Whilst sitting at Palletline, Minworth, last night, I was struck with the average age of the other drivers. Now m not exactly a kid @ 43, but the average age of drivers there had to be sixty something. Having been brought up around trucks, in the seventies, then working in the industry, late 80’s & early 90’s, it’s not how I remember it being. What would the average retirement age for a driver be now?
cracker-bar:
Whilst sitting at Palletline, Minworth, last night, I was struck with the average age of the other drivers. Now m not exactly a kid @ 43, but the average age of drivers there had to be sixty something. Having been brought up around trucks, in the seventies, then working in the industry, late 80’s & early 90’s, it’s not how I remember it being. What would the average retirement age for a driver be now?
72 
that’s because no one stuck TOGETHER! 
dcpc will see them off at the age of 63 ish 
Its because the pension wont meet the needs, i believe that a lot of the older drivers would choose to retire if the pension was high enough for a decent lifestyle, Dave has promised to increase the pension to £400 a week, whuich would be a big jump, but notv sure when its going to kick in, maybe if he cut the benefits of those who have not paid a penny in, then we can look after our own, UKIP has promised to stop all benefits for migrants until they have been here, and working for a minimum 5 years, thats a good start. On that subject Germany is also looking to curb the EU migrants benefits which of course is contriolled by our masters in the EU parliament.
cracker-bar:
Whilst sitting at Palletline, Minworth, last night, I was struck with the average age of the other drivers. Now m not exactly a kid @ 43, but the average age of drivers there had to be sixty something. Having been brought up around trucks, in the seventies, then working in the industry, late 80’s & early 90’s, it’s not how I remember it being. What would the average retirement age for a driver be now?
Im 42 ,and ive done my 5 days of cpc bollox,i was the youngest by a mile everyday i went,they did this graph thingy about the average age of drivers and its late 50s,one of the blokes duin the course was 69 and there was a few more in their 60s and loving it 
Well I’m 48 and certainly won’t be working full time past 60 as I’ve had a pension since I was 18 and will have no mortgage in 8 yrs time, I might be part time from 60 if I’m still working then.
It’s funny though, there are young lads who want to do it but can’t get the start & half the current team look like an episode of the walking dead.
It is a young mans game, but tramping & doing 75 hours a week, who needs it? You got no time to root the ladies & hang with your pals.
I was thinking earlier, the young generation coming through now have no chance. No chance of buying a house, no change of getting a decent job unless they are in the top bracket & no chance of things changing in the next 20 years until the rest of the Euros get a bit of cash under their belt.
The last few governments have just completely ■■■■ blocked the youth of now, I bought a house at 22 with 3 grand & a 50k mortgage.
Maybe it’s the type of work the pallet trunkers are doing. For many doing nights suits them as they are free during the day, no nights out, no hard work and the kids have fled the nest.
Because of this its possible that this type of work attracts older drivers.
Whilst I agree with your point m1cks, even on days, the only young lads I ever seem to see driving anything other than 7.5t or multi dropping for Brakes et al, are Eastern European. I think the obsession with 2 years experience, at many employers, may also explain why there’s not as many young un’s driving class 1, as they’re stuck in a ridiculous chicken and egg situation.
I’m 20 now and have been driving dustcarts for my local council for just over a year now and started just after my 19th birthday. I have applied for numerous jobs, been through the interview etc and then when I nearly have the job they turn round and say “oh we just realised your not 21 or 25!”. Most companies didn’t worry that I only had 7 or 8 months just the fact I am too young. I am still the youngest person driving at my company by a good 15 maybe 20 years.
I’m 28, and I’ve been the “young 'un” in every job I have ever taken. People younger than myself, 18-20 can’t work out why they would want to spend 3k getting a license they can’t use EASILY until they are 25. By which time £7 an hour isn’t going to get you many beers or leg overs when you are working 60 hours a week.
I was lucky when I started and I feel that young lads like Charlie are very lucky. Go get 'em mate, with your attitude, you will go far I reckon.
The RHA did a survey in the mid 2000’s and came up with 53 as the average age of a truck driver.
In my opinion most of us have had enough by the time we are 60, retirement age should be 60 for everyone if they want it[/i] - not going the other way, it would also open up a lot of proper jobs for younger people instead of stupid non existent course jobs, as they say its the young who pay for the old then get them into proper jobs to do just that, we have all paid our way since we left school.
Yeah, and I paid in for 50 years, for £105 a week, the migrants and low life unemployed get 3-4 times more, sad times…luckily i paid in to a private pension, and opted in for S.E.R.P.S. that gives me a reasonable standard, we still have a mortgage, but only £12 grand left, so will be paid in 2 years, and then own 2 homes outright, so take care lads and lasses, and plan for your future.
Got mine at 21 and was the youngest bloke in many a truckers cafe. then 12 years later I had 9 years off now I’m 43 (hope my maths is right) and I’m still one of the youngest blokes in RDC waiting rooms (well youngest looking anyway).
Trouble is I’m also the fattest so may need to work on that a bit.
I was thinking earlier, the young generation coming through now have no chance. No chance of buying a house, no change of getting a decent job unless they are in the top bracket & no chance of things changing in the next 20 years until the rest of the Euros get a bit of cash under their belt.
Oh and the rest of us had it easy huh? I came out of the forces under Thatcher (3.5 million unemployed) no one could get work anywhere I had an HGV 1 and was 22, the first job i had was tipping on the new M40 in a beat up Leyland Bison it payed well but the hours sucked and i was working 260 mile from home and living in a poxy caravan in a farm yard, but it was a start. I Think some people now want it with jam on. i know what your saying about the morgage situation though and the crap zero hours and temp contracts big firms use to worm out of reduncey payments and the like. My son works for Nissan, been there over 18mth yet still they keep him a temp contract. I know this is also the case with large haulage companys, maybe the law has to change but thats never gonna happen under Dave’s rule.
Having started work at 16 in 1975 and then moved on to driving at the usual licence age points as I remember it things were no different in regard to the priority being on seniority and experience in all respects.The economy was in at least as much of a mess,actually moreso,during the late 1970’s/1980’s as it is now and the bs experience and insurance age issues applied just the same in most cases.The difference is that back then attitudes,to the bad deal that younger generation of workers were often getting,in regards to job opportunities and career progression and the cost of living v their older counterparts,were far different in that no one gave a zb.
The fact is the British economy has always been a difficult place to be young and starting out in.It’s just that now the younger generations seem to be much more vocal and receive more sympathy ( or whinge more and get more sympathy than they should depending on point of view ).
The fact that many older workers need to be working when they should be retired is just a reflection of the fact that they haven’t been able to earn enough while they were young to support themselves comfortably in old age.Together with a retirement age that’s always been far too high.Ironically much of that being the result of the state of the economy during today’s older generation of workers’ younger years.As for the cost of living trust me with the exception of the early-mid 1970’s,when we had strong unions keeping wage levels in line with prices,nothing has changed.While even then a working man’s wage was rarely sufficient to support the outgoings of the average household requiring the financial input of at least two wage earners.
Funnily enough I was at our Sainsburys checkout today and behind me in the queue was the wife of a local haulier who has several trucks, once a driver herself before she married many years ago and now does cpc training. I mentioned that it was 11 years since I last drove a truck but told her that I keep my license ‘just in case’ but the cpc will finish me off as I am 64 later this year. Her comment was that there just are not enough drivers to fill job vacancies and all the old ones are having to stay on just to keep things rolling along, she told me to keep my options open as there are no youngster’s coming in to the business to fill the places of those who are near or past retirement age. She said that “we can’t afford to lose experienced driver’s” (talking countrywide) and I didn’t realise things were that bad, drivers are certainly well paid compared to ‘my day’ and the working hours are less as well, but I guess that the job holds no real attraction for youngsters nowadays? 
Pete.
windrush:
Funnily enough I was at our Sainsburys checkout today and behind me in the queue was the wife of a local haulier who has several trucks, once a driver herself before she married many years ago and now does cpc training. I mentioned that it was 11 years since I last drove a truck but told her that I keep my license ‘just in case’ but the cpc will finish me off as I am 64 later this year. Her comment was that there just are not enough drivers to fill job vacancies and all the old ones are having to stay on just to keep things rolling along, she told me to keep my options open as there are no youngster’s coming in to the business to fill the places of those who are near or past retirement age. She said that “we can’t afford to lose experienced driver’s” (talking countrywide) and I didn’t realise things were that bad, drivers are certainly well paid compared to ‘my day’ and the working hours are less as well, but I guess that the job holds no real attraction for youngsters nowadays?Pete.
Maybe the realisation that the only way that they’ll continue to get ‘experienced’ drivers is by taking on ones without any might help.
As for the attraction of the job in a world of tachos,speed limiters,and local/multi drop work,even in the case of artic work,and government policy that is all about taxing trucks off the road wherever possible to send freight by rail,anyone with any sense would probably be looking for some other type of driving job or drive a train.
windrush:
Funnily enough I was at our Sainsburys checkout today and behind me in the queue was the wife of a local haulier who has several trucks, once a driver herself before she married many years ago and now does cpc training. I mentioned that it was 11 years since I last drove a truck but told her that I keep my license ‘just in case’ but the cpc will finish me off as I am 64 later this year. Her comment was that there just are not enough drivers to fill job vacancies and all the old ones are having to stay on just to keep things rolling along, she told me to keep my options open as there are no youngster’s coming in to the business to fill the places of those who are near or past retirement age. She said that “we can’t afford to lose experienced driver’s” (talking countrywide) and I didn’t realise things were that bad, drivers are certainly well paid compared to ‘my day’ and the working hours are less as well, but I guess that the job holds no real attraction for youngsters nowadays?Pete.
Funnily enough, when I spend all day driving around the test routes of my local LGV testing centre I see nothing but young lads going for it.
In fact, I’m getting asked all the time by young lads what’s involved & whats it cost !
I can’t believe that TNUK is STILL promoting the fabled ‘driver shortage’. This is allegedly a forum for drivers? Why is it overrun with BS designed to fool the casual observer?
well im 67 still driving ,passed medical in march for another year, hgv/psv dcpc runs out in 2019 don’t think ill do it again, 
trouble is I hate gardening/snooker/diy/decorating/cant stand frigging golf/soaps/ what would I do ,I love working left school at 15 its all I know, ive been an owner driver since 1990, im dreading the day I have to pack in, ill have to push supermarket trolleys or something although I love holidays I get bored after 2 weeks, so if you young lads don’t like the haulage industry leave and do something else,it the best job in the world, forgot to say ( general haulage anything anywhere ) 