What do Drivers these days define as “tramping”
I might be old fashioned but in my days on "general work"tramping was out on Sunday / Monday and tip and load for where ever you could and return on Friday /Saturday with a possible night or two at home IF you where passing through.
Inter depot drop and swap stuff is hardly “tramping”
Opening a can of worms here 
Tramping (minimum) is out all week, that is you leave for work on day one and don’t get home until day five or six or whatever. Longer periods are available.
The odd night out isn’t tramping. Trunking isn’t tramping.
I believe the word “tramping” came from the America’s referring to the long-haul guys who would leave with a load, then not know we’re there next load would come from, they would then hang around truck stops awaiting a load, and we’re referred to as truck stop tramps,
toonsy:
Tramping (minimum) is out all week, that is you leave for work on day one and don’t get home until day five or six or whatever. Longer periods are available.The odd night out isn’t tramping. Trunking isn’t tramping.
Ok, so I’ve tramped all my life, weekends out the lot, but I’m on a 4 day week now so only do 3 nights a week…so what do you reckon I am now?
(To all my ‘‘special fans’’ on here…You can answer that as long as the word you use doesn’t start with a ‘C’ )
I’m on the tramping fleet and this week I’ve been home every night.
As old man often says to me 'you lot nower days don’t know your born
I consider myself a tramper as im willing to do whatever nights out are needed to get a job done and sometimes I do it to get more sleep (Not doing a 9hr ‘rest’ including 35min drive to/from work). Where I am now though I might do 2 weeks of yard/day work but I have also needed to do a few 3 week trips - They did include hotels though so not a true tramping hero.
mrginge:
I do it to get more sleep (Not doing a 9hr ‘rest’ including 35min drive to/from work).
I’ve always said 9 hours off is not enough, as it aint all ‘‘rest’’ as such, (but could be as little as about 6 hours kip before and/or after a 15 hour shift.)…but especially if you are spending it at home.
If I was a dayman it would be permanent 11s off ■■■■ em, and on the few occasions I’ve got home in the past, it has always been 11 off…unless it suited me of course.
9 hours is total pish if your going home unless it suits you for whatever reason,all your doing is travelling to crap/shave/shower/sleep,then get up again,so its a no no…
on the other hand…9 hours is often more than enough when your out.
i can be well happy with 6 hours kip and after youve made your spuds then strained them,i would rather get on with it once the 9 is up.
11 can be chronic boredom unless your wrecked and have slept for 8 hours or so.
a lot depends on your preferred ■■■■■■■■■■■■.
My idea of tramping work is being away week or more at a time taking whatever load available to wherever, not just the same routes day in day out, regardless of if you spend all week sleeping in the cab.
I believe the original definition of Tramping was related to itinerant labourers who would move from place to place in search of work, the process of travelling between jobs being known as “On the Tramp” (heard that on Time Team many years ago when they were uncovering a Navvies camp) these weren’t necessarily unemployable people looking for odd jobs, but those working on projects like building Canals and Railways where they have to move from place to place once the job has finished, it was later it got linked with vagrants.
Tramping in my Dad’s day was out all week here there and everywhere, kipping in digs, good bad and ugly , …and finding your own loads in a lot of cases. 
robroy:
Tramping in my Dad’s day was out all week here there and everywhere, kipping in digs, good bad and ugly
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
the back pages of headlight and a tobacco tin fill of pennies tanners and shillings for the public phone box.
my weekly interaction with bosses was once a week or 2 weeks when back in the yard…" theres your notes with what ive done"
sorted,your trailers lying somewhere when you go away again on sunday ect.
so long as you did the bizzo and were a good earner,then lots just let you get on with it.
robroy:
toonsy:
Tramping (minimum) is out all week, that is you leave for work on day one and don’t get home until day five or six or whatever. Longer periods are available.The odd night out isn’t tramping. Trunking isn’t tramping.
Ok, so I’ve tramped all my life, weekends out the lot, but I’m on a 4 day week now so only do 3 nights a week…so what do you reckon I am now?
(To all my ‘‘special fans’’ on here…You can answer that as long as the word you use doesn’t start with a ‘C’
But you leave on day one and go home on day four? That makes you a tramper still.
A part time one but still 
toonsy:
robroy:
toonsy:
Tramping (minimum) is out all week, that is you leave for work on day one and don’t get home until day five or six or whatever. Longer periods are available.The odd night out isn’t tramping. Trunking isn’t tramping.
Ok, so I’ve tramped all my life, weekends out the lot, but I’m on a 4 day week now so only do 3 nights a week…so what do you reckon I am now?
(To all my ‘‘special fans’’ on here…You can answer that as long as the word you use doesn’t start with a ‘C’
But you leave on day one and go home on day four? That makes you a tramper still.
A part time one but still
Same here I start on a Sunday and only go home that night as its roast day , rest of week I sleep in the cab even in the yard , so I’m a part timer
blue estate:
Same here I start on a Sunday and only go home that night as its roast day
Thanks for the insight into your private life mate…but are you the roastEE , or one of the roastERS ?
robroy:
blue estate:
Same here I start on a Sunday and only go home that night as its roast day
No , roast pork , beef , chicken or lamb , depends on what Mother is cooking
We usually only knew where our first job was after that it was pot luck .
The rules were always take your kit with you even if it was a local job . It was not unusual to go out to a drop a couple of hours up the road and end up out all week or sometimes more .
We also did exhibition, concert, film,TV and conference work where we would tip then wait 1-7 days and reload , very occasionally the customer provided hotel accommodation . My running mate has just done several dates with Ed Shearan off the back of a 10 day exhibition job in Berlin.
It’s not for everyone but I used to enjoy the variety of work , RDC work was certainly not for me .
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Tramping is going wherever the load takes you, sleeping in the cab on regular out and back runs is not tramping, although there have always been people that act, look and smell like tramps that do this.
Not sure where i stand, i go away Monday with enough gear for the week but always try for a night or 2 at home during the week, doesnt seem to be happening much though now this Campbeltown jobs got busy, on the other hand i now know every make of sodding camper van on the market and my Dutch is coming along a treat