I drive an HGV in Tenerife Spain… This has to be the country for the worst drivers ever!!!.. Pulling out on a motorway at 60KMs…Yes 60KMs infront of a comin truckat 90 ks loaded fully laden!. The Spanish dont have a clue!!! Now there s a point s system here, well ill tell you when the Guardia Civil see things yes ok they do something(unless there takin a coffee or what ever!! but… We have cameras here (never heard of anyone prosecuted but well ok )we have them. Sorry m8 but the worst drivers are here with me in spain. In the UK they have had two lane motorway s for manny a year but god forgive they now have three lanes in Tenerife (not all) but there we go im doin 85 ks in the slow lane only to have to UNDERTAKE a pillock doin 60 ks on a three line m way(hes in the centre lane). Now that man the spanish realy are the worst… They pull off sliproads onto incoming traffic at 40 ks come on!! Sorry buy the UK driving standard is much so much better than here in spain.
PS I Love The Weather Here lol 
WHY Where ever you are in th UK- europe on a three lane m-way the idiots stay in lane two at all costs.
Archie was talking about quality of life for a trucker today as opposed to the old TIR days .I agree with him . I finished up on Maritime running around UK . I cooked my own food because the cafes are criminal ,I had washing gear in the cab for the same reason . I would park in truckstop next to guys on the same firm & they would just give you a dirty look & carry on watching their dinky tv’s . It was the same when arriving at the same time as other Maritime at a loading point, they just sat in their cabs looking glum . The equipment ,the conditions & pay were the best I have ever had but I was bored to tears so when I got back late on Christmas Eve & instead of a card there was a terse note to tip & reload a box ( Bearing in mind that all the office had gone home early most of the fleet had finished work ) I got all my things out of the truck & have never set foot in a wagon since . I suppose the youngsters of today will look back in later years & say the same as Archie & me ;the craik’s gone out of the job. Thoughts from a grumpy old man (2) . 
Quote: My LIST of countries is TWO. I live at my main residence which is in a very beautiful part of the UK, the people around are very genuine and friendly, so I shall never leave it here. I now share my home with my Brazillian partner six months of the year, and I share her home in Sao Paulo for six months every year. I also have a small house on a campsite in Portugal. I am then able to miss all Winters and enjoy the warm weather. I worked very hard for many years with my own lorries and this is my reward, if you work hard and save all your pennies then just maybe you will be able to afford to do the same. Six months holiday a year is fantastic.
Cheers, Archie.
Archie you’ve probably answered your own question there, maybe the drivers you’ve come across are just dreaming about the life you now have and feel bloody miserable because of it, I know when I got to the ‘I’m sick of this lark’ stage I wasn’t very friendly towards some of the plonkers I came across on what seemed a daily basis and after I packed in I never looked back. I was lucky to start long distance at a time when the old ways, for want of a better term, were coming to an end, good nights out, plenty of good banter, and a satisfaction in the job (no bloody cones either).
As this changed to todays state of affairs it began to be less interesting and I was brought up on wagons and only wanted to be a driver from a young age, like many then. I sum up my driving career with this: when I started young females would wave up at me from their fast open topped cars, by the time I finished these same types were blowing the car horn and sticking two fingers up at me, just for doing my job. Lots of things in life have changed and I don’t blame you for saying what you did but I’m sure there are still guys and gals out there trying to do the job professionally as we did. Franky.
Hullo Franky,
Ay happen you could be right, but I still think that standards have certainly dropped at home. I’m still working though. I got in this morning at 3 am and I start again tomorrow morning at 3am. Good easy work though these days. Out of the Asda Depot at Teesport, double deck 52 pallets to any of the other Depots and back usually empty. Automatic gears, Cruise control, I’ve never had it so good. On another thread, looking at your Van Hee posts, I knew Jimmy Jarvis and Kris Kristianson, they were starting up their own company and working for Frans Maas. last time I saw them. Was’nt Jimmy also on for Browne Wharrior at one time ?
Cheers, Archie
Archie Paice:
Hullo all ,
I know that I am sure to get loads of flac back from this. But on returning to the Uk after many years of driving in Europe M/E and laterly in Latin America, I must say what a crap load of drivers we have turned out in the UK this era. Driving down the A1M recently, I see a truck entering on my left, I pull out to the right to let him enter, Immediately he is up to maximum speed and then tries to force a race to see who will win, and I am left out in the centre lane with nowhere to go. You come to a hill and you see a truck pull out from behind another truck, he has no chance of ever overtaking this truck,( because all governed to 52 m.p.h.) but he will sit there for five miles trying to pass the other truck, and then pull in behind it. ( is he daft or what ) Have any of you ever driven abroad ■■ Two lane Motorways, you pass and you get back into the nearside lane, You see somebody give you clearance for entry to the Motorway and you respect it and let him get in front, then if you have enough powe then you overtake. All I hear when I get back to the UK, is moans about Foreign Drivers taking over our jobs. There are plenty of jobs available, I know because I can always find work. And I am 72 years old. And these blokes are Professionels just as we old UK drivers were. Manners on the road cost nothing. Think about it. We are are now ( THE ENGLISH) the worst drivers in Europe. I know this will cause offence to many, but please think about it. Most especially you lads that have been abroad and have gained some experiencein th UK. Take it easy, THINK Life is not a race.
Cheers, ArchieFurther to this thread. You get into a service area area. Trucks ? Huuh? Nobody talks to you, THE FOOD is non existent after 9.p.m. even then it’s crap. Everybody just walks past you without passing the time of day. MORONS are todays truck drivers. I am just so pleased that I can still get in a Wagon though. I Still live my life, and I still enjoy it. What a miserable old [zb] I’ve become eh ■■
I think your rant could be aimed at society in general, not just drivers.
The whole of the UK has gone to ■■■■■ in recent years in the name of capitalism/dumbing down, it is only when you get away for any period of time that it becomes noticeable or when you have travelled extensively, which I have.
I have just become a class one driver and if you listen to half of the idiots on here, I would be in the oldest truck taking all the crap from other drivers, instead I am in a brand new DAF105 and am friendly and courteous to all, I even strike up conversations with other drivers and have a good laugh…I like people and life in general and do not have to work for a living, as my own business takes care of whatever I need…I drive because I like trucks, meeting others and because it makes me enormously happy…I will drive trucks all over the world before I have finished and will enjoy doing so, I have a positive attitude that affords me to enjoy my life wherever I may be.
I feel it is a shame that you could not find any positives in your tirade, but then I guess you are predominately a negative person, because that is how you come across.
Hullo att,
Thank you so much for your contribution to this thread. You are quite correct it is not just in road haulage, but in all aspects of life that the UK has deterioated. But my obsevation being a seasoned driver was at the driving attitudes nowdays. I have two sons that drove for me in the 80’s and they can also see the difference, one lives in Monza Italy and works driving in Italy he comes over here occasionally, and he says that now he would rather drive in Italy. the other drives 20 metere lenghts of steel section arround the UK, he most definately notices the changes. As you have also travelled extensively you must also have noticed, although I see that you really can’t compare with the places you have visited because you were’nt then a qualified lorry driver. however I applaud that you have passed your test, and welcome you to the brotherhood. I see that you as opposed to me are a very positive person, " I have just become a class one driver, “I drive a DAF105” , and " I talk to other drivers" . Well good for you, we all were new once to this industry and we all talked to other drivers, how do you think we all know different people on this site ? But how many of these drivers have you had a night out with ? How many do you know personally ? I would hazard a guess and say none. You are I can assure you not the only person of other means that is still driving, many of us are doing it because it’s in the blood , I have other means, you are not unique you know, many of the other drivers I mention are also older than me. In conclusion I wish you well in your search for driving jobs all over the World, I hope you do well, but don’t be negative like me eh? You stay positive. Va fangullo.
Cheers, Archie.
Hi Archie,
Not going to comment on everything you said in your post,but have to agree the standard of driving here is appalling,drivers overtake on blind bends,double white lines don’t mean a thing to half of them.There is so much aggression on the road,as you said very little courtesy.Most of my mates are lorry drivers,same generation as me, they all see similar everyday,you look in the mirror,a vehicle coming up behind you,straight past,complete disregard to the vehicle coming the other way. Its little wonder there are so many head on accidents,its not the roads its the drivers.
Cheers Dave.
Archie Paice:
…You stay positive. Va fangullo…
PMSL…
archie,
ive only been driving LGV for 6 years and i am youngish (38). however mate i wouldnt class myself as a moron if i dont talk to people at a msa. 1). if i am unfourtunate enough to find myself parking on one i wouldnt want to spend my time eating below par food whilst hearing some ■■■■■■ telling the world about how he took no crap off the rdc staff today or how many women he’s pulled in his truck. tend to park up eat a meal made in the cab, wander out for a walk maybe a pint if i find a pub then back to the truck to watch tv/read a book. dont make me a moron mate. if im abroad i will eat at a autohof as i enjoy the atmosphere in such places and i try to get along with the german i am learning. 2.) manners this is not only down to young drivers manys the time i had older drivers show me no consideration after ive pulled over to let them onto a motorway. me i was taught well about manners as a kid by my dad, both on the road and off, takes absoulutly nothing to show some manners in everyday life and a lot of foreign people could do with learning some…
I, like a lot of drivers of a certain age, agree with you Archie, to a point, it’s not just in England though, nobody has time for anybody or anything now, fast food, microwaves, mobile phones, emails etc, in days gone by if we wanted to eat we went to a cafe & waited while our food was being cooked, in that time we would strike up a conversation with a fellow driver, standing in a queue at Mcdonalds is just not the same. Today nobody can wait for anything, you want to call the wife/boss/a friend, no need to hunt for a phonebox, just use your mobile, need to send a letter, send an email instead, it’s there instantaneously. There is no interaction anymore & it’s why standards have dropped.
This ‘want it right now’ attitude has passed over to everything we do, especially driving, we want to get from A to B right now & if we have to drive in the middle lane for 20 miles to overtake somebody crawling along at 0.1kmh slower than us then we will & no way will we not accelerate to speed leaving some stupid courteous person stuck in the middle lane, after all that will save us at least 30secs in the course of a week, time is money after all, it’s called progress! Years ago the bloke you were holding out in the middle lane could be the bloke you sat next to in the cafe while you had your breakfast, now he’s just some bod in a uniform standing in the queue behind you, as soon as you’ve got your burger you’re going back to the lorry to eat it so you wont have to hear him moan about it so who cares?
I must be getting old, because I don’t like progress one bit.
robinswh:
Sorry to enter an opposite point of view.I have lived in Alberta Canada for the last thirty two years .I am a class one driver once in the uk (now expired) I have a class one licence in Alberta and have operated tanker trucks and buses in western canada and the north west united states.I visit the UK every couple of years and find British drivers far more well mannered and less aggressive than that i ve come to be used to over here.I drove 1300 miles in a rented car in May 2009 and only witnessed a couple of incidents of poor driving and these were not truck drivers either.Also when you want to change lanes most people ease off and let you in.Give way seems to be in most people phrase book in the UK.Sorry if I sound argumentative
Blimay mate did you have yer eye’s shut? the driving standard’s in this country are terrible both car and truck
i have to agree with Mr Paice, do a week on the M25 mate and you would change your opinion i am sure of that dont judge it on 1,300 miles mate as you know yerself that’s nothing, and as for foreign driver’s well that’s another story. 
Get off Archie’s back i have known him a long long time and he is one of the most respected guy’s i know
he has been and done more than most of you can dream of he can live where he want’s to he has earn’t that right.
the trouble with you younger driver’s at the moment is you dont know the job any different , we do and that’s how we judge thing’s i helped a driver fold his sheet’s up a couple of week’s ago and he nearly passed out with shock is that what we have become■■? 
Hullo Bob,
Long time no see, Where’ve you been hiding you old bugger ? Are you still on with the job you were on with out of Sheerness the last time I spoke to you ? I’ve been doing some smashing work this time home in the UK, I’m working for a firm ( two brothers that I’ve known for years ) who do sub contract work for Asda. I mostly only do weekends, although I find a couple of weekdays are also begining to creep in. Pick up a loaded double deck curtain sider at Teesport and deliver to any one of half a dozen regional depots, go in wait, pull curtains back, wait, pull off and park up, wait, get your papers and go. The unit is always a FH12, automatic, get on the road and if possible put it in cruise control and sit and admire the view. A weekend is at least £300 and last week with another two days it was £560. Good eh ? Are you still involved with the group of American Air Force chaps ? I remember you telling me about it last time we spoke. Give my regards to your good lady and you look after yourself too mate, there seems to be a few of our old friends leaving us at the moment, and we don’t want to go there yet do we ? Keep smiling Mate.
Cheers, Archie.
Archie,can you recall a white daf 310,Yellow roof,white cab,a green and white scania 142,and the last truck,a maroon scania 142,ex peter gilder lhd,with an esteppe roof,all these were parked opposite the Guincho campsite entrance from about 91 to 2004.If not there i was behind Cascais shopping watching 3 to 4 films a day at the cinema,and parking with a patrol security 24 hours,i wasnt tipping there,no one asked me to move.Most drivers would sit in Alverca TIR all weekend to clear customs.The mosquitoes there were terrible,was too hot to sleep with a window or door shut,so left them open to getting bit all night,and get flu like symptons after.There was a big sewer parallel to the TIR park.Some driver would get bad headaches from the odour in the summer months off course.Loading for export in the Braganza/Guimareas/Braga area was the trip highlight,mountain views,ate with the factory bosses and staff at the subsidised canteens.Shoes/marble/clothing.Lisbon was UK import and reloading export to the UK was allways Northern Portugal.The national road from Lisbon to Porto was quite dangerous,single to dual carriegeway,saw a lot of near misses and chancers on strong expresso coffee.The motorway was too expensive for me.God knows how much the route costs now for trucks.Nothing but happy memories from the very kind and generous people.And super bock beer with Bifanas.
Hi Toby, just spent four days down in cascais waiting for a race to finish, dropped trailer at track , went down to beach front behind railway station , no stress or mozzies just g string bikinis ,bought a few parking tickets then was told not to bother by the attendant!!! woundnt get told that in uk.Up in france on route to Monza, all new roads up to spain border cost 28 euro total .
Archie Kriss on for a company in Cramlington tramping all week & I think Jimmy up Scotch Tankers I think not sure. Should have been a Van Hee reunion couple of wks ago but it was cancelled.I will reiterate what I said in the post earlier I think a lot of the bad driving has a lot to do with general attitude of people these days nobody seems to give a( zb).Example 5am this morning had just passed a 4 wheeler southbound A1 on the59 junction as I pulled back into lane 1 another wagon starts coming down the slip road I am ok but in the meantime someone else starts to overtake the 4 wheeler so by this time wagon on slip road up to max cant get into lane 1 so he starts flashing the 4 wheeler because he cant get out, poor bloody 4 wheeler driver getting agro because the useless bugger on the slip road cant drive.I could go on with plenty of other examples as Im sure could many others but times have definatly changed. (no im not goody 2 shoes i make the odd ■■■■ up myself but i back off when somebodys struggling to pass & I put my hand up if someone moves to let me out of a slip)
Toureg,know what you mean about the g strings,plenty of eye candy.If you head to Playa de Guincho,there were,or still are,some naughty housewives hidding in the woods,along the coast road.
Hullo toby1234abc,
I do somehow recall seeing a maroon Scania in Portugal but not opposite the Campismo, I seem to think that there were two lorries both with stepframe tilts parked in Cascais, but they were parked by the fort and overlooking the beachfront by the Hotel Baia. I did’nt go onto the Camp until November 2004, so it would certainly be later than you are talking about I think. The piece of waste ground that you were talking about in Ariea had at that time a rather smello old open drain running across it, but in 200 that all changed and there is now a roundabout, a fancy bustop lay-bye and a slip road to enter the camp, so that you don’t block the road but cross at right angles to it, And some landscaping. If you had parked there for long you must know the few restaruants in Ariea, O Carlotta, O Corrieo, O Biscoita, this is the busiest with all the wind surfers and the younger folk, mind you I still use it quite often. Next time you get down there though, beware of those naughty housewifes that you saw, or else you might feel a right Willy, that part is a very well known haunt for the Gingers. If you do get down there give me a look up, we can have a few bottles of Sagres together. If you wan’t to buy a house with the best views of the Dunes, Atlantic and the Sierra de Sintra, I’ve got one for sale only 4 years old.
Cheers, Archie
Yes,that was my step frame,and tautliner,would drop the trailer by the fort,overlooking the bay,and take the unit to the playa.Silver Euro PSL,Blue Garnett eurotrans trailers.There is the fort which is a barracks for the national service army.How much is the house?
My fave is the “Tango”.Red syrup.