TheBear:
That was a very well thought out piece you wrote there, Mal (about why we do the job).
I, too, have been in this game a long time. I have a PSV (or whatever it is called now) and drove coaches for 6 years in the early nineties. I have owned my own limo and done chauffeuring/security work for some very very wealthy people. BUT no matter what, I always end up back trucking!!!
It is the lowest paid of the three professions but 2 summers ago, I was coming home one night, down the A3 in my own 2 year old S Class Merc, suited and booted, having been up in London all day and I was looking at the trucks parked up along the A3/M25 junction. I realised how much I was missing the ‘fun and games’ on the trucks.
Next thing I am back hauling ■■■ over the Blanc, the Merc is parked up and I was back in love with work again. I have sold the Merc now and just know, I am back in trucking till retirement.
What other job can show you the sights we see? I drive along and never cease to be amazed at the scenery in Europe. Whether it is over the Blanc in winter, seeing all the snow … hauling 40 tonnes up the Sumosierra towards Madrid, I love it!!!
I am here to stay!!!
Cheers Bear! I still have to really get into europe as Ive only ever donr one trip to Holland. The illegals/drugs problems sort of put me off when I read about them, but the heart seems to rule the head even now! My latest gaffer asked me last sunday how I felt about going over the water (containers were doing at the moment) And I siad Im up for it, so he reckons as soon as he finds something paying better than the boxes I’ll be going over, and im looking forward to it even though I like the boxes!
spaceman:
As for most of the other posts, don’t you thing we over glorify the job and talk it up a little bit too much? Yes, it’s essential. Yes, it requires a skill. And so do lots of other jobs on a similar pay scale/hours An occasional bit of perspective rather than this “blinkers on” attidude might balance the arguments a little.
Well spaceman you have a point, some of us maybe over glorify the job, but at the end of the day its whatever floats your boat aint it? As for the skill thing Im not actually convinced its such a massive skill, I mean, I can do it, so how hard can it be, and I also think virtually anybody could with a bit of training and a lot of practice. Whether they would have the temperament and durability to stick it for years is another thing. And to compare the level of skill to a lot of other things that take literally years just to grasp is daft, thats my opinion at least.
But, as for it’s importance, it damned well is, and if we were to all of us park up for a week it’d soon prove the point and thered be anarchy, name me many other jobs that would have the same effect in a few days? Im not trying to say that makes us a special case by the way, just stating a fact not generally fully understood by the majority of the public, who seem to see us as a nuicance, but, would be thrown into turmoil if we all of us didnt turn up for work for a week!
spaceman:
Page 1, 2nd post by Johnny.
As for most of the other posts, don’t you thing we over glorify the job and talk it up a little bit too much? Yes, it’s essential. Yes, it requires a skill. And so do lots of other jobs on a similar pay scale/hours An occasional bit of perspective rather than this “blinkers on” attidude might balance the arguments a little.
.
Yeah, but what would you do if you wern’t doing the job?
I think some of it might be due to the lack of prospects.
There’s a bad image of drivers that we’re all a bit thick, or that we’re only good for manual labour. Obviously not true, but it does limit the opportunities for moving into related lines of work.
Problem with driving is that its hard-wearing. I haven’t met ONE whose made it to retirement age before something made him stop - arthritis in the knees, heart attacks, etc.
So, even though I love driving, I don’t intend to do it forever.
The lack of money is a problem - I gave up a cushy number to start driving and I’ve certainly had a few rough patches with the finances. I don’t want just enough to put food on the table. I want a little security too, just like everyone else.
Mal — I take my hat off to you mate. Now, to me, that’s an honest and realistic view. As a driver, I’m not looking to put myself and others down. We should all have self esteem about what we do — otherwise we’d all be on prozac! I have this odd view that I should have lived in middle age days of bartering — swapping bread for meat, horse shoes for woodwork etc etc! All this putting one over on your neighbours etc is so detrimental. And I notice it more in towns than in the rural areas.
As for importance, or self importance, I seem to be changing as the years go by, and I see values in people I would not have contemplated in my younger days! Now, as an ex desk jockey of sorts, I believe this job lets me see more of life, rather than four walls and a stapler!
I suppose what I was trying to say in my previous post is that we don’t always help ourselves from the image/perception point of view.
TheBigOne — a very good question. There are many people on here that did other jobs before driving, and probably many have disappeared to do something entirely different! When I packed in my old job, I looked into various things — load of weird and wonderful ideas.
My other slightly warped view is that job satisfaction, in all areas, took a nose dive when the Natioanl Lottery arrived — its created a nation of dreamers ie what would I do if?, and now everyone seems to think they’ll win it and that will be the answer to all their prayers!
Going back to my original post, if you’re not happy, go and find something else to meet your aspirations, or find a way to be positive about who you are and what you do! Or go and get a prescription for prozac, then see if the DVLA will renew your licence!
Driving seems to suit me. Even with Fridays like this. I can’t seem to see myself doing anything else. I don’t work well with others anyway. I get a free reign with what I do. The money I earn is enough to live on with a bit put by (their’s only me) and I do get a certain sense of satisfaction from it. I constantly see warehouses and offices in my day to day work and I allways think I’m glad I’m out here not in their. Whilst I keep thinking that I’ll keep driving. I may even consider going up the road to get some cash in the bank. That’s the only way I can see of getting a decent sized lump of cash togeather for a narrowboat or the funds togeather for a move abroad.
Dapper Scavenger:
Problem with driving is that its hard-wearing. I haven’t met ONE whose made it to retirement age before something made him stop - arthritis in the knees, heart attacks, etc.
You haven’t met many then!
We have a guy on our firm who has stayed on past retirement age; another who is due to go in April (unless the gaffer succeeds in persuading him to stay on, and even if he doesn’t he’s already arranged to go part time with one of the subbies); plus several more who are rapidly approaching…then there’s all their mates of a similar age who sit together in Trinity canteen and exchange tales about the “good old days” - well worth sitting and earwigging on if you get chance,btw.
There’s the guy who comes in for us on agency who goes back that far that he was one of the original two drivers who started the firm, the other being the current gaffer’s old man…back when the P in the name stood for “Pallet” instead of “Port”, and the pair of them were pulling old-fashioned Lancashire Flats…most of us don’t even know what a Lancashire Flat (as opposed to a normal Flat) is anymore - I only know because he told me!..
Then I suppose I could tell you about old Bob in Southampton, who’s a 76yr old owner driver and always jumps the queue on the grounds that “you lot have got longer to live than me”! He will happily tell you that the wagon will pack up before he does…
Or what about Tony from Southport who’s 70 this year, and has been “semi-retired” for the last 3…he only does 4 nights-out a week now…
My dad gave up driving 26 years ago, but he has just had a BIG back operation that was caused due to driving them old Atkinsons, and thames traders… The never had air sprung seats and power steering… but its all very different nowadays… there is more Health and Safty in the workplace now that should stop things like that…
iam 24 i dont even have a car licence but i have loved trucks since i was akid but now iam going to go for all the licences to make my dreams come true i know the pros and cons off being a lorry driver in the jobs i have done.i have worked around trucks as a removal men and that involes long hours but being a truck driver is haveing that freedom you dont get in other jobs and my brother in law is thinking about driveing trucks and he works in shoe shop
Well done Benson. It has its off days like all jobs, but on a good day, it’s the best job in the world. Heck, even a poor day is pretty good compared to an ordinary job.
Get that car licence ASAP mate, and join us on the roads.
I read article after article in different industry mags about the topic of attracting the young into our industry,Whilst driving around doing my job i notice that indeed the majority of drivers i see are shall we say of mature years.(no disrespect intended) These drivers probably know nothing else and it is something they have always done,no problems with that.Now if you were to aproach a young guy /girl say 21 yrs or so for the purpose of recruting them into this industry,sat them down outlined the pay and dire conditions not to mention the hours, You would probably give them the best LAUGH they have had in YEARS.This in turn would send them heading for the exit and making for the nearest mcdonalds to comandeer a mop and bucket,to be treated with some semblence of RESPECT with better pay/conditions hol and sick entitlement than most so called PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVERS could wish for Who wants to work 15/16 hr days for peanuts,70 or so hrs a week,sorry to repeat myself here but this is the year 2003/4 and its about time the road transport industry AWOKE to that fact.Outlined in the above is a sprinkling of humour but to be fair these are the honest and open minded veiws of a hard working trucker.(In other words they are FACTS outlining the state of our industry.) It is absolutley NO SUPRISE TO ME the youngsters of today wouldnt touch this game with a barge pole.Its a MYSTERY to me why the so called bosses cant work that out.
instead of looking at the age of the truck driver, look at the age of the van drivers and couriers driving around, the spirit for the road is still there.
what is lacking is the encouragement to move up to a bigger vehicle, the driving test has become too, not difficult although it has but too expensive for the prospective returns they can get after obtaining the hgv licence, along with the difficulty gaining employment without experience.
perhaps the way forward is to bring van drivers into line with the restrictions of truck drivers, tachographs and an extra test for goods carrying vehicles, they can drive a van on a car licence but are not able to carry goods for hire or reward, bringing vans into the o licencing scope could also help remove the complacency to remain a van driver.
speed limiters should also be fitted to goods carrying vehicles but not set to something below the national limit of 70 mph, some of these vans i have trouble keeping up with in my car.
saturday coming home on the m1 in my car i had a van overtake me, i was in the left lane doing 80 mph with nothing in the first overtaking lane and the van in the second overtaking lane doing about 90 mph.
there wasn’t another vehicle behind that the van could have been overtaking and the van stayed in that lane for several miles whilst in my view but could have dropped back into either of the lanes to the left on several occassions.
The thing is, My dad has said always said that…
“Son… you have missed the good old days of lorry driving, they aint what they used to be…”
But at the end of the day, we only know what it might be like now, not how it used to be, so we have nothing to compare it with… I used to go out with my dad but never used to think about that stuff that went with it, although I do now, but I can imagine me saying the same to my kids (if I have any!!LOL) in years to come, and they said to me about getting into driving.
Seems to me its getting like it is where I work now… All the young blood coming into the plant, dont get to do proper jobs now, and as the old timers retire, the skills shortage gets worse and worse… I can see that happening in Lorry driving sooner or later… Young people wont come into the business to replace the guys that leave…Unless the transport industry bucks its ideas up and starts offering good incentives to join, like better pay, better conditions etc
My Dad wasnt exactly keen when i told him i was changing career to drive trucks, he did it for 30 odd years tramping reefer work, but to be honest, i here alot about poor pay conditions and hours etc and young people not being attracted to the industry, im only 27 so i consider myself to be youngish.
I left a job as a trained engineer working 39 hours a week with a company car, and im now working 60-75 hours a week, and im earning very very good money so im more than happy and glad that i made the move over, and ive only been driving 4 months and have full time employment with wincanton with good pay package and benefits.
Good on ya!! Gurner,nice to hear someone who is happy with thier lot,if you are prepared to work the hours you’re putting in,Iam sure you deserve and are recieving a fair wage,you took a big gamble a few months ago and now it sounds like its paying dividends,to give up a career you had trained a long time for takes a great deal of guts and I for one would like to say thanks,your post inspires enthusiam for all of us newbies trying to start out.Regards Jamie.
I’m glad your enjoying it too Gurner, coz your My Ginea Pig…LOL
What I mean is, I am in the process of doing what you have just done. I done a four year apprenticship in Machine Maintenance, and have been doing that since leaving school… 13 years ago!! ( That long ago■■? Jeeez!!)
But like you, my dad said he wasnt that happy with the idea of me going on the lorrys, but he accepts that the job I am doing now is literally and physically making me ill, so Ive got to do something about… and this is the profession I have chosen, so he is behind me 100%.
I’m only…(Only??) 29, so I see myself as a bit of youngster in the driving game.
Im 22 and paying for my c&e passed c few weeks ago.
I come from a farming background and am use to early mornings, late hours etc… I also have experience of large & heavy viehicles combines, pea viners.
Id like pay upwards of £6.50 & overtime after 8 hours, double on sunday.
Am I an ideal new worker?
No Im 22 yep 22 years old, I could drive a new truck better and safer than some driver thats been in the industry 30 years all that experience blah blah blah. But Im 22 years old I fit willing to learn and enjoy driving, but Im an insurance risk ,even tough ive been driving since I was 15.
This industry is going like farming the worker are getting older and companies will not employ younger peole on decent wages & conditions. 1 day it will be too late and no one will want the job.
Im not saying there isnt a place for “experienced” people, but companies will only employ people based on their “experience” where are the experience going to come in 10 years time?
Who wants to work 15/16 hr days for peanuts,70 or so hrs a week,sorry to repeat myself here but this is the year 2003/4 and its about time the road transport industry AWOKE to that fact.Outlined in the above is a sprinkling of humour but to be fair these are the honest and open minded veiws of a hard working trucker.(In other words they are FACTS outlining the state of our industry.) It is absolutley NO SUPRISE TO ME the youngsters of today would