed of driver wholly unsuited to the job.
They simply wouldn't be in the job if it was as it used to be.
No one's saying either that all new drivers are rubbish and yes there were bad drivers in the past, what's different is that one had to have some mechanical aptitude to drive the old motors where anyone can now get in a modern truck and take it out on the road, any who can't see the standards have dropped rapidly is denying reality.

No one's arguing about wishing going back to those days, but you have to be careful how desirable the job becomes because it doesn't take a genius to work out that the so called driver shortage and the subsequent well paid job its become can very quickly tip the other way if it becomes flooded with those who just see it as a route to a fast and easy buck, just be careful what you wish for.

[Sabretooth]

" what's different is that one had to have some mechanical aptitude to drive the old motors "

I remember when I first left the military, I drove an old Dodge which sprung a diesel leak in a high pressure fuel line, Stranded between Silverstone and Towster. The only tools I had was an adjustable and a screw driver. After what must of been all night I managed to remove the pipe and get a little sleep in the day cab ! Next morning I hitched into North Hampton and to a company who made me a new pipe. (all arranged by the boss) I hitched back and fitted the new pipe and continued to Southampton. Stinking of Diesel i was promptly reloaded and sent on my merry way. Only being able to have a stripped wash and changing clothes at a public toilet facility. My next pay check bought me a comprehensive tool kit in metric and imperial plus sockets. Never again to be caught without the right tool for the unexpected task. As to mechanical training? I had only ever changed a wheel on a Land Rover before so it was on the job self training.

I also changed out the turbo on my F12 in Belgium during mid winter, spent all Saturday morning tracking one down and managed to replace it by Sunday night, in time for the German boarder opening at 10pm. And then there was a water pump that stranded me in Hannover for a week.
There were others but not as memorable nor as smelly or dirty but hey that's Trucking, or it was. I agree the old days were a challenge and you did what you had to do to get the job done.
I knew a young Woman who worked for Stevens Transport, the only way she got the job was by changing a super single on a trailer unaided. chauvinism was a live and well back then, so modern time have progressed, although still lagging in equality !!

[Dav1d]

You're a dying breed Sabretooth,and anyone else that has the ability to repair/mend/make do to get themselves safe/where they need to be.
All too often I hear drivers complaining about having to change a bulb, and not even a headlight bulb (Actros ones are a pain mind), with some even uttering the immortal phrase of 'I'm not an electrician'.
At a previous place I worked I'd have people lined up asking me to change a bulb, even while I was busy loading demounts onto the wag and drag.
That same place soon introduced a system of 'if it's broke, defect it, wait for the fitter, no driver to fit bulbs', so some vehicles didn't leave the yard for 4 hours, sometimes longer as the fitter was at a different company's yard doing their defects first.

[Sidevalve]

What's changed is that the job is now so easy, and arguably so well paid for such little actual work/nous/skill/effort/muck involved, that is has attracted and allowed to flourish a breed of driver wholly unsuited to the job.
They simply wouldn't be in the job if it was as it used to be.
No one's saying either that all new drivers are rubbish and yes there were bad drivers in the past, what's different is that one had to have some mechanical aptitude to drive the old motors where anyone can now get in a modern truck and take it out on the road, any who can't see the standards have dropped rapidly is denying reality.

No one's arguing about wishing going back to those days, but you have to be careful how desirable the job becomes because it doesn't take a genius to work out that the so called driver shortage and the subsequent well paid job its become can very quickly tip the other way if it becomes flooded with those who just see it as a route to a fast and easy buck, just be careful what you wish for.

To a degree; what has undeniably changed is how we learn the job. Back in the day, you started at the bottom and worked your way up. You learned techniques and skills mostly via the time-honoured method of "sitting next to Nelly", which of course meant that the benefits of learning good skills could often be cancelled by learning sharp practices and bad habits.

For all that longer-serving drivers might piss and moan about DCPC, what it does (or rather should) afford is a common standard of basic knowledge of the law, basic loading and securing techniques and other essentials across the whole transport sector. If it had been better designed and applied in the early days, there might not be so much disdain for it now; but that's another subject. Same applies to in-house driver trainers.

I think to a certain degree, the job has always attracted those who view it as "easy money", but not perhaps for the obvious reasons. More in fact because however regulated and controlled your job might be, and however intrusive your employer's methodology (trackers, driver facing cameras etc) it is still a job where you are "your own gaffer", where you get variety on a daily basis if that's what you want, and also where there is that slight element of permanent risk that keeps you focussed throughout the shift; or rather it should do. None of that is going to change whilst HGV's still have steering wheels, even if they and the brakes are the only things we end up controlling. Self-parking cars may to some extent be a reality but I've yet to see it applied to backing a trailer onto a bay blindside!

Where doing your own repairs is concerned; personally I've never worked anywhere which insisted that fitters changed bulbs, and it's something that not only should every driver of any vehicle be trained to do, but that manufacturers and designers should be forced by law, if necessary, to enable all but the most inept driver to achieve using a minimum of tools and effort. Unfortunately with the complex and frequently expensive LED set-ups being fitted nowadays to both cars and HGV's, I fear that ship has long sailed. Same applies to many other things; given the cost and complexity of modern vehicles, and the fact that many are on contracts or leases which prohibit drivers from doing their own repairs, I can perhaps understand employers being reluctant to allow them lest it prove costly.

[tmcassett]

Cracks me up "the good old days" of handballing, roping and sheeting and so. As if technological advances are a bad thing.

We've got a guy at our place - he's one of "the good old days" crew, believes everything in this day and age is bad, goes on about how everything was better in them days, believes satnavs should be banned for lorry drivers and you should only use the old fashioned map. Yes he has a point when it comes to one's blindingly following it and hitting bridges, getting stuck etc. but it's as if using technology to make your life easier is some sort of heinous crime.

I know it's human nature and we all do it with all aspects of our life and look back thinking "it was so much better then" but I think if you invented a time machine and went back then perhaps you'd realise it wasn't quite as good as you thought. Or that you weren't actually thinking that at the time, it's just the natural effect of what nostalgia does to you.

[cooper1203]

True, there seems no plans at the moment to drop anything else, just the licence requirement.
But if 7.5t vehicles become more popular, then won`t the operators start saying "they aren`t real trucks, you don`t need a special licence, so why an O-licence?" or "I can hire one of these on my car licence, I can have tons of my gear in it,why shoudn`t I carry someone else`s?"
Why let someone drive one without a special licence, to keep costs down, but still expect them to pay for DCPC costs?

Sorry i disagree. I looked into getting myself a beaver tail transporter over 3.5 tonnes was told i didnt need an o licence or cpc unless i was carrying out paid work. I was getting it for the sole purpose of transporting my own classic cars so no paid work so no cpc or o licence. As far as i know there isnt a single operator that does paid work that has said that isnt fair and tried to run a fleet of transporters without the appropriate bits of paper

[Sidevalve]

True, there seems no plans at the moment to drop anything else, just the licence requirement.
But if 7.5t vehicles become more popular, then won`t the operators start saying "they aren`t real trucks, you don`t need a special licence, so why an O-licence?" or "I can hire one of these on my car licence, I can have tons of my gear in it,why shoudn`t I carry someone else`s?"
Why let someone drive one without a special licence, to keep costs down, but still expect them to pay for DCPC costs?

Sorry i disagree. I looked into getting myself a beaver tail transporter over 3.5 tonnes was told i didnt need an o licence or cpc unless i was carrying out paid work. I was getting it for the sole purpose of transporting my own classic cars so no paid work so no cpc or o licence. As far as i know there isnt a single operator that does paid work that has said that isnt fair and tried to run a fleet of transporters without the appropriate bits of paper

There may not be a single LEGITIMATE operator. I don't think DVSA would agree with your comments though.

[cooper1203]

What's changed is that the job is now so easy, and arguably so well paid for such little actual work/nous/skill/effort/muck involved, that is has attracted and allowed to flourish a breed of driver wholly unsuited to the job.
They simply wouldn't be in the job if it was as it used to be.
No one's saying either that all new drivers are rubbish and yes there were bad drivers in the past, what's different is that one had to have some mechanical aptitude to drive the old motors where anyone can now get in a modern truck and take it out on the road, any who can't see the standards have dropped rapidly is denying reality.

No one's arguing about wishing going back to those days, but you have to be careful how desirable the job becomes because it doesn't take a genius to work out that the so called driver shortage and the subsequent well paid job its become can very quickly tip the other way if it becomes flooded with those who just see it as a route to a fast and easy buck, just be careful what you wish for.

this.

I have recently got my class 1 does that mean i have a clue what im doing yet... no it just means for that hour or so i was able to drive to a prescribed standered. Im am by no means an expert driver if i was shown a skelly trailer and told togo pick up a container i wouldnt have a clue nor would i have a clue if i wasgiven a truck with a gearstick. Thats not putting myself down its just i havent had the experience and been shown. Doesnt mean im not willing to learn.

however there is a big difference in my opinion between this and some of the people that turn up with a licence because the moneys good. For example i had someone with me that i was supposed to be showing the ropes as he had come from a car licence and was a new pass. So vehicle checks tacho operation how to check the load (if needed) he had a licence and was supposed to be able to point the thing.

vehicle checks took nearly 1.5 hours i swear if he had a torque wrench in the back of his car he would of checked the tightness of every bolt on the bloody unit he could get his hands on. every scratch, mark or dead fly he wanted to photograph and document. I had to show him how to couple up to the trailor as he wanted to wind the legs down before he had put the unit under it. On the road i said he needed to be in the right hand lane for the junction ahead and he swerved into the lane nearly taking out a car. When i asked why he didnt check his mirrors his excuse was "you told me to do it". On arriving at the turn around point he had to pick up another trailer and missed the pin then proceded to try and drive 50 yards away from the trailer with the airlines still attached which luckely i managed to stop him. then on top of that decided that to disconect the airlines he couldnt reach one of them so rather than warlk around the unit to the other side he stood on the 5th wheel to reach it. His final silly question/comment to me was well how do i tell if the bridge is too low for me. and couldnt understand that if the marking on the bridge was x and the truck height was y and x<y it wouldnt fit.

turned out that the company he worked for went bust and decided that he needed to earn x to make his bills etc and lorry drivers were well paid (75k+) (his words) and it was an easy job so he decided to do that.

This is the difference that is being alluded to i think

[cooper1203]

True, there seems no plans at the moment to drop anything else, just the licence requirement.
But if 7.5t vehicles become more popular, then won`t the operators start saying "they aren`t real trucks, you don`t need a special licence, so why an O-licence?" or "I can hire one of these on my car licence, I can have tons of my gear in it,why shoudn`t I carry someone else`s?"
Why let someone drive one without a special licence, to keep costs down, but still expect them to pay for DCPC costs?

Sorry i disagree. I looked into getting myself a beaver tail transporter over 3.5 tonnes was told i didnt need an o licence or cpc unless i was carrying out paid work. I was getting it for the sole purpose of transporting my own classic cars so no paid work so no cpc or o licence. As far as i know there isnt a single operator that does paid work that has said that isnt fair and tried to run a fleet of transporters without the appropriate bits of paper

There may not be a single LEGITIMATE operator. I don't think DVSA would agree with your comments though.

sorry i thought you ment legitimate operators would cry that it wasnt fair and would try and get the rules changed so they didnt need the correct bits

[Sidevalve]

This is the difference that is being alluded to i think

I think you're right there.

I've long been of the opinion that good lorry drivers are not made, to a certain extent they are born. Nor is driving a lorry a job, it's more a way of life.

Your example is probably at the extreme; one does have to wonder how he ever passed the test for a car let alone an artic. But I too have come across people who have a Class 1 but genuinely cannot drive. Lack of visual perception and spatial awareness cannot be educated out of folk, nor can sheer stupidity.

[Actrosman]

Do you mean allowing those that drive cars to go straight to class 1? We have several at my depot already….and yes, their standards and abilities are way lower than those that went up through the ranks over a few years

What a load of rubbish.
You're trying to compare a new pass to someone with 50 years experience.

Relatively new pass (2.5 years) no previous experience apart from his Corsa, making a poor attempt at getting on a bay

[Tom881]

I can't find anything about this on the internet, a link would help.

People who passed the car test before 1997 can already drive an HGV up to 7.5 tonnes and I honestly can't see that limit going up any time soon.

Someone may be making noises about it but I can't see it going any further than that.



Sent from my mobile via Tapatalk.

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/car-drivers-allowed-drive-lorry-24681316

Sent from my SM-S906B using Tapatalk

[stu675]

Do you mean allowing those that drive cars to go straight to class 1? We have several at my depot already….and yes, their standards and abilities are way lower than those that went up through the ranks over a few years

What a load of rubbish.
You're trying to compare a new pass to someone with 50 years experience.

Relatively new pass (2.5 years) no previous experience apart from his Corsa, making a poor attempt at getting on a bay

I'm glad you agree with me. Someone with little experience is not as good as someone with 50 years experience such as yourself. As you say, hard to argue with.

[stu675]

I can't find anything about this on the internet, a link would help.

People who passed the car test before 1997 can already drive an HGV up to 7.5 tonnes and I honestly can't see that limit going up any time soon.

Someone may be making noises about it but I can't see it going any further than that.



Sent from my mobile via Tapatalk.

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/car-drivers-allowed-drive-lorry-24681316

Sent from my SM-S906B using Tapatalk

I don't think even Grant Shapps can be held responsible for that appalling piece of "journalism"

[Macski]

For some reason my post hasn't appeared, probably pressed cancle LOL.

Maybe there is a middle ground and training providers should do the testing rather than having to go through a proper test. Can you drive a fork lift without going through a test?

However isn't it legal for 16 year olds to be driving 30T tractors and trailers on public roads without a licence, how do they get insurance?

[Juddian]

this.

I have recently got my class 1 does that mean i have a clue what im doing yet... no it just means for that hour or so i was able to drive to a prescribed standered. Im am by no means an expert driver if i was shown a skelly trailer and told togo pick up a container i wouldnt have a clue nor would i have a clue if i wasgiven a truck with a gearstick. Thats not putting myself down its just i havent had the experience and been shown. Doesnt mean im not willing to learn.

however there is a big difference in my opinion between this and some of the people that turn up with a licence because the moneys good. For example i had someone with me that i was supposed to be showing the ropes as he had come from a car licence and was a new pass. So vehicle checks tacho operation how to check the load (if needed) he had a licence and was supposed to be able to point the thing.

vehicle checks took nearly 1.5 hours i swear if he had a torque wrench in the back of his car he would of checked the tightness of every bolt on the bloody unit he could get his hands on. every scratch, mark or dead fly he wanted to photograph and document. I had to show him how to couple up to the trailor as he wanted to wind the legs down before he had put the unit under it. On the road i said he needed to be in the right hand lane for the junction ahead and he swerved into the lane nearly taking out a car. When i asked why he didnt check his mirrors his excuse was "you told me to do it". On arriving at the turn around point he had to pick up another trailer and missed the pin then proceded to try and drive 50 yards away from the trailer with the airlines still attached which luckely i managed to stop him. then on top of that decided that to disconect the airlines he couldnt reach one of them so rather than warlk around the unit to the other side he stood on the 5th wheel to reach it. His final silly question/comment to me was well how do i tell if the bridge is too low for me. and couldnt understand that if the marking on the bridge was x and the truck height was y and x<y it wouldnt fit.

turned out that the company he worked for went bust and decided that he needed to earn x to make his bills etc and lorry drivers were well paid (75k+) (his words) and it was an easy job so he decided to do that.

This is the difference that is being alluded to i think

They are out there, quite how they manage to scrape through the test is a mystery, i'd have hated being sat with himbecause when it goes pear shaped you're implicated (where he obviously needs a competent full time trainer), when i got given one particular bloke to train up on a transporter refused to have anything else to do with him after the first utterly terrifying day out on the road, never had to do that before or since, i was proved right within a matter of weeks because he had an incident entirely down to him that cost well into 6 figures and possibly nudging 7, he should never have been allowed to carry on training for his own safety let alone the public but sometimes companies/operators can't be told and have to learn the hard way.

For all that the general public look down their noses at us it isn't a job for numpties, and the industry hell bent on deskilling itself will backfire.

Difference with you is you are intererested in learning all you can and not afraid to ask and i bet you get good advice and help when you need it both here and out on the road, ask anyone who's been doing it for years they'll all say the same, every day's a schoolday no matter how long you've been in the saddle.

[stu675]

, i was proved right within a matter of weeks because he had an incident entirely down to him that cost well into 6 figures and possibly nudging 7, .

That sounds like an interesting story...go on

[cav551]

Go back 50+ years, and you could drive anything as long as you had a licence.

Ken.

Yes that was anything, but very many heavies were incapable of exceeding 30mph

[fuse]

Many could and did do over 60........do not forget they were running at 32 ton gross

[simcor]

I think some people need to remove their rose tinted spectacles. Many jobs years ago were not as safe as they are these days, not just truck driving.

I like many started on vans, with flat bed vans and roping and sheeting, moved on to 7.5 tonners then class 2 and then finally class one.

It didn't do me any harm but things and times have changed and people need to get used to that. Not keep harking "back to the good old days".

Things change and technology changes it's the way of the world and advancement.

In both times there will be and are those who are crap at the job and will cause carnage, whether like back in the day or now there will always be those people.

Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk

[samuel79]

I was hopping they would do away with the cpc its just a cash cow

[robroy]

I think some people need to remove their rose tinted spectacles. Many jobs years ago were not as safe as they are these days, not just truck driving.



In both times there will be and are those who are crap at the job and will cause carnage, whether like back in the day or now there will always be those people.

In the old days there were deffo crap drivers yes, but there is a big difference between a poor driver and an incapable, inept and [zb] useless one.
The latter were filtered out, because in those days driving an old truck and a car was like comparing chalk to cheese, they were not that easy, enigmatic non synchronized gearboxes to name one aspect, but nowadays a truck is essentially the same as driving a bloody big car in terms of similarities ...... so imo that is why we get the clowns and the chimps, because there is no net to stop them getting through any longer......virtually anybody can pass a test to drive a one.
After saying that there are also a lot of good drivers today as in older times, it's just that the previously mentioned clowns and chimps stand out more.

[simcor]

I think some people need to remove their rose tinted spectacles. Many jobs years ago were not as safe as they are these days, not just truck driving.



In both times there will be and are those who are crap at the job and will cause carnage, whether like back in the day or now there will always be those people.

In the old days there were deffo crap drivers yes, but there is a big difference between a poor driver and an incapable, inept and [zb] useless one.
The latter were filtered out, because in those days driving an old truck and a car was like comparing chalk to cheese, they were not that easy, enigmatic non synchronized gearboxes to name one aspect, but nowadays a truck is essentially the same as driving a bloody big car in terms of similarities ...... so imo that is why we get the clowns and the chimps, because there is no net to stop them getting through any longer......virtually anybody can pass a test to drive a one.
After saying that there are also a lot of good drivers today as in older times, it's just that the previously mentioned clowns and chimps stand out more.

They do but would you honestly want to go back to crappy knackered boxes giving you a workout or just go with the flow. Not to mention all the other stuff like no air con etc and uncomfortable to drive.

Things change and times change as I said, but either way there will still be numpties that should not be let loose in a car let alone a truck.

But look after yourself and keep out of their way is the best bet.

Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk

[Sploom]

A lot of you are saying its only up to 7.5 ton,but where does it say this