jessicas dad:
George@ASDA driver:
Work for a supermarket direct!That would be my idea off hell.
And mine.
All depends what you expect from a Company as a Driver
Company which pays a good hourly rate and has reasonable motors
Flash motors and pays a pittance
Average wage and abit of corner cutting because in the words of the Boss who has flash car and big house we`re only a small Family business.
All Drivers have their opinion of what is good,whats a good Company might not be the opinion of others
The guy I work for, e-mails me the work to be done. I do it and go home. Never hear from him unless there’s a change of plan or a problem. Ideal. 
I would never again work in General Haulage or drive anything that’s run for profit unless circumstances made it a last resort.
I don’t dislike General and did it for many years for a number of small companies, the problem is the pay and benefits (the lack of the latter) and the silly hours and sleeping in the truck.
Take my advice and work direct for one of the big Supermarkets, do it now and build a good pension for yourself you can retire with a decent income or work part time when you get older, there are a list of reasons as long as you’re arm for doing so, If you want to drive a mobile disco and it makes you happy then that’s ok.
Try this, go to any R.D.C look at the drivers in the goods in side then look at the ones in goods out.
For very long and boring reasons I had the company Fiesta van to use this weekend, I drove it home from the garage yesterday at the end of my shift, should have been 30 miles, ended up being more like 60, quite enjoyed the little van it drove a dream. All good so far.
This morning I get up to take Mrs F-reds for a day out in Cambridge, got in the Fiesta, pulled out the parking space and hear a horrible crunching/grinding noise from the o/s front quarter especially when turning a corner. I ring my gaffer and says “sorry I can’t use the van etc, can’t really see what the problem is, but I’m bloody sure I shouldn’t be driving the van in this state”. He asked if I had alternative transport for my day out, I did. So he said off you go don’t and don’t worry.
I’ve just come home from my day out, and my gaffer has personally driven 30 miles, dropped another car off for me to get to work on Monday morning, waited for the AA, and drove the Fiesta van back to his local garage, and the only thing he did, was ring me up and leave me message saying I had to lay off the chocolate, as the suspension had failed when I got in the car 
The moral of the story is, “are there any good companies to work for?”
Yes. Mine. 
F-reds
NFT, good pay/conditions, easy work, new/nearly new lorries.
mike68:
I would never again work in General Haulage or drive anything that’s run for profit unless circumstances made it a last resort.I don’t dislike General and did it for many years for a number of small companies, the problem is the pay and benefits (the lack of the latter) and the silly hours and sleeping in the truck.
Take my advice and work direct for one of the big Supermarkets, do it now and build a good pension for yourself you can retire with a decent income or work part time when you get older, there are a list of reasons as long as you’re arm for doing so, If you want to drive a mobile disco and it makes you happy then that’s ok.
Try this, go to any R.D.C look at the drivers in the goods in side then look at the ones in goods out.
My mate works out of magor and he’s been there a good few years and I concur he has one of the best paying jobs in South Wales and with the benefits to go with it.
Lucky bugger…
mike68:
Take my advice and work direct for one of the big Supermarkets, do it now and build a good pension for yourself you can retire with a decent income or work part time when you get older, there are a list of reasons as long as you’re arm for doing so, If you want to drive a mobile disco and it makes you happy then that’s ok.
As much as supermarket work is without a doubt the job to be doing in regard to pay & benefits, you are driving to the same shops within a region day in day out. I can totally see why so many end up on & chose to end their careers on the trolleys, but the prospect of pretty much starting and ending your whole working life as a trucker there is somewhat depressing, even if you would end up with a nice pension.
rob22888:
mike68:
Take my advice and work direct for one of the big Supermarkets, do it now and build a good pension for yourself you can retire with a decent income or work part time when you get older, there are a list of reasons as long as you’re arm for doing so, If you want to drive a mobile disco and it makes you happy then that’s ok.As much as supermarket work is without a doubt the job to be doing in regard to pay & benefits, you are driving to the same shops within a region day in day out. I can totally see why so many end up on & chose to end their careers on the trolleys, but the prospect of pretty much starting and ending your whole working life as a trucker there is somewhat depressing, even if you would end up with a nice pension.
My job is very mundane and at times I envy trampers that go far afield and wish that I had their job and my “own” unit.
But at the end of the day I go to work for the money. £500 plus take home a week for five days, holidays paid at P60 rate (25 days plus bank holidays), pension and over £100 pay if I’m stuck on a night out make my current position very good.
A lot depends on whether or not you go into lorry driving for a certain “lifestyle” like the one enjoyed by Switchlogic (which I greatly envy) or whether you’re a family man and the money is most important.
George@ASDA driver:
jessicas dad:
George@ASDA driver:
Work for a supermarket direct!That would be my idea off hell.
Yeah. Home every night. Fleet never more than 4 years old. Loads of benefits. OTE £33k for 50 odd hour weeks, discount on shopping. Easy work. Never ever pushed. Hands and clothes never dirty.
Yeah, hell!
ive done plenty of supermarket work including asda, and asda have rules and regulations coming out of their rsoles.
general haulage for me all the way.
You can stick general haulage up your ■■■,what with having to strap down everything under the sun down nowadays,fridge work is the way to go.
Don’t have to do any of that malarkey,strap or pole across the back and good to go. 
The type of work im doin or what’s involved ie strapping doesnt generally bother me its the pay and how im treated
The likes of dhl etc anywhere i have to do endless amounts of paperwork and be given my orders of someone whos never drove a truck is not my cuppa tea
london underground driving a tube train-35 hrs for 40 odd grand a year plus overtime and six weeks holidays per annum?
apparently…sound pretty good to work for!!
My firm are top notch. Monday- friday or sunday -thursday. Average 48 hr week. £34,000 salaried and £33 tax free night out. Up to two years full sick pay and no reduced resg periods overnight. Fleet tops 4 yrs old but only basic Axor Actros Cf i
or Premium units. Can’t have it all ways…
Tipper Tom:
benbailey81:
The majority of posts on these forums generally involve negativity towards most HGV jobs. From the usual Stobart bashing to slagging off Tescos. Surely somewhere there must be decent companies to work for. I am only a newbie and to get experience I have to just take what I can get. But what should be the aim for someone who wants a career in trucking. Where should one aspire to end up?Chap,
You’ll find that a good deal of drivers treat driving as a second job, they are primary employed to ■■■■■ and moan and whine on like 4 year olds about anything and everything that those of us with a full grown set of testicles just put up with.
If these firms were so terrible to work for then why do the same people who do [zb] all but moan about them end up staying for 500 years whilst continuing to tell anyone who’s stupid enough to listen that they’re leaving or been offered a plush job with a ToplinesupercabXLmegaspace 950 with 2 nights out and 60 million pounds an hour.
full grown pair of testicles which is why you just put up with it,interesting,this is probably why the transport industry will never change for the better because none of us [including me]will never stick togetherThey’re all full of [zb].
My advice? Speak only from your direct experience and if you’re not happy belt up about it and find other work.