I don’t know weather I’m doing the right thing or not, I now drive a refuse truck for the council I earn £24000 a year Mon-Friday 7.30-15.30 but most days I’m done about 15.00. The job is changing fast though with more properties being built meaning a big increase in work. Anyone who has done the job knows you have to get in and out of the cab a lot (about 300) Times a day, which after 10 years has made my hips to start hurting. Anyways I used to drive c+e lorries and want to get back to it preferably driving for a large company, am I nuts? 
In a nutshell…yes
jonny b:
I don’t know weather I’m doing the right thing or not, I now drive a refuse truck for the council I earn £24000 a year Mon-Friday 7.30-15.30 but most days I’m done about 15.00. The job is changing fast though with more properties being built meaning a big increase in work. Anyone who has done the job knows you have to get in and out of the cab a lot (about 300) Times a day, which after 10 years has made my hips to start hurting. Anyways I used to drive c+e lorries and want to get back to it preferably driving for a large company, am I nuts?
24k for an 8 hour day, home every night, plenty of excercise ?
or :
maybe the same money (or maybe even less) for 70+ hours, all the health issues that sitting on your arse all day brings, sleeping out all week (maybe in a ■■■■ hole lay by if you have no initiative or imagination) and all the daily general b/s that comes with driving an artic?
Now let me have a think about that…for all of 2 seconds.
Don’t listen to all the cab Happy’s among us either, as they will gladly work for ■■■■ all for a set of frilly curtains and a stupid ■■■■■■ light board in the back of the cab 
(tin hat on so bring it on you lot 
)
If you do move let me know if you live in my area so I can be the first to apply for your job. 
By the way the answer to your question YES. 
robroy:
jonny b:
I don’t know weather I’m doing the right thing or not, I now drive a refuse truck for the council I earn £24000 a year Mon-Friday 7.30-15.30 but most days I’m done about 15.00. The job is changing fast though with more properties being built meaning a big increase in work. Anyone who has done the job knows you have to get in and out of the cab a lot (about 300) Times a day, which after 10 years has made my hips to start hurting. Anyways I used to drive c+e lorries and want to get back to it preferably driving for a large company, am I nuts?24k for an 8 hour day, home every night, plenty of excercise ?
or :
maybe the same money (or maybe even less) for 70+ hours, all the health issues that sitting on your arse all day brings, sleeping out all week (maybe in a [zb] hole lay by if you have no initiative or imagination) and all the daily general b/s that comes with driving an artic?
Now let me have a think about that…for all of 2 sDon’t listen to all the cab Happy’s among us either, as they will gladly work for [zb] all for a set of frilly curtains and a stupid [zb] light board in the back of the cab
If you do move let me know if you live in my area so I can be the first to apply for your job.
By the way the answer to your question YES.
Cheers for replying but next time try not to hold back 
. I think I have been out of the real world for too long. But when you say 70 hours for the same money with nights out? Most of the jobs I’ve seen in the Midlands are £11+ per hour home at night (asda,walkers,tesco,samworths etc/). Maybe the grass isn’t always greener, but I do miss driving proper lorries. 
but I do miss driving proper lorries.Â
I’d rather be a proper driver, than drive what people consider to be a proper lorry
If you’re having problems with your hips, the worst thing you can do will be to get a job where you move around less.
Are you employed by a local authority, or an agency? What are your holiday entitlements? Sick pay? Pension? Look at all these things before you think about changing. The grass may look greener, but it’s probably just longer and harder to walk through.
sayersy:
If you’re having problems with your hips, the worst thing you can do will be to get a job where you move around less.
This. My back is absolutely stuffed. Was OK until work dropped off in November 2008 and then I ended up not being able to drive a truck for 5 years as it went downhill real quick and only recently just gone back to driving this August.
I agree with Robroy. Frilly curtains look ridiculous in a truck.
What is the point of tassles and pelmets ?
Iluminated back of cab lights that say Volvo or DAF that is so bright the pilots can see you are driving a DAF while landing at Heathrow.
Bull fighting spears in the cabs ?
Stay where you are fella. Please god.
Many artic drivers out there are working abysmal hours for not a great deal more than that. The novelty of driving a ‘proper lorry’ will wear off after a few months, then you’ll regret giving up all that quality time at home you had.
If I could give you a slap for having these thoughts, I would.
jonny b:
I don’t know weather I’m doing the right thing or not, I now drive a refuse truck for the council I earn £24000 a year Mon-Friday 7.30-15.30 but most days I’m done about 15.00. The job is changing fast though with more properties being built meaning a big increase in work. Anyone who has done the job knows you have to get in and out of the cab a lot (about 300) Times a day, which after 10 years has made my hips to start hurting. Anyways I used to drive c+e lorries and want to get back to it preferably driving for a large company, am I nuts?
I thought the driver got to sit in the nice warm cab for most of his/her shift? I thought it was the wheelie bin monkeys that did the ■■■■■■■? More houses are being built that is true but you can only collect from a set amount within that time, unless they are going to retrofit said rubbish wagon with rockets to get you moving faster? I would imagine they would employ more drivers and rubbish monkeys to get the job done.
I would stay where you are.
A work/life balance is the key, if you’re not happy the chances are you will move, regardless of what you read on here. I’m on the same money and don’t do anywhere near 70 hrs a week, why would you? If your wanting to move on then start looking around you’re area to see what’s on offer, I wouldn’t be moving until I got something I would be happy with.
F-reds:
but I do miss driving proper lorries.Â
I’d rather be a proper driver, than drive what people consider to be a proper lorry
Lots of ‘Proper’ lorry drivers a you put it, earn crap wages because they want to be big boys, this man earns good money for the small amount of hours he does and good for him, I would never make the mistake of driving a flashy truck for a lower wage.
Was exactly what I was getting at Pat
Depends what you want most. I earn a little more than that but not much, work slightly irregular hours and can get out and have walk if I want or even a lie down, but that’s container work. Sometimes I’m home earlier than you, mostly later. I also don’t like driving rigids, much prefer artics.
My point is just keep yours eyes and ears open and see what’s going, might be something that suits you better. Just don’t rush into it, you do appear to have a decent job.
Working on an essential service like that is a great job, I would love the chance to work on behalf of the council you dont realise what you have until it is gone.
I also wanted to change from class 2 to class 1 and I did it was a great feeling but I was working silly hours with silly start times, yeh I was earning about £1.30ph more but to be honest all the extra work wasnt worth the hastle, I soon went back to my old class 2 job.
Carl
I’ll give you an insight mate.
I drive for Browns (Turners) at Bicker Lincolnshire.
My top line is £28,500 based on a 5 and 6 working week (without attendance, fuel, meal and n/o allowance) for this I generally do between 60-80 hours a week (depending on how many days).
There have been a few weeks where I’ve done 56 hours (about 5 weeks in total) and there have been times I’ve done 82 (twice).
If I could do your job (it’d take a while getting used to the drop in pay, but not impossible) I’d grab it with both hands and not let go!
What about doing agency on your day off?You could have a play with a bendy at the weekend to get it out of your system.
don’t do it…take a reality pill,and stick to being a binnie,I worked with Belfast council agency wallah on and off for a Cpl years…excellent entertainment driving 4 pshycho Belfast binmen around,the jobs a gift.do a sickie after you lined up a weeks agency work,then at the weekend think to yourself,what the ■■■ was I thinking of there…stay on the bins
rob22888:
If I could give you a slap for having these thoughts, I would.
I like this! We could line up and ALL of us could give him a slap - and a kick if needs be
Seriously mate, I would stay where you are. To me,finishing at 3 pm is like having the whole afternoon off. The driver of our bin lorry doesn’t get out the motor, he has two lads with him.
btw - yes, you are
Don’t listen to all the cab Happy’s among us either, as they will gladly work for [zb] all for a set of frilly curtains and a stupid [zb] light board in the back of the cab (tin hat on so bring it on you lot )
If you do move let me know if you live in my area so I can be the first to apply for your job.
By the way the answer to your question YES.
[/quote]
What a fantastic and accurate comment there Robroy.
There’s to many in this job that do it for ■■■ all but are happy cos they have a nice shiny big new lorry with lots of pretty lights, frilly ■■■■■ curtains and those stupid ■■■■■ flags in their windscreens !!!
I nearly came to fisticuffs in Cluses (French strike, mid 80’s) cos a “driver” was doing the job £200 a week less than the rest of us and he was happy cos he had a brand new Renault… tossa !!!
Stay where you are pal.