I said I would not post here again, but I cant stay away long, but I have a burning question.
Last week I was in Power Logistics Daventry at 01.00 in the morning and the other drivers coming in and out were like me, battered old men coming to the end of there working lives not one under 50, where are the young ones?.
Who’s gonna do it when us old ■■■■■ are gone?.
If we dont get some new blood there are going to be problem’s.
Blunder Man:
I said I would not post here again, but I cant stay away long, but I have a burning question.Last week I was in Power Logistics Daventry at 01.00 in the morning and the other drivers coming in and out were like me, battered old men coming to the end of there working lives not one under 50, where are the young ones?.
Who’s gonna do it when us old ■■■■■ are gone?.
If we dont get some new blood there are going to be problem’s.
What do you mean there are going to be problems? I’m guessing the only reason that its mainly old ■■■■■ driving who couldn’t do anything else might be indicative of the fact that there are problems !!!
I mean Mike that I have noticed for a while now that there does not seem to be many younger men doing the job.
Is it because it’s too expensive to get a licence?.
Is it the economy?.
A lot of men my age ,middle fiftes will be gone soon.
Blunder Man:
I mean Mike that I have noticed for a while now that there does not seem to be many younger men doing the job.Is it because it’s too expensive to get a licence?.
Is it the economy?.
A lot of men my age ,middle fiftes will be gone soon.
I don’t think you’ll be gone soon !! I can’t think of an appeal for younger guys really. There was a time when perks outweighed the unsociable aspect of the job i think.Not now. Now, VOSA watching you from the hard shoulder, you’re on tracker, monitored, camered, sign here sign there, wear boots and where’s your high viz and hard hat !! Wheel clampers, bollards put in so you can’t park, yellow lines, gaffers who want more hours work than they pay for and no heaters on the cab !!
I liked it when you could live off your exe’s paid in cash every week, got £30 a day for your pallets and the missus kept the wages !! Add to that park where you like for free and unchecked, job was a goodun. Oh and a food parcel from your load every week.No wonder not many guys are going in for it now !!! 
Blunder Man:
I said I would not post here again, but I cant stay away long, but I have a burning question.Last week I was in Power Logistics Daventry at 01.00 in the morning and the other drivers coming in and out were like me, battered old men coming to the end of there working lives not one under 50, where are the young ones?.
Who’s gonna do it when us old ■■■■■ are gone?.
If we dont get some new blood there are going to be problem’s.
I’m 50 but I have’nt got one foot in the grave yet.When I was 25 I was about 20 years younger than most of the drivers at our depot and there were plenty of others a lot older than that on the firm.I did’nt know of any other drivers as young as me.Anyway I went off the job at 40 with a knackered back but I might go back for a while.But the reason is mainly insurance and the jobs which have always been in short supply for new drivers.It’s like train driving and pilots there’s not enough opportunities for new ones and the career progression is far too slow for most.Which is why a pilot and a train driver is usually a few years away from retirement when/if they get to the top of their proffession.Driving trucks is’nt much different.
am only 23 and been driving 6month class 1
Carryfast:
Blunder Man:
I said I would not post here again, but I cant stay away long, but I have a burning question.Last week I was in Power Logistics Daventry at 01.00 in the morning and the other drivers coming in and out were like me, battered old men coming to the end of there working lives not one under 50, where are the young ones?.
Who’s gonna do it when us old ■■■■■ are gone?.
If we dont get some new blood there are going to be problem’s.
I’m 50 but I have’nt got one foot in the grave yet.When I was 25 I was about 20 years younger than most of the drivers at our depot and there were plenty of others a lot older than that on the firm.I did’nt know of any other drivers as young as me.Anyway I went off the job at 40 with a knackered back but I might go back for a while.But the reason is mainly insurance and the jobs which have always been in short supply for new drivers.It’s like train driving and pilots there’s not enough opportunities for new ones and the career progression is far too slow for most.Which is why a pilot and a train driver is usually a few years away from retirement when/if they get to the top of their proffession.Driving trucks is’nt much different.
what a load of tosh im 44 if i was given the choice again i would,nt go near a truck my son is 22 and a trainee carpenter 250 a week my son in law is a qualified sparky and takes home more than me he,s only 25 why would any young man with a brain wanna drive a truck thank god they buy the beers on sunday cos i can,t afford to!!!
n17 trucker:
Carryfast:
Blunder Man:
I said I would not post here again, but I cant stay away long, but I have a burning question.Last week I was in Power Logistics Daventry at 01.00 in the morning and the other drivers coming in and out were like me, battered old men coming to the end of there working lives not one under 50, where are the young ones?.
Who’s gonna do it when us old ■■■■■ are gone?.
If we dont get some new blood there are going to be problem’s.
I’m 50 but I have’nt got one foot in the grave yet.When I was 25 I was about 20 years younger than most of the drivers at our depot and there were plenty of others a lot older than that on the firm.I did’nt know of any other drivers as young as me.Anyway I went off the job at 40 with a knackered back but I might go back for a while.But the reason is mainly insurance and the jobs which have always been in short supply for new drivers.It’s like train driving and pilots there’s not enough opportunities for new ones and the career progression is far too slow for most.Which is why a pilot and a train driver is usually a few years away from retirement when/if they get to the top of their proffession.Driving trucks is’nt much different.
what a load of tosh im 44 if i was given the choice again i would,nt go near a truck my son is 22 and a trainee carpenter 250 a week my son in law is a qualified sparky and takes home more than me he,s only 25 why would any young man with a brain wanna drive a truck thank god they buy the beers on sunday cos i can,t afford to!!!
Maybe but each to their own and we’ve all got our own ideas and I knew that truck driving was going to be where I wanted to make a living.I started out as a trainee engineer in a truck manufacturer because I could’nt drive trucks until 21.I was earning less in the factory than I did as a driver.As I remember it I was on around £200 per week in 1985 driving artics which is probably a lot more in real terms than a qualified sparks gets today?.However you’re right that those wages did’nt go up in line with inflation over the following 15 years I was there.
why would any young man with a brain wanna drive a truck
i did 3 years at college doing IT got a job and hated it
Gates:
why would any young man with a brain wanna drive a truck
i did 3 years at college doing IT got a job and hated it
i know what you mean in my years i,ve met ex teachers ex barristers etc.When i started there was a certain romance to the job you got treated with respect nowadays your just a monkey behind the wheel ■■■■■■■■ with no idea telling you where to go and when you,ll get there maybe im just jaded but i can,t honestly see a young man choosing this as a career especially with this cpc and theory test and the cost can you??
n17 trucker:
Gates:
why would any young man with a brain wanna drive a truck
i did 3 years at college doing IT got a job and hated it
i know what you mean in my years i,ve met ex teachers ex barristers etc.When i started there was a certain romance to the job you got treated with respect nowadays your just a monkey behind the wheel [zb] with no idea telling you where to go and when you,ll get there maybe im just jaded but i can,t honestly see a young man choosing this as a career especially with this cpc and theory test and the cost can you??
Maybe the reason that so many young drivers get put off is because they know that an ex barrister or teacher probably has more chance of getting a decent job in the industry than someone who chooses to start at the bottom when they leave school.It mostly comes down to age discrimination against young drivers in which someone who starts in the industry at 16 has’nt got as much chance as that ex teacher etc who’s over 25.So how many school leavers are given the choice of a career in road transport as a driver starting at 16 where they can learn everything about the job other than driving on public roads until they can hold a licence and then get a job on long distance international work from day 1 when they get their class 1.I can just hear all the complaints from those ex teachers and barristers now saying that they should be the ones getting first pick of those jobs.
the reason there is not much young blood on the road is they are all stuck in classrooms doing their the cpc’s and wont emerge from the classroom or see natural day light for 5 years 
hang in bud for 5 more years…please for the haulage industries sakes
There won’t be any jobs for youngsters anyway - we all have to work untill we are 80 just to make ends meet.
Hi i am 27 have been driving since i was 21 mainly european and as of tueday i am no longer a lorry driver due to the lack of work!!
I have just landed myself a job in Megeve France working in a ski resort for winter
Im 26 and having been driving class 1 for the last two years with the same company, money and conditions are good, you get decent kit to work with and because it’s a small firm you feel like part of the family, everyone looks out for eachother and your not pushed to your limit, boss is very hands-on and drives the trucks when work is heavy or somones off sick, so he knows what the score is, could say I’m one of the lucky ones as it was my first class 1 job and they were willing to give me a chance
I think it’s just the way things are at the moment, lots of drivers but not a lot of jobs, is an employer gonna take a gamble on a youngster new to the proffession and be prepared to take the time to nurture them? Very unlikely when there’s plenty of experienced drivers out there ready to jump straight in. Most employers know there’s a flood of out of work drivers so they can advantage of that by demanding longer harder work hours for less pay, which makes driving for a living even less appealing.
I agree with Mike-C.
29 11 2009 will be forty years in the job. I have never been employed, always worked for myself.
There have been good times and bad times.
Now everyday there is VOSA sat on the hard shoulder, they appear night and day at Immingham, not that I have anything to hide but as we all know, they can always find something. The much loved digi card, quietly ticking away,it was so much easier to fill a log sheet in at the end of the day!
Every place you go now there are welcoming signs. Drivers not allowed to use the canteen/ the toilets/ no breaks to be taken on site/ drivers arriving early will be turned away/ no parking,trucks will be clamped need I go on.
The general “camaraderie” disappeared years ago, everyone is in a blinding rush, even courtesy between truckers is almost gone. Who needs F1 for an adrenalin rush, a wet day at about 0800 on any of the major motorway networks is all the excitement anyone needs.
I find it no surprise that young people have no interest in the job, the truck driver in 2009 is no more than a nuisance.
Les zizis des routiers sont sympas