New one to the forum. I currently work at an alternative education centre in Hampshire; teaching hard to reach young people English and Maths. I have a degree in philosophy (really bloody useful! ) but, I’ve been looking at a career in logistics for a little while and done a bit of research on it. The pay seems far better than my current job and I am not too concerned about the training expense or difficulty (perhaps I am wrong, we will see )
I’m married with two step children and I am wondering just exactly what the lifestyle of a UK trucker entails. I know I may be away from home for some time, what’s it actually like? Is it stressful on couples,even if I just work within the UK?
A major concern of mine is that I will get bored, mainly because driving for me at the moment is simply A - B and has been for many years: the same road day in day out.
Have you got any advice for a guy looking to start trucking?
Can be stressful for couples, on general haulage no set start & finishing times, nights out or tramping, the lady’s at home can get bored with it (they always want to spend your money)
I very rarely get bored, so many places to see & I sometimes go a different way just to see something else or get off a motorway.
I don’t tramp but do a couple of nights out a week, I park up end of shift, have a wash, cook some dinner, watch the IPad or TV, then I’m usually asleep within a couple of hours.
RDC’s are a pain, but you can either listen to all the BS (or make some up) or bury your head into a book or iPod or wind people up on here.
Treat all other road users as Idiots, most HGV drivers are ok, but you still get the occasional Plank’, a lot will help/advise, some wouldn’t pee on you if you were on fire, you soon get used to it.
You will get wet, cold, hot, sweaty, filthy, injured & ridiculed but at the end of the day, I’ve enjoyed most of my time in the haulage industry. (30+ years)
So a bit of a Marmite job then? I have the impression in my head that I may be away for a few days at a time (weekends and weekdays) coming back home for a few days then heading off again.
How much time do you guys usually spend at home?
I’m also quite into doing things in my spare time (writing mainly and reading) is there much time for this sort of thing while waiting to be loaded etc (lingo isn’t up to much, you may have noticed!)
There’s many variations. One is as you describe. It’s also possible to get work where you’re home every night (less money though). Or to work regular nights. Anything you can think of is out there.
I work Monday-Friday with the odd Saturday morning, home most nights, couple of hours with the missus then it’s lights out, usually up early, anything from 03.00 to 05.30.
Weekends are very precious to me, most of the family work for ‘Dickensian Companies’/modern workhouses & have to work weekends for no premium rates, it’s a PIA getting them all together at the same time.
You’ll never get rich doing this, but if you find the right job, you can earn a decent living. I’ve paid my mortgage off, so don’t need to chase the money anymore, that’s why I don’t do weekends & it would affect my marriage. (My 1st ended in divorce)
Thanks for this guys. It’s the main concern with any sort of work like this: ‘how will it effect my life’. As I said before, I’m also wondering how much time is spent waiting around doing nothing. Do you guys spend a long time waiting for stuff to happen or is it, for lack of a better phrase, balls the to wall crazy busy?
Ben Greenhalgh:
Thanks for this guys. It’s the main concern with any sort of work like this: ‘how will it effect my life’. As I said before, I’m also wondering how much time is spent waiting around doing nothing. Do you guys spend a long time waiting for stuff to happen or is it, for lack of a better phrase, balls the to wall crazy busy?
Bit of both for me, most of the time it’s stress free & a lot of sitting around, but we do get the odd busy day where there’s not enough hours. Lol.
Depends what part of transport you go into really as many different types days / night vary start finnish times vary a lot you can do upto 15 hr days it can be stressful at times but it is what you make it
On a weekend when off try driving some distant at no more than 54 mph on a motorway
animal:
On a weekend when off try driving some distant at no more than 54 mph on a motorway
Hahaha, I drive about that speed anyway coz I’m cheap and want good fuel economy!
Also, I’ve got this idea that I’ll eventually go freelance with my own business (early days), how possible is this? Do people start out thinking like this and then it hits home that you’re just doing the same stuff day in day out.
Ben there are so many different types of driving jobs you can choose one that fits into your life style. If you want to be home every night you can and if you want to be away for weeks you can do that too.
If you’ve worked with hard to reach people you will fit right in with most of the drivers you will meet
animal:
On a weekend when off try driving some distant at no more than 54 mph on a motorway
Hahaha, I drive about that speed anyway coz I’m cheap and want good fuel economy!
Also, I’ve got this idea that I’ll eventually go freelance with my own business (early days), how possible is this? Do people start out thinking like this and then it hits home that you’re just doing the same stuff day in day out.
So many questions, but I appreciate the responses
To go freelance and be an owner driver you need an Operators Licence. That means taking a different CPC exam, which is nearly A-level standard, having premises and having a fair chunk of capital available. At least £8K per vehicle. Then you need the funds to buy/lease a vehicle and maybe a trailer.
An easier route would be to lay the cash out to get your C and CE licence, do your CPC then start with some agency work.
emwmarine:
To go freelance and be an owner driver you need an Operators Licence. That means taking a different CPC exam, which is nearly A-level standard, having premises and having a fair chunk of capital available. At least £8K per vehicle. Then you need the funds to buy/lease a vehicle and maybe a trailer.
An easier route would be to lay the cash out to get your C and CE licence, do your CPC then start with some agency work.
■■■■. HAHA. I should have guessed it wouldn’t be so easy! Thanks for the heads up though. I’ll think more about it before taking out a loan to do the qualifications. It’s certainly something I think I’d enjoy however.
I’m not sure i would take a load out to get the qualifications.
You are probably talking 2k to get your C+E licence and then you would be doing something where you probably earn a lot less than you are earning at the moment.
emwmarine:
I’m not sure i would take a load out to get the qualifications.
You are probably talking 2k to get your C+E licence and then you would be doing something where you probably earn a lot less than you are earning at the moment.
Well, I’m a philosophy graduate with a diploma of higher education in linguistics. I teach young offenders and I’m currently on 17,000pa (full time). So, really, I couldn’t do much worse
animal:
On a weekend when off try driving some distant at no more than 54 mph on a motorway
Hahaha, I drive about that speed anyway coz I’m cheap and want good fuel economy!
Also, I’ve got this idea that I’ll eventually go freelance with my own business (early days), how possible is this? Do people start out thinking like this and then it hits home that you’re just doing the same stuff day in day out.
So many questions, but I appreciate the responses
To go freelance and be an owner driver you need an Operators Licence. That means taking a different CPC exam, which is nearly A-level standard, having premises and having a fair chunk of capital available. At least £8K per vehicle. Then you need the funds to buy/lease a vehicle and maybe a trailer.
An easier route would be to lay the cash out to get your C and CE licence, do your CPC then start with some agency work.
So, do most people do agency work then? And this Op licence, is it a mixture of practical and theoretical stuff? So if I wanted my own truck to freelance with, I would need an Op Licence (with the advanced CPC), premises to hold the truck and additional capital in savings (8k)?
They don’t make it easy do they? Haha
The job can be tailored to whatever you want, but bear in mind it can be hard to get the initial ball rolling after passing your test(s). There’s a lot to be said for getting yourself out there knocking on doors.
I work 3-4 days a week lorry driving (machinery transport) on a self employed basis with a good hourly rate for an own-account firm (not via an agency), have a few very early starts and the odd night out. The rest of the time I do a bit of writing and editing, and the odd job taking 7.5 tonners and horseboxes for MoTs.
Owner driving is a great dream, but there are hundreds of threads on here giving the pitfalls. Have a read up.
The job can be tailored to whatever you want, but bear in mind it can be hard to get the initial ball rolling after passing your test(s). There’s a lot to be said for getting yourself out there knocking on doors.
I work 3-4 days a week lorry driving (machinery transport) on a self employed basis with a good hourly rate for an own-account firm (not via an agency), have a few very early starts and the odd night out. The rest of the time I do a bit of writing and editing, and the odd job taking 7.5 tonners and horseboxes for MoTs.
Owner driving is a great dream, but there are hundreds of threads on here giving the pitfalls. Have a read up.
Where abouts are you based?
I’m based around Basingstoke. Yea, I understand what you’re saying. I do however want a job with some security as well, at the moment my job is secure as I think I will ever be, but I need a change and something like this I think would suit me. Like to go in with my eyes open however.
Hi Ben - just thought I would let you know about my experience. I am a new driver (Class 2 passed in May 2014). I made a career change from working with young people who were at risk of being permanently excluded from school. I know that I am still new into this game, but it was a brilliantly move for me. I am doing agency work at the moment, am hopeful of being taken on permanently with a .
Agencies are not everybody’s cup of tea, but it has allowed me to work out what I want, and do not want to do. I was worried about how it would affect my personal life, but luckily I have a supportive boyfriend. I tend to do a couple of overnights a week, and I suspect that he likes that time to do what he wants.
I would say - give it a go. You don’t want to look back and wish you had done it.
If you decide to go for it, make sure that you look at the advice in here about training schools, etc
Good luck.
Eleanor:
Hi Ben - just thought I would let you know about my experience. I am a new driver (Class 2 passed in May 2014). I made a career change from working with young people who were at risk of being permanently excluded from school. I know that I am still new into this game, but it was a brilliantly move for me. I am doing agency work at the moment, vomit am hopeful of being taken on permanently with a company.
Agencies are not everybody’s cup of tea, but it has allowed me to work out what I want, and do not want to do. I was worried about how it would affect my personal life, but luckily I have a supportive boyfriend. I tend to do a couple of overnights a week, and I suspect that he likes that time to do what he wants.
I would say - give it a go. You don’t want to look back and wish you had done it.
If you decide to go for it, make sure that you look at the advice in here about training schools, etc
Good luck.
Ben, have you considered long distance work all over Europe, I know you have a family, but being away for up to three weeks at a time or more, they do get used to it.
You get paid to see places people have to pay to go to.
There is Davies Internstional in Southampton, you never know, they may fund your Lgv training.
If you go to the Euro forum, there is lots of advice on there.
I take my bicycle and bar bell weights to keep fit, the law is 24 hours off then 45 hours for a weekly rest period, so you have to make the most of the time off by hopping a train,bus or taxi to sight see.
Weekend on a sunny hot beach ,mingling with the locals,having a relaxing meal.
In a mountain area, get on the cable car to watch the skiers.
Fines abroad can make a grown man cry, something trivial in the UK can be 20,000 Euros or more, tachograph regulations are enforced to the letter of the law in Europe.
Lgv parking is free, the French Rouitiers is a nationwide network of set price meals,six courses for about 12 to 20 Euros.
) but, I’ve been looking at a career in logistics for a little while and done a bit of research on it. The pay seems far better than my current job and I am not too concerned about the training expense or difficulty (perhaps I am wrong, we will see 
)
